Spring Break 2014!

The most amazing thing about spring vacation this year was that both girls did so much reading. It is truly amazing to think that they came here 4 years ago knowing no English, and they are now reading books on a 6th grade plus level. Fer has been really faithrul all year with her 30 minutes of reading a day for her English teacher, while Wendy seemed to kind of come and go from reading books -- she would be really involved with a book when she had one that interested her, but then kind of take a break and only read magazines for a bit. The Hunger Games changed all that -- Wendy got those books for her birthday and we promised we would let them see Catching Fire if they read the book, so they both did in about a week. Over the vacation, the big motivator was the promise to see the movie Divergent if they both read the book, so they both finished that, and then kept going with more from that series.

Easter 2014

We enjoyed a lovely Easter weekend in Tivoli with family. Below some photos of dying Easter eggs with Gigi, finding the Easter baskets with Jack and Daphne on Easter morning, the children's breakfast at church, all the kids just before the hunt and a final picture with Gigi and Grand-dad!

First Horseback Riding Lesson

I saw a groupon for riding lessons at a stable in Morristown (maybe 30 minutes away) and thought it could be a really nice thing for the girls. I had read a lot about the healing power of interaction with horses, and they both love animals. We ended up teaming up with a neighbor whose daughter was also very interested, and the three of them had a great time!