Of Last December

HAPPY 2016 TO YOU, MY DEAR READERS!

This is my first post of 2016, wherein I cram a little bit of everything that December 2015 held for our family into ONE LONGGGGG picture post with hopefully few words!

Needless to say, it was a full December.  Like most Decembers are.  For most people.  But this one was unique in a few ways.  While I prayed and hoped for joy, peace and calm spirits, voices and hearts...well, Christmas was not marked by such emotions in our home, except the joy part. Underriding the children's constant spats, mommy's frustrations at having so much to do and little time to do it in peace, daddy's exhaustion after finishing up another college semester and a five day business trip thrown into the middle of it all for mommy.  Well.  December has passed.  January is here.  New Beginnings.  New Hopes.  New Goals.  New GRACE!

So, back to last December, wherein Mommy travels to Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil for a teacher's training and the Children and Daddy stay at Avo Rosa's.  And got to love blogspot: they loaded my pictures all out of order but oh well.  Here we go!

An outing to the mall one evening after training to see the Christmas display and eat at Outback!

Valquiria, my coordinator is on the left and my job-share partner, Sarah in the back.  Waiting to catch our flight to Vitoria.

Sarah and I spent Sunday evening after our arrival taking a long walk along the beach 

and of course, eating a lot of good, authentic regional food at a really nice open air market.

My lunch one day during our lunch break.

My lunch companions.  My other co-worker, Richard, is on the left.  He is from New York and is the Economics, History and Marketing teacher.  Sarah is from Toronto, Canada and will teach College Prep, Health and Career Planning.  I of course, hail from California and will teach English Literature and Speech this semester.  Our coordinator is Brazilian.  We are truly multi-cultural and our conversations are truly delightful!

Our really nice hotel!

Off for our first day of training!  

My hotel room that was almost the size of my entire apartment!

The delicious ice cold, flavored water that greeted us at the hotel every evening when we returned  hot and worn out from 8 hours of training.

The History book our students will be using this coming year.  All our teachers guides look like this.

This was by far my favorite training session and the one where no one was tempted to doze off during a long, hot afternoon of training!  This teacher is amazing and uses puppets often in her classroom and even in interviewing prospective teachers.

Back at the Mall outing with Richard and his girlfriend, Lilliam.  What a delightful evening with these two of animated conversation and delicious steaks at Outback!

Sarah joined us this evening for fabulous seafood.  Hey, I know it looks like all we did was eat but when you have little time to enjoy a new city and even less energy to do so, what do you do?  EAT, of course!

Sarah and I snuck in one short, hurried outing before catching our flight home on Thursday afternoon.  We visited a monestary perched on top of a hill overlooking the entire coastal city of Vitoria.  What a fantastic view.  We took a ton of pictures but I will share only a few here so you don't get bored!

One of the two military bases in Vitoria.

Headed home.  My head was about to explode from all I learned and all I need to do to prepare for this coming school year but my heart was full.  I was incredibly excited to see my family again, too.

God bless blogspot.  Back to our outing on the hill!

Last December wherein...

My 2 year old no longer wants to wear diapers or anything for that matter...but also doesn't want to use the potty.  sigh!

Wherein we attend two birthday parties and I take pictures at only one!

My husband and I with his cousin, Ruth Amelia.  I love her name even though we all call her Micke!

Little boy cousins!

Noah with my nephew, Isaac.  They are mutually in love with each other and have so much fun together already.  Makes my mommy heart very happy Noah has a boy cousin close in age to play with.

Noah and Isaac playing their first game ever of Pool!

Last December wherein the orchestra at our church comes back to life and they played beautifully. Brings back so many memories.  Sixteen years ago when I first came to work with Restoration Ministries, these "kids" played in the orchestra and became my best friends.  Today they are adults: college graduates, starting their own companies, some are married and some have their own children now.

Two of my favorite girls in the whole world: Livia and Camila.

My BIL and Sophia.  I thought this picture was precious.  Years of life and experience playing next to youth and learning to play her instrument.

 Last December wherein we spend Christmas Eve at my husband's cousin's beautiful new home and start what we hope will become a yearly tradition: Christmas skit.  We helped the children reenact the Christmas story.  Here the Angel (Pedro) is bringing His news to Mary (Chloe).  My SIL Tati read Luke as the narrative.

Pregnant Mary!

The Manger Scene with Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus wherein Baby Jesus (Isaac) would not stay in the manger for the world!!!!!

Wherein we spend Christmas Day at the inlaws....

The two oldest boys and their baby boys!

The daughter in laws with the Grandma!

Words cannot describe my love and admiration for this women.  She has been one of my dearest friends for 16 years and my faithful, constant support for the last 8 that I have called Brazil home.  I honestly don't know what I would do without her.  That we are officially sisters by marriage and parenting little ones at the same time is just icing on an already delicious cake for me.

Isaac helping chloe give her dolly a bath with wet wipes!

Chloe learning from her Great Grandma how to fry Brazilian "bife," thinly sliced beef sauteed with onions.  Truly this Grandma is the queen of the most incredible fried bife. 

These holiday weekends with very late night bedtimes are hard on my little guy but...

He still has a smile!

Wherein we have a park day with friends and cousins.

Wherein we accomplished a lot of other things...that I don't have pictures of but include:

--4 recipes of Lemon Squares
--3 recipes of Shortbread
--6 recipes of Brownies
--5 recipes of Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
--3 dozen cinnamon rolls
--3 dozen butterhorn rolls
--6 recipes of homemade tortillas
--1 apple tart
--1 Germon Chocolate Cake (my first and a sweet sucess!)
--total of 14 Christmas cookie plates for pastors, teachers, neighbors, etc
--A mall outing with our children to see the Christmas decorations and play on the indoor
       playground.

Wow.  Deep Breath.  Sweet memories.  Good reflection.  A little holiday weary.  Filthy house. Active children confined to a very small apartment as we enjoy their summer break from school.  Hot summer days with several rainy days wherein we can't go outside.  Full hearts.  Blessed beyond measure.  Mostly just overwhelmed at His faithfulness.

Now we are in 2016.  Second day already.  Every day will pass just as quickly as the last two.  I don't know what 2016 holds for myself or my family or your family.  But I know who has got 2016.  He is in control and it will be good.  Of that I am confident.

So, I refuse to be overwhelmed by the responsibility facing me in my new position as a High School Teacher or that fact that I will be teaching classes I never even took in High School or that I get to teach an entire semester of Shakespeare and I don't even like Shakespeare (so my prayer for this year is that I will fall more in love with God and with Shakespeare!!!  I kind of feel that if those two things can happen...everything else will fall into place!).  Or the fact that I am mother to two incredibly busy, active, strong willed, growing, developing children.  Or the fact that my husband faces another challenging year of full-time work and full-time study.  OR....the list could do on.

It will be GOOD.  Because HE will be with us each step of the way.  And HE is GOOD!

                                                                     So a very happy January to you all!

                                                                                                  Jama