Random Moments

This post is a collection of random but very cute moments during the first three months of 2012. Enjoy!

Mommy cuddles at Celebration Station before riding the go-carts!

Rockstar day at school

Fashion divas. On our way to church looking stylish and adorable!


No need for explanations for the video below. The girls are going crazy dancing to their favorite song.

 

Having an iPad is a perk and the fact that it was given to me by my school was an even bigger one, but to use the device to teach my girls how to read, count, draw, color and learn so many other things is certainly the biggest perk of all. I mean, if they are going to play games, they might as well be learning something right? Julia knows all of her letters and the numbers up to 20, tons of different shapes and can even add a few basic numbers. Joana has been fascinated by reading since she saw Tori read her a book. Tori is 7 and is Laura and Mitchell's daughter,  she is an avid reader and comes over often to play with the girls. I downloaded an app that teacher kids phonics and is decided in different lessons. Joana was doing one lesson a night and this particular night she surprised me. Check it out!

Grandma Osborne 75th birthday!

It is spring break and because I am now working full time as a Spanish I and II teacher at Bishop Lynch High School, a wonderful co-ed school in Dallas, I am more limited to when I can take days off. Multi-Language Solutions, Inc, my interpretation and translation business is still going well, but now I am a full-time teacher and mom and a part-time business owner. It has been great but at times, a bit stressful. I am lucky to have an incredible husband who is very supportive and works hard to help me when he is not out working in other cities and countries.

So, grandma O's birthday fell on a day during spring break, so we were able to take the trip to New Orleans and surprise her. We had a blast with the family once again and Grandma was certainly very moved and surprised to see everyone at the restaurant with presents and a big yummy cake. Our gift to grandma was the picture below, in a beautiful frame. She was thrilled and very emotional because this was the first picture every taken with both Tyler, Dylan, Joana and Julia together.

Riverstone School - The end of another year

Riverstone School has been a blessing to our family. Mrs. Logan and her staff are a wonderful group of professionals who truly work tirelessly to provide the best for our children. It is inspirational how Mrs. Logan, the owner, seeks the healthiest and most original foods and meals for the kiddos and teaches them that fruit, veggies and healthy habits are the key to a healthy brain and body.


Both Julia and Joana have had wonderful teachers throughout the last two years at Riverstone and have created a special bond with each of them. Julia started with Ms. Donna a fun loving and very goofy teacher who always peeks her head out of her class to say hi to Julia when she passes by. Then it was Ms. Tawanda, soft spoken and always smiling, who always hugged Julia every morning. Ms. Carla is the teacher in the picture below. Again, a treat as a teacher and ever so loving.

Julia has many friends in her class but without a doubt, the ones she talks about the most are her "boys". Yes, the child is boy crazy already. Her biggest fan is Zachary, the blonde boy behind her in the picture with the brown shirt and her second love is Eduardo, the boy sitting next to her.

Joana has been at Riverstone for two years now and has had the same wonderful teachers. She started with Ms. Tawanda, the picture above and now with Ms. Lisa and Ms. Long (pic below). She has learned so much from all of these wonderful teachers and she has made several friends in her class. You can tell how much she has changed from one year to the other looking at the picture above and the one below. 

Her best friends are Vanessa, the girl in the plaid shirt in the front, then Victoria, the girl in the blue dress next to her and Hailey the blonde girl to her left. Her favorite boyfriend is Beau the cute little boy in the brown t-shirt next to Victoria.

Christmas 2011

 

Before Christmas, we made sure we would have the girls Christmas pictures taken in Mississippi, where we were spending Thanksgiving. It's now a tradition to do it there, and these turned out MUCH better than what I had anticipated. Once we were back in Texas, Santa stopped by Riverstone school (their daycare) and both girls got to ask him for their dream presents!

Bikes! Of course! And the girls were so excited that they wanted to go out that afternoon and show the rest of the neighborhood how cool they looked. And they did look very cool :) Below is a video of the girls opening their presents. Thank you to all of you who sent the most loving and amazing gifts. We are all very grateful :)

Ariel Vanity - Gift from Mawmaw. One for each...of course.
No wonder these girls are spoiled :)

Mommy, daddy said we could sleep with our
helmets on so that we are ready to ride in the morning. Please?

We ended the year with a loud parade around the house. Happy New Year everyone, and may 2012 bring you health, love and prosperity!

Halloween and Thanksgiving 2011

Halloween this year was very interesting. We had all taken turns being sick with the flu and on Halloween night it was my turn to be sick. Therefore, daddy was in charge of taking the girls trick or treating. Nisha, our neighbor, had gone to India for a few months before Halloween and had returned with these two beautiful Indian Sarees. Of  course, the girls wanted to wear them so they went trick or treating as Indian Princesses and it was a success!

