Train Tracks// Trilhos do Trem

Towards the end of last year we decided to get a bike with a trailer to carry the kiddos. I guess you can say we were inspired by the nice fall/winter weather in South Texas. We are blessed to have a nice bike trail that starts close to our house and leads to a playground on one side and a park on the other. The kids get some fresh air, I get some exercise, what's not to love?! =D On a late November morning we took a trail to the train tracks nearby and decided to take some pictures. It was a very windy day and pulling the trailer against the wind was grueling, even in the lowest gears. Thankfully, the hubby was following me and was happy to switch bikes when I couldn't pedal another inch. When we finally made it there, we had fun taking pictures, walking the tracks, exploring a parked train cart, and just throwing pebbles around. Just some good ol' family time =D

No final do ano passado, decidimos comprar uma bicicleta com um carrinho para levar os pequenos. Podemos dizer que estavamos inspirados pelo agradável clima de outono/inverno no sul do Texas. Somos abençoados por ter uma trilha para bicicletas que começa perto de nossa casa e leva a um parquinho de um lado e um parque do outro. As crianças tomam um pouco de ar fresco, eu faco um pouco de exercício, nao da pra reclamar ne?! =D Em uma manhã no final de novembro, pegamos a trilha em direcao aos trilhos do trem que fica perto do parque e decidimos tirar algumas fotos. Foi um dia de muito vento e puxar o carrinho contra o vento foi bem cansativo, mesmo nas marchas mais leves. Felizmente, o maridinho estava me seguindo e ficou feliz em trocar de bicicletas quando eu não conseguia pedalar mais nenhum centímetro. Quando finalmente chegamos lá, nós nos divertimos tirando fotos, andando pelas trilhas, explorando um carro de trem estacionado, e jogando pedrinhas para o ar.  =D

 

Of Glasses and Good Pediatricians

I am finally getting a chance to write about the latest development in our household... glasses.

Before I go any further with this story though, I have to tell you a little bit about our pediatrician, Doctor Argenal (from Argenal Pediatrics). He was recommended to us before Z1 was born by a close friend of ours who worked in the pediatric floor of one of the local hospitals. Our friend was very impressed with Dr. Argenal's work ethic, how well he managed his patients, and how kindly he dealt with the nursing staff. Hearing this from a pediatric nurse meant a lot to us. So, before Z1 was born, we scheduled a FREE prenatal consultation at his office and we have been going there ever since. I have yet to meet another pediatrician who cares so much about his patients. Just so you have an idea, the first day we had Z1 in his office, he was probably 5 days old at the time, we had some concerns and Dr. Argenal gave us a cell phone number and urged us to text him in the evening with an update. In my disbelief, I neglected to do so only to get a text from him later that night asking how things were going. I was so impressed! Not only did he give us that number, he urged us to contact him with ANY concern and made sure we did. As a new mommy, I can't begin to describe how reassuring that was. Over the years, we have reached out to him with many questions and he (or another member of his staff) has never failed to answer them. If I am concerned about a rash, I know that I can just send a picture of it and he will reply with an idea. If he thinks the issue needs further examination, he will tell us to come to his office. The ability to communicate in this fashion has saved us many needless trips to his office or even to the emergency room. After Z2 was born and the complications that followed, Dr. Argenal was on top of things, acting as a link between us and all the other consulting physicians. He made sure to keep us informed to the best of his knowledge every step of the way. Besides the awesome service I have already described, Dr. Argenal and his staff strive to keep his patients well informed of current pertinent trends in the medical field, office news, and even local disease patterns through their facebook page. Even the set up of their waiting area shows a higher level of thought and care with sections designated for sick patients and well patients at opposite ends. If you have a newborn or young baby there is also a special area for you. The truth is that, even though we had to move 1.25 hr away last year, we never even considered changing pediatricians. We absolutely do not mind making the drive when we know our kids are so well cared for.

So why am I writing all of this? Well, I guess I am just grateful. I feel that our family has been truly blessed with someone who cares and does his job well. I hope more medical professionals can learn from his efforts and be inspired to provide a higher level of care. I am also writing it so you will have a better understanding of how the glasses came about...

