Jethro and
Lovisa are overjoyed to be grandparents, just as we are overjoyed to finally have children! These six are wonderful additions to our home.
Bryan and
Isidore get along very well, especially for father and teenage son! There is always a lively discussion of the latest story in the news.
Bryan has been accepted to a number of universities and will attend the University of Chicago next year, along with his girlfriend of ten months,
Renee. We are so proud of all that he has accomplished in his senior year of high school!
Sylvia has settled in as well and is very happy to have a younger sister. She and
Nina play together with dolls and clothes.
Sylvia does well in school and is taking ballet and tap lessons, which she enjoys immensely. She and her best friends at school,
Lydia and
Gabby, are always talking on the phone. She is a very happy tween!
Isidoro, who's acquired the nickname "
Junior," has had some problems settling in, especially with handling so many others in the house. However, he and
Isidore have many conversations about school and other issues he has.
Junior is in therapy twice a month to help him overcome his rage issues, which were initially a problem at school that led to a suspension. We homeschooled him for the first semester of this past year, and then reentered him into the public system. His English is improving and he has learned how to salsa dance, which the girls at school absolutely love.
He has his eye on an exchange student (also a freshman) from Colombia named
Esperanza. We hope that something will develop and he will feel more welcome here.
Fahd is a very sweet child and his siblings adore him. There is no mosque in
Hamilton, so he goes to Colgate to spend time with the Muslim students there.
He loves the university and is taking piano lessons with a professor there. Everyone in the community has been very understanding of
Fahd's past, and he has an enormous amount of support and warmth directed towards him.
He plays on the soccer team at his middle school and is one of the best on the team. We're hoping he'll play varsity in high school!
Placido requested a name change, since "
Placido Domingo" only reminds him of his neglectful parents. His name has been legally changed to
David Placido.
He has begun the second grade and excels in school. His teachers think he is absolutely charming, as do his siblings.
He plays soccer after school is over; sometimes he can be very competitive. At home, he and
Greta Garbo are inseparable.
He loves to throw a frisbee or a ball for her to play with, and she has adopted him as "her" child.
Nina is now in the fourth grade. She loves her English class and we have received phone calls commending her on her excellent work in this section. She falls behind a bit in math and science, so we're on top of her about that. We know she'll work on it and improve her study habits! She's a very independent child and doesn't take well to the crushes on her from various boys in her class. She's still in the "cooties" phase! She and
Isaac Newton spend a lot of time together, especially when she is in her room playing with dolls or working on a story. She loves to read her stories to us, and we love to hear them!
Thank you so much for these wonderful children!