trae, lis and little ave

she is..

2012-01-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

we love everything about this chunky 3 month old except for the fact that she is already 3 months old. she has hit the stage where she can tell if i am sitting down or standing up with her and clearly prefers the latter. she helps me get my walking in during the day and makes so i don't sit and cuddle her for hours on end. i love every stage of little babies but the older and more interactive they get makes it so much fun. she is pretty dreamy and we love her.

a blessing

2012-01-12T14:26:00.000-08:00

jane pre-church and pre-blessing dress. what a happy girl

sunday was a big day for our family. avery's birthday and Jane's blessing. i woke up that morning with a very full heart. i feel so blessed and loved. I am so grateful for two happy and healthy girls and a husband who holds the priesthood and has been willing and able to bless our girls. Trae blessed Jane with so many wonderful things. I loved that he was also able to bless me with the confidence and patience i need and that as a mother Jane and I will have a special bond. it was a great day and Jane looked beautiful. my mom joked with me that by the time we finally blessed jane she would be able to walk up by herself but we wanted to wait until our brasil family was all here. unfortunately, Dee had to go back a few days before her blessing, but we had so many other wonderful people there to support us, and we missed everyone who couldn't make it. Bonnie bought me Jane's blessing dress in Brasil, before i even knew i was having a girl and it is lovely.

Jane has slept through every single hour of chuch for the last 3 months until last sunday. She would hardly close her eyes and squaked during her entire blessing. She didn't want to miss a minute of her big day. i didn't get a picture of everyone who stood in her blessing circle but we did manage to take a few 4 generation pictures. one on my dads side and the other on trae's mom side. we have wonderful families that we are so thankful to be a part of.

poor meag and preston were sick the whole day with bad colds and runny eyes. preston adores jane and was trying to do anything he could to get close to her. durning sacrament meeting he climbed over everyones laps to get right by her and kept trying to give her kisses. he got so close one time but just as he was about to pucker up he sneezed so bad and left his evidence all over miss janes face. poor little guy. he had our entire family plus the row behind us histerically laughing. and this was the closest meag got to holding jane all day. she is just 2 1/2- 3 weeks shy of having her own little girl. oh goodness, we can't wait to meet her. you wouldn't know she's that close to having a little babe though. she looks more like she is going to give birth to a baby bird than a baby girl.

it was a major battle trying to get avery in a quick family picture that day, one we obviously weren't desperate to win. just one with our jane will do. she can hold her head up so well. she either has a super strong neck or some killer cheeks resting on her chest helping to hold her head up. anyways, it was a good day!

a good day indeed.

a birthday

2012-01-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

miss avery turned 3 yesterday. three years old looks cute on her, she just never slows down enough for us to capture that. after christmas she was dying for a few more princess barbies to finish off her collection. thanks to grandmas and aunts she almost has the complete set. and she is pretty happy and entertained. as a mom and dad we could just sit back and go light on birthdays because she ends up getting so spoiled, but it ends up being so much fun for us too. She is my princess girl. completely obsessed with all things princess. i tried to avoid it as much as possible, but i guess its time for me to embrace the fact that she loves it so much and those silly things make her so happy. she'd been asking for a barbie cake for so long. she freaked out a little when she realized we were actually gonna stick a barbie in her cake. she did not want her beloved barbie to get dirty. but, i stuck a big bowl of sugary frosting in front of her and she forgot all about it. here she is in all her birthday glory. jane was blessed sunday and we had family and friends over for lunch afterwards, pretty sure she thought all those people were there especially for her and that made her pretty happy.

last night as i layed her in bed she asked for 3 hugs and 3 kisses. then she said goodnight, goodnight, goodnight and i love you, i love you, i love you and did the i love you sign 3 times. it must have clicked that she was 3 years old because she said she needed to do everything 3 times because she was now 3 years old. smart girl.

i asked her a few questions that i found here about her favorite things as a 3 year old. it will be fun to see how those things change over the years.

she stole a big piece of my heart three years ago. i love the she made me a mother and has taught me so much about love and patience. the two of us have spent some good quality time together. those one on one times don't happen quite as often anymore but i love it when they do. today i cuddled up with her and told her little stories about when she was my only baby. funny things she did and said. she would giggle and then ask for more stories. i loved thinking back over the past 3 years and sharing some of those memories with her. then we both fell asleep and took a nap together. i love that little stinker.

holiday overload

2012-01-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

its come and gone and we've enjoyed every second of this holiday season. i was glad that our christmas wasn't crammed with too many festivities so that we could really relax and enjoy everything without feeling overwhelmed and busy. Trae's family was all here visiting so we had a houseful. it was great to be altogether and to have his parents and sisters home from brazil for a while.

christmas eve was spent at my grandpa and grandmas. it had been many years since the grandkids dressed up as the nativity scene so the young grandkids and a few great fancied up for an updated nativity picture. we get spoiled with shon hings and shrimp cocktail (yuck), on top of the regular christmas feast.

we went caroling before christmas. caroling with this jones family isn't like regular caroling. they do 3 part harmony songs, have official practices, and blow the socks off of those lucky enough to be visited. i don't quite belong with the bunch in this regard, therefore i always sing melody or hum softly in the background. after christmas the jones crew went up to my families house in ogden valley to relax and go skiing. it was a lovely little escape.

christmas day was quite dreamy with an almost 3 year old. i think i was more excited for christmas morning that anyone else. being a parent and seeing your kids faces light up is priceless. i love having christmas day on sunday. sometimes it hard to focus on the true meaning of christmas with all the hype of gifts and parties but with christmas sunday we get one solid hour of feeling the spirit and remembering Christ.

we headed out to my parents after church and talking to Davis in Romania to spend time with the Garrards. Jane is so sweet and smily and i'd say she greatly enjoyed her first christmas.

now it's all over and we are slowly unwinding and preparing for whats next. Jane gets blessed in church on sunday plus it's miss Avery's 3rd birthday. three.years.old.

goodness time flies.

my christmas baby

2011-12-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

totally and completely in love with this sweet christmas picture of my little jane!

(thank you michelle holt for the adorable outfit)

(thank you mckell mendenhall for the mad photography skills)

jane is..

2011-12-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

she is seriously such a joy!

we love our girls!

webb christmas

2011-12-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

we had our annual webb christmas party on saturday. it was the first time in forever that every single person was there. 80+ people. were were also celebrating my grandpas 80th birthday. we took family pictures, did a little gift exchange, played minute-to-win-it games, and ate lots of good food. its always so good to catch up with all the family you only see a few times a year. lots of changes since last time we were together. we're so blessed to come from such a great family.

we even had an after-party party at my parents house. they've started an 'it's a wonderful life' tradition. we watched the movie, talked about how wonderful our lives are, ate some more really good food, watched my parents do a little 'just dance' and played games. i love this time of year!

my girls

2011-12-07T14:10:00.001-08:00

kell took some pictures of my girls a few months ago and i'm finally getting around to sharing a few. jane was about the worst cooperator ever so we didn't really get many great ones before kell had to leave. you can't really rush a newborn, they do what they want to. its unreal how quickly little babies loose that fresh, perfect newborn look. kell took a few holiday ones of our now super chubby jane this weekend that i can't wait to share. but until then, here are a few keepers.

thanksgiving

2011-11-30T14:05:00.001-08:00

man, this last week ran away from me. we had a great thanksgiving and were so happy to have trae home with us for a whole week. the best thing about both trae and i being from the same place is that we get to hit up both families parties for the holidays if we want. the worst part about having both of us from the same town is when we decide to hit up two large thanksgiving feasts on the same day and indulge at both of them. our bellies still haven't forgiven us for that one. friday, jane and i went black friday shopping and got a few good finds. mostly i like to go and be with my sisters, mom, aunts and grandma. we have so much fun and forget all about the fact that we woke up at 3 am.... until about noon and we hit the wall.

quick story: we came home from getting family pics taken thursday morning and ave was mad at me for some reason so she went into my room and shut the door. she told matt not to tell me that she was in my room, so i figured i'd let her cool off for a minute and i'd get some things done before we went to lunch. about 45 minutes later i went in to get her and the reason she didn't want me to know she was in there was because she had eaten an entire sleeve or two of oreos ... just the frosting in the middle though. sneaky little lady. she obviously wasn't hungry when it came time for real food.

thanksgiving dinner #1 was with the Coltrins. only picture i got

thanksgiving dinner #2 with the Garrards

browsing the ads for black friday shopping

Jane getting some love from her aunts

Friday started bright and early for us.

(poor quality phone pictures)

meag came and stayed with my sisters while my parents were in jamaica a few weeks ago. we had so much fun together everyday.

we had a great thanksgiving week with family and now we are excited for christmas to get here. but not too fast because i have soooo much shopping left to do.

handsome and gretel

2011-11-19T16:26:00.001-08:00

judging by this blog lately, you would think we have forgotten about miss avery. wrong. she has been keeping us so super busy i'm lucky to squeeze in an hour of cuddle time with little jane. avery is in ballet and had her big performance this week, hansel and gretel, (however, she thinks its called handsome and gretel and i'm not about to make her think otherwise.) it was a crazy, hectic week with so many hours of dress rehearsals, plus 3 real performances. a bit much for a two year old i think. i'm still debating if it was all worth it, but we signed up for it. avery was the cutest little lollipop, albeit a rather difficult one. she has been so sick all week, refused to wear costume makeup, screamed every time i took her backstage to get dressed and ready to perform, and did not want to go on stage to dance. but once she got out there she was adorable and did so well. she is the youngest in her class and looked so tiny up on that big stage. i love my little lollipop.

other than ballet, avery has been loving her new little sister. she almost always calls her Janers and thinks being a big sis is a pretty big deal. she rarely gets jealous and tries to be a big helper most of the time, sometimes too much. i love watching her interact with jane when she thinks i'm not around. she makes up songs for her and sings 'i am a child of God' whenever she cries and pulls out books and reads her stories all the time. i'm amazed at how naturally those motherly instincts come out of little girls.

she said she wanted to make sure jane had lots of friends so she wouldn't be sad.

we have to keep an eye on her though, she is known to pull jane right off the top of our bed.

she is good at making sure jane has plenty of blankets

mostly she just loves to sit on my rocking chair and hold jane.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T15:03:00.001-08:00

yep. we love this little girl.

and here is what was going on at our house on 11-11-11 @ 11:11am. up close and personal with Winnie the Pooh. What were you doing?

perfect.

2011-11-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

trae is at school, my parents just took avery with them to a basketball game, jane is sleeping, my house is clean and it's only six thirty. i thought about taking a lovely evening nap but then i'd be mad at myself later when i couldn't fall asleep around midnight. so instead of blog stalking/pinteresting, two things i am very good at, i decided i could do a little updating around here.

jane is a month old today. i'm a little bit mad about it, it all goes way too fast. i've said it before but there is nothing on this earth quite like a newborn baby. all i have to do is look at her and my heart tightens up and tears start to swell. i've been thinking lately how i am such an imperfect person, yet Heavenly Father created this little perfect being, from me, for me to teach and raise and love and learn from. what an amazing miracle that is. every time i hold her, i am holding this little perfect piece of me and part of God. maybe he wants to remind us that one day we can be perfect just like Him and just like little children. we have that potential in us, it is just buried deep beneath imperfections.

(picture taken by my sis, Mckell)

there are so many things that i love about new babies. i love Jane's funny little squeaks and grunts. i love her perfect nose and her head of dark brown hair. i love her long skinny toes and fingers, and how her fingers curl right around mine every time she eats. i love her little newborn stretches, especially right out of her car seat. i love her little sleepy grins and her real live smiles i get every now and then. i love her funny facial expressions when she is trying to wake up or during a good dream. even her sad little cry is adorable. i love that as her mom, i am responsible for feeding and teaching and caring for her. and i can do that for her better than anyone else can. there are so many things that i don't want to forget about this stage but somehow seem to over time.

i need to find a good picture of avery at this stage. i keep telling myself that they don't look that much alike but every time i take a picture of Jane i am proven wrong. she is filling out so nicely and i love it. last night she only woke up once and a chorus of angels sang from heaven, and i actually accomplished something during the day because i woke feeling well rested and rejuvenated, rather than exhausted and lazy. she really is so sweet. but now she is ready to eat, and letting me know it, so i better go.

thankful for....

