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HI! It's been a while, I know...extremely busy days is my excuse :)

All joking aside, it's been crazy...crazy busy. So much to do and so much to be done.

Prince turned 23 months old yesterday...and I know this is probably redundant but I can't believe my baby is almost two...he's getting to big and too old, too fast. It really is unbelievable how fast these two years have flown...seems like only yesterday he was a newborn and now he's an active and independent toddler. Wow

Sometimes I wish I could freeze time...

Ever felt like that before?!!? It's sobering to think that two precious years have passed already. sniff, sniff Don't mind me. I'm emotional today and I really hate changes...not my favorite thing ever, for sure!

I think he's pretty much the cutest little stinker e.v.e.r ...

And no, he's not always so serious...he just doesn't like posing for mommy too long ;) He already asks me: "Are we done?" He doesn't know that mommies are never done taking pictures.... snicker

I have to admit he's awesome about it most of the time.  He is talking a whole lot more every day...it really is amazing how fast they start learning new words..it amazes me to hear him actually make intelligible sentences. Yep, I definitely have a talker....and eater too! That boy has been eating a lot ...probably going through another growth spurt. Those seem to be very common now days :)

.........................................

Abruptly changing subjects, we got more birdies hatching soon ... so excited! This nest is right on our front porch so prince and I look at it quite regularly...and we can't wait to have baby birdies, that is if the snake doesn't find the eggs before they hatch :(  Let's hope not...

I am really hoping we get to see these birdies hatch...what fun it will be.

Wishing you a peaceful weekend ;)

Playing Catch Up

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...long overdue ;)
This blog has been too long neglected...I apologize!

We're just now kicking back and relaxing from the long and busy holidays! We had a wonderful time though...ate way too much, laughed a lot and just had a lovely time building memories. My siblings were here for two weeks and we really had a blast. The prince got sooo spoiled :) During the two weeks they were here, we shopped together, sang together, had a totally awesome photo shoot and really just enjoyed being together!

Here are my siblings and I ...

And we got family pictures...which are definitely going to get framed sometime soon :)

My siblings are back in the States now, and we're slowly returning to normal schedules... the hubby still has the rest of the week off work, so we're enjoying having him around :) The prince is off his sugar over-load...finally ;) His aunts and uncles spoiled him with candy...way too much candy! He was super hyper...so it's nice to have him back to "normal" again (grin)...

As to New Years resolutions, there are many...just don't know for how long I'll be able to keep 'em up ;) I hope to share some of them with you in the near future, so stay tuned!

Blessings,

This is the life

I am loving this business of being home more often, having my honey home in the evenings and just really getting to be a home-maker...I feel settled, finally...and right at home.

There really is no sweeter word than HOME!

It may be simple, yet it's home..and this week I have been busy making it cozier..
I "spring cleaned" the entire house, went through every item of clothing, every drawer, had a ton of stuff thrown out, given away...and it feels so awesome to have everything clean and organized!

I made my own version of coffee filters wreaths for our bedroom...

It was a quick craft and super cheap...and we're loving it ;)

I've also been enjoying making meals for my little family, now that we can sit down and eat dinner together every evening...loving this, I really am!!
I am looking forward to trying out new recipes on my two favorite people in the world (contented sigh)..

The hubs started on his new job position this week, it's been hectic and crazy busy for him as he tries to get a hang of the whole business of managing the company's finances, but it's just great that he gets to come home and relax after such a busy day! And...I am just so proud of him :) He's the best!

The prince is growing way too fast... he is talking a lot now, and surprises us with new words every day. It is so much fun to have a small conversation with him, and actually understand what he's saying. I just love being a mommy...

And.. my sibling arrive from the US to spend Christmas with us in just two day...so much to do before then, and we're just getting so excited! I haven't seen them for a year and a half...and I can hardly sleep..because I am sooooooo excited!

This is really the life!

Moving on

And life moves on...Thanksgiving is past, already! Unbelievable!

We had an awesome Thanksgiving. We got together with three other missionary families for Thanksgiving. Everything was perfect, and just beautifully decorated.

And the food was scrumptious...

I won't even mention the desserts! Way too yummy!

I didn't get many pictures of our day, unfortunately, so this will have to suffice :) If you are interested in viewing more pictures of our Thanksgiving feast, the Schrocks  have some beautiful ones posted on their blog..go take a peek :)

Life continues to be crazy busy...I feel like I am always on the run! The hubby has been extremely busy trying to finish up school, all the last minute papers to turn in are just overwhelming! I find myself swamped as I try to help him out by typing and reading over his work, I can't even imagine how he feels! He's definitely surviving on coffee and very little sleep! I am thankful this will soon end! I am so ready to have my husband back!

The prince is as busy as ever...talking up a storm. We decorated our home for Christmas today, and had so much fun! Pictures to come soon :)

It's been a busy last couple of months.. On Saturday our car got hit by a truck :( I am thankful we're all safe, and only material damage was done.

Sigh...


It's going to be a loooonnnggg week for us!

