Heading Back to the USA

Joaquin is crawling now, but you will just have to see that in person!!!!





Where to begin????????? Everything here has been soooo difficult. We knew it would be hard, but I never would have imagined that it would be this difficult. I thought that coming down here with Jaime would help him with work because he would be able to concentrate fully on work and dedicate all of his time to getting things going. I was totally wrong. Having us here was hard because I was not able to do ANYTHING alone. I didn't have the documents that I needed to do much of anything. Things were constantly coming up and I couldn't handle them by myself. It definitely was a challenge for me because I have always considered myself to be a pretty self-sufficient person and be able to hang with the kids and do my thing in whatever environment I was placed in. I was wrong again! Every part of my independent self was challenged here. Did God place me here to learn how to depend more solely on Him??? Quite possibly because I literally couldn't make it a day without Him. Was I here to learn contentment and be thankful for what I had in Georgia before we came? I am certain of it. Through this experience I have learned that no matter where he places me, he has a purpose. We are to look for Him in all things and lean on Him for everything. I know, much easier said than done.

When it all boils down to it, we are heading back. We haven't been able to get health insurance, our driver's license process is going to take a few months, our renters are moving out, etc., etc., etc. We are a liability to NABC and they decided along with Jaime that it would be better for us to move back.

I am excited to be going back. I didn't think that I would miss Ga, our family and friends as much as I did. The kids are excited as well. They keep talking about our friends, family, our house, Dante and everything else back in the US (the cereal aisle at Walmart and Krispy Creme doughnuts included).

When I look back on our months here in Brazil, it really does seem like it was just the blink of an eye. It's exciting to see that all the kids now know 3 languages and their Portuguese is almost fluent. That is cool. I can't say that much for my Portuguese. We will definitely have to keep on practicing it. I don't want them to loose that. We were able to make a few friends and learn about another culture and how it is very different from living in the US. Even though I grew up in Colombia, I couldn't believe how easily I had forgotten how the US really is the land of opportunity and life there is "easy". I now really appreciate my dishwasher, garbage disposal, my washer and drier, being able to go and get things at the store fast, being able to go and get things done in one day, etc.

Jaime is going to be doing A LOT of traveling. He will be spending one week in Ga and the next week in Brazil. We are all going to have to get used to him being gone a lot again. That is the biggest downside to moving back. We loved having him home at night. This way though, I know that he will be able to concentrate on work and not be worried that we are not OK. On the bright side, I have already hinted that I am expecting a trip to somewhere exotic with all of those miles he will be racking up and since Joaquin is our last baby, we could really do it and leave the kids with family.

Anyway, I know everyone had questions as far as what happened and so that is why I wanted to give you an update. I am attaching the last pics that I took in Brazil.

We spent Christmas here. It was weird just being the 6 of us and we definitely missed being with family, friends and even going to church. New Year's I really wanted to get out of the city so we headed to the beach. Let's just say it was packed and we stayed in a very small hotel room. It rained pretty much the entire weekend 24 hours a day. We did get to go to the beach jan 1 for 2 hours before it started raining again. here are the pics of the beach trip. I loved the beautiful scenery. I had never seen beaches that are right by mountains. Breathtaking.







This is the market that was a 5 minute walk from our apartment. You could buy fruits, vegetables, meat, etc. there. It was every Saturday. The market was open everyday of the week in a different area of the city.





I don't know if I will continue to blog, just because I started doing it to keep everyone informed on our latest here. Now hopefully I will be seeing you and talking to you on a regular basis. We will see.

Vacation Time

We just got back today from our first official vacation here in Brazil. We took off right after the kids got out of school last week. We headed southwest from where we live. I found a quaint little fazenda "working farm" / bed and breakfast for us to go to for a few days. The pictures on the internet looked just like what I was looking for and it was exactly what I had pictured in my mind once we got there.

It took us about 6 hours to get there. We were in the middle of farms. It was very rural. On the first day, we arrived just in time for lunch. There was one other couple there, but they left after lunch. We immediately headed out for our first of many horse rides. Valgier, one of the farm workers, rounded up ponies for Isabella and Santiago. Jaime, Gabriel, Joaquin and I rode on horses.

We went to one of the pastures on the farm. It was breathtaking. It was full of horses and colts, sheep, and cows. The were all just roaming as we rode through. It was awesome!! The weather was a little cooler than what I had packed for, so we wore our jeans and sweatshirts. That night we were all tired. Jaime and I fell asleep by 8:30 pm. I think that our bodies really needed the rest. It helped that we were all sleeping in one room. This house we stayed in was quite old and therefore the floors made a lot of noise. Once all the kids were down, especially Joaquin, we didn't want to move. :) God forbid anyone needed to use the bathroom!!!


