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...

:)

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!

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....

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???)