Our long awaited first week in church!
So, we're HOME and lovin' it!
It's cold! But our 4 sweeties are enjoying the snow so I haven't heard any complaints! They are in the honeymoon stage of culture shock and I am thankful! It gives me a chance to unpack! My biggest failure is PICTURES! I've been so busy keeping the day rolling while unpacking and getting people dressed and undressed for snow that I haven't had much of a chance to take pictures! But it'll get better I promise!
I am going to answer some questions people have asked me to kind of update as to how we are doing...
What do they like? They like hot chocolate, American ice cream, American steak, Doritos, seedless grapes, raw veggies with ranch dip, puffy comforters, puffy coats, fleece jammies, fleece blankets, snow, sledding, building snow forts, warm showers, baths, people, music, our dog Dash, stairs, musical instruments, and electronics of every kind. The girls love princess dresses, sparkly clothes, dressy clothes, dancing, spinning, cooking, crafts, getting into their big sister Rachel's stuff, and nail polish.
What are they dying to have? An electric toothbrush and a bicycle.
What they don't like? Chapped lips, cold feet and hands, chicken nuggets, celery, spicy foods of any kind (no salsa for them, thank you!), being told "no" (they're kids after all), not getting to jump on beds and couches, wearing shoes in the house (they don't have to), and the TV being in English.
Where do they sleep? We have 2 bedrooms upstairs. The boys are in one room (ages 16 and 9) and the girls are in the other (ages 14, 8, 7, and 6). The girls rooms is quite cramped with one set of bunks and the other set of bunks as separate beds. I did find a way to arrange the beds so there is a block of space for the girls to dance and twirl. I encourage the little girls to play with toys downstairs. I have a reading chair, lamp and bookshelf in my bedroom downstairs for my teen daughter to get away and have some space to herself when she needs it. My husband and I will be converting our sun room into our bedroom and then our teen daughter will have more space in our bedroom when she has guests or needs a place to "be". Our teen son does not need this. If we help him reserve the room with the video games when he has guests he is content with that being that he is someone who can easily be surrounded with people.
What do they miss in Nicaragua? So far they have only mentioned "Casa Frieta", a certain kind of fried cheese you can't get here and their Tio Fruto and Tia Natalia, who are beloved friends and family to all of us.
How are we settling in? Our church has brought meals every day so far and that has really helped me. As the day wears on it sometimes gets more chaotic and it was nice not to have to figure out a meal! We were gifted with lots of clothes thankfully, so I've been trying to go through those as I have time and finally stored them in my sunroom so I can go through them as I can. I am buying storage type stuff as we can because my house suddenly got a lot smaller with 4 more people!! But we are managing and every day I am able to tackle a little more and condense things. (This is definitely one reason no one is seeing very many pictures!)
Emotionally, the kids are doing well. Those given to strong emotions have had less difficult days (only one difficult day for one child so far in 8 days). There is more for them to do here to keep busy and they have enjoyed having children visit to play.
Were they overwhelmed at church? NO! They love people and do not seem at all overwhelmed by crowds. We think they might like to try Sunday School soon but it will be tough for awhile with the language barrier.
Am I homeschooling them? That is the plan! Today will be the first day and I will work with them on their English and do some Math. We'll slowly add more. We'll do hands on stuff and especially work on labeling in English. I have a big book of Science Experiments and they can learn things like countries, planets, body parts and organs, etc. in English. Step by step. As far as a daily schedule, I'll have to do strict time slots to start with and then when we are all in a groove I can be more fluid. Does that make sense?
I am happy to answer any questions anyone has! I would love to lift any mystery out of bringing home a sibling group of 4!! I definitely think that helps others who might consider the same. So, if you have a question others are thinking it too! You can share your questions in the comments, by email (karen.twombly@gmail.com), or by finding me on Facebook! :)
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