Recent pictures / Zoo

Rainy day holidays...

 Our many boxes have arrived, including duplos, which we've added to the duplos we have here. Lots of fun! I'm not quite sure what this structure is, but the kids enjoyed it.

 Sam is still drawing, drawing, drawing. I'm not totally sure what this is (Wonder Woman's invisible plane? Angry birds? Dragons?) but he's an imiganitive, creative kid.

 Eli loves the blocks! Tractors! Animals! People, people, people!

 One of our projects the last weeks has been sorting our schools. Basically, we figure if Sam is able to stay roughly on level in English we'll try to keep him in local school for the time being. I'm working with him on letters, we're doing lots of books, and trying to stay on top of it all. He is mostly going along and seems interested in things. He's 5, but still the equivalent of five months from kindergarten, so I don't feel like he has to do soooo much. He also has some homework at school (practicing drawing parts of local letters, some counting and coloring things).

 Emily did finger painting with them today. Eli wasn't totally sure about having paint on his hands.

 They came along with time.

Here's Eva, looking a bit like she's just butchered some farm animal.

It's been raining continuously so we're feeling a little trapped inside. Kids have also been sick (coughing thing). I think they'll be okay, but it has put a bit of a cramp on the weekend. I got the boys to a nature center on Thursday while Emily took Eva to the doctor's. The nature center was fun (beatles, frogs, ducks, turtles). Sam is restarting swim lessons and loves the time with the kids (it also helps him sleep). We may try Suzuki again when his language has improved. He's coming along but still seems to be speaking mostly English, even though his vocab is improving. Eva and Eli are both saying some words in the local language.

I'm basically good, but am feeling a bit like one of those people who spins plates on sticks. Just how many can I keep going? Teaching? Language? Writing? Church Stufff? Kids? (Now fund-raising?) Very sociteies and organizations? I had two papers accepted for a conference and am enjoying teaching and being involved in church work, but I also always feel like I'm not quite where I want to be in so many different areas. On days like these too, it's a real challenge just to keep the house okay and get everyone's needs met. And coming up are taxes, various receipt-submission, etc. Partly I may be a little down lately just because I've had the same cold as everyone else, and haven't been sleeping great.

Will check in soon! I'm enjoying having the apartment more set up. We have a new griddle so tomorrow morning may be pancakes.That's the news!