Erika the Babysitter

Or should I say, "The Sister Sitter".... :)

Tonight, it was Anna's turn to go out with Daddy and My turn to go to the Support Group.   Erika is now 14, and we feel that each of the girls are ready to stay alone for  a time with no parents. :)  They are all doing really great.... So we were both comfortable leaving for a couple of hours and doing what we needed to do.
Oh Boy! Erika is a wonderful big sister, little sister sitter.  :)  I made the rules very clear. Just as with the brothers; each person is RESPONSIBLE for their OWN behavior; but Erika would be responsible overall in any emergency and they should listen to her.  :)

They did fantastic and had some fun in the process!  Anna had a good time with daddy too. :)

 Oh the mischief of that little Sarah face. :)

 And then Miss Alli had a turn.:)

 Did I mention it is HOT here!

 I really like this picture!

Oh I love it that my girlies love each other. :)  They are just precious.

Arms and Legs and Doctors Oh My!

 Sarah has developed a hard lump on her forearm over the last couple of years, after she had surgery for a tendon transplant.  It was looked at 2 years ago, and they said it was normal.  Then, 3 weeks ago she complained of pain. The area was a little red and swollen, with that lump looking much larger!
I made an appointment for her and they took x rays today.
The verdict is, that the bone is trying go grow around that transplant.  She most likely just irritated it being Sarah.... :)   There is no tumor, which was my biggest fear.  YEA! So she is a healthy girl. :)

While we were there, I noticed that she also was walking a little crooked, so we headed down stairs to prosthetics to see if Dwight was available. He was!  So she now has another centimeter added to her leg. :)
He also ground out the leg to make more room, as she has grown.

He also said that Erika's legs were ready to try on.... We tried them, and there is some tweaking to do.  That won't happen until after camp.   Which is next week! WHEW!

 Waiting for the doctor to come in at hand clinic.

 Now we are in Prosthetics..... waiting for the leg to be lengthened.

 Erika trying on new legs.... Sarah still waiting....

Oh my precious girls.  So fortunate to have them in my life. :)

This Old House

We still own our first home that we ever purchased, much to our own surprise, and most likely, much to our own laziness in trying to sell it. 
We rented it out for several years and then decided to try and sell it once more, to no avail.  Then, the housing market came to a pretty good crash around here.  Homes with granite counter tops and wood floors were selling for  75-85 k.      Our house didn't have any of those. 
We refinanced it last year, as we still owe a small amount on it, but the interest rate was killing us.
The payment went WAY down to an acceptable level and we have been working on getting it ready to rent out again. 
After all these years, we are not selling.   It is FINALLY at a point where we will begin to recoup the investment we put into it. I hope. 
So today, we are headed to Join Mike and finishing up the last jobs to get it ready for inspection by the city.  Our renter will move in at the end of the month, and I will no longer have to face the utility bill and house payment each month for a home we do not live in.
YEA!
I still like this little old house.  Mike and I married there, in the den.  It was the first home we ever owned.  It was a 1300 sq. ft. fixer upper when we bought it....in 1989.  We remodeled it together, though it remains a 1300 sq. ft. fixer upper. LOL   I still remember dad letting Chuck karate chop into the wall to start the remodel process. LOL
There was a sand box in the back yard and the boys used to line up G.I. Joes and play army.

A lot has changed since then.  4 boys tromped up and down those stairs and we all lived cozily there, until the boys were mostly grown.  Now the boys are all married and on their own, and 4 girls tromp up and down the stairs having no memory of the house, but asking loads of questions about what went on there, who roomed with whom, where did we put the Christmas tree.... how did we cook in such a small kitchen, etc. etc.

 Den

 I still need to clean the stairwell.

 Bathroom

 I cleaned all the carpets over the last two days. They all had stains MUCH WORSE than this one.
And I am pleased that the carpets looks really nice.

 A view from upstairs into the back yard.

And the big question! "How come WE don't have stairs at OUR house???" LOL.... That is a good question! I miss the stairs too!
Hmmm. maybe we could start a remodel over here?  