The second day was also cold. We got up and had a great breakfast. The cooks at the fazenda were great! One of the farm workers then took us all down to where some of the goats were and we all had out first experience milking the goat.

Next, we headed out for our second ride. This time we were all on horses. Isabella and Gabriel were so proud that they could go ride "alone" at times.

We got back to the fazenda just in time for lanche "snack time". We had lunch and napped and then headed out for our afternoon outing. This time Valgier took us to the falls. We took the tractor down the road and got out and hiked 25 minutes to these beautiful falls.

I kept thinking to myself that we wouldn't be allowed to do this in the US. We were right up against the falls. I am sure there would have been a fence or something around them in the US, but we were able to hike and climb rocks right up to them. The kids thought that was great! We got back just in time for our second lanche of the day, had dinner and then we were asleep again really early.



The third day was just ugly. It rained all night and literally all day. It was cold and rainy. We hung out at the fazenda, played games, relaxed in the hammock, and eventually watched some Star Wars. The rain let up for about an hour and it was just enough time to get an afternoon ride in. This time we toured another area of the farm.

I was praying that Saturday's weather would be much better. God answered our prayers and we woke up to a beautiful warm day on Sat. We got up and went out for our morning ride.

We headed back to the field where all the animals were roaming. By the time we got back to the fazenda, more guests had arrived. In the afternoon all of the women and the kids piled into the tractor, while the men rode horses down to the river/lake. We all got in and played for a while and then headed back.


Sunday, was also beautiful. After breakfast we milked cows and then went out for our morning ride. The kiddos spent the rest of the day in the pool. They were finally able to get in. Another family, with an 8 yr old girl had arrived the day before and Isabella had made a good friend to hang out with.

We had such a relaxing time. It was much needed after stressful days leading up to our vacation. Isabela's birthday party went well last weekend. We had to get through many obstacles. 30 min. before the party the guard informed me that pool parties were not allowed. I had 15 kids coming in their bathing suits waiting to get in the pool. I sent Jaime out to the store. No water guns to be found. Thank God he found a small packet of water balloons and we had a water balloon fight. That saved the day!!!



God has been watching over us in a majorly BIG way. Two days before going on vacation I was walking home with the boys, when a car pulled out of an apartment building garage and hit Santiago. Thank God the man was going slowly and it really just knocked him down. I had many nice people stop to help me and get me and the boys back home. God had kept Santiago in his hands and he was absolutely fine. We are now in the process of getting a second car. It is just not safe to walk around with four young kids in the city. NABC (Jaime's company) has been wonderful and are helping us get a second car, since we don't have any credit, just got a bank account this week, and cars are outrageously expensive here.

I am thankful for vacation and the time for the 6 of us just to be able to spend time together. I think that we all feel revived and ready to get back to reality. It so doesn't feel like Christmas yet, especially not having family around. We have decided to spend the 24th and 25th here at the apartment, just the 6 of us. A couple of friends have invited us to be with their families, but with our kids early bedtime schedules, especially Joaquin's, we have decided that we would be much more comfortable here together. I will let you know how that goes later.

Holidays are approaching

Joaquin has discovered his tongue!!!


I can't believe that it is already Christmas and we have been here for 6 months. I can't believe that we still don't have our stuff yet!!! Who would have known! So much is going on around here.

The kids are wrapping up their school year. They are getting ready to transition into a different school. The school they are currently at was perfect for a first school because the teachers were so loving and caring. They really made the kids feel special and that is exactly what they needed when we got here. Unfortunately, their academics were not up to my standards and that is why starting in Jan., the kids will be going to Notre Dame. The past couple of weeks have been full of the kids activities. Isabella sang in her Christmas choir, Santiago had his end of the year show and Gabriel will graduate from Kindergarten tomorrow.



The kids have continued to go to a lot of birthday parties. I took some pics so you could get an idea of the parties here.



One of Santiago's friends mom's invited me to a a play put on by the only special needs school in the city. It was absolutely awesome!!! The school helps people from babies to senior citizens. A group of actors and dancers comes together with them every year and they put on a play. All of the students participated, as well as some teachers. I thought that it was great to see how inclusive the play was and how each special needs person was able to participate to the extent where they felt comfortable (singing, dancing, acting, making the sets, etc.) I hope to go and visit the school in the near future. Isabella and Gabriel went with me. It has been a blessing to see how God always puts special needs people in our lives and how my kids are now starting to recognize them wherever we go and accept them for how God has created them with their special needs.

