Alina went to her best friend's birthday party:
I went to my friend's baby shower:
Grandma took Alina to the theater to watch "The Little Mermaid", which was a first for her. She loved the play and the experience. Thanks, Mom!
We went to the zoo with a friend and his kid. Always great fun!
Having a picnic ... and being weird:
My sister and her boyfriend:
My Love:
Laurabee:
Enjoying the great outdoors:
We didn't do much for the holiday because I had to study (I have two papers to turn in and several upcoming tests), but it was nice enough. The girls wanted me to make an egg/treasure hunt for them like I did last year.
Of course, the hunt was mostly for Alina since she'd find and figure out the clues. Laura just tagged along collecting and eating the little eggs until they found their "treasure" (the big eggs).
They know well enough that Easter isn't about chocolate, eggs, bunnies, and what-not, but all the yummy-ness sure makes this holiday special. It's their second favorite one (Christmas is the first).
They looooooooved the hunt!! We had so much fun watching them having fun running around and seeing their faces light up when they'd figure out a clue.
Aherm, when ALINA would figure out a clue.
After they found their treasure and ate a bunch of chocolate, we went over to my grandparent's place for a scrumptious lunch.
Here are loads of pics of this very fun day.
And the hunt begins:
Even the dogs joined in on the fun:
Already devouring the little eggs:
Almost there!
Laurie saw the treasure first:
Yay! Happy piggies!
Laurie making faces while Alina arranges her eggs:
Alina saved up her allowance to buy the bigger egg. When she was choosing her egg at the store, she saw (and wanted) an even larger one which she called "a dream egg". After some persuading, she settled for this one.
Yummy!
Finishing her egg:
A princess at grandma's house:
With daddy:
Lili loves the cuckoo clock up on the wall:
Mother:
My sis Ana:
My lovely princesses:
This little nut came home painted as a bunny the Wednesday before Easter. Neither of the girls had class on Thursday so they had a prolonged holiday.
Posing and being silly in front of the mirror:
Now for the camera:
A good friend of ours is currently studying for a graduate degree in acupuncture. She wanted to gain more experience then that made availabe by the clinic, so we volunteered to be her guinea pigs -- we as in my siblings, my hubby, and I.
I had my first session today. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the deep relaxation I felt almost immediately. This stuff works!
She'll be treating me for back pain, varicose veins/blood circulation, and chronic fatigue. And a huge plus, aside from the obvious positive effects, is that it's for free ... for now. :D
Now, several hours later, the pain in my back is close to nil. I haven't felt this good since the ultrasound treatment I had during physical therapy back in 2007.
Why didn't I discover this treatment before?! All the exercise in the world didn't relieve my pain the way one session of acupuncture did. Yes, I know, the point of exercise is to strengthen the muscles, but still, it doesn't relieve pain, not my pain at least.
All I have to say is that I have become an adherent of acupuncture. That is what one session can do for you. :) Seriously, being pain-free is prrreeeetty good.
Last year my mom met an American lady who organizes events and get-togethers for Americans and other foreigners residing here (Minas International). Then last week they hosted an Easter egg hunt and picnic at a park nearby, so she and I took the girls.
Several families showed up and the girls had lots of fun decorating their bags, looking for eggs, eating the goodies, playing, etc. There were people from about 6 or 7 countries and my mom and I had a good time talking to and meeting some pretty nice folks.
Gosh, it was almost surreal! It's refreshing talking to someone from another culture (and in English!). Their mentalities and outlooks are sooooooo different from what we're used to. It was a great experience for all of us and we all had a wonderful time!
Alina decorating her bag:
Searching for eggs before the hunt began:
Explaining the rules of the egg-hunt to the kids:
Laurie found five eggs and gave one to Alina (who had found 3):
Examining the contents of their eggs:
There was an egg-on-a-spoon race, and at the last minute Alina decided she didn't want to participate so I took her place. Yes, we won. Unfortunately, I had to let somebody down -- it was either my partner (a 9-year-old), or the other kids.
There were other
games, like gunny sack races and tug-of-war, but Alina was tired and didn't care to play, so we sat and ate and watched and had a jolly good time.
Decorating eggs:
