The return of the poofs

Back when my brothers and I were kids, my dad used to put baby powder in his sneakers.  Totally normal, right?  Well, let me explain a little further.  He had holes in the toes of one particular pair of sneakers, and always put just a little too much baby powder in them.  So when he walked for the first few minutes, tiny poofs of baby powder would come out the fronts.  This quickly turned into a family joke, and a good family friend who has an incredible talent for writing and making us laugh turned it into a monthly comic strip for our family newsletter at the time.  We still read those and laugh so hard we cry.

How it all began....

Today was one of those days.

One of those toddler days.

You know, those days you see pictures of and read blogs about, but you never actually see in real life.

We are trying to teach Little L. that after lunch, everybody needs quiet time.  I have been especially tired lately, so when she actually falls asleep during Quiet Time, sometimes I'm lucky enough to get a catnap in too.  When she doesn't fall asleep, it's a constant battle of "Go back to your room!" and her trying to get out before we say she can.  I keep hoping it will get better and easier.

Yesterday she was pretty quiet, even though she didn't sleep, and I ended up taking a nap.  When I woke up, the house was in order, nothing was broken, and she was content playing quietly by herself in the living room.

Today, after not hearing her for a while, I just figured I'd be able to take another quick nap.  And I did. I heard her off in the distance, but she was quiet again.  Not too quiet, to be suspicious, but quiet while playing with some toys I recognized the sounds of.  No problem.  I woke up to her taking pictures of me sleeping (yes, she got ahold of the camera.....that should have been the first sign of trouble). So I took the camera away, and realized something was wrong....there was some clay stuck in a few crevices.  Then I realized a thin white film covering it.  And then realized that same white film was covering Little L.'s nose...and face...and in her hair...and all over her clothes....suddenly I was up, realizing that disaster had struck while I was in dreamland.

I followed the white trail out of my room and found piles in the living room.  On the floor, on the couch, on the TV stand, in her snack bowl, in a water bottle, mixed with her clay.

I kept following the trail (no, it didn't stop there).  Her room was like a white snowy explosion.

The kitchen was a little less white, but there were toddler footprints all over the place.

ALL.  OVER.  THE.  HOUSE.

Like...even in the fan.  And the electrical sockets.  And the doors and walls.  And in the snot running down Little L.'s face (she has a cold).  Under the couches.  On the baseboards.  Smeared on the glass door.  On the bathroom sink board.  In her bed.

I ordered her to the bathroom and told her to strip down to her diaper.  I had no idea where to begin.  First I picked up the baby powder bottle....yeah, it was totally empty. 

YOU GUYS.  I HAD JUST CLEANED THE HOUSE THIS MORNING.

Also, you'd think baby powder would be easier to clean up from tile than from carpet.  IT'S NOT.  It's impossible on any surface.  First I swept.  Then I mopped.  Then when the floor dried, I realized....there was still a ton on the floor.

So I tossed some of Little L.'s toys in the shower, and put her in there too, with the order that she was to clean the toys.  Figured I'd kill two birds with one stone....she needed a shower too, and she'd get one while she cleaned the toys.  Meanwhile, I stripped her bed and tossed all that in the wash.  Then I took some time to try to regroup, while she was playing merrily in the shower.  

Not gonna lie...I was mad.  I was so mad.  You'd think the house would smell good after all that....but I learned that baby powder in large quantities is overpowering and smells terrible.  I opened all the windows and doors, and even that didn't get rid of the smell.

Anyway, I got over it and am already laughing about it.  There's still baby powder residue in the living room that I'll deal with tomorrow with the daily sweep.  My students got a good laugh out of this tonight.

But hey, two things came out of this:

One....one of my first thoughts was "at least it isn't poop!!!"

And two....Little L. has taken the poofs to a new level.  So I guess we have a new family champion!!

Death gives rise to hope.

A morte leva à esperança.

On June 1, 2010, I was a missionary in São Paulo.  My uncle had had cancer for a while, but in all the news I’d received from home, things were looking up.  He was doing better.  On this day, however, my mission president called me and informed me that Uncle Eddie had passed away that morning.  He gave me the option of calling home if I wanted to (missionaries generally only call home on Mothers’ Day and Christmas).  

