Catching up!

Before we head home for the holidays (we leave tonight – so excited!!!!!), I wanted to go ahead and post some everyday pics from the past couple months. Many are from our new apartment complex which is shared between 5 buildings. On the grounds we have a gym, swimming pool, a kids’ pool, a playground, an indoor play room with slides, a ball pit, etc., a sport-court (tennis, bball, soccer), a track that goes around the property, and general green space, rock paths, and other details to be explored. We have LOVED having this open, safe, big space for Colt just downstairs. The workers here are amazing and keep the property in perfect condition and there are lots of other kids in the complex for Colt to socialize with every day — and lots of moms (well, mostly nannies) for me to practice Portuguese with! The move has been a huge blessing – we are so happy here. OK – to the pics! OCTOBER – DECEMBER.

Exploring around the complex!

Pointing out some birds!

Digging in the dirt.

Digging in the dirt.

Climbing on the jungle gym!

Climbing on the jungle gym!

Snuggle sesh with Dad.

Snuggle sesh with Dad.

Banana mouth!

Banana mouth!

Heading down to play!

Heading down to play!

Buckets are the best outdoor toys.

Buckets and balls are the best outdoor toys.

Sweet little reader.

Sweet little reader.

Friends! Mailey, Jack and Colt at the Hudsons' place.

Friends! Mailey, Jack and Colt at the Hudsons’ place.

Bubble but!

Bubble butt!

Lunch play date with Uncle Joe!

Lunch play date with Uncle Joe!

Heading down for a swim.

Heading down for a swim.

Water baby.

Water babies – Colt & Mailey.

Striking a pose in his Brazil jersey.

Striking a pose in his Brazil jersey.

Running on the track.

Running on the track.

Tiger fans!

Tiger fans!

Lining up all the balls from the court.

Lining up all the balls from the court.

Dad and Colt!

Dad and Colt!

Lounging.

Living the life.

Michael attending a rally for presidential candidate Aecio. Unfortunately he did not win...

Michael attending a rally for presidential candidate Aécio. Unfortunately he did not win…

Rally on Faria Lima, just outside Michael's office.

Rally on Faria Lima, just outside Michael’s office.

Loves "baaaa!" bath time.

Loves “baaaa!” bath time.

Lounging pool side.

Lounging pool side.

Colt is Mr. Independent in the pool.

Colt is Mr. Independent in the pool. Also, notice how close Michael’s office is!!

Silly goose.

Silly goose.

Bar des Arts!

Bar des Arts!

Brett & Campbell, Michelle & Jack, Paige & Mailey and me & Colt. Such a blessing to share this stage of life with friends.

Brett & Campbell, Michelle & Jack, Paige & Mailey and me & Colt. Such a blessing to share this stage of life with friends.

Oh the difference a year can make. Updating his Brazilian passport.

Oh the difference a year can make. Updating his Brazilian passport.

Busy time downstairs as Colt and I hang with tons of kids and their babas.

Busy time downstairs as Colt and I hang with tons of kids and their babas.

Amazing, right?

Amazing, right?

More pool fun!

More pool fun!

Mesmerized as he watches the big boys play soccer.

Mesmerized as he watches the big boys play soccer.

Seesaw!

Seesaw!

Ball pit!

Ball pit!

Sweet.

Sweet.

Park outing! Still just a 10 minute walk away.

Park outing! Still just a 10 minute walk away.

Silly duck.

Silly duck.

These two...

These two…

Christmas party photo booth fun!

Christmas party photo booth fun!

XO!

XO!

Fun night out with dear friends.

Fun night out with dear friends. The boys.

And the girls.

And the girls.

Now it’s officially holiday time!!

Fazenda Weekend with Friends

Late November, our wonderful group of friends took a mini-vacay to a nearby fazenda. The property belongs to the family of one of our friends so Michael and I had been there before, but not lately. It’s a BEAUTIFUL place and with such a fun group we had an absolute blast. There were 6 couples (plus Joe joined us for one night!) and 4 babies, all within a couple months of each other. The kids loved the open space and the “ducks” aka the peacocks that roam around. I hardly took any photos so again am stealing all the pretty ones from Colby – thanks! 🙂

Grand entrance.

Grand entrance.

Part of the property.

Part of the property.

Entry gate.

Entry gate.

