Looking Forward

Well, for those of you who are interested, we traveled to Atlanta this past weekend to attend an Adoption Conference. This is the first step towards us restarting our adoption paperwork and eventually applying for adoption again. Over the last couple of months both Jaynee and I have been feeling that we need to be ready to adopt again. Well we plan on having everything ready so by the time out tax refund arrives we will have the funds necessary to adopt again. Sorry there are no pictures for this post. It was a short trip and besides eating out and attending the conference we didn't do anything else but sleep in the hotel. More to follow as our family begins to move forward with the latest adventure in our lives.

Winter Wonder Land

If we were living above the Mason-Dixon Line this would be a normal occurrence, but since we are well south of the line this doesn't occur much. From what we are told, Augusta receives snow an average of once every 5 years. Well within the last 11 months, there have been 4 snow storms, and 3 within the last 30 days. This last one included 2 inches of snow, 2 inches of sleet, .5 to 1 inch of freezing rain, and about .5 of an inch of drizzle. What that left was a wintery mess. Needless to say, everything for two days shut down because there is neither the equipment, experience, man-power, budget, nor materials to deal with such storms.

I hope you enjoy some of this winter weather pictures as well as the girls playing outside. I was limited to photo duty because of my bummed leg. I ventured outside as far as the dry cement under the porch would allow me.

2010 Letter

Sorry to everyone who has followed our blog. Things have gotten a little out of control. Over the next 2 weeks I will make it up. But for today, I am going to post our 2010 letter so everyone can see some pictures and some of the big events for each of us during the past year.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!


This holiday letter is just a short synopsis of 2010 of the Lorenz’s who are currently residing in Georgia. Yes, the weather is very nice, especially in the winter (where just recently the high was 67degrees). Also, snow is just a thought that lasts less than 24 hours once every two to three years. Last year was one of those moments. There is so much that we wish we could share with you all, but Jaynee is trying to keep this letter to three stamps or less so this letter will be a condensed summary of each individual. I hope you like what we wrote and also get to know each of us better.

General Happenings


What a year this has been. There have been so many miracles, events, activities, and new things that it has been hard for us just to keep up with the day-to-day events in our lives. From January of this year, our family has consisted of me (Lee), Jaynee, Sofia, and Emma. Looking back it is hard to imagine our family consisting of anything else. Sofia was such a blessing to our family last year that she has helped to make this year fly by. Rather than talk about the family as a whole, I think it would be better to discuss each member of the family individually so you can each get to know us better. Here are some of the highlights from 2010.

Emma


Emma began the year with ear problems. In fact, all the girls in the family had ear drum ruptures, and the two youngest eventually got tubs in their ears to help reduce the ear ruptures and aches. She was a brave little girl during the surgery and for all the Dr. appointments. Emma was also referred to speech therapy. It was during these sessions that her true personality began to shine. She is a very determined girl. If she doesn’t want to do anything, there is nothing that will change her mind. I remember one particular session where she flatly refused to talk. The therapist was getting frustrated and I could see Emma’s lips quiver each time she held back from talking. I just sat there quietly laughing to myself. Emma also found her legs this year. What I mean by that was one day just to get the girls out of the house we took them to a local track to run on. What happened surprised even me! Emma and Sofi both took off running, but Sofi quickly tired. Emma did not; she had problems staying on the track, but where she got off she would return and from that point on continue her course. She ended up with just a little over a mile of actual running on the track and maybe another half mile through her wanderings. It took the promise to go eat pizza to get her off the track. Since then she loves all the opportunities to run no matter where she is at. Emma also surprised us with her intellect. One day playing with flash cards with Sofi, she was standing behind Jaynee and saying the words on the card. The side facing Sofi had the pictures, but her side did not. We thought she could see the pictures through the cards, but we were wrong. Out of 50 basic flash cards, she knew all but about 15 of them. Since then she has continued to read site words and loves to learn.

Sofia


Sofi began this year with some difficulties. The first was her ears. She too had major problems which led to surgery. She was advanced enough not to need any speech therapy, but the lessons we learned from Emma’s appointments helped us work with Sofi. The next major problem was the diagnosis of PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder). This is a type of autism but more on the social and sensory side of it. We are so glad that we caught it early because this is something she will never grow out of but at least we will begin to put the mechanisms in place early enough for her to know how to cope with this. Some of her problems deal with being social or in social settings. She doesn’t know how to control herself in large groups and most of the time it actually scares her. Another major issue is the understanding of how her body interprets its senses and translates it to either thoughts or actions within the body. She has certain parts of her body that are being used to perform functions that are not normal. For instance, she tastes her food with her tongue before she will place it in her mouth to eat. Another is she avoids placing any object in the palm of her hand. Lastly, she doesn’t walk correctly, meaning that she walks on the tips or tops of her toes and feet. This could have lasting problems, possibly surgery at a future date, if not corrected early on in her life. Sofi also has a thing with motion. She loves rhythmic motions. Things such as swings, spinning, and turning help to calm and pacify her. She would also love to live under water because of the soothing feelings to her ears. With all of this, Jaynee is now helping Sofi get to three therapy appointments a week. This alone helps to keep Sofi busy, but engaged in activities that will be beneficial for her. Lastly, we purchased a swing set so that Sofia could have her own special place to place and relax. It has done wonders with her attitude since we put it up. Her meltdowns have decreased, she is showing more positive signs when dealing with some of her issues, and she even has become friendlier towards her sister.