Dia 1 de junho de 2010, eu era uma missionária em São Paulo.  Meu tio tinha cancer durante um tempo, mas em todas as notícias que eu estava recebendo de minha família, ele estava bem.  Neste dia, portanto, meu presidente de missão me ligou e me informou que Uncle Eddie tinha falecido aquela manhã.  Ele me deu a opção de ligar para casa se eu quisesse (geralmente os missionários só ligam para casa no Dia das Mães e no Natal).

On May 24, 2018, I was in Recife spending a week at the temple there. As you all know from my last post (a few months ago), Nana had taken a turn for the worse at the end of 2017.  Since then, however, she’d gotten stronger, and had made some improvements. On this day, however, I got a phone call from my parents informing me that Nana had passed away that morning.

No dia 24 de maio de 2018, eu estava em Recife passando uma semana no templo.  Como vocês sabem da minha última post (alguns meses atrás), Nana tinha piorado de saúde no final de 2017.  Desde então, ela tinha ficado mais forte, estava melhorando.  Neste dia, portanto, recebi uma ligação de meus pais me informando que Nana tinha falecido aquela manhã.

As I have been reflecting over the last few days, these situations are similar.  Both passings were expected, and yet unexpected at that moment.  And for both, I was in the best possible place I could be.  What a blessing!

Enquanto tenho refletido nos últimos dias, vejo que essas situações se parecem.  Ambos os falecimentos foram esperados, mas não naquele momento.  E para os 2, eu estava no melhor lugar que eu podia estar.  Que bênção!

When I heard the news about Uncle Eddie as a young missionary, I cried.  We ate ice cream and brownies that day.  I studied a bit about what happens after death, and took comfort in my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation- I would one day be together with all my family members again.  Although sad, as a normal human would be, I knew I was going to be okay.  I did call home, mostly to see how my family was doing with this turn of events.  They too were upset, but they were okay too.

Quando soube de Uncle Eddie como uma jovem missionária, eu chorei.  Tomamos sorvete e comemos brownie naquele dia.  Estudei bastante sobre o que acontece após a morte, e encontrei conforto no meu conhecimento do Plano de Salvação- um dia eu estaria com toda minha família novamente.  Apesar de triste, como um ser humano normal ficaria, eu sabia que eu ficaria bem.  Eu liguei para casa, mais para saber como minha família estava.  Eles também estavam triste, mas também ficariam bem.

Last week when I heard about Nana, I cried again.  A lot. But the next day I was able to spend some time in the temple, and reflect upon everything I have learned up to this point in my life.  Death is not the end.  Nana was reunited with her parents, and many others who passed on before her…and even some she had always wanted to meet.  She was okay; I am okay.  

Semana passada quando eu soube de Nana, eu chorei novamente.  Bastante.  Mas no próximo dia, eu tive o privilégio de passar um tempo no templo, refletindo em tudo que tenho aprendido na minha vida até agora.  A morte não é o fim.  Nana foi reunida com os pais dela, e muitos outros que faleceram antes dela….e até algumas pessoas que ela sempre queria conhecer.  Ela está bem; eu estou bem.

I can’t put into words all the feelings and emotions I’ve had the past few days, and 8 years ago too, but I can say one thing that I hope touches somebody reading this:  I KNOW, without the smallest doubt, that families are meant to be together forever.  PLEASE learn about this, and PLEASE find hope in Heavenly Father’s plan.

Não posso colocar em palavras todos os sentimentos e emoções que venho sentindo nesses últimos dias, e 8 anos atrás também, mas eu posso dizer uma coisa que eu espero que toque alguém lendo isso:  Eu SEI, sem dúvida nenhuma, que as famílias foram feitas para ser eternas.  POR FAVOR, aprender sobre isso, e POR FAVOR, encontre esperança no plano do Pai Celestial.

me with Uncle Eddie and Aunt Tracy, back in July 2007

Nana, clearly overjoyed at the whole family being together for Christmas 2004

This is not the end

Okay guys....this post is honest, open, and really hard to write. The past 3ish weeks have been crazy, and have felt more like a couple months. When I wrote my last post about Christmas,  I knew this would be the next one.

As I begin jotting things down for this, I am sitting on an airplane somewhere over central America and Little L. Is fast asleep in my arms. It is her second birthday....she turned two while sleeping on my lap. So many thoughts about that  (mainly, where has my baby gone?)...but not today. 

