Summer in Washington

Appointments, appointments, and more appointments.  So far almost everyday of the week has been full of dental, orthodontic, doctors, orthotistists, and eye doctors.  We are trying to get caught up so we can have some summer weeks without appointments.    Sneha is being closely monitored on her new medicine  We are trying to get her the services that she needs now and into adulthood.  She has been doing better and hopefully next year in school will be a new start for her.  Joyce received her new hearing aides from MIRACLE EAR!!! We are hoping that they improve her ability to understand language.  Did I mention that she is very stubborn!  I guess that she needed this to survive, but wow.  Elijah is finally starting to deal with some of his loss and grief issues with the appropriate interventions.  He is  waiting on a new leg brace and a new arm immobilizer for at night..  We are hoping this will improve his ability to stretch his arm in swimming.  Elise is loving wearing contacts and is going to try out the 2 week day and night wear.    We are just so happy that she can see now and not always squinting.  We found out that she is congenitally missing some of her permanent teeth so we are hoping the baby teeth will stay with her many years.  This is inherited, but we have yet to find out from who.    She has a major enamel problem and this will be a battle her for her entire life.    Sneha's teeth are really pretty good considering she has never had an real "work" done on them.  So in the coming months she will be under to have a full cleaning, fillings, and sealants applied.  This will be very expensive because she will have to have full anesthesthia.  It will be great to get this done.

 We are happy to report  that Elijah now can swim!  Graedy and Elise are perfecting their strokes and Graedy will be on swim team hopefully next year.  Elise loves the water and we hope this can be her sport.  Joyce loves the water, and tries, but she is not yet a swimmer.    Graedy, Elise, and Elijah are going to Colorado and are very EXCITED!!!!!Wow will the house be quite for two weeks and then we will go pick them up.  Did I mention appointments for the dogs so they can be kenneled.   I hate leaving my dogs, but it will be too much to bring them and into such extreme heat.    This will be our first road trip in a very long time.    Our vacations used to be to Portland, Astoria, and the Oregon coast, I could never have imagined that we would ever live here.

  Graedy is thinking of the future where he wants to do missions or teach English for a summer once he is in high school.  Moscow and China are possibilities that he is thinking of.  Elise is considering volunteering in a few years at an orphanage in Ghana or helping out in China with children.  Of course my mind is always planning and dreaming of future trips, and one for sure that I am going on next year to India with Emmanuel. 

ELISE 12

GRAEDY 13

ELIJAH 10

SNEHA 11

JOY 7

My Bird and Dali.  She has been such a great help this summer with chores and grilling.  She is a wonderful cook and learning more all the time.  I love how she is so helpful and more relaxed now that school is out.

The summer is flying by and it is our coolest summer ever.  We are talking 50-75 degrees in the day time.  A big change from the 100 degree days of Sterling Colorado.  The lush green and cool breezes are a nice change.

Just a few random pictures to show how tiny Joy is compared to Sneha and how much her hair is growing.  Our hope is to be able to braid her hair by the time school starts.  It is very puffy and too short for braiding now.   This summer we are working on the ABC's and trying to get her caught up by the fall.  A long road a head of us for her to be able to recognize sounds and identify what they mean.  She has been unable to hear for so long that this is harder than I thought, but all in good time.  She will catch up eventually at least now she is in a setting to learn and hear.  Sneha  is focusing  better this summer with the help of a new medication to help her attention span.