I really don´t know how to do this...but I guess I have to let it out sometime...We had a miscarriage. So no more baby #3 for us....Mat is going to let everyone know through the technological tools...and I´m just gonna lay low for a while...After everything we went through this year, all I can say is that I didn´t think we needed to get hit like this...I thought it had been enough for 2010...needless to say I am hurting like no words can explain....devastated is an understatement!!!
So I guess that´s all for now...
Happy New Year everyone and I hope 2011 brings more happiness to everyone´s plates...
Barb
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A new baby!!
I wanted to wait until I officially told people about our newest pregnancy because I wanted to make sure there was a baby and a heartbeat going on there... :) So today we had an ultrasound and everything is wonderful! Baby is cute and healthy, and has a strong heartbeat....and I'm head over heels in love with this baby already!!!! Looks like a little gummy bear...and it's actually the size of one....Due date is around July 24th and we are pretty sure it's another girl....but we will be able to find out soon enough (a month since we have a 3D ultrasound taking place around then...)
We are not sure why (we know they want to monitor the baby's health more closely, they almost treat pregnancy as an abnormal thing that needs to be monitored closely if anything were to happen), but docs ask for ultrasounds monthly, and I'm not complaining!! :)
We are doing good...still being tested to the limits of patience and charity, but learning and trying to grow our faith in Heavenly Father...If you get a chance, please pray that we will move out of the little hole we live in right now and move to our 3 bedroom apartment WITH all of our things that we brought from the States! It would be my Christmas present this year!!!! :)
My post will be quick, because I have no pictures of the baby yeat...they will be ready on the 16th and then I can marvel at them and post them here :)
cheers
We are not sure why (we know they want to monitor the baby's health more closely, they almost treat pregnancy as an abnormal thing that needs to be monitored closely if anything were to happen), but docs ask for ultrasounds monthly, and I'm not complaining!! :)
We are doing good...still being tested to the limits of patience and charity, but learning and trying to grow our faith in Heavenly Father...If you get a chance, please pray that we will move out of the little hole we live in right now and move to our 3 bedroom apartment WITH all of our things that we brought from the States! It would be my Christmas present this year!!!! :)
My post will be quick, because I have no pictures of the baby yeat...they will be ready on the 16th and then I can marvel at them and post them here :)
cheers
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
New routine
I tried posting 4 times the day after my last post and wasn't able to do so because for some reason pictures weren't being uploaded....so I saved the post and will upload it later....
Today I wanted to jot now our new routine and how helpful that has been to our family. I began having huge problems and being really sick of Bia waking up multiple times during the night. She is already one and with Isabelle she slept soundly through the night at 1 1/2 months old. So after posting on facebook I gathered a good buch of ideas and began testing them out. I think the best one so far has been to put the kids down for bed EARLY.
You will probably think I'm stupid, but I thought that putting the kids down at 9 pm was wonderful. Well, my friend said her daughter who is a little bit older than my youngest goes to bed at 6:30-7 pm. I was shocked! Was my baby overtired? So we tried putting her down at 7:30 that first night (cuz Mat gets home at 7 and I still want him to see her before she goes down) and she SLEPT! She keeps waking up twice during the night to eat, but I figured that until she has her room and we have a crib for her, I can't let cry it out right by my side. It's tough having a one bedroom. Isabelle is sleeping on the couch and Bia on a mattress by our bed. I let her cry when she first goes down, which is not taking very long, but not at 2 am when she waked up screaming...I can't sleep if I let her cry it out!!!
With that said our routine has COMPLETELY changed since then. It looks more like this now:
Girls wake up before 8am
breakfast,changing and playing
lunch at 11:30
Nap from 12-3 for Bia and from 1-2(or 3) for Isabelle
Play,play play (while I make dinner, clean the house, do laundry and try to play with them too etc etc...)
Baths at 5pm
Dinner at 6pm
Reading stories, scriptures and prayer sometime after dinner (however long dining takes)
Bed time at 7:30 for Bia
Isabelle watches a short movie or part of a movie before going down between 8-8:30pm (she is so good that I can tell her to turn off the dvd player after she is done with the movie and I can come back after my shower and it will be turned off and she will be singing trying to go to sleep, she has done that frequently and I think it's adorable!!!!!!)
PARENTS FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
It takes a lot more discipline on my part than on theirs, it takes me not going out later in the day so I don't mess up the routine, it takes going out early for errands and especially waking up early. They used to wake up at 9 or after that....and I was able to sleep in with them...and now we have an EARLY routine....I'm more tired, but happier for being able to accomplish more during the day. None of that would be possible without my Heavenly Father who gives me the enthusiasm to follow thru with it....it's hard and so rewarding at the same time. Mathew is a happier person, I am a happier mom and I have especially decreased my time with computers and blogs..... which is definetely a plus for me :) "good, better and best"is what I've been trying to focus on lately
So here are some random but recent pictures....I hope it uploads and if it doesn't....I tried :)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
we belong....
Since we have no pictures on the computer I must just give you all the summary of the weekend. Tuesday was "children's day"in Brazil, therefore a holiday ans since brazilians can never get enough of days off , a lot of places extended the holiday and allowed their employees to miss Monday as well- including Mat's job. The only thing they do is ask the employees to stay 6 minutes over their normal work schedule in order to make it up over a period of time. He's been working for over a month now and it has happened twice already. There's another once coming up in November :) hooray for brazilian holidays :)
So we went to Botucatu which is 2 hours away from where we live- still in the state of Sao Paulo. Anyways, the good news is that Mat and I decided we are country people. Our goal is to have a place where we can have 1 cow, 1 horse and some chicken. We loved the sunsets, the sunrise and everything about a "rural city" much like our beloved Rexburg. Of couse we want to have access to a big city. We love cities too, but we have talked about how it would be such a learning experience for us and for the kids to have that exposure to nature. We love the nature, we love being out and it's funny how we learned that about ourselves after moving to a concrete jungle.
We lived in Rexburg for almost 7 years and we only learned that about ourselves after we moved out. Isn't that interesting? I'm excited about our finding and excited to be able to accomplish that goal in the future. We'll see if all works out:)
Anyway, we had fun and came back refreshed...pictures to come....I'm going to my mother's tomorrow and we will be able to upload pictures
Hope all is well with all of you
cheers :)
So we went to Botucatu which is 2 hours away from where we live- still in the state of Sao Paulo. Anyways, the good news is that Mat and I decided we are country people. Our goal is to have a place where we can have 1 cow, 1 horse and some chicken. We loved the sunsets, the sunrise and everything about a "rural city" much like our beloved Rexburg. Of couse we want to have access to a big city. We love cities too, but we have talked about how it would be such a learning experience for us and for the kids to have that exposure to nature. We love the nature, we love being out and it's funny how we learned that about ourselves after moving to a concrete jungle.
We lived in Rexburg for almost 7 years and we only learned that about ourselves after we moved out. Isn't that interesting? I'm excited about our finding and excited to be able to accomplish that goal in the future. We'll see if all works out:)
Anyway, we had fun and came back refreshed...pictures to come....I'm going to my mother's tomorrow and we will be able to upload pictures
Hope all is well with all of you
cheers :)
we belong....
Since we have no pictures on the computer I must just give you all the summary of the weekend. Tuesday was "children's day"in Brazil, therefore a holiday ans since brazilians can never get enough of days off , a lot of places extended the holiday and allowed their employees to miss Monday as well- including Mat's job. The only thing they do is ask the employees to stay 6 minutes over their normal work schedule in order to make it up over a period of time. He's been working for over a month now and it has happened twice already. There's another once coming up in November :) hooray for brazilian holidays :)
So we went to Botucatu which is 2 hours away from where we live- still in the state of Sao Paulo. Anyways, the good news is that Mat and I decided we are country people. Our goal is to have a place where we can have 1 cow, 1 horse and some chicken. We loved the sunsets, the sunrise and everything about a "rural city" much like our beloved Rexburg. Of couse we want to have access to a big city. We love cities too, but we have talked about how it would be such a learning experience for us and for the kids to have that exposure to nature. We love the nature, we love being out and it's funny how we learned that about ourselves after moving to a concrete jungle.