So...back to the glasses. About a month ago, we took Z2 to her 15-month appointment. It so happens that Dr. Argenal's office recently acquired a neat little machine to do vision screenings on his patients during their well-child appointments (awesome right?!!).  She was screened and, long story short, we left the office with a referral to a pediatric ophthalmologist who, after thorough examination concluded that indeed she needed glasses. Had she not been screened, we probably wouldn't catch this until much later in her life and she would have been missing out on better vision.

Although I can't say she is a big fan of wearing glasses, she doesn't complain about them much. One time she even asked me to put them on for her, which leads me to believe they are making a difference. I also noticed that on our last trip to the zoo she was a lot more interested in observing the animals that were further away. I hope things are a lot less fuzzy for her now. Personally, I just think she looks even more adorable =D 

                      

Daddy's Birthday Celebration Trip// Viajem de Aniversario do Papai

I can't believe it has been three whole months since I was last able to post. So many things have happened I wonder if I will ever be able to get caught up. Not to mention that I still need to finish the posts from last summer (sigh). It turns out life with two toddlers makes days go by in a blur. One of the reasons why I like keeping up with this blog is because it forces me to stop, reflect, and immortalize these moments so that they don't just become lost memories in my mind. So, I am going to continue to make an effort to write and, who knows, maybe I will even go back and finish the posts from the summer one day =D

Eu não posso acreditar que ja fazem três meses desde que da ultima vez que pude postar aqui. Tantas coisas aconteceram eu me pergunto se algum dia eu vou ser capaz de colocar este blog em dia. Isso sem contar com os posts que eu preciso terminar do verão passado (suspiro). Acontece que a vida com duas crianças faz com que os dias passem voando. Uma das razões pelas quais eu gosto de manter este blog é porque ele me obriga a parar, refletir e imortalizar estes momentos para que eles não apenas se tornem memórias perdidas em minha mente. Então, eu vou continuar a fazer um esforço para escrever e, quem sabe, talvez eu ainda vai voltar e terminar os posts de verão um dia =D

This picture was taken and edited by Anamel Photography

January is a fun month for us Seiferts because it is Daddy's birthday. Since we moved back to Texas, it has become sort of a tradition for us to meet with Marlon's cousin and his lovely wife, who also live in Texas, for a restful weekend of fellowship and celebration. For those unfamiliar with the size of Texas, our families meet at a half-way point which is about a 5.5 to 6 hr drive for each of us. For a family with two small toddlers, that much time in a car is definitely an adventure! In order to accomplish this feat, we made sure to schedule the drive during the kids' nap time and brought lots of snacks and some sticker books to keep them busy while awake. I am happy to report that the trip was a blessing and we made it both ways without having to stop even once.

Janeiro é um mês divertido para nós Seiferts porque é o aniversário do papai. Desde que nos mudamos de volta para o Texas, tornou-se uma espécie de tradição de nos encontrarmos com o primo do Marlon e sua linda esposa, que também vivem no Texas, para um fim de semana tranquilo de comunhão e celebração. Para aqueles não estao familiarizados com o tamanho do Texas, nossas famílias se encontraram em um ponto no meio do caminho, que fica a cerca de 5,5 a 6 horas de viajem para cada um de nós. Para uma família com duas crianças pequenas, esse tempao em um carro é definitivamente uma aventura! A fim de realizar esta façanha, nos temos que planejar sair na hora do cochilo das crianças e trazer varios lanches e alguns livros com adesivos para mantê-los ocupados enquanto estiverem acordados. Estou feliz de informar que a viagem foi uma bênção e nao tivemos que parar uma vez sequer nem na ida nem na volta.

