Fall
Spontaneous dance parties (in the car, kitchen, etc)
Reading through a cookbook
Liam learning a new word
Long walks
Alex coming home for lunch
Homemade bread
Being at a football game
Planning a party
Costco and Trader Joe's
Feeling of accomplishment after a hard workout
Saturday
Country music
Laying Liam in his crib, immediately followed by a huge, sleepy grin

The last couple months have been wonderful, and full of everything on this list. Almost.

Can I complain for a minute? This will be the 4th year (in a row) that we have missed a good ol' American fall, and I am (a lot) sore about it. Instagram is obnoxiously (but yet wonderfully) full of red leaves, boots, football games, and layers. Torture I tell you. However. ...drum roll... My sister is getting married next month, so I get to experience a week or two of it! I could kiss her.

Anyway, here are some recent pictures from life lately.

Sista Sista

The past couple months have been a bit of a roller coaster. But first of all, a lot of highs- my sister Vanessa (aka the other V girl) finished her mission here in Brazil, and some of my family came out to pick her up. The best part was, I got to go back with them! We had a full week of all 7 sisters there- dance partying it up every chance we got, shopping in Bloomingdales NY for my little sister's prom dress, finally watching the new Cinderella, tea party birthday for my mom, nephew's soccer games, our favorite restaurants, and chick flicks by night.

Writing this out kinda makes me angry because WHY don't we take more pictures?! Oh well, it was superb. Much needed and prolonged sister time. Having 6 sisters isn't something many people can say and I am one lucky girl! Not sure how my mom handled all that drama and estrogen while we were growing up, but I am so SO thankful that she did. Turns out they are my 6 best friends. A saint indeed.

Driving me crazy

Dirty hands constantly tugging on my pant leg
Stretching out my shirt
Pulling out my hair. Will there be any left? For the first time in my a life a pixie cut actually sounds appealing..
And then there is the whining
Playing in the toilet
Mastitis thinks we are BFF's
Biting. Oh the biting! Holy OUCH
Blow outs and changing the sheets again
Ear splitting screeches
Smashed crackers into the couch and rug
Chucking my new blush at the wall- now hundreds of pieces
Newly folded laundry scattered about
When does preschool start??

And then in the middle of it they say, "Enjoy this. Because once he starts walking it's all over!" 

Are you KIDDING me? Say that again and I will throw this greenish-brownish diaper at you.

I'm inept! Too selfish! Not cut out for the mom thing! I love you baby, but I'm just not feeling it right now. How is it only Tuesday?

But then I take a breath, stop doing the dishes, or put down my phone. Say a silent prayer.





And I remember why I wouldn't trade being here for the world. Because instead of sticky hands that tug and pull-
I see 10 perfect fingers, and 10 tiny toes
6 teeth
2 yummy cheeks
1 mischievous grin
The excitement of discovering something new
Constant gibberish that I'm convinced sounds intelligent
Utter awe over your own reflection, also known as "that cutie in the mirror"
Reddish hair growing out, and white-blonde growing in
Peek-a-boo that keeps us both entertained forever
Giggles that are literally the best thing in the entire world

Don't grow up little one! My baby forever and always. I am only lucky girl.

  

Lovey dovey

Because I always do a Valentine's day post, let's get to it. I've been so lazy on here lately! But duh, I adore Valentine's day. As I have gushed about here and here.

It is funny looking back on how each year has brought something new. The first year, we were married. The year before that I didn't even know Alex, so the first Valentine's felt pretty cool, even though we were babysitting my cousins that week. The next year, I was working. The reception center that I worked hosted an annual 5 course Valentine's dinner, but we found a way to make it special. The next year we found ourselves in Brazil, and me being 8 months pregnant. And finally, this year we have a 10 month old rugrat which has definitely brought the biggest change of all.

We decided to make a weekend of it, and embrace the corniness whole heartedly. For the first time EVER (since probably elementary), I made a homemade card. To me it was witty and hilarious but perhaps inappropriate, so... whatever. I'm sharing the start of it anyway.

When Alex came home, I had the living room decked out in Christmas lights, music, a comfy cozy living room with blankets and pillows, and a bag with his favorite candy and card. Of course I snagged the opportunity to wear a red dress and lipstick because that's what Valentine's Day is all about.