Moo!

A couple friends ended up in a little stand-off with the cows!

Leisurely stroll.

Leisurely stroll.

Trent manning the pizza oven.

Trent manning the pizza oven.

Thank you Z for the delish pizzas!

Thank you Z for the delish pizzas!

Trent & Mailey.

Trent & Mailey.

Baby buns! Mailey and Colt.

Baby buns! Mailey and Colt.

"Duck!"

“Duck!”

Mesmerizing.

Mesmerizing.

Peacock chasing all weekend long.

Peacock chasing all weekend long.

Amazing weekend and the fact that this is just an hour and a half away is just another reason why I love Brazil!

Thanksgiving 2014!

Although Michael and I aren’t able to get home for Thanksgiving these days (ahem, for the past 3 years), we do have a wonderful tradition of celebrating the day with all of our American friends over a traditional-with-a-Brazilian-spin Thanksgiving dinner. This year we all gathered at Chez Oscar and their team put together an amazing meal for us and even let us take home the leftovers!! Such a special night full of thankfulness for God’s gracious and abundant provision in our lives. (All photo credits to Colby – so glad someone thought to bring a camera!)

The gorgeous room.

The gorgeous room.

Hayden sneaking in.

Hayden sneaking in.

Suzanna giving the welcome toast.

Suzanna giving the welcome toast.

Trent giving this year's blessing.

Trent giving this year’s blessing.

Amaze turkey.

Amaze turkey.

More deliciousness.

More deliciousness.

Brooke, Jason, Julia, Claude, Michael, Suzanna, me, Jeff.

Brooke, Jason, Julia, Claude, Michael, Suzanna, me, Jeff and Brett.

Jamie, Jeff, Suzanna, Bryan, Brett, Brad, Trent

Jamie, Jeff, Suzanna, Bryan, Brett, Brad, Trent

Hayden and Colby - the lady behind the lens for these pics!

Hayden and Colby – the lovely lady behind the lens for these pics!

Hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving too!

Blind Wine Tasting!

Last month Michael and I hosted a blind-wine tasting party with our friends. We had 4 types of wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Carmenere and Malbec), two wines each – 1 cheap and 1 expensive. You were scored based on correctly guessing which was cheap vs. expensive and there were bonus points given each round for the best tasting notes. Naturally the tasting notes were hilarious and got progressively funnier as the night went on. 🙂 We had a prize for first place and a “prize” for last place but I think we all had a blast.

Dining room set-up.

Dining room set-up.

Living room.

Living room.

Pre-party.

Pre-party.

Jack, Colt and Campbell.

Jack, Colt and Campbell socializing before bed. Note: they did not participate.  😉

Colt with Joe & Jake.

Colt with Joe & Jake.

"Team Glitter" arrived guns blazing in Blank Space attire. Amazing.

“Team Glitter” arrived guns blazing in Blank Space attire. Amazing. (PS – Nice socks Jeff!)

Michael and Hayden doing one of the reveals.

Michael and Hayden doing one of the reveals.

Commanding the room.

Commanding the room.

Reading some of the tasting notes.

Reading some of the tasting notes.

Chit chat.

Chit chat.

Somewhere around 12:30 or so it turned into a big dance party that went on for hours! So fun!

Put your hands up!

Put your hands up!

BBQ Cook-Off

Back in October, some of our friends decided to have a BBQ cook-off. Originally we weren’t going to host it, but when the temps were pushing 100 for that day, the party got moved to our place since we have AC. (Yes, most people do NOT have AC here despite the year-round heat — we didn’t have it in our old place either!) Anyway, at the party we had BBQ from South Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas! Everything was amazing, however I’m loyal to the SC mustard-based BBQ and always think it’s the best. Either that or the incredible hush puppies that our talented friend Suzanna made!!

Setting up.

Setting up.

Suzanna and her award-winning hush puppies! My favorite thing of the night!

Suzanna and her award-winning hush puppies! My favorite thing of the night!

Great spread!

Great spread!

Yum!

Yum!

Getting food!

Getting food!

Paige demonstrates a well-balanced plate.

Paige demonstrates a well-balanced plate.

Colt in the front, Mailey and Willa in the back.

Colt in the front, Mailey and Willa in the back.

Uncle Joe and Colt!

Uncle Joe and Colt!