On December 26, my mom told me that my paternal grandmother, Nana, was in the hospital. She had some infections, a blockage in her throat making it impossible to swallow anything solid, and a few other complications. My parents and youngest brother went to see her immediately. She chose not to have any treatment, understanding that it meant her days were very limited. In the next couple days, my two other brothers flew out from Alaska to see her. Meanwhile I was extremely upset, at home in Brazil. 

Nana is 99 years old. Logically we all knew that this day had to come. I kept telling myself that as I fell apart. It didn't help. Nothing can truly prepare you for the death of someone you love. My knowledge of and faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, knowing that my family can be eternal, help soften the blow. But the pain is still there, and it is real.

I sat at home not knowing what to do.  I cried and Little L. tried comforting me with her perfect little hugs and kisses, not understanding at all what was going on.  Husband just let me cry on his shoulder, while internally agonizing over the fact that I was far from my family in this critical moment.  Just out of curiosity, my youngest brother and I began looking at flights from here to NY.  It was all much too expensive...unless I wanted a 40-hour trip through Mexico to get there.  By myself, I'd do it.  But I had Little L. to think about too.  

To make a long story short, over the next few days we had tons of ups and downs.  It finally looked do-able.  Then suddenly the reasonable flight disappeared.  Then the card didn't work when we finally got another good one.  There were so many miracles in such a short few days...and angels.  We truly have angels in our lives, disguised as our friends.  We were finally able to get a relatively inexpensive flight, one that was only 18 hours from start to finish, only one layover.  We would leave here December 31, and stay there until January 12.  The flight back would be insanely long, but I'd deal with that when the time came. 

I cancelled the rest of my classes for the last couple days of the week, and tried to pull myself together.  Just knowing that we'd be going to see my side of the family was HUGE for me.  I don't know why it calmed me down so much; it didn't change the situation.  Nana was still on a liquids-only diet.

She arrived home from the hospital a couple days before Little L. and I arrived on the scene.  By the time we got there, my two brothers were back in Alaska, but the youngest was still there.  He and Little L. have a special bond, so I was glad we'd get a few days with him at least.  He and my parents met us at the airport early on January 1.  Our 2018 had begun on the airplane in São Paulo, before takeoff. 

It was WONDERFUL to see my family again.  And Nana looked so much better than I had been expecting.  Little L. warmed up right away to everyone, and it was adorable to see the special care she took with Nana.  She's a small child, but she had to have some notion of what was going on, because she was so kind and gentle with Nana, playing by her side, holding her hand, etc.  Little L. also absolutely LOVED the snow!

We spent the next 11 days mostly in NY.  We spent the weekend at my parents' house, which was nice.  I got to see my childhood best friend again, and her daughter and Little L. played together as if they hadn't been apart for several months. 

Those 11 days were crazy.  So many emotions in such a short time.  I held myself together surprisingly well.  I think seeing Nana better than I expected helped.  I know the inevitable will come, but at least for a few days, life was back to normal- Nana was okay.  

I think what was hardest on me was seeing Nana get weaker.  Some days she was in exceptionally good condition, but other days she seemed exceptionally weak.  I told her so one day, that she seemed to be doing really well.  She told me it was because Little L. and my parents and I had come back from their house, and were with her again.  The next day my parents went home, and I would be leaving the following day- that was her worst day while I was there.  She was very weak, didn't want to eat/drink too much, and seemed very sad.  That was January 11.

That night, I got the last of my things together for the trip back to Brazil, and then I had to say goodbye to Nana.  I hadn't thought much about that moment.  I saw my youngest brother cry when he said goodbye (he wasn't sticking around New England, he was off on his next adventure), but I hadn't thought about my turn.

It's a moment I don't think I'll ever forget.  It was around 10pm, and Little L. was still awake- she wouldn't go to sleep without me that night.  So we went into the living room and talked with Nana a little.  Little L. hugged her and kissed her and kept saying "I love you, Banana [her name for Nana]".  It was really too bad Nana couldn't hear her.  I went to hug Nana and tell her I love her, and that was the moment I just about lost it.  I started crying, and then tried to hide it, but obviously I couldn't.  And Nana just held onto me like there was no tomorrow. She said some beautiful things to me.

This picture spans 4 generations of Ogdens....it is a treasure!

