Trip to Great Falls

We just got back from a quick trip to Great Falls...Maya had her final appointment with her developmental optometrist, Dr. Stibel! He says that she has made so much progress, that she no longer needs to come in for follow-ups. We were so excited to get that news...it's been a long journey for Maya, and we are so proud of her. We stayed at the new hotel with a water slide. The kids swam and slid for two straight hours! They were exhausted...today Maya had an appointment with her occupational therapist, Ashley Williams. Maya adores Ashley! And...Ashley adores Maya...they do tons of fun work together. Today was all about primitive reflexes...very interesting...it was from the work of Svetlana Gustanova, a Russian therapist...Rob and I got to join in on the fun today as well. We did some school shopping...Cole bought some new transformers (that's his current "thing")...we stuffed our faces at the Macaroni Grill and then hurried home to hug our doggies! Here are some pics of Maya in her t-shirt she designed for Ashley...it says, "Ashley Rocks! Sincerely, Maya..."

Cole Wins Presidential Award

Cole received a Presidential Award for Academic Excellence this year. It was a surprise until the award ceremony...it was even signed by President Obama. Cole is one of the hardest working students I know. He never has homework because he works so hard to get his work done every day. In 5th grade he did all of his work on Monday, so that he would have the rest of the week to read AR. We are so proud of him!

Maya is a Bee...

In Maya's Spring Program for second grade, she played the part of a bee. Of course, she stole our hearts on stage once again! She was born to perform, that's for sure...and she is so creative and great at it. She is an artist-actress-singer-creator through and through!

Fourth of July...

We celebrated with family and friends on the Fourth of July this year, but it was a little down-sized because Cole was recovering from his surgery. He won't want the details on the blog I am sure, except to say that he had a torsion and had surgery in Great Falls. We will let you do the research...since the details are a little private! He had to lay low for about ten days, and so the 4th was pretty mellow, but here are a few shots of the fun...

Cole Runs in Hershey Track Meet...

Cole ran in the Hershey Track Meet in June. He ran the 50 and the relay...he is one fast dude. He claims he didn't like it (of course), but I think he might have had just a little fun?!? It was raining the entire day, and we were all soaked...we are so proud of him for trying something new!

Maya Plays Fastpitch...

Maya played fastpitch softball this summer...Rob was her coach...she loved it. Her favorite base to play was 2nd (just like dad). Rob caught a glimpse of what is like to coach little princesses! They adored him, even when he told them to get to work. In the last game, she finally made it to home plate...she was so darn proud of herself!

Jackson Moves In...

We got a new puppy this summer! He is a cocker spaniel and he only weighed three pounds when we brought him home. He is the sweetest little dude of a dog. Maxx is not too sure what to think and Princess loves being chased around the yard by Jackson. He is still learning NOT to go to the bathroom all over the house, but he is getting it...slowly but surely!

More pics of reunion...

Family Reunion...

The biggest blessing of our summer was our reunion with mom, Lissy, and Eli! It was so amazing and a miracle right here on earth. God is so good and brought us all back together. We laughed and cried for three days straight. Eli is the most amazing little boy on the planet! We had so much fun playing with him, listening to his stories, and watching him pose. The kids had so much fun...they built forts, went swimming, made s'mores, and played hard. We all had so much fun that we did not even want to sleep! We had a hard time saying good-bye...but it really isn't good-bye at all...it's just the beginning! We get to go to Missoula on the 11th and stay for a couple of days. I am so excited; I can hardly stand it! Hurray!