Our 17 year old seems to have finally come to grips with the fact that the boys are staying and, therefore, she will not get as much attention as before. It also means, for her, that there are more responsibilities around the house. However, in the last 3 months she has also fallen in love with the boys and deems it all worth it to have them around...even if they like to give her a hard time. :-)
Nathaniel started at the local public school a week and a half ago. It was God's perfect timing for him to start. He was ready! On the first day, he found his class and ran over to sit with them without saying goodbye or stopping for a hug and kiss. On the second day, he asked me not to walk him in to school but to drop him off at the curb like the other kids. On the third day, he saw his teacher when he got out of the car and ran to give her a big hug and beamed as he walked into the school. He is such a confident kid. Just by looking at him, you would never know that this is a new language and culture. When I drop him off in the mornings, he confidently gets out of the car and gives whatever teachers are on car duty a big smile or high five and bee bops into school almost skipping as he does so. He loves his teacher, his class, his new friends and especially computer time. :-) Now that he's settled into school, he's begging to ride the bus home in the afternoons. Admittedly, I will probably cave in soon and let him ride it. The first transition went so well that I see no reason not to let him ride the bus. Academically, he is a bit behind but he is so smart that no one is worried he won't catch up.
Elijah is starting to become more confident when we are away from the house and is starting to let his fun little personality show at church and preschool. His English is improving by leaps and bounds. We now have full conversations. He especially likes to talk on the phone and tell you all about his day. His meltdowns are becoming fewer and fewer and he is less stubborn about getting his way. He loves to dance and sing to music. The other day he was singing in the car "Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible say obey Mommy." :-) I liked his new lyrics.
We were able to take a short trip over fall break to Florida to stay with my family. The boys had a blast in Me'ma and Papa's pool, at the beach and on the boat. They also just ate up all the love and attention they got. Since we have come home, the boys daily talk about wanting to go back to Florida. Nathaniel doesn't like having his new family live so far away so he has picked out houses in our neighborhood for his grandparents and uncles. :-)
In the past week or so, I have finally felt like I could catch my breath and have figured out our new normal. It helps that the boys no longer wake up in the night and that their English has improved so much that we understand each other...most of the time. We have our routine and they know what to expect most days. Having Nathaniel in school has helped free up some of my time but it has also helped him not be so "needy" when he is home. He is an extrovert and was always looking to me to meet that need. Now his need is met at school and when we are home we can just talk, read and play as a family without him "needing" my constant attention. I'm sure our "normal" will ebb and flow with time but at least I don't feel so overwhelmed with my responsibilities. Life in this family is becoming more and more fun. I cannot wait for the Christmas season and hope to show them their first snow.