We lived in Rexburg for almost 7 years and we only learned that about ourselves after we moved out. Isn't that interesting? I'm excited about our finding and excited to be able to accomplish that goal in the future. We'll see if all works out:)
Anyway, we had fun and came back refreshed...pictures to come....I'm going to my mother's tomorrow and we will be able to upload pictures
Hope all is well with all of you
cheers :)
So we went to Botucatu which is 2 hours away from where we live- still in the state of Sao Paulo. Anyways, the good news is that Mat and I decided we are country people. Our goal is to have a place where we can have 1 cow, 1 horse and some chicken. We loved the sunsets, the sunrise and everything about a "rural city" much like our beloved Rexburg. Of couse we want to have access to a big city. We love cities too, but we have talked about how it would be such a learning experience for us and for the kids to have that exposure to nature. We love the nature, we love being out and it's funny how we learned that about ourselves after moving to a concrete jungle.
We lived in Rexburg for almost 7 years and we only learned that about ourselves after we moved out. Isn't that interesting? I'm excited about our finding and excited to be able to accomplish that goal in the future. We'll see if all works out:)
Anyway, we had fun and came back refreshed...pictures to come....I'm going to my mother's tomorrow and we will be able to upload pictures
Hope all is well with all of you
cheers :)
Friday, September 3, 2010
Long time no post....I have good news though...
So I have taken so many pictures lately just to find out that the MAC doesn't have a "memory card whole" so I can transfer the pics from here....
For now written news will have to do it....I'm looking for the camera cable....I just wanted to dust this thing off!!!!
First and foremost: MATHEW GOT A JOB!!!!He has actually been working for a couple of days now. He is now an employee of LG electronics here in Brazil. Which means he gets to be a software engineer...and whatever that means= a happy husabdn because he is doing what he has a passion for and what he wanted to do all along. After 4 long months of prayers we have finally been blessed with a wonderful job. We won't get rich any time soon, but I'm sure that knowing how to manage our money will sufice for now.
Seconf: the girls are happy and growing up so fast! I think Bia could be walking in a couple of months maybe sooner...I don't think she is ready, but she keeps trying to let go of the couch once she is standing up and she has been able to stay up for a few seconds on her own....my baby is so grown up. With age came learning ad with learning Isabelle taught her how to yell and hit...Isabelle has been really jealous of her sister and she has been going to time out a whole lot around the house. Hopefully she will learn that hitting is not nice pretty soon. Bia is one little trooper though...the other day Isabelle caught her finger with a toy while pushing her away and her finger wouldn't stop bleeding, she cried for a few seconds and then was happy again, meanwhile Bebelle saw all the blood and started freaking out....I was SO MAD at her...
Third: we are living at this one bedroom apartment it belongs to my great aunt and it is a place she has for when she comes to Sao Paulo to go to doctors etc. Tiny to say the least. I have taken pictures of where we are and it is called and "ash tray" here in Brazil because there are so many buildings around that you can't see anything else but buildings (which kinda looks like cigarettes). I have to make an effort to get out of the house at least twice a day so I won't go crazy with the girls and vice-versa...we are looking into public schools or maybe just swimming lessons....something that will burn their energy :) It's nice to be the four of us again and to be able to call a place home. We are def looking forward to moving somewhere bigger and finally get our things from the moving company settled, but we are sure happy as we can be here and I REALLY enjoy the neighborhood....it's beautiful and it has everything we need around here.
Fouth: I'm still really lost in Sao Paulo. Can't drive without a GPS at all...and don't think I will ever be able to do so.
Fifth: I just spent two months in Brasilia (my hometown) with the girls and I am really tan...the girls went from transparent to white :) and sooner or later they will be able to tan as well as their mom ], hahahahaha :) I fell like I am 17 again when I am tan...which is great...the only problem is that my body keeps telling me I am older with all the back pains I inhereted from child birth, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Sixth: my days have been so busy with the girls and being a domestic goddess (haha) that I don't have the energy to blog too much...but it makes me happy and I am going to be more diligent with it...especially because it's my time away from everything...
I don't know what else to share besides pictures...that should be coming soon...I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone that has been praying/cheering for us....we appreciate it and we are loving life...so that is also good :)
I will catch y'all later...and I will visit all the blogs tonite :)
Barb
For now written news will have to do it....I'm looking for the camera cable....I just wanted to dust this thing off!!!!
First and foremost: MATHEW GOT A JOB!!!!He has actually been working for a couple of days now. He is now an employee of LG electronics here in Brazil. Which means he gets to be a software engineer...and whatever that means= a happy husabdn because he is doing what he has a passion for and what he wanted to do all along. After 4 long months of prayers we have finally been blessed with a wonderful job. We won't get rich any time soon, but I'm sure that knowing how to manage our money will sufice for now.
Seconf: the girls are happy and growing up so fast! I think Bia could be walking in a couple of months maybe sooner...I don't think she is ready, but she keeps trying to let go of the couch once she is standing up and she has been able to stay up for a few seconds on her own....my baby is so grown up. With age came learning ad with learning Isabelle taught her how to yell and hit...Isabelle has been really jealous of her sister and she has been going to time out a whole lot around the house. Hopefully she will learn that hitting is not nice pretty soon. Bia is one little trooper though...the other day Isabelle caught her finger with a toy while pushing her away and her finger wouldn't stop bleeding, she cried for a few seconds and then was happy again, meanwhile Bebelle saw all the blood and started freaking out....I was SO MAD at her...
Third: we are living at this one bedroom apartment it belongs to my great aunt and it is a place she has for when she comes to Sao Paulo to go to doctors etc. Tiny to say the least. I have taken pictures of where we are and it is called and "ash tray" here in Brazil because there are so many buildings around that you can't see anything else but buildings (which kinda looks like cigarettes). I have to make an effort to get out of the house at least twice a day so I won't go crazy with the girls and vice-versa...we are looking into public schools or maybe just swimming lessons....something that will burn their energy :) It's nice to be the four of us again and to be able to call a place home. We are def looking forward to moving somewhere bigger and finally get our things from the moving company settled, but we are sure happy as we can be here and I REALLY enjoy the neighborhood....it's beautiful and it has everything we need around here.
Fouth: I'm still really lost in Sao Paulo. Can't drive without a GPS at all...and don't think I will ever be able to do so.
Fifth: I just spent two months in Brasilia (my hometown) with the girls and I am really tan...the girls went from transparent to white :) and sooner or later they will be able to tan as well as their mom ], hahahahaha :) I fell like I am 17 again when I am tan...which is great...the only problem is that my body keeps telling me I am older with all the back pains I inhereted from child birth, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Sixth: my days have been so busy with the girls and being a domestic goddess (haha) that I don't have the energy to blog too much...but it makes me happy and I am going to be more diligent with it...especially because it's my time away from everything...
I don't know what else to share besides pictures...that should be coming soon...I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone that has been praying/cheering for us....we appreciate it and we are loving life...so that is also good :)
I will catch y'all later...and I will visit all the blogs tonite :)
Barb
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Because I have been given much I too must give....
If you can read "LIFT WHERE YOU STAND" by Elder Uchtdorf in the Ensign November 2008, please do so, as it is what I based these thoughts on.
