Friday, September 12, 2008

School Is Finally Here / Ya llegó la escuela...¡por fin!

We looooove our children, but let´s face it, 3 months of summer in a small house could drain anyone, even the most devoted parents! So when the first day of school arrived, no one was happier than we were. Still we were worried that school in Spain would be a hard time for our kids from the start. We crossed our fingers and sent them to school hoping for the best.

Queremos a nuestros hijos un montón, pero hay que reconocerlo, 3 meses de verano metidos en un piso puede volver loco a cualquiera, aun a los padres más devotos. Así que cuando llegó el primer día de colegio, nadie estaba más contento que nosotros. Aún así nos preocupaba que la escuela en España fuera bastante difícil para nuestros hijos desde un comienzo. Cruzamos los dedos y los enviamos a la escuela deseando lo mejor.





Surprinsingly enough, Aitana had the best time (even though this is her first time in school ever, and in Spanish). She loves her teacher, she already made new friends and likes to be doing what her older siblings have been doing for a while. She is such an independent princess! Lauryn enjoyed it as well. Even though at first she felt lost and frustrated, after a while, she realized she could do it, even in a foreign country. Now, she loves going to school and has no problems making friends and completing her work (aftre three days, the teacher realized she was in the wrong class, so they had to send her to a new teacher. We were worried thinking she wouldn´t take the change well, however, she still enjoys school and she is excited she now has double the friends). Jacob had the roughest time at the beginning. Being the perfectionist he is, he felt frustrated when he couldn´t understand his teacher or the work to do. Jacob thought the teacher was mad at him because she used a "loud voice". Every day, however, he does better, (yesterday he commented "it was the best day yet!"), and we are confident he will do great at school. We really hope the kids will learn a lot of Spanish during these 3 months, so we can continue working on it upon our return to Oklahoma. By the way, in case you noticed the girls´ribbons, since they couldn´t pick their first school outfit (the school requires uniforms), we let them pick any color of ribbon they liked (even if it didn´t match the white and blue of their uniforms!).

Para nuestra sorpresa, Aitana se lo pasó de miedo (aunque esta es la primera vez que va a la escuela y además en español). Le encanta su profe (Maria Isabel), ya ha hecho nuevos amigos y está contentísima de poder hacer lo que sus hermanos mayores llevan haciendo un par de años. ¡Tremenda princesa independiente! Lauryn también lo pasó bien, aunque al principio se sentía cohibida y frustrada, cuando se dio cuenta de que podía completar el trabajo, empezó a disfrutar de la escuela, incluso en un país extranjero. Ahora, le gusta mucho ir a clase, no tiene problemas haciendo amigos y puede terminar el trabajo a tiempo (después de tres días, la maestra se dio cuenta de que Lauryn estaba en la clase equivocada, así que tuvieron que mandarla a otra clase. Al principio, nos preocupó porque pensamos que no se tomaría el cambio de manera positiva, sin embargo al regresar a casa nos dijo que ahora tenía el doble de amigos). Jacob lo pasó bastante mal al principio. Como perfeccionista que es, se sentía frustrado al no entender a la maestra o el trabajo que tenía que hacer. Jacob pensaba que la maestra estaba enfadada con él porque hablaba en "voz alta". Ahora, después de varios días, se encuentra más a gusto y no tenemos ninguna duda de que pasará esta prueba sin problemas. Esperamos que en estos 3 meses, los niños aprendan mucho español para que podamos continuar mejorándolo al volver a Oklahoma. Por cierto, en caso que notaran los lazos que las niñas llevan en el pelo, pues como no pudieron estrenar vestido (la escuela exige uniforme), les dejamos que llevaran el color del lazo que quisieran (aunque no pegara con el color del uniforme, que es azul marino y blanco).




For those that wonder what Ryan does while his brother and sisters are in school, just look at the picture below. I think he´s living it up!

Para aquellos que se preguntan qué hace Ryan mientras sus hermanos están en la escuela, miren la foto. ¡Yo creo que se lo está pasando en grande!


And if you want to know what we do while the kids are school for 4 hours every morning...well, just look at the picture for a little preview.

Y si quieren saber que hacemos nosotros mientras los niños están en la escuela 4 horas cada mañana...bueno, simplemente miren la foto para que se hagan una idea.

10 comments:

Callie said...

Wow... I wish my kids were in school! Ha ha ha...

The Webb Family said...

Ha! LOL! Love that last picture Melany.
Well, sounds like all is well with the Batista clan. I'm glad to hear it. The kids look super cute. Hope you're feeling good. Talk to you soon.

The Webb Family said...

Ha! LOL! Love that last picture! The kids sure look cute, I'm glad to hear they are doing well. Ryan looks happy as a lark. Hope you are feeling well. talk to you soon

www.mostblessedman.blogspot.com said...

I am glad you found us! Your kids are so cute! How are things? Where are you guys these days? What is going on? Inquiring minds want to know.

www.mostblessedman.blogspot.com said...

I was just looking at your blog again and I have to say, your little girl (I think Aitiana) with the pink bow looks just like you!

Amie said...

I love this blog! I miss seeing your kids in the halls at Washington :( and can't wait for a speedy return. Keep "dancing" your mornings away!

Heherjo said...

Well the pictures are precious. I want to know if Melany is learning any Spanish. Que tal, Melany, estas aprediendo espanol?

Batistas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andrea said...

Boy, you are brave! Your kids are brave! ANd that Ryan is a handsome little guy... and with that hair, watch out! So, you are going to go back to Oklahoma when you get back huh?

Unknown said...

I'm confused. How many kids do you have because I saw 4 in the first picture...;) I'm happy that you and Diego get some action while the kids are at school! Watch out for baby #5!!