Thursday, August 8, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
Wheat Farmer in Training
I think he would have stayed all summer if we'd have let him.....
DaddyHealy let him drive the combine for the first time ever. He was in heaven.
DaddyHealy let him drive the combine for the first time ever. He was in heaven.
Many Faces of M
We've said she's going to be a model, or an actress, or maybe a super hero. Any way you look at it, she knows what to do when you point a lens at her. Here, totally unprompted, she changed pose for every click in the 90 second photo shoot I took in Grammy & Grandpapa's wheat field early July. Look out Daddy. Sixteen is right around the corner.
38 and Counting...
need to do. They never listen to me though.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Not Quite There
With all we've had going on in the past 2 months, sometimes it's hard for me to imagine our whole family isn't quite adjusted to life in the States yet. It's been a busy 2 months with visits to grandparents, wheat harvest, swimming lessons, Vacation Bible School, and hitting our favorite hot spots and restaurants here on the Big River...not to mention unpacking, settling in, and the arrival of our shipment of household goods from Brazil. Oh, and let's not forget the 2 rounds of the flu, sore throats, colds, and the rashes we've moved through since getting back...just catching up on American germs. Then there is the basement construction/finishing project, sorting and downsizing our collection of miscellaneous "stuff" that we don't need, preparing for baby, preparing to start school....it's been busy, to say the least. And so we carry on, assuming everyone is 100% in this new life we call "American."
Sometimes it's hard to remember that one of us is really more Brazilian than American. One of us
only remembers people, food, and places in Brazil. And while it's been a fun "vacation" for her to experience all that the US has to offer, 8 weeks later, she's still ready to go back. She asks me from time to time (as recently as yesterday), "When can we leave this house?" Never jumping to conclusions, I ask where she's like to go (is this cabin fever or Brazil-sick?). The answer is always the same...."To our red house." Even though I already know, I ask why. The answers vary but surround the theme "familiar." She misses our toys there (most of which are already here and in play), she talks about our maid, she wants to go to a certain park, even though the parks here, at least in my adult mind, are far superior. She wants Brazilian pizza, rice and beans, our favorite Saturday lunch spot. She wants the life that was familiar and comfortable to her.
When DaddyHealy went back on a work trip a few weeks ago, she wanted to know when we were going. M wants to go back too, but "not yet." D thinks it'd be nice to visit again "some day." It seems their ages reflect how much they remember from the States, which is tied to how much they are re acclimated, and willing to let go of our former life. Daddy and I have our moments. Being back in the town earlier this month made DaddyHealy a bit emotional over what will never again be a part of our life. I miss the pace of life. But we both spend a lot of time being grateful that we are, in the end, Americans, and are blessed to be able to live here in the comforts and liberties that go with being a United States citizen.
So, we wait. We reflect on how excited, yet out of place we felt when first arriving in Brazil and imagine H is feeling some of that. We know new school routines and a new baby will upset the flow once again in the coming weeks. So we just snuggle more, remember together, look at pictures, talk about the future, make her rice and beans and pray. I still believe without a doubt we've all been changed for the better by moving to Brazil, and I feel the same about coming home. I know we'll be adjusted eventually, even if we're not quite there yet.
Sometimes it's hard to remember that one of us is really more Brazilian than American. One of us
only remembers people, food, and places in Brazil. And while it's been a fun "vacation" for her to experience all that the US has to offer, 8 weeks later, she's still ready to go back. She asks me from time to time (as recently as yesterday), "When can we leave this house?" Never jumping to conclusions, I ask where she's like to go (is this cabin fever or Brazil-sick?). The answer is always the same...."To our red house." Even though I already know, I ask why. The answers vary but surround the theme "familiar." She misses our toys there (most of which are already here and in play), she talks about our maid, she wants to go to a certain park, even though the parks here, at least in my adult mind, are far superior. She wants Brazilian pizza, rice and beans, our favorite Saturday lunch spot. She wants the life that was familiar and comfortable to her.When DaddyHealy went back on a work trip a few weeks ago, she wanted to know when we were going. M wants to go back too, but "not yet." D thinks it'd be nice to visit again "some day." It seems their ages reflect how much they remember from the States, which is tied to how much they are re acclimated, and willing to let go of our former life. Daddy and I have our moments. Being back in the town earlier this month made DaddyHealy a bit emotional over what will never again be a part of our life. I miss the pace of life. But we both spend a lot of time being grateful that we are, in the end, Americans, and are blessed to be able to live here in the comforts and liberties that go with being a United States citizen.
