August--Cardiologists and Curricula

August kept us busy with finishing up summer fun and sliding back into another school year.  We had some summer rain, although we still have not gotten out of drought status. It was a very dry year and every bit of rain was welcome.  Katie Mei especially knows how to take advantage of the wet stuff, and it's always a joy to me to let her play in it.

We also had to take her to Atlanta for a heart catheterization.  At her appointment in June she had lower oxygen levels and had been more cyanotic than usual, so she was scheduled for the procedure in August.  Once we got up there she had a very thorough echocardiogram and after consulting with her cardiologist Dr. Mahle, the attending cardiologist decided she was doing well and did not need the heart cath at that time.  Her oxygen levels were back up and she did not have any complications or symptoms that made it worth the risk of having a cath.  So we were happy to be able to pack her back up and take her home.  It was  a long trip for an echo, but it was so worth it!

While Katie Mei was with us in Atlanta, Merrilee and Jacob stayed with Mindy and had the time of their lives!  Mindy is more fun than Mom, and they got to enjoy doing a few things they don't get to do with me.  Case in point:

There's no shopping cart riding with this mean mom!



Merrilee and Jacob spent the night with Mindy, and woke up to this:

And since Mindy likes to cook breakfast instead of throwing a box of cereal at her kid, my children were also treated to a hot meal.  They even got to help cook it!  I'm so blessed to have someone in my life who loves my kids as much as I do.  It's also nice that they absolutely adore spending time with her.  I couldn't have asked for a better best friend!

Thank you, Mindy, for taking such good care of my kids!

And as for serious business, we attempted to jump into the school year at the beginning of August.  Since I knew we were going to lose a couple weeks of school in October due to travel to China, I wanted to start early.  So we began on August 2.  The kids have been doing great, although I think their stamina has outlasted mine.  I still tend to have a hard time getting motivated some days, but we get through.  Jacob and Merrilee are sharing some classes such as science, ancient world history, and Latin.  For all their other subjects, Merrilee is doing 4th grade work and Jacob is doing 2nd grade work. And Katie Mei is now a Kindergartner!

How Far Behind Am I???

I am not sure how I got two months behind on this blog.  I was distracted this summer.  That's all I can say.

We spent most of the summer just hanging out and swimming, and it went too fast.  But it was so hot that this year I can honestly say I am glad to feel fall in the air.  Tonight it is supposed to get down into the 40s, and it's going to feel so good in the morning.

Just to mention a couple of highlights from July, Katie Mei progressed well with her swimming.  She decided she wasn't going to wear arm floaties anymore, so she put those aside and braved the waters on her own.  She now enjoys being thrown and flipped and comes up smiling.

She also decided it was time to jump off the diving board.  As long as we're standing by, we let her jump and swim to the side.  She's doing great and has learned how to come up for a breath before continuing.  She's not treading water yet, so we don't let her hang out in the deep end, but at least there is a little more confidence that if she falls in she can get to the side.

Jacob had his first sleep over with Mindy's son, Blake, in July as well. The boys had a great time, and even managed to get to sleep before 11 pm, although they had to have a few reminders to keep the noise level down.

July also brought us the exciting news that our newest daughter, Sarah Irene, is able to stand.  She does not appear to be able to do so without support, but we were very excited to get some new pictures of her.  Can't wait to bring both her and Joshua home!