A few notes

Sorry that I have not been able to do very regular updates. Life is busier than I expected right now!

Now that Ina has been with us for over 2 months, there are a few things that I have observed.

Mail from Home: Ina LOVES to get mail from home. Whether it is a letter or a package with some goodies, she always has a large smile when something shows up from Norway.

Picking on Bethany: Ina and Bethany delight in picking on each other. They really are like sisters sometimes, but it is in good fun. Like real sisters, it sometimes goes too far and someone gets annoyed. However, neither one seems to stay upset for long. Overall they get along great and seem to have a lot of common interests.

Speaking Norwegian: We have tried to get Ina to teach us some Norwegian words. However, we are not very good at it. We have picked up a few words, but usually we just say them wrong. Ina is very patient with our attempts to speak a few words, but she has to laugh at us sometimes since we have trouble saying things right.

Reliable: Ina has been very reliable. She always gets ready for school on her own. She offers to help with meals and does the chores that we asked her to do without complaints. She is always ready to go when we are leaving somewhere. It has been great to have such a reliable member join our family!

Patient with our Schedule: We have a lot of activities as a family that do not match Ina's interests. She has been a good sport about trying things out with us and patiently joining us for things that are probably boring for her.

Sense of Humor: It has been very important that Ina has a good sense of humor with our family. We like to joke around a lot and Ina has never taken that personally when it is directed at her. She has also said some funny things and can be silly with us. That helps all of us learn how to live together!

There are a lot more things that I can say. However, I wanted to make sure that I got a start and made some notes about some of my thoughts.

For Ina's family at home, thanks for being supportive of her while she is here. It makes it easier for her and us that she has the support and love of her family.

For our friends (especially Hayley and Bethany's friends), thanks for being so accepting of our new family member. You have helped Ina fit in while she lives with all of us for this school year.

For Ina, thanks for being part of our family, for having a great sense of humor, being patient, and continuing to let us know your likes and dislikes.

- Rob