So, we wait. We reflect on how excited, yet out of place we felt when first arriving in Brazil and imagine H is feeling some of that. We know new school routines and a new baby will upset the flow once again in the coming weeks. So we just snuggle more, remember together, look at pictures, talk about the future, make her rice and beans and pray. I still believe without a doubt we've all been changed for the better by moving to Brazil, and I feel the same about coming home. I know we'll be adjusted eventually, even if we're not quite there yet.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Ten Feet
It seems we're all jumping in with both feet into our old lives here in the States. I had envisioned a much quieter first few weeks back. But, we arrived just at the beginning of the library summer reading program (guess who finished his chart in the first week and already claimed his prize). Our library is one of the things we missed the most....especially with an avid young reader in our family. And our library has an awesome summer reading program that goes way beyond a reading chart and t shirt. We have prizes, cool prizes to choose from and activities galore (Marionette puppet show! Lego building! Lots of arts and crafts!). We're having a hard time letting them pass without attending.
And unexpectedly our church is having a Vacation Bible School this week. We'd seen some signs for VBS around town when we first got back, and my children have attended protestant VBS in the past and loved it. At this age, the Jesus loves you and you should praise Him message is really all the same. But it just seemed like more than we needed to take on this second week back. Trust me, we could spend every morning grocery shopping and I'd still find things I need to restock in my kitchen.
But when DaddyHealy came home from work with news that our own church was having a VBS, it just seemed like a good idea....getting involved in our own church, meeting future CCD classmates, getting reacquainted with the very involved grown-ups from our parish....And so we registered, and I (with H in tow) volunteered. And so, our planned slow and quiet easing back into American culture has turned into something quite different. But so worth it. There is definitely something special about a Catholic VBS program. They are walking through the sacraments, having adoration of the Blessed Sacrament explained at a junior level, exploring the lives of saints, and going to mass. And that all comes with the expected singing, dancing, arts and crafts, Bible verses, snacks and fun and games of VBS. What a bonus! And I've enjoyed helping, sneaking in visits with old friends in between. H, my tag along, has been surprisingly social and won the hearts of the kitchen staff, among others. She also thinks she's big, and knows the song and dance routine as well as many of the VBSers.
I expected some parts of readjusting to be more difficult than they ended up being. We're so used to hiring services (I realize I am going to have to clean the bathroom one of these days), but DaddyHelay spent the better part of Saturday (seemingly enjoying) working on the house and yard. Maybe there is motivation and pride in it because it's our own. But it was a beautiful day and he maximized it. And I'm glad it was something he enjoyed. He will have the hardest adjustment of us all. He's still manager of his Brazilian team of employees for a few more months, but has a new job assignment here Stateside. I heard him say he's not doing the jobs 50/50, it's more like 80/80. You can imagine he's putting in a lot of hours keeping up with things down south and learning all he needs to know about what is going on here. But he's a hard worker, and he makes each of his hours in the office count. We're proud that we have such a talented and hardworking Daddy. He has given our family so many amazing opportunities (like living abroad!), not to mention being a wonderful example of work ethic. We're looking forward to helping him relax and enjoy his day this Sunday...that is after he finished singing with the choir at mass, since he's already been recruited back!
And unexpectedly our church is having a Vacation Bible School this week. We'd seen some signs for VBS around town when we first got back, and my children have attended protestant VBS in the past and loved it. At this age, the Jesus loves you and you should praise Him message is really all the same. But it just seemed like more than we needed to take on this second week back. Trust me, we could spend every morning grocery shopping and I'd still find things I need to restock in my kitchen.
But when DaddyHealy came home from work with news that our own church was having a VBS, it just seemed like a good idea....getting involved in our own church, meeting future CCD classmates, getting reacquainted with the very involved grown-ups from our parish....And so we registered, and I (with H in tow) volunteered. And so, our planned slow and quiet easing back into American culture has turned into something quite different. But so worth it. There is definitely something special about a Catholic VBS program. They are walking through the sacraments, having adoration of the Blessed Sacrament explained at a junior level, exploring the lives of saints, and going to mass. And that all comes with the expected singing, dancing, arts and crafts, Bible verses, snacks and fun and games of VBS. What a bonus! And I've enjoyed helping, sneaking in visits with old friends in between. H, my tag along, has been surprisingly social and won the hearts of the kitchen staff, among others. She also thinks she's big, and knows the song and dance routine as well as many of the VBSers.
