Safe and Sound

Oh, it sure feels good to have all my chicks under one roof again!  Michaela took off from Grandpa and Grandma's house about 8pm our time on Tuesday.  We were able to have brief contact with her (over sketchy wi-fi) while she stopped over in Beijing.  Then once she got to LA she had her cell phone to use to call us.  It was so good to hear her voice and know she was safely on U.S. soil!  She said she kept trying to speak Japanese to everyone.  Ha!

Unfortunately she had some delays at LAX, but it wasn't near as bad as when the rest of us flew in last month.  We had all planned to meet her in STL, but as the delay stretched on and on we decided it was best for just Benjamin and me to drive to meet her.  She finally landed at 11:45pm and we couldn't wait to see her.  She was a bit emotional, too!

These two missed each other a lot.  They are so funny together.  I love the relationship they have!

Johanna and Ami had made this sweet sign and wanted to make sure I would still take it to the airport without them.  Also, notice the heart bracelet I'm wearing that Ami made for me to give to her big sis. 

When we finally arrived home at 2am we woke everyone up for hugs.  I think most of them remember it!  She is still soundly sleeping this morning, but we're anxious to have her up and chatty.

Michaela packed back some treats for us, including our favorite cream filled rolls.  They are a bit squashed from their long journey, but I'm sure they will taste yummy just the same!

Six weeks was a long time for this mama to have her eldest away, but it was 10 weeks for Daddy.  Having Skype made all the difference and sure helped the miles between us seem not so many.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this experience has shaped Michaela.  I already know it has given her a big boost in confidence and independence.  Now on to her senior year of high school!

Random

Snapper turtle dude on the driveway....these guys are mean!

I guess pizza and a movie is better with sun glasses on!

One more day until Michaela is home!!!!!

Archery and More

Here are a few shots from our day yesterday.  The boys have SO enjoyed archery, and having two friends there makes it all the more competitive fun.  They've progressed each week and have had fun with games like tic-tac-toe, popping balloons, shooting farther distances, etc. 

Are these two little braves cute, or what?  Ami and her neighbor friend have so much fun together.  They've loved having swimming lessons together for the last two weeks, too.

Crazy Summer Days

Wow, these last two weeks since we've been "done" with school have been crazier than ever.  I feel like we've hardly been at home, and what little time I do have here is to broken up into small pieces where I can't get much done.  I have all sorts of loose ends flying around and feel like the marbles have spilled out a little.  Hopefully soon some of our schedule will settle down and I can enjoy some summer respite.

My day typically starts early with a 30 minute or so Skype chat with Michaela.   While I treasure this time, there is no summer sleeping in.  It's been great to have that, but I'm ready for her to come home!  Plus, when she's home, I can multi-task...chatting with her and getting other stuff done at the same time.  :)  We Skype with her again in the evening when the family is all here.  This works out well with the 14 hour time difference. 

So the last two weeks we've had swimming lessons, volunteering at the Food Bank, archery, gymnastics, roofers and insurance here (hail damage), volunteer training, volunteering at Cedar Creek, swimming, Rubies program, our STL trip, and that's just the short of it.  Phew! 

We gave away our two kittens this week, too.  As cute as they were, honestly I was so glad to see them go.  It was just one more thing around here...it was an ordeal every time we had to back out of the garage or pull in to park.  Kids had to jump out and be on kitten patrol. 

We love the facilities at MU.  This is just the diving well end of one of the pool areas there.  Ami's class is in the front right corner.

She has done quite well and passed level 3, now on to level 4 next summer.  Good job, Ami!

Johanna and Ami had their closing program for Far Above Rubies.  We missed Michaela being there!  This is such a great group of girls and great program for our girls to be involved in.

As Johanna turned twelve, she is now able to volunteer at a therapeutic riding center not to far from our house.  This is such a great opportunity for her with her love of animals, and her servant's heart.  She and I went to the volunteer training earlier this week.  We were so impressed with this program.  They serve individuals with mental or physical disabilities in all ranges of ages.  They use a LOT of volunteers to run the program.  Johanna got to be a "side walker" on her first day "on the job".  She'll go once a week for 2 hours throughout this summer.  I'm sure she'll want to sign on for the fall session, too.  She was grinning from ear to ear the whole time, just as the riders were.  Loved it!

Okay, on to the next event.  Already had Skype and swimming lessons this morning.  Now on to archery, then gymnastics, then another roofer....I'm sure I'm forgetting something else!  But, tomorrow....NOTHING.  Can't wait for that.  :)

Sports

Our family isn't super huge on sports, but by the look of things recently you'd think differently. 

Ami is our last one still in swimming lessons.  She is doing great and the 17-foot deep diving well at MU hasn't intimidated her at all.  The best part for her is that we happened to sign up for the same session as the two neighbor girls that she plays with a lot.  Hopefully they are all paying attention to the instructor and not trying to get each others attention across the lane markers!

The boys are loving their archery class and want to continue through the summer.  Awesome for them....we happened to sign up for the same session as some friends of ours!   Benjamin and Aiden are really hitting the mark!

Elijah and Isaac are progressing nicely as well.

 

Ami and Johanna have started back up in gymnastics after being off since we left for Japan.  They are getting better and better on the balance beam.  Ami does these cute jumps while having to hold a bean bag between her knees.

One more sporting fun event....Chris's group at work had a day off for paintball.  He returned home quite sore and a bit spotted!

STL

We always try to make the most of Benjamin's appointments in STL, so this time was no different.  After a full day here on Thursday (swimming lessons, archery, gymnastics), we picked Chris up early from work and headed out to celebrate the end of the school year. 

We had booked a suite in a hotel where we have enjoyed staying in the past.  They even had dinner as part of the package!  After dinner the kids braved the pool (heated, but still not quite warm enough for the low 70 temps).  Even after a warm shower, Ami was still cold and had to snuggle in bed for a bit!

We splurged on junk food and enjoyed a movie night.

After Benjamin's appointments on Friday morning, we did a short walking tour of The Hill, STL's distinctly Italian neighborhood.  We bought deli sandwiches at an Italian grocery store for lunch.  Oh, so yummy.

This Catholic church is about 100 years old.  Neat statue of Italian immigrants out front.

This place has become a habit on STL visits.  Oh, so much mouth-watering goodness!

Not all of that was for us, we took home some goodies to our neighbor.

After The Hill we went to the zoo.  We hadn't seen the new sea lion exhibit and show yet, so we took that in.  Now we are well informed on the difference between seals and sea lions.  Fun stuff!

Chris's favorite, and slight obsession, was the capybara exhibit.  They are simply huge rodents.  Just sayin'.

We always love this hippo exhibit.  So fun to see them swim right by.  We can never seem to ignore the Madagascar songs that run through our heads while at the zoo.  Love all those characters!

We ended the day with a quick dinner at our favorite chicken stop before driving home.  Benjamin felt his day was complete..... cancer-free news, officially taller than Mom, treats on The Hill, Chick-Fil-A.  It doesn't get much better than that for a teenage boy!

I do have to say that I sure missed Michaela.  Family road trips and celebrations just aren't the same without everyone there.  Hurry home, Michaela!  We love and miss you!