Long Overdue.....

I know, I know.....I am terribly overdue in posting an update. I also know people are going to quit checking in because it takes me so long to update. But can I tell you how intense this summer swim league is around here? Holy Cow! It is only 7 weeks but it will wear you out!! We are almost finished. Sarah swims freestyle and breast stroke on Saturday in the AllStars meet. She qualified in both and was thrilled. Emily is "sick of the pool" as she told one friend today who invited her to go swimming. : ) Yep, that's my girl....she would rather curl up with a good book! Both girls had very good seasons and swam their best times yet. They both began swimming the individual medley this year which has all 4 strokes in it. We were so proud of how well they did.
Emily swimming breaststroke


Emily-butterfly


These last 2 are Sarah...getting ready to swim backstroke and the freestyle relay.


Lauren has also had a fun summer...except for the week she had hand,foot, and mouth disease. That was horrible!!! She was in so much pain we had to go to the ER for pain meds and a bag of fluids. This is one of those childhood illnesses that no one wants their children to get...but somehow it is even worse when Lauren gets it! Poor baby girl. She couldn't even tell us how bad she was hurting but we could tell. Her whole body would shake every time she tried to swallow. It really was terrible. Thankfully, she has completely recovered from that and is her happy, smiling self again. She has been homeschooled this summer and is doing well with that. She is learning her alphabet and colors and we are so proud of her. Her new sitter, Dinora, is wonderful with her and we are thankful God provided her at just the time that Ms. Mary was moving to Vermont. How we will ALL miss Ms. Mary but we are happy for her because she is moving home...and you all know how I feel about moving home one day.

Lauren with Owen Peterson...my 3rd and Andrea's 3rd. How sweet are they?

Yep, Lauren has lost a 2nd tooth. It looks so cute!

Daddy had a BIG birthday this year...I won't say exactly how old he is but Sarah did tell him he was officially over the edge...not over the hill...but over the edge!

Anna is doing well also. She is a very typical toddler in many ways. She is SUPER strong-willed. I actually think she may be my most strong-willed child yet. She knows what she wants and she isn't afraid to go after it. She hears "Anna, please obey mommy" several times every day. But oh, what a joy she is! I still appreciate so many little things with her and am so thankful God gave her to us. She is starting to talk a bit more. She has trouble with some letters but is at least attempting to say more. It is so much fun to hear her sweet voice. She understand absolutely everything we say. It is amazing to me that she can understand English as well as she does. Anna's biggest events this summer have been starting speech therapy and swimming at the pool. She doesn't like Daddy to throw her in the pool like he does Lauren, but she does love to be in the water. She has another surgery coming up. On Sept. 2, Dr. Boyajian will re-do her lip. He wasn't happy with the first surgery that was done in China so he will re-do it. I am confidant he will do a good job because the inside of her mouth looks fantastic. He is surely a gifted surgeon.
How beautiful is this girl?

"Hide it under a bushel---NO! I'm gonna let it shine!"


Anna LOVES the playhouse on the deck. She could play out there for hours.


Anna's first snowcone...what this picture doesn't portray is that Anna would NOT let me pull that cup away from her face. She was SO funny!


And that's my short summary of our summer so far. Enjoy the pictures!!
As always, thanks for your prayers. Lauren continues to exceed so many expectations. We appreciate your prayers for her.