Both Ingrid and Juan are playing soccer for Odyssey and love it. We love having them active in sports, and it gives them an outlet for their emotions. It does get cold watching the games so bundle up! Juan's team even won the championship and he was so happy!
Although daily life has its ups and downs and is not easy, we are keeping with tradition of all our normal Thanksgiving favorites. Sandra is joining us from GCU and comes back some on the weekends. It has been a crazy fall so far with Pablo coming and going. We are thankful that Juan and Ingrid have sports in the afternoon to keep busy and are still involved in the youth group at church. One day at a time!
Angie wanted a Paris theme for her 18th birthday, just like her 16th birthday, so we had a big party for her with both her friends and some of ours. She had a great time, and we are glad it worked out. She has not pursued getting her driver's license yet nor having a steady job so we are trying to be patient.
Juan tried out for the football team at Odyssey and loves it. This is his first time ever playing, and we are so glad he has found another sport he likes. Our hope is that this physical activity will help give him an outlet for his emotions and aggression. His team was really good and ended up runner up for the 11 man in the championship. It was a great experience for him and so glad we got him to try!
Because Juan has always been surrounded by sisters and started talking about us adopting a brother for him, which is not going to happen, we decided to explore foreign exchange student programs. We are a little unsure with the kids emotional stability how this will go but thought we would give it a try. We were matched with a boy from Spain named Pablo. He arrived in July and lasted a few months. I got him enrolled in football at Odyssey, he went to youth group with the kids at church, and we tried really hard to include him in everything. Unfortunately, it was a combination of him being young and homesick and Juan not embracing him like we had hoped. He chose after a few months to move to a different state and try again but we were sad it did not work out better. We tried!
It is time for school to start again. Angie is a junior, Ingrid is a freshman, and Juan is in eighth grade this year. It is a big year for both Ingrid and Juan. It is Ingrid's first year of high school and Juan's last year of junior high. Emotions run high around our house so we try and keep things going as smoothly as possible. You never know when someone is going to be ok or overreact. Life is not easy with teens and especially with adopted teens that need counseling and coping skills.
Ingrid turned 16 on July 10th and Juan turned 14 on July 27th on July 27th. Ingrid had an emoji theme. Juan had an Avengers theme. No one cooperated for pictures again this year.
Angie participated in our church's SMI missionary program this spring and summer. SMI stands for Student Missionary Internship program. It is a lot of work and dedication, and we are really proud of her for doing it. They are going to Anaheim, California to talk to the Muslim community. It is a great experience, and we are really happy she had this experience.
We all picture things in our mind on how things are going to work out and we should know by now that it never works out that way! When Sandra asked if she could come and live with us for her senior year of high school, we envisioned a much different year than it has been. It has been great to have her here to help with rides with the kids but it was not the bonding experience we expected among siblings. Unfortunately, Sandra arrived with a boyfriend still in WI that she had gotten over the summer and decided to try and continue as a long distance relationship. Rather than putting all of her focus on her siblings and enjoying this once in a lifetime opportunity to finally be together, she was busy concentrating on her relationship. Her lack of respect for her parents also didn't sit well with us and what we are trying to teach our kids so she definitely didn't act like a good role model. Unfortunately, Juan and Ingrid then got in a fight on Sandra's graduation day and Luis, who was here visiting from WI, decided to solve the problem his way by punching Juan in the face. Unfortunately he was already ready for Sandra's graduation so his new outfit that matched his sisters is now ruined. No good pictures today! Sandra leaves after graduation for the summer. When she comes back, she will be living on campus at GCU, Grand Canyon University. She plans to major in theatre.