Lee (sometimes referred to as Dad)


I, or Lee for those who don’t know who is writing this, has been up to his ears with work, school, and Jaynee’s to-do-lists. No matter how hard I try to knock items off of the list, somehow for each item removed two or three more find their way on it. Will there ever be an end? According to Jaynee, the answer is NO! The biggest thing to happen to me was taking over command of a company. It has been both a very rewarding but draining experience so far. The best part about it is that I have direct influence on the lives and work of so many Soldiers. It is an awesome responsibility, but also an honor. I am also currently 2 classes away from my master’s degree. So by this time next year I will finally be at a level to have a conversation with my wife who currently holds a M.B.A. The last big thing that has happened to me is that I tore my ACL in my left knee. What that means is I will be having surgery in the next month or two. I tore it playing flag football, but it wasn’t the game rather the motion that did me in. I could have hurt myself chasing after my girls at home based upon the information my Dr. provided. This will be the first time ever that I will be going under a knife for any sort of work to my body. It will make for a fun letter next year.

Jaynee (known as the Chauffer)


Jaynee has been the cement and glue for this family. If it wasn’t for her, Sofi’s finalization paperwork would have taken longer, the girls’ ear surgeries and therapies would not be as successful as they have been, and I know I wouldn’t have gotten the grades I have earned in my classes. She is an amazing individual. She too suffered from a ruptured ear drum, but has recovered well since then. This summer she helped to organize a reception for my change of command ceremony. She made well over 25 loaves of bread, lots of dip, and a lot of fruit kabobs. She has recently taken care of me since I hurt my leg and I haven’t been able to perform some of the things I normally do. She has spent countless hours in preparing lessons, activities, and projects for the girls to work on to help them with their development. Plus the hours taking anyone to a therapy or Dr.’s appointment; she has lived a selfless life this past year.

Closing Thoughts


As a whole this year has gone by so quickly. I wish it would have gone by slower; having both Sofi and Emma in our lives is such a blessing. I know that one year not too far in the future, they will be much older and leaving our home. I am beginning to understand just how short time really is and that if you actually blink, years will have passed you by.



Sing With Us!

“Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I , J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z. Now I know my ABC’s next time won’t you sign with me?



I can’t believe they said it!

Sofi - Mommy, I want more milk.
Mom – We are out.
Sofi – Stop at a store and buy some!

Mom – Emma, did you have a good nap?
Emma – Yep, I sure did!



FAMOUS QUOTES

“I got you”
“Emma did it”
“Sofi Eat?!”

Family Pictures

We got our fall family pictures to hopefully get the girls ready for our Christmas ones. They didn't turn out too bad. One of these times we are going to get Sofi to smile. But now we know why she doesn't; because it is a new situation and new people which she doesn't do well with. Since our favorite photographer is out of state we have to find another one close that will work with Sofi.

Sofia

Emma

Lee and Jaynee

Update on Crazy Lorenz's

Since Lee is busy doing homework I will do this posting. I think that life gets crazier as the days go on and the holidays get closer so the Lord finds ways to slow us down. One way he did that is that Lee decided to hurt his knee playing football. He has a torn ACL and torn MCL. Now you must remember that the military is very slow. He has had to see the Dr. twice and an MRI before getting referred to Orthopedics and he can't get an appointment until October 19th. As of right now, surgery is a possibility, but we will see. Even though he seems to be walking slower he is still going to the football games to show company support, doing morning PT (Physical Training) but just walking instead of running and working long hours as well as trying to do school work.

On September 25th we took advantage of "Free Museum Day" and took the girls to Fort Discovery Science Museum. It is a little old for the girls but they have one room that is for little kids and they loved it.



Sofi has started one set of Therapy sessions. She is doing really well. They all say that she is really smart and with a little help from Therapy she will be able to overcome the obstacles that she is dealing with now. The big hurdle we are facing with her is still the potty training. It doesn't seem to be going as well as I would have liked, but they tell me autistic children usually don't get trained until around age 4 so we are still ahead of the average. On the other good note for Sofi, she is doing much better then Emma, because Emma is showing no interest at all.

Emma is just keeping herself busy by playing with Sofi as well as teasing each other. The cute thing that Emma does now is she likes to come up to you with her arms open and says "Hugs". It just makes me melt when she does it.

Both girls did have their first visit to the Dentist last week. We went to a pediatric Dentist so it would be a little better for them we thought. I held Emma down and Lee held Sofi down, they weren't too fond of it but the dentist said everything looks good and put fluoride on their teeth. The girls did come away with a bag full of toys and prizes as well as a tooth brush, I wish I had that when I was a kid.

