Out and About in Brasilia

It's hard to believe that in a few short weeks, we'll be moving from Brasilia to Rio.  We decided to take a little picture-taking outing to one of Brasilia's scenic points to help capture our time here in Brazil's capital city.

Ready to head out

 Isla...never one to hide her opinions

 Just being sweet girls.  I'll admit, we turned quite a few heads. 

What was that you were saying about smiling, Mommy?

  I think we'll probably miss BSB, but are definitely looking forward to Rio!

 

~ Avery

Easter Weekend 2012

We've been gearing up for this fun and candy-filled weekend all week, and now, Easter has arrived!  We spent Saturday morning meeting the Easter Bunny, and hunting eggs with many other kids from the Embassy.

...There was also face painting and a cupcake decorating station.

The three of us girls "hopped" into a picture with the Easter Bunny.  At least Isla didn't cry!

Then, it was off to the Egg Races!

Isla wasn't too sure about the whole hunting for eggs idea...

...but, she quickly learned the work had its rewards.

Mmmmm....Jelly Beans!

Since Isla was such a sport, I gave her my cupcake. (Can anyone say sugar rush?)

She thought that was a very fair deal.

Sunday morning, we had a treasure trove of goodies waiting for us!

It was all we could do to wait until we'd eaten breakfast before diving into all that chocolate!

Then, it was time for Easter Sunday church.  Just a quick pose in our dresses and bows.

....and thoughts of more chocolate and bunnies!

~ Avery

Just life with a new kitty

We recently adopted a little black and white "tuxedo" kitten.  We've named her Lilly, or as the Brazilians say it, "Lee Lee," but most of the time, she just gets called, "kitten."  It's been fun having a little creature around the house who jumps at our feet, and skampers down the halls.  I've been taking good care of her....Isla.....well....let's just say Lilly has learned to run when she sees Isla heading her way!

Poor kitten....she has no idea what she's up against.

Just kidding....Isla can be a sweet girl.

I think I've taught her well.

Still, if I were the kitty, I'd stay under the couch for the time being! ;)

~ Avery

Two Little Monkeys...

Jumpin' on the bed...

...and playing possum

Thank goodness, no one fell off and broke their head!

Cozy Times with the Cousins

Oh, what fun it was to see my girlie cousins, Isabela and Sofia during our trip to Texas!  A few days, it was even cool enough for us to cozy up to a fire!

...aaaaand....We were right there to welcome our NEWEST cousin, Oliver when he arrived!  We already love this little guy so much, and can't wait to play with him when he gets a bit bigger.

 

~ Avery & Isla

A Brazilian Christmas Weekend

We thought that spending Christmas at home in Brazil would mean quiet times for the holiday.  We may not have had any schedules to keep, but that didn't stop us from having a fun weekend, full of holiday cheer....Brazilian style!

Saturday evening, we put on our darling dresses to head out to Vigil Mass.  Needless to say, capturing a picture of BOTH of us sitting pretty is still a challenge.

One of us (ahem) cooperates better than the other!

That night, it was lights out early, as our Santa Tracker said he was on his way!  On Christmas morning, we awoke to quite the pile of loot!

My Elf must have delivered all my wishes for a Barbie computer right to Santa himself!

Isla will also have the chance to practice her techno-savvy.

It wasn't long before we tested out our new sets of wheels

Later in the afternoon, we took to the pool with Daddy-O (aka Santa wanna-be ;)

....and wrapped up the day by making some very festive cupcakes.

It was such a wonderful Christmas, with much to be thankful for.  We hope you also had a very Merry Christmas!

~ Avery

Prepping for the Claus man

Since this is the first year we'll be spending Christmas at home in Brazil, we've been kicking our Big Day preparations into high gear.  We're extra-excited because Mims is here to spend the holidays with us, and she's a big fan of Christmas.

First, we decked our halls with a tree that already has many presents underneath!

We dressed up in our little festive outfits so our Christmas card picture would look nice....

...that's still a work in progress...

More importantly, Santa paid a pre-visit down to Brasilia to listen to gift wishlists.  This was the first year I felt confident about telling The Head Honcho ear-to-ear what I'm hoping will appear under the tree Christmas morn, but Isla needed a little moral support.

I went first, to show her how the pros do it.

...but, I think we still have some work to do for next year.

 

~ Avery