Marlon's cousin and his wife are a very creative and adventurous duo. You can definitely guess their adventurous side just by the mere fact that they continue to join us for these short celebration getaways despite the knowledge that they will probably get less rest during these few days then they would if they had stayed home. Between the kids' early wake up time and their unquenchable thirst for attention, they are toddlers after all, I am always pleasantly surprised when Otavio and Paulinha join us again each year. I am so glad they do though, because we really enjoy their company and the kids absolutely love them. I also don't know anyone else who could come up so many games for toddlers out of wooden coasters =D

O primo de Marlon e sua esposa são um casal muito criativo e aventureiro. Você pode definitivamente ver o seu lado aventureiro apenas pelo simples fato de que eles continuam a juntar-se a nós para estas escapadelas celebratorias apesar de saber que eles provavelmente terao menos descanso durante estes poucos dias do que teriam se tivessem ficado em casa. Comecando pela hora das crianças acordarem e sua insaciável sede por atenção, elas são crianças, afinal, sou sempre agradavelmente surpreendida quando Otavio e Paulinha  juntam-se a nós novamente a cada ano. Porém, fico muito feliz quando eles vem, porque nós realmente desfrutamos de sua companhia e as crianças adoram passar tempo com eles. Eu também não conheço ninguém que consegue inventar tantas brincadeiras com apenas 6 descancos de copo = D

This picture was taken and edited by Anamel Photography

One of my favorite parts of this trip, besides being able to spend time with our family, was getting to spend the Sabbath enjoying nature. In a pastor's household, opportunities like this are rare since Sabbaths are my husband's busiest day. As much as I enjoy the fellowship of our church family, it is always a blessing to be able to calm the pace of our lives and take time to cherish the Creator's amazing work. This particular Sabbath we got to enjoy a beautiful view of Canyon Lake from the lake's dam. We walked along the dam as well as down on the lake shore. Despite the cold breeze, the weather was just perfect and the kids really enjoyed exploring around as well as finding pebbles on the shore to throw in the water. Of course Z2 tried to get in the water but at least this time I was able to stop her before it was too late =D I think the only thing that could have made that day better is if my allergies weren't so crazy the entire day.

Uma das minhas partes favoritas desta viagem, além de poder passar tempo com a família,e poder tempo no sábadoa desfrutando a natureza. Na casa de pastor, oportunidades como esta são raras desde que sábados são os dias mais corridos para o meu marido. Por mais que eu desfrute da comunhão da nossa família da igreja, é sempre uma bênção poder acalmar o ritmo de nossas vidas e ter tempo para valorizar a obra incrível do Criador. Neste sábado especial, pudemos desfrutar de uma bela vista do Canyon Lake de barragem do lago. Nós caminhamos ao longo da barragem, assim como ao longo da margem do lago. Apesar da brisa fresca, o tempo estava simplesmente perfeito e as crianças amaram explorar ao redor, bem como encontrar pedrinhas no chao para jogar na água. Claro Z2 tentou entrar na água, mas pelo menos desta vez eu fui capaz de alcanca-la antes que fosse tarde demais = D Eu acho que a única coisa que poderia ter feito aquele dia melhor é se minhas alergias não estivessem sido tão fortes o dia inteiro .

The rest of the weekend we did various activities like mini-golf and swimming. The kiddos also loved digging dirt around the playground (Z2 is especially fond of getting her hands in the dirt) and the "old" people enjoyed playing Frisbee and taking pictures. I think between the two families we had at least 6 different cameras and we used them all! I should probably add a disclaimer here that Paulinha is a professional photographer and the nicest pictures you see here are probably hers. She is very talented and is always kind to give me tips and teach me a thing or two every time we get to spend time together. For more of her awesome pictures you can check out her website http://anamelphotography.com/ Now is probably a good time to add disclaimer number two...the editing was mostly done by me (with the exception of a few that I did not think need any ediditng and a couple of others posted above that were edited by Paulinha at my request) was done by me on our very old laptop with an uncalibrated screen. Just in case you are wondering why all the pictures look too red or too bright...I promise they look great on my screen ;)