Just kidding. Cleary it is about the food! A killer lasagna, homemade breadsticks, green salad, and our very favorite chocolate pudding cake.

Kidding again. Obviouslyyyy V-day is about the lovelovelove. We put Liam to bed, and had a long dinner eating and talking a lot. I even convinced Alex (probably the least sentimental person ever) to dance with me to our first song from the wedding. Butterflies.

WARNING: Here comes the lovey dovey part.. I can't resist! I try not to get too gushy on here, but the fact of the matter is- I am so in love with this man! Of course there have been bumps along the way, but it has only gotten better. I recently read a quote by James E. Faust that I have been thinking a lot about lately.

"In the enriching of marriage the big things are the little things. It is a constant appreciation for each other and a thoughtful demonstration of gratitude. It is the encouraging the helping of each other to grow. Marriage is a joint quest for the good, the beautiful, and the divine." 

If there is anything I have learned about love- not infatuation, but love that is REAL- that is it. Alex makes me feel so cherished by the little things he does everyday and I feel the luckiest to be with him every step of the way.

Cheers, love day!

It's Been A While

It's been a couple months, and I'm not really sure where to start?

We had such a great Christmas, and spent a lot of time with both of our families.  Liam and I even stayed an extra couple weeks. So after a month of basking in boot and coat weather in the U.S., we are back in Brazil. Green and beautiful Brazil. January and February are always a little dreary after the Christmas lights get taken down and your left with a whole lot of ice and snow, so I'm not really complaining these days;)

When in CT, I was driving with my little sister and as we were rounding a curve as a car slowly pulled out of their driveway. I slammed on the brakes, sounded my horn, and we were going again without a word. A minute or so later Hannah looked over at me completely baffled. "THAT was close. I'm shaking!!" I was a little confused at first, then realized it didn't phase me one bit. I have to say, that was a proud moment for me. A little bit of a pat on the back that even though my Portuguese still sucks and I just dropped my phone down the elevator shaft, at least I'm catching onto the pyscho driving thing. And I didn't even get a ticket during my stay in the U.S.! Ba boooom

Also, after a week of being back I decided to make a last minute trip to meet my family in Disneyworld for 3 days. Why not? It was fantastic and Liam and I are now pretty accustomed to traveling just the two of us. So I'm taking full advantage of that!

On another note, my little man is now crawling and climbing over everything. It boggles my mind how much he has changed in the last couple months! I absolutely love how curious he is. I also adore those front teeth that came in- by far the cutest front teeth I've seen. We have a pretty good time together and I feel so so blessed that I get to be home with him!

Thankful

Obviously, I'm very late on a Thanksgiving post. A nasty stomach flu took over my life last week.



This year felt pretty close to perfect- with a Brazilian twist of course.

Also, I have very talented friends. Hannah made the gorgeous flower bouquets, and RaKae made these Thankful Trees. After each person said why they are grateful, we all wrote it down on these tags and put them up. Such a sweet tradition, definitely doing it every year!

Another tradition we decided to try was a variety show. My mom's side does it every year, and everyone has fun with it. It was a "anything goes" theme, so we had quite the range. Everything from a show-and-tell of their recent drawing, Hannah and Daniel dancing to the Nutcracker, playing the guitar, kids singing primary songs, and rapping to Ice Ice Baby. (That would be Alex and I..)





We've come a looong way from last Thanksgiving. And I have so much to be grateful for.

For starters, Alex now knows the words to Ice Ice Baby, and therefore is cultured.

I am a mom! And to see Alex as a dad has made me love him even more. It is hard to put into words.

Our circle of friends has grown a lot. Honestly, I couldn't have said last year that I was truly grateful to be in Brazil. I was really lonely (pregnancy hormones flying all over the place didn't help), Alex was traveling about 4 hours roundtrip to work every day, and we found even the little things so frustrating. I'm not sure I realized how unhappy I was until I looking back from where I am now.