I always love to read or watch whatever Elder Uchtdorf has to say. He is such an inspiration in whatever subject he talks about. Who would have known that just a few years after he was called to be an apostle (which I had not heard about him before then) he would be such a motivational and popular speaker? I love him!!! I love his messages and he comforts my soul. What I like about his talk is the fact that he mentions that the most important callings that we will ever receive are of: father, husband and home teacher, three simple callings that everyone has the change to be called to and that represent the most in our lives. He also mentions how we will not be judged for the positions we held in life. I find it interesting because today my husband and I were thinking about ways that we could reach out to others and serve people in need. This all came about as my husband was traveling to Curitiba and he saw this beggar. A woman who looked about 40 years old that went to the local bar to ask for some food. It probably took her a whole lot of courage to do that as she knew that the owner would most likely say no to her request. She came to my husband and told them that she was upset with the owner because at the end of the day they would just throw away all the food that was left over. It broke his heart and so my husband his friend went up to her and asked her if she was hungry and if they could buy her some food. This lady started to cry, I can only imagine her face and my heart goes to her without even knowing this lady. They went to a local restaurant where she could choose a selection of foods: rice and beans, meat, salad etc. She was so concerned about spending their money and the food being too expensive. I couldn’t hold back the tears just thinking about this lady. They both sat with the lady as she ate because the restaurant wouldn’t have let her stay in there by herself. So as they chatted away the woman said she was 27 years old (my husband’s age) and she has three small kids: a little boy who was over 3 and a set of twins who were 9 months. As she talked a little bit she had a hard time eating meat, because her teeth were in such bad shape that she almost lost one as she was chewing her meat. She showed her almost falling tooth to my husband and our friend as she struggled to chew. Again my heart was broken. Then I wondered if she had any food for her little ones and I’m glad my hubby wondered about that too. She did have food for them and a friend was taking care of her little treasures, they had rice and beans, milk and everything they needed back home. She works collecting cans and selling them to be recycled and with the money she will pay for food. Mat said that this lady had some sort of sheet on top of her old-dirty-worn out clothes and that her palms had gauze wrapped around it because she was cutting wood to cook food to her children. He said she did not understand the importance of hygiene (as anyone in her situation probably wouldn’t) and they had to help her wash her hands. She also said that she knew how to read because she studied until 4th grade. Mathew gave her the name of the church and told her to look for two missionaries where she lived. She lived far away somewhere inland of Curitiba. I wish he had gotten her address so WE could send the missionaries in. I actually wish I was there so I would have taken her in and bathed her, taught her about very basic nutrition, hygiene, I wish I could have taken her to the dentist, bought her some clothes and helped her get a job. Even if she can work cleaning a house, she would be in a much better shape than she is. She can’t get a job the way she is. She couldn’t even get into the employment services building in her state. It just broke my heart. I cried and cried because of the injustice that is all around. I cried as I thought about this mother worried about not having enough food to feed her little ones and how much she probably worried about their future, or the lack thereof. I’ve decided that I need to do something. I cannot save every beggar or fix every social issue out there, but one by one I can help and I can make a difference. I can be more frugal and save money for times like this, where I find a lady in such need. I can be more grateful for what I have and NEVER complain, no matter how bad the situation gets. I can learn more to be able to build an institution to help people like her. I can share the gospel and help those people become self reliant. There’s so much I can do. The only thing I cannot do is stand still….because it breaks my heart, not only as a mother, but as a human being. I love this gospel and feel so immensely blessed and rich. I cannot get over it. I hope this has helped someone out there today, as it has helped me and I hope that in the future I can do much more than just sharing a story that touched my heart.
I always love to read or watch whatever Elder Uchtdorf has to say. He is such an inspiration in whatever subject he talks about. Who would have known that just a few years after he was called to be an apostle (which I had not heard about him before then) he would be such a motivational and popular speaker? I love him!!! I love his messages and he comforts my soul. What I like about his talk is the fact that he mentions that the most important callings that we will ever receive are of: father, husband and home teacher, three simple callings that everyone has the change to be called to and that represent the most in our lives. He also mentions how we will not be judged for the positions we held in life. I find it interesting because today my husband and I were thinking about ways that we could reach out to others and serve people in need. This all came about as my husband was traveling to Curitiba and he saw this beggar. A woman who looked about 40 years old that went to the local bar to ask for some food. It probably took her a whole lot of courage to do that as she knew that the owner would most likely say no to her request. She came to my husband and told them that she was upset with the owner because at the end of the day they would just throw away all the food that was left over. It broke his heart and so my husband his friend went up to her and asked her if she was hungry and if they could buy her some food. This lady started to cry, I can only imagine her face and my heart goes to her without even knowing this lady. They went to a local restaurant where she could choose a selection of foods: rice and beans, meat, salad etc. She was so concerned about spending their money and the food being too expensive. I couldn’t hold back the tears just thinking about this lady. They both sat with the lady as she ate because the restaurant wouldn’t have let her stay in there by herself. So as they chatted away the woman said she was 27 years old (my husband’s age) and she has three small kids: a little boy who was over 3 and a set of twins who were 9 months. As she talked a little bit she had a hard time eating meat, because her teeth were in such bad shape that she almost lost one as she was chewing her meat. She showed her almost falling tooth to my husband and our friend as she struggled to chew. Again my heart was broken. Then I wondered if she had any food for her little ones and I’m glad my hubby wondered about that too. She did have food for them and a friend was taking care of her little treasures, they had rice and beans, milk and everything they needed back home. She works collecting cans and selling them to be recycled and with the money she will pay for food. Mat said that this lady had some sort of sheet on top of her old-dirty-worn out clothes and that her palms had gauze wrapped around it because she was cutting wood to cook food to her children. He said she did not understand the importance of hygiene (as anyone in her situation probably wouldn’t) and they had to help her wash her hands. She also said that she knew how to read because she studied until 4th grade. Mathew gave her the name of the church and told her to look for two missionaries where she lived. She lived far away somewhere inland of Curitiba. I wish he had gotten her address so WE could send the missionaries in. I actually wish I was there so I would have taken her in and bathed her, taught her about very basic nutrition, hygiene, I wish I could have taken her to the dentist, bought her some clothes and helped her get a job. Even if she can work cleaning a house, she would be in a much better shape than she is. She can’t get a job the way she is. She couldn’t even get into the employment services building in her state. It just broke my heart. I cried and cried because of the injustice that is all around. I cried as I thought about this mother worried about not having enough food to feed her little ones and how much she probably worried about their future, or the lack thereof. I’ve decided that I need to do something. I cannot save every beggar or fix every social issue out there, but one by one I can help and I can make a difference. I can be more frugal and save money for times like this, where I find a lady in such need. I can be more grateful for what I have and NEVER complain, no matter how bad the situation gets. I can learn more to be able to build an institution to help people like her. I can share the gospel and help those people become self reliant. There’s so much I can do. The only thing I cannot do is stand still….because it breaks my heart, not only as a mother, but as a human being. I love this gospel and feel so immensely blessed and rich. I cannot get over it. I hope this has helped someone out there today, as it has helped me and I hope that in the future I can do much more than just sharing a story that touched my heart.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A few questions...
Lately it has been so hard for me to recognize the promptings I have been receiving...I had some pretty good impressions about things that were going on in our family and I was sure quick to follow them...however the impressions I got didn't turn out the way I expected. It's kind of confusing because I don't want to get into a lot of detail cuz it's pretty personal....but is it too hard to understand? I've got to understand this prompting deal better....cuz it's what carried me through life and I'm really trying to get in touch with it....
Today we also had the brazilian game...and it was Thiago (my little devilish brother), grandma, mom and Izzy...not as fun as I would hope...cuz they are relly not that much into soccer and so they don't know what is going on and comment on things that are just random and wrong...hahahahaha, I think I need to get some company for next time...get together with friends....when Brazil scored twice, Isabelle cried...she was so scared...the entire neighborhood screamed and the vuvuzelas went off...it was crazy,...next time I'm going to record it so everyone in the States gets a feeling for how CRAZY this country is about soccer...It's REALLY a lot of fun...I'm so glad I'm here at this time :)
cheers
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Tiny Looks Boutique
Hey everyone...my friend Beca has just started her kid's boutique...she makes darling clothes and I LOVE IT! I wanted to annouce it to everyone so you can take a look at her facebook page....there's also a giveaway that you can participate...which is what I'm doing...hehehehehe
Check it out! You won't regret it!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/tinylooks?ref=ts
Check it out! You won't regret it!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/tinylooks?ref=ts
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A good change...
