It's that time of year again

The two month span of time when 5/6ths of us get a year older.

My baby is now 4. My oldest is now a teenager (gulp!). How can that be?

Here's Pedro at preschool on his birthday wearing the birthday crown.

His day started off on the wrong foot-Julio had decided that since Pedro likes his mini-basketball hoop that's on his door in his room, he would upgrade his own using an Amazon gift card he got for his birthday in October, and then wrap up his old one for Pedro's birthday. He was so excited to see the look on Pedro's face when he realized he was going to have his very own hoop. I can't remember exactly what Pedro said when he opened the "used" present, but it was something along the lines of, "Why the heck are you giving me your old junk on my birthday!?!"

When it was bedtime that night and Margarita was NOT going to bed, he complained bitterly, "but, I'm four now!"

He has also started pointing out when I have bad breath.

The kid continues to be a charmer.

We had his birthday party a few days later at the place where he does his tumbling class. After 3 years in Brazil where parties cost a small fortune, it was nice to have a relatively inexpensive party for Pedro and 11 of his closest friends.

Margarita's party was even easier for me; two of her sweet friends planned a surprise party for her at their house-so I didn't have to do anything. Around 15 girls were invited and NO ONE spilled the beans-amazing.

This sight at her party cracked me up:

Margarita hitting the pinata-little did her friends know about the years of pinata training she'd had in Mexico. The dinosaur didn't stand a chance.

We were so relieved to find Margarita her normal, sweet self despite the fact that she's a "teen" now. She's always gracious, rarely back-talks, and never tells me I have bad breath.

Where does the time go?

36 Years Young

Is it just me or is time going faster than normal? :)

Another year has gone by- luckily I'm still in my mid-thirties and not my late thirties, right?

I feel a bit lost today because Ballerina Girl and I usually go to lunch for my birthday and she's in the States for her niece's wedding. No one else besides my family knows it's my birthday. That's not totally true, the maid did bring me a gift which was so thoughtful, and my piano teacher texted me.

I can't believe I've been driving for 20 years now (only one ticket, thank you very much...ok, I have spent the last 9 years in countries where the cops don't pull you over unless they need money)...Only two more years until my 20th high school reunion...I've been out of college for 14 years...grad school for 12... only 4 more years until I'm 40? Aggggh!

Deep breath.

It's all good.

Changing the subject, here's the note Juan Carlos left for the tooth fairy the other night. I had to bribe the kid to wiggle his tooth out-have you ever met a kid who doesn't want to wiggle their loose teeth? Since it cost us $100 to get the first one pulled, I told him I'd give him $10 if he could get it out himself.

He wants a necklace with his tooth on it and the money. That's so Juan Carlos. Our tooth fairy is not that talented or creative, so she just left the money and the tooth, just in case he wants to make his own necklace.

Ok, back to my birthday.

Tomorrow Guapo and I are going to Recife for a couple of days without the kiddos for a little birthday trip. Should be fun.

Tchau!

Clubbing in First Grade

Juan Carlos, my 6 year old 1st grader, was invited to a birthday party Friday night that starts at 8:30 pm. Since the standard length for a birthday party here is 4 hours, we can assume that it will get over at 12:30 am.

His mom just called me to explain why it starts so late-because her daughter wants music and dancing-"you know, like a club".

Ummm, I 'm pretty sure he's busy that night (sleeping), but best of luck with your daughter!

Why I'm Walking Like an 85 Year Old on My 35th Birthday

Because my birthday happened to fall on a dreaded Long Run Tuesday.

Here's my 11 mile route today:

Ouch. I came home, drank a gallon of water, almost threw up, and laid on the floor while Pedro watched Wonder Pets (does that completely annoy anyone else?). My legs tightened up to the point that I cannot walk normally. Lovely, eh? I seem to be asking myself every Tuesday why it is exactly that I am doing this race. I don't really have a good answer.

Other than that it's been a good day. I went out to lunch with Guapo. My dad had knee surgery and came out of it ok. There's a yummy key lime pie waiting for me in the fridge.

Ok, I just opened my gifts. Guapo gave me a spa getaway for one night this weekend. (Yippee!)

I'm pretty sure I can use a nice long massage right about now (see above). Awesome.

I feel so grateful lately for my life and for my family (I find reading books on WWII helps a lot in this department). I amazed at what some people go through in this world with illnesses, tragedies, and unhappiness. I don't know how I've gotten so lucky so far in my life-but I really am grateful for all I have. I've got great kids, a husband that I love, good health, loving parents and in-laws, and everything that I need. Life is good.

Here's to 35 years!

Birthday Party Report

We survived the birthday party and actually had a very nice time. We were served leg of lamb at 11 pm, but other than that, it was pretty normal. We made it home just after midnight-not too bad. It of course wasn't too surprising that we were the first to leave the party.

