Oops! Forgot one...

Here are two pictures of the kids on Christmas morning just before opening the gifts...

Merry Christmas, 2011!

Christmas Eve we had 8 refugee friends over for a Mexican dinner, fellowship, prayer, carol singing,  Christmas games, and other family traditions.  There were two Iranians, two Afghans, 3 Pakistanis, and 1 Sudanese.  We had a great time and you'll enjoy hearing that one of our Afghani guests exclaimed with enthusiasm at the dinner table, "This is the first time in my life I have shared a meal in the home of high-class people!"  We told him, "This is the first time in our life we have been called 'high-class' people!"

This morning we opened our family gifts, and tonight the Helping Hands team will be coming over to celebrate together.

Ellie's First School Christmas Program (Kindergarten)

December 21, 2011

Today Ellie had her first character acting role as one of the "two" kings that visited the Christ child.  She didn't care for the crown they placed on her head.  She never cried but neither did she smile or laugh.  She mostly looked "concerned". 

The most impressive part to me was when Ellie's teacher opened the program quoting I Corinthians 13:4-7 (and got overcome with emotion while reading it).

The pics did not turn out great but here they are...

                                                         Mary and Joseph

                                            Mary and Joseph (AND baby Jesus)

                                                    Ellie the "Wise Man/King"

                                                    
                                                        Casual on the throne

                                                            

 
                                               A visit from Agios Vasillis (St. Bill)

                                         
                              Ellie with her teacher Mrs. Maria Loukou (whom we LOVE)

Some day I might even post some video clips from the program...maybe over Christmas vacation.

TWO MILESTONES--Oct. 14, 2011

TWO MILESTONES--October 14, 2011


Technical problems have kept me from making new posts about TWO important milestones:

  1) Ellie has started school (AND is riding the school bus to and from school), and LOVES it!  Her first week was interrupted with another seizure that knocked her out for four days, but she is recovered now and going strong.  It took some time for the school to get a bus for the kids, so we took her for a while and just let her get used to being there and getting used to the schedule and the teacher.  The school (Greek public school for kids with special needs) is on the property of ELAPAP (a Greek charity for kids with special needs--
www.elepap.gr/).  The school provides the education and the bus for free.  ELAPAP provides a kind of morning snack and various therapies which we are still getting sorted out.   They are also looking for a new wheelchair for Ellie, which she has outgrown.

                                                               First day of school!

                                      School days can be tiring (especially when
                                      schoolgirls keep waking up in the middle of
                                      the night!)

Ellie catches the bus at 7:20 am and gets back home between 2 and 2:15 each day.  We are very grateful for a caring and competent kindergarten teacher for her--Mrs. Loukou.

2)  The second milestone is that when Ellie went to the dentist last night for another filling, she also had her FIRST TOOTH PULLED (bottom, front)!  The new one is already coming in. 

Our little girl is growing up!

                                                

Conference in Switzerland!

This was a "milestone" week for us and for Ellie because it was the first time we ever left her alone with a non-family member or someone she did not know really well.  Steffie and the others who looked after her for several hours each day of the conference in Switzerland said she did really well, and seemed to really enjoy herself. 

We are grateful for this for many reasons, but most importantly because it gives us more hope that she will cope well starting in kindergarten next month.

She is also an EXCELLENT traveler, and even slept well ALMOST every night of the conference.  The last night she woke up at 3 AM and, except for one hour in the car on the way to the airport, she didn't sleep again until 1 AM the next night!

Switzerland was heavenly (the picture of the mountains and the moon, and the one of Vicki at the bottom of the page were both taken from the balcony of our room), and the only bad thing that happened on the trip is that the Swiss Air people broke Ellie's wheelchair.

If you are interested to see more pics of where we stayed (facilities and village) you can go to:  

http://www.gaestehaus.ch/ENGLISH/Pictures

Family Vacation Summer 2011

We had the joy of vacationing together with the Sirinides family when Kendra and Steve visited from Scotland.  We went to a wonderful villa in a small village about 4 hours away.  It was near the beach, had a nice swimming pool, the weather was perfect, the food prepared mostly by Donna, Themis, and Steve was excellent, we played games, Ellie got her toenails painted for the first time (by Becky), and we generally really enjoyed each other's company.

Ellie Update...May 31, 2011

This is what happens in the day when you REFUSE to sleep through the night!

We are grateful that the Lord recently provided for us to get a new seat for Ellie. She had outgrown her previous one, and it had been a while since she was able to sit in something that especially helped with her posture and special seating needs.


A few weeks ago, Ellie had another seizure (lasting about 20 minutes).  It had only been 3 months since her last one.  Previously, they had normally been spaced out about 5-7 months between each one, so we decided with her doctors to start her on daily anti-seizure medication.  So far, so good.  She has even slept through the night for about ONE WHOLE WEEK!!!!  (Not sure if it is related or not to the medication).  We are thrilled, but not getting our hopes up too high for regular good sleeping habits.

 Ellie attended the graduation ceremony of her brother Cody on Saturday night and seemed especially proud of his completion of the one-year Greek program at the Greek Bible College.

In the last several weeks, we have seen the following improvements in Ellie:  she seems to be reaching out more with her arms and hands for hugs, she kissed me several times at the beach during a baptism a few weeks ago (until now she would only kiss Vicki), she works hard to turn the light switch on and off, she is quicker on some days at choosing the video she wants to watch (by touching/grabbing/swatting it), and her physical therapist believes the Theratog she has been wearing is helping with stabilization, centering, and movement issues.


We have turned in what we believe is the very last of the papers from the U.S. government that can be produced to prove that we legally adopted Ellie and she legally belongs to us.  Unfortunately, they are not what the Greek government is asking for (because the Greek government requires something different than the U.S. government does in such situations).  So we are waiting to see what the Lord will do.  Ultimately, He is the one in control. 

If her papers are approved, and she finally (after 4 years) will receive a resident permit, we plan to send her to kindergarten in September at a Greek public school for special needs kids (which meets in the facilities of ELEPAP, a Greek non-profit that helps special needs kids).  ELEPAP will probably provide Ellie's therapy needs as well while she goes to school there. 
More info about ELEPAP at:  http://www.eurocharity.gr/en/member/331

If her papers are not approved...?  Only God knows.