We have had a really nice 2 weeks and of course I've had no time to post, so I'll try to catch up quickly here. Two weekends ago, we were up in Tivoli and the girls had a great time at the Sheep and Wool festival at Clermont, complete with live music and live animal. They enjoyed meeting the rabbits and lamas, seeing the sheep shearing, and watching the sheepdogs herd the ducks. Yes, that's right, apparently these dogs are trained to drive fowl of various types and are often called into service when a golf course or baseball field gets overrun by wild geese! Anyway, the herding was pretty funny and the girls loved it.
This past weekend we went to our first American-style kids' birthday party. My friend Vickie invited us to celebrate her daughter Sarah's 8th birthday at an arcade in Norwalk, CT, where she and her family live. The girls enjoyed laser tag (I'm pretty sure their first ever), palladium, and winning tickets and prizes in the arcade. Afterwards we went back to Vickie and Wayne's house where the girls kept playing for the rest of the afternoon!
On Sunday we went down to Manhattan to see Mark and Laura and their daughters Elianna and Aliza. Mark had challenged us to a touch-football game, familia versus familia. Given that most of la familia Weeks were totally unfamiliar with the rules it seemed the Sirota-Clarks might have an unfair advantage, but we were quick studies and we gave them a run for their money. It also helped that half the participants were under 4 feet tall. We then moved on to soccer, but I sat out (shades of my Trinity soccer career!) as Wendy got sidetracked by trying to make water balloons from the balloons that she found on the ground that other kids had left behind. After running around in the park, we went back to their place for a swim which was a great way to cool off.
The girls are really doing well. They have adjusted wonderfully to school -- Fer is bringing home grades in the 80s and 90s these days and works hard with her tutor in the afternoons. Wendy is also being tutored after school and she is doing so well that they have started on some 1st grade level work. At home they are both using more and more English which is so fun to see -- Gigi and Grandad took care of them last night and said they could see the difference just in 2 weeks! They are also thinking of me and Chris more and more as their parents -- calling us Mami and Papi, talking about "todo la familia". Fer has been in that mode for awhile but Wendy seems to now be making the transition too. While there of course continue to be challenges as well, we are so proud of both of them -- they are just incredible kids. We feel very lucky and blessed.
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