Our friend is just such a cute guy. He is so with it for an 87 year old-he's up on all current events, remembers all of our kids' names and ages, and is just a pleasant, positive person to be around. His wife is so sweet to me, whenever I'm around her she is constantly telling me how young I look for someone who has 4 kids. I like being around people like that. :)

Here he is blowing out his candles:



And here he is with his wife and 21 year old daughter (we found out she was adopted which saves me the time of constantly trying to do the math as to how old his wife must have been when she had her):



Someone at the party asked him what his secret is for aging so well. He attributed it to 3 things:

1. Having a daughter when he was 66
2. Joining the LDS church when he was 81
3. Always using sunscreen

He is the only member of the church in his family and although his wife has some reservations about the church, she is very supportive of him. Here's the cake she made him:



Isn't that cute? A fishing pole, an American flag and a Book of Mormon.

And as far as a gift, we ended up giving him a copy of Gordon B. Hinckely's (previous president of the LDS church) book, "Standing for Something". I think he'll like it.

I can only hope that I am as happy and healthy when I am 87 years old (although I do hope I'm not still having kids in my late 60's)!

Now I Get It.

Now I get why Brazilians out-source all of their birthday parties.

It was so.much.easier than a normal birthday party for me. The most stressful part of the 7 hour day was walking the 18 kids across the street to load them into the 15-seat van (no one wanted to ride in Guapo's car with Pedro):



Once we got to the farm-it was smooth sailing. They provided all the food (including the cake) and even decorated with the must-have birthday theme table:



They entertained the kids for 4 straight hours. I had my doubts, I admit. I thought about requesting a 2 1/2 hour party, but then decided not to since I was paying a fair amount of money for the party. They rotated the kids through a variety of activities including:

Feeding ducks:



Feeding livestock (one kid even got a free ride on the bulls horns-he climbed up the fence and grabbed on which freaked out the bull who swung him around into the pen. A little scary-but it all ended well. Luckily his mom was there so I didn't have to relay the story to her after the party.):



Riding horses:



Milking cows (I couldn't resist-I had to try it):



Playing with a friendly rat (ewwww, I could resist):



and they even had a zip-line:



Thee were only a few minor annoyances. Two kids didn't RSVP (after sending out an invitation and 2 emails begging for RSVP's)- one showed up at our house with her nanny and her cousin. They other showed up at the farm two hours late with her mom and her brother. These two cases were annoying because they didn't RSVP to start with, and then they brought extra people. Since it was a pay-per-head situation, I wasn't thrilled.

Then, one of the kids mom's picked her up an hour and a half late (after I'd had her kid for the last 7 hours). How can you do that???

Other than that it was a great day and I'd probably do it again. Even Pedro had a good day despite missing his nap. He got to try fresh cow's milk:



It took him a minute to decide:



but ultimately, he declared to Gaupo, "That's good milk Dad!"

When I was undressing him for his bath when we got home, I was shocked at what I found in his diaper:



No, I wouldn't show you a poopy diaper. Look a little closer:


Those are little stones.

???

What the heck? I didn't notice him collecting and depositing them, but I can't figure out how else he could have gotten them in there. No wonder he had a fit being strapped in his car seat on the ride home.

It's over and I am relieved. :) No more kid birthdays for 6 months.

Wait a second.

Did I mention how much I love Juan Carlos? This is a post about his birthday.

Let's see, he is such a cute boy with a very sunny disposition. When he smiles, it lights up the room. He gets excited over the littlest things. He collects anything he finds when we are out and about and calls them his "treasures". When I arrive in his classroom to help out he always stops whatever he's doing, runs over to me and gives me a big hug. When I drop him off at school I'll watch him head up the stairs to his classroom and without fail he'll yell down at me, loud enough for the entire elementary school to hear, "Bye mom-I love you!" I know he won't do this forever-so I cherish it each time he does it.

Even though Pedro is my baby-Juan Carlos is my baby. My mamma's boy. I've told him I've made a deal with the Tooth Fairy that he can't loose any teeth so he can stay my little boy. He halfway believes me I think because everyone else in his class has lost a tooth except for him.

The day he has a loose tooth will be a heartbreaking one for me.

I love you Juan Carlos, Happy Birthday!

What Have I Gotten Myself Into Now?

No, I'm not talking about the half-marathon. This makes that look like a walk in the park.

Tomorrow we are having Juan Carlos's 6th birthday party. Semi-Brazilian style.

Unless you live here, I don't think you can truly appreciate the importance of birthday partys in the social life of a Brazilian child (or their parents'). The parties are huge events that include all the family and all the friends of the birthday person. And, oftentimes, family members of the friends. And, of course, friends of all the family members.

Parties are normally held at a "Casa de Festa", (party house) and have a variety of activties for kids of all ages, including, but certainly not limited to:

Zip lines:



Climbing walls:



Various mechanical rides:



And my kids' personal favorite-tables filled with candy to be eaten at at their leisure throughout the party:



I have no problem with going to these parties, other than the fact that they normally last 4 hours and I'm sorry but I just can't do a kid's party for 4 hours (famous last words...).

My kids adore these parties!

My kids WANT these parties for themselves.

Never gonna happen.

Why?

