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Thank you for the wonderful additions to our family, all are doing well.

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Natalie settled right in, though she still misses her birth parents greatly. They remain in contact though, and she's going to visit in a few weeks. She has started learning how to knit and wants to make clothing for her dolls. She helped Carmen a lot in learning English and learned a lot of Spanish herself in the process. Carmen started out at the local high school, after taking an intensive ESL class and is getting involved with the dance department since she had her baby, a beautiful baby boy she named Enrique Nicolas. She helped out a lot with Ashlee, now a todler with blond hair, who loves the animals, and is fascinated with Enrique. Helping out with Ashlee made it so Carmen knew what to expect with Enrique. When she graduates, Carmen plans to go to community college and become a nurse so she can give Enrique a good home.

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Ali had surgery on his leg and after physical therapy will be able to walk without crutches, though he will still have a limp. He hopes to join the swim team then, because he will be able to be competitive when his leg is better. He and Habib spend a lot of time at the YMCA in the pool. Habib has also started allowing Carmen to show him a few basic dance steps, and he wants to start classes at the Y in the spring.

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It took a while for Xavier to adjust to life in the country but he's settled in, and has made the football team, and plays tight end. He's really excited for the winter when he should be able to smowboard with just a short drive north to the slopes, and he will be getting his driver's license soon. He has been able to connect with Patrick really well over football, and regrets it sometimes because Patrick follows him everywhere he can, and idolizes him. Habib has started to look at Patrick in a similar way, and Patrick has started teaching him how to read.

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Mya has become a fast friend with Sunshine and they like to spend a lot of time laying in the sun together.