Dear Our Future Au Pair,

We are the Agada Family and we are pleased to meet you. We are a small family of 4 that consists of Victor (dad), Latavia (mom), and our two sons - Nehemiah (2.5 years old) and Elijah (1 year old). We also have a miniature poodle whose name is Westley. He is 5 years old and he is very friendly. He likes to take advantage of his cuteness at times.

We live in suburb of Houston, Texas called Friendswood. Friendswood is small, but lovely. We have many things to enjoy here. There is a large mall that is just down the street, tons of shopping in general, plenty of community events, and outdoor activities. Friendswood is not too far from downtown Houston - probably about 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. Our family does not spend too much time in downtown Houston since having children, but we would recommend you visiting if you love the big city.

We live in suburb of Houston, Texas called Friendswood. Friendswood is small, but lovely. We have many things to enjoy here. There is a large mall that is just down the street, tons of shopping in general, plenty of community events, and outdoor activities. Friendswood is not too far from downtown Houston - probably about 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. Our family does not spend too much time in downtown Houston since having children, but we would recommend you visiting if you love the big city.

We will share a little bit about ourselves to give you an understanding of who we are and how we live. Victor is a process engineer at a lubricants plant in Pasadena, TX. He spends a lot of time working even when he is at home. However, he is a soccer fan and he likes to watch other sports such as basketball and football when he has time. He also likes to keep up with the news. Sometimes, when he has free time, he likes to exercise and play golf. Victor is originally from Nigeria, but he lived in Turkey for 10 years where he met Latavia while she was studying abroad as well. Victor speaks Turkish and several Nigerian languages. Victor also plays the piano and keyboard.

Latavia is a psychotherapist that works from home. Her hours can vary during the morning, but she clients for another company from noon to about 8:30pm. She sees clients of all ages and from all around the world. Latavia used to travel a lot; hence, how she met Victor. Latavia is originally from Illinois and she moved down to Texas almost 4 years ago with Victor when Victor got a job down here. Latavia spends most of her time with her sons, whom she loves so much. She cooks when she can and was experimenting with gardening for awhile until she got pregnant. She also plays the piano and more rarely, she will play the violin. Latavia loves the holidays, particularly Christmas and Thanksgiving. She also loves the spring and fall; however, she has allergies and does not always get to enjoy them as much.

Nehemiah is a very energetic toddler. He likes to run, play, do puzzles, and learn his alphabet and numbers. Nehemiah is 2.5 years old, but he is not talking yet. He communicates in many different ways to let you know what he wants. He is very detail-oriented in his own way. In terms of eating, Nehemiah is a picky eater. He is very suspicious of new foods. Nehemiah does a lot of independent play, so he does take more active engagement.

Elijah is also a very energetic toddler. He is not walking yet, but he crawls super fast. He is very strong, so you have to make sure that you are holding him well when he is in your arms. He loves his brother and will chase his brother around the house. He also is very curious. He wants to know what everything is. Elijah will try to take things from his brother, but that behavior is actually mutual. There are moments when Nehemiah does the same thing.

An important thing to know about both Nehemiah and Elijah is that they both were born prematurely, so they have come a long way. We do not expect them to do things according to developmental milestones, but they really have accomplished a lot in their own timing. They are a lot of fun to be with.

That is a snapshot of our family. We look forward to getting to know more about you and welcoming you as a part of our family. As people who have lived abroad before, we understand that the experience can be exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. We anticipate the highs and lows and also the homesickness. Those are all very real experiences. Nevertheless, I hope that your stay with us turns out to be rewarding and that you feel safe and happy with us.

Warmest regards,

The Agada Family