To be honest, I have been busy waiting. Yes, that sounds funny, but psychologically I really have been “stuck” waiting for my house to be finished so that we can move (something I hate!), get our Pack, stuff and guards settled there, and then go to the States for five months. Yes, you read that right. Five months. Gulp. I have not processed that length of time yet and am trying not to let myself think of how much I’ll miss my dogs while we’re gone. Yikes!
February 9th Ella turned 7 and we had wild party at the pool with over 30 of her “closest friends.” Ha ha! Really got to love that girl : ) I posted all the pictures on Facebook, fully intending to post some here, but it just didn’t happen. Facebook uploads are so much easier than Blogger! Ella is a joyous, crazy little girl and truly a delight. A kick in the pants as well! Her big smile and gaping teeth are enough to warm the cockles of my heart.
The kids started weekly swimming lessons two weeks ago and LOVE IT. They were READY for it and Ella had been waiting for a long time! I had wanted to get her at least started swimming before I got her lessons (not sure why) so now she is improving on style and all. I must say, that child is good. The last time I swam with her she outswam me across the big pool!
I had held off and held off getting Frankie lessons, due to his tendency to freeze up and disassociate when touched, a dwindling but still lingering symptom of his PTS. I am HAPPY to say that he is READY now and although he’s wanted to slip back into “baby/victim mode” with the teacher once or twice, he has not disassociated or gotten pissy once! Yeah Frankie! I’ve watched the swimming teacher work with kids for years and appreciate the fact that my kids have a man to instruct them. They rarely get direction from men (usually just fun) and they are doing great! I’m so proud of the way they listen, respect and obey their teacher, making learning far more easier for them because they’re cooperating. I’ve forgotten to take my camera the last couple of weeks but will try to get some pictures this week!
Ella is almost finished with first grade. She still can’t read (????) but retains an incredible amount of knowledge of what she’s learned in her subjects. I think her favorite subject is Science, closely followed by Bible. She has finished History/Geography, is almost done with Science, and is close to being done with Bible. We stopped Language Arts in October because, while she was completing the work, she just wasn’t putting two and two together in order to READ, so I figured it was a waste of time. Being the great teacher that I am, I sort of just gave up, fully intending to hand her over to my mom this spring and having her help her read! We will start first grade Math when finished with Science and Bible and probably hand that over to Granny too ;). So yeah, I’m not getting any teacher of the year awards, but once her Granny teaches her to read I think things will be just fine.
Frankie, big boy that he is, has started WASHING DISHES!! Woohoo, Frankie! So far he hasn't broken anything, unlike his sister who broke two bowls at one go one day. Both kids are really starting to take responsibility around the house and I must say, it is SO helpful. Even a four year old can help and help he does. What a love about Frankie is how visibily pleased he is with himself when we accomplishes something. He's naturally not the worker his sister is but he DOES like the feeling of accomplishment that comes with a job well done AND team work with the family. For four years old, he is a very mature little boy.
Ranger has been battling health issues and is on his eighth day of being at the vet : (. In December he was off his feed and lost weight, due to anemia and a kidney infection. 10 days of antibiotics perked him up and he fatted up again, only to fall sick about three weeks ago. Our trusty vet diagnosed him with a damaged liver, due to the mold that was in the Pack’s chicken mash. Yes, I feel really really bad about this. Who knew that a bit of mold could be so toxic to dogs? I do now!
Ranger was put back on meds but after five days was getting worse, so I took and left him at the vets for better treatment. It was really not looking good at all as his kidneys weren’t functioning and he couldn’t pee, nor would he eat anything. The vet drained the urine from his bloated belly and he is able to pee now and started eating. We went to see him on Thursday and his little back legs were puffy and swollen, due to his fighting kidneys. The vet said yesterday that the swelling is going down now, but that he wants to keep him a little bit longer. I can’t believe how much I really miss that dog, even with four others! There is a huge hole in our Pack and I’m praying that Ranger can come home completely healthy again. Soon!
Sanyu, involved in the worst kind of cat torture imaginable
Consequently, we have switched the Pack off of chicken mash and they are now eating a cheap (but good) type of posho and the vet clued us into a place where we can get the BEST DOG BONES EVER! This topic deserves a post all of its own but lets just say that these bones are SO GOOD that WE even eat them in soup! Cheap too, at 500 shillings per kilo, which is less than $.25! It thrills my heart to see the Pack happily munching and gnawing on their meaty bones, knowing that they’re getting the nutrition they need and are cleaning their teeth at the same time! 
Ella got a 20” bike for her birthday so now each one of us has a bike. I also got a bike pump so now each one of us has a bike AND full tires! This has kicked off some really fun Family Pack Bike Rides! We’ve only taken Bridger, Sanyu and Madea as Ranger is at the vets and Billy has a sore front let, but they do great! It helps that I’ve had some practice riding my bike now. I really hadn’t ridden a bike much in over 10 years so to jump on one AND handle two to three dogs was a bit much! Ella can even take Bridger and they do great! No crashes yet!
Ranger and the Birthday Bike. He didn't think much of the balloons.
