Our last post was in mid-July. We have been home from Hungary since June 27, so at this point, Matthew, Vivian, and Annie Kate Bonner have been living here for two months (and a few days).
First up, birthdays!
Matthew turned ten years old on July 23rd, and Annie Kate turned seven on August 6th.
For Matthew's birthday, he went on a breakfast date with Mom, then fishing with Dad, before having a family party at our house. He loves his remote-controlled truck and new fishing pole (and he bought Legos with his birthday money).
On Annie Kate's birthday, she had a breakfast date with Dad, and then Mom took her to a children's musical; she also got a family party. She loves her baby doll and stroller (and her birthday money is going toward her cafeteria account at school because she keeps charging milk for some reason).
Vivian is so the middle child. Her birthday is not until December, and she is not happy about it! ;) But believe me, we know what she wants for her birthday, and if we forget, she reminds us again...and again...and again. (Hello Kitty táska and a unicorn pony, to name a few) Counting down the days until December 2!
We have had a few trips to the doctor's office for vaccinations (there's always some drama involved). But they usually get some kind of a treat (pizza or ice cream) afterwards!
As of August 7th, we have three Panthers!
If you ask them, they say they don't like school, but their teachers all say they have a great time participating in class and playing with friends on the playground. The teachers and other staff members at their schools have been incredibly helpful and accommodating.
Some days can be hard on the kids (and us) because they have been thinking about their home country, their foster parents, their old schools, friends, pets, and old habits and routines. Mornings before school can be especially hard (because they are tired and a little grumpy); the girls particularly will vocally share about how things used to go in the foster home, how the foster parents did certain things better, and how they miss their dogs and schools. As their parents, the best thing we can do is have thick skin, simply listen, and say that we are sorry they are sad. We know they miss it and we are grieving for them as they are adjusting to their new life here. Now that they are learning more English and have made some friends at school, some of that sadness has decreased. We are praying for good relationships at school and joy to replace the sadness!
This weekend (Labor Day) was our first school-year holiday with the kids. After trying to get them to understand that they didn't have to go to school on Monday, we all had a great weekend having leisurely breakfasts and going to the park for three days!
People are still so interested even after we have been home for two months (and we are very thankful). One of the most common questions we field is this: "How's the English coming?"
In short, it is going very well! Since our kids are part of a public school district, they are allowed to bring home resources such as books and learning games. We have been using three Geo Smart Talks, and they are great for helping the kids learn nouns, verbs, and short sentences. Plus, it is just amazing watching their English language increase day by day. They are able to discuss emotions better (sad, happy, sleepy...etc.), and getting better at English has also helped a lot with behavior.
And they can understand a LOT more than they say. So we actually have to be careful what topics we discuss in front of them now, since they will chime in when they hear words and phrases they recognize.
We felt that the kids have settled into the school routine pretty well and decided it was time to start the after school program at the local YMCA. For the first few weeks, Kim's parents were picking up our kids and bringing them home until we were able to get home from our school. Their school day begins and ends an hour before our school's, so we needed help. Today was their first day at the Y, and from the smiles on their faces and good reports from counselors, it seems they had a great time!
So, for now, we'll keep on truckin' (or minivanin') with our learning English and getting used to school. Now that we're a bit settled and consistent with our routine, we should be able to post updates more frequently.
Blessings to all, and thanks for reading!
