The kids and how they're settling in

If you asked Peter and Kenny, the most important thing that's happened recently is that they've FOUND FRIENDS!  It turns out (now that it's warm, kids are out and about) that there's a family in the apartment block just next door, which along with our building and 2 others, surround a little courtyard.  This family has twin 8 year old boys, and a 4 year old boy too, the same ages as our kids.  How perfect is that?  They've been having  an awesome time playing soccer in the courtyard, until some busybodies told them not to.  Apparently there's a policy of no loud games in the courtyard.  I just sent them out to the courtyard again today, but sans soccer ball, just with a little tennis set, and they played happily for a long time.  It's nice - if I leave the door to the balcony open, I can hear them out there.

Since Eric has started working again, we've hired a Moroccan lady, Malika, to pick them up from school, and also watch them on Wednesday, the day they don't have school.  She's a lady who's been doing some babysitting for the mother of classmate of Peter.  She's very sweet, and Peter especially loves her (he wrote her a note, "Malika is so nice")

Kenny has been picking up French quite well, from what I can tell.  When the kids watch television in French, and I ask how much he understands, he says, "Most of it".  When I ask Peter the same question, he'll usually say something like, "Nothing".  But I know he understands and speaks some French - I've heard  him speak with his friend from the next building.  He's not as fluent as Kenny, but he's getting there.

Both Kenny and Peter have been going on a lot of field trips recently with their school - to the local pool, to the natural history museum, and next week to a local park and mini-zoo.  I need to arrange a meeting with Kenny's teachers and see how he's been doing - we had one a few months back, but other than that, I haven't been getting much feedback from the teachers on how things are going.  And he won't be getting any grades this year - apparently that's the policy for the first 2 years when a child is just learning French - no grades at all.