I think I came back to Brazil half in a daze.  It was a long trip,  but Little L. was an angel on the trip again, which was a huge blessing.  It all still seems so unreal.  I know what's going to happen; I know this was probably the last time I was going to see Nana in this mortal life.  I guess this happened with my great-grandmother, Oma, too.  She passed away when I was 16 years old, and I have subconsciously blocked out the last bit of her life.  I remember when she started to go downhill, and then my memories jump to seeing her early in the day, the day she died.  Mom tells me I was pretty upset about that too, which is probably why I don't remember much.  

And now...I have memories.  Wonderful, sweet, fantastic, amazing memories.  And an eternal future to look forward to.  I am so grateful for the angels in my life who made this trip possible.  One of those angels is my Husband, who wasn't okay until I was on the airplane going to see my family.  I am grateful for Little L. being able to see her great-grandparents again.  Although the circumstances for the trip were less than ideal, I was grateful to see part of my USA family again.  I didn't realize how much I had been needing to see them.

I feel like I have just been word-vomiting here, and I don't know how much I was able to adequately get across.  I'm not even sure why I felt like I needed to write this post.  All I know is I don't have words to describe my feelings and thoughts over the past few weeks.  I hope I've been able to express a fraction of my mind to you!

Nana is a great woman, one of the greatest I know, and deserves to have the world know her greatness.  She is leaving a legacy in her family.

Also, we celebrated Little L.'s birthday a few days early with her grandparents and great-grandparents

So this is Christmas...2017

Christmas this year was different than expected, but enjoyable nonetheless.  It was a long weekend of family, friends, laughter and missed bedtimes. 

O natal este ano foi diferente que eu esperava, mas foi ótimo mesmo assim.  Foi um final da semana longo, cheio de família, amigos, risada, e noites que Little L. dormiu tarde demais.

In our house, we mix our two cultures as much as we can.  The bulk of Christmas here in Brazil in on December 24.  And in the States it is on December 25.  So we celebrate two days of Christmas around here!  Christmas Eve was an odd Sunday, actually.  We only had a little over an hour of church, and then came home and spent the rest of the day getting things ready for the family dinner.  We had it at our house this year, which was a LOT of fun.  Husband's siblings and parents came over with their families, and we spent a few hours in each other's company before everyone went to their in-laws' houses for Dinner Round Two.  The kids all played miraculously well together, and Husband and his family were all in tears of laughter for a good chunk of the night!  I had thought it was going to be a little more stressful and less relaxing, but it ended up being just....awesome.

Em nossa casa, temos uma mistura legal de 2 culturas.  A maioria do Natal aqui no Brasil é no dia 24 de dezembro.  E nos EUA, é no dia 25.  Então, nós comemoramos 2 dias de Natal aqui!  Dia 24 foi um domingo estranho, na verdade.  Tivemos apenas uma hora de igreja, e viemos para casa e passamos o resto do dia preparando para a ceia de Natal em família.  Este ano, tivemos a ceia da família aqui em casa, que foi MUITO divertido!  Os irmãos e pais de Husband vieram aqui com suas famílias, e passamos algumas horas juntos antes que saíram para as outras famílias para Ceia Round 2.  As crianças brincaram bem juntos, e Husband e sua família estavam todos chorando de tanto rir juntos!  Eu tinha pensado que seria mais estressante e menos relaxante, mas acabou sendo apenas....ótimo!

Christmas Day was going to be a day spent as a family, and then we were going to have Family Home Evening with some friends.  Christmas Eve, Husband got called into work for Christmas day.  Let me explain....with his job, he works a chunk of time, and then gets another chunk off (I can't write more details than that, sorry it's vague!).  He has been looking for a second job for a while, one that would work with his schedule.  He finally got one a few days before Christmas, and was called in for the first time on Christmas.  That's why he couldn't say no, because it was an answer to a lot of prayers, and we didn't want him to lose this opportunity.

Íamos passar o dia 25 juntos (eu, Husband, e Little L.), e depois íamos ter Noite Familiar com alguns amigos.  Na véspera de Natal, Husband foi escalado para trabalhar no dia 25.  Vou explicar...Com o emprego dele, ele trabalha um tempo, e depois folga um tempo (não posso entrar em mais detalhes, perdoem-me!).  Ele tem procurando um segundo emprego por um tempinho, um que daria com a escala dele.  Ele finalmente conseguiu, alguns dias antes de Natal, e foi escalado pela primeira vez no Natal.  Por isso ele não podia recusar, porque foi uma resposta a muitas orações, e não queríamos perder essa oportunidade.

