Overdue Update

Can't believe it has been two months since the last post, but things have been busy. The kids are all engaged in school and extracurricular activities and I just returned from SE Siberia. So below is an update on everyone:

Jeremy:
Jeremy is plugging away at college and is having a much better semester and seems to be having a great time. Last semester he joined the university's IEEE chapter, but he was a bit disappointed because they really did not engage him. All the projects were taken over and no one seem to need his help. This semester he is working with a a different group and I am not sure of their name. Anyway, they are building a cube satellite and he is working on the transceivers. He is one of three amateur radio operators in the group and so this right up his alley. They were supposed to test some of the electronics using a weather balloon last weekend, but the weather spoiled that opportunity. We all miss him and may have to make a trip there if he does not come home soon!

Christina:
Christina is busy with home school and starting her own web business. She is a fantastic photographer and artist. In addition to caring for her horses, she volunteers one day per week at the local animal shelter. She takes photographs of the cats/kittens for posting on a web site for people searching for pets. She created a 2012 Calendar for the local shelter to sell to raise money. She is managing her illness very well and has good days and bad days. At least three days per week, she treats us to a meal she has cooked which is awesome! Below is a link to her web site:
http://musehorse.storenvy.com/

Sarah:
Sarah is doing great but still hates math . . . and science. She is progressing well and is very busy with dance right now. She loves dancing and acting and had the opportunity to participate in two plays this past summer. I love to watch her dance and act. She has turned into a graceful young woman. To many she is shy and so they are very surprised when they see her acting and playing very vocal parts. She is great helping around the house and with her younger siblings.

Polina:
Polina, like her older sister, loves dancing and acting. She is often seen twirling around the house. She has grown a bushel in the last twelve months getting much taller. she loves to help feed the horses and is our social butterfly. She enjoys visiting with her friends prior to dance practice and church.

Dima & Nastya:
These two are the source of a lot of noise in the home - cackling, yelling, and such. Nastya is taking dance like her sisters and enjoys singing in the church children's choir. Dima is big brother to Alexander and enjoys roughhousing with him. They are great kids and are often side by side in anything going on. Dima and Nastya have improved so much in their school work. Both are very good in math and are progressing with their reading skills.

Alexander:
Alexander has been home almost 8 months now and is doing well. He still does not like bed time and will fuss when told to go to bed. Some nights are better than others and that makes it hard when we are exhausted. He has been to more doctors appointments than I can count on two hands. To sum it up, he can hear certain frequencies and noise levels. He is currently wearing hearing aids and gets excited when he hears something new. The doctors are still leaning heavily toward a cochlear implant. He goes to speech therapy every Wednesday in a nearby town about 60 miles away.

Well, that's about it. I just returned from Russia where I had the opportunity to visit many, many orphans from a couple months old to teenagers. Some of their stories would rip your heart out, but their smiles are infectious! I'll try to post more about that later.

God Bless -