I expected some parts of readjusting to be more difficult than they ended up being. We're so used to hiring services (I realize I am going to have to clean the bathroom one of these days), but DaddyHelay spent the better part of Saturday (seemingly enjoying) working on the house and yard. Maybe there is motivation and pride in it because it's our own. But it was a beautiful day and he maximized it. And I'm glad it was something he enjoyed. He will have the hardest adjustment of us all. He's still manager of his Brazilian team of employees for a few more months, but has a new job assignment here Stateside. I heard him say he's not doing the jobs 50/50, it's more like 80/80. You can imagine he's putting in a lot of hours keeping up with things down south and learning all he needs to know about what is going on here. But he's a hard worker, and he makes each of his hours in the office count. We're proud that we have such a talented and hardworking Daddy. He has given our family so many amazing opportunities (like living abroad!), not to mention being a wonderful example of work ethic. We're looking forward to helping him relax and enjoy his day this Sunday...that is after he finished singing with the choir at mass, since he's already been recruited back!
Saturday, June 8, 2013
"Home"
We are "home," whatever that means. An overly eventful trip landed us back in the States, and hard to believe we've been here a week now. There is no normal for us now, but we are in the business of re-establishing our American selves in our country, town, neighborhood and house.
Luckily, the readjustment hasn't been as difficult as I expected, thanks in no small part to some great friends who took the first steps in getting things ready for our return, down to a clean and dusted house and food in the fridge.
Since this was technically a "short term" assignment, we left all of our assets, house, car, etc here in the States and arriving back to a house we already own, already unpacked and ready for us to begin life was a wonderful blessing. We spent the week reacclimating to American culture.
You would be amazed how much one can spend on a single shopping trip to the grocery store. We filled a cart so full we had to hand carry the last few items to the check out. But then again, we are staring from scratch...salt, pepper, sugar, flour, and all that it takes to make a few meals, snacks and so on. I told the kids I needed to fill the bottom of the cart with necessities, and then they could throw in the cart whatever they wanted (retaining my Veto power) and they were excited. I was impressed. They chose rice krispies, corn chex, string cheese, colby-jack cheese, hot dogs, go-gurt yogurt, fruit snacks, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, grapefruit, sweet cherries, celery, and juice boxes. The only thing I really had to consider briefly was laffy taffy candy. I was actually quite surprised. I didn't expect there to be so many choices from the produce aisle. While we all enjoyed the mangos, pineapples and passion fruits in Brazil, we desperately missed berries of all sorts. I am trying to remember how I used to cook, what we used to eat, and trying to decide if that is something I want to go back to, or carry on with the simpler or more basic cooking I did in Brazil, where pre-made anything was unavailable, and all of the cooking started completely from scratch. Honestly, the first 3 or 4 days eating here, we all had upset stomachs and heart burn! I had no idea we had been eating so differently.
D seems to be in heaven. He is home. No doubt about it. A place with peanut butter and toy tractors and his grandmas and the library. M is trying to be as convinced. Lots of neat stuff, but it still doesn't feel quite right to her.
Our dear H still doesn't know what hit her. She has asked a couple of times about "our red house" as we referred to our home in Horizontina. I'm still not sure she's clear that this move is permanent. Although it has its benefits. The loads of toys we left behind are all brand new to her, who was just 12 months old when we left. She is so excited to have a parque (park) in our back yard. Swingsets are pretty much unheard of where we were living, so a timbertown with swings and slide, sand box and playhouse is indeed quite a park to her. She keeps losing me in the house, which is rather large when I think of it from her perspective. She struggles with the diet here. We've done several restaurants and she has not been impressed by the lack of rice and beans. So far we know she'll eat pancakes and macaroni and cheese. We've found it's definitley easier to keep her fed from our own kitchen.
Momma and Daddy are often in awe. The roads are soooo good. Our house is sooo nice. The hot water is so easy to get out of the faucet. We can drink tap water. Things are cheap. Stores are open all the time. On our flight back, I spoke to a man whose daughter had moved from Brazil to the US 6 months ago, and he told me she was amazed at how easy and comfortable things are in the States. I guess that's as good of a description of how we feel as I could make. It is easy and comfortable to live here.