So how was Christmas Day actually spent?  Well, we got up at 5:30 as always....No matter what time she goes to bed, Little L. ALWAYS wakes up at the same time.  It's kind of frustrating, actually, because then she is grumpy for days.  Anyway, in this case, it was good.  Husband didn't have to be at work until 7, so he got to see her open her presents.  That was so much fun!!!!  She was so excited!  She just got a few simple things, and a plastic tricycle, but she was over the moon.  I'm pretty sure that she'd sleep with her trike if she could!  The rest of the day....well, if I'm being honest, it was just another day.  I cleaned the house.  Tried to get Little L. into bed early, but that turned into a small disaster.

No fim das contas, como passamos dia 25? Acordamos e levantamos às 5:30, como sempre....Não importa o horário que ela dorme, Little L. SEMPRE acorda no mesmo horário.  É chato, na verdade, porque depois, ela fica irritada durante alguns dias.  Mas nesse caso, foi bom.  Husband não precisava estar no trabalho até as 7h, então ele estava aqui para ver ela abrir os presentes.   Nossa, isso foi divertido demais!!! Ela ficou tão animada!  Ela ganhou alguns brinquedos simples, e também um velotró, mas ela achou que tinha ganhado a loteria! Acho que se pudesse, ela dormiria com seu velotró!  O resto do dia....bem, se estou sendo sincera, foi apenas mais um dia.  Limpei a casa.  Tentei colocar Little L. para dormir cedo, mas isso acabou sendo um pequeno desastre.

And now Husband is at work again for another several days.  He picked up some extra shifts over New Years, which is also a blessing.  Unfortunately, it means that an exhausted me is here alone with an overtired Little L. for several days.  When I say unfortunately, I mean that I am not good at hiding my grumpiness, which makes for a difficult situation.  What amazes me every time I hear Little L. say "I love you" or "I sowwy Mommy" or hug me or anything else she does to show she loves me....what amazes me is that she CAN still love me even with all my imperfections, short temper, etc.  Anyway, another post for another time.

E agora, Husband voltou a trabalhar mais alguns dias.  Ele pegou  mais serviço no Ano Novo, que também é uma bênção.  Infelizmente, significa que uma EU exausta estou aqui sozinha com uma Little L. exausta por alguns dias.  Quando digo "infelizmente", quero dizer que não sou boa em esconder quando não estou me sentindo bem, que dá numa situação difícil.  O que me impressiona cada vez que escuto Little L. dizer "Eu te amo" ou "desculpa Mommy" ou me abraçar ou qualquer coisa que ela faz para mostrar que me ama....o que me impressiona é que ela CONSEGUE me amar mesmo com todas as minhas imperfeições, impaciência, etc.  Em fim, uma outra post para um outro dia. 

Now I'm just trying to get back to a normal routine for the next few days before Little L. loses another TON of sleep over New Years again.  I like Christmas and all, but I can't wait til January when life goes back to normal...

Agora estou apenas tentando reestabelecer a rotina normal nos próximos dias, antes de Little L. perder mais um monte de sono no Ano Novo.  Eu gosto de Natal e todas as festas e tudo, mas não vejo a hora de janeiro chegar, quando a vida volta a normal...

Blog neglect

I have been severely neglecting this blog....I could say it's because we don't have m much going on, but in reality, it's because I've been so busy!  I have about 20 hours of class scheduled per week, plus all the class prep.  I am prepping for an English course that I am going to teach at Church starting in January too....that'll have upwards of 50 people in it!  The Institute year just ended...we had graduation on Saturday.  So now I am starting preparations for next year!

Tenho neglicenciado severamente esse blog....eu poderia dizer que é porque não temos muito acontecendo, mas na realidade, é porque tenho ficado tão ocupada!  Tenho 20 horas de aula marcada por semana, além das preparações para aula.   Estou também me preparando para um curso de inglês que ensinarei na Igreja, começando em janeiro...esse curso terá mais ou menos 50 pessoas.  O ano do Instituto acabou de terminar....tivemos a formatura no sábado.  Agora estou começando a preparar o ano que vem já!

I am getting things ready for Christmas too.  I have nearly finished my Christmas shopping...but now I need to get sewing.  I cut out a dress for myself last night and have the challenge of putting that together without the crutch of my Mom to help me.  That will be a good challenge for me.  I am also making a book for Little L., so I've got that all on paper...now I just need to get it on the fabric!  Because I've got it all drawn out, though, it shouldn't be TOOOO hard to make!

