Thomas started taking an after-school yoga class for free at the International school the kids attend (it should be free for the cost of tuition right?!). We tried getting him into a swimming class and a 3D design class as well but there were waiting lists. He was actually very interested in signing up for yoga—I think it stems from doing some yoga together during our year of home schooling last year when I tried to get the kids to calm down and rest physically and mentally every now and then. All of the kids love yoga—they love stretching and showing the ways that they’re getting more and more flexible. So Thomas has taught us some of his stretches from Yoga class. :)
Savannah, talking
to grandma Marlene in her cardboard chair she made, next to her cardboard box
house entrance. We are happy to finally
have our Magic Jack phone set up through our internet to call the States for only $35
or so a year—all the way from Africa! It’s
awesome and we love being able to call our family, as long as we can hook up
despite the time differences!
We
discovered a snow cone place a block away from our apartment. It has European owners and is not surprisingly in the area of the city where a lot of English and Portuguese live. We have seen a few gelato places open up near new expensive apartment buildings also. It’s $4 for a little cup, but it tastes like
home and the kids have stepped up their good behavior in hopes of earning these cones as weekend rewards. :)
More
weekend playdates with our friends Kallen and Kara.
Since
getting our HHE, the kids have pulled out the plasma car and ripsticks to ride
around the apartment. It’s NOT my choice
of activities inside our apartment, especially with the loud echo of the toys on tile along with concrete walls that don't absorb any noise. But the kids don't have anywhere outdoors to ride them here. We would stand out even more than we already do, and make ourselves targets of thievery moving around the city on toys that don't exist here. Yesterday I saw two kids on bicycles for my first time since moving to Luanda! Plus I don't have enough bandaids for the kind of harm we would incur trying to move around on torn up sidewalks and roads. There are also very few open areas to move around without hundreds of people commuting on foot or selling their wares on the sidewalks. So I feel bad for the kids--they need to be able to move around as if they had a yard to play in. The embassy provides a safe atmosphere to play, but we aren't able to get there on a daily basis with it being a long walk each way with the kids. After their long drive home from school, we don't have the time. So the flat painted white walls show Savvy’s handprints from teaching
herself how to ride the ripstick and the neighbors downstairs have to deal with
a bit more noise. I’m hoping they’re
still at work when the kids get out of school! So far, no complaints. Here's to hoping...
Here’s
Savvy helping Bri prepare dinner, in her swimsuit that she was wearing practicing gymnastics beforehand. Savvy loves
cooking and baking, especially if it helps her feel like she has a say in what
she eats. :) She frequently prepares muffins, pancakes,
smoothies, eggs, oatmeal, etc. on her own.
She’s very competent. She’s been
preparing scrambled eggs since she was six years old, cracking the eggs and all. She was determined to learn how, so
Bri taught her. We’re still working on
having her clean up after she makes the mess in the kitchen!
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