This is what the "Mercado Municipal" looks like with all the fruits....it's the garden of eden :)
riding a bike with the two girls was hard work...but so worth it!
Bea is a little sunshine...she never has a bad day even when she does :)
A little ice cream for Izzy....
I love this picture of grandma and her girls...they are just an awesome team...It's about time I learn how to change my background and do fun stuff on my blog....be patient with the changes...something weird might come up or out of place too :)hahahahaha
I'm feeling way better about things...I guess we all have our ups and downs right?
Lately I have been really missing Rexburg and the lifestyle I had back there...missing my friends...even my bishop...he was an all around awesome guy and has a great family. Don't get me wrong I think I will still have plenty of opportunity to love my new ward...but you goota know I thought I was in the best church ward ever!!!hehehehehe
Our stuff is still not here from the States and it should head to Brasilia sometime this month, then it's making sure we have a job, a home and we head to Brasilia to pick up our stuff at my grandma's house. Which by the way is here visiting us in Sao Paulo.... I'm trowing some more pics in here today to make it fun fun fun!!
Hope u all have a lovely end of night....
Babi
Quick question for my nurse friends (or anyone who wants to answer really): I'm felling a "uterine heaviness", like I'm bloated but in the uterus (weird I know) lately...is this a sign that my period is coming back? I'm still nursing and I haven't had my period since I got pregnant with Bea...so....any guesses?? I'd love to hear from you...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
I MISS REXBURG!!!!!(the title has nothing to do with the content of this post,hehehe)
So, I'm trying really hard to finish my homework for my online class "teachings of the living prophets" and my mom keeps talking about farmville with my great-aunt. It's so annoying...I hate this facebook games.
Anyway..I've been meaning to write here about my relationship with my mom and this seems as good of a time as it gets(this sentence doesn't sound right, is it?). Well, some of you know my mother and know that I have issues with her, she is a nice lady, she has taught me a lot of things that I can only be grateful for, I love her. There are some things thought that I SO wish she had taught me when I was younger and I wanted to make note of that so moms out there won't do the same because those are things that I had to struggle REALLY hard to learn on my own. (and still learning)
One of the great aspects that I am eternally grateful for is the time I have spent in the States. I had contact with a culture that for the most part (at least the part I was exposed to) that teaches responsibility and accountability to children. I have so many great friends who did not know I was watching them, but I did FREQUENTLY because I wanted to learn how to do that with my kids. Hard work, responsibility, accountability, diligence, patience, craftiness etc are some of the things that I have been working so hard to learn since I left home when I was 18. I want to mostly focus on hard work.
I have noticed since I came here that my mom has really never understoon how to teach us hard work. I have a 10-yr-old brother who does not help around the home. Mostly because my mom feels that she needs to spare him of that work in order to show him that she loves him and that she is a good mother. Have you ever seen that before? She works extra hard around the house picking up his slack and cleaning, cooking and doing everything that a home maker does for a 10 yr old who doesn't think it is his responsibility to help around the house. That is exactly how we grew up. With a loving mother who didn't want us to work around the house because she wanted us to be kids. Well fast forward a little bit and when 18 hit, she expected all kids to start taking care of their stuff (we were actually only supposed to take care of our rooms, which I was the only one who did it, when it got really messy) and help her out around the house. She says that because we have grown up we need to know that she needs help. Now in my head, the least thing 18 yr olds want to do is help their moms. So I left to go to college and my brothers were the ones supposed to help. Wanna know the outcome?nobody ever helped and she was more and more overwhelmed with house work. I would feel sorry for her at this point, but to me it was self inflicted and it won't change. It won't change because I've talked to her, I pointed out how I could have learned better and how I wish I learned how to do things and you know what she said? "you take care of your kids and I will keep doing what I think is right for mine"...well then...
So I urge you to teach your kids to work hard, to share responsibilities in the home, to be part of a working family, becase those were the things that I noticed the most and I try so hard to build with my family.
Without getting into too much detail as I went to college I had a hard time with my choices and learning how to manage my time and how sometimes the consequences of my poor choices (nothing regarding my eternal salvation) was something I could not choose or change... I could change my choices but not the consequences...I wish I were more disciplined and I knew how to do things around the house more....you know little things like that?it definitely helps when you are away from home.
It's been really hard on me trying to be completely different from the way I was raised. As I said, my mom is a great person, but a great person I have a lot of issues with and I hope that I can be someone that won't have issues with my daughters. I hope I can teach them the importance of taking responsibility for your actions and their individual worth.
We women have to be REALLY careful with how we teach our kids, because it will come back to haunt us. I can testify of that.
What has your mom taught you that helped you as an adult? How has your mom taught you to be patient? or hard working? or responsible?
Anyway..I've been meaning to write here about my relationship with my mom and this seems as good of a time as it gets(this sentence doesn't sound right, is it?). Well, some of you know my mother and know that I have issues with her, she is a nice lady, she has taught me a lot of things that I can only be grateful for, I love her. There are some things thought that I SO wish she had taught me when I was younger and I wanted to make note of that so moms out there won't do the same because those are things that I had to struggle REALLY hard to learn on my own. (and still learning)
One of the great aspects that I am eternally grateful for is the time I have spent in the States. I had contact with a culture that for the most part (at least the part I was exposed to) that teaches responsibility and accountability to children. I have so many great friends who did not know I was watching them, but I did FREQUENTLY because I wanted to learn how to do that with my kids. Hard work, responsibility, accountability, diligence, patience, craftiness etc are some of the things that I have been working so hard to learn since I left home when I was 18. I want to mostly focus on hard work.
I have noticed since I came here that my mom has really never understoon how to teach us hard work. I have a 10-yr-old brother who does not help around the home. Mostly because my mom feels that she needs to spare him of that work in order to show him that she loves him and that she is a good mother. Have you ever seen that before? She works extra hard around the house picking up his slack and cleaning, cooking and doing everything that a home maker does for a 10 yr old who doesn't think it is his responsibility to help around the house. That is exactly how we grew up. With a loving mother who didn't want us to work around the house because she wanted us to be kids. Well fast forward a little bit and when 18 hit, she expected all kids to start taking care of their stuff (we were actually only supposed to take care of our rooms, which I was the only one who did it, when it got really messy) and help her out around the house. She says that because we have grown up we need to know that she needs help. Now in my head, the least thing 18 yr olds want to do is help their moms. So I left to go to college and my brothers were the ones supposed to help. Wanna know the outcome?nobody ever helped and she was more and more overwhelmed with house work. I would feel sorry for her at this point, but to me it was self inflicted and it won't change. It won't change because I've talked to her, I pointed out how I could have learned better and how I wish I learned how to do things and you know what she said? "you take care of your kids and I will keep doing what I think is right for mine"...well then...
So I urge you to teach your kids to work hard, to share responsibilities in the home, to be part of a working family, becase those were the things that I noticed the most and I try so hard to build with my family.
Without getting into too much detail as I went to college I had a hard time with my choices and learning how to manage my time and how sometimes the consequences of my poor choices (nothing regarding my eternal salvation) was something I could not choose or change... I could change my choices but not the consequences...I wish I were more disciplined and I knew how to do things around the house more....you know little things like that?it definitely helps when you are away from home.