Estou preparando para Natal, também.  Tenho quase terminado as compras para Natal....mas agora preciso costurar!  Já cortei o tecido para um vestido para mim, e agora tenho o desafio de fazer esse vestido sozinha, sem a ajuda de minha mãe!  Mas vai ser um desafio bom para mim.  Também estou fazendo um livro para Little L., que já planejei no papel.  Agora preciso fazer com o tecido!  Mas não deve ser muuuuiiiiito difícil, já que tenho tudo no papel!

While I am writing this, Little L. is playing with my sewing fun stuff....ribbons, beads, buttons, velcro, etc.  It keeps her entertained, and she has actually learned a lot that way!

Enquanto escrevo isso, Little L. está brincando com as minhas coisas de costurar....zippers, botões, velcro, fitas, etc.  Ela fica viajando assim, e na verdade tem aprendido muito brincando só com essas coisas!

Speaking of Little L. and learning, she has been making HUGE strides lately....every day I am amazed at how much she knows.  She knows all the colors in English and several in Portuguese; she counts to ten in both English and Portuguese, and she is putting together entire sentences, which just amazes me.  Her grasp of language is incredible; she understands pronouns and uses them correctly, and even articles!  For example, the other day out of nowhere, she saw a picture of a baby and said "I see the baby!"  I just stared at her, dumbfounded.  She is growing taller and taller every day, too.  I just can't believe how fast time is going by!

Falando de Little L. e o aprendizado dela, ela tem aprendido MUITO ultimamente.  Todo dia fico surpresa com o quanto ela sabe.  Ela sabe todas as cores em inglês e várias em português; ela conta até 10 em inglês e português, e está juntando frases inteiras.  Ela entende bem os idiomas; entende pronomes e usa-os corretamente, e até artigos.  Por exemplo, um dia dessa semana ela viu uma foto de um bebê, e do nada disse "I see the baby!" (Eu vejo o bebê!)  Eu só olhei para ela, nem acreditando.  Ela está crescendo mais a cada dia também.  Só não acredito o quanto o tempo está voando. 

Lately I've been making and selling a bunch of sweets, too.  It has been a huge blessing in our lives.  So I really have been super busy, but it's good!  I promise that next time I write, it will be more interesting for you all to read.  I just didn't want to keep going forever without at least writing something on here.  See ya next time!

Ultimamente tenho feito e vendido vários doces.  Tem sido uma bênção enorme em nossa vida.  Então realmente estou andando bem ocupada, mas é bom!  Prometo que a próxima vez que escrever aqui, vai ser mais interessante!  Só não queria deixar mais tempo passar sem nada aqui.  Até mais, gente!

Thanksgiving update!

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday.  I certainly did!  The day was so jam-packed busy, I don't even know where to start!  Well, I'm sure you probably don't want to read all the details about cleaning my house and washing a million dishes, but I'll cover the highlights!

We set up our Christmas tree, and Little L. was BESIDE HERSELF excited!  She kept going "wowwwww!!!!!" and she got all the ornaments out of the box, arranged them and sorted them on the floor, and then was beyond thrilled to help put them on the tree.  She found a train one, and it has yet to go on the tree....she keeps driving it around the floor going "choo choo!"

Olá gente!  Espero que todos tiveram um feliz Ação de Graças ontem.  Eu tive!  O dia foi tão cheio e corrido que nem sei onde começar!  Bem, acho que vocês não gostariam de ler todos os detalhes de como limpei a casa e lavei um milhão de louças, mas falarei das melhores partes!

Montamos nossa árvore de Natal, e Little L. estava TÃO animada!  Ela ficou olhando, apontando, e dizendo "uauuuu!!!!!" e ela tirou todos or ornamentos da caixa e organizou eles no chão, e depois ficou mais animada ainda que ela podia ajudar a colocá-los na árvore.  Ela achou um ornamento de um trenzinho, e até agora não foi parar na árvore....ela fica brincando com ele no chão dizendo "choo choo!"

 The afternoon was spent cooking (we didn't have dinner until around 7pm) and rearranging the house.  We took our couch out and put it on our front porch, shoved our table up against the wall, and opened up the whole space to be able to shove together a few plastic tables, which would be our big Thanksgiving table.  The turkey took almost twice as long as it was supposed to, so we ended up running a little late with dinner.  It worked out okay; we played some games until it was dinner time.  The people who came were enthralled with Little L., and she loved all the attention.  She spent the whole time showing off the Christmas tree and running around giggling and squealing.  Our guests included four of my current students, and two people who became my students during the activity!

