Christmas Carols!

We recently went to see the National Christian Choir sing Christmas carols. It was our first concert as a family of four and Luke did great, sleeping through most of it in the car seat. It was fun getting out and doing something different.

 

 

Preparing for Christmas!

The first weekend after Thanksgiving, we started to prepare for Christmas and each year, Daniel enjoys it more and more! This year he was able to put on the tree lots of ornaments on his own and enjoyed it so much. We also got more of our yearly ornaments, which highlight the significant events of the past year. We started this tradition in 2006, after our friend Kristen gave us our first ornaments, and now we have quite a few. Daniel loves this tradition and it's so much fun looking through the ornaments each year. 

 

Luke participated in the Christmas decorating by hanging out on the swing nearby! :)

 

We have also been opening our nativity advent calendar each morning and it's also a highlight for Daniel. He runs down the stairs every morning excited to see what part of the nativity scene will come out next. I just love having these traditions and my hope is that they will become happy memories for our children in the future.

 

Daniel's ornament for 2013 will help us remember that it was the year he started Kindergarten and took the school bus for the first time!



2013 is Luke's 1st Christmas!



And in 2013, I was pregnant, waiting for Luke!

And we are now a family of four!



Daily excitement opening the advent calendar!

MB: Winter is here already!

Today is the second day schools are closed because of the snow and Daniel's been having a blast. Here are some photos that Jonny took with his phone:

And our neighbor took these:

The person sledding with the white hat is Jonny! 

Thank you Vozinha and Vovo Stephen!

So after being here for two and a half months, vozinha and vovo Stephen returned to Portugal one week ago. It was so sad to see them go and we miss them a lot! But, we are doing well and just feeling grateful for all the time we had together. They arrived a couple of weeks before Luke was born and were here until a few days after he turned two months old.  

 

We are so grateful that they were here and vozinha helped us so much! I was truly able to enjoy Luke as much as I did his first two months because of my mother's help. I really took advantage of her presence to nap when I didn't have to feed him and it made the world of difference. She really became an expert in taking care of Luke! She also took and picked up Daniel at the bus stop most days, brought us breakfast upstairs most mornings (we called it "royal service" because she prepared it so beautifully, always with a variety of things -- see photos below), made Daniel's school lunches, took care of our kitchen (after she left, Jonny said he forgot the kitchen didn't "self clean!"), cooked some meals (not her custom but she even did that!) and just did whatever she could to make our adjustment to having Luke as easy as possible. Not to mention that she was here when I needed her most, when Jonny traveled to Malaysia twice. My mother really served us in a way that touched us deeply. She taught me a lot about service and I hope I can become more like her in this area!

Vovo Stephen also cooked us some lovely meals, picked up Daniel at the bus stop a few times, and was just great in supporting my mother in serving us.

   

Vozinha and vovo Stephen, thank you so much for staying with us during a time when we really needed you!

 

Maezinha, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your endless service and love. Our time together was very special and we will always remember it with deep gratitude. We love you! Now go and enjoy your well deserved vacation! :) 

   

Enjoying the "royal service!"

 

These photos were taken just a few minutes before their taxi arrived to take them to the airport...

 

 

 



Before I sign off, I must record a special, funny moment...

The day the clocks went back one hour, my mother woke up at 1 AM and thought it was time to get up. She said she felt exhausted but as she did every morning, she got up, fed Buffy our cat (who was fast asleep and looked at her surprised when she walked in the laundry room), and got dressed (she even put her perfume on!). Stephen was awake and asked her what she was doing and she said: "Eu tenho que ir cuidar dos meus netinhos!" ("I  have to go take care of my grandsons!") Stephen just thought, "OK, it's the middle of the night but if that's what you want to do..." and he didn't even say anything to her. Soon after she checked her clock and realized why she was so tired: it was only 1 AM!

We laughed so hard when my mother told us what had happened! But more importantly, I think it clearly demonstrates what a special heart of service she has.

 

Thanksgiving 2013

We've been living here in the U.S. now for 10 years and this was the first time we hosted Thanksgiving. The last few years we spent Thanksgiving with Nena and we missed her... But, it was special nevertheless. We invited two families from our neighborhood who were going to be alone (one family from India and one from Spain). Jonny spent the whole day cooking and really prepared a marvelous feast for us all.

 

Our neighbors... we met them at the bus stop!

Jonny made a selection of dishes.

And a delicious turkey!

It was vozinha's first Thanksgiving since we had lived here as a family more than 30 years ago!

Daniel enjoyed having his friends over too.

And Luke was a little angel, dozing in the swing most of the evening.