Madison just completed the 1st semester theater play

Get out of my Hair

She did a great job and the whole cast has the audience laughing in the isles

For such a small school there is a great about of actors/actress

I love watching Madison act because she is rarely dramatic at home

but put her on a stage and she has a great time

School Days

It's back to school as of a few weeks ago

All of my children are in school for at least part of the day

It's strange and quiet and nice

Of course I miss them but school offers a great routine and chance to see friends again and motivate and work hard

My little one preparing for her big day, preschool at an Portuguese school

She'll be the best little speaker out of all of us

These two entering as sophomores 

Working hard, early morning seminary, after school sports

They are busy

Uniforms

My little is starting pre-school next month!!!

how time is a flying

She was thrilled when she got to go uniform shopping this past week just like her big sisters

She will be enrolled in a Portuguese speaking school

When we leave this post we are already prepared for her to be the best Portuguese speaker in the house

It will be quiet in the mornings come August!

ABC countdown

We are in full swing summer time mode now...

these pictures are from a few weeks back and I'm trying to play catchup

We are survivors! 

I'm so proud of my girls for surviving a move mid-school year

Starting over

New friends, language, country, school

Much prayer, fasting and courage went into accepting this position in Brasil

Our family knew this was the change that we needed

There are still hard moments but

watching my girls come out of the school on the last day of school with smiles makes me think we will make it and grow like we never thought we could

We celebrated with Gelato at our favorite spot in town

End of School wrap-up

I was lucky to get to take Jo to learning day at her school

She walked me to all of her classrooms, showed off her projects and let me meet her teachers

It's always a good thing to hear that your child's teacher is so happy they are returning next year

It was hard for all of us entering a new school at the mid-point

I'm grateful for the blessing of my children adjusting well to their new environment

Some projects Madison brought home from her art class

I love seeing the things she creates

So proud of this crew!

They completed early morning seminary for the year

a.k.a. waking up before school to attend 1 hour of bible study

Lots of dedication, hard work and support from parents and each other

A Midsummer's Night Dream

Towards the end of the school year Madison was able to participate in the school play,

A Midsummer's Night Dream

Wow, those lines had to be tricky to learn

During one of the performances our Portuguese tutor was sitting behind me

At intermission I asked her what she thought of the play

(She was born and raised in Brasilia)

She confessed that she only understood about 20% of what was being said

I thought to myself, that's how I feel everyday talking to anyone in Portuguese

But those teens had their lines down and spoke with emotion and excitement

Great job M!

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas is just around the corner and we are ready for it! Trips to the pool, making cookies, completing puzzles, and looking at Christmas lights got us in the holiday mood this year. 

This year we decided we wanted to find someone in need and look for ways we could help them and lift their spirits. We ended up finding out about a school an hour from our house that could really use some help. A lot of the kids attending the school are living in extreme poverty and are often not able to get food at home. The school works to help all of their students get fed during the day and provides them with a free education. However, trying to provide basic necessities for over 100 students is difficult, so the school asks for donations. We all pitched in and bought basic gift baskets for the school to give to the most needy students and family. We were able to go drop them off at the school and got to meet the students and were able to talk to them as well. 

Fireworks leading up to Christmas

Puzzle fun! Aubrey decided to pull out a puzzle and the family quickly flocked to the table to help. Only a few hours later it was finished. 

We found a fun display of lights near our house on the lake. The set-up was cool and we were able to walk around the lake.

We attempted gingerbread cookies this year with no sprinkles or powdered sugar. It was lots of fun to make them and they tasted good as well.

When we moved we were able to put some of our stuff in an air freight that would come before our long shipment or HHE. We were all thrilled when our 7 boxes of needed stuff arrived. We had clothes, kitchen supplies, books, toys, etc. arrive a few days before Christmas. We all said it was our early Christmas present and enjoyed unpacking the boxes.

Mom and I finally stopped at the "I love Brasilia" sign. We took a few pictures and were on our way.

Christmas morning fun! All the girls slept in the same room Christmas Eve and had our alarms set to wake up the next morning.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Bonner for the rain boots!

Gwen and Jo's gifts from Santa- Gwen wanted an Elsa doll and Jo asked for a tennis racket.

 

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