Jaime's boss (Kevin) and Marcia from his office came down for a week. It was like Christmas. They were gracious enough to bring us 4 suitcases filled with stuff. Amy was an angel and packed up not only all of our Christmas presents for the kids, but packed up all the goodies and items that we needed. I am thankful to now have arepa harina and my hot chocolate. Yum yum!!!


Thanksgiving came and went. At first it totally did not feel like Thanksgiving because they do not celebrate it here. The kids had school, Jaime worked, etc. I invited my English class to come over for a Thanksgiving feast. The kids were psyched about it. I had some Thanksgiving crafts sent from the US and we had a blast making them. The kids made a little craft for each of my students and a center piece for our table. On Sat. all of my students came over and we had our feast. It was the first time they had tried mac-n-cheese, pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. We all had a great time just hanging out. It was a good time to thank God for all of the blessing that he has given us and for the new friends we have made.


We joined the tennis club. Hooray!! There is a club within a 5 min walk of our apartment. Everyone kept telling us that we needed to join and we finally did. I think that it is going to be great. One of our friends got us a temporary membership so we don't have to pay the expensive title for the club for a year and just try it out. It has tons of activities for the kids to do like swimming, soccer, tennis, basketball, etc. It also has a gym for Jaime and I to use and a baby daycare center to take care of Joaquin when we need it. This club is going to be a blessing during the kids summer vacation, which starts in two weeks. We will have somewhere close to go during the day in order to burn some energy and get out of the apartment.

Jaime and I have both had birthdays within the last couple of months. It was a different experience being here to celebrate them without our friends and family in the US. We missed everyone terribly. Jaime took me shopping on my birthday.He said I need to get with the brazilian styles. He told me that I needed to get some heels like what everyone wears here with all of their outfits. Isabella now thinks that I am super hip. I will let you know how walking around in them goes. They are going to be a change from my mommy friendly shoes. Gabriel took a pic of Isabella and I modeling my new shoes.



We have also found a consistent babysitter. Her name is Ana Beatriz and I give her English classes once a week. She then comes over another night and babysits the kids. They all absolutely love her and it has been great to have her here. She has become like part of the family.


I am in the middle of planning Isabella's 8th b-day party. This will be the first time ver that her b-day falls during summer vacation, so we have decided to have the party Dec 11. before vacation starts so that all of her classmates can come. She has decided to have a pool party. This will be the first time she has a summer birthday and she is really excited to be able to have it at the pool. I have 3 people coming to help me supervise the kiddos. We are doing it American style. Amy sent down some crafts for us to do and we are going to play some games. i will have to let you know how that goes later.


Well, I guess that is it for now.

Getting Out

A lot has happened the last few days. I think Jaime and I can definitely say that our social life is on the up and up. Santiago has been invited to a few parties the last few days and this has lead to us meeting more people not only from church, but from his school. Jaime and I were discussing whether or not birthdays like the ones here in Brazil would fly in the US. They are a BIG event. The whole family is invited. They rent out these party places that have a lot of things for all ages. They have everything from a baby play area, to amusement park like rides, indoor playgrounds, etc. On top of all that there are young adults called "monitores" that are floating around and supervising the kids activities. Meanwhile, the adults sit back and enjoy the party. More staff comes around with an endless supply of appetizers. The parties last about 4 hours. They end with a birthday song extravaganza and more dessert and cake passed around. We did learn that we will not attend another late night (7 - 11 pm) party on a weeknight. That was a disaster!!! The kids were super cranky.

We also took advantage and went to a fazenda. Gabriel, Santiago and Isabella did a mini-ropes course. They loved it. They also climbed up in Tarzan's house. Isabella and I did a long zipline through the forest. That was awesome! The best part of the trip was that I met another American family that have just moved here from North Carolina. They were an answer to prayer. Their children go to the American School here and they are totally plugged in to the Expat community here in Campinas. They sent out an email introducing us to everyone and I have been getting emails ever since. There is even a latin group among them and I cannot wait to get some spanish in. I already have 2 play dates planned this week and Jaime and I are going out with a bunch of couple salsa dancing on Friday. I definitely think that if I had found this group a couple of months ago my transition here might have been smoother, but God knows why He does things when He does and I will not question it. I am excited to have found people with more than one child to hang out with. :)

Jaime had his birthday here last Friday. Our maid helped make him a traditional Brazilian cake- brigadeiro and the kids put together a "cesta de cafe for him" a little gift basket.