Passamos a tarde cozinhando (o jantar não foi servido até depois das 19h) e reorganizando a casa.  Tiramos nosso sofá e deixamos ele na varanda, encostamos a mesa no balcão, e abrimos o espaço para juntar as mesas de plástico, para ser nossa mesa grande de Thanksgiving.  O peru demorou quase 2 vezes o tempo esperado para cozinhar, então atrasamos um pouco o jantar.  Mas deu tudo certo; tivemos algumas brincadeiras até terminar tudo.  As pessoas que vieram se apaixonaram por Little L., e ela adorou a atenção.  Ela passou o tempo todo mostrando a árvore de Natal a todo mundo e correndo para lá e para cá, dando risada e gritando de alegria.  Nossos convidados foram 4 dos meus alunos atuais, e mais 2 que se tornaram alunas durante o evento!

I won't say it was perfect, because it wasn't.  My dinner rolls didn't end up happening because I ran out of flour right in the middle of the recipe and had no more time to run and get some more.  Husband was on a table run, picking up tables for us to use, so I couldn't even ask him to run to the store!  The turkey took a long time, the music wasn't as perfect as I was hoping (it was Christmas music though, so that's gotta count for something!).  Even though it wasn't perfect, it was my kind of perfect.  Before we served ourselves dinner, we all said three things we were grateful for, I told them about the history of Thanksgiving in the USA, and some of my family's traditions, and Husband said a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing on the food.  It was the perfect Thanksgiving for this year, and even with the craziness, I wouldn't change a thing!

Não direi que foi perfeito, porque não foi.  Meus pãezinhos não aconteceram porque acabou a farinha de trigo no meio da receita, e não tive mais tempo para ir comprar mais.  Husband estava buscando as mesas, então não pude nem pedir para ele correr ao mercado rapidinho.  O peru demorou demais, a música não foi tão perfeita como eu esperava (mas foi música de Natal, então isso deve valer alguma coisa!).  Mesmo com todas as imperfeições, foi o meu tipo de perfeito.  Antes de nos servir, todo mundo falou 3 coisas pelas quais são gratos, eu contei a história de Thanksgiving nos EUA, e algumas tradições da minha família.  Husband fez uma oração de gratidão e uma bênção na comida.  Foi o Thanksgiving perfeito para esse ano, e mesmo com a loucura, eu não mudaria nada!

Everyone who was there (except Husband!)....yes, I am actually in this picture with Little L.!
Todo mundo que estava presente (menos Husband!)....sim, eu saí na foto com Little L.!

I forgot to take a "before" picture, so here's looking at the leftovers (aka, lunch the next few days)
Esqueci de tirar uma foto "antes", então aqui vai o que sobrou (ou seja, almoço durante os próximos dias)

So that was Thanksgiving, in a nutshell.  We are skipping December for another conversation class, but stay tuned for the flier for January!

Então, aí foi Thanksgiving, resumido.  Vamos pular o evento de conversação em dezembro, mas fiquem atentos para o anúncio para a aula de conversação de janeiro!

On a more personal note, I just wanted to say how grateful I am for a Husband who supports me in everything I am doing.  Back in college, when Husband and I decided we'd get married and live down here, a lot of my friends and colleagues asked me what I planned to do in Brazil.  I always laughed and told them I'd have babies and teach English.  I never imagined that I'd essentially start a home business that just keeps growing (without even trying, really), and that I'd really enjoy teaching English.  I love it, and even though I am exhausted by the end of the day, I wouldn't change it.  I feel like I am doing something to help my family, and to help all my students and friends.  And Husband has been by my side through it all, supporting me, cheering me on, and encouraging me to keep putting myself out there, building up my reputation and always looking for new things to do for my students.  He has been by my side 100%, and especially in the last year when things have REALLY picked up.  And I am so grateful for Little L. being so patient with all my classes!  She loves my students, and even though this is the only thing she's ever known (Mommy teaching classes at home, I mean), she is a really good sport about it, even on really busy days when I can't play with her as much as we'd both like.  My family is everything, and I am so grateful for them.  And along with that, I am grateful for my STUDENTS, who understand that sometimes my attention is split between them and Little L., and yet they still keep coming back!  They are wonderful people, and I feel privileged to be their teacher. 