2011-11-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

lets be honest, there really was no chance i would update my blog daily so here is my thankful list for the past week.

november 2

my husband! i remember thinking while we were dating and when he was on his mission how lucky i would be if i could marry trae jones, not really thinking it would happen, but hoping it would. then it did, and it's true, i am lucky. we certainly have our disagreements and differences, just like most couples, but i love what that brings to our marriage and how close we have grown together because we've had to work for a successful, happy marriage. most days he is my better half. i am so thankful that we were sealed for eternity 5 short years ago, thankful that he has given me 2 beautiful daughters, and thankful that he is mine!

november 3

my rocking chair! i am a little embarrassed about how many hours i have spent in this chair over the last month. miss jane and i have become very acquainted with it lately and i love it. my parents gave it to us a few years ago and it is bar-none my favorite piece of furniture i own. i am thankful for it when i am up in the middle of the night feeding jane or rocking avery and reading her countless books each day. it is comfy and perfect. before you have kids, get yourself one, you will be so thankful you did.

november 4

the holy ghost! i rely on this companionship daily as a mother and wife. it provides me with the guidance and comfort that i need on this earthly journey, especially on days that i don't feel worthy of it. how awesome is it that we can receive personal revelation and promptings from the holy ghost to help us achieve what we came to earth to do, and all we have to do is listen and then act. pretty cool. and i am so thankful for it.

november 5

good books! i never was much of a reader growing up and i regret it. there are so many good books out there and so much we can learn from them. i rarely read a book i don't love, mostly because i only read books that come with strong recommendations. i love so many books, but i am most thankful for this book. it's my favorite, but thats probably another thankful post in itself.

november 6

seasons! it is so cold today, not something i am particularly thankful for, but after living in another country where there is no variation during the year i am so grateful for changing seasons. each season brings something so beautiful and new and needed. my most favorite season is fall.

november 7

sports/exercise! i start playing city league volleyball tonight. i am so far from being in shape but i'm thankful for the opportunities i have been given to play and be active. sports have always been such a big and important part of my life. i have so many good memories of playing sports, and a few not so pleasant ones. i feel that through sports my dad taught me how to work hard, and that has blessed me in so many other areas of my life. i am not a faithful exerciser but enjoy the chances that i have to be active and stay healthy and somewhat in-shape.

fall festivities

2011-11-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

trae's mom has been in town visiting for the past few weeks. she left today to head back to brazil. it was kinda strange having her come back to her own house and be the visitor there but we loved having her here. she was so much help with the cooking, cleaning, playing with avery, and snuggling jane. we are glad we gave her the excuse to make a trip to the US. her trip went fast and she crammed it full of so many things, but they'll be back in a few months for the next visit. while she was here we took a little trip to the pumpkin patch.

i stole a few of these from macey's blog.. thanks mace!

missing trae and jane, it was a cold day so they stayed in the car.

later in the week we carved our chosen pumpkins.

what a goof.

this sweet thing was happy to watch from the sidelines. look how those cheeks are chunking up. there are so many things i am remembering and loving all over again with newborn babies. goodness, i am so in love.

and now it's November, which could quite possibly be my favorite month of the year. i am going to try and focus on things that i am grateful for everyday this month, instead of waiting until thanksgiving day to ramble off my list of blessings. so for day one of the 'month of thanksgiving' i am grateful for two healthy and happy girls. they bring me so much happiness and our lives would not be complete or half as enjoyable without them. they make everyday worth waking up for and full of adventures. they make being a mom the greatest and most fulfilling job. What are you thankful for?

a baby story

2011-10-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

ready for a story. fabulous.

monday morning i had a doctors appointment. i was dilated to a 3. nothing big. i figured i would go at least until my due date the next wednesday. i went to firth and spent the day with meag. i was having a little back pain but never once thought that it might be labor pains, still don't know if it was or not. at about 2 am that night, tuesday morning, my water broke. not a gushing flow but enough for me to think, 'hey, this is a little bit weird feeling.' shortly after that i started having contractions. they weren't anything too painful and about 10 minutes apart so i didn't do anything about it, but knew this baby was coming that day. i couldn't really sleep so i got up to do some laundry and walked through the occasional painful contraction. i finally got a little sleep from about 5-7, but was having to get up and walk around during contractions every 10 minutes or so. my dad came and got ave at 7:30. i got in the shower and started getting ready knowing that we probably needed to go to the hospital fairly soon since my water had broke a while ago. the contractions started coming every 3-4 minutes at this point but still weren't super painful. all along i knew i wanted to labor at home as long as i could with out being stupid and waiting too long. we finally made it to the hospital at 10:30 am. i got hooked up to the monitors and was dilated to a 6 at this point. i opted not to get an epidural yet because i still wasn't dying. i asked if i could just walk around until i was ready for pain meds. i got unhooked for the monitors at about 11:30 and at 11:45 they started getting a little hard to handle so i knew it was time to start walking. trae got off the phone with his mom at 12:00 and we hit the halls. we had to be back in the room at 12:30 to be checked again. only a half hour, right. the first contraction i felt while walking made me squeeze trae's hand pretty tight. they were getting close and the next few had me bent over trying to breathe through it. they were coming every 2 1/2 minutes at this point. i made trae figure out how many more i had to endure before 12:30, because at this point i pretty much thought i would get an epidural when i went back to my room. i remember him saying i only had to tough it out through 4 more contractions then we would go back to get checked, but really i think he was ready to go back then but knew i wasn't. the next contraction came and i told trae that it felt like i needed to push. weird feeling and crazy painful. i probably should have headed to the room then but kept thinking i only had 3 more contractions, i could do it, not thinking the baby was really coming already, i mean, i was just dilated to a six. the next contraction came and i told trae that i could feel the babies head coming, and i couldn't help but push. i honestly didn't know if i could make it back to the room before the baby came. freaked trae out, and pretty sure he would have done anything to get me back to the room at this point. we made it back to the room at 12:25. i think i freaked my awesome nurse out next, and had her thinking she was going to have to deliver the baby because my doctor was in surgery. luckily my doctor made it just in time. i layed down, got hooked up to monitors, and baby was here at 12:35. it was seriously hard and painful but so amazing to be that control of my body. it took a good hour or so for everything to set in. it all happened so fast that i didn't really have time to think about what i had just done and that a baby was really here, but boy was i glad she was and glad i made it to my bed to have her.

everything is still going by really fast. hard to believe miss jane has been in our family for almost a whole week now. we are loving everything about her and adjusting well as a family of 4. ave has handled it a little differently that i had expected. she gives jane about 10-15 minutes of her day and then goes on with life like she is used to. i'm okay with it and figure she could be dealing with this change way worse. trae is a total natural at this dad thing. he is amazing with his two girls and i fall in love with him all over again when i watch him interact with them. it melts my heart. i can't stop thinking about how blessed i really am to be the mom to these two girls. its amazing how much love our hearts have to give. there really is nothing in this world like holding a newborn baby for the first time and witnessing the miracle of life. i am overwhelmed most of the time wondering how i got so lucky. being a mother really is the greatest thing.

1. spending some quality time with ave a few days before jane was born.
2. our house is full of pink now.
3. in all my pregnancy glory, right before we went to the hospital.

4. just minutes after she was born.

5. loving life as a new mom

6. avery holding her baby sister for the first time.

7. enjoying every second of snuggling.
8. adorable, thats all really.
9. my new favorite picture. EVER.

10. our first un-complete family picture
11. tired little thing.
12. finally, all of us together. our happy family.

we love our jane. life just keeps getting better.

Jane Caroline Jones

2011-10-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

she's here. and she's perfect. caught us a little off guard coming when she did but we are so happy to have her safely here. we love our little jane! we are all doing great, happy to be home, and trying to figure things out all over again. details and more pictures to come soon i'm sure.

Jane Caroline Jones

October 11, 2011

6 lbs. 8 oz.- 19 inches

sweet and sassy

2011-09-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

this little girl is the perfect combination of sweet and sassy.

she wakes up in the morning, asks for her chocolate milk, throws a little fit if she doesn't get it, but is so happy when she does. never fail she will beg to cuddle in the rocking chair to get warm after her drink and bowl of oatmeal. we usually sit and read books together for a good hour before we really start our day. she might give me a little attitude when it's time to clean up the books or other toys through-out the day but it doesn't take too long until we're happily straightening things up. it's possible she throws a tantrum when she doesn't get to play with my phone or watch multiple movies a day, but goodness she can make me smile when she plays make believe with her dolls for hours on end, and wants me to play along. and it's almost a guarantee she'll put up a fight when its bed time, but she sucks me right in when she begs for more lullabies and kisses and hugs.

somedays there is a little more sweet, other days there is a touch too much sass. there will probably always those moments when i want to rip out both my hair and hers, but i am so lucky that i have her. i am so happy that as independent as some little kids are, there are still so many things that she depends on me for. i love that i am learning right along with her how to do this mother-daughter thing, and that the process is so forgiving of our mistakes and gives us both so much wiggle room to learn and grow. we're both gonna be just fine even with our frequent off days. i love my avery!

party

2011-09-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Gracie turned 3 last week and we got to go to her fun little party and 'party hardy.' it's a fun little bounce house with lots of additional play rooms. i loved it and thought ave would be going crazy with all the fun blown up tramps and slides, but no, she would have rather played with the one bouncy ball and her little minnie and daisy figurines for 2 hours. i have a slight anti-social on my hands. she plays so well by herself and can keep herself entertained for hours. most days it's quite nice, but there are some days i just want her to be a social butterfly. one day i'm sure... she is only 2. meag and preston were in town so they came along and preston loved it. it sure is nice being back where we get to see eachother often. meag is having a baby girl a few months after our little girl. i am soooo excited that girl #2 will have a friend close in age in the family... trae's side of the family isn't really pulling through on the 'give our kids some cousins' part yet... (they need to get on it). anyways. i can't wait.

here's some party hardy action.

notice avery's tackle-like birthday hug. no messing around there. thanks for having a birthday grace and letting us come celebrate with you!

being a little domestic

2011-09-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

i've been busy being a little bit domestic lately. last week i froze 65 bags of corn. made lots of raspberry and raspberry-peach jam, and canned salsa. i've always been a little intimidated by the whole canning process. i've only done it on my own a time or two, but once i actually got the courage/my mom told me it was time i learn, then it really wasn't that bad. i love the feeling of knowing that my storage supply is building up with all of these fresh foods, saved up for a rainy day.

the corn process wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it was. we picked sooooo much corn out on our farm and husked it the night before, and then trae and i got up super early and had it all done by 11 am. it was so good to have trae help, seriously would have taken me 15 hours without his help. we are still enjoying fresh corn on the cob but can't wait to dig in our freezer and enjoy it the rest of the year.

(ave sneaking a piece of pre-cooked corn)

(bits of the process)

(she was a serious champ while being neglected for a few hours)

next were the raspberries. i wish i could explain the awesomeness of these berries. our farm has 18 rows, each about 75+ yards long, full of the most amazing raspberries. meag went out and picked yesterday and got 2 gallon buckets full on one row. it takes forever to pick but i am so in love with raspberries it's always worth it. i have enough jam to keep me happy this next year, enough frozen in my freezer for smoothies and desserts and will probably keep picking until i am sick of seeing raspberries or until they stop growing, which ever comes first. they are seriously the size of small strawberries. these were my pickings last week.

i didn't document salsa making, but i dont think i'm done yet. trae's grandparents bring up bags of tomatoes to us daily. i think i might try marinara sauce or something else with the rest. hopefully peaches are next and last, and i hope i can get them done before baby girl makes her debut. oh man, i can't wait for peaches!

here are a few just for fun.

as for baby girl news, she is still growing, and so am i. i'm the girl who hopes this baby stays put until at least my due date, if not past. i think i'm getting a little nervous and want her to stay put for as long as possible. i'm kinda having the same problem as my first pregnancy and continually measuring a few weeks behind. i had a ultrasound a few days ago just to make sure everything is still okay. i'm a little low on amniotic fluid again, but not yet to the point where they are super worried. i'm crossing my fingers that i dont have to get started early. she's a little bit small but looks healthy! can't wait to meet her, well i can wait a little bit longer, but i am getting super excited!

i really do hate pregnant pictures of myself but because i was just searching my blog/computer for a picture of me pregnant with avery and couldn't find one except for right before delivery i decided to take one. i'm about 35 weeks here but this was in the morning and by night i think i about double in size.

lately

2011-08-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

i've been a sorta lame blogger lately. i keep waiting for something fabulous to happen or to get out of this little rut. perhaps i should stop waiting and make something happen.

here's what we've been up to in a nutshell.

