First Weeks of School

Well, we've officially survived five weeks of school. Now mind you, the first three weeks the boys only attended 2-3 days; however, these last two weeks they have gone all five days. For a family that has only homeschooled and never made it to an entire week of vacation Bible school without dropping out, this has been quite a marathon!

Week 1

We were all so nervous for Seth and Sam's first day of school. At dinner the night before, Seth spilled his plate twice, Sam spilled his once, and Ben even spilled. I was cranky, critical and on edge. Before bed, we got backpacks ready, clothes laid out, lunch boxes figured out, talked, prayed and tried to act like it was no big deal. Surprisingly, the boys fell asleep quickly, but both of them woke up periodically throughout the night and I slept horrible.

The morning of the first day of school, the boys were so brave. I can only imagine how nervous they were walking into the school for the first time, in a foreign country, where they knew no one. Thankfully, their teacher (whom they had met earlier in the week when they dropped off their classroom supplies) met them in the office and showed them to the room and recess. I gave them a final hug, and walked away, the tears flowing down my face. I cried the whole way home. I cried because I was nervous for them and because I knew I would miss them and our homeschooling days. It was an emotional morning.

Sam, Seth

Seth, Sam

Front door pictures are different in an apartment (Sam, Seth)

Every day that week when I picked them up, the boys had smiles on their faces and told me that each day was better than the last. Sam and Seth were pleased by the variety of things to do at school. They love that they get to play violin for music class, play new games in PE twice a week, and have an actual art teacher. They were so sweet to be sensitive about not comparing what their days at school were like to homeschool, not wanting to hurt my feelings, but I could tell they loved it. It also helped that the school allowed Sam and Seth to be in the same classroom, as it really gave them an extra cushion of security while adjusting to the new situation. It helps to have your twin and best friend next to you during big adjustments!

Something that I wasn't expecting was to feel pleasantly surprised by the amount of time we still have at home together in the afternoons. The boys' school day ends at 2:30 and we get home by 3. We still have time to go swimming, go to the park, and play together. I am also pleasantly surprised by my increased level of patience with the twins. Also, it's very different to only be helping the boys with a little homework in the afternoon, instead of having the burden of being their only teacher. I am enjoying this change of pace.

The boys come home and usually immediately strip into their undies. Too much clothes wearin' at school!

Week 2

Ben left on Sunday for work in Portland, so I was a single parent for this week. The most difficult aspect of this was having to wake Josh up each morning to take him with us for school drop-off. We leave each morning at 7:15, so that meant waking Josh up about an hour before usual...which then compounded to very LONG days with just Josh and I at home.

The boys continued to grow in confidence at school during this week. They were assigned their permanent desks and were no longer sitting next to one another. One of my favorite memories of this week was when I asked the boys who was sitting at their table group. Neither boy could tell me any of the girls' names that were sitting next to them and gave me a look like, "Why would I know their names?" It still makes me laugh; I'll embrace this time of cluelessness about the existence of girls for as long I can have it!

Another challenge during this particular week was that parent night at the school was on Tuesday evening. Kids were not invited, my husband was out of town, and I can count on one hand the list of people we know here to watch the kids (in fact, we haven't been on a date yet in Mexico!). Thankfully my Spanish tutor, Thelma, offered to come over and stay with the boys for me. Parent night summarized in one word for me: brutal. Number one: it was ALL in Spanish. Number two: I knew NO ONE. The first half of the event was a general presentation in the gym. Although it was all in Spanish and I sat alone, it was manageable. During the second half, all the parents headed to their child's homeroom to hear from the teacher about specific classroom expectations. When I arrived in the room, I was obviously the new mom (I think I was the only blonde parent in the whole school that night), and I spent the first five minutes as the center of attention with each parent introducing themselves to me. To an American, this awkwardness was compounded by each parent--man or woman--greeting me with a cheek kiss. I have to say, this is not my favorite part of the Mexican culture. Everyone was very kind, but I was embarrassed by my lame language skills and just overwhelmed.

The boys with my Spanish tutor, Thelma. I'm so thankful that she was kind enough to babysit for me!

Sam and Seth only went to Monday-Wednesday of this week and then we left for Portland. Although we were excited to go home, it was actually kind of frustrating to leave Monterrey at this particular time. It felt like we were just getting traction at school, the boys were getting more comfortable each day, and we were settling into a routine.