Many blessings,

Week in pictures

This is a crazy, crazy life...the days and weeks are just flying...I am having a hard time believing Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas will be here soon!

Our life just doesn't slow down either, hubby is as busy as ever finishing up school. He's got a ton of papers to turn in as he finishes in less than a month! I'm just so excited! It's going to be GREAT having him around more. The official graduation ceremony is on January 26th, so we still have a ton of stuff to do in order to be ready for it :)

I am so in the mood to decorate for Christmas! I'm counting the days for Thanksgiving, so I can get all the fall decor out and in with the Christmas ones :) Yes, I am impatient at times!

I made a wreath and just put it out to test the lights...ah, so excited and can't wait to hang it up on my door :) I bought a inexpensive green garland and just decided to make my own wreath, I saw some for sale, but the prices were outrageous and I really didn't want to spend that much. This one came out quite cheap, so I'm happy about that :)

We had some wonderful rainy days lately...I generally love rainy days, that is,until we have some unexpected company trying to get away from the rain, and wanting IN the house :( I'm thankful the hubby was home and took care of killing gently removing the tarantula from our porch. We've found 5 of these just during the last 2 weeks :( Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

And...this is not the worse....On Friday, there was a snake in the prince's room....and there are no pictures of that, I was too busy screaming and running for my life (shivers).


Oh the joys of country life!

We're all still alive and well, though ;)

Then there was family picture day....sigh 


Why is it so hard to get a good picture, where everyone at least looks decent?!?


And I only have one kid ... what are we going to do when there's more? It will sure be chaos!

Any one else have the same problem? We had a ton of fun though, and I'm thankful for a sweet friend who was willing to come out at take our pictures :)

I have to add one of my super handsome guys, of course! I am so blessed ;)

Life is just grand...

A New Best Friend

Meet Hero....

He's the prince's new best friend! They have so much fun together, whether it's playing or being photographed, they're always so cute together :)

This was another one of those things that daddy said a boy needs...wonder how many more things boys need?!?!?
Hero was a gift to the prince from his grandpa, and I am beginning to like him, he's a pretty good dog. I will be happy as long as he doesn't tear stuff up :)

Life around here has been busy, it just never slows down, does it?!? And to think it's November already!!!! Wowzers! Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner! I've already started some Christmas shopping and I am so anxious to get it all done and out of the way. I love this time of the year.

I've also been terribly busy trying to get some orders done. With Christmas right around the corner, people are ordering gifts and such, so I have much sewing, and needle-working to do in the next couple of weeks.

Sigh....life's good! And...I get to spend Christmas with my sibling who I haven't seen for a year and a half! Oh joy!!! I'm getting super excited, can't you tell?!?!

Have an amazing weekend, you all!

Friday randoms

Warning: you're about to read a very random post! Just so you don't think I've gone crazy ;)

Whew! What a long week this has been!

We've had a crazy....busy week... so much going on around here.

The most exciting being.... rainy season has started! I love the rainy season. It's my favorite brazilian season. I love watching the color of the sky as the rain approaches, I love hearing the sound of the rain, the coolness it brings, the freshness and the lovely green that's all around these parts.

We got to play in the rain twice this week....it was so much fun! The prince thought it was the funnest thing ever!

I am thankful for the holiday there was this week..... hubby got to spend more time at home with us, and we had a ton of fun hosting our church family at our home. It rained nice and hard so we had a water balloon fight in the rain...adults, kids and all.....what a blast we had!

I haven't been feeling the best this week.... I had to go to the ER on Thursday after some spells of dizziness, nausea and passing out. I am starting to feel some better today, for which I am very thankful!
I do have many fun pictures to post from our busy week, but it will have to wait till the next time! I'm trying to get as much rest as possible with a busy and energetic toddler in tow. I'm thankful for my amazing family who's been most supportive and helpful with the prince! It's nice to be able to relax and rest a bit..

We've got a time change coming tomorrow, so that's going to take some getting used to. I really hate the thought of losing one hour of precious sleep (sigh)...I don't like time changes....

I told you, this was a random post....
Happy, Happy Weekend!

Laundry Monday

Mondays are my biggest laundry day for some reason...all the clothes used over the weekend are piled high, and I like to have clean sheets, towels and rugs in the house, so I spend most of the morning laundering. The prince loves it when mommy is doing the laundry....he gets to "help" with the rinsing and after the laundry is almost all done, he gets to play in the water!

What fun he has!

Playing in the water is one of his very favorite things, and in this heat we've been having lately...it's close to marvelous!

Happy Monday!

Random Monday Ramblings...

This is probably the most random post ever...

We're laying low today, trying to get rested up from a very busy weekend. It's really nice to take it easy and enjoy some precious time with the prince.. I feel bad that the hubby doesn't get to rest. I'm so thankful for his cheerfulness in sacrificing for the prince & I. He's really the most awesome hubby ever! I can't wait till December when he finishes college and graduates! It's going to be wonderful having him home in the evenings!

I'm really blessed with these two awesome guys!!

