Maya turned one the week we moved to Brasilia and were living in an Airbnb waiting on our moving truck to arrive.  Maya turned two the week we moved into our new home and were sleeping on mattresses on the floor with all our belongings in boxes.  This year, we were happy to have a free weekend with no major life changes so we could spend a day celebrating our special girl.

Maya's birthday fell on a Saturday which was perfect for inviting a few friends over for a day of play. After a rainy morning, we had a beautiful day to enjoy some backyard fun with three special families.  We rented an inflatable slide with a pool at the bottom, had a splash pool and trampoline for everyone to bounce, and went full-on American for a hamburger and hot dog lunch.  We went with a tropical bird theme (Maya LOVES birds) and it really was such a fun, relaxed day with our family and friends.

We love our Maya Jean dearly and she brings a lot of smiles and laughter.  She continues to be a people person, making friends everywhere she goes and really loving being out and about.  She loves school and I am thankful for how well she goes into her classroom both there and at church.  She is talking up a storm in her cute little mixture of English and Portuguese, has curls that do their own thing and are just so cute, is still a skinny-minny but growing tall, and loves to feel the rhythm of a good song.  Our chill, easy-going Maya seemed to leave us when she hit the two year mark, and while this past year has been full of its fair share of tantrums, she has assured me happy Maya is on her way back now that she is three, haha. Maya is definitely a mama's girl, but sure does enjoy being with her big siblings (as evidenced by how she sneaks into her sister's bed every night for snuggles), and always has lots of laughs with her daddy. It's wild that she is no longer in the baby phase and we're having the blessing of see all the ways she's learning and developing as a preschooler.

Maya's birthday survey was extra fun this year as she was able to give us a lot of the answers herself.

How old are you?

"3"

What makes you happy?

"Parabéns" (people singing happy birthday to her)

What makes you laugh?

"tickle"

What is something Mommy always says to you?

"Mayinha"

What is something Daddy always says to you?

"Maya" (haha, she's not wrong)

What is your favorite thing to eat?

"bolo" (cake)

What is your favorite thing to do?

"swing"

What are you really good at?

"consigo macaco" (she then proceeded to act out being a monkey)

What is your favorite song?

"Twinkle [Twinkle Little Star]" and "Jesus [Loves Me]"

Who is your best friend?

"Pepe" and "Olívia"

What do you and Mommy do together?

"kissing"

What do you and Daddy do together?

"go to school"

Where is your favorite place to go?

"with Brady" and "outside"

What is your favorite book?

"Bíblia" and "Tigre" (Hide and Seek Jungle Animals)

Neon, Friends, and Trampolines!

 For Leine Mae's 9th birthday, she had a lot of different ideas in the months leading up to it - from a puppy (stuffed animal) adoption day with some girlfriends to an all boys soccer party and a few things in between - but she landed on an afternoon with 5 girl friends from school. Similar to Carter, they came over on a Friday after school and had some time to play and eat lunch.  We made mini pizzas with each girl getting to help with her own. There was lots of jumping on the trampoline, playing in Leine Mae's room, running around, and screaming, haha.  Leine Mae planned out a drawing craft to do with her friends, we sang happy birthday and ate some cake (in about 5 minutes because we were running late) and then loaded up in the van to head to the indoor trampoline park (where we had Oliver's birthday last year).  They jumped to their heart's content for an hour and then we ended the afternoon with McDonald's ice cream cones.

Leine Mae has grown up so much in this past year.  Nick and I often find ourselves looking at her and asking, "where did our little girl go?" She has such a quirky, fun personality and keeps us laughing. She also has a pretty strong-willed side.  She is incredibly creative and continually blows us away with her art ideas and drawings.  She is enjoying diving more and more and we're excited she was recently invited to join the school's training team.  She is confident around her peers and that has helped her to make many, many friendships this past year.  She is a handful and a joy and we are so grateful to the Lord for her.

How old are you?

"9"

What makes you happy?

"playing with friends"

What makes you laugh?

"tickles"

What is something Mommy always says to you?

"love you"

What is something Daddy always says to you?

"I hope you sleep well."

What is your favorite thing to eat?

"batata palha, french fries, pastel de queijo, pizza"

What is your favorite thing to do?

"saltos" (diving)

What are you really good at?

"saltos" (diving)

What is your favorite song?

"That's What Makes You Beautiful" (One Direction)

Who is your best friend?

"Izabel"

What do you and Mommy do together?

"walk to school"

What do you and Daddy do together?

"go on errands"

Where is your favorite place to go?

"toy store"

What is your favorite book?

"Big Nate"

From Tween to Teen

It can't possibly be true....but somehow, some way, I have a TEENAGER!!! How in the world did our tiny, sweet, little shark lover turn into a tall, gangly, deeper-voiced teen?! That whole "blink of an eye" saying definitely rings true.

To celebrate this new phase of life for our Carter bug, we had an afternoon of fun with 6 of his new school friends.  First, everyone walked to our house for an "American" lunch at Carter's request (PB&J sandwiches, chips, and watermelon), some time to play, and a birthday cake made of Dunkin' Donuts (I still cannot believe we live in a city with Dunkin'!).  After a quick change of clothes, we loaded everyone up in the van and drove to a local amusement park/carnival at our city's park.  Everyone had so much fun running from one attraction to another and I loved getting to see Carter with his friends.

I'm very grateful to be this kid's mom.  Though we're heading into some uncharted territory with it's own challenges and unknowns, he truly is a good kid.  I'm thankful for his kindness and his integrity. I'm thankful for his willingness to help when needed.   And I'm thankful for his uniquely him personality.  Welcome to your teenage years Carter!

How old are you?

"13"

What makes you happy?

"When we're on our way home from church and Daddy turns into McDonald's for lunch."

