Vacation and the 4th of July

Well we really did make it back from NC last week but we've been so busy I haven't had a chance to update the blog. Our vacation was fabulous! We spent much time at the beach or on my dad's boat and it was wonderful. I miss the ocean!! We also participated in VBS at my brother-in-law's church and played with the cousins a lot. I think one of the girls' favorite activities was going to a play center that had different stations for them to play in. Everyone found somewhere to play. Emily chose the veterinarian office (big surprise) while Sarah and Lauren preferred the dance studio. Lauren loved the tap shoes! What a blessing it is that she can play in tap shoes...that is not something we take for granted. Sarah got a BIG haircut while we were gone. She cut 9 1/2 inches off to donate. Her haircut is SO cute! I'm still telling her everyday how much I like it. We returned home last Monday at 4pm and the big girls had to be at a swim meet at 4:50! Our week went out of control from that point on. I have often described this swim league as fast and furious, it has certainly been that. Shawn had Thursday and Friday off for Independence Day. On Friday we started our day at the pool for a family swim meet. It was a first for our family and we had so much fun. There were even a couple of relays that Lauren could do with us. She laughed and seemed to enjoy herself although her favorite part of the morning was sharing a doughnut with Emily. The most exciting thing that happened over the weekend has nothing to do with the holiday and everything to do with Lauren learning to communicate. We have been working with a simple communication device trying to teach Lauren to insert words in "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." I sing and stop for a couple of words and she has to push the correct button to fill them in. On Friday she got it! She would look carefully at the 2 pictures before choosing the right one. We sang the song over and over to make sure it really stuck. We are so excited that she was able to pick this skill up so quickly. We are hopeful this is just the first step in her learning ways to communicate with us more. Again, this is not something we take for granted and we are so thankful for the progress she continues to make. The big girls are doing FABULOUS on swim team this year. Sarah placed 3rd in freestyle on Saturday and Emily dropped 3 seconds on her backstroke. We are so proud of them both. I hope you enjoy the pictures from the last few weeks. I am going to try to do better about updating so I don't have so many pictures each time. Our family is heading on the road once again next week. This time we are off to Chicago to take Lauren to see an education specialist. The whole family is going, along with Mimi. The big girls are looking forward to the American Girl Place and Six Flags. Mom and Dad are looking forward to learning from the specialist ways to help Lauren communicate. Thanks for checking in on us and for all your prayers. We know we have so many people out there praying for our little girl and we appreciate it so much!