Ok Ok..It's been forever and a day..I KNOW!!!

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged. Seems like when I got home from Brazil, the month of July was difficult for me. I lived in a bubble and didn't want anyone to know what was going on. We went camping several times and to the Oregon Coast to get away. We had a great time, but it didn't take the problems away. Soon after, I decided it was time to get a job and start doing something so I wouldn't sit and think about things. I started working at Purnell Law Offices in Meridian. I have learned so much in such a short amount of time there. There are never dull moments when you practice so many areas of law. (Family - Divorce, Immigration, Corportate, Guardianship, Civil, Criminal, Estates - planning and probate...and more) Gets intense at times, but overall it has been fun. The end of September, my sister LaNae called and asked if I would be interested in working for them doing all the scheduling, billing, and contract work for their alarm system business. I thought somehow I could juggle 2 full time jobs and still manage to keep afloat. I have done this for the past month and a half. I even recruited a friend in Nyssa to come help me with the security system stuff so it wouldn't too overwhelming. Both jobs have been a blessing in disguise and I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father that still cares about me.
Sarah started first grade and continues to love school. She is a great reader and does excellent work. She was recognized at the school assembly in September with the achievement award. She got her ears pierced for her 7th birthday and that has been pure drama!!
Sabrina stays home with grandma and grandpa, who are both retired. She is pretty self sufficient in most things so she is easy to take care of. She enjoys watching cooking shows with grandpa and playing crazy 8's with anyone that will play. She even taught grandpa how to play and beats him quite often!! She does preschool with my mom and is learning her letters and sounds.
Naldo is working in Brazil managing a fishing boat during the fishing season. He enjoys fishing and watching others learn amazon tradition. He caught quite a few big fish. I think his biggest was 18 lbs. It was a monster!! I know have a new record to beat!! :)

I think we are all up to date now!! In my spare time, I still sell hats and bows and do anything crafty. I have a new best friend I call Big Daddy - a 48 inch vinyl cutter. If you need vinyl cut, let me know!! I'm your girl!! :)

I'll let the pictures do the talking!!

Swimming at hotel


swimming at hotel

Hotel we stayed at

More swimming!!

Church dedication

Church dedication


Playing basketball at the church. Kind of funny to watch since they don't know how to play very well...soccer is more their sport!!

Boat festival



Boat festival. They decorate boats and do a parade...shoot off fireworks, etc.

Look at all those people on that boat!! WOW!!


The girls before the boat festival started.

Sunday church before we left for Manaus. So glad to see everyone again!

The girls and my Sogro at church!

This gay guy ALWAYS asks me for money...everytime I go to brazil...One time I told I gave all my money to my husband and he spent it...so he cursed at Naldo...HAHAHA!!

Kelen playing clapping games with the girls! She was the best babysitter ever!! :)

Beto and his wife, Lidiane. She is 9 months pregnant and waited until I left to have the baby :( I kept telling her I was going to steal her baby boy!!

Kelen and Sarah playing the wii!

Sabrina trying to knock Sarah over.

Sabrina coloring!! NICE bunda Brina!! :)

Grating root to make a yummy cake!! :) It was soooo good!! Check out that home made grater. They got a metal can of baby formula..turned it wrong side out and hammered holes in it. That thing was SHARP! If you barely touched it, you would start bleeding! I didn't bleed!! My sogros were shocked when I knew how to do that!!

Breaking a sweat while grating!! :)

Naldo pulled Sarah's 2 front teeth while in Brasil...1st - June 12th 2nd - June 22nd. The toothfairy even found her way to Brasil!!

Girls having fun at the hotel waiting for the rain to pass so we could go to vovo's house!

They grabbed the umbrella and said..lets go NOW!!

Valmir (Cousin), sarah, sabrina, me. Valmir LOVES the girls and wants to steal them!!
Valmir is very indian looking...but stands about 6'4"! SOOO tall for the amazon area.

Sabrina having fun!!

Sarah coloring on the motorcycle so when someone wants to leave, they have to take her too!

Playing frisbee in the rain.

Naldo and the girls playing in the rain! :)

AHHH...the best way to take a nap on a hot day..in a hammock!

