Saturday, February 27, 2010

The Monkeys

Our first Sunday without Daddy to cook for us and my pitiful attempt at cooking:

The new occupants of mommy's room:

Laura imitating Alina and "reading" before going to bed (she turned the picture on the nightside table around to face her):


Completely absorbed:

Thursday, February 25, 2010

A First

I pierced my own ears!

I've wanted to do this since I was the teen but was a bit traumatized from when I had my ears pierced when I was a kid. All I remember is wailing from the pain and my mom and the guy from the drugstore trying to convince me to let him pierce my other ear or else it'd look ugly.

I pierced Alina's ears when she was 3 and she barely made a sound, and I pierced my sister's ears a couple of months ago and she said it didn't hurt. So, finally I got the courage to do my own. Yay!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Fun Happenings

At the amusement park during carnival:







Eating out:


Alina having swimming classes:



Going to a friend's birthday party:





All by Myself

Gabriel traveled to São Paulo to be with his mom (since complications came up in her treatment) and to set up a company with his brother. So I'm left here with our two monkeys hoping for the best and praying that he'll reach his goals as soon as possible.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Girls and the Mutts

A couple of weeks ago one of our neighbors passed away leaving his dog and 3 puppies to fend for themselves. My sister, feeling sorry for the poor things, decided to take care of the puppies until the fellow's relatives figured out what they were going to do with them.

So from one day to the next we had 5 dogs ... to the kids' delight. The girls have been having great fun with them; especially with the smaller one who they call Poochie and who the teens call Hunter.

Naturally, I took some pics of the girls at play with the puppies since we don't know how long they'll be around.

Alina and the pooch:

Laura chasing the pooch:

Sooo responsible:

The three pups and one monkey:

Still trying to get close to the pooch:

Monday, February 15, 2010

February Randomness

One morning Alina woke up with the brilliant idea of measuring her foot with all of ours, so here's a lovely shot of hers and Laura's foot:

A bunny!

Alina's latest favorite reading spot (and Laura tagging along as usual):

Our Project's Bible school restarted this month:

The group I teach having snack:

Distributing staple foods and goodie bags:


Picking guavas at a nearby park to make more jam (these ones were pink inside so the jam came out yummier):

Off in her own world:


Alina and Kalen having a tea party:

Gabriel took me out for lunch yesterday to celebrate Valentine's Day, but alas, I didn't take any pictures. We had a really nice time (good food!) and I'm super thankful to have someone special in my life
.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Memories ...

may be beautiful, and yet, what's too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget ... ladida ... not like that works all the time, though.

Last night Gabriel and I were sitting out on the roof talking while enjoying a Martini and chocolate (thanks, Kim!). And while I was sitting there, I couldn't help remembering the countless times during my turbulent teen years that I sat up there crying my eyeballs out, or sitting with my friends, Julia and Tammy, and telling each other our secrets and dreams. Or the times some of us slept there for "slumber parties" (not on the roof, but on my parents' little varanda which leads to the roof). The many times several of us sat there just enjoying a majestic sun set, or the times we would climb out there to climb onto the other roof during school recess, and getting in trouble for it, hehe.

In the almost 15 years that I've been here, I would only go up there often when I was a teen (to get away from everything and be alone with my depressing thoughts) and I hadn't gone there for years. 


While sitting there I realized, once more, that so much has changed! Starting with myself. I had so much time when I was an adolescent to mope about situations, think about life, daydream, etc. But ever since I got a bit older and took on responsibilities, that time has completely vanished making the moments I do manage to have to myself all the more special.

So, here's to our memories ... may the majority be good ones!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Summer Fun!

A summer tradition: making guava jam!

Alina with the guavas from our yard that she and Kalen helped me pick:

Guava mush (after they were cleaned and blended):

Our jam, nice and ready to be eaten:


Poser:














A special video of my mom "watering" the dog and Laura happily trapped between the wall and the dog.