A huge part of that has been due to friends! Being from such a large family, I have always considered my siblings to be my best friends. Of course I always had friends and cherish the relationships with them, but there is nothing like family. So that's what I always relied on, and I never considered myself as a big "friend person". But being so far away from family, I realized how much you need relationships! In a way, we've been creating a big Brazilian family here with Americans and Brazilians alike. It's awesome.

Not to mention, I'm so grateful for our ward. (Aka our local congregation.) It is full of the most generous, welcoming, and giving people.

Overall I feel like we are starting to get the Brazil thing down. Portuguese however still needs to improve.

A little love story: part 3

Part 1 here
Part 2 here

Up until this point, blondes weren’t really my thing. Whenever I daydreamed up my one and only, he was always your classic case of tall, dark, and handsome. A Prince Eric type of guy, but a bit more rugged.

Alex couldn’t be more the contrary. Except the tall and handsome part, oops. How odd to be swooning over this blonde-of-all-blondes. But yet it was happening, and happening fast.  

Soon every free second was spent together. We’d study, go to the gym, play cards, lounge at the pool, go on hikes, make smoothies, and stargaze. It was turning into the best summer ever.

Believe it or not, some of these were taken with a disposable camera. I don't know why...

However, let the record show that this boy took forever to kiss me. He sure took his sweet time teasing away, and that was smart. Really smart. There were endless moments when I was positive “it” was going to happen, only to not happen at all. His arms would be around me and we’d be talking so close that our lips were practically touching. It went like this for at least a week, which is a long time when you spend practically 24/7 with each other. I loved that about him.

That first kiss finally took place in the back of his truck (so country, I know) while stargazing. Mid-conversation he unexpectedly leaned over and planted the most gentle kiss. I was in shock by it, and romantically (nawt) sat there like a limp noodle. “Did you just kiss me?” I said like a dummy. He responded with a little more:)

The best part for me was that neither of us felt the need to DTR (if you aren’t from Provo this means Define The Relationship. Also known as the most awkward encounters of your life.) For the past month and a half, we were simply having fun. Why bring in unnecessary pressure? I liked him, he liked me, and that was just fine.

Until it started to get a little hairy. Everywhere we went people would ask, and we would just laugh and sidestep the question. Coincidentally one of Alex’s friends wanted me to double with one of his buddies that weekend. My sister Ashley also had someone in mind, and she wanted to set us up before anything became official with Alex and I. Of course I had no desire to go, but what was I supposed to say? Alex wasn’t my boyfriend, and even though we spent more or less every free moment together- he could be dating other girls for all I knew.

I brought it up in the most nonchalant way possible. “So..Clay wants me to double with him this weekend. He has a friend in town.” We were driving on 100 North by Smith’s, and I kept my eyes firmly on the road. Without skipping a beat he said, “That’ll be fun! What are you guys going to do?”

I was silently furious. Seriously?? Show a LITTLE concern! Twinge of jealousy, interest, denial, anything! “Well I don’t really want to go,” I said a little later. He was quick on his feet that day, “Ok, then don’t.” The conversation ended there, and we happily went on to other topics. The inevitable would have to wait yet again. I told Clay I was sick.

My sister Hilary was getting married that summer, and right before the wedding we planned a weekend getaway to the Bahamas. Alex was driving me to the airport, and as I finished up last minute packing, my roommates were putting the pressure on big time. “Come on, Alex. What are you guys? You two are together all the time.” I heard bits and pieces of his clearly uncomfortable responses from my room, and was secretly thrilled. For the first time ever, I was ready for this to be a real relationship.

When I came out, I pretended like I hadn’t heard a thing. We hopped in the car, and he drove while I ate cantaloupe. (Side note: I love to eat it by cutting the melon in half, and carving the insides out with a spoon. No bowl or plate necessary.) It wasn’t long until Alex awkwardly began the dreaded DTR. But now, it wasn’t so dreaded.

I let him talk while I happily munched away. In the most roundabout way possible, it finally came out. “I really like you. And I’m pretty sure you like me. So we’re like... together, right?” I grinned shamelessly at him squirming in his seat, clearly not sure how to go about this. “Yeah, I’d take you for a boyfriend.” I went back to my cantaloupe, and that was it. Pretty easygoing, just like it had always been.

We took this picture right before I went into the airport, after the "DTR"