It's been really hard on me trying to be completely different from the way I was raised. As I said, my mom is a great person, but a great person I have a lot of issues with and I hope that I can be someone that won't have issues with my daughters. I hope I can teach them the importance of taking responsibility for your actions and their individual worth.
We women have to be REALLY careful with how we teach our kids, because it will come back to haunt us. I can testify of that.
What has your mom taught you that helped you as an adult? How has your mom taught you to be patient? or hard working? or responsible?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Ashamed....
Granpa is really looking granpash in this picture...
Ready to see the tiger...
Life is good on my granpa's lap...while driving the car....(we were going 2 mph as you can see the animals were all around us)
This is how close you can get to them...I was holding Thiago's hand because he was afraid they would bite him as they tried to get the food from his hand... (Thiago is my 10 yr old brother)
My turn....it was so fun!!!
Grandpa with the girls...I think he is especially in love with Bia...
us taking the train to go to a "gosh" forsaken place with my great aunt...
My parents and Czuba...a good friend and returned missionary from my parent's missiona- Portugal Lisbon
Isabelle at the Mercado Municipal- 25 de marco...
Bia having fun looking at the monkeys at Simba Safari
The living room of my parent's apartment...
Czuba and Bia...they look SOOOO good in this picture...
Our little family...without my chubby Bia...
ironing...and momma on the back
So today I got a good reality check of my own. I went to this lady's house from my ward. Let's call her Mary. She lived with her husband in the States for 10 years. Her hubby finished a bachelor's and a masters degree and they had to come back in a hurry because they found out the had leukemia, which when she was diagnosed the people at the hospital asked her" do you have 250,000 dollars?" She responded negatively and they said they wouldn't be able to treat her. She came back to survive really...they still haven't got their lives in place. I have been thinking a lot lately and the conclusion is really shame. I mean, really what kind of challenge would it be to come back to our country get a wonderful job and money to spare without any REAL hard work involved?what would be the lesson learned?how would we grow our trust and depency upon the Lord if we were just handed everything we thought we deserved?? I see so many people that still struggle despite their qualifications...why would we be any different?
So I guess today I come to the realization that things won't ever be easy or painless....(as much as we "knew" things wouldn't be easy you never really understand it until you are here) It's just how opposition in all things work. Perhaps it's not so much what I go through but what I learn from it and how I face it that will make all the difference in the end.
So cheers to gratefulness and to all the blessings that I have been giving....and cheers to everyone who has to work hard to make things work....because this is the ride that we accepted to take and we have to make it a joyful one....so I'm making mine a joyful ride...no matter what...
ok...gotta go...
:)
Ready to see the tiger...
Life is good on my granpa's lap...while driving the car....(we were going 2 mph as you can see the animals were all around us)
This is how close you can get to them...I was holding Thiago's hand because he was afraid they would bite him as they tried to get the food from his hand... (Thiago is my 10 yr old brother)
My turn....it was so fun!!!
Grandpa with the girls...I think he is especially in love with Bia...
us taking the train to go to a "gosh" forsaken place with my great aunt...
My parents and Czuba...a good friend and returned missionary from my parent's missiona- Portugal Lisbon
Isabelle at the Mercado Municipal- 25 de marco...
Bia having fun looking at the monkeys at Simba Safari
The living room of my parent's apartment...
Czuba and Bia...they look SOOOO good in this picture...
Our little family...without my chubby Bia...
ironing...and momma on the back
So today I got a good reality check of my own. I went to this lady's house from my ward. Let's call her Mary. She lived with her husband in the States for 10 years. Her hubby finished a bachelor's and a masters degree and they had to come back in a hurry because they found out the had leukemia, which when she was diagnosed the people at the hospital asked her" do you have 250,000 dollars?" She responded negatively and they said they wouldn't be able to treat her. She came back to survive really...they still haven't got their lives in place. I have been thinking a lot lately and the conclusion is really shame. I mean, really what kind of challenge would it be to come back to our country get a wonderful job and money to spare without any REAL hard work involved?what would be the lesson learned?how would we grow our trust and depency upon the Lord if we were just handed everything we thought we deserved?? I see so many people that still struggle despite their qualifications...why would we be any different?
So I guess today I come to the realization that things won't ever be easy or painless....(as much as we "knew" things wouldn't be easy you never really understand it until you are here) It's just how opposition in all things work. Perhaps it's not so much what I go through but what I learn from it and how I face it that will make all the difference in the end.
So cheers to gratefulness and to all the blessings that I have been giving....and cheers to everyone who has to work hard to make things work....because this is the ride that we accepted to take and we have to make it a joyful one....so I'm making mine a joyful ride...no matter what...
ok...gotta go...
:)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
what I've learned...
So here a few things I wanted to register because I have been learning so much lately:
1- marriage is a partnership of equals- if you want the husband to do it, you do it first and he will follow behind you. Even if sometimes you have to ever so gently remind them of the "equal" partnership and that our job is the hardest job out there.
2- kids respond to love example so much better...it's so hard not to lose it sometimes though...
3- personal commandements can be treaky and crazy inspirations that you get from time to time, but they are OHHHH so personal and NEED to be followed. I'm still battleling with mine ;)
4- An empty mind is the foundation of evil. One must always keep the mind occupied and focused in order to avoid trouble.
5- Sometimes (quite often actually) in life being quite is better than anything you could say. I think that truth is not as important as knowing when to "shut up" is....and i'm really not undermining the value of always speaking the truth....agian...just something I learned.
6- if you work hard enough for something it will mean lots more than if it's just given to ya!
And the list goes on...but those are just a few that I wanted to mention.
Mat keeps going for interviews and they all require you have your "own" company. So instead of hiring the person they hire the service. Does that make sense? So now we are in the process of doing that and some other good leads.
I just want to settle down!!!!! It's all good though...we have been reatly blessed and I think the Lord is again taking us to unexpected and dark places...but we will keep trusting him that this is the best route we can get and that later on we will look back and see the worders He has worked in our lives.
Something else I wanna tell ya!! "Socialist" medicine rocks. (hehehehehe, at least for the girls it does). Here in Brazil if you don't have a private insurance they send you to the government's insurance. It's not like medicaid, it's more like the insurance system they have in Canada. Anyway, it sucks for adults, but for kids so far so good...at least where I've been. It's poor and ugly, but the treatment is great and that's all I care. After living here for over a month now I'm getting used to the poorness, ugliness and dirtyness of places...and I'm even dressing the part cuz usually I'm so afraid of being robbed if I look nice when I go to those places. Today I was about to put my make up on and I decided leave it off cuz I wasn't going anywhere where people would have make up on. Something really interesting about
Even though we went to the doc at 11:30 am and left and 3 pm the girls have a GREAT pediatrician and they have all their vaccines and stuff in. It wastes my entire day, but at least they are doing well and have competent doctors caring for them...I just hate to be always vigilant of the sick little kids around them...they all wanna touch each other's hands,toys...it's freaking hard work to keep them away from other kids...they wanna play!!!the other day a little guy fell in love with Izzy and then his mom comes up to me after his consult and says "He really has pnemonia!!!" and I was like "&@^&#%%^@#" Arghhhhhhhh....I bathed Izzy in hand sanitizer and went on with life....sometimes you can only pray for the best and wish you could punch that irresponsible mom's little face, hehehehehe
Oh!and by the way...Bia's dinner today was: mandioquinha (yucca rootish/potato kinda thing), carrot and chicken....all in mash potato style...and SHE LOVED IT! I can't believe my little girl is already eating solids....SO grown up!
1- marriage is a partnership of equals- if you want the husband to do it, you do it first and he will follow behind you. Even if sometimes you have to ever so gently remind them of the "equal" partnership and that our job is the hardest job out there.
2- kids respond to love example so much better...it's so hard not to lose it sometimes though...
