this time of year

It feels like the perfect fall day her in brasil,  but I have a feeling that wont happen too often considering its nearly summer here. I surely have been enjoying the rain and overcast skies- which seem to last approximately 1 hour a day. No copmplaining here though, we’ll take what we can get, even if our fall only lasts a few hours a day.

I’ve been a little homesick lately (okay, that’s a lie, I’m always a little bit homesick). Not because I miss my small Idaho town and my family, which I do of course, but because its getting to be that time of year where nearly everything you do revolves around family and traditions and because fall is my most favorite season. we are however, looking forward to starting some more of our own family tradtions. Its halloween time now. not a choice favorite, but it means fall is here. We were never big halloweeners at the webb home but we sure enjoyed ourselves a good dose of trick or treating. We used to hit every house possible in the way-too-spread-out streets of raft river with more kids than should be allowed to be pile one car and ended up with more candy than our little tummies knew what to do with.  We'd then go home and barter and trade our remaining candies and then eat as much as we could before mom got ahold of us.

 Now, i'm still not a big halloween fan, but i want my little girl to have those same kind of memories as i now have... although i doubt any traditions made at this age will stick- since her rapidly growing brain cant remember what she ate for breakfast, let alone what she dressed up as for halloween this year.



Thankfully, Brasil celebrates halloween, so we were allowed to have a little bit of fun. Its different and there is certainly no trick or treating going on around here, far too dangerous for those types of activities, but the American school where the Jones kids go, threw a halloween party for their families. Ave dressed up in her over-priced (man i miss my sewing machine and local DI) minnie mouse costume and we were off to her first ever halloween extravaganza.  i dont think she had a clue what was going on but she loved to twirl in her minnie skirt, wanted to kiss the witches and thought that anyone with a mask on was a 'funny guy.'  She was pretty solemn and wouldn't crack a smile or look at the camera if her young life depended on it but she was cute in her littel costume nonetheless.

have a happy halloween!!

right now

 i don't know what got more paint, the paper, the table, or the girl. either way it kept her busy for over an hour and has now become a daily activity.  i loved watching her be so focused on one thing.  usually, she begins an activity until her eye catches her books or a toy and then were off to the next adventure.  i love watching her be creative and learning to do new things.  that little mind of hers has been in overdrive lately.  she suprises me everyday with the things she comes up with.

  i have lists in almost every notebook in the house and every spare paper i find about the new things she says or does.  instead of wasting more paper i'll jot down a few things that i've been loving about her right now:

she sings her abc's with a little guidance

counts like this- 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 10 11 12.  usually its just a jumble of those but yesterday it was that exact sequence

knows the colors- green, blue, pink, yellow and sometimes orange.

sings the cutest versions of twinkle twinkle and the wheels on the bus

goes poop in the potty 85% of the time

speaks using the cutest, simplest sentances like- "where papa go, huh?'' or "watch movie on dvd player."

what would my life be like with out this little fireball. well, right now, i dont have a kitchen to cook in, or a sewing machine to be creative with, or even bathrooms to clean. i feel quite unproductive most days and wish i had 'things' to keep me more busy. but then i stop and think about it, and the one 'thing' i have in my life that keeps me busy all day is the greatest blessing in my life, and how awesome is it that she gets my (mostly) undivided attention all. day. long.

her ability to find joy in the simplest things helps me remember what is most important to me. so right now, i'm going to enjoy this stage of our lives, (and enjoy not having a house to clean while i'm at it).



 didnt she just grow out of the baby stage herself like last week.  now here she is thinking she is big enough to babysit without supervision.  she adores little babies.  i knew this after spending a few weeks with meag and baby preston but i love watching her get so excited when there's a baby around. 

 

adorable.

most of the time...

most of the time i am pretty darn good at the mom duties. other times, i give in and let the little nina win. after begging to watch shrek 37 times a day it gets hard to say no, and if she gets any cuter while watching movies i doubt i'll ever be able to say no.  i do however try to sit and watch with her and teach her along the way... just so i dont completely relinquish my motherly duties, in case you were worried about her little addiction.

what a girl. the picture below though gets put right at the top of the ranks of favortie pictures ever. i laugh everytime i see it. she's a goofy one and 80% of the pictures i take are just as ridiculous. her wearing my socks and pulling up her shorts, swollen mesquito bites on her little leg...funny- but that toothless grin...priceless.

have a great sunday!

my sister emailed this over to me the other day and i am loving every second of it. my dads super cheesy smile mixed with averys super crooked grin, their funny shades, averys raggity-ann look, the thought that they were just about to go on an hour long motorcycle ride, and how happy they look together.  this little avery loves her grandpa.  i was worried how she was going to do with my family after spending so much time with my in-laws, but she didnt even skip a beat. it was like she just picked up where she left off and had a ball.  she's been rather fond of my dad since she was born and my dad has always had such a special way with her. they have quite the little connection.  oh how i love those two. 

adjusting...again

we made it back to brasil safely last week after a fabulous 3 week visit home.  now we are finding ourselves adjusting to this place all over again, and in different ways.  our visit home was so great, our schedules were free and we found ourselves doing lots of relaxing and running around.  but, 3 weeks was far too long to be away from the Mr. and ave and i wont attempt that again anytime soon.

we came back to brasil to a new home.  its nice and simple.  and in simple i mean a bathroom and few bedrooms.  not even a kitchen,  but we're working on that part. since the inlaws live in a hotel, and we live in a kitchenless apt. we eat out for every.single.meal.  never thought i would dislike eating out but after about the 2nd day i was craving a good home cooked meal.  i wont tell you how many times we've had mcdonalds for dinner since i've been back but it was for dinner tonight and uhhh....for dinner last night as well, and when we came upstairs to eat avery looked at her dinner and said 'chicken nuggets and french fries,' if that gives you any idea.  i can feel the greasy pounds piling on as i type (and finish off my cheeseburger). 

we don't live right on the beach anymore so i dont find myself walking out the door and across the street to play in the sand and the sun, and its not super safe where we live so i can't just strap the girl in her stroller and go for a walk... so i'm on the look out for ways to entertain the little misses, but she sure is a busy one and keeps me on my toes. today she figured out how to open all the windows upstairs so she could wave to the cars driving by. oh the joys.

 it is nice, however, to have our own little place and some privacy, and it is nice to have trae working downstairs. i can sneak down there as often as i'd like to say hi, or tell him i need a 5 minute avery break, or ask him to come upstairs and play with us for a few minutes.  this place has its perks. 

yes, life is still different here and we're still getting used to it, but it cant be that bad when i've got these two with me everyday.  my chocolate-milk loving girl keeps we lauging and busy, and my sweet, handsome husband keeps me sane and patient.