our anniversary was last week. 5 years people!! it was about the most low key anniversary ever, which is kinda how we like it, but we really didnt have any other option this year. trae started school this week and his program is all night classes. we went out to lunch, just us, then he headed to school and i headed to my moms to make a wedding cake for my brother until about midnight. we didnt do anything fancy or even get to spend the day together. maybe we'll do an anniversary re-do one of these days.

little girl #2 will be here before i know it. its funny how with my first, baby things were constantly on my mind. baby names, nursery ideas, colors, clothes, labor and delivery, etc. ect. this time around, i barely stop to think about it. that makes me a little nervous. i'm just as excited for this girl, but haven't had the time to get all wrapped up in the details yet. i better get on it though, judging by the size of my growing belly, and the continiuous jabs and kicks i feel, i am gonna be a mom of 2 in no time, like in 6-7 weeks. ahhh! i have been feeling great however, despite some crazy back pain and the constant need to go to the bathroom. i am just holding on to the last month or two with ave as my only kid and loving it so much.

last week we went to the cassia county fair and rodeo, of course, and it was fabulous. not so sure ave loved it as much as i had hoped but she looked cute. she was pretty into it for about 15 minutes then all she was concerned about was getting some cotton candy and pop, and the clown that came and sat by my great grandma. trae and i also worked in our stake booth for a few days. lets just say i ate waaaaaay too many maple bars, and enjoyed every single on of them.

my brother got married on friday. they are cute and happy together. we love jocelyn and her little girl raigen. we are so happy to have them in the family now, officially, and for ave to have a cousin that she kind of adores. only picture i got was taken on my phone of us sisters, the bride and groom will come later.

the webb family had a little family reunion on saturday. we dont get togeher nearly as often as we used to now that the grandkids are grown up. it was so fun though and made me wish we did it a little more. the boys golfed and the sweet driving range, we played intense volleyball and kick ball games, ate fabulous food, let the kids run wild and had a great time.

(this is as good as you'll probably get of my almost 7 1/2 month pregnant belly, i'm not that much into belly shots and feel unflattering as it is so, this will do. the added weight has certainly been dispersed through-out unwanted parts of my body. blah.)

we survived trae's first week of school. wasnt nearly as lonely as i thought it would be considering two of the 4 nights i spent at my moms and another whole day playing with meag and preston. i wont get used to that but it sure was nice for the first week. i'm sure i'll stay busy, this sassy little girl always helps.

thats about it for now. our simple, happy life.

can you believe its almost september? wow!!

summer lovin part 2

2011-08-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

just cleaning off one of my camera cards with a few pictures from this summer. its been an eventful summer, but not overwhelming. i can't believe its already the middle of august and in 2 short months i'm gonna be a mom of two....crazy. the highlight of the summer is watching avery experience so many new things that she didn't get to in brasil or just forgot from her previous summer in the states.

i only got three pictures from the jones family reunion. this one is from one of the only times she was playing nicely with the other girls, she is still learning how to interact with kids her age after living with only adults for a year.

this is her silly cinderella lamp that she refused to put down for the entire reunion. she denies the fact that its a lamp and still carries it with her all day as one of her dolls.

grandma with her two busy grandkids at the swimming pool. still can't believe that number is about to double in a few short months.

summer time

2011-08-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

We are finally settled and making Idaho our home once again. It's no doubt that we love it here but it still feels a little odd after living on brazil and all over utah the last five years. We're living in trae's parents house for the next year or until it sells ( I'm hoping the year mark comes first.) it's WAY bigger than we need or know what to do with but we'll manage just fine i'm sure. It's even better being only 25 minutes from my parents and close to my sisters. we have been taking it super easy lately and getting reaquainted with our old favorites. besides averys confusion about where "home" is and my rapidly growing belly, life is pretty much the same as usual. Here's a picture dump from my phone over the past week.

trae and rachel golfing at my grandpas driving range at his house. i am loving all this open space, especially after a year of skyscrapers.

my two favorite garden picks so far this year. nothing beats fresh garden food

we've been spending lots of time over at trae's grandparents house since they live so close and avery is so in love with them. i think that picture of her and her great-grandpa swinging is priceless.

ave and her new pet friend cloud. i'm so not a cat lover but she came with the house and keeps avery entertained so we can't complain.

ave and i on our way to the river to go canoeing the other day.

and just one cause she's such a good mix of goofy and cute!

garrard reunion 2011

2011-07-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

finally some family reunion pictures.

saturday: swimming and dinner

sunday: church, luau, dinner (my grandparents took their kids to hawaii for their 50th anniversary and everyone brought back lots of hawaiian loot, so we had a party), fireworks, sleeping under the stars-(aka, worst night sleep ever)

monday: big 4th of july breakfast, golfing, pedicures, intense volleyball and kickball games, too much food, kids painting their village, fireworks.

this continues to be the greatest family reunion around, but of course i'm biased. i wasnt too great at capturing everything that went on but we had a seriously good time.

(picture overload)

wedding weekend

2011-07-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

i have lots of catching up to do, here's a start. last weekend trae's sister macey got married. she's so gorgeous and fun and we love her and her new husband. he fits right in. its was such a fun weekend with family. avery thought it was the coolest thing to see a real princess in a white dress get married in a castle. it was a 2 year olds dream come true. there will probably be lots more pictures coming but this is it for now.

mace with brian and in-laws

uncle matt teasing ave with delicious snowcones+ice cream+fruit

family reunion coming next.

simple pleasures and surprises

2011-06-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

i'm happy to be here.

we made it! it was a long 2 days but it feels so good to be home. we had a safe trip and only a few minor hold-ups. avery and i had slightly different tickets than everyone else that sent us to dallas late last night instead of spending the night in miami. i was a little apprehensive about that whole set up, traveling by myself with a toddler and tons of luggage (pretty much our lives for the last year plus car seat and stroller stuffed into suitcases) so my mother in law changed her ticket to come help me out since we would be staying in dallas for 12+ hours. we got lucky that we came to dallas last night because the rest of the family that stayed the night in miami got stuck there all morning, had to rearrange flights and wont make it to SLC until super late tonight.

there have been so many simple pleasures we've been able to enjoy since landing in the U.S. yesterday.

-i watched the most amazing lightening storm from the sky last night. prettiest things i've seen in a long time.

-i slept in a bed instead of on an airplane and woke up feeling refreshed instead of jet lagged.

-i ate a huge bowl of cold cereal with real milk this morning. it has never tasted better.

-i bought american food and treats for avery in the airport that i didn't know were possible to miss.

-i flew over so many mountains covered in snow that seemed more beautiful to me than miles of beach and palm trees.

-i got butterflies in my stomach the minute our airplane touched ground in salt lake.

-i loved flushing toilet paper down the toilet instead of tossing it in the garbage. (sick but true)

-i drank the biggest cup of root beer. really the only pop i love and missed.

-i cried a little bit when i saw my parents at the airport and watched them with avery as she gave them her special card she made.

-i washed my face in warm water and it was lovely.

-i talked to my sisters on the phone instead of skype.

-i drank water out of the tap instead of a culligan-like filter.

the list could go on and on, but i think its clear we're glad to be home.

oh, this is a little peak at what avery's super homemade special card said:

october 16th, and we couldn't be happier.

loving lately

2011-06-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

just a few things that i have been loving lately.

my kindle. we dont have too many english book stores available here in brasil, but this little gadget has been the greatest replacement for bookstores. i occasionaly miss holding a real book, but very rarely. i have read so many books over the last few months. what are some of your favorites. i'm almost done with my current book and don't have one on my waiting list.

pinterest. i started using pinterest a few months ago and am still slightly addicted. i think of it as collection of favorite magazine clipping, but online and much neater and organized. most of you have probably jumped on the bandwagon, but if you havent and want an invitation to join, give me your email address.

mindy gledhill. her music is so calm and refreshing. i'm loving it and could listen to it on replay for hours.

moraccon oil. greatest hair product i own. it has been so fabulous here in brasil. i think i can count on 2 hands the number of times i've blow dryed and straightened my hair while living here. the result isnt always the prettiest hair, but its way too humid to dry it and make it more brittle just to have the humidity get ahold of it an hour later. magic in a bottle.

these shoes. i'm still undecided on regular toms. i know i'm a year or two behind, but i've been out of the loop for a while in brasil and i just decided i am loving their wedges. if they are as comfortable as everyone says the regular shoes are, or close, i think they might be winners and something i'll have to get when i get home. am i missing out by not trying the normal toms?

and of course, i am loving these two. they have made the last year in brasil so bearable and fun. they both make me laugh on a regular basis and make my heart beat a little bit faster everyday. i love them most of all.

(taken during trae and ave's late night swim the other day)

from trash to treasure

2011-06-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

okay, it never really was trash, but it only got used maybe once a year during homecoming week on 80's day. this beauty was my great grandma phyllis beck's pant suit. she passed away when i was a year and a half. i have one picture with her when we were newborns wearing this same outfit. I never knew her, although i've heard so many things about her, i wish i did. from what i hear she was such a classy and fancy lady.

the last time i was visiting home a few months ago i was straightening up the play room at my moms and was picking up the dress-up box that avery had rummaged through. i saw this pant suit and the vision came to me. when i first asked my mom if i could have it and make it a dress, her first response was no, that was grandma beck's, you cant cut it up and change it. a few seconds passed and she changed her mind. and i am so happy she did. she said she would much rather have one of her daughters use it for real, instead of just for dress up and play once a year. i packed it up and brought it to brasil with me and had a talented lady in our stake fix it up for me. ten dollars later (yeah, that's all!) and i have myself a fancy new dress. i'm quite in love with it. it has an real old fashioned flair to it but the color, the fit, the sleeves are perfect and just what i imagined it looking like 5 months ago.

here's a 4 generation picture when meag and i were tiny and my mom was a baby with my grandma garrard and great grandma beck

trae can't believe i'm acutally putting this picture on here, but it's the only way to see the transformation. those sleeves seriously could have fit my leg through them. i had already unstitched the pant legs so i pinned it back together for pictures sake and ended up with a super blurry result. i figure its probably better that way.

here's the final result, obviously. the elastic waistband isn't in the most flattering position so i belted the dress today and loved it.

i'm already hoping i beat my sisters to the dress up box when i go home in a few weeks to see what other kinds of treasures i've overlooked. i love that i now have this little memory of my great grandma even though i never got to know her, and super cute new dress.

25 years!

2011-06-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

todays my birthday! YAY! i've had a great day so far. lunch date with Mr. Jones and shopping with my mother in law- where i scored a new pair of shoes. tonight we're going out for dinner to pizza hut. (i chose the same place for my birthday last year- tastes just like pizza hut from home and hits the spot everytime.) i love that birthdays get a little more quiet and simple as you get older, i'm a simple girl. ave's been giving the most wonderful birthday hugs and kisses all day and she made the cutest card while trae and i were out and about and was so proud of it... she drew a circle and a square and colored pictures of our little family amongst scribbles. {random but funny, today while shoe shopping ave was keeping all the employees busy while trying every single shoe her little hands could get ahold. she found the brightest orange shoes with the biggest heel i've ever seen and waltzed around in them til she toppled over. after she fell, she giggled and said "mom, i fell on those carrots. those carrot shoes made me fall." what a goof}

anyways, back to birthdays, i opted for no presents from trae until we get home. i was so not in the mood for brasilian gear and my suitcase has zero extra space for our trip home, make that negative zero space now that i have another pair of high heels, we're in trouble. also, i couldn't come up with one single thing i wanted/needed. this coming from the girl who usually has a mile long list to choose from. so what are your favorite things that maybe i've been missing out on since living in brasil the past year, i need suggestions.

but my most favorite part about my birthday is that i share it with meag. Heavenly Father sure knew what he was doing when he put us together. He must have known how terribly bad we needed eachother. That girl can run a half marathon with the best of them, grow a garden like i've never seen, have a bad hair day and still look amazing and is the very best friend I have. I am so glad that after meag was born 25 years ago, much to my parents suprise, that doctor said "i think there's another baby in there," and 7 minutes later i was born. I needed meag and i think she needed me. 25 years with her have been pretty amazing. I can not wait to live on the same continent as her again, let alone the same state. Happy Birthday pretty girl. I love you Meag!!