O resto do fim de semana aproveitamos o mini-golfe e a piscina. Os pequenos também amaram cavar a terra do parquinho (Z2, especialmente, ama sujar as mãos de terra) e os "velhos" aproveitaram pra brincar de Frisbee e tirar fotos. Eu acho que entre as duas famílias levamos, pelo menos, 6 câmeras difierentes e usamos todas elas! Eu provavelmente deveria adicionar um "disclaimer" aqui que a Paulinha é uma fotógrafa profissional e as imagens mais bonitas que você vê aqui são, provavelmente, as dela. Ela é muito talentosa e é sempre bondosa o suficiente para me dar dicas e me ensina uma coisa ou duas sobre fotografia quando passamos tempo juntas. Para conhecer mais sobre o trabalho dela você pode verificar o website dela http://anamelphotography.com/ Agora é provavelmente um bom momento para adicionar o "disclaimer" número dois ... a edição das fotos, com excecao de algmas que eu achei qe nao precisava de edicao e as duas primeiras imagens que foram editadas pela Paulinha, foi feita por mim em nosso laptop velhinho com uma tela não calibrada. Caso você esteja se perguntando por que algumas imagens parecem muito avermelhadas ou muito claras... Eu prometo que estava tudo lindo na minha tela ;)

The last highlight of this trip was our short visit to Hamilton Pool Preserve. I can't believe this amazing place was only about 1 hr away from where we were staying. According to my "very reliable" friend Wikipedia,the water hole "is a natural pool that was created when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion" a long time ago. Whatever it was, sure contributed to an awe inspiring experience for us. To get to the pool we had to hike about 1/4 mile down a steep rocky path. This was a bit challenging with the kids, but we made it without any problems. Seeing so many big rocks was definitely a new experience for the kids who have spent most of their lives enjoying the flat landscapes of South Texas. Once we arrived at the pool, they had a blast. They climbed on the rocks, played with sticks, threw pebbles in the water and dirt in the air. I should also mention that Z1 did most of the hiking on his own with only occasional assistance from us. He also was fast asleep the moment his head touched the pillow that night =D As in the previous days of this trip, the weather was perfect and warm enough to go for a swim if the water wasn't only 47 F. I think the place would be even more beautiful in the spring with all the green to increase the contrast with the rocks. I guess we will just have to go back again and see.

O último destaque desta viagem foi a nossa curta visita a Hamilton Pool Preserve. Eu mal posso acreditar que este lugar incrível ficava apenas cerca de 1 hora de distância de onde estávamos. De acordo com o minha  amiga "muito confiável "Wikipedia", a piscina natural foi criado pelo colapso da cúpula de um rio subterrâneo  devido à erosão maciça" há muito tempo atrás. O que quer que tenha sido, com certeza contribuiu para uma experiência inspiradora para todos nós. Para chegar à piscina, tivemos de caminhar cerca de 1/4 de milha por um caminho rochoso e íngreme. Esta parte foi um pouco difícil com as crianças, mas nós conseguimos sem problemas. A vista de tantas  rochas grandes foi definitivamente uma nova experiência para as crianças que passaram a maior parte de suas vidas desfrutando as paisagens planas do sul do Texas. Uma vez que chegamos na piscina natural, eles amaram. Eles subiram nas rochas, bricaram com gravetos do chao, jogaram pedrinhas na água e terra no ar. Gostaria também de mencionar que Z1 fez a maior parte da caminhada por conta própria com assistência minima da nossa parte. Ele também dormiu no momento em que sua cabeça tocou o travesseiro naquela noite =D Como nos dias anteriores desta viagem, o clima estava perfeito e quente o suficiente ate para dar um mergulho, se a água não estivese tao fria (8C). Eu acho que o lugar ainda deve ficar mais bonito na primavera com tudo mais verde aumentando o contraste com as rochas. Agente vai ter que voltar la e ver.

