February and its Happenings

February was a month of great accomplishments for our little family. First of all, Laurie learned how to swim without water wings, floaters, or anything, all by herself! Thanks to the positive peer pressure of her friend Henrique, who is the same age, she accomplished this great feat. 

Another major happening: I got my driver's license! I was planning on getting it after I graduated (in 2 years), but my mom gave me part of it as a Christmas gift. I finished all the theoretical and practical classes in 4 months, and amazingly enough, I passed the first time! Boy, was I on cloud nine for a week!
    
The kids' school year started in February and this year Alina moved to the same school as Laurie. Undoubtedly, it has been super good for her. Here's their traditional "first day of school" picture.

We had a pretty nice Carnival holiday. My classes hadn't started yet, so I was able enjoy the glorious sunny, warm, days with my girls. They spent four days straight in the pool and I spent them sitting by the pool reading ... and drinking beer. :)

A silly Laurie and the dragonfly she fished out of the pool:

When Alina wasn't swimming or playing she was reading (photo courtesy of Laura):

We went to the amusement park one evening:

Playing. Happy.

Laurie took this picture. She was thrilled that she could see the camera and the surroundings reflected in her eye.

Oh, look! I didn't just drink beer. This is a delish mango/passionfruit caipi I made. Sooooo refreshing!

Another wonderful February happening is that our dog gave birth to four adorable puppies. They're a few days old in these pics, but they're about five-weeks-old by now and super cute. One of them already found a new home, sniff.