(i'm at a serious lack of pictures with just meag and i. we've clearly been away from eachother too long,

here's one blurry picture with us and the kiddos and one back from college days)

i love this face (2)

2011-05-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

i have been a slightly pathetic blogger. forgive me? we are getting trunky and ready to go home. we have had a great time but our little family is ready for something new. only 27 days. we made ourselves a count down chain last night but it's not really supressing the 'cant wait to be home' feelings. ave has been having occasional breakdowns over how much she misses home and wants to go to grandma and grandpas house and play in the snow or jump on the tramp or feed papas cows or eat nemo fruit snacks and spaghettios with grandma, etc.. i am amazed at how she holds onto those few memories of grandpa and grandmas house and now craves them.

i remembered this post the other night while ave was sitting on my bed. take one was slightly more animated but this one is funny too. i don't know why i always choose to do it with food on her face, no shirt, and crazy hair, but sometime thats our life. if only you could see the personality behind these faces. the other day when i was telling avery something she said "mom, i don't understand you" with a sassy little attitude. feelings are mutual sweet girl. i wish i knew every little thing that went on in that mind of hers but instead i just laugh at her hilariousness.

i can't wait for my family to see how much she has grown up over the last 4-5 months. she is a total spit-fire. i'm pretty sure that living with a house full of teenagers has taught her a little extra sass and attitude and most days don't pass without a battle or two. but today she has been the most pleasant thing and i've loved every single second of her. right now she is in love with us making up stories for her before naps and bedtime. her dad is far more creative than i am. i could listen to him make up stories for her every night and listen to her giggle at how silly they are, while wondering how i got so lucky. how did i? its even cuter to listen to her make up stories or try to retell her daddies stories while she reads books to her dolls and stuffed animals.

oh the life of a 2 year old.

i have to speak in church again this Sunday. 2 times in less than a year. is that normal? pretty sure i'm gonna have trae stand up with me and translate some of it. i've done the type my talk in portuguese and read straight off the paper route one time already and frankly, my portuguese hasn't improved a ton since then. this way i can focus a little more on the content and saying what i'm thinking rather than wondering if what i just said was even a word or made sense.

trae is still sick of being sick but hopefully on the up-side of it all. he is seriously the best dad. ave is head over hills for him and has him wrapped around her little finger and i am more in love with him every single day. right now as i type, trae just told ave that he needed to go take his medicine and ave got all sad and said "oh, are you not feeling berry good dad. do you need a kiss? mom, he needs a kiss?" i think ave and i better go kiss him better. that doesn't sound too bad to me.

um ano. one year.

2011-05-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

we made it. one year down. now, if i were a missionary it would be our hump day, but thankfully our one year mark wasn't just the halfway point. we only have 5 weeks left. i dont know really how to sum up my thoughts of living in brasil. it was much different than i expected, good and bad. perhaps when we leave for good i'll give a more detailed thought summary of our experience here.

since coming back in january we've had kind of a rough go, well, trae has had a rough time. we came back and moved into our new apartment that is soooo nice. unfortunately, everything is not so nice. pretty much since the day we came back trae has been sick. we can probably count on one hand the days that he has felt 100%. first we thought it was the flu, then just a bad cold, then we were convinced it was an allergy to our air conditioner or something like that. we tried sleeping with out the air on (so not fun in this climate) and trae tried to sleep in other rooms and the living room. no one was really affected except for trae. the only place where he is okay is out in the living room and kitchen where there are lots of window. we are now pretty much 100% convinced that trae is allergic to mold. living in a beyond humid climate you pretty much cant avoid it, but it just doesn't have an affect on anyone but him. he has gotten 5 boils in the last month or so as a result of the allergy and infection in his body on top of nauseousness and other allergy symptoms . he has tried about every kind of allergy medicine and drops and antibiotics. we havent slept in the same bed for well over a month now because he cant sleep in any of the rooms so he sleeps out on the couch or the hammock with out an air conditionar and averages way too little sleep each night. certainly not ideal. we are both SO sick of him being sick. its obviously not fun. but we are dealing with it and are on the countdown for the return to normalcy. bless his heart. seriously.

we didn't really do anything to celebrate one year here. well, i had 4 maple bars for breakfast, ave filled up on leftover frosting, and i took a nap until avery kissed me and said 'wake up sleeping beauty,' while trae went to see a doctor, played soccer and did seminary visits (he's our wards seminary teacher, along with 2 other callings, like i said, bless his heart). pretty relaxing.
and that is just fine with me.

because i am a mom

2011-05-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

i can not think of the right words that really express my feelings about getting to be a mom.

i can not think of a better thing i could be doing with my time and energy.

i can not be good at everything.

i can not thank my own mother enough for teaching me how to be a mom.

i can not think of any one thing that would bring me greater joy than raising this little girl.

i can not always give my children what they want.

i can not express enough thanks to my mother in law for raising my husband.

i can not always handle the pressures and frustrations properly.

i can not always be super nice.

i can not fully comprehend all of the blessings i receive from choosing to be a mom.

i can not completely protect my children from the wicked world.

i can not do it all.

but

i can tell my little girl how much i love her multiple times a day.

i can thank my father in heaven each day for blessing me with his precious daughter.

i can continue to learn from my mother and hopefully one day be the mom that she is today.

i can find ways to make our family happier.

i can prepare my little girl to be a mother one day.

i can make a mean grilled cheese and cup of chocolate milk.

i can thank the many generations of mothers that have shaped who i am today.

i can be an example to others.

i can show my children how to love, forgive, laugh and to serve.

i can whipe off tears and clean dirty bums.

i can pray for the Spirits help to be a better wife and mom.

i can teach my children.

i can begin to understand how much love a heart has to give.

because i am a mom.

(the best easter picture we could come up with)

thank you to all the moms in my life. i am blessed and happy.

``few of us with reach our potential without the nurturing of both the mothers who bore us and the mothers who bear with us.``

-sheri l. dew

happy mothers day!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

we're having a great little easter. ave woke up this morning so ready to see what the easter bunny brought her. it keeps getting more fun for her the more she understands about holidays, and it makes it so much more fun for me too. look at all those emotions. its not even worth me begging her to smile anymore, she does just fine coming up with faces on her own.

(i know, all these nearly identical pictures arent necessary, i couldn't resist)

but dont really let those pictures fool you, this is what she really looks and feels like today. her poor little sick eyes make me want to cry, snuggle her, and give her anything her heart desires. we skipped out on church today, which i kinda hate to do, especially on Easter Sunday, but this little chick wasn't up for much. her immune system has been on a rollercoaster the last week or so. our house hasn't been 100% for a while now and its just keeps spreading around. honestly, i'm getting sick of it. we'll save the cute easter dresses for weeks to come.

here's a few little fun things we did for easter prep.

i really do love easter. and while the candy, scavengar hunts and gifts are fabulous, i mostly love how much it makes me think about our Savior and the Atonement. What a blessing the gospel is in my life. As i think about the past year and the challenges that i've had and the opportunities i've been given to grow i know that the Lord's hand constantly is in my life. He knows what is best for me and He loves me. All i have to do my very best, but even some days that doesnt cut it. If i just put my trust in Him and rely on that faith, He'll help me the rest of the way, and i know everything will always be all right. And that is amazing to me.

Happy Easter!

easter eggs

2011-04-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

hard boiled easter eggs remind me of my grandma webb in every way. i'm sure she made over 100 each year and carefully hid them, along with a plethora of candy, through-out her entire yard. she would stand at the door and watch her large family scramble through the lawn and trees and garden looking for goodies, but there was now way she was letting you sneak more than your share . i'm sure i didnt notice how happy watching her 6 kids and all their children running in the raft river wind on a mad easter egg hunt made her then, but i can only imagine now. she must have slaved away for hour preparing her yard and house for such a big family get together. we would go home with enough candy and eggs to last us half the year. i miss those days and cant wait to have traditions like that in our own family.

it might be a little premature to have big candy hunt with a 2 year old but we can sure enjoy the easter egg decorating tradition. i could eat hard boiled eggs every day of the year and they're that much more enticing when they're pretty. we went fairly traditional this year but i did try out this technique, just ate the egg before the camera got to it. next year i am hitting up the DI and silk-dying eggs. how do you like to color eggs?

i told ave to smile like a princess and show me her egg. at least she nailed the princess part. i really didnt want a princess obsessed little girl but is there really any way to avoid it. today we went to the "princess park" used "princess toilet paper" ate "princess food" wore a "princess dress" and nearly anything else you can imagine with the word princess in front of. we keep things quite magical here.

if we can kick the sickness that has spread and re-spread through our house we will have a great easter weekend. if not, we might just have a lazy one. hope yours is fantastic!

weekend

2011-04-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

that was a nice little suprise to have trae make his debut on our blog. i'm so happy to have those things written down so i always remember the good and bad about brasil, although i doubt i could forget most of them, and he said it much better than i could have. however, don't believe everything he says, i'm not a saint and complain my fair share and have breakdowns just like the rest of them. i. love. that. man.

it has been so rainy and overcast here. i'm quite enjoying it but it would be nice for a little sunshine to peek through every once and a while so our clothes would dry (we hang dry here)... i'm kinda tired or damp towels and jeans.

we thought a little weekend get-a-way would be nice to a beach we hadn't been to yet. some friends of ours invited us along to a beach house of theirs and it was lovely. it rained the whole time. we camped out in the ocean during the rain storms cause the water felt much warmer than the sand. pretty sure avery sang "rain rain, go away" continuously for a good half hour with high hopes it would actually make the rain go away---it always works for Dora. it was raining cats and dogs and was still so, warm made me wish thats how idaho weather was. this little one loved every second of it.

can not get over that cute bum and two little braids.

we usually love the rain. it gives us a little break from the scorching sun. however, the family that we went with shared their feelings of rain and now it kinda makes me wish it never rained, for their case and nearly everyone else in the favela (ghetto). Every time it rains their whole house fills with about a 2+ feet of rain. they lay pallets on the ground and walk around on those until the water subsides. can you even imagine living like that for about 4 months out of the year, if not more. their walls are corroding and always start to mold. i certainly wouldn't have the patience to deal with that. they never even complain about it, just say its a trial they've learned to deal with. now every time it rains i worry about them and wonder how they do it and how we can help. every day i am here i find something i am thankful for and blessed with that i once overlooked. these people are pretty amazing.

on another note, we also went to a little birthday party for my mother in laws portuguese tutor's daughter (get that?) last week. i probably could have bought a used car with what they spent on the party. people with money don't go small here. ave was in birthday party heaven. it took me a good day to set her straight that this was not her birthday party and that she didn't get to blow out the candles. lots of treats, a party hat, a few arcade games later and avery was just happy to be there.

can you believe they are brasilian? they look so american to me, and it is so refreshing to meet someone whiter that me.

Culture Shock

2011-04-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

Thought i would make a shout out to my amazing wife. Hope she doesn't mind that i hacked her account, but asking permission just wouldn't have been as fun.

The past year has been a roller coaster ride. We have been adjusting to a new culture, new language, weird food, living with family, and dealt with all of the other joys that living in a strange place have to offer. As you can imagine the set up hasn't been ideal, but we have tried to make the best of it.

When we decided to move to Brazil my major concern was with how Lis would handle the culture Shock, and if she would enjoy it. Now that we are almost a year in i have decided that she made the adjustment better than me. Lis is the ultimate optimist. She always sees the glass half-full. This is one of her attributes i admire most. No matter how negative i tend to be, she is always sees the good.

Melissa has made substantial progress in Portuguese. She gets along very well. She understands the majority of things that people say to here and is just working more on responding now. Everyone here adores her and thinks she is the best. That is saying a lot because if they could talk to her in more detail they would love her even more.

I don't know how Melissa has lived with my family for over a year now without completely wigging out. If any one has experienced this for an extended period of time you will know exactly what i am talking about. Let just say she knows my family very well. She has identified what my family does really well and will try to perpetuate that in our own family, and she has identified many of our false traditions as well. Lis your a trooper.

Thanks for being here with me. I know it hasn't been easy.

That being said i just wanted to document a little of THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY of our journey so far.

THE GOOD
1. Pernambucanos- (people from the State we live in) are a warm inviting people. I will miss talking to random people in grocery store lines, in the street, at the bank or pretty much anywhere you go. They are a friendly out-going people.
2. Heat Wave- I love the weather here. There is nothing better than 85 degree weather year round.
3. Driving- When we first arrived i thougth the drivers were crazy here. Now that i have adapted to there style, i am pro Brazil when it comes to driving. It is like Nascar getting to work every morning.
4. Ocean Breeze-There is nothing better that living right on top of the ocean. I love the feel of the ocean breeze almost as much as laying out on the balcony in the hammock and enjoying the views.
5. Holidays- If you love holidays Brazil is the place for you. So far during my stay i have taken the day off for 13 national holidays, world cup game, and a couple of state holidays as well. When it is a holiday here everything STOPS.