3- personal commandements can be treaky and crazy inspirations that you get from time to time, but they are OHHHH so personal and NEED to be followed. I'm still battleling with mine ;)
4- An empty mind is the foundation of evil. One must always keep the mind occupied and focused in order to avoid trouble.
5- Sometimes (quite often actually) in life being quite is better than anything you could say. I think that truth is not as important as knowing when to "shut up" is....and i'm really not undermining the value of always speaking the truth....agian...just something I learned.
6- if you work hard enough for something it will mean lots more than if it's just given to ya!
And the list goes on...but those are just a few that I wanted to mention.
Mat keeps going for interviews and they all require you have your "own" company. So instead of hiring the person they hire the service. Does that make sense? So now we are in the process of doing that and some other good leads.
I just want to settle down!!!!! It's all good though...we have been reatly blessed and I think the Lord is again taking us to unexpected and dark places...but we will keep trusting him that this is the best route we can get and that later on we will look back and see the worders He has worked in our lives.
Something else I wanna tell ya!! "Socialist" medicine rocks. (hehehehehe, at least for the girls it does). Here in Brazil if you don't have a private insurance they send you to the government's insurance. It's not like medicaid, it's more like the insurance system they have in Canada. Anyway, it sucks for adults, but for kids so far so good...at least where I've been. It's poor and ugly, but the treatment is great and that's all I care. After living here for over a month now I'm getting used to the poorness, ugliness and dirtyness of places...and I'm even dressing the part cuz usually I'm so afraid of being robbed if I look nice when I go to those places. Today I was about to put my make up on and I decided leave it off cuz I wasn't going anywhere where people would have make up on. Something really interesting about
Even though we went to the doc at 11:30 am and left and 3 pm the girls have a GREAT pediatrician and they have all their vaccines and stuff in. It wastes my entire day, but at least they are doing well and have competent doctors caring for them...I just hate to be always vigilant of the sick little kids around them...they all wanna touch each other's hands,toys...it's freaking hard work to keep them away from other kids...they wanna play!!!the other day a little guy fell in love with Izzy and then his mom comes up to me after his consult and says "He really has pnemonia!!!" and I was like "&@^&#%%^@#" Arghhhhhhhh....I bathed Izzy in hand sanitizer and went on with life....sometimes you can only pray for the best and wish you could punch that irresponsible mom's little face, hehehehehe
Oh!and by the way...Bia's dinner today was: mandioquinha (yucca rootish/potato kinda thing), carrot and chicken....all in mash potato style...and SHE LOVED IT! I can't believe my little girl is already eating solids....SO grown up!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
somes pictures....
It took me a long time to get this picture out....so here is a little bit of the concrete jungle I am living in. I am actually startying to see the beauty in it!!!! I don't know why it takes so long for pictures to be posted in this blog....i think I really haven't posted pictures in a while heh???hahahahahaha
Bea and grandpa taking a much needed nap....he's enjoying her so much!!!!
Izzy trying to be mommy and carrying a HUGE purse....
The concrete jungle...
The graffitti is part of our daily lives now...hehehehe
ok....I know it's not much...but at least something right???i'll have more tomorrow....
Bea and grandpa taking a much needed nap....he's enjoying her so much!!!!
Izzy trying to be mommy and carrying a HUGE purse....
The concrete jungle...
The graffitti is part of our daily lives now...hehehehe
ok....I know it's not much...but at least something right???i'll have more tomorrow....
Just testing...
So, I'm trying to post some recent pics...and 'm not sure why i's not working....but it uploaded this really old one...hahahahahaha...so here's to a little bit of fun in this blog :)(Does Izzy look like me???)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The 5th largest city is the world: welcome to Sao Paulo
So I promised a post with tons of pictures, but I'm having a hard time finding my camera cable (am I translating things to portugueses already?I'm not sure cable is the right word)...I think the dang thing is in the ship on the way to this "wonderful" country. Do you feel a little sarcasm already?hahhaahha. Well needless to say I've been less than impressed with Brazil since I've been back. Not only the social differences are horrendous(sp?) I've been really anxious about life in general. I've had to use the SUS to take the girls to doctor's appointment and THANK GOD this country has a "socialist" health care for those that cannot afford a private insurance. The girls have had great treatment so far though and Bia has come down with a nasty ear infection and she is taking a round of antibiotics. Izzy is also sick but we are using the nebulizer and she is not coughing half as much as she was when we first got here.
It's humid!!!!!!My skin is great, but I cannot feel clean during the day. I keep sweating and I have to say I'm pretty sure hell will be humid and heaven will have the perfect climate like Brasilia, hehehehehehehe
So there are two things I have found out about my life that I hadn't previously realized, two things you gotta understand about me: 1) All my life I've been spoiled rotten for being a good girls in my family and I have never been really extremely exposed to poverty and unfortunetly poverty bothers me 2) I'm a little on the naive side for when it comes to real life experiences and I plan on staying that way and raising my children that way. Let me explain myself because I just sounded like a huge jerk. I am really shocked with how things worked in Sao Paulo. I was raised in the capital (Brasilia) in a clean and organized city and now I've introduced to PURE mess. Sao Paulo is caos. I have to say I'm learning how to like it, but it's definitely a process. The pollution and noise drive me nuts, but there's everything you can possibly imagine at your fingertips. The variety is amazing. People are SOOOOOO nice and I have to say I thought people in Rexburg were nice, but I think it's even better in Sao Paulo :) There are soooo many people, it's crazy....we took the subway two days after we got here and went downtown. I don't think I've ever seen so many people together. It was amusing to say the least....we got talking in the subway and met two really nice ladies who were in love with the girls and then we went our ways....people in Sao Paulo are just cool you know? I just love the people....I love brazilian people...their hearts, their smiles...their everything :)
Now the poverty, it bothers me. Because I'm not used to seeing so many poor places. You have to remember I lived in Rexburg for almost 7 years. Clean, neat, organized, small, beautiful.....I come to the polar opposite: dirty, disorganized, crowded and sometimes pretty plain ugly. I catch myself in aw just wondering WHAT IN THE HECK AM I DOING HERE?????
My ear fellow blog friends...I am yet to find out what my purpose is....but I'm sure there's one. Well, I have to hold on to that, because if I don't I will go crazy. Mt has gone to three interviews so far and we haven't heard anything. Next week there's more. People tell us we need to be patient and that opportunity is there. We are doing a lot of networking and the Lord will bless us. It just bugs me that in the meantime we have to live off my parents. I guess I really never learned to be "getter" I like giving a whole lot better than receiving things.
In Brazil everything is smaller: the toothpaste, cars, cups, portions, people, streets, the bread, apartments...EVERYTHING...it's funny and frustating, hehehehehe. I'm still getting used to all of that too :)
We are living in a tiny (and when I mean tiny, I mean a 3 bedroom apartment which is where my parents live with 8 of us). I have taken pics of our sleeping arrangements and it's pretty funny actually. We have managed to establish a routine and we are officially "settled" as far as figuring out how and when to do things.
Food: the fruits and vegetables are amazing....soooooo much better than in the States.... I guess we have to win in at least one aspect right?hahahahaha
Friends: Another thing you have to know about me is the older I get the harder it is for me to change and make more friends. I just love my friends so much and I was so comfortable with them that it just takes effort to want to get to know more people. I'm pretty open, but I have changed so much thru the years that now it takes will power to go out make friends and then be open to them. I need to change for the better!!!! I haven't felt a great need to socialize and I think it's partly because I'm still battling with myself about being here and what I need to do, and how to establish a better routine, how to take advantage of the resources I've been given etc...I need to get out of my shell though and I don't know why it's so hard. (Thank goodness Aline is here otherwise I'd be in deep depression by now, hahahahaha) I think Heavenly Father has a funny sense of humor, every time he knows I'm comfortable I move and then I have to change my life and make friends and fall in love with people and cultures and places and then he moves me again :) (is that why I'm still resistant to change?hahahaha)
Well, this post was just an update. I think I can transfer my pics to my mom's pc tomorrow. So you can have a better idea of how our lives are here. I will just leave you today with information and a lot of complaining :) hahahahahahaha. I'm really sorry I don't have pics yet. I will have them pretty soon :)
Thanks for worrying and praying for us. We are happy close to family and enjoying their company. I mean truly happy and blessed. Even with all my complaining, we are healthy and Heavenly Father has never left our side. I'm just getting used to the ride but I recognize that we have all we need for now and we just have to trust that whatever is the best will end up happening in the end!!!!!!!