We are missing some of the conveniences of life in Brazil as I took out our own garbage, vacuumed the house and weeded flower beds, all things we paid someone else to do for the past 20 months. Lucky for me, the kids think everything from the drive through car wash to vacuuming and weeding are exciting new adventures. And besides, I could see a part of DaddyHealy coming alive again today as he worked outside for 10 hours washing siding, weed spraying, cutting trees and reassembling the children's outdoor playthings.
We've had interrupted sleep, lots of crying, more fighting and disobedience than normal, and other obvious signs of stress in some little ones. But, we've already visited the library, and 30 minutes with a kid on your lap reading books, or pushing them in the swing in the back yard is just so magically reassuring to a little one.
There's a lot more to do, but we're beginning to put down roots again and make our house a home.
Luckily, the readjustment hasn't been as difficult as I expected, thanks in no small part to some great friends who took the first steps in getting things ready for our return, down to a clean and dusted house and food in the fridge.
Since this was technically a "short term" assignment, we left all of our assets, house, car, etc here in the States and arriving back to a house we already own, already unpacked and ready for us to begin life was a wonderful blessing. We spent the week reacclimating to American culture.
You would be amazed how much one can spend on a single shopping trip to the grocery store. We filled a cart so full we had to hand carry the last few items to the check out. But then again, we are staring from scratch...salt, pepper, sugar, flour, and all that it takes to make a few meals, snacks and so on. I told the kids I needed to fill the bottom of the cart with necessities, and then they could throw in the cart whatever they wanted (retaining my Veto power) and they were excited. I was impressed. They chose rice krispies, corn chex, string cheese, colby-jack cheese, hot dogs, go-gurt yogurt, fruit snacks, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, grapefruit, sweet cherries, celery, and juice boxes. The only thing I really had to consider briefly was laffy taffy candy. I was actually quite surprised. I didn't expect there to be so many choices from the produce aisle. While we all enjoyed the mangos, pineapples and passion fruits in Brazil, we desperately missed berries of all sorts. I am trying to remember how I used to cook, what we used to eat, and trying to decide if that is something I want to go back to, or carry on with the simpler or more basic cooking I did in Brazil, where pre-made anything was unavailable, and all of the cooking started completely from scratch. Honestly, the first 3 or 4 days eating here, we all had upset stomachs and heart burn! I had no idea we had been eating so differently.
D seems to be in heaven. He is home. No doubt about it. A place with peanut butter and toy tractors and his grandmas and the library. M is trying to be as convinced. Lots of neat stuff, but it still doesn't feel quite right to her.
Our dear H still doesn't know what hit her. She has asked a couple of times about "our red house" as we referred to our home in Horizontina. I'm still not sure she's clear that this move is permanent. Although it has its benefits. The loads of toys we left behind are all brand new to her, who was just 12 months old when we left. She is so excited to have a parque (park) in our back yard. Swingsets are pretty much unheard of where we were living, so a timbertown with swings and slide, sand box and playhouse is indeed quite a park to her. She keeps losing me in the house, which is rather large when I think of it from her perspective. She struggles with the diet here. We've done several restaurants and she has not been impressed by the lack of rice and beans. So far we know she'll eat pancakes and macaroni and cheese. We've found it's definitley easier to keep her fed from our own kitchen.
Momma and Daddy are often in awe. The roads are soooo good. Our house is sooo nice. The hot water is so easy to get out of the faucet. We can drink tap water. Things are cheap. Stores are open all the time. On our flight back, I spoke to a man whose daughter had moved from Brazil to the US 6 months ago, and he told me she was amazed at how easy and comfortable things are in the States. I guess that's as good of a description of how we feel as I could make. It is easy and comfortable to live here.
We are missing some of the conveniences of life in Brazil as I took out our own garbage, vacuumed the house and weeded flower beds, all things we paid someone else to do for the past 20 months. Lucky for me, the kids think everything from the drive through car wash to vacuuming and weeding are exciting new adventures. And besides, I could see a part of DaddyHealy coming alive again today as he worked outside for 10 hours washing siding, weed spraying, cutting trees and reassembling the children's outdoor playthings.
We've had interrupted sleep, lots of crying, more fighting and disobedience than normal, and other obvious signs of stress in some little ones. But, we've already visited the library, and 30 minutes with a kid on your lap reading books, or pushing them in the swing in the back yard is just so magically reassuring to a little one.
There's a lot more to do, but we're beginning to put down roots again and make our house a home.
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