So what’s going on at the Hollis’?

Everyone is doing well in school. Emi is loving the Jr High, the boys keep telling her friends that she is pretty and they like her. She just laughs at the boys...for now.

Nate, well, he is just Nate. Doing well, but everything comes so easy to him that he isn't finding school a challenge and then gets sloppy. He is just glad to have outside recess to play football.


Jessica and Joaquin are doing really well. Joaquin is speaking almost all English, I am amazed. He had to do a project about himself and one of the questions was “Who is your hero and why?” Joaquin said his brother Nate was his hero. Which made me cry. (He thinks Nate is famous when he puts on his sports uniforms) Joaquin said “Nate is big and strong and has lots of friends. And he teaches me how to do flips on the trampoline.”


Jessica is doing better with English and is loving school. She is like a commodity there. All the kids want to play with her, even the older kids. She just got an invitation to a 10 yr olds birthday party. You worry they may be made fun of, but it's been just the opposite. I ran into her tutor/ESL Teacher today who told me how awesome Jess is doing. Then her regular teacher emailed me with this message, “Also, I am speaking with Jessica's tutor almost everyday and we are both amazed at the progress she is making. She is a really hard worker and picks up on things quickly. She has a great strategy for adding and subtracting by using her crayons! She is very helpful and even helped me pass graded papers back to mailboxes today. I know I shouldn't be surprised. After all she is a Hollis!“ It was very nice to hear from Mrs. George, she is so sweet! Jessica has a long way to go, but is doing fine trying to catch up to the others.


Emi cheered at her fist JR High Game and looked so grown up. She has been mistaken as a freshman by the bus driver and some of her peers...not sure I like that.


Nate had his first football game on Saturday. They played the team they always face in the superbowl each year and they beat the team 30 to nothing. The first defensive play, Nate made the tackle and caused a fumble. He is also the punter this year. On one punt, he punted the ball, broke through the line and also made the tackle. He was wound up and had a great game. He constantly talks about playing college ball...I hope his dream comes true.

I am back to work and am liking getting everyone into routine. I have every afternoon with Joaquin, just the two of us and we are loving it.

The kids all come home little jabber boxes, so I have to give them each 5 minutes to tell me about their days so they don’t talk over each other. I’m just glad they want to share.

So all in all things are really good. We are blessed beyond what we could have imagined.