 

 

A Birthday Post

For this post, I am going to ignore the other 5 posts I have yet to finish from our summer trip and pretend like I am up to date. I simply cannot let this day go by without any special remarks. Today we celebrate the gift of a full year of life of a special little girl that has taken over our hearts. I am still in awe that this day has actually arrived. It pains me to confess that there were days in this past year, when the future seemed so uncertain, I wondered if this day would arrive for her. Yet, here we are, and here she is. My heart could not be more filled with gratitude and joy for this blessing our family has been given. God is good! So, today, I am going to take some time to reflect upon this blessing and share my thoughts with you ;)

The day of Zarah's birth was a very much anticipated event for many reasons. If you have been reading my blog for a while you might remember some of the events leading up to it. The polyhydramnios diagnose followed by many ultrasounds, stress tests, and finally a scheduled c-section before 39 weeks. There are no words powerful enough to describe the joy and relief I felt the day when I could finally hold this perfect little being in my arms.





As I think about this past year, I am tempted to sit here and write about those glorious early days where she slept all the time and never had feeding issues, or the scary ones and how at two months old, the docs noticed somethings were not quite as they should and she had to go through test after test, after test. Only to find out many months later they could not find anything amiss. In the midst of all of that, this tiny little girl has taught me more about courage and strength than I could ever teach her. She is strong and fierce. She is determined and persistent. She is loving and kind. And so far, although she loves her daddy very much, she is definitely a mamma's girl.

 This little girl is a fast learner. Although I have definitely not been as consistent with teaching her sign language as I was with her older brother she quickly picked them up. She can sign "more" and "milk" but also understands "eat" and "bath." Her spoken vocabulary currently consists of mainly two words "Mama" ("mamae" Portugese for mommy) and "Acuma" ("agua" Portuguese for water) but she occasionaly says "vovo" (Portuguese for grandma). She babbles quite a bit and makes a lot of sounds to refer to other things, I am sure we will start hearing more words soon. She loves to listen to music, especially if it has words to it. She has a powerful deep alto voice and I like to think she will be an amazing singer one day.

She is very curious and observant. she likes to closely inspect objects that are new to her turning them in her hands slowly and feeling all around them with her fingertips. She can do that for quite a while. She can also sit in one spot with some sort of bag and a couple of items for a good 10 minutes just putting them in the bag and taking them out, or taking things in and out of drawers or cabinets. She has figured out how to put lego blocks together and how to remove the screw top off of the toothpaste.

She is adventurous. She loves to climb on everything. Her brother's bed, the couch, the stroller, the tricycle, any box we might have lying around... if she can get her leg or feet on it, she will climb it. She is close to walking now. She takes two or three steps once in a while to go from place to place but still prefers crawling. Although I am in no way trying to hurry her toward walking I have a feeling that day is arriving real soon.

She is fearless and can stand up for herself. Although her older brother loves her dearly and longs to be in her presence all the time, he is still only 2 and not the most gentle at demonstrating his love. Regardless of the difference in size and strength, she is not afraid to let him know when she is bothered.

She is happy. She loves to smile. She loves. She is loved. She is my daughter.

I am incredibly proud of her. I admire her. She is a gift of God to our family. Our little ray of sunshine.

Today, is a celebration of the life of a precious little girl who has stolen our hearts forever. God, in His love and mercy, has turned our anxious tears and worries into moments of bliss. While the future is unknown to all of us, I can be sure that God will continue to care for her and guide her paths as He has done thus far.

#ZaZuVaMos Part II Houston-the Airport Mishap

It appears that it will take a lot longer than I thought to get this blog updated. Between editing pictures and getting ready for a birthday party my five minutes of free time are booked for a few weeks =D. Let's see how far I get...

Parece que vai demorar muito mais tempo do que eu pensava para atualizar esse blog. Entre editar fotos e preparar para uma festa de aniversário, meus cinco minutos de tempo livre estão bem ocupados por algumas semanas = D. Vamos ver ate aonde eu vou chegar ...


If fitting all we needed in the car was difficult, going through the airport with all of it was, well, just plain crazy. When we arrived at the hotel we were spending the night prior to our flight to Chicago, we asked the front desk personnel when would be an appropriate time to arrive at the airport considering the time of our flight. We were told 1.5  hrs should be plenty so we aimed for that. The next morning all the preparations went smoothly and we were in the lobby ready to go about 10 minutes prior to our scheduled departure from the hotel. We boarded the shuttle van and arrived at the airport close to 2 hours before our flight's departure. However, when we arrived at the airport, we were shocked by what we saw. There were lines extending many many yards OUTSIDE the airport.