Thanksgiving was here in a flash and it was time for us to go to New Orleans and then Mississippi. In New Orleans we spent a lot of time with the family. The picture above is Julia and Joana with Uncle Brian. They loved playing and coloring with him.  He looks tough but he is a bit sweet teddy bear and they know it :).   The girls also played tirelessly with Annabelle, their cousin and probably best friend right now. What an adorable group hug! They even enjoyed a fun sleepover together.

We also went to the incredible Aquarium of the Americas in Namaw and the girls and to get there we crossed the mighty Mississippi on the ferry boat. At the aquarium Joana and Julia were once again amazed at the beauty of the fish and other sea creatures. But the most fun was not at the aquarium. It was definitely with the family. Check out the two videos below.

We wrapped up the stay in New Orleans in a very patriotic manner. Joana surprised us all with a random moment saying the Pledge of Allegiance. I guess she was learning it at daycare and when she saw the American flag she felt compelled to recite it. I had to get it on camera, so I asked her to do it again and called the whole family to hear it. Here it is for your enjoyment.

And now....MISSISSIPPI! Yup, we divided Thanksgiving into two places with two young children and they are both 6 to 7 hours away from each other. Daring? Nooooo....Stupid? Hardly.......We had dvd players in the car and an iPad to keep the girls busy. BAM!!!

 This picture has all the cousins together: Dylan, Tyler, Jessica, Julia, Robyn and Joana.


Below is a picture with Dampaw who loves to go to Mississppi to enjoy the company of the family and go dear hunting, of course!

And now....7 hours more all the way to Dallas. Let's do it during their nap time and hope for the best, shall we? Shhhhhhh....we are very tired.

Summer Fun Part III - Porto!

Our last stop was Porto, in the north of Portugal. There we were able to visit with my Aunt Maria João, my cousins Inês and Filipa, my uncle and my great aunt Augusta who is now 91 years old. I hadn't seen them in almost 14 years so it was an incredible experience to spend three days with them and see them connect with Joana and Julia. As you can see from the picture below, Filipa and Joana bonded particularly well and had a blast playing with dolls and doing silly games.

This picture is my aunt and the one below is Filipa with the girls.
We also had the opportunity to meet my cousin Victor's family. I had not seen him in 14 year either and we loved meeting his wife and two boys during a very active dinner (the boys and girls enjoyed playing together and running around in the restaurant). Above is a video of some funny moments at my aunt's house. I truly cherish the moments we spent together. Thank you for your hospitality and love!

Summer Fun in Portugal Part II

Ready for the second part of the summer fun? I hope so, because we have filled this post with pictures and videos galore!

A week had already gone by and in between visiting with relatives, eating delicious meals and enjoying the sun (with some wind, which was unexpected), we decided to take a trip to the famous Slide and Splash. It's an enormous water park, ten minutes from Portimão, that I had enjoyed quite a few times during my childhood and teenage years.

We enjoyed the company of our cousins João, São and the girls Mariana and Leonor (pictures below). Leonor, had a camera that took incredible footage underwater so we decided to show off the skills that Joana and Julia had learned before arriving to Portugal. Take a look at the video and decide for yourself if it isn't pretty impressive what Ms. Carol (their swim teacher) was able to accomplish in just two weeks.

One more adventure we undertook was the boat trip along the Algarve coast. We ventured on a pirate boat through the turquoise sea and visited the beautiful grottos along the coast. It was an incredible experience. It's a shame that many Portuguese who live in the Algarve don't take these trips. It's not just for tourists, in fact it should be mandatory for the locals. What a memorable way to appreciate the beauties our home town has to offer. The picture below was taken on the boat. Oh, and enjoy the video also :)

By now we only have a few days left. So we attempt to spend as much quality time with relatives as possible. We visited my uncle Armando and Aunt Felismina, who are now retiring in Portugal after living in Germany most of their lives. Below is a pictures with all of us and one with their son, Fernando, my brother Jorge and my husband John - the guys!

But there was still some time left to enjoy the beaches, at least for a few more days before leaving to go to Porto, the northern "capital" of Portugal. That, by the way, will be Part III, because there isn't room in this post for everything. So here is a nice family picture and a video of the fun at the beach.

The last evening was spent at my brother's apartment on the 12th floor, enjoying yet another glorious meal, the stunning views of the city, the mountain and the river (see pictures below), we some more moments together as a family. We were also able to snap a picture of the proud grandparents with their three princesses: Clara (7 months), Julia (2 years old) and Joana (3 years old). Part III will be our trip to Porto. See you then!