THE BAD
1. Being illegal in the country for over 3 months. It is a long story but i don't recommend trying it.
2. When your office/home is the same place- For about three months we lived on the second floor of the office. Let just say that the commute is short and it kind of makes everything feel like work. We had two pieces of furniture, a couch and our bed.
3. Fast food for 3 + months- Don't recommend this one either. At first glance it looks pretty intriguing, but it gets old quick. We were kitchenless during this time becasue my parents lived in a hotel and we lived at the office.
4. Allergies- I have no clue why but for the last 3+ months i have had allergies off and on. We can't quite figure out what it is and why it hits hard sometimes and is dorment other times, but i am tired of itchy eyes, a runny nose, and boogers.
5. Luxary Tax- Any thing that is a luxary here is super expensive. Electronics, cars, cell phones, they all come with a price. It is very sad because these people deserve a lot more for less.
6. Running on Mormon Standard Time + Infinity- We consider ourselves very punctual. It is something we strive to do. Lets just say that we have given up trying here. After several experiences of waiting more than an hour for someone or an event to start we just decided it is not worth it. Any activity we have at church we just plan to show up a half hour late. We did this a few nights ago and we were still the first people to arrive.

THE UGLY
1. Public Displays of Affection- We have seen it all. Youngsters on the beach to older folks making out at restaurants. It must not be to out of the norm because we 'gringos" seem to be the only ones that take notice.
2. Public Urination- Yeah, enough said.
3. Old Men in Speedos- This should just be against the rules. The city needs to implement both a age limit and a weight limit for speedo use.
4. Filth- We feel really blessed to have had a safe and shelter up-bringing. People are bombarded with all the filth that satan has to offer. It is every where you go. You see porography, prostitution, and drug abuse readily available almost every where you go.
5. Modesty- This word doesn't exist in Brazil. That is the reason we have seen so many of the things listed above. We have spent a fair amount of time looking down at our feet this year.

oh avery

2011-04-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

i'm at a lack of things to blog about right now, so here are some of my favorite recent avery-isms.

me- i love you avery

ave- i love you too

me- i love you more

ave- i love you lots more

me- i love you this much (stretching my arms wide)

ave- i love you as much as the twinkle twinkle little stars

okay, you win!

tonight during prayers after she blessed mom and dad and grandmas and grandpas and all her dolls plenty of times, she said, "thank you for blessings, thank you for prophet, thank you for jesus's blood and that him died from us."

somethings sticking in that growing little brain of hers

that baby girl needs her bottle (she doesn't even drink a bottle)

that kittycat needs to play with playdough

that baby fell off the bed

that princess needs help up

that monkey needs a drink of chocolate milk.

that little girl is hot.

the first time she said this i seriously started looking around for one of her dolls, thinking she was talking about them. nope, thats how she refers to herself multiple times a day. where did that come from?

nomally its hilarious but 'that baby girl' might be wearing out her welcome.

"oh my goodness. i freak out."

"hi Morg and Mal. Yeah! i am so happy to see you."

occasionally she chews small pieces of gum, but i told her if she swallows it she will get a sick belly. the other day she was chewing gum, swallowed it and said "oh no, now i have a belly sick."

she is hilarious and smart and sassy -- and i love her.

being a mom

2011-03-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

i have sat down and tried to write this post a number of times and each time i end up tossing it. its not that its too deep, but it seems like anything past "oh, i think my daughter is so cute" etc, etc. is difficult for me to put into meaningful words, lame, i know. i never was a good writer and i envy everyone who can sit down and put their thoughts on paper exactly how they want and sound eloquent while doing it. anyways.

i've lived in brasil for almost a year. i've learned so much about the brasilian culture and how these people live. some things i like. others, not so much. they are so easy to love. mostly genuine. quite easily offended. they say what they are thinking all the time. love a good party. love chocolate cake. i could go on and on. and, for the most part, i will miss these people when i leave.one thing however that has kinda struck a sour note with me is the brasilian womens mother/working roles. here are a few conversations i've had with women here:

#1- met the cutest girl at a RS activity that lives in hawaii right now with her husband and daughter. after getting to know eachother our conversation went to this.

me- so what are you going to school for?

cute girl 1- oh, i'm going to law school, and cant wait to be done and be a lawyer, hopefully back here in Brasil

me- thats awesome, good for you.

cute girl 1- what do you do? are you working here in brasil?

me- nope, i stay home with our daughter

cute girl 1- Oh, shoot. i'm sorry.

me- uhhhhh. awkward pause

cute girl 1- but you had a job when you lived in the US right and will work when you move back?

me- well, i did until i had avery. now i just get to stay home. but i love it (trying to convince her).

cute girl 1- oh goodness, good luck. i could never do that.

kinda awkward convo from then on.

#2-next cute girl i met in the temple and got to know her and then the conversation went something like this:

me- So what are you studying in school?

cute girl 2- i cant remember exactly what it was but something like public relations international affairs or something- but she said i am going to school and working right now teaching english and portuguese.

me- thats awesome, i bet you stay so busy.

cute girl 2- yeah, i dont have lots of free time but i love my jobs and school.

me- yeah, no kidding.

cute girl 2- do you work right now?

me- nope, i get to stay home with avery.

cute girl 2- oh, so did you work when you lived in the United States.

me- no, i've stayed home since i had our daughter.

cute girl 2- oh goodness, you must get so bored. dont worry, its not too late for you to get a job and work so you don't always have to stay home. what would you like to do, i could help you find a job.

me- um, actually i love that i get to stay home. maybe one day though.

#3- the last story, although there has been a few other scenarios was with a girl i met on the beach who was living in boston with her husband. they had been married quite a few years.

cute girl 3- thats awesome that you have a daughter and you are so young. i want kids so bad, but just not right now. i just dont know how its possible. my husband is in med school right now and there is now way we could afford a maid to help raise our kids and another to do the cooking and cleaning.

me- oh, yeah well i stay home and raise our daughter and my husband works so we dont actually pay for a maid ourselves..

cute girl 3- oh, but you do in the U.S. right, just not in brasil cause you dont speak enough portugese.

me- no, actually where i live not very many people have maids and alot of moms stay home with their kids, but its very common here, huh?

cute girl 3- oh yeah, i dont know anyone that stays home or doesnt have someone help raise their kids here, its just impossible to do. there is no way i can have kids until we both have good jobs and can afford help.

me- uh, yeah, well timing is everything (mostly wanting the conversation to end rather that expand on it, although i kind of wish i would have been more bold and said what i really feel.)

i am totally not against working moms. in fact, there are some days when i wish i could hop in the car and go to work myself, or have a home-ran business, and who knows, maybe one day i will. the working moms that i know from home amaze me with their ability to prioritize their time and abilities with their children and family and work and everything else life demands. but i certainly do not need someone else telling me that i am wasting my time and that i would feel so much more fulfilled if i worked out of the home. staying home raising our daughter is what i am supposed to be doing right now. it is a lot of work, and is somedays equally as hard or harder than an out-of-the-home job, and it is a job that doesn't end even when the 9-5 work day is over. but i'm passionate about it and am so thankful that i have a husband who has given me the opportunity to stay home, even though some days are far, far from ideal.

There are two different type of women that i've met here in Brasil, (thats very generalized but i'll keep it simple). The majority of them are so poor that they have to work. Their husbands wages, if there is any, wont cover all their families needs. I dont know if they would or would not choose to work if their financial situations were different, its just not. The other group of women value career way more than i have ever, ever witnessed in the U.S. I dont know that i have met a wife and mom that doesnt have a big time career. Almost every single one of these families have one or two maids that do their cleaning and cooking and raising thier children. More often than not the children of these families prefer the maid who has raised them, over their own mom, and that breaks my heart. I certainly dont mind that they value their career. In fact, i think it is awesome that they are so passionate about what they do each day. I know i shouldn't judge, and it probably isn't like this everywhere, it has just been a huge eye opener for me and has made me take my role as a mother much more seriously.

I don't need anyone feeling sorry for me and the choice that i made to stay home. i love what i do. If i want to work i can, i just choose not to. I've spent alot of time thinking about what being a mom means to me. I don't think there is a more important job our there. There are some days when my work might not be above sub-par, other days, i think i rock it, and i have a happy, smart, growing little girl to show for it. I've read the Proclamation a few times lately and feel at such peace with what i am doing in my life right now. Here's a little excerpt:

"HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

Just something thats been on my mind lately, thats all. I'm pretty happy that i get to be a mom!

daddy's girl

2011-03-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

trae decided he wasnt going to shave his 'mustache' until BYU loses. he didn't really get good genes when it comes to the facial hair department, there's just not that much to show, but its growing nonetheless, about one week and counting. ave must have thought it was pretty cool yesterday when they were back rough-housing around together cause the next thing i know avery is sporting herself a pretty sweet mustache. i can guarantee you she thought she was the coolest thing since sliced cheese.

(she looks like a mix between johnny dep and princess turns prince, not so much a look-like-daddy mustache)

ave is turning into a little daddy's girl and its about the cutest thing i've seen. she can rope her dad into doing just about anything. they have regular singing and dancing parties. the other day trae taught ave to sing and dance to "single ladies" and she is pretty much spot on with the hip shaking and main words of the song. i could watch them play together for hours. goodness, i love those two.

dress up

2011-03-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

i have about 3 posts in my create post file waiting to be finished and submitted. dont know if i will ever get around to them so today i'm just gonna pretend they aren't there and let you giggle with me at this funny little girl. its Carnaval week here in brasil so we've decided to try and stay indoors as much as possible to avoid a bunch of crazies. after playing on the beach for a few minutes before getting rained out this is what mal and ave came up with. it kept us all entertained for quite some time. malorie had her prepped for what each outfit was and she would come out making indian noises and pirate Rrrrrs (you know what i mean) and we've seen plenty of that ballerina dress around here. i can't tell you the last day she went with out wearing for the majority of the day. what a girl!

the girls all tye-dyed shirts the other day so that was the next outfit they threw together. pretty cute, huh? look how concentrated she is on making that peace sign like morg and mal.

i saved my favorite for the end.

have a happy day!

today...

2011-02-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

Today was a pretty normal day. well, except for the fact that today when i got to church i realized i forgot to put on a bra, and avery fell asleep standing up during sacrament meeting. honestly, who does that? forgets to put on a bra and falls asleep standing up. just thought i'd document that randomness of our day, those kinds of things don't happen too often.

other than those little slip-ups, our lives have been pretty regular. we are loving our swimming pool downstairs and the beach right out the back. ave certainly prefers the warm beach water to the frigid pool. today the tide was lower than i have seen it in a long time. the entire reef was exposed. the beach was a little dirty but i thought it looked so cool.