Se colocar tudo no carro foi difícil, passar pelo aeroporto com tudo foi simplesmente loucura. Quando chegamos ao hotel onde passamos a noite antes de nosso voo para Chicago, perguntamos ao pessoal da recepção, quando seria a hora adequada para chegar ao aeroporto, considerando o horario de nosso vôo. Fomos informados de que uma hora e meia era suficiente. Na manhã seguinte, concluimos todos os preparativos e estávamos no lobby prontos para sair cerca de 10 minutos antes do horario marcado pelo hotel. Embarcamos na van de transporte e chegamos ao aeroporto, perto de 2 horas antes da partida do nosso vôo. No entanto, quando chegamos no aeroporto, ficamos chocados com o que vimos. Havia filas que se estendiam muitos metros fora do aeroporto.

This is how the line looked outside of the aiport// Aqui esta a fila como estava fora do aeroporto

The picture above doesn't even show how the line looked INSIDE the airport. My first thought was, no way I must be dreaming and my second thought was, this must be for a different airline. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Here we were, two adults carrying one backpack each, pushing a double stroller with two small kids, pulling two large bags, two carseat bags, in addition to a duffel bag, a diaper bag, an activity bag, and a camera bag trying to get to the ticket counter. Although we had already checked into the flight the night before we could not print our boarding passes since Z2 was going on our lap and her information needed to be verified at the counter. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!

A imagem acima não mostra como a fila estava dentro do aeroporto. Meu primeiro pensamento foi, eu devo estar sonhando e meu segundo pensamento foi, estas filas devem ser para uma companhia aérea diferente. Infelizmente, eu estava errada. Lá estávamos nós, dois adultos carregando uma mochila cada, empurrando um carrinho de bebê duplo com duas crianças pequenas, puxando duas malas grandes, duas bolsas com as cadeirinhas, além de uma bolsa de mao, uma bolsa de fraldas, uma mochila de atividades e a bolsa da câmera tentando chegar ao balcão. Embora já tinha feito o "check in"  na noite anterior não conseguimos imprimir nosso bilhete de embarque desde Z2 estaria voando no nosso colo e suas informações precisavam ser verificadas no balcão. Que pesadelo!


After standing in that line for a while and hardly moving forward, I realized we had to figure something out quick or we would never make it to our flight. So I went inside with the kiddos to try to at least get our boarding passes printed. After a lot of running around, I was finally able to talk to someone who helped with the boarding passes but we still needed to stand in line to check the bags. There were different lines inside so I decided to stand there in the hope that it might move faster than the one outside. That was when the airport staff decided to make a separate line for people who already had boarding passes printed and send them through a shortcut to the counter. I quickly called Marlon who left his place in the line outside and alone carried all of our stuff to meet us inside.

Depois de ficar na fila quase sem nos movermos por algum tempo, eu percebi que tinha que pensar em algo rápido ou nunca  chegariamos ao nosso vôo a tempo. Então eu entrei com os pequenos para tentar, pelo menos, obter os nossos cartões de embarque impressos. Depois de muita correria, finalmente fui capaz de falar com alguém que nos ajudou com os cartões de embarque, mas ainda precisava ficar na fila para despaichar as malas. Haviam varias filas la dentro então eu decidi ficar lá na esperança de que alguma se movesse mais rápido do que a que o Marlon estava la fora. Foi quando o pessoal do aeroporto decidiu fazer uma fila separada para as pessoas que já tinham cartões de embarque impressos para que pudessem chegar mais rapido ao balcão. Eu chamei o Marlon rapidamente, e ele deixou o seu lugar na fila la fora e vaio carregando todas as nossas coisas para nos encontrar lá dentro.