What makes you laugh?

"My friends' jokes."

What is something Mommy always says to you?

"Tudinho"

(saying he has to do every subject in homeschool)

What is something Daddy always says to you?

"Time to wrap it up."

What is your favorite thing to eat?

"pão de queijo, Dominos' bacon pizza"

What is your favorite thing to do?

"video games, basketball, being with friends"

What are you really good at?

"basketball, video games"

What is your favorite song?

"Cradles, by Sub Urban"

Who is your best friend?

"Paulinho, Felipe, Sarah"

What do you and Mommy do together?

"talk"

What do you and Daddy do together?

"shoot hoops"

Where is your favorite place to go?

"Nicolândia"

What is your favorite book?

"Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt"

Double Digits!

 All birthdays are important, but somehow 10 just hits different.  How is that our little dude Oliver is in the double digits? That he's been a part of our family for a decade? So we decided to celebrate him in a BIG way.  Several times over the years, Oliver's birthday has fallen right after a move/big transition and we weren't able to do much in terms of a party.  He has never complained about this, but we wanted to have an extra special celebration this year for our ten year old. So we invited his ENTIRE class (close to 30 kids) to our newly renovated and moved into house (eek), and hired a party entertainer (a coach from the kids' school has a side business where he and his team host birthday parties) for an afternoon of fun in our backyard.  There was face painting and hair coloring, trampoline and yard games, water balloons and a slip and slide, and, of course, a soccer tournament.  Our foodie/soccer lover chose a pizza/soccer theme for his cake and decorations and we served lots of snacks (popcorn, popsicles, salgadinhos), mini pizzas, and sweets (cake and brigadeiros).  I think our dude felt very loved and it sure did warm my mama heart to see all the friendships he's made this past year in our new city and the confidence that he has gained over the years.

(Here's the picture the coach used for Oliver's invitations and for the medals/trophies at his party.)

How old are you?

10

What makes you happy?

"eating and playing soccer"

What makes you laugh?

"When you (Mommy) shake your booty.  When someone farts."

What is something Mommy always says to you?

"Time to eat!"

What is something Daddy always says to you?

"Go rake up the leaves."

What is your favorite thing to eat?

"pizza, hamburger, coxinha"

What is your favorite thing to do?

"eat, play soccer"

What are you really good at?

"Soccer, some video games.  I'm athletic - you could say that."

What is your favorite song?

"Dance Monkey"

Who is your best friend?

"Caio and Leo"

What do you and Mommy do together?

"Watch Dude Perfect.  Go to the grocery store."

What do you and Daddy do together?

"Go to the bank. Play soccer."

Where is your favorite place to go?

"McDonald's"

What is your favorite book?

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid"

2 Years Of Maya Jean

Similar to last year when we moved to Brasilia just two days before Maya's birthday, this year we moved into a new house the week Maya turned two.  Though we may not have had all of our boxes unpacked, and though our kids may not have had beds to sleep on, we were able to hook up our stove and get some cupcakes baked to celebrate our Maya girl. 

This year, Maya has grown and developed so much.  She continues to be our social butterfly and loves to be around people.  She is constantly babbling and keeps us smiling with her antics.  However, our relaxed, chill little baby seems to have disappeared and has been replaced by an adorable little disaster that gets into everything (and EATS everything....I'm not talking about food, but rather dirt, paper, and whatever else she gets her hands on).  She's cute as a button with her sweet curls and skinny little tanned legs, loves her siblings, knows how to fake cry with the elite 2 year olds, and turns on the charm whenever we're out of the house.  She began at a local preschool in February and seems to be loving it.  It's been great for her Portuguese as well (she's currently speaking a mixture of the two languages) and has been a huge help for Nick and I to get some work done in the mornings while she's at school.  We sure do love our Maya Jean and are so happy to call her ours.

How old are you?

2

What makes you happy?

pigeons and dogs

What makes you laugh?

tickles, other people laughing

What is something Mommy always says to you?

"Hey my princess"

What is something Daddy always says to you?

"fez cocô?"

What is your favorite thing to eat?

bananas, yogurt, pizza, watermelon, pasta

What is your favorite thing to do?

watch Cocomelon

What are you really good at?

being cute, making friends

What is your favorite song?

The Wheels on the Bus

Who is your best friend?

Mommy

What do you and Mommy do together?

everything

What do you and Daddy do together?

brush your teeth, work outside

Where is your favorite place to go?

anywhere with people

What is your favorite book?

Nursery Rhymes

Turning 8 With A Splash!

For Leine Mae's 8th birthday, we found a super fun inflatable water park.  It was set up in the parking lot of our city's soccer stadium and she and some of her school friends had so much fun splashing and sliding.  Though we had a nice sunny afternoon, July is officially the winter here and their teeth were chattering in the chilly water, haha.  

It's hard to believe that our baby Leine is 8.  She has been a rockstar in this past year of transition and we are so grateful with how quickly she has made friends at her new school. Leine Mae keeps us laughing and it's been a joy to watch her grow.

How old are you?

8

What makes you happy?

"playing with friends"

What makes you laugh?

"tickles"

What is something Mommy always says to you?

"Time to eat!"

What is something Daddy always says to you?

(she couldn't think of anything)

What is your favorite thing to eat?

"pizza, pastel de queijo, batata frita, salada de frutas, cupcake"

What is your favorite thing to do?

"eat and play with my toys"

What are you really good at?

"gymnastics, drawing, taking care of babies"

What is your favorite song?

"Never Change" by Ryan Ellis

Who is your best friend?

"Melissa"

What do you and Mommy do together?

"snuggle"

What do you and Daddy do together?

"say goodnight, cuddle before bedtime"

Where is your favorite place to go?

"Mexico and school"

What is your favorite book?

"Zeke Meeks and Pearl"