HONEY???? :)

Holding It Together

I knew with all we had going on, this weekend would be a HUGE weekend for Miss Alli to handle.
First off, she knows that we have been going back and forth with the Russian Embassy trying to figure out what it is they want us to do, as far as paperwork.  We followed the list on the website, and then it was all sent back to us with a long letter of requirements. 
They basically had us putting together a dossier minus a few things.  So, we complied, but it was stressful having to get all this stuff done, including trips to Austin and Dallas to get new notarized documents. 
We finally heard back from the agency, when the Russian Embassy said we had to bring Alli to Houston in person!
She was starting to get scared! "Will they try to keep me?"   I told her no, but my thought was the opposite.  It could be paranoia, or NOT.

We reassured her she was safe, and we would get all this worked out.  It is hard trying to do things with a  12 year old who's ears are perked. :)  She was not obliviously 5.

Added to that the birthday weekend for 2 girls, the car breaking down during the trip, having to be towed, then the boat breaking down on the water (thank goodness Mike is a mechanic and never goes anywhere without his magic bag of tools)  and then the next day being Father's day..... Alli had enough triggers to last a life time. LOL

I spent the weekend reassuring her she was loved and safe, and if she felt upset to "hold it together, use your tools."   SHE DID!

That is until Saturday Night.  Everybody had started to go to bed and she insisted she had to stay up and do laundry.  She then said something rude to a sister, which we do not EVER allow, and was unwilling to apologize....  I waited with her, and that is when it all poured out.... "You love everybody else more than me! I know you say you don't and you love us all with your whole heart, but it isn't true!"  Ahhh! She has been listening.... she repeated me perfectly, with a mocking voice, but perfectly non the less.... she knows the truth.

So I congratulated her for listening all those times about how much we love her and that she is part of a family team.  She didn't like that so much.  It took her a few minutes to use her tools and settle herself down, but she did!  Of course she was terribly remorseful and apologetic.  But I was actually PROUD of her for going through ALL of that weekend with minimal falling apart.

I have come to recognize Alli's biggest trigger is feeling that others are cherished or loved more than she is.  With all the attention RIGHTFULLY on two sisters, it was a trigger that was entertained. When we were talking I brought this up..... When she was still mad and curled up, I decided to sing the Master Piece song to her......It was hard to get into a singing mode when she had just accused me of being a terrible liar for saying I loved her the same.  But I made myself do it, because she needed that.   As I began to sing and stroke her hair,  her tears flowed.... I added a few words in between such as, when the songs says, "You are a masterpiece", I added, even though you don't believe that right now"....  and when the song says  "and I'm so proud of you"  I added.... "even though you don't think I should be"......   She turned around and hugged me tightly.
"I'm so sorry mommy.... "
"I know, sweetie..."
And then, she fell asleep.

Anna was terribly sunburned after our sun screen failed to do its job. (SPF #50)!)  I was abit sunburned too, so we decided to go to the later service.  Mike, Erika and Sarah left for church and then he called.  "Did we forget the van is broken down?"  Oh yea! We did!   "What about the truck?"  "It is connected to the boat still."
"Well dear, we'll see you when you get home!"   I needed some rest after a huge weekend anyway.
We made daddy his favorite Chinese rice dish and then left again for the lake in the early evening to catch some more water before the week started again.

And the news we got today????   Cease and desist all paperwork.  After ALL THAT, we don't have to do it.  They WANT us to readopt in Russia, but we are not being required to. 
Oh I wish I would have known this a few hundred dollars ago.
I can't wait to tell Alli..... she will feel so relieved that she doesn't have to go to the embassy!

And just when things get all back to normal this week..... come Monday, CAMP for Erika, Sarah and Me.......
Some more from the Lake:

My Friend

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful dads out there~!

I think one of Mike's joys is to see his girls enjoy the boat. Today Anna got up for the first time on a Wake board.  It is harder than skis, which she is pretty good at.....

I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE IS FOURTEEN!

Our sweetie is growing up so fast!   Erika started her day with the traditional favorite breakfast and present hunt. Sarah and Anna did a great job of organizing the clues.

She picked Eggs with pizza sauce and bacon bits.

 Present hunting

 Me working on putting Sarah's pictures up.

 sorry dear, Alli used that box for her gift. :)

She did receive her much wanted rash guard for boating. :)

A our friend came over to go boating and finish celebrating Erika's birthday.  It was her first time on a boat, and she did great!

 Erika took a spill and got a bloody lip.

 I think A had a fun time knee boarding.

 Anna is doing great on skis now.

 Erika picked cheese cake for her cake.

and we are finishing off with a movie.
Good night all! I think she liked her birthday. :)