A few minutes later, we finally made it to the counter and checked our bags. Now we only had to worry about getting the two carseat bags, the stroller, the backpacks, the diaper bag, the camera bag, and the activity bag through security and to our gate in 25 min. We carried the carseats with us to be gate-checked for a few different reasons: 1 - We were already late and the chances that they might not make it into our flight we considerably high 2 - We could not afford to arrive at our destination without the carseats and most importantly 3 - Carseats are expensive and only guaranteed safe if undamaged... if the way they treat our bags is any indication of what might happen to the carseats, having them gate-checked was definitely the safest way to go. By the time we got to security and got all those bags in the x-ray, in addition to our shoes, belts, phones, pulling out the bags with the fluids, removing kids from strollers, walking everyone through the machine, and having my hands tested for explosives (??)[I was carrying a baby after all], I was already exhausted. Since the stroller and carseats were too big for the x-ray machine they had to hand checked. As soon as the stroller was out, I put the kids in and gathered all the stuff I was carrying and started towards the gate. The hubby and I had agreed that he would meet us there as soon as the other stuff was ready. So, again, I ran.

Poucos minutos depois, finalmente chegamos ao balcão e despaxamos as malas. Agora só tinhamos que nos preocupar com passar com as duas bolsas das cadeirinhas (de por no carro para as criancas), o carrinho, as mochilas, a bolsa de fraldas, a bolsa da câmera, e a mochila de atividade pela segurança e chegar ao nosso portao em 25 min. Carregamos as cadeirinhas conosco ao inves de despaixa-las por algumas razões: 1 - Já era tarde e a chance de que elas não chegassem ao nosso voo era consideravelmente alta  2 - Não podíamos nos dar ao luxo de chegar ao nosso destino, sem as cadeirinhas e mais importante 3 - As cadeiras são caras e apenas garantidas segura se intactas... se a forma como eles tratam as malas é qualquer indicação do que pode acontecer as cadeiras, despaixa-las no portao foi definitivamente o caminho mais seguro a seguir. Ate que chegamos à segurança, passamos todas aquelas malas no raio-x, além de nossos sapatos, cintos, telefones, retirando as bolsas com os liquidos, retirando crianças de carrinhos, passamos pelo detector de metal, e ter as minhas mãos testadas para explosivos (??) [isso porque eu estava carregando um bebê], eu já estava exausta. Como o carrinho e as cadeiras eram grandes demais para a máquina de raio-x que tinham que ser vistoriados a mão. Assim que o carrinho saiu, eu coloquei as crianças e juntei todas as coisas que eu pude carregar e fui em direção ao portão. Meu marido e eu tinhamos concordado que ele iria nos encontrar lá assim que as outras coisas estivessem prontas. Então, novamente, eu corri.


I think I was the last person to board and I made sure to tell the attendant at the gate that my husband was following right behind me with the carseats. I also made sure to tell the crew when I walked in that my husband was coming. By the time I went into the plane, there were no two seats available together (Southwest has first come first serve seating) and they had to make an announcement asking if anyone was willing to move so Z1 could sit next to me. When we were finally in our seats, I got a call from Marlon telling me he was at the gate but the door was closed and there was no one there. I quickly spoke to the flight crew and let them know and I was told someone was going to the gate to get him. About a minute later they closed the plane door and started taxing. My heart just sank. Marlon was still on the phone with me and I just started to sob uncontrollably but had to turn my phone off. Not only was I physically and mentally drained from all this madness, I was alone to tend to a two-year old and a baby during a 2.5 hr flight.

Acho que fui a última pessoa a bordo e fiz questao de avisar ao atendente no portão que meu marido estava seguindo bem atrás de mim com as cadeiras para as criancas. Eu também fiz questão de avisar as aeromocas quando entrei que meu marido estava a caminho. No momento em que entrei no avião, não havia dois lugares disponíveis juntos (Southwest Airlines nao tem cadeiras reservadas) e eles tiveram que fazer um anúncio perguntando se alguém estava disposto a mudar de lugar para que Z1 pudesse sentar-se ao meu lado. Quando finalmente chegamos aos nossos lugares, eu recebi um telefonema do Marlon me dizendo que ele estava no portão, mas a porta estava fechada e não havia ninguém lá. Eu rapidamente falei com a tripulação de bordo e foi-me dito que alguém iria até o portão para buscá-lo. Cerca de um minuto depois, eles fecharam a porta e o avião comecou a sair. Meu coração simplesmente partiu. Marlon ainda estava no telefone comigo e eu comecei a chorar incontrolavelmente, mas tive que desligar meu telefone. Não só eu estava física e mentalmente esgotada com toda essa loucura, eu estava sozinha para cuidar de uma criança de dois anos e um bebê durante um voo de 2,5 horas.

