A New School

After home schooling for a year, we have decided to enroll the kids in a charter school for this upcoming school year.  In many ways, it has been wonderful to have the kids home this first year to grow and bond as a family, and we are so glad we chose to homeschool.  There have been a lot of stresses and challenges too though by going this route.  The kids came to us with little school and have not understood the expectations we have for their education.  After much research, we have found a charter school only four minutes from our house.  We are excited for the kids to be around their peers in a school environment, as they learn and understand more about what school in America is like.  We hope that with the combination of watching other kids learn and working with other teachers besides ourselves, it will offer a very positive educational experience.  The kids are excited and will go and meet their teachers, see their classroom, and find their desks on Friday.

Our Son's 8th Birthday!

Juan turned eight years old on Friday, and it is hard to believe he is growing up so fast.  Like Ingrid, he wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese for his birthday.  Everyone in our family gets to pick out a sugar cereal for their birthday breakfast.  Juan chose Fruit Loops with marshmellows.  He enjoyed a healthy breakfast of sugar cereal and chocolate milk, a hamburger and play time at Burger King for lunch, and pizza  for dinner.  The kids play with friends at a homeschool group at our church on Friday, so Juan helped make cupcakes for everyone. 

 

 

 He also knew exactly what he wanted for his special day.  Although he received other special gifts, he asked for a transformer and a cake with sea creaters on it.  The highlight of the cake for Juan was the star fish in the middle of the cake.  Although he is growing up, the simple things are the ones that matter the most.  Juan is very small and young for his age.  He will be the first to jump in our lap and can never get enough hugs.  Above any frustrations we may have throughout a day, we treasure and hold on to these special moments. 

 

Our First Anniversary of Being Home

We celebrated our one year anniversary of coming home from Colombia this week.  These pictures are of the kids at the airport and when they first got home.  Grandma and Grandpa greeted the kids at the airport with their own big teddy bear holding the American flag.  They still sleep with their teddy bears everynight!  When we reflect on the past year, we have come so far in our bonding and relationship with the kids.  As compared to our time in Colombia, there is an abundance of hugs and I Love You everyday.  Everyone told us when we were in Colombia that we would be a closer family when we got settled in at home, and they were right.

 

 

Swim Team!

The kids were on a swim team at the YMCA this summer and really liked it.  They had swimming lessons last year when we got home, and it was the first time they had been in a pool.  They love the water!  The kids swam four days a week for an hour each day with the swim team and really improved.  They can now all safely swim without their life jackets.  The YMCA has a non-competitive swim team that practices twice a week that we hope to look into this fall.

Our Re-Adoption in Arizona

Our kids were officially adopted in Colombia.  However, many families who adopt internationally go through a re-adoption process here in the United States.  This allows the kids to get a birth certificate registered in AZ.  Right now, we have birth certificates for the kids in Spanish and translated to English that were issued in Colombia.  If they ever want additional copies, they would have to write to Colombia to get them.  The process was very easy, and we were with the judge for only a few minutes.  The process was so much easier here at home!  We would encourage anyone who is adopting internationally to go through this process.