Cheers everyone
Barb
Monday, April 12, 2010
Last night in Rexburg....
We have had a crazy busy and fun last few days....I think the way Mat described in his testimony today at church really tells it all "I cannot think of a different word but grattitude". That's how I feel right now. We have had an outpouring of help and friendship throughout the days....People calling offering to take the kids, meals at all times (yummy by the way). We have eaten at our friend's houses for a long time now....We have a lot of people coming over to our home to help us clean up and patch holes on the walls, scrub the floors,ovens, cabinets etc....I've had help packing our luggage and anything else you can probably think of. I truly am GRATEFUL.
I cannot help but think how much of a better friend I could have been, how much more I could have done for others and how much I have learned. I truly LOVE this city and it has become my home for the past 7 years. It's hard to leave it all here and go to the unknown. I really am to the point where I am just AFRAID of leaving Rexburg. I don't think I would mind just staying....I know we have lots to learn wherever we end up, but it will be hard.
We've had friends through "good bye parties" for the past 2 weeks and it has been amazing. They sang for us, they were just THERE so I want to take the time to thank them here because I know that it doesn't take very much from me to thank people, but it means the world to them:
1)Anna: first and foremost I think I have to thank you. For holding on to our friendship thru the good the bad and the ugly :) For being so helpful and so wonderful even when you are expecting twins with wild Thomas running around. Thank you for being part of my success as you helped me graduate,be a better mom and a better friend. I really wish I could have done more for you and been there more for you, but I hope you know that I have learned to be a better person because of you. I want you to know how much I truly love you from the bottom of my heart, and how much I blindly trust you :) Please come live close to me soon? I've become spoiled :) You are family to me, the look alike sister I've never had and always wanted to have :) Remember you can always count on me and that I will always always be there for you. No matter what.
2) Helga: You are just amazing.I can never keep up with your energy and willingness to help and come over for a good laugh. I just love you to pieces. Thank you for your friendship and endless help with the girls and for just listening to me :) CONGRATS on your graduation as this marks a great accomplishment and a huge victory...and know that you are loved wherever you are!!
3)Jana e Samuelson: I really love and admire you. You have been an angel to us and I know that you need to be praised every day for the person you are and whatch you have taught me. I know you will do great things in the future and help Sam to be even a better man than he already is, because you are just that kind of person, You make others better because of your presence and example.
Johan: BIXOOOOOOO. I don't know what to say except that,hehehehehehehe, I think it summs it up. I know Mat will miss you, (and I will miss you too) THANK YOU for all your help, you have been there for us every time we needed and that means a lot to our family. I hope you have felt the same way and that we can always be there for you too....I just love you :) and I hope we live close to each other again...if not, when we all become rich, we can go on cruises together and laugh our heads off from when we were poor and gave each other $5 dollar gift cards from Applebee's (you'll know what I mean pretty soon)
Ana Amelia: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! You are an amazing women and I love you. I've learned immensely from you and enjoyed every minute we spent together as rommates and friends. I wish you the best wherever you go from here on out and I want you to know that I love and appreciate you :) I will miss you
Paulinha e Cefas: I really hated that we became so close as we were about to leave. I wish you guys had been here all along. I love you and I have found true friends in you. I know our lives will cross paths in the future. Paulinha thanks for all the help that you have given me and all the yummy meals you have served. For laughing so hard together until Mat falls asleep cuz it's so late and he can't handle it anymore :) OBRIGADA OBRIGADA OBRIGADA. You will be forever loved and remembered. We'll see you in a few months ;)
Caroles: Angelita loves you :) I wish I could be here for the a little while longer :) You will be such a great mom....and Bebelle won't hate you in a few years...you will be her cool aunt forever :) Please make some charming boys for my girls after you marry and I will make some charming boys for your girls so we can be family :) I think we actually are family at heart :) I love you and I appreciate all the help and good conversations we've had and memorable times.
Friends: If your name was not specifically mentioned it does NOT mean you are not loved and appreciated. I just felt a great need to show gratitude to those that have had a huge hand in our lives and have helped us so far shape who we areand who we want to become.
I don't have words anymore...I really don't know what to think and feel....I actually feel a little empty and I wish I didn't have to say good-bye. As I think about all the fun and lessons that I have learn I think most of all I have to thank my Heavenly Father. Not only after these years here I recognize my complete dependency on Him and my need to just follow HIS WILL. I actually need to thank Him for sending me the friends and acquaintances in the past years that have taught me so much.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU is really all I can say. We are blessed individuals for all that we have and truly are rich because of our friends.
I now 'bid you farewell' as my next post will be in Brazil....where I will blog more and let you know what is going on in our lives a lot more frequently. I hope the Lord blesses you wherever you are and whatever you do and may God be with you till we meet again :') I can hardly keep my crying under control as I think of this song...
With much love,
Barbara
I cannot help but think how much of a better friend I could have been, how much more I could have done for others and how much I have learned. I truly LOVE this city and it has become my home for the past 7 years. It's hard to leave it all here and go to the unknown. I really am to the point where I am just AFRAID of leaving Rexburg. I don't think I would mind just staying....I know we have lots to learn wherever we end up, but it will be hard.
We've had friends through "good bye parties" for the past 2 weeks and it has been amazing. They sang for us, they were just THERE so I want to take the time to thank them here because I know that it doesn't take very much from me to thank people, but it means the world to them:
1)Anna: first and foremost I think I have to thank you. For holding on to our friendship thru the good the bad and the ugly :) For being so helpful and so wonderful even when you are expecting twins with wild Thomas running around. Thank you for being part of my success as you helped me graduate,be a better mom and a better friend. I really wish I could have done more for you and been there more for you, but I hope you know that I have learned to be a better person because of you. I want you to know how much I truly love you from the bottom of my heart, and how much I blindly trust you :) Please come live close to me soon? I've become spoiled :) You are family to me, the look alike sister I've never had and always wanted to have :) Remember you can always count on me and that I will always always be there for you. No matter what.
2) Helga: You are just amazing.I can never keep up with your energy and willingness to help and come over for a good laugh. I just love you to pieces. Thank you for your friendship and endless help with the girls and for just listening to me :) CONGRATS on your graduation as this marks a great accomplishment and a huge victory...and know that you are loved wherever you are!!
3)Jana e Samuelson: I really love and admire you. You have been an angel to us and I know that you need to be praised every day for the person you are and whatch you have taught me. I know you will do great things in the future and help Sam to be even a better man than he already is, because you are just that kind of person, You make others better because of your presence and example.
