An Update

Our life in the Ring household has been somewhat hectic as of late. Summer came at a much needed time and things at the church and with Blake's school work slowed for a bit. August is in full swing though and we are attempting to get back into a routine.

A little random family news... We took the condo off of the market 2 weeks ago. After struggling to keep it continually clean and straightened for 4 months, Blake and I decided that we had to relieve a little stress somewhere. I am not sure how much stress we actually relieved by deciding to remain in our 1000 sq ft as we add a 3rd child... But we both felt better after the decision was made. Our hope is that by December 1st it will be back on the market and we will be moving into a home by spring!

Blake... as he already announced, he passed his comphrensive exams in April. Since then he has done very little school work. :) The dissertation topic is decided though and just so I don't totally botch it, I will leave that for a post that he can write. Work is busy as always... He is continuing to love the transition he made in January to couples minister.

Will... seems to have come out of the terrible 2's and was kind enough to allow us all to survive! :) His year long spell actually began at about 17 months(1 month before his sister was born) and tapered off around May. He had been so sweet and hilarious the past few months. Will was born 5 weeks early and was considerably behind when Blake and I brought him home from Guatemala so we expected some delays with his development. By almost 2 1/2 his speech was almost non-existant so he began speech therapy a few weeks ago through the FIRST STEPS program. It has only been 5 weeks and already Blake and I have witnessed significant improvement! I am certain that part of his terrible 2 tantrums stemmed from some frustration over his innability to communicate his wants and desires and needs to us. Will loves playing outside... Loves swimming. He also adores his sisters kitchen! :) He loves to play pretend and will regular want us to play along with him... I am loving this age! I am also loving the fact that Will has been a little bit of a momma's boy the past few weeks. I often hear his precious voice yelling "Mama" and find him running to me. I am treasuring those moments in my heart...

Riley... is an absolute joy! She smiles and babbles all of the time. Her favorite word is "no" and she walks around saying it all day long. Most of the time she is actually smiling as she says it, but try to make her do something she doesn't want to and you will quickly learn that she knows what it means. :) My baby girl has 4 of her very own teeth as of this week! They are making eating much easier, which is wonderful since she loves to eat - All 25 lbs of her loves food! I wish you could watch her thrust out her belly as she walks... It is adorable! We actually made a 6 month check up to the pediatric urologist yesterday. What we viewed as "only 1 uti in 6 months" he viewed as "she had a uti"? He basically told us that is she has another surgery will follow. We tried milk at 1 year as well and that didn't go so well... Dairy products seem fine, but even milk from morning cereal had to be cut due to Riley's suffering belly. Other then that, Riley has had a wonderful summer and is growing into a joyful toddler. I can't look at her without smiling and puffing up with pride!


Lydia and Emery... Our entwined lives have been a little hectic and stressful. We have continued to make unscheduled doctors visits for random issues. The last little bit of drama was only Tuesday of this week. I wondered all day if I was having really strong braxton hicks, but after putting the back pains in the mix decided to call the doctor. My doctor was on call and sent me straight to the hospital where they confirmed I was in pre-term labor. A shot stopped the contractions and we were headed home about 3.5 hours after checking in. Because I am STILL not dialating(a total miracle) and have such wonderful parents who have been such a tremendous help, she sent me home without bedrest one last time. I went yesterday morning for a growth scan of Emery so that they know what to expect if something were to happen again. They estimate that she weighs a little over 3 pounds. I will be 30 weeks on Saturday so we are almost able to see the end! God has been gracious to allow us to go this long with no serious reprocussions. My doctor is in shock that Emery and I are actually fine.

Well, that is a little catch up on our family!