(picture taken through out netted balcony)

also, this little girl is so obsessed with shoes. so much in fact that she insists she sleeps with shoes on. normally she doesn't win, but this particular day it was a battle not worth fighting. if she has pants on, during the day or at night, they have to be rolled up. she hates anything touching the bottom of her legs, spoiled little warm weather girl. we stick to shorts and skirts around here. these little quirks are cute to me right now and i'm sure next week i'll forget them.

anyways, hope your sunday was good. and that you remembered all your critical clothing items and got a normal nap.

ramblings of a 2 year old

2011-02-14T05:47:00.000-08:00

my bed time conversation with avery a few nights ago

ave-mom, you lay with me for just one minute.
me- okay, i'll stay here for a little bit then i have to go clean up the kitchen
ave- you stay for one more minute mom. just one minute.
me-okay ave. please go to sleep
after a few minutes of her playing around and not going to sleep i say:
me- ave i'm not gonna stay here if you dont go to sleep, i'm gonna go clean up
ave- lay your head down on your pillow
ave- lay your head on your pillow right now mom
me-you lay your head down too ave
ave-mom, close your eyes and go to sleep
ave- close your eyes right now
me-okay, you need to close your eyes too and try to go to sleep sweetheart.
ave- close your eyes and lay your head on my pillow right now mom.

who is running this show anyways. okay, don't answer that.
the next night this is how her prayer went... she said it all by herself

Heavenly Father,
we can have a goodnight, and be good. and um, mom will lay with me for just one minute. and um, Jesus and we could go to church today. and be nice. and um, papa and daddy and grandma, and papa and grandma. and mommy will lay her head on my pillow just one minute. and um, um, we could be safe. and um, be happy.
Jesus Christ, Aaaaaaaamen.

it was so cute even though she leaves out all those "please bless"and "thank yous".

love moments like these that help me forget the not so cute things she does, like how she has completely forgotten that she was potty trained, and is sometimes downright bossy and mean. we'll just focus on the good for now.

happy birthday- yesterday

2011-02-05T04:27:00.000-08:00

reasons why i love trae...

his laugh, that sometimes makes me laugh.
how he looks in his sunday best. gets me everytime.
the way he plays with avery and gets her laughing, almost never fail.
how he teaches me patience.
that he can rock his sperrys, and look good doing it
his love for the gospel
that he wants to be a professor
how he is so optomistic about our future even though we're kinda clueless
his ability and willingness to serve, especially to the people here in brasil
he takes me to the temple often
how he is humble and never asks for or wants anything for himself

but never says no when i ask the "can i buy this for myself "question
how he handles stress so well
and works so hard for our family
he knows his scriptures
how he is totally himself when hes with his brothers
how he looks in his glasses
he is so organized and responsible
sees the good in everyone
knows how to play the piano better than me
he isn't afraid of a challenge
that he helps do the dishes almost everynight after dinner (starting last week)
how he gets avery to cuddle with him whenever he wants
is so patient with my imperfections
how he fulfills his 'big brother'role so well.
that he is mine FOREVER.

love you babe!!

february 1st

2011-02-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

can't believe its already february. this month is trae's birthday, valentines day, the girls start school and i get to play mom for a few weeks, and it only has 28 days. guess i better enjoy it while it lasts. ave had i kinda rough day yesterday and she wore us both right out. When she woke up this morning at 8:00 and had me histerically laughing by 8:15, i knew it was gonna be a much better day. and it was. here is a little glimpse into ~~our~~ avery's february 1st.

(told you i get that evil smile often)

(thank you grandma and grandpa for sending your awesome piano, ave loves it and i am gonna re-learn to play a little)

(i did not know that forgetting brown sugar had that affect on cookies. the ones on the right were so much better, obviously)

(eating a pb&j in her undies, not a bad life)

hope the rest of the month goes as good as this.

ramblings..again

2011-01-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

although ave looks like shes ready to attack/ weird creeper (which is how most of her pictures turn out), she and i are happy to be back. trae and i have made a resolution to make the next six months even more enjoyable than the first six.

our pathetic attempt at a self-portrait

we arrived back on thursays. jet lag and all. thankfully we are slowly catching back up, thanks to late mornings, laid back schedules, and frequent naps. we are loving this new apartment. its nice to have it to ourselves for a little while, but it will be nice to have family back in town soon. it is so much homier (word?) than our previous residence and it actually has room for us to live in, not that i'm complaining about our other home, i'm just much more comfortable here, so is ave. i'm embarrassed to admit, but i cooked my first meal in over 4 months on friday, not that i had another option before. i made tacos. figured i would ease myself back into the process slowly, and they were great.

avery finally started feeling better a few days before we flew back. poor girl was miserable for too long. turns out it was some internal bacteria infection from raw food or drink, but there was definitely something else accompanying it, either tonsillitis or a sinus infection or something. she started to fever a little again today so i'm praying shes not coming down with something again.

also, traes brother matt came home the day before we left. it kinda stinks that we only got to spend a few hours with him. we were so sad to miss the homecoming today and spend more time with all of trae's family. guess we can only hope that he'll come visit before life gets too crazy for him.

proof that she really is sweet and innocent

about time....

2011-01-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

talk about a blogging break. one month later and hopefully i am finally getting back to it. its about time for us to pack our bags once again and head home. we had a fabulous christmas in brasil, a different new years on the air plane, a very relaxing birthday party for our not-so-little 2 year old (where did the time go?), and we've had a great, relaxing time in idaho. ave has been sick for the majority of the time and we still don't have a clue what she's come down with, so we have really been taking it easy. there were lots of friends that i wanted to visit but i didnt dare bring ave around anyone for about 2 weeks (and counting) of the time we've been home. she's had a high fever for over a week and a half, diarrhea for longer than that, and a cold on top of that. we had some tests run yesterday so hopefully we get some answers before we head back home or it goes away. we have about 4 days til we leave and i am praying for a big snow fall. i just want to bundle up and go out and play. i didnt realize i would get so used to the hot weather in brasil and forget about how cold it gets here, but oh my, its been freezing lately. ave begs me 13 times a day to go outside to swing and slide and jump on the tramp and play in the snow and more often than not i've turned her down, i hope she gets feeling better and it warms up just a little so we can go play.

i cant even explain how much i enjoy being with my family, although i'm sure most of you share the same feelings. it feel so lucky to have four sisters that are seriously my best friends, who let me borrow their closet full of clothes while i've been home and make me laugh all the time, and parents who naturally became the greatest grandparents the day ave was born and continue to be amazing parents. we really have had the best time with them. enjoy the marathon of pictures from 2 days of our trip home (pretty much i'm a pathetic picture taker)

pretend christmas card

2010-12-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

i didnt get around to ordering and sending christmas cards this year. i managed to get some homemade thanksgiving cards out to a few family members -- but sending out lots and lots of cards from brasil wasn't high up on my to-do list this year. we can all pretend this is official and sent out individually, right? the picture is a little pixelly and the babe woudn't crack a smile, but i just love how green and tropical it looks.

trae graduated from college and got a job here in brasil. he stays busy with work, teaching seminary and holding 2 other church callings, and being my sidekick. he can not wait to go back to school, he just doesnt know exactly what for. he is the best daddy and husband. he works so hard for us and we love him.

avery, if you couldn't already tell from this blog, is the center of our lives. we can't get enough of her and feel so blessed to be her parents. she is learning how to test our patience and makes us laugh daily. she is a smarty pants. being her mom and dad is the greatest thing that has ever happened to us. we love her.

i have been struggling learning a new language and living far away from what i call home, but am enjoying the experience of living in another country. i spend most days at our home helping our daughter create and learn new things, while learning so many new things myself. i miss cooking (and cleaning) and cant wait to live in the US again. i have a husband who loves me and a daughter who strengthens me. i am happy.

we have been so blessed this year. we are healthly and happy. we have been given so many opportunities to grow and count our blessings. we have been able to develop and strengthen relationships with family members. we have made many new friends. we have the gospel in our lives. we love eachother.

(silly picture won't center, ugh)

Merry Christmas from us. have a great week!!

counting down

2010-12-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

3 days until drew, mace and dave come to visit.
7 days til Christmas
10 days until we supposedly get to move into the new apartment!
14 days until we hop on a plane and head home
15 days til the new year and we get to see our other family.
21 days until our little girl turns 2.

i find myself counting down for all the events that happen in our lives. gives me something to look forward to- although i'm starting to think that when i dwell on them time seems to slow down. we cant wait for a little change of scenes and more familiar faces around here. not to sound in the dumps but we are needing a little pick-me-up. we aren't too overly excited to be spending christmas in a hotel, we still have no kitchen or real living areas, and i found a cocroach in one of our showers today. also, trae and i are illegal immigrants living in brasil...(not to proud of that). we have the wrong kind of visas so we sent our passports/visas to LA to get new ones well over a month ago and they were supposed to send them back in time for us to fly home. well, they're not gonna get them done in time so we had to pay a pretty little penny to change our flights to a later date, ugh. i'm over that now, but it was a pain nonetheless.

on a happier note, i think my christmas shopping is pretty much done. i dont know why i put it off til last minute every single year, becasue i hate the stress and hustle and bustle of it all, but its done! trae was certainly the hardest person to shop for on my list. he's probably the simplest person i know and so easy to please, but he gives absolutley no clues and doesnt ever want me to buy him anything. i ask him what he wants for christmas and his reply is with-out-fail, "um, maybe just some beef jerky." well perfect honey, they dont even have beef jerky here. i swear i am constantly saying 'i need this', and 'i want this.' he asks me what i want and i could rattle off a list a mile long, and all he can come up with is beef jerky. i should probably be more like him.

we are excited for christmas this year though. avery loves everything about christmas, and i think she kinda understands whats going on. everytime we ask her what santa says she says "ho, ho, ho, merry christmas... i need a bike," as if what santa says and what she wants goes hand in hand. we also really cant wait to go home. trae made a little list of the things he is most excited for when we go home: drink a glass of webb dairy milk, sit outside in the snow til he's freezing, eat a home-cooked american meal, listen the ksl sports radio in the car, wash his face with warm water, and actually be able to flush toilet paper down the toilet. i cant wait to eat myself a cup of clean, white snow, stay up late with my sisters, go shopping in an american store, bundle up in a cozy blanket, drink a glass of hot chocolate, wear a coat, see my family, and be actually be cold for a little while. while there are quite a few things we like about here, we can not wait to be home!

and since i dont like a post without pictures, and i have been terrible at taking pics, this is what would be on my christmas tree if i had one this year... (okay we have a tree, but its a tiny little guy that fits in the corner of the hotel room). aren't those amazing!!!

funny girl

2010-12-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

i swear three months ago i was saying that ave was in my favorite stage and that it couldn't get better. i was wrong. right now is my favorite. she is hilarious and has me laughing all day. the way she sings in her 'microphone' all the time, and dances to the waka-waka song, and draws and paints for hours, and ask questions about everything. i love it all.

thanks to my friend rosie, i got some good potty training advice and went for it. proud to say she's been diaperless for 2 weeks and most days go by with out a single accident (knock on wood). it was much easier than i expected but there were definatly a few times when i didnt know if it was worth it yet. that little bum gets me everytime.

here are some things avery said that kept us entertained today:

--this morning when ave woke up trae asked her if she slept good, her reply: "yeah, you sleep good?"

--she watched an episode of calliou about loosing teeth so today she took a big white sea shell that her grandpa found, hid it under a pillow and said, "uh-oh, where'd avery's tooth go, mom?"

--trae was eating an omlette this morning and i asked him how it was then she asked, "is it good dad?"

--i called my mom on skype today and the first thing ave blurted out was "oh no! where'd avery's finger go?" as she proceeded to bite it.

--we're trying to teach ave that we go to church to learn about jesus, not just play in nursery, so today when we arrived avery said "play with toys, play with belle.... after jesus, huh?"

i sometimes wonder what goes on in that little brain. curious little thing. whatever it is, i love every second of it.

on a more random note: we might get to move into the new apartment this week. it will be a blessed day whenever it happens and we are praying real hard we're in before christmas. i seriously don't know how much more restaraunt food i can take.

happy sunday!!

happy thanksgiving

2010-11-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

its been so different celebrating American holidays in a country that doesn't celebrate them with you. its a little bit sad to be honest. this Thanksgiving has been especially different. We still dont have a kitchen and eat out for nearly every meal so what we were going to do for thanksgiving dinner had us all down in the dumps a little. Thankfully that wonderful little american school pulled through for us.. again, just like for halloween. They put on a fabulous feast, nothing like what i'm used to but i cant complain. turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and a few salads. the only things they were critically missing were: gravy, homemade rolls and pies. for our thanksgiving dinner tonight we went out for pizza, and its a good thing it was tasty, or else.

when trae and i sat down to write our list of what were thankful for this year we came up with so many things that we probably would have overlooked had we still lived in the US. most importantly we are grateful for our wonderful families, the gospel of Jesus Christ, our healthy and happy daughter, eachother, and the United States (although thats just barely skimming the top of our thankful lists).

please enjoy a piece of pie (or two or three) for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

i love this face

2010-11-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

how many different faces can you make in about 30 seconds?

thankful today

2010-11-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

In the last general conference President Monson said, “Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel Gods love.” I’ve been trying a little harder to focus on my many blessings. It really is amazing how much we have to be thankful for, especially during this time of year. Heres a short list of a what i'm thankful for today.

i miss the changing colors of the trees
but
i love that the tree outside our front window is flowering right now.

i miss wearing fall clothes
but
I’m thankful that i can still wear shorts and a t-shirt every single day

i miss putting up fall decorations
but
i love that i don’t have to worry about a house to decorate

i hate that I don’t get to see my family more often
but
i love the family that i get to spend everyday with

i miss feeling really cold (thats a stretch)
but
i thankful that it is sunny here everyday

i hate that I can’t fluently communicate with others
but
i love that I have the opportunity to learn a new language

I hate the trim I just got that turned into a 5 inch haircut
but
I love that I no longer have any split ends

I really hate that we still have to eat out every day
but
I love that we always have full bellies

I’m a firm believer that happiness is a choice. My situations might not be exactly how I’d like them to be, but there is always something to be thankful for and reasons to be happy. Our experiences in Brasil have taught us how to be thankful for so many things that we took for granted before.

