Christmas?! Already?!

I cannot believe how time has flown since we got back from Colombia. It's been 4 months and boy oh boy we’ve done so much!

Carol has been learning English in leaps and bounds. She is now able to READ "Go, Dog, Go!" to us before bed. She is a social butterfly at school - she has attended her first 'Princess Tea Party' and she actually gets sarcasm - and MY sarcasm at that. She is amazing. I cannot believe how strong this little kid is. When they say children are resilient - they are talking about Carol. She LOVES to sit and chat with Mami and learn new things. Her favorite past time is sitting and writing or coloring (and in a close second is 'annoying her little brother'). Great story about Carol...the other night she was laying in bed with Donna and after they were done reading, they were talking a bit and she turned to Donna and said "I'm happy to be here. We're a family now..."

Jhon-Fredy has been tearing it up too. He is constantly in motion and has learned (a few times) the true meaning of Newton's First Law of Motion: "Every body continues in its state of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it". In Jhon-Fredy's case the force that is usually "impressed" on him is a wall or one of his sisters. But he gets up and brushes himself off - no worse for wear. He also has started pre-school and goes 2 days a week for a few hours. He LOVES it and has made a few friends in the process. Since we are in the "mid-season" break of Jhon-Fredy's soccer season he has opted to join the floor hockey league at the YMCA to stay in tip-top shape for the latter part of his Soccer season. He starts January 12th and I think Papi is more excited than he is to see him get out there and play.

Anji, is growing in leaps and bounds. She really hasn't put on too much more weight but she is looking healthier than ever. Her vocabulary has tripled over the past couple of months too. Now when she gives an emphatic "NO!"...she says "NO! NO! NO!" instead of just "NO!". I have to say that she pretty much rules this roost. She is 22 pounds of attitude and makes her presence known when she walks into a room. But she is such a good kid. And so smart too! We can be downstairs and she'll tell us that she "did her business" in her diaper and we'll say "Go get a new one Anji" and she goes right upstairs and comes back down with a fresh diaper. She is also trying VERY hard to get the hang of using the potty. But Donna and I have discovered that in this area patience is definitely a virtue.

Overall we have had to have a few minor adjustments made, family laws passed and edicts declared. Here are few of the major ones that were mandated:
1. NO HOT WHEELS (OR SIMILAR PLAYTHINGS) ARE TO BE BROUGHT INTO THE BATHROOM - They ultimately end up in the toilet and they will NOT be replaced (or retrieved). We now know to park them outside of the door.

2. NEVER PICK ANJI UP AFTER YOU ARE READY FOR WORK/SCHOOL - You never know which bodily fluid you will discover on your person later in the day and then wishing you had a change of clothes.

3. FOCUS ON YOURSELF - WHAT YOU ARE REPORTING THAT YOUR BROTHER/SISTER DID YOU PROBABLY HAVE DONE WITHIN THE LAST (OR WILL COMMIT IN THE NEXT) 30 MINUTES - We just love to tattle on the others but cannot understand why we are being held accountable for the same 'crime' when we do it because we definitely have a good explanation as to why we did it.

4. I CAN'T DRIVE 55...IN THE KITCHEN - When Mami is not cooking dinner - circumnavigating the route that is the dining room > living room > kitchen can be done at top speed however during the rush hour of dinner preparation the speed limit in the kitchen is curtailed to 25. Therefore we run as FAST as we can in the high speed areas then walk through the kitchen.

5. WHEN THE STEELERS OR PENGUINS PLAY, THE FAMILY ROOM IS A SANCTUARY FOR PAPI - no explanation necessary.

So we are moving right along as a family looking forward to this first Christmas together. So far it's been pretty emotional. Donna and I were talking about how it was just a year ago that we'd be sitting at dinner or watching TV and talking about how it’s going to be "when the kids get here". Now there is no waiting...they ARE here and they are making this a very special Christmas indeed. God has blessed us by bringing us together as a family and we thank Him everyday for this gift. We look forward to celebrating the birth of His one and only Son, Jesus, as a family.

We hope that everyone has a great Christmas and we thank you for the blessing of being part of our lives through this all.

Love,
Scott, Donna, Carol, Jhon-Fredy and Anji