Week 3

The boys missed 10 days of school while we were in Oregon. We arrived back into Monterrey on Wednesday night and the boys were in bed by around 10:00 pm. The next morning their normal wake-up time of 6:50, was actually 4:50 Oregon time. Sam and Seth were tired from all the travel during the time in Oregon, not to mention the long day of flights the day before school. It was a tough recipe for success.

I know Seth and Sam were trying to be positive when I picked them up this Thursday and Friday, but the stress and anxiousness was apparent in their voices. Each boy had a break-down or two at school each day. They both felt very behind. It was hard to watch them struggling through these feelings.

Week 4

This is was first full week of school for the twins and also their hardest week. The stress from being behind continued and then carried over into their not being able to fall asleep at night. Monday Seth had a major breakdown at school because of feeling behind. That night Sam had a breakdown because he couldn't fall asleep. I was definitely feeling mom-guilt from us taking them out of school for those days. We had a lot of discussions about how we make decisions in life, and all those decisions have consequences. We wouldn't take away our memories of our trip to Oregon and unfortunately the natural consequence is a few days of feeling behind. We spent a lot of time reassuring the boys that they would catch up and that it wasn't for lack of intelligence that they were behind. After a couple more rough days and bedtimes, things finally evened out a bit and the boys ended the week strong. It helped that when they took their standardized reading test on Wednesday they scored the two highest scores in the class; that was just the confidence booster they needed to understand that the reason they were behind truly was just because of our trip.

Week 5

Last week the school routine finally started feeling normal for Seth and Sam. Each day I picked up the boys to smiles and stories of good days. They are getting up easier in the morning and falling asleep better at night. They were even invited to a birthday party of a friend from class. We're so thankful that they are making friends at school! Ben and I tagged along at the party and it was so funny to see our two little blonde boys in a sea of black hair. Sam and Seth have mentioned that their classmates are fascinated by their blue eyes and what their life was like in America. It also sounds like they have lots of kids at recess who run up and try to guess "who is who." The combination of being some of the few Americans kids as well as twins has helped our boys to make friends and get out of their comfort zone!

The boys with their buddies at the birthday party. 

Sammy and Juan Andres (to the right...he was the birthday boy)

It turns out that the best week for the twins was also the hardest week for Josh and I here at the house. We really kind of feel at a loss with what to do with Josh. The society here in Mexico has their kids in "preschool" from 18 months on, so by the time a kid is 4 they are in school everyday from 8-12:30 at a minimum. I'm just not sure we're comfortable with that. Even if I was, we visited a preschool together last week and Josh had meltdown after meltdown crying that he just wanted to go home (and that was when I stayed with him...how would it be if I left him somewhere for hours?) However, on the other hand, he's SO lonely here without Seth and Sam. Not to mention, if he doesn't have somewhere else to go, Josh is with me during every Spanish lesson (interrupting every 5 minutes), every Bible Study or mom's breakfast that I go to (one can imagine how fun that is for both of us). We are unsure of what the solution and balance for this situation is and are currently really praying for something to come up. We know that the Lord has placed every one in our family here for this time and age, and we trust He will take care our 4 year old too! In the meantime, Josh and I are spending A LOT of quality time just the two of us. At least he's showing interest in learning to read!!

Another Visit to Oregon (Part 2: Lakeview)

The second half of our trip to Oregon we were nomads for five nights. We spent one night in The Dalles, then the kids and I drove down to my parents in Lakeview for three nights (while Ben was hunting in Eastern Oregon with his family), and then the final night of our trip we had a sleepover at my sister's homestead in Woodburn. Our travels were partly because we wanted to visit family, but also because a new missionary family moved into our home in Scappoose. This particular family will be staying at the house through the school year, but we will still be able to stay at it during holidays and spring break, as they will spend those times with their extended family. Our home has only been empty for a few nights the entire time we've been in Mexico, and the Lord has faithfully provided family after family that has needed it. Anytime I want to question why the Lord brought us to Mexico, I am reminded that it's because he needed our house for other people!

Anyways, the boys and I had a great five-hour drive together from The Dalles to Lakeview; we are definitely getting better at traveling together! The only difficult part of the trip was seeing first-hand all the smoke of the forest fires in Oregon. We stopped at a park in Bend to play and barely wanted to be outside because the air was so thick with smoke! A great memory of the trip was listening to the audio book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," together. It was Josh's first time hearing the story, and he loved it! 

