Summer

oks like I need to update for July and August.

July brought Zarah and my birthdays. Zarah went to a 2 day gymnastics camp in Columbia, Mo and had a great time. Our insurance company forced us to replace our roof (not good for the ole family budget)on our house. Some of the children spent a few days in Joplin, Mo with our old neighbors. Fun was had by all. 2 Royals baseball games were attended by Matt and a few of the children.

August: Baylie and Matt attended a culinary open house in KS. She loved it and stills plans to attend college to become a chef/restaurant owner after high school. After 11 wonderful years of being a stay at home mom, I entered back into the work force. I very much appreciate my wonderful husband for doing such a great job supporting our family this last decade. As the children have gotten older and desire to participate in more extracurrilar activities, the time has come for me to pitch in and bring home a pay check. For the next several months, I am helping a couple hours a day with a lady with beginning stage alzheimers. She is a wonderful lady, and I really enjoy our time spent together. I also am working a couple of hours a day at one of 4 area nursing homes doing data entry for their physical therapy department. All the staff I have met so far are very nice; as long as I tell them I am not a PT competing for their job. I am only there to help things run smoothly. Although the job is a bit more complicated than I originally thought, I am catching on and learning new things about Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, etc.

School is back in session. We are all trying to get our new schedules ironed out to fit everything in. Baylie is a Freshman this year. Yikes!! How did that happen. Except for the horror she felt when opening up her biology book package and finding her lab specimens in there, she is liking high school. Oops, if I would have remembered, I would have warned her.

Dan celebrated his 6th birthday. He had a lot more of an opinion this year about what he wanted for dessert. He has started singing songs now. It is great to hear his little voice making a melody. He has officially been part of our family longer now than he spent in the orphanage. He is a very different boy than we met in 2008. With his big hands, tall stature, deep voice, and continued response/understanding of some Serbian words; he will always carry a part of Serbia with him. We are very thankful to all those involved in caring for Dejan during his first 2 1/2 years of his life. He is a loving boy who enjoys playing outside and driving toy cars. He continues to have a special bond with his sister Daniella and little brother Charlie. Although he comes up with many ways to get himself in trouble, his big smile melts your heart.