yesterday melanie got to go outside early in the morning before it got too hot. she sure loves it. it is such a joy to watch her awe-inspired at everything. she looked up at the morning sky and said, with true awe-struck wonder, "the sky is beautiful!"

she loves exploring the rocks and clover and ant holes--the ants are her friends and she makes their "doors" bigger for them. :) she picked clover for everyone in the family, including chocolate.

she is coughing even more today, but her cough is not effective and she is not clearing her lungs well. she broke out in a rash on all extremities which the ID doctor thinks is from the bactrim she is on for the UTI, so we switched her to vantin and added sulfa drugs to her already long list of allergies. she is not asking for a diaper as much, so thinking the antibiotics are working on the UTI.

today melanie was casted for her DAFOs (leg/ankle braces). will take 10-14 days to make them. she enjoyed talking with the nice guy who casted her legs and thought the whole process was pretty neat.

brandon and ethan both enjoyed holding and playing with our friend asa today. asa started fussing a little, so ethan thought he should hold him on his lap and watch veggie tales--asa thought it was a good idea too. :)

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The following is a special note from Rachel Green, a "team leader" for "Team Melanie"...

Hello Team Melanie! We are so excited to see that the Habitat Dedication Day is finally on the calendar for August 8th at 3:00 pm. So many amazing volunteers have invested their hearts and muscles into this wonderful project and we can now enjoy the fun part...putting the icing on the cake. We'd like to invite you all to join in on the fun.

The first thing you can do is send a special note or prayer to be included in the house dedication scrapbook. The second option is to send a gift card for the Gates to use to purchase paint, kitchen accessories, window coverings, furniture, appliances, etc. We're hoping to collect a stack of $20 gift cards for places like Home Depot, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Macy's, Sears, etc.

If you want to help us paint the icing on the cake, you can send your note and/or gift card to Rochester Assembly of God, 4240 18th Ave NW, Rochester, MN 55901 (c/o gates family). Thank you all so much for the love you have poured out on the Gates family over the years. It is such a blessing to be united in love for sweet Melanie and her family.

I love being part of this team that spans the globe...your sister in Christ, Rachel