I have also been doing some kind of activity with the girls every day. One day we did finger painting with pudding. Emma loved it and enjoyed eating it. Sofi just liked eating it but once she licked her fingers she had to have them wiped off because she doesn't like her hands dirty. It was fun watching them with the pudding. I took pictures before they were all covered with pudding.



As for myself, I am trying to keep track of appointments for the girls as well as Lee. I am also involved in a lot of volunteer work for the Army and classes that I have to take the next 3 weeks. The good part is the military pays for child care and the girls do good there. It is like going to school for them and now that they are the same age they will be in the same class again. Hopefully this catches you up a little on what has been going on with us this past month.

Stop, Drop, and How High can You Go!!

So this month has gone by so fast, I can't keep up with what has been going on.
Jaynee wanted to go accomplish a multitude of things. The first was to go and see the Hot Air Baloon Show that was on Fort Gordon. It was really pretty to see about a dozen balloons all head for the sky just after the sun came up. I would have perferred it to start a little later, but it was great to see how excited the girls were every time a balloon was filled with air and took off heading high in the sky.





After a short break, we took the girls to an activity that was promoting safety. A local group was sponsoring an activity to collect important information about the girls, to include height, weight, pictures, DNA, fingerprints, and an audio sample of their voice (the girls did not provide a sample). All of this was then stored on a CD and given to us just in case there was a need for it later down the line. It was well put together. Outside there was firetrucks, police cars, and a mobile smoke house to teach them how to exit a burning building. We still need to work on that one.




The night before all of this, I had the opportunity to take Jaynee to another Ball on post. It was called the Instructors Ball. It was to recognize the great work that all the instructors are doing each day as their teach the new Soldiers how to perform their new skills that they will be required to do upon completion of their training. It was a nice evening, lots of messed up actions, as well as sitting to the most abnoxious table during the night, but it is always special to see Jaynee dress up.




The last week or two has gone by in a flash. I have started yet another semester of school, I am now playing on the company's flag football team, Jaynee and I hosted our first Family Readiness Group Meeting for the company's Soldiers and their spouses, we picked up a small table for the girls to use to learn from and to eat (but we need to stain it first), and just did a little shopping.

Busy and Crazy Summer

So we haven't posted anything on the blog for 2 months, I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by. Lee had a training he went to then took command of a Brigade Headquarters Company and finished one semester of school and getting ready to start the next. The girls and I have just trying to get through our busy days. Emma graduated from speech, YEAH!!! She is now speaking at about a 3 year old level and we are excited for that. Sofi on the other hand gets to start Speech, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. We have spent the last 2 months going to doctors and getting evaluated and she has now been diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). This is basically a mild form of Autism. She is so smart, but has difficulty dealing with social situations such as crowds and even going to the grocery store. The Occupational Therapy should help with that, and the PT and Speech with help with other issues that she is having. The Dr. said that this next year is critical and she could either get better or worse. It will never go away but maybe we can help her deal with the situations better. She is such a special little girl that the lord put this challenge in her life because he knew that she could handle it. As for myself, I have been taking girls to therapy and doctor visits along with being a Family Readiness Group (FRG) leader for Lee's company. I have done this job before; this is where I help with the families of the soldiers that are in his company. The first day Lee took command he had a situation where a family was in desperate need of help. So I was able to get groceries for them, make dinner and get help from other families for clothes and furniture. I have also been attending training going to the Officer Wives club events. I have kept myself very busy.
That catches you up on the past 2 months. As for this Labor Day weekend we have been working on the yard. We bought shrubs and a tree, paving stones and Lee’s favorite purchase- Industrial Shelves for the garage, almost like pallet rack shelving. I wanted to work in the yard yesterday, but that didn’t work Lee wanted to build shelves and organize the garage. So tomorrow he gets to dig is big hole for our tree and the small holes for the shrubs. Then I think we will have to wait a couple of weeks to get the paving stones laid. Our yard is slowly coming along and maybe by the time we move it will be the way we want it.
Our hope is that we will be better at posting on the blog in the future. I hope you all had a great summer.
Here are some pictures of our latest adventures.

Change of Command:
Emma with Grandma Lorenz before the ceremony.

Jaynee and Sofi receive a dozen yellow roses.

Lee performing his first act as a company commander, passing the guidon to his 1st Sergeant.

Lee saluting the American Flag.

The girls reading the morning paper.

Emma wanting to take over command.

Grandpa Lorenz and Sofi riding a Merry-go-round.

Mommy and Emma riding the same Merry-go-round (but at a different time than Sofi).

The girls are ready to take over the streets with their tough biker gang.

The girls are mad that they missed the bus on the first day of school (not for another 3 years).

Sofia giving mommy a run for her money.

Sofia showing off her made dashing speed by getting away from mommy before she realizes that there is junk in my trunk.

Emma's first attempt at trying out for the Olympics (she ran about 1 mile on the track before being bribbed to leave).