Isabella, Gabriel and Jaime have been doing Jiu-Jitsu for the last month and have been working really hard at it. Isabella really loves it and she is the only girl. Tonight both her and Gabriel received their first degree (stripe on their belt). I was soooo proud of them and they were extremely excited.



All is well. God is good. I can't ask for more.

Susan

We are back to stay

I know that it has been a few weeks since I posted anything. It seems like life has been crazy. We went to Georgia for a couple of weeks. It was great to get to see friends and family. We got to do a lot of things and see a lo of people, which was awesome. Jaime and I were able to go out on a few dates and that was great especially because we didn't know how long it would be beofre we found a trustworthy babysitter here.

It is weird that Brazil actually felt like home when we got back here this time. I think that it is a mindset thing. I now know that we are here to stay for a while. I think God is showing me literally that home is where your heart is. I am home because Jaime and the kids are here. I am cherishing all of our family time here. I am loving having Jaime home every night. That is such a change for me and the kids love having him home more.



I am trying to think back on everything that has happened in the last few weeks. The kids are back in school. I have decided that the school they are in at the moment isn't the right one for them. It was the perfect school for them to come to because the teachers and staff are really loving, but it doesn't quite measure up to what I want out of a school academically. The new school year here starts in January so for about 2 weeks I did major school shopping. I visited all kinds of school and thank God I found one that I think is going to be perfect. Starting in January Gabriel and Isabella are going to be going to Notre Dame. It is farther from the house and we are going to have to contract a school "minivan" to to pick them up and bring them home everyday. I am still deciding on what to do with Santiago. He is still only 3 yrs old and going to school 5 days a week from 7 - 12 is really long for him and he gets really cranky in the afternoons. I think that I have decided to keep him home with me for part of the time and send him to a small school that is closer to the house. They want them to go everyday but I plan on sending him 3 days a week. Life is too short to start school too early if you don't necessarily have to . :)

Gabriel had his first play date last Sat. I am gathering that play dates are not common because both parents usually work here and the kids are in afterschool activities most of the afternoon. We went' over to one of his friends houses on Sat and had a good time. I keep having to remind myself that it is draining for the kids to have play dates because of the language aspect. I think that it just takes a lot of work. Isabella also had a play date. I invited the pastor's daughter to come over and play. That was great for all of the kids because they lived in Georgia for a few years and so she speaks great English. The kids had a blast talking English all afternoon.



Yesterday in Brazil was Children's Day, which Jaime and I quickly found out is basically like Christmas. Kids get presents from parents and relatives. We gave our kiddos the option of a present or a movie and being the good Carreno's that they are, they picked the movie. We also went to a country club to have lunch with Gabriel's friend, Joao's, family. The kids had a good time and we got to see the club. It was beautiful and it is something that Jaime and I are considering for the future.

My goal for this week is to find Portuguese classes for Isabella. Her teacher suggested that she start them because 3rd grade is very demanding and she needs stronger Portuguese in order to do better. I am hoping that this will not only help with school but also with hanging out with friends. I have noticed as the kids get older, language plays a bigger role, especially for girls, so Isabella told me yesterday that she was waiting to invite friends from school over for when she talked Portuguese better. I think that this transition has been the most difficult for Isabella. Our trip back to the US didn't help because she noticed how many friends she was missing and has and how she is starting all over again here. Pray for her. Pray that she will make "good" friends and that she would start feeling more comfortable here.

Jaime and I are excited because we found a babysitter. We found a nanny from one of the kids in the apartment building who is going to come once a week and let us go out. Not only is this going to give us some much needed time off, but hopefully will help us be able to meet more people.

I guess that this is it for now. We find out this week if our things can be shipped in a couple of months or in 8 months. I am hoping for the shorter time period. Pray that as we are in my favorite time of the year, fall, and getting closer to the holidays that we would be able to enjoy our time here and not be thinking about friends and family that we are so far away from. The kids have off from Dec 14 through the end of Jan. That is a really long time to not be in school and be going through the holidays for the first time without family.

Jaime's job is going well. There is still a lot of red tape that he is having to go through before everything is up and running. He is keeping busy with all of that and he really looking forward to when things kick into high gear and he can do everything that is possible.

God has placed us in Brazil for a reason. He is ministering to us daily and we are seeing Him in a whole new light. It is such a different experience when you have to daily lean on Him for everything. I think that I had such a tendency to try so much on my own when I was on Georgia. I now know that I can only do it with and through Him.