Abruptly changing the subject, I'm so excited that my favorite season is just around the corner...and no, it's not fall, I live in Brazil therefore no fall for us ;( Rainy season is coming soon! I hope it starts a little sooner than usually, some places around our town had rain and it's amazing the difference in the scenery, the rain made everything so pretty!

See for yourself:

Isn't this tree totally gorgeous?!?! I love it!

Told you this was a random post...maybe I will get inspired soon, but for now, I think I will just sit back and relax!
Happy Monday

My first two days of the week in pictures!

Howdy! It's been a delightfully refreshing last couple of days for us in our neck of the woods. We've been having amazing weather! It's been awesome...in the 60's and 70's, oh so nice! The prince and I have been sleeping extremely well! Very nice for a change!


This mommy has been enjoying the opportunity to bake every day and snuggle a little longer with the cutest little guy in the planet!

It's so awesome! I love cuddling him...it's a good thing he still enjoys being snuggled, 'cause I'm not about to give my snuggles up, nope, I'm not!

My little cuddle bug trying to stay warm!

And I totally love being a mommy. Truly the best and most rewarding job in the whole universe. Would not change it for anything in this world! Yes, it does have it's hard times, but it's so worth it just to see a little smiling face waiting to be picked up every morning, or a sweet voice saying: "mommy"...too wonderful for words!
I cried today when the prince ran over to where I was washing dishes, and cheerfully handed me his special find! I think he thought it was a flower...it's actually just a small piece of fern, but it meant the world to me! It was the very first time I got a "flower" from the prince, something he hand picked himself. It was just too precious to words!

I have to say it's the prettiest, most special fern I have ever laid my eyes on :)

Yes, I love being a mommy!!!

Cowboy Love

I have to say that I am in love with the cutest little cowboy...just one of his smiles melts my heart! Such a stinker, he is!

Ain't he as cute as can be?!?!

He's such a good sport about being photographed....sometimes, that is! On this occasion, he was being very photogenic and co-operating with a trigger happy mommy ;) He's a sweetheart for sure! Mommy was happy & the prince was happy...great combo there!

The hours of sitting and posing these poor kids have to bear...no wonder they cringe when they see that camera being pulled out :)

This week has been a miserably hot, kind of kicked back week. It's just way too hot do much on anything. The humidity is below safe levels...making it quite miserable to breathe well. We've kept the prince comfortable with a humidifier and wet towels all through the night. We've been trying to stay as cool as possible...I have to say I have consumed more coke, I mean, soda ..these last few days than I have ever done in my life...it's definitely got to stop, but hey it's one of the only things that makes me feel better ;) And then there is ice cream...and smoothies.. I'm going to turn into a blimp pretty soon...ugh!

Keeping cool,

It's Saturday??? Already???

It's Saturday...unbelievable.

Where has the week gone??? We enjoyed such a nice week. We had nice weather this week. It got down to the 60's, and was so nice for a change! Yes, you can be jealous :)

This week was mostly a relaxing and catching up week...I'm so thankful for God's grace through the many trials we face! His grace is amazing!!

I got all caught up on my laundry! Hurrah!!!

We got our shopping done this week too...so that is another blessing! The prince thinks shopping is quite boring. He decided to take a nap during our shopping trip. How he can actually sleep through a loud supermarket is beyond me!

So. after this week's sabbatical, I hope to return to normal life ;)
How was your week been?!?!
Hope you all have a amazing weekend,

Aquarium fun and random musings...

The little prince got to see our town's aquarium for the first time today. We were out and about and decided to stop and see it. It's really small, but the prince sure enjoyed looking at the fish.

A "pira-putanga" fish.

He was in awe!!

The minnows were definitely his favorite fish! He could have stared at them for hours! It was so cute to watch him try to touch them.

After the aquarium, we went out to explore the old town fish market, which is now a museum. It's painted really bright green as you will see in the next pictures. It was pretty and nice to have a place for the prince to waste his huuggee amount of energy while mommy stood in the shade and enjoyed the pretty scenery.

Doesn't he look so small compared to this huge door?!?!

I'm feeling much better today, so I'm so thankful for that!

These next few days, I am just relaxing and taking it easy, as the doctor ordered, praying and hoping I will be feeling up to par for our church's VBS next week! I'm so excited about our VBS, please be in prayer for that. Pray that we will be able to reach many children and their families during the next week. We're all looking forward to a blessed week.

I hear it's been very warm in the US lately. It's been very hot here too...It's 97.9 here right now, and 20% humidity...quite warm! So, how hot is it in your neck of the woods today?!? It's supposedly our winter here, so no, 97 is not acceptable as winter in my book!

Hope you all are enjoying this nice and warm Wednesday!!!

Friday!!!!

And the week has zoomed by once again...

This Friday has been a laid back day for the prince and I. We've had so much fun playing together. I love listening to him jabber on and on!

He learns new words every day, his recently learned word is "help". He loves to "help". Every time he sees me doing something, he comes over and offers his help. Who can resist that?!!?

We made cookies today.. oh what fun!

My mixer :)

He thinks it tastes good ;)

I'm so thankful for such a sweet, and good looking helper!
He's sure the best!!!

Happy Friday!