Tears and Laughter!

Well it was a exciting week here at the madhouse, oops I mean doghouse. Dentist for Fantu, she did so well this time! Vaccinations for both of them 3 each, a must have to attend school. This went okay. Apparently Abate has a habit of fainting after getting a shot - something he failed to mention. Gave me a bit of a fright! But he was okay after a few minutes. Fantu was better than I had prepared for, but it was still very hard on her. She has a low tolerance for pain and it's a very sad sight to see her cry for 10-15 minutes. The worse thing is - they have to go back in Monday and get 3 more each. Alan's turn this time though!
We got them registered for school. Abate will be attending the Jr. High school, in 7th grade. He will be taking in addition to 5 required courses - ESL (English as a Second Language), an extra reading class and Athletics. He has to sign up for Athletics so he can run track - Cross Country Running. Athletics usually includes American Football, Basketball and Track. He will opt out of the Football though as he will be playing in the city soccer league this Autumn. Not sure yet if he will do Basketball. Fantu will be at the Intermediate School in the 6th grade. She will also be in a ESL class for an hour each day and will be able to take Choir. We think this will really help her fit in and enjoy school as she loves singing and has such a beautiful voice. 6th grade is going to be hard for her but they have promised extra help for her during the year. They are both really excited but nervous about starting school. It is quite a change from Ethiopia.
The big event this week was the Boys and Girls Club Talent Show. Fantu performed a Ethiopian dance and Abate balanced a pool stick on his finger, then bounced it onto his palm. Then on his thumb and finally on his forearm. Abate won 1st place in the variety category. Fantu did a really good job and we are so proud of her. She has come so far in the 2+ months she has been home. Here is the link to a video of their performance. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dbb5w8D3wUHs&h=705b96a4aa4ef17fcf4e5699a36bdd76
The next 2 weeks look to be pretty busy as the summer winds down and school starts on the 24th. They've only 1 week left of Boys and Girls club so I guess they will be going to work with me a couple of days that last week. Sounds like a good excuse to go to Austin for lunch.!