The highlight of our trip to Lakeview was that it was fair and round-up time. The last time we were in town during this fun event the twins were around Josh's age. They were both so excited to experience the rides, parade, and rodeo again and it was a blast to introduce Josh to these things for the first time. 

Josh's first pony ride

Seth

Sam

The boys with their Papa during the rodeo

Josh was unsure at first about the rodeo: he was quite worried about the calves who were getting their heels roped! But, by the end he was telling us how he wanted to "be a cowboy with a hat that rides horses and ropes cattle." 

No, the kids aren't sunburned, they are just hotter than blazes. It was around 97 degrees during the rodeo...actually the whole weekend it was hotter in Lakeview than it was in Monterrey! 

Bull riding: isn't this view beautiful? This is the high desert of Oregon and the type of country I grew up around.

We were able to find gluten free fair food...even curly fries!

Once it cooled off a bit, we returned to the fair to experience some rides. There aren't many Grandma's that are willing to do a tower-drop with their grandkids! 

They are all the way up there!

There wasn't anyone in line for the roller coaster, so the worker kept letting the kids go over and over and over again!

Joshy loved it

Joshy and his Papa

This is me and the boys smiling before the Sizzler starts. I was not smiling after having the combined weights of the twins smashed against me over and over again for what seemed like an eternity.

I'm officially getting old: I was queasy and dizzy after the Sizzler and swore to never go on it again.

Nights in Lakeview always end with a story with Grandma

Josh, Sam and Seth all ready for the Labor Day parade

Notice Sam's shirt: he wore it every day we were in Lakeview

Lots of horses in the parade

And a few tractors

One of the best moments of the parade was when someone walked by and offered Josh a free construction hat and he rejected the offer, glaring at the person with "stranger danger" eyes

Love this kid, love the freckles that are starting to show up! 

The twins taught Josh all about getting candy. Check out how full those bags are!

Josh quickly caught on and soon was venturing almost too far into the road! 

Dividing and trading the spoils 

I always love it when I can get a grandparent picture in front of my dad's beautiful flowers!

Crazy face photo

One more!

After three nights in Lakeview, we drove up to Woodburn to spend the afternoon and evening with my sister's family before flying out the next morning. It was such a delightful time visiting together in their beautiful yard and listening to the kids play. It was a perfect ending of our trip! All the cousins have been wanting to have a sleepover for years now, so we finally did it! Everyone except baby Henry fell asleep in the living room together...and everyone was asleep before 10:45...a victory for sure! I wish I had taken some better pictures of our time, but truthfully by that final day, I was exhausted of traveling and picture taking! 

Josh: 4 years old

It was so fun to get to celebrate Josh's fourth birthday while at home in Scappoose. On his actual birthday he got to open presents with us in the morning and then celebrate with friends and s'mores in the evening. The next day we drove to The Dalles to celebrate with the Morris side of the family (stopping for much missed Thai food on the road). That evening we had pizza, cupcakes and a water balloon fight. It was a great birthday! 

 The birthday boy

 Sam made Josh some binoculars so he could pretend hunt with Ellie 

 Seth made Josh a creation with perler beads with a "J" on it

 We got Josh his own spinner that can actually fit into his small hands

 A crew of friends to play with is always fun on your birthday! 

 Sticking four candles on a marshmallow was a challenge, so we stuck with one

 We're so thankful that we got to do a firepit with friends while at home. It's one of our favorite activities and ways to enjoy our yard.

 Thankful for a great family picture! 

 While the kids ran around with flashlights, the adults got to catch up. Nothing beats sitting in front of a crackling fire!

We squeezed in our Morris family celebration in a couple hours before everyone was leaving for hunting. Ben and Nate were looking over maps of the area they would be at (between distractions of children, of course).

 Totally easy to concentrate like this, right?

 Family pizza dinner

 

A new game for Josh's birthday!

 Josh and Ellie have perfected the pick-up hug. It's hilarious! 

 I managed to get four candles on the cupcake. 

 Yum!

 Water fight!!

 Look at Seth and Sam in this one

 Little Hailey Rose is always in the middle of the action

 It was a hot day, so all forms of getting wet were accepted

 Full of personality 

 Kids scavenging blueberries

 I love this next series of pictures. Somehow, Ellie talked Caleb into peeling a plum for her.

 Here, Ellie is showing him that clearly she doesn't have the skills to do it.

So, in between kids leaning on him, Caleb meticulously peeled the plum.

 All the kids just love him and we're so thankful for his willing presence during family events.