Johan: BIXOOOOOOO. I don't know what to say except that,hehehehehehehe, I think it summs it up. I know Mat will miss you, (and I will miss you too) THANK YOU for all your help, you have been there for us every time we needed and that means a lot to our family. I hope you have felt the same way and that we can always be there for you too....I just love you :) and I hope we live close to each other again...if not, when we all become rich, we can go on cruises together and laugh our heads off from when we were poor and gave each other $5 dollar gift cards from Applebee's (you'll know what I mean pretty soon)
Ana Amelia: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! You are an amazing women and I love you. I've learned immensely from you and enjoyed every minute we spent together as rommates and friends. I wish you the best wherever you go from here on out and I want you to know that I love and appreciate you :) I will miss you
Paulinha e Cefas: I really hated that we became so close as we were about to leave. I wish you guys had been here all along. I love you and I have found true friends in you. I know our lives will cross paths in the future. Paulinha thanks for all the help that you have given me and all the yummy meals you have served. For laughing so hard together until Mat falls asleep cuz it's so late and he can't handle it anymore :) OBRIGADA OBRIGADA OBRIGADA. You will be forever loved and remembered. We'll see you in a few months ;)
Caroles: Angelita loves you :) I wish I could be here for the a little while longer :) You will be such a great mom....and Bebelle won't hate you in a few years...you will be her cool aunt forever :) Please make some charming boys for my girls after you marry and I will make some charming boys for your girls so we can be family :) I think we actually are family at heart :) I love you and I appreciate all the help and good conversations we've had and memorable times.
Friends: If your name was not specifically mentioned it does NOT mean you are not loved and appreciated. I just felt a great need to show gratitude to those that have had a huge hand in our lives and have helped us so far shape who we areand who we want to become.
I don't have words anymore...I really don't know what to think and feel....I actually feel a little empty and I wish I didn't have to say good-bye. As I think about all the fun and lessons that I have learn I think most of all I have to thank my Heavenly Father. Not only after these years here I recognize my complete dependency on Him and my need to just follow HIS WILL. I actually need to thank Him for sending me the friends and acquaintances in the past years that have taught me so much.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU is really all I can say. We are blessed individuals for all that we have and truly are rich because of our friends.
I now 'bid you farewell' as my next post will be in Brazil....where I will blog more and let you know what is going on in our lives a lot more frequently. I hope the Lord blesses you wherever you are and whatever you do and may God be with you till we meet again :') I can hardly keep my crying under control as I think of this song...
With much love,
Barbara
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
I've been tagged a while ago....
1. When is your "engagement" anniversary?
September 17th, 2005...just 3 months before we go married...and I thought it was forever until he actually proposed...i was so anxious!
2. When is your "marriage" anniversary?
2. When is your "marriage" anniversary?
December 17th, 2005 (we actually count the temple date instead of the civil wedding- for those of you who don't know, in Brazil they don't recognize temple marriage and so we got married civily on the 15th, drove the entire day of the 16th to the closest temple and got sealed bright and early on the 17th)
3. How long have you known your spouse:
I think the first time I met him was august of 2000. So technically almost 10 years...WOW!
4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged?
after he came back from his mission we started sating again in July and got engaged in september
5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?
It was at the Oeiras chapel in Portugal. I saw him with cargo pants, a shirt that matched the pant and a little hat(bone)...I thought he was really handsome and he had the bad boyish look to him, which I loved and also the most beautiful green eyes :) I think I feel for him then... :))))
6. What is you and your spouse's full names:
Mathew Kretly Pretel Busto
Barbara Roque da Costa Pretel (Yeah! I refused to take the Busto)
7. Do you have any children:
Yeap, two girls...2 1/2 yrs old and 6 months
8. How many - boys/girls:
2 girls....as I said before....heheheheh
9. Do you have any house pets:
No, not yet...I really want a god though....11. Do you live in the country or town/city:
I would call rexburg country, but we are moving in a few days to Sao Paulo, the 5th largest city in the world: POLLUTION here I come!!!!!
12. What are some of your favorite activities together:
I love to watch movies with him and cuddle. Mostly out main thing has been talking lately though, because he is never home with his last semester of school and I miss talking to grown ups :)13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot:
Any beach
14. When did you first kiss?
It was at a temple trip to the Madrid Temple in Spain. I can't remember exactly, it's in my diary. I think June 22nd, 2002
15. What church do you attend?
LDS Church in Rexburg
16. Did you get married in a church?
Campinas, Sao Paulo Temple
17. What town is your current address at:
Rexburg, Idaho (and we looooove it)
18. Do you work or stay at home:
Stay at home....and it's a FULL TIME JOB!
Stay at home....and it's a FULL TIME JOB!
19. Where did you go on your honeymoon:
Maceio, Alagoas Brasil and visited places around there...
20.What was the funniest gift you gave when dating?
I don't think I ever gave him anything funny....hahahahaha. I pretty much gave him clothes, cuz he needed them...21.How long have you been together?
If you count dating time before his mission and after 6 years . If not 4 1/2 of marriage.
22. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We became friends for about 2 years before we started to date. Dating is a little different in Latin America (or Portugal for that matter) you become exclusive once you start dating...so I started dating him when I turned 16t.
23. Who asked who out?
We were listening to Djavan sitting next to each other on the bus heading to Madrid and at 5 in the morning as I was falling asleep he kissed me, needless to say I woke up right away...hahahahahaha
25.Where do you each work or go to school?
We both went to BYU-Idaho. He is not working right now and my work is within the walls of my home. ;)
26. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Figuring out how to live together without killing each other :) hehehehehehe. I think once we added on the kids, the stress level went up, but we are both very bad tempered people and so patience is the hardest thing for us. Also dealing with stress and money has proved to also be a huge challenge. We are able to make it all work out though.
27. Did you go to the same school?
Yes, BYU-Idaho. The best school ever ;)
28. Are you from the same home town?
Nope. He is from Lisbon, Portugal(he was born in Brazil and grew up in Pt) and I'm from Brasilia-Brazil
29. Who is smarter?
Depends on what you are talking about....but we both are....what kind of question is this?
30. Who is more sensitive?
Me!!!! He is emotionally challenged...hehehehehe
31.Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Applebee's yummmmmmmmmmm
32. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Brazil?
34. What attracted you about him/her?
His green eyes, his bad boyish look, how he was taller than me (I have a problem with short guys), how he made me feel like a princess and the amount of fun we had together....but mostly and AT FIRST his amazing looks :)hehehehehe
35. Who does the cooking?
I do
36. Who is more social?
I think we both are.....
37. Who is the neat-freak?
I am for sure
I am for sure
38. Who is more stubborn?
Hahahahaha, we are tied on that one
39. Who hogs the bed?
He does
He does
40. Who wakes up earlier?
He does because of school
41. Where was your first date?
? we don't know. I asked him and he also doesn't remember. Really we don't have dates in Brasil, it's more like you start dating and then you go out as boyfriend and girlfriend. If you are not dating when you go out you are just hanging out with friends....at least for me and my group of friends was like that.
42. Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends?
He beat me by one (he had 4 and I had 3) but he def kissed more....he had kissing buddies...arghhh
He beat me by one (he had 4 and I had 3) but he def kissed more....he had kissing buddies...arghhh
43. Do you get flowers often?
No, but I would love to :)
44. How do you spend the holidays?
We have lived away from both of our families since we got married and so we don't know, I would imagine we would split Christmas and New year's taking turns with each family.
45. Who is more jealous?
I AM. Crazy jealous lady....yeap it's me ! :)
46. How long did it take to get serious?
After his mission it took one kiss :)
47. Who eats more?
I eat more when I'm pregnant and he eats more on a daily basis...
48. Who does the laundry?
I do, he never helps with laundry, he hates it.
49. Who’s better with the computer?
Funny question. Def him....he is a computer programmer.
50. Leave a piece of advice for the other couples:
My grandma said this to us on our wedding: Respect each other and be selfless. It still is hard on us to be selfless all the time, but we are working on it and it really is the only way. I find that if I try to think of him as I do things, he tends to respond better and apparently starts being selfless himself. Also have fun together and LAUGH together. It has helped us thru the hard times and it definetely improves the day to day routine and stress :)))
My grandma said this to us on our wedding: Respect each other and be selfless. It still is hard on us to be selfless all the time, but we are working on it and it really is the only way. I find that if I try to think of him as I do things, he tends to respond better and apparently starts being selfless himself. Also have fun together and LAUGH together. It has helped us thru the hard times and it definetely improves the day to day routine and stress :)))
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