The Month That Was...

The month wherein…

Wherein mommy gets to celebrate the 4^th of July with the English students at Restoration Ministries English School!

Real American Hot Dogs!!!

Wherein little brother gets more drawing lessons from big sister…

Wherein little brother experiences his first inhalations and big sister just gets more of the same.  She is quite accustomed to them by now.

Wherein we spend a glorious day at the SESC (a local recreational/educational place full of fascinating things) with 3 other families where mommy is a foreigner and daddy is Brazilian!

Lots of games available for our use.

This day's exhibition was a circus display which was really awesome!  We all enjoyed it.

Posing for mommy

Face painting with Daddy

Dressing up with Daddy

She did her make up all.by.herself.  She is very into make up and the more of it and the brighter it is, the happier it makes her!!!

Posing with a manequin! 

Noah with our beloved doula, Elizabeth.  We had not seen her since soon after Noah's birth and never had met her family.  Was so special she came from Sao Paulo to spend the day with us in our suburb city!  Thank you so much, Elizabeth!  We love you dearly!

Wherein Tia Vanusa comes to visit…and we follow her to her home 2 hours away the next week to visit SOCORRO!

Absolutely gorgeous waterfalls close to Vanusa's home.

Okay, so my pictures loaded all funky and out of order but oh, well!  Noah learning how to use the obnoxious horns the Brazilians used during the World Cup festivities!!

Chloe and Larissa, sweet little pals.

These three can make more noise than my tiny apartment really can handle!!!

Back to the waterfalls!  My girl and I.

 Wherein little brother turns 10 months old in Socorro

Getting way too old, way too fast!

Tia Vanusa and her girl

My precious littles and I

Saying goodbye and headed back to Sao Paulo.  Was such a special two days.  Chloe and I both cannot wait to go back.

Wherein big sister takes selfies!

Wherein very, very special California visitors come for dinner…

This dear girl and I met in Brazil while working together at RM in 2002!  Wow, the years have flown.  Who would have guessed that 12 years later she would come with her husband and oldest son to my home in Brazil for dinner?  We marvel at what God has done the past 12 years.  Lots of changes.  Some really good, some really painful, but all really vital in molding us into the mothers and women we are today, eh, Kristi?!!  So good to catch up with her for awhile.

Our firstborns: instant friends.

Chloe has added Eli to her list of "must visit" the next time we go to California to visit!

Wherein little brother learns to pick up food and eat.all.by.himself…

Wherein little brother discovers flour and cornstarch!

"What strange tasting stuff...not at all like the yummy things mommy fixes me!"

He kept tasting it and then looking at his hand in bewilderment!  It was hilarious!  I think he wasn't impressed with the taste, but it sure was fun spreading the fluffy stuff all over mommy's kitchen!

Wherein we celebrate daddy and grandpa for Brazil’s Father’s Day at sister’s school

Please forgive my camera that was so.not.working.right that night...most of my pictures are horrible which is tragic because sister was so excited about her presentation for daddy.  It really was a sweet evening.

We were so honored Grandpa Jorge made it too!

Wherein little brother discovers mommy’s teaching and game cupboard L

Oh, so proud of his "mess"!

Wherein my husband’s brother, Binho, after 6 long, hard years GRADUATES!!!  We are so proud of our new Engineer we can hardly stand it!  This coming weekend is the big, elegant Baile (Ball) to celebrate his accomplishments and daddy and mommy are excited to get all dressed up for the Ball.  Sister and brother get to stay home this time with their favorite babysitter ever! J  I promise to not take a month to post pictures!!!

National Anthem

Yes, I had to have it explained to me, too!  Something to do with the video games this guy loves!  He is on to the next level, apparently.  This group is his fan club!!

Are the years and years of scrimping every real to pay every month and the endless nights of studying all night long and those untold numbers of tests and exams feeling worth it about now???

He's crazy but we love him!!

Here's us with our new Engineer!

Binho with his parents

Binho with his nephews and niece and Rayssa, who comes with Victor!

Binho with his sister-in-laws!

Binho with his cousins 

Binho with his friends!

Other things have caused this month to be a little on the crazy side like a full blown battle against the bugs, a.k.a. horrific case of head lice (did I say HORRIFIC?  It was so bad I was even dreaming about the bugs but the good side is I have become professional at cleaning a certain little girl’s head…just call me if you have such unpleasant little bugs at your house!!!).  It is normal here in Brazil and not at all a cause to freak out…but I freak out anyway!  Or at least I used to.  Now I just take it in stride and do what one has to do when one lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil! J

Oh, and daddy went back to college (so he gets home at midnight or later 4 nights/week) and I have been fighting a sinus infection for oh, only about 2 months.  But in spite of it all, the good and the not so good, God is good.  That is all that matters.

Oh. and little brother turned 11 MONTHS OLD.  Mommy was in survival mode, unfortunately, so we did not document with pictures, but he did get sang to!  I have began the first birthday preparations and feel a little sad in the doing.  Just can't get my brain around the fact that my baby is almost one years old.  But celebrate him, we will!  

Good night and God bless!