For Nicole

After I received a gentle reminder that we have not updated our blog in over a month I decided to get to work. Here are some of the things that have gone on in the the last month and a half - happy reading Aunt Nicole!

Taking the School Bus

Last semester Caleb was a morning student, which meant that he went to school from 7am - 12pm. Every child in a public school here changes hours after the semester break. Now Caleb goes to school from 12 - 5. Many children take a service bus to school but we have hesitated in doing that (see the pics above). His school is only a three minute drive from our apartment so instead of having Ted come home to get him every day we decided to have him take the service bus. We were all a little nervous - you notice the kids standing up inside and hanging out the window! I told Caleb that as soon as he got on the bus he needed to find a seat and stay there. He is getting used to taking the bus though he spends part of each morning worrying about it.

Lucas' 3rd Birthday

On the 1st of February we celebrated Lucas' third birthday. He was excited to receive some gifts from my mom and a remote control car - but all he really asked for was chocolate. I also made sure that I informed him that as a three year old he could no longer act like a two year old.

End of the Semester

The big boys have completed another semester of national school. Their language ability continues to grow and we are thankful for that. In fact, the other day Josiah informed me that he knew more than I did. Caleb report card included a note from the teacher that said "your parents should be very proud of you". Josiah also did well, but his teacher marked down one of his scores for being a picky eater. I wonder where he gets that from?!

A Trip to Madrid

Last month the time came for us to make another required exit from this country. Instead of taking a boat ride we were granted permission to fly somewhere. After looking around we found that the cheapest place for 6 people to fly was to Madrid, Spain. It also worked out for Grandma Tricia and Grandpa to meet us there - which made this trip extra exciting. Maybe you came across a news story last month about a snow storm hitting Madrid. Well, we were there for it! Despite it taking 4 hours to pick up the grandparents from the airport (it should have taken less than an hour) the snow made the trip more fun for the boys. We didn't do any of the normal tourist things while we were there but we did make a trip to the zoo. The zoo was not very busy because of the snow which made it easier to keep up with the boys. The snow also gave the boys something to do between animals. As a side note you will notice in the pictures that Josiah has a large bandage on his forehead. About a week before our trip he was running into a building, tripped and fell head first into a marble step. Every boy needs a scar, right?