Since I Last Saw You....

So the last time I wrote was before my trip to Utah. There are a lot of reasons I haven't written since then. One, I have made not one, but two trips back to the US. The preparation, trip and recovery always takes awhile. There was also a trip to England thrown in there too. The twins went to Croatia. Two, there has been a lot of sickness and allergies at our home. I have been plagued by allergies. This late cold/heat/cold weather kills me. I have major problems with mold and sinus headaches from humidity and fluctuating air pressure. Abby has been flat half the winter. I think we'll have to take her to specialist. I'd take her to her integrative medicine specialist in Portland, but he'll say "Toxins" and I'll say "Moscow." Three, I have had house guests for a month. Not the same guests. The last batch went home Wednesday. It was lovely to have visitors. However I didn't get much done. Four, it has been difficult, if not impossible, to get a computer on a regular basis. The girls have never had more homework . All of them. From 4PM to midnight almost every day every computer in the house is occupied for at least part of that time. They have terrific grades. They are in the Naitonal Honor Society. And they are losing their minds from the stress. I have never seen anything like it. Now that the guests are gone and Rachel is in Warsaw playing softball (we are down one child) I don't have much excuse not to write on this blog and say "Hey." Sara is here. She starts school on Monday. She has been productive and busy, hiking around Moscow with me in lousy weather. We made our plane reservations to go home for the summer (yay!). The rounds of dentist, doctor, and hair appointments begins. We will trek to Portland for Girl Scout camp. The twins will go to Newport Beach with their grandparents. I will go to California to visit dear friends. We have a family reunion. And we will head back to Moscow in late August--assuming that the work permit people in the government find Intel's application and Parry gets his work permit. Yes, the annual song and dance for the work permit begins. I hate leaving without our multi-entry visas but whatever. If we waited for the Russian government to get their act together, we wouldn't get to take home leave. I'll be checking in before a few months. I just wanted everyone to know we're alive :)