They cost thousands of dollars. I am not exaggerating. I looked into one a while back (after listening to my kids whine about how everybody has a party like this) and the cheapest option was close to $2,000.00. No, no. My kids get small parties at home where we order pizza, I bake a cake from a smuggled-in boxed cake mix, we play freeze-dance and the limbo, and they get to invite a few of their friends whose mothers I know won't also send along their brothers, sisters, cousins, neighbors, etc.

Do I love this kind of party? No. The thought of doing it off-site is very appealing. No cleaning. No cooking. No entertaining. Less stress. But I'm fiscally responsible person (except when it comes to shoes, of course)-so what can ya do?

Then, last month, when I went with Julio on his field trip to the "farm", I noticed a pamphlet about having birthday parties there. Interesting. It turns out they cost a (small) fraction of what these party houses charge.

So, I start thinking... maybe I can give Juan Carlos the kind of party he's always wanted-where he can invite his entire class and I can be the HERO!

I pick out the cheapest packet, which is a party held on a day mid-week of course, and I start looking for a day during the week that the kids don't have school, but that is not a Brazilian Holiday (we don't want too many people on the farm while we're there). So, tomorrow their school has a teacher in-service day. Perfect. And next week is Spring Break (well, really Fall Break if you want to get technical). Excellent. That mean's a lot of people will probably be traveling, right? -so I can get the all the credit for inviting the entire class but chances are only a few will actually be able to come!

Bwhahaha.

Long story short.

It appears that practically no one will be traveling before Saturday and that everyone was more than happy to get rid of their kid for a day. The entire class is coming. I have to rent a very large van to haul all these kids out to "the farm" which is over 75 minutes away. The party will last 4 hours. Followed by the van ride ride home.

Basically I am hosting a 7-hour birthday party/kindergarten field trip without the teachers for fifteen 5 and 6 year olds. On the upside-this is a super-nice group of kids. But still, it's a lot of kids.

HELP!

Happy Birthday Pedro!

Pedro turned 2!

The last year of his life has been much harder than the first year, what with the messes and the tantrums. But he's still a sweet little guy and we love him a ton.

What can Pedro do at 2?

-Swim like a little fish.
-Follow his sister around all day long.
-Talk in full sentences.
-Sleep for 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon and still sleep close to 12 at night.
-Fiercely defend his property.
-Say, "Hi-ya!" as he hits or kicks you. (charming, eh?)
-Ask "What's that?" and "Why?" a hundred times a day.
-Go on family outings to the beach.
-Make messes with the best of them (just ask my mom, he attacked her computer with a marker last week.)
-Make his mom smile.

We celebrated his big day quietly at home-cake, ice cream, and a few presents. I was so glad Vanessa (the pregnant maid) wasn't around to tell me what a horrible mom I am for not spending $1500.00 on a party that he wouldn't even remember. At least my parents were here, so we had a couple of guests.

I teared up periodically throughout the day and by the time Guapo got home from work, I was ready for a good cry. Unless we get a surprise baby, this was our last 2 year old birthday. In one year's time we should be officially done with diapers (hopefully!), highchairs, cribs, pack and plays, etc. etc. I am so torn between wanting my kids to be independent and wanting to always to have a little one around the house. Oh well. That's life I suppose. I've just got to to enjoy each day with them. :)

We love you Pedro. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me

This is a big week for me. Mother's Day and my birthday. I was actually born on Mother's Day, and sometimes it falls on the same day. I used to think this was pretty cool but now it sometimes all blends in to one holiday.

I really used to love my birthday. I would count down the months, then the weeks, and then the days. Up until I was about 27 and then I started to not love it quite so much. And now that I am entering my (gasp!) mid-thirties (agggggghhhhhh!) I'm really not loving it. Oh well. What can you do?

I had a nice day despite the mid-30's thing.

I started out the new year right by going for a run. While running I saw the most curious thing.

A man, obviously in good shape, was running (much faster than I was running) towards me. He was wearing running shoes, black running shorts, and no shirt and was carrying something small and white in his hand that caught my eye. He proceeded to lift his hand to his mouth and take a puff of the white thing. IT WAS A CIGARETTE. He was smoking while he was running. Bizarre. Truly Bizzare.

Let's see. Then Ballerina Girl took me out to lunch and spoiled me rotten:


We walked around the mall making fun of all of the 80's style footwear that seems to be making a comeback.

Guapo came home early from work and fixed dinner (friend pork chops, mashed potatoes and salad). Margarita made me a cake. Everyone gave me presents and then, the sweetest thing, everyone watched Napoleon Dynamite with me. Guapo is not a fan, so it was a big sacrifice for him and I love him for it!

It almost made me wish my birthday was everyday. But then I'd be really old...

Oh, just one more thing, and this has nothing whatsoever to do with my birthday, but today I went to get a LONG overdue haircut. When Alexandre, my "stylist", saw me he said, "Wow, your hair has gotten really... ( long pause while he searched for the right word in English) BIG".

I had to just laugh and agree. I have been walking around for weeks now like Monica when she went to the Bahamas. Not pretty.

Tchau!