My Sogro when we first got to Brasil. They didn't know we were coming so it was an awesome surprise when we pulled up in the taxi and jumped out. He was sitting outside asleep in his chair. when the car stopped and the girls hopped out and ran over to him, he just about fell off his chair. He couldn't believe his eyes. He thought he was dreaming.... it was AWESOME!! :)

Pure Drama!

Sarah had 2 permanent teeth grow in behind her 2 baby bottom teeth a few months back. They grew and grew but we could never get Sarah to wiggle the baby teeth. I kept telling her I was going to take her to the dentist to get them out and she didn't care much. One of the baby teeth became quite loose, so Naldo pulled it out while I held Sarah down. The permanent tooth moved in to the space perfectly, but the next tooth over still had the baby tooth and permanent tooth behind...until today! I kept telling her it was very ugly to have shark teeth. She didn't care. After 3 hours of PURE DRAMA...and I mean top notch drama, we finally got it out. First, my mom tried to pull it because I hate everything about pulling teeth. She failed...Then she got Sarah to bit down on a carrot. That loosened the tooth quite a bit. Next the laffy taffy sticks. Sarah wasn't very thrilled about that. The tooth was barely hanging there. You could see the hole already and it already. I told Sarah it was time to go see Aunt dentist Trish! We went to their house and Sarah was quite shy at first and didn't even want to show Trish the tooth. She finally did and Trish was surprised it was still in there by how far she could push it down. I gave up on Sarah and told her I had a lot of things to do and that I was going to go sit in the car and wait. I unlocked the door, opened Sarah's door so she just had to jump in, went around the car and sat in the drivers seat. Next thing I know, Sarah comes running down the sidewalk towards the car with the plastic ziplock bag I gave her. I jumped out of my seat and asked if it was out and she said...Yep! Trish bumped it a little bit...and Sarah pulled it the rest of the way off and put it in the bag! I told Sarah she was full of drama and she said..."well if you would have just sat in the car in the first place and waited for me, it wouldn't have taken so long..." OHHHH man....I couldn't believe she said that! Then she went on to say that she pulled a lot of drama all afternoon trying to get her tooth out and now it feels much better!! I'm so glad. She wasn't going to Brasil with her shark teeth! Naldo would have pulled it out in the airport for sure while we have a layover in Atlanta!! Now instead of teeth pulling, we can play games and color while waiting! good thing!! :) She's only lost 2 teeth so far...I am thinking I will take her to the dentist and have him pull the top 4!! I can't take the drama.......

One tough cookie!

Yesterday, I took Sabrina to the doctor for her 4 year shots and a wellness check before we go on vacation. I told her upfront that shots hurt, she probably wouldn't feel well afterwards, etc. to prepare her so it wasn't a shock when it happened. She woke up yesterday and wanted to go right then to get her shots, like it was something very exciting that she got to do! I told her that her appointment wasn't until 3:00 pm and she'd just have to wait. We ended up leaving the house a little early and did some shopping first because she couldn't hold her excitement in any longer! She wanted those shots and she wanted them bad!! We got to the doctors office a little early and they took us right back...that usually never happens, especially when the waiting room was packed full of people. (At TVPC) We went back and they started checking her out. First her blood pressure, then her vision and hearing, then they told me they would have to poke her finger to test her sugar and what not. I told them ok thinking it was the test they did to me all the time when I was pregnant..poke..put it in the slide thing and they were done. NOOOOO, she came with a vile thing, poked her finger..squeezed blood for 3-4 minutes until this vile was full. Sabrina was so brave and didn't even cry. She kept saying that it hurt, but she didn't cry. I sat on the chair filling out the paperwork, trying to ignore what was happening because I hate blood, needles, etc. The nurse put the bandaid on, turned around and I saw the vile of blood. I kid you not...instant cold sweats, stomach churning like I was going to throw up right then and there, etc. She left the room and Sabrina got off the table and I was holding her. I had to push my sleeves up because I was sweating and getting dizzy. Also, I pulled my chair over to the vent that was blowing cold air and leaned over. Sabrina decided she was done and wanted to leave. She said over and over that she wanted to go home. I told her she had to get her shots first and then we would. She wasn't very excited about them anymore. To get her out of the room for a bit, I took her to the bathroom to distract her of what was going to happen in a couple of minutes. We returned to the room and the nurses came right in. I told them I coudn't stay in there and they got someone to hold sabrina and keep her distracted while they gave her the 4 shots. I kept hearing them say that she did so well and next thing I know, the door comes flying open and Sabrina come running out with a look of terror on her face! I picked her up and the first thing out of her mouth was...Mom, I'm brave and I didn't even cry. I asked if it hurt bad and she said...yeah..it hurt bad, but I'm brave. The nurses came back with coins for their machine with prizes, stickers, and rings. She was loaded! I told her I'd take her to walmart and let her get a toy afterwards if she felt up to it. Not only did she get a toy, she was convinced she was starving to death and got Subway! She was one happy little camper. She came home and showed everyone her bandaids, ran like a wild child and finally crashed. During the night, I could tell she was in pain as she could barely move her legs. By morning, she was fine, ripped off her bandaids and said she wanted a bath to relax!! She's one tough cookie. I keep telling her I would have cried for sure! She thinks I'm the biggest whimp in the world probably!! Oh well...I am!

