Hot Chocolate!!!
The girl's first experience with snow.
Heading out with papa to pick out a tree.
Katherine making chocolates with Dan and Erica. 
Tatiana modeling one of her new outfits from the church shower.
This Christmas I had these great ideas running through my head, I would send a picture card I would update everyone and I would still have time to do those fun things that you do at Christmas with the girls. One of those things had priority beyond any of the others, making memories with the girls. Experiencing firsts. Everything else got the back shelf for a while. I got the picture cards the day before Christmas, it was somewhat my fault and somewhat the photographer's fault, but we did get them and I was not about to let them sit at home after we had paid for them. Since we came home on November 2nd we have had so many experiences. Friends and family have come to visit, Katherine had a birthday, and the girls now think if there is a present around it will automatically be for them. In a short 2-3 months people have made up for every missed Christmas and birthday they ever had, plus some. Through the holidays I got to talk to a lot of people who had been following the blog while we were gone and were a little annoyed with me for stopping when we came back home. First of all I never thought I would be a "blogger" but I thought with us being gone for that length of time it may be a nice way for friends and family to stay in touch and get to know our little girls. So now here is the update that some of you have asked for.
How is the adjustment going? Are they sleeping well? Do they like our food? What are you doing about school? Are they learning English? Are you getting used to having children?
These questions are questions that we hear every time we venture out into the public. Rightfully so, I completely understand that people are wondering how we are doing and what has been going on in the last 2-3 months. I would be hurt if people wouldn't ask.
How is the adjustment going?
The adjustment is going well, the girls take everything in stride, they usually are excited when they hear that we are getting company. They get tired, but usually they are not too grumpy when they are tired, we love it when Katherine says that we need to go home because papa is tired, she usually tries to reiterate that she is not tired, just papa. They love routine, or maybe that is just me, though at the beginning of the day they will make a list of what we are doing that day so they know what comes next.
Are they sleeping well?
The first night we were home we were all so excited and so tired, the girls explored their new room and they decided that they wanted to sleep in their beds that night. We put them to bed and in about 20 minutes they were fast asleep. That went on for about a month and in the last month for some reason Katherine has been scared. Sometimes we would have to hold her until she was asleep. One night the main light had to be on before she would sleep. So now we have a mattress over in Tatiana's room which seems to help, she will come down to see us about once a night, but then she wants to go back to her bed in Tatiana's room.
Do they like our food?
Yes and no, they love chicken cooked almost any way. They like fries a lot and Kathrine eats ketchup like it is a side dish. Tatiana likes Amishy noodles. They eat any kind of fruit and usually treat it as a dessert. Ice cream is still at the top of their list, although we have learned that they have had it before twice, once for Tatiana's birthday with their foster mom and once for Katherine's birthday with the foster mom. Tatiana told us that they did not have birthday's at their birth home. They do not like mashed potatoes or creamy potatoes of any sort, and they are not keen on anything that has spice. After pizza one evening Katherine wiped her tongue with her napkin because the peperoni were too spicy.
What are you doing about school?
As I am writing this Tatiana is probably laying awake in her bed so excited because she is going to school tomorrow. I hope she sleeps tonight. In Colombia, I was positive that I would teach her for the rest of the year, but we came home and she started asking about school. So we visited and she got so excited we decided it would be a disservice to keep her at home. I am not sure how Katherine will react to all of it, she was acting out today, I think it could have something to do with her big sister going to school.
Are they learning English?
Actually we have had some people ask us if we are teaching them Dutch!!! So in order for the girls to be able to communicate and gain friends in the United States, we are teaching them English first. (imagine that) They are picking up English quickly. It took a conscious decision on our part to speak all English to them, we started one Monday about two weeks after we were home. The first day was so hard for us because we feel like this is just one other thing that these girls have to go through. But by the end of the week, we would has them to do something and they would be on their way. A lot of the time they will listen to what we say and then they answer in Spanish. They are understanding more and more.
Are we getting used to having children?
We have waited for a long time to have children in our lives and the pitter patter of little feet in our house always brings a smile to our faces. We love sharing our lives with our daughters. We miss taking our walks together, but we think we will have a solution to that problem once we find another treadmill. As a whole the transition has been smooth. We love being mama and papa.