Agora falando mais pessoal, eu só queria dizer o quanto sou grata por meu Husband que me apoia em tudo que estou fazendo.  Quando eu estava na faculdade, quando Husband e eu decidimos que iríamos casa e morar aqui no Brasil, muitos amigos e colegas meus me perguntaram o que eu faria no Brasil.  Eu sempre dava risada e respondia que eu teria bebês e ensinaria inglês.  Eu nunca imaginei que eu basicamente abriria um negócio em casa que está crescendo mais e mais (sem muito esforço, na verdade), e que eu acabaria gostando muito de ensinar inglês.  Eu amo isso, e mesmo que eu esteja totalmente exausta no final do dia, eu não o mudaria.  Sinto que estou ajudando minha família, e ajudando meus alunos e amigos.  E Husband está ao meu lado o tempo todo, me apoiando e encorajando, sempre me ajudando a melhorar e ver coisas novas que posso fazer para meus alunos.  Ele está ao meu lado 100% desde o início, e principalmente no último ano, quando as coisas cresceram muito.  E também sou tão grata por Little L., por ela ser tão paciente com todas minhas aulas!  Ela adora meus alunos, e mesmo que essa seja a única vida que ela conhece (Mommy dando aulas em casa, quero dizer), ela está muito tranquila, mesmo nos dias mais corridos quando não posso brincar com ela o quanto nós gostaríamos.  Minha família é tudo, e sou tão grata por eles.  E mais sobre isso, sou grata por meus ALUNOS, que entendem que às vezes minha atenção está dividida entre eles e Little L., e mesmo assim ainda voltam!  São pessoas incríveis, e sinto privilegiada por ser sua professora!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow!

If I'm being perfectly honest with you and with myself, I am more excited about this year's Thanksgiving than I have been in a long time.  I get to share it with family and friends.  As I write this, I should be starting on the pies, but I am sitting here listening to Vocal Point Christmas music and writing instead.  I am so excited I am giddy!  And I am making everything myself, from scratch....turkey, gravy, glazed and non-glazed carrots, pumpkin, mashed potatoes, apple pie, chocolate pie, and rolls.  And possibly green bean casserole if I can find green beans today....

It's a lot of work!  But I'm up for it.  I have several students and their friends coming.  We are going to shove a few tables together to make a big table, have some great Christmas music on in the background, and talk about what we are grateful for.  I am excited to share this USA tradition with some of my Brazilian friends.  Husband suggested setting up the Christmas tree for it too.  I used to be fundamentally against the Christmas tree going up until after Thanksgiving, but he had a good point...bring in the Christmas Spirit a little early, and get us all geared up for the holidays here.  I guess if I can't have snow, I should be able to get the tree up early. :)

Anyway, as always, I will post photos after Thanksgiving.  I just wanted to write a little something today.  And now I need to get to peeling and slicing apples.....



Se estou sendo honesta comigo mesma e com vocês, estou mais animada para Ação de Graças (Thanksgiving) esse ano do que tenho ficado há muito tempo!  Vou poder compartilhar esse dia com família e amigos.  Enquanto escrevo isso, eu deveria estar fazendo as tortas, mas estou sentada aqui escutando música de Natal de Vocal Point e escrevendo.  Eu estou tão animada!  Vou fazer tudo sozinha....peru, molho, cenouras, abóbora, puré de batata, torta de maçã, torta de chocolate, e pãezinhos.  E talvez algumas outras verduras se eu consigo achar....

É muito trabalho!  Mas vamos lá.  Tenho alguns alunos e seus amigos vindo.  Vamos juntar algumas mesas para criar uma grande mesa, ter música de Natal tocando no fundo, e falar sobre o que somos gratos.  Estou animada para compartilhar essa tradição dos EUA com alguns dos meus amigos brasileiros.  Husband sugeriu montar a árvore de Natal também.  Antigamente eu não concordava em montar a árvore de Natal até depois de Thanksgiving, mas ele tem razão....trazer o espírito de Natal cedo.  Se não posso ter neve, posso ter a árvore um pouco cedo, né? :)

Como sempre, postarei as fotos depois de Thanksgiving.  Só queria escrever um pouco hoje.  E agora preciso ir descascar e cortar maçãs.....