Brazil...We are coming soon!!

I can't believe it is May already. We bought our tickets in March and it seemed so far away until our departure date - now it is just around the corner! I'm very excited to surprise everyone there. They know we are coming sometime this year, but don't know the date! Even though I will miss my **cough cough*** 10 year class reunion, I'm excited to be in Brazil during World Cup time. The streets will be painted in green, blue, yellow, and white! Soccer fanatics will sit in front of every tv available cheering on their team. Every goal made means 15-20 bottle rockets will go off within seconds! Very exciting times...very little sleep! We will be gone for 1 full month enjoying family,friends, good food, fishing, and the amazon!

Now we have 3 busy weeks ahead of doctor appointments, Mother tea, field trip, award assemblies, packing, going to Utah, etc. I know they will fly by! I can't wait!!

Happy Birthday Miss Sabrina!

When the new calander for 2010 was hung on the wall, my mom told Sabrina that her birthday was on Easter this year. Sabrina told EVERYONE that her birthday was on Easter and that the Easter bunny would bring her a birthday cake!! That is all she wanted though. A birthday cake. When we would ask her what she would like for her birthday, she would say, "it doesn't matter, I like anything." When we were in Utah, Naldo took her shopping for her birthday and told her she could get anything...well within reason, of course. She picked 2 Hello Kitty plastic figurines that cost $2.89. Naldo kept trying to tell her she could get more. She was content with those kitties. He took her to several stores and still she wasn't crazy about getting more. Finally, he was able to talk her into a movie and a tinker bell book. She is that way in life also. She is content with the smallest things and doesn't care about much. She can be quite stubborn sometimes, but the rest of the time she is so easy going and cares so much about other people. Sabrina is a blessing in our lives!! I love her so much! Happy 4th Birthday Brina B!!

So Innocent..NOT!!

NOTE: I'm writing this mostly as a journal entry to remember and tease Sabrina about it years from now!!

She looks so innocent, but trust me, do I have a great story to tell about this fine little princess. The other day, I was downstairs - busy - doing something. Sarah and Sabrina were upstairs playing the wii. Soon, I hear little pitter patter feet running through the kitchen. I knew it was Sabrina by the way she runs. As soon as I saw her I asked, "What happened to your pants....and your panties??" You need to put them back on or your buns will freeze and it won't be pretty. She looked at me sheepishly and said..."Well, I had a little accident...not big...just a little." I quickly jumped up and went upstairs to find her pants and panties in the bathroom...with a little poop in her panties. I asked her if it was just an accident or if she was being lazy and didn't quit her game in time to make it to the bathroom??!! She said she just didn't make it in time. I grabbed her panties and went downstairs to grab some oxyclean and tide to soak the panties. While I was in the bathroom, she knocked on the door and said..."Now I will tell the truth mom. I told Sarah to put 2 players on the wii and if she didn't, I was going to poop my pants....she didn't put 2 players, so I pooped my pants." I couldn't punish her because I was laughing SOOO hard. She just smiled and knew this time she was lucky and got off easily. She knows better now though! Sarah didn't care if she pooped her pants. She was going to put 1 player no matter what!! Sabrina appears so innocent...NOT!!!

