Hi dear loved ones!
It's been almost three months since my last blog post -- sorry! :) The last three months were very hectic for me. One of my projects at work was coming to an end which required me to work 50-60 hours per week for two and a half months and travel to Zambia in the beginning of December to present the final evaluation results. Thank God it all ended well but it was a very challenging and exhausting experience. I'm so relieved it's over and hope to now return to a more normal pace of life!
We are doing well and you will be amazed to see how Luke has grown since his birthday post. He is now almost 15 months old, very loud, climbing on everything he is able to and running. His favorite words are: hi, bye, okay and Nani. Sometimes he will say "mama" but most of his talking is baby babbling. He continues to be an overall sweet and happy little boy but has started to throw a few tantrums, especially when changing his diaper or when he can't touch/have something he really wants.We had forgotten how challenging toddlers can be! :)
Daniel is doing great in first-grade, reading well independently and has restarted Karate twice a week. He has 2 weeks of winter break and is excited that his school will be in a brand new building closer to our home starting in January. We have a great routine of homework and play during the week and more recently Daniel has been great at managing his own time after school, choosing to do his homework himself so he can play before dinner. He is maturing fast!
We had a peaceful Christmas at home this year. On Christmas Eve, we were very blessed to have some dear friends who are like family be with us.It really made our Christmas special, since being far away from family at Christmas can be difficult... On Christmas day we had a relaxed day, slowly opening presents throughout the day, enjoying yummy leftovers and talking with family on the phone. The highlight of the day was going out for a walk with the boys since it was a little warmer than normal and we had a great time. Here are some photos for you to enjoy! :)
A couple of weeks before Christmas...
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| Our Ninja warrior helped us decorate the tree! |
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| This year we put the tree in the corner of the dining area so that we could easily block it away from Mr. Luke, who we affectionately call Godzilla! ;) |
Christmas Eve...
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| Sweet Holly with Luke -- she was so sweet with him! |
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| Our dear friends! |
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| Our two precious boys! |
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| The four kids that night! |
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| About to enjoy a yummy dinner! |
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| Luke let Holly give him his bottle and she loved it! |
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| For dessert, I made my grandmother's (my dad's mother) traditional "sufle de ameixa" which I remember enjoying as a child! |
Christmas Day...
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| The night before Christmas; all was peaceful and quiet... |
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| But in the morning, we had a very excited Daniel! |
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| Luke had no clue about what was going on but enjoyed playing with the boxes! |
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| "Minecraft" was a common theme this year! Thank you Granny for the Enderman! |
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| And for the cute clothes for Luke! |
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| Thank you Uncle Peter and Auntie Jenny and cousins for the Yoda alarm clock -- Daniel loves it! |
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| And for the curious George book too! |
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| Thank you vovo Stephen and vozinha for the Vikings book for Daniel! |
Out for a walk on a warmer than usual Christmas day...
Wishing you a wonderful last few days of 2014, loved ones! Happy New Year!
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Lovely photos Ana, thanks so much for the update. I am glad you all had a great Christmas with your project finished successfully. Luke and Daniel look so happy and healthy! lots of love
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful, wonderful post!! I absolutely loved seeing all the photos. The one of Luke outside in his darling little red and green hat (the photo directly under the one of him standing behind the tennis net) is one of the best photos of him ever!! It just captures his sweet little personality perfectly. And I loved seeing all the photos of Christmas Eve! It was SUCH a special time for us too to be with your family. We just loved every minute of it. And every bite of it!! The food was simply outstanding and I felt like I was at a fancy restaurant. And thank you for letting us help with the washing up!!! It was so fun for us to do. I hope Daniel wasn't too tired the next day since our washing up meant a later bedtime for him that night. We love you all so much and thank God for your friendship over the years. Each one of you are so special to us and we praise God for bringing you into our lives!
ReplyDeleteAninha-Jonny-Daniel-Lukinho,
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too!
Congratulations for your lovely Christmas decoration. Everything was so beautiful!
You gave me a wonderful Christmas gift through the news and pictures in the blog! Thank you very much! How wonderful is to see our “two little princes” growing up so well and showing self- confidence and happiness! I cannot stop looking at them again and again. I am deeply enjoying looking at what each picture shows me.
Congratulations to our “first prince” Daniel for his achievement at school, at home with his homework and at karate classes. I am sure that he will be a very important “role model” for Lukinho! In addition Daniel looks great in his outfit.
Lukinho continues being the cutest little boy I have seen! His smiles are contagious and touch the bottom of my heart. How beautiful are his pictures! Stephen had to explain to me what you meant with the term “Godzilla” and I laughed when I heard his explanation!
I also loved to see Kristen and her family spending time with you and your family. This indicates to me that your friendship will last for ever. Praise God for it.
Well, Aninha and Jonny, Congratulations for the wonderful job you are both doing personally and professionally. I am very proud of you! I will continue praying for God to be in control of your lives as HE has been so far! Hugs, kisses full of love and “cheio de saudade”. From Vozinha and Vovô Stephen in Brazil.