What are you thankful for today?

daddy's girl

2010-11-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

there's almost nothing better than watching your husband be a dad. its like i fall in love all over again and realize yet another reason why i married this guy. i`ve loved this since the day she was born but it is getting even better watching them together now that she actually plays back.

i hope that she`ll be a daddy`s girl when she grows up.

pumpkins

2010-11-04T05:43:00.000-07:00

my pumpkin:

avery`s pumpkin:

trae`s pumpkin:

i know which one is my favorite.

this time of year

2010-10-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

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).

2010-10-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-10-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

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.

corn

2010-09-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

we are having such a great time at home. its hard to believe that we only have just over a week left here. it always goes by way too fast. ave is getting spoiled and her grandma and grandpa are loving every minute with her. my mom pretty much cleared her entire schedule so that she could spend every day playing with ave, and my dad has been busy showing ave his cows and taking her on motorcycle rides.avery is taking complete advantage of all the attention. this week my mom and i froze 113 bags of corn. lots of work, but so good to have done. here's some of the process, and some fun in-between.

and this is what ave did the whole day, well, this and watch Shrek and Fionna a couple of times. she played by herself so well, and made us pay for ignoring her the whole next day.

home

2010-09-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

we made it.

it was an extremely long two days... as i expected, but ave was a champ. she got very little sleep but managed to be mostly delightful. we got to the miami airport thursday night at about 5:30 and after we got our bags through customs, checked them into storage for the night, grabbed a bite to eat, and had avery laying down ready to go to sleep in a make-shift bed, i thought we were smooth sailing. but naturally it couldn't be that easy right? right. at 9:30 the entire airport got evacuated because there was a questionable item/bomb scare going through security. perfect. from 9:30 till 2:30 we were kicked outside. finally from about 2:30-4:30 they let us in one little area and luckily we found a chair to rest. ave fell asleep at about 11:30 and woke up at 4:30. bless her little heart. she had a bit of a rough morning in the airport but once we finally got things going again she did pretty good. i on the other hand didnt get a wink of sleep for 30+ hours.

but, now we are home and it is marvelous. i've slept in the most comfortable bed the last two nights, washed my face in warm water, eaten the most fabulous sunday dinner, blow dryed and straigthened my hair for the first time in a long time, listened to church meetings in english, communicated with anyone i wanted to without restrictions, and spent time with my wonderful family. the only thing that could make it better is if my husband could be here with me.

it sure is good to be back.

ready to go!

2010-09-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

our bags are packed--actually they've been ready for a few days--i guess i'm excited to go home. i am nervous to be making the looooong trip by myself with a squirmy, busy 19 month old, but maybe she'll suprise me and do great just like she did on the way here (prayers greately appreciated). we fly to miami tomorrow, spend the night in the airport and then make the rest of the trip to SLC friday morning. it will most likely be a long two days for us but i'm praying that we wont run into any complications that will make it even longer. oh, how i cant wait to be home, even though i will miss the husband terribly while we're gone. this little gal is ready to go. she's got her new backback with a few prizes for the airplane ride, and enough suckers, cookies, chip and crackers to last a good week. sugar makes little kids sleep during airplane rides, right?

oh sweet little avery, please please be nice for me. i really need your cooperation on this one. thanks, love you!

anniversary get-away

2010-08-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

my sweet husband planned a quick little get away for us this weekend. since he just got called to be the early morning seminary teacher, we couldnt go during the week on our anniversary so we slipped away yesterday and spent the night at a really nice resort about an hour away from where we live. it was lovely. we had such a relaxing time and it was nice to have some alone time. the beach was beautiful, and the pool was 'posh' (as trae liked to refer to it). can we have a semi-anniversary get-away in 6 months please?

(lots of pictures)

thanks again babe. i love you!!

rub-a-dub

2010-08-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

three months with out a bathtub is a lot harder than it sounds. we are so glad grandma and grandpa jones moved into a hotel. now ave can have a bath anytime she wants, and i can finally take a peaceful shower alone. we wont mention the fact that the bathtub water looks 100% questionable. just fill the tub with bubbles and we are good to go, and ave is one clean, happy girl!

4 years

2010-08-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

today is our 4 year anniversary. 4 YEARS! where did the time go? i guess the 4 years of college, 5 different houses, 2 different schools, 1 cute baby girl, and a big move to brasil helps it go quickly. so happy i married someone who is so patient with me and puts up with my quirks. so happy i married someone who is passionate about the same things i am..plus a few more. so happy i married someone who loves being a dad. so happy i married my best friend and get to spend eternity with him. love you babe!

moving

2010-08-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

we have been taking it easy here in brasil. nothing new or exciting has been going on. but we're enjoying ourselves and still trying to make ourselves comfortable here. in 3 weeks we are moving out of the apartment we live in now. its a long story but dee and bonnie bought an nice apartment before they moved to brasil. there were people living in it at the time, waiting for their new apartment to get finished being built. they told us they would be out around may. may has come and gone and the new time table is around october...but we've heard dates before and we still arent living there. we are just hoping that by Christmas when the whole family is here again we'll be in the new big apartment. we are attending the ward that is in our new apartments bounderies. our stake president wanted us to live in our ward bounderies immediately but since the rent was paid for the month dee and bonnie moved into a hotel and the rest of the family will follow in the middle of september. the hotel was the only reasonable option in our ward bounderies. its odd and crazy but we're making it work. it takes a lot more planning and communication to figure out where the cars will be and who needs to be where and when. trae and dee found an office and moved in last week. there is an apartment on the top of the office and trae and i are moving in there instead of the hotel. it will be nice to have our own place for a while. we still havent decided if we will live there permanently or just for a few months until the new apartment becomes available. the good news is that all of the moving into the hotel and into the office apartment will take place when i am visiting home. i got lucky there.

other than our crazy living arangments not much has been going on. its winter here and so it rains or is overcast alot, not great for tanning but its perfect weather otherwise. i havent decided if im looking forward to summer here, i hear it gets pretty hot. here are some pictures of avery from the last few days. someday i'll take pictues of somehing/someone else. until then...enjoy!

ave playing with her new horse and running away with a girl in our wards new birthday shoes, that she wasnt supposed to play with

wearing the shoes instead. and finding odd things to play with in the house.

ave dancing with aunt mal... probably while singing 'baby, baby, baby, oh." (it looks like she's doing some questionable dancing...but she was probably just doing something silly.) and sitting by papa getting ready for fhe. this is the face she has been pulling every time i whip out the camera. hilarious but not so cute

flying with a swimming noodle. getting ready for our airplane ride home in a few weeks.

three months living in brasil down... 11 more to go.

imagination

2010-08-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

this girl can keep herself occupied for quite some time if she has something to draw or color on. its her new favorite activity and i think its adorable. she'll sit and color and talk to herself the whole time, then come up to me and ask me to draw a picture. sometime she'll want me to draw a flower, sometimes its the temple or a house, or a cow or a dog. oh how i love that little girl and her wild imagination.

any minute now...

2010-08-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

these two are about to have a little baby any minute now. seriously, i just barely got off the phone with her. when she answered she said... "um lis, i cant really talk right now, i'm pushing. i'm gonna have a baby real soon. call me back in a half hour." alrighty then sister, will do. answer your phone when i call cause i'm sure you wont have anything else important to do, like adore your baby boy, or something like that.

i've got butterflies right now. there is nothing else i would rather be doing than waiting outside the idaho falls hospital for word that she has had that little guy, then rushing into the hospital as soon as we're allowed and bursting into tears right when i see her realizing what kind of miracle just happened, just like she did with me when i had sweet little avery. in fact, i'm getting emotional right now because i am so sad i have to miss this. i remember being so very grateful for meag right after i had ave. she helped me with more things than i'd like to go into details about. sister stuff. i know she'll handle it so well and there are so many people looking out for her but i wish i was there, and she knows it because i've only called her 40 times today begging for details.

by the way, i booked my ticket to come home today. September 2 is the day. i can not wait to cuddle that sweet boy for 2 weeks straight. you are going to be the very best mom, meag. baby jones is one lucky little guy.

i suppose that in the time it took me to write this post she has most likely had her baby. i guess i'll give her a few minutes to relax before i call her.

UPDATE: just got off the phone with meag. baby boy arrived at 8:36 pm, ten minutes after i got off the phone with her. i'll let her give you details, but from what i hear he is absolutely perfect...naturally.

Natal

2010-07-31T14:21:00.000-07:00

for the second half or our mini vacation we went to a lovely place called natal. it was about 4 hours away and so very worth it. we went on dune buggy rides the whole first day. they took us to lots of different beaches, sand dunes, a zip line, sand slide and huge slip-n-slide. we had such a blast and i can not wait to go again. the next day we just relaxed at the hotel and layed out by the pool. it was quite enjoyable indeed. i narrowed the pictures down to some of my favorites... if you can even call this narrowing

porto de galinhas

2010-07-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

holy smokes we've taken alot of pictures in the past few days. we had a fabulous time on our little adventures. the first day that fletcher and skye arrived trae and i took them and the two little girls to porto de galinhas... a fun little resort town. the beach was super crowded but so pretty. we played in the ocean, had lunch and shopped a little. avery could have played in the water all day if we would let her and if it didnt require one of us to play in the water with her. that little girl can wear ya right out sometimes.

its so nice to have visitor come and give us an excuse to get away and do some fun things. you're welcome anytime!

copy cat

2010-07-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

ave is just at that age where she picks up on everything. she is always copying what i say (uh oh) and wanting to do everything i do. she's been a little copycat since she was itty bitty but now its just getting more fun. every time i brush my teeth, so does she. every time i put my shoes on for the day, she's right behind me and so on. she even loves to sit on her own little potty, although she is far from being potty trained. she just thinks she is pretty cool when she does what the big kids do. and pretty cool she is.

we're getting ready for some visitors to arrive tomorrow. as if this apartment wasnt small enough already... we will surely be getting nice and cozy with eachother now. trae and i are taking fletcher and skye to do some sight-seeing/resort beach tomorrow and then we're headed for a little excursion with the whole family at the beginning of the week. i love getting away from the big city every now and then. its quite refreshing actually...kinda makes we feel like i'm home...(kinda but not really).

speaking of home...i got my new camera that my in-laws brought back from the US. my mom snapped this picture to test out the camera before sending it. it was just what i needed. there really is no place like home is there?

have a lovely night!