Before and After

My sister keeps asking me to post a picture of Sabrina's new haircut. So, this is for you, LaNae!!

Before

After

So, if you have seen Sabrina lately, she is now sporting a cute little bob haircut. She decided to cut her hair herself! She also cut a little piece in Sarah's hair, but you can't tell. They got the scissors and I asked what they were going to do with them. They also had a handful of paper and said they were going to cut that. I was on the phone and about 3 feet away from them (a wall between us) and little did I know - Sabrina was hacking away at her hair on one side. I thought that I would make her keep it like that...very choppy and short on the one side..but I just couldn't do it. I took her to a friends house and she chopped off all of her locks to even it up. Sad, but true!!

Tonight, Sabrina crawled up into my lap and said..."Mom, curl your tongue like a hot dog bun..." So I did. I told her to do the same and she said. "Mom, I can't...I can only make it look like bread.." I laughed so hard! She's a smart little kid!

Earlier, I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and Sarah knocked on the door and said..knock knock..so I said..who's there..she said..alvin and the chipmunks...I said..alvin and the chipmunks who...then opened the door...she said...Hhhhhheeeeeellllllllloooooo gorgeous!!

I am thankful for my kids for making me laugh everyday even when days are rough!

She keeps me laughing!!

Sabrina has been playing the wii lately when Sarah is at school because she usually doesn't get a chance when Sarah is home. Today, she was playing a very intense game of table tennis. Score 5-6...match point...she lost. Afterwards, the wii goes on to congratulate the winner...it said..."congratulations...." she clicked to go on to the next screen knowing she lost....and under her breath in a disgusted voice she said..."what you mean congratulations??" ahhh...I laughed so hard...I don't think she knew I was paying attention and watching her because I was sorting through some papers! Gotta love kids!!!

I have been the biggest slacker on blogging lately! It seems like the days pass so quickly. Seems like December flew by so quickly! Christmas was good this year, although it was very quiet. Keith's family came over and we ate a nice lunch/dinner. Afterwards, we enjoyed each others company, played games, and played the wii. It was fun playing...for a while...until my 6 year old (I won't mention any names) kicked my trash at everything and ended by saying, "if you want to play with me, you'll need to keep practicing to get better." Ouch...Oh well.

New Years was fun. Naldo was able to come for a long weekend and spend time with us. My mom, dad and I were the only ones that survived until midnight. Everyone else crashed a lot earlier. Well, Sabrina fell asleep at 11:40 p.m. so she just barely missed out! It was fun though. We ate a lot of good food over the weekend and just had fun together.

In our family, January is a busy month for birthdays. (3rd - Mom, 7th - Naldo, 11th - Dad, 16th - Holly, 31st - Alex) We will be having parties every Sunday except for 1 this month!

Sarah got her report card yesterday and is doing very well at school. She was excited to go back to school to see her friend Mikayla. Over the long break, they played together 1 day and had a great time. She is taking AR test for reading!! She took her first test and got 100%. She was excited about that! Sarah has been begging for months to take sack lunches to school. I let her pack her own a few times and take it. I made a deal with her now that we will look at the menu for the week and she can choose 2 days to take lunches. She took one on Tuesday last week and decided to take one on Thursday. She packed it herself again although I did make her a pb & j sandwich. Knowing she had already used her 2 days up for the week, she decided not to eat all of the food on Thursday and save some for friday. When she got home from school, I asked where her lunch bag was and she said she forgot it at school. I asked what food was still in there and she said...well....enough for tomorrow!! She decided to "forget" it again over the weekend. Luckily it only has corn pop cereal in it! Funny kid!!

Sabrina goes to her imaginary school. She has 2 friends there; Katie and Say. Her teacher's name is Snow Angel. She has quite the imagination! If she does something new, you ask her who taught her to do it and usually she will say Katie did. Pretty funny little kid!! She has 2 more years until she starts school so hopefully by then, she will graduate from her imaginary school and be ready for kindergarten. I hear Snow Angel is a good teacher and is getting her ready for "big school." hahah

Other than that, we are back into the routine of things. I will try to be a better blogger this new year. I should really write the funny things my kids say. I have forgotten a lot of them now. Sad..I know! I will be better!! I will!!