 After about twenty minutes, the plum was peeled. And by then, Ellie forgot she wanted it, lol. 

 Big cheese from our big four year old. 

The night ended perfectly: with a story from Grandma

Here's a little of what Josh is up to at four years old:
-Nothing currently delights Josh more than showing anyone his "four years old" on his fingers. He will then proceed to show you how old he will be on his next birthday...and his next...and his next...all the way until 10 years old. It's so sweet.
-He can finally consistently count to ten...now in both English and Spanish. He actually can get almost to 20 (with a few skips in between).
-He is really into reading Dr. Seuss books (I can remember the twins loving these at his age too). It is delightful to read him those familiar stories. It has led into us playing a lot of rhyming games daily. Let's rhyme "goo" or let's rhyme "bee."
-That leads me into the next point: Josh is actually getting into learning a little bit! Whew! All in his own timing, right? Not only is he rhyming, but he's learning his letters and told me the other day, "I'm going to learn my letters so I can learn to read!"
-Favorite books include "Mercy Watson" (compliments of the Plato family for his birthday), Otis books, Horton Hears a Who, and Duck books.
-He loves playing tag: at all times and places. Tag in the car, tag at dinner...he even tried for tag in church. He also loves hide-and-seek tag. He's a great hider and will stay quiet and still for a really long time if needed. He's very competitive in both of these games and does not like to lose.
-Daddy is his favorite and he loves quality, one-on-one time with him.
-Ellie and Edmund are his second favorites and he loves playing with them.
-He loves building forts with blankets and boxes and using a flash light underneath.
-Food continues to be inconsistent for him, but with a gluten and dairy allergy, who can blame him? What he likes one day, he turns his nose up to the next. Apple juice one morning, orange juice only the next. Most the time he eats Mexican and Asian food great. The one thing that remains consistent (besides a love for bacon): he's a kid who loves snacks...which is frustrating, especially with the amount of traveling we've been doing. When we travel, we're just surviving (especially because of our food allergies), so Josh gets in the habit of getting granola bars, fruit snacks, jerky. He then believes that every day should be like that.
-Speaking of food, he's fascinated by the food chain. At least three times a day, he questions me (and/or Ben) on what a particular animal eats. What do giraffes eat? What do cheetahs eat? What do butterflies eat? My personal favorite: "What do wolves eat?" My reply, "Wolves or moles?" Josh then said, "Actually dragons. What do dragons eat?"
-He continues to be a great sleeper, although he moves around a lot; we get a lot of good laughs from the positions we find him in each morning.
-"Paw Patrol," is his favorite cartoon (even though we only watch it in Spanish).
-He likes to play anything with the big boys and waits all day for them to come home from school. He also likes to bug his big brothers and will tantalize them with things like, "I have a special surprise for you in the bedroom," then makes them look and look until they are irritated and realize there is no special surprise.
-He loves swimming! He jumps right in with his water wings and doesn't mind at all his face getting wet. I only note this because when we first moved to Mexico, the kid would literally scream every time he took a shower because of water in his eyes (we don't have a bathtub). We had even tried goggles in the shower for him because of the drama. I am amazed at how far he has come in four months!
-"Mom, today I want to swim and watch Paw Patrol. Put it on your list." He makes me laugh so often!
-He tells us that he loves us many times a day and we have a joke that we tell him that we love him more. To which he always replies, "I love you a million and five."
-He is persistent, brave, aggressive and stubborn.
-His smile and laughter can light up a room. He is an absolute joy to our family.

Love the crooked cowboy smile

 Also love the muscles and the wonky underwear 

 Joshy and Ellie occasionally skype with one another. It's so sweet!

 This may be one of my favorite pictures of all time. These goggles couldn't match his personality better. 

Just to prove that we weren't kidding about the goggles in the shower. 

 Perler beads (in which he does patterns now) and pumping some iron 

 Left: he would have been a cute girl!

Right: Not a big fan on mom taking a picture of him dressed as a pant-less knight 

 Can you spy Josh? This is him keeping busy during mommy's 2 hour Spanish lesson.

 

 This is another of my favorite pictures of him. He is always doing goofy things like this, especially for the camera.

 

 These three pictures are all the things he decided to do for the camera except smile 

 He's been really into duplo legos recently. This is him hanging out on my bed while I blog

Josh and I are slowly getting into a system together while the big boys are at school. I'm treasuring this time with just me and my youngest! When I asked him if he wanted to go to school, his reply was, "But, mom, who would hang out with you then?"