Home Sweet Home Away From Home

Under the Antigua sun ~ one of my favorites.

We inherited this bathtub that doubles as a playtub!

Evie makin' friends at preschool.

Isn't she the cutest?

Evie playing on the swing with Lily and Quintin.

I finally got to meet my dear friend Shana and her baby boy, Oliver. Shana has a 2 year old little girl adopted from China and is in the process of adopting Olli as well as 4 year old Isabella, both from Guatemala. She and her husband are here in Antigua fostering also. You can check out Shana's blog(s) by clicking on the picture of her daughter next to one of the comments that she has left for me on many of my previous posts. Her kids are darling!

La Catedral. One of the many amazingly beautiful buildings in this very old city.

Our first day of home school!

We are so happy here in Antigua. Our set up at the Santa Rosa Apartments could not be more perfect. The kids have lots of friends and are even picking up some Spanish here and there! Our little house is so cozy and really feels like home. We just finished our first week of home schooling and it went great. I was a little worried! We worked everyday from 9-12 very consistently. If the kids finished their work early they could read or work from their Spanish workbooks. They had excellent scores on their "end of the week" tests (spelling, reading, etc.). On Tuesday and Thursday, Evie went to the little preschool that's just down the road from us. The teacher speaks Spanish almost exclusively and by the end of the day on Thursday Evie was understanding simple instructions like, "Let's wash hands. It's time for snack." She has a little friend, Charlotte, from our complex that goes there, too. She just loved it, and with any luck, she'll still love it next week. Soli had an ear infection last week, and we had a couple of rough nights (I'm so out of practice for sleepless nights!). I took her to the local pediatrician, and he was just awesome! I walked right in with no appointment, he charged me $20 for the office visit, did a full head to toe exam, and sent me away with a prescription for ear drops and antibiotics. I held off on the antibiotics, but the ear drops were heavenly and got us through the night. I was so relieved to learn that she wasn't brewing something more serious. I have three friends down here whose babies have had rotavirus. Rotavirus is a nasty virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea with the potential for severe dehydration and death. Very scary. But she just had an ear infection and is all better now. She's back to sleeping through the night (thank goodness!), and she is such a sweet baby girl. We all adore her. Dave arrives on Wednesday and we can hardly wait. He'll be here through the 27th, and I think it will be especially painful to see him go. I'm already dreading it. The kids and I will have to plan something extra fun to do that day so as not to mope around. I hope you enjoyed the pics. Antigua is quite possibly the most beautiful little town there is. I just love it. Thanks for checking in. ~Heather