Settling In

Things are going well here. We finally finished our busy two weeks of school and now we face a more normal schedule from here on out. We are all healthy again, except for Papa who still has "the cold" but he is on the tail end of it. Nana was the only one with a strong enough immune system to avoid the cold.

Amanda and ELLIE are doing well together. They seem to really enjoy each other's company. Amanda has been walking next to ELLIE holding on to her harness and giving her lots of pets. The rest of us are really enjoying ELLIE as well. She is the neatest dog ever!

Amanda has made lots of progress this week. She has learned to "show me your toes" and to drink out of a cup by herself (this works well in the bathtub as opposed to over the wood floors). She is much more aware of her surroundings and is quite the silly kid these days. She did the best ever at therapeutic riding yesterday. She rode Katie's pony, May, essentially all by herself yesterday. I had my hands near her in case she lost her balance, but didn't have to touch her much at all. She did fabulously. This week, we will do the second set of blood tests for the clotting issues. We had to wait until she got off the antibiotics from the ear infections before doing them. She has been off the meds for about 5 days now so the tests should be fine now.

Katie is enjoying her new school. She is in a private Christian school this year and seems to love it. She is working hard at her studies and enjoying her new study area - the Bible. She comes home and quotes Bible verses, which is pretty cool. She really likes her classmates and has already made some nice new friends. Her best friend, who lives next door, also goes there. They are in different classes but enjoy being together at lunch and recess. I think it will be a good experience for her. I also love the fact that uniforms are required. It makes it so much easier to get ready in the morning. She can wear Khaki pants, shorts, or a skirt and a blue, red, or white golf shirt.

We are all enjoying our new Wii Fit game. I am hoping it will be the impetus for a healthier lifestyle for all of us. It is so much fun that you don't even feel like you are exercising.

We are spending a quiet day at home prepping for classes, cleaning house and relaxing. We will go to the barn later and do some riding. I am anxious to see if Mandy does as well today as she did yesterday. I am also looking forward to watching Katie ride May. Those two just love each other. They are are perfect pair.

I hope you all have a happy Labor Day. God Bless.

Susan