Neighborhood Buddies

It's been fun to see our kids grow over the last several months in their language ability as well as their comfort level here as they frequently interact with their neighborhood friends. There are several children in the neighborhood, many of them boys, and they roam together within our complex doing the things boys love to do--playing with sticks, climbing trees, catching tadpoles, riding scooters and such.

  They seem to be pretty good boys, and have welcomed Caleb into the group. We've been able to meet many of their grandparents, as most of them live with and are primarily cared for by their grandmothers.     

Susanna has found some friends too--this little girl lives in the next building over and is also three. They have a great time talking, playing dress-up, and giggling at Caleb's silly antics.  They gave the kids minority outfits and Susanna's matches her friend's.

Her mom brings her over often in the evenings to play, and we have a good time chatting, watching the kids play, and getting to know each other better. The other night she was teaching Caleb how to write a few words.

  

This is a little girl who's been coming over to play since we moved here.  She's five and has been a good little friend for Caleb and Susanna.  She recently got 3 rabbits, so the kids have loved that-- it's temporarily warding off the begging for a pet!  She lives with her adopted mom, who is a nurse, and whose husband works in another city through the week doing construction.  Her mom works hard and has high hopes for our little friend, taking her to extra classes and teaching her at night so that she might have a chance to study abroad one day.  The kids don't get to see her as much as some kids because of her study schedule, but when they do, they have a good time!




Emily isn't without her little friends too.  This little boy is only a month older than Emily, and his nanny often drops by with him to play and chat.

 

During this visit, Susanna found that she and her auntie share a love for painting.

I've enjoyed spending time with them and really appreciate the friendship.  I haven't seen them lately though, because they and the boy's mom had to move to a relative's home a couple of weeks ago because of domestic violence.  Please be thinking about this family as they deal with this painful issue.  

We're so thankful for these developing friendships, not just for our kids, but for us too. Thanks for lifting us up as we seek to make a difference here in our neighborhood.