2010-07-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

well, the rest of the family arrived back in town a few days ago. it sure is a heck of a lot louder around here now but it is super fun. we're slowly getting back into the swing of things with a house full of people crammed in a little apartment. the next few months may be slightly out of control but i'm sure they will be oh so enjoyable. trae took us into downtown Recife yesterday to show us around a little. there is so much to see in this big city.

we finally made it to the beach to play some volleyball. it was about time. hopefully this becomes a more regular activity for us.

most of all, avery is so happy to have her friends back here. i heard "me-she," "maul," and "morgee" so many time in the last few days. she is also super happy to have "dwew" here to visit. this little girl is getting enough attention to last her til she's five.

seems like sundays are the only days i get around to posting lately.

have a lovely day!

one cool girl

2010-07-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

there is a Mcdonalds where we live... thank goodness. I think we've been there at least 5 times in the last few weeks. we go for the ice cream sundaes. they taste exactly like the sundaes from home. avery loves it too because- 1. she loves ice cream (she could eat an entire sundae by herself.) and 2. because the spoons are the perfect size to do tricks on her little nose. adorable? i think so.

happy 4th

2010-07-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

never been more proud to be an american as i am now. living in another country that functions so differently has made me appreciate the good ole USA so much more. wish i could have been home this time of year. i pretty much love the 4th of july. fire works (although we heard plenty of those when argentina lost their world cup game yesterday), barbeques, FAMILY REUNIONS, community parties. i love all of it. hope you all had a great 4th!!

on another note... this girl has been funny lately. she talks all day and says some of the most randon things. for instance:

she calls her dad 'trae'... which wont become a habit but it sure is cute.

when walking out of the church house last night she said 'bye-bye Jesus' as we passed a picture of him

she calls herself 'a-ee' whenever she sees a picture of herself or looks in the mirror

every time we go to the temple she waves at angel Moroni and even says 'hi/bye moroni'

she loves juuuish (juice) and cookies and reminds us all day long

says 'poop' everytime she has to go or has already gone and everytime some one goes into the bathroom she says 'pee-pee'. (time to potty train??)

she loves the 'got-gog' (hot-dog song from mickey mouse clubhouse) and' tebby-tubbies' shows.

i love her!!

hope you have a great sunday. it is, in fact, the best day of the week!!

feeling blessed

2010-06-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

camera is broken and i'm having the in-laws bring me back a new one so posts are most likely boring, wordy and random for the next little while. sorry.

avery has been napping for three hours. i looked at the clock and realized that i hadn't really accomplished all that much during nap time. now that i am finally sitting down to blog while she's still sleeping i'm sure that she'll be waking up within the next 5 minutes. oh well. i have to speak in church next sunday. in portuguese. clearly i'll be reading my talk directly off of the paper and will most likely be slaughtering most of it being that i dont speak portuguese. it will be good for me. i keep telling myself that. it is a good thing i have almost 2 weeks to prepare. i think i decided to talk on the influence parents have on children and the importance of teaching the while young, something along those lines. april general conference was all about families and mothers, and since i became a mother a short 18 months ago, i constantly feel the overwhelming pressure and happiness that comes from being a mom. it is the greatest blessing isn't it?

on a totally different subject...

this last saturday trae went to a city 2 hours away from here that was destroyed from all the rain we've been getting. i'm glad that i didnt get to go because i'm sure i would have been a mess seeing how bad it really was. i've been super thankful lately that i was raised in an area where i always felt safe. idaho is obviously not going to be flooded anytime soon, and i'm quite sure there will never be tsunami. we've had our share of good thunderstorms but i never had to worry about much. my dad is still ~~a little~~ okay, a lot paranoid about us living here. (yep, she's awake.) my heart breaks for these people who are now left with nothing. after spending a life time buiding their lives in their little city they see it destroyed within a few day. they have no food, no money, no shelter. its like the people we watch on CNN but never really know personally. but now i live right next to it and know people whose families have been affected. there really wasnt much trae could do to help. he tried to clean, but the damage will take months if not longer to reverse. he handed out food that was delivered and was swarmed by people who he was sure hadn't eaten in days. trae said at one point there was about 20 feet of water in some areas. this picture shows a truck that had completly flipped over in the water and i now buried in mud that settled. he said there were cars all over that were just like that.

everything that was once in the homes and churches and building are now covering the streets, destroyed.

is quite humbling actually. we really are so spoiled and take so many things for granted daily. we probably will never have to go with out many things, especially the essentials, while most people here have only really enjoyed the essentials. i sure have been counting my blessings a little more thoroughly lately.

well, right now i have a clean, cute naked baby running around the house. i better go after the little girl.

whats been going on...

2010-06-26T03:25:00.000-07:00

trae and i are holding down the fort by ourselves for a few weeks. we dropped the rest of the family off at the airport on monday and have been trying to keep ourselve busy. i cant believe how quiet it is around here now that there aren't 6 other people running around. after living by ourselves for 3+ years, living with a large family has been quite the adjustment. luckily trae works out of our home so i am i not entirely alone everyday. oh how i wish i could be home visiting my family right now... but we are enjoying ourselves and making the very best out of this experience... good days and bad.

trae has been running into people from his mission a lot more often lately. any big gathering of LDS brasilians and theres sure to be someone he knows in the crowd. lucky for me i get to meet all these faboulous people trae fell in love with 4 years ago. The other day we took one of the kids trae baptised out to dinner for his birthday. we had sushi. it was a first for me and although i wasnt completely won over by it, i'm sure sushi date night will make an appearance here and there. luckily we went to an all you can eat place so i got to try a variety. our waiter wouldnt really let us waste anything so we ended up having to eat our sea-weed wrapped rice, after picking all the good stuff out of the middle. nice and chewy.

cooking here is kindof a pain. the dang humidity gets to everything. my cookies are always too soft and doughy, or to floury because i try to fix the problem. the produce only lasts a day or two before rotting, which makes for frequent trips to the grocery store... only to find rotting veggies there as well. most of our meals have what we call the ' brasilian off taste ' when comparing them to what they tasted like back home. oh the joys. however, i am loving the fruits here. we have fruit for every single mean and fresh squeezed juice whenever we want. its fantastic really.

one things is for sure, these brasilians are so genuine. i have fallen in love with them. they have taken such good care of trae, ave and me. we live in an area that can be pretty sketchy sometimes and they are always looking out for us and letting us know places we should avoid and the best places to visit. they are always trying to help me with my broken portuguese, even though i never really understand what they are saying. i have a feeling that will be a battle i'll be fighting from now until we move back home.

anyways...thats whats going on here. hope you're having a great day wherever you are!!

Sao Joao (San Juan)

2010-06-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is one of Brasil's most celebrated holidays. its pretty big around here. apparently instead of just celebrating it on the actual day of the holiday, they celebrate all month long. there are san juan parties every week. we've been to one and it was almost more than we could handle. our cute maid, Rosie, let us borrow one of her daughters old san juan dresses, so we dressed ave up, painted on some freckles, and put her hair in some piggys, just like she told us to. all the dresses look pretty much just like this, i know, not very cute at all. ave only thought she was the coolest thing since mac-and-cheese in that dress. i won't beg to differ. but seriously, thank goodness this month is almost over, i've seen enough plaid dresses and shirts to last me the rest of my life.

enjoy some pictures of our little sao juao girl.. buck teeth and all

exhausted

2010-06-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

looks like life in brasil has been rough on us. we are worn out and sleepy. couldn't be jet lag still could it? we'll blame it on the heat for now and keep enjoying our little naps even if they look uncomfortable and awkward.

hope you have a great sunday and find time to squeeze in a little sunday-afternoon nap yourself. aren't those the very best?

we're pals

2010-06-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

avery is such a momma girls. i wont lie that there have been multiple times when i wished she wasnt so completley attatched to me. but i was thinking about it today, as she layed her little head down on my shoulder and she started to pat and rub my back just like i always do to hers, that i wouldn't have it any other way. i love so much that we are best buds. i love that its me who gets to comfort her everytime she's sad, and i even love that its me who gets to get after her everytime she's acting up (which is way to often lately by-the-way) and that she is so quick to forgive me everytime i do. i mostly love that i get to spend all day with her. she and i are pretty good pals.

but i must admit... avery just switched from taking two naps a day to one really big one and it is the very best thing. i didnt realize how much i needed a little rejuvenation in the middle of the day to make it till bed time.

eye candy

2010-06-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

if our family and friends from home are missing us as much as we miss them right now then maybe this will fill the void for a little while, because lets be honest...this is what they miss the very most (and we don't blame them.) she's developed quite the personality lately, which unfortunately came with an attitude to match it... but isn't she a looker.

enjoy the eye candy!

happy birthday pretty girl

2010-06-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

i say it every single year, and this year is no different, but i am so blessed to have meag as my sister. i think being so far away from her this year has made me realize how grateful i really am for the last 24 years we've spent together. they've been fabulous. i miss being able to call her 13 times a day and text in-between that, but i hope you're having an amazing birthday 5,000 miles away from here. we'll celebrate in a few months.

happy 24th birthday pretty girl!

i love you!

Bispo Durado

2010-05-29T13:11:00.001-07:00

Before we moved here we had heard so many things about the bishop of our soon to be new ward. Trae's family loved him and his family and were always talking about the bispo (bee-spo) which is bishop in portuguese, so naturally we were excited to meet him. Trae and i went to a ward activity the day after we arrived and found out for ourselves why everyone loved the bishop so much. he was full of it. a complete character that you couldn't help but love to be around. We invited him and his family over for FHE the monday after we arrived and spent an entire evening with them. i knew he was pretty special when i saw how much Avery loved him. I've never seen Avery act the way she did around him except for with my dad. she loved him. he cuddled with her, played games with, sang to her. she was completely in her element around him and simply preferred to be with him, even over me sometimes.

That weekend we took a little excursion to Gravata with the bishop and his family and one other family from the area. He and ave were pals the whole weekend. As nutty as he sometimes was, he constantly made us laugh and made us feel so welcome and needed in Brasil. I could tell that it was the beginning of a wonderful relationship with this man.

Yesterday we were finishing up lunch when my father-in-law got a shocking phone call telling us that the bishop had passed away from sudden heart complications. Just like that. One ward activity, two sundays, and one weekend get-away with this man is all i know. My heart breaks for his sweet family and the grief they are experiencing.

I dont know or fully understand why some experience such great trials in life, except that our Heavenly knows us individually. He knows what we are capable of handling, and most importantly I know that He will be there with us through every trial we are handed. He loves each of us and wants us to find happiness in this life even amid our daily trials and challenges.

Elder Russell M. Nelson explained that "Death is a necessary component of our eternal existence. No one knows when it will come, but it is essential to God's great plan of happiness. Thanks to the Atonement of the Lord, eventual resurrection is a reality and eterenal life is a possibility for all humankind.... Now is the time to prepare. Then, when death comes, we can move toward the celestial glory that Heavenly Father has prepared for His faithful chidren. Meanwhile, sorrowing loved ones left behind -- such as our family and me -- the sting of death is soothed by a steadfast faith in Christ, a perfect brighness of hope, a love of God and of all men, and a deep desire to serve them. That faith, that hope, that love will qualify us to come into God's holy presence and, with our eternal companions and families, dwell with Him forever."

While there is very little i can say to comfort this family, I am reminded how grateful I am for the Plan of Happiness and for the knowledge that we can live with our families again after this life.

adjusting

2010-05-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

well, we survived our first week here. i'm still wrapping my mind around the fact that this is my new home. this place is not even remotely like my other home. for now, we live on the beach, on the 11th floor of a sky scraper apartment building, next to the miles and miles of other sky scrapers, with 4 million(+) people, all of whom i can not understand a lick of what they are sayin. i just might be a little claustrophobic from it all.

however, it's exciting to think that the next year or so will be full of so many new adventures.

like, coloring my mother-in-laws hair because she doesn't trust/ know anyone here to do it.

or realizing that if you sit on a glass table it will indeed break into pieces.

or figuring out how the people 11 floors below us walking on the street can hear Avery say 'hi' to them 55 times a day.

or my favorite, enjoying simple days on the beach.

I miss home like crazy most days (okay, lets be honest, every single day). This 'new home' is so far from what i'm used to and comfortable with, and it will surely take some time getting used to, but i'm pretty sure we are gonna be just fine here.

whirlwind

2010-05-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

(dont mind the raggedy-ann look we're sportin, it was a long day)

oh my, what a few days it has been. pleased to say that we made it safely to brasil. i should have known better than to freak out about how avery would do on the enormously long plane flight. she did amazing. seriously never cried once, didnt ever ask to walk around in the isles, and slept practically through the night on our red-eye flight.

but my goodness it is another world down here. so many people, so hot, and so abslolutely crazy. if i make it out of here with out some crazy brazilian driver hitting me i'll be lucky... (just kidding mom, we'll be safe). i'm quite sure i can get used the living right on the beach though. we're gonna be just fine here.

it was not near as bad saying good-bye to my family as i had imagined. probably because i knew what it is really like having had my in-laws living here for the the past few months, and plus, i'll be home in august, but i can not wait for august to come.

wish me luck.

missing home already

2010-04-27T20:55:00.001-07:00

due to the fact that our days left here in the states are short numbered, 16 days to be exact, we've been taking advatage of the opportunities we can to visit family. i dont really like to talk about it much cause it sorta makes me sad, but i sure am going to miss home! it wouldn't really be much of a stretch to say that avery loves her grandparents almost as much as she loves her mom, and nothing beats having a 2 moms every time we visit meag. the next two weeks will probably be a little rough for me but i sure am super blessed to have such a fabulous family.

at least moving soon means that i get to see meag more often. she's coming to visit tomorrow and i. cant. wait.

in love

2010-04-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

absolutely in love with this girl. cant even believe how happy she makes me everyday. we took her to the park the other day to let her play and to snap a few pictures before we leave logan. naturally she was way more interested in all the other kids playing than a silly camera in her face. luckily kell snapped a few winners.

this last picture could possibly be my very favorite, ever. man she makes me laugh!

ps... she finally started walking today!!

does this mean i'm a bad mom?

2010-04-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

she'd gone down shorter slides all afternoon by herself. i thought it would be fun for her. perhaps it was a little to big. good thing she's very forgiving and still loved the slide.