Marlon and the carseats in Houston// Marlon com as cadeirinhas em Houston

Me and all the stuff that made it with me waiting for Marlon in Chicago// Eu e as coisas que chegaram no aeroporto de Chicago comigo

All I have to say about that flight is that GOD IS GOOD! We went through the entire two and a half hours without a tear from either one. Besides the airport madness, the kids were calm and compliant, and Z2 even took a nap. Once we landed, I found out Marlon was still in Houston and had an interesting time getting booked into another flight as they were trying to make him pay for the difference in the price of the flights. I ended up at the airport with all of our luggage (minus the car seats and one bag), in addition to the two kiddos in the stroller. It wasn't until about 4 hours later that we were finally reunited. We were very blessed to have our friends, Rodrigo and Grazi, come to pick us up stay with me and the kids at the airport until Marlon arrived.

Tudo o que tenho a dizer sobre esse vôo é que Deus é bom! Nós passamos duas horas e meia sem uma lágrima sequer de ambos. Além da loucura aeroporto, as crianças estavam calmas e complacentes, e Z2 ate tirou uma soneca. Assim que aterrizamos, descobri que o Marlon ainda estava em Houston. Acabei ficando no aeroporto com toda a nossa bagagem (menos as cadeiras e uma bolsa), além das duas criancas no carrinho. Demorou cerca de 4 horas ate que finalmente nos reencontramos. Fomos muito abençoados por ter os nossos amigos, Rodrigo e Grazi, vir nos pegar e ficar comigo e as crianças no aeroporto até o Marlon chegar.


I think you can understand why we have such few pictures of this "event" but I promise that the next few will make up for it ;)

Eu acho que da pra entender por que temos tão poucas fotos deste "evento", mas eu prometo que os próximos vão tirar o atrazo ;)

Up Next: Berrien Springs...

#ZaZuVaMos14 Part 1

Hello there Blog! it has been a while! According to the date on my last post it has been almost two months since my last entry here. So much has happened in the last 5 weeks it will take a few posts to get caught up, but I will try. For the hubby and I, it seems like the month of August has always been our adventure month. Since our wedding anniversary is in August (by the way we just celebrated our 7th...yay!!!!), I think it is the perfect month to celebrate. It also helps that the weather is awesome, up North that is. This year though, things got a little crazy and I think you will agree. In the last 5 weeks we totaled more than 2400 miles driving and over 2500 flying. Doing all of this with a toddler and baby in tow was definitely epic... we even created a hashtag to document it: #ZaZuVaMos14.

Olá blog! Quanto tempo! De acordo com a data do meu último post ja fazem quase dois meses desde a minha última entrada aqui. Tanta coisa aconteceu nas últimas cinco semanas que vou precisar dividir a historia em partes. Pro Marlon e eu, parece que o mês de agosto sempre foi nosso mês de aventuras. Como o nosso aniversário de casamento é em agosto (acabamos de celebrar o nosso 7o ... yay !!!!), eu acho que é o mês perfeito para comemorar. O clima do verao tambem ajuda. Este ano, porém, as coisas ficaram um pouco fora de controle e eu acho que você vai concordar. Nas últimas cinco semanas foram mais de 2400 milhas de estrada e mais de 2500 de vôo. Fazer tudo isso com uma criança pequena e um bebê de colo foi definitivamente épico... nós até criamos uma "hashtag" para documentá-lo: # ZaZuVaMos14.

Challenge number 1: Packing the car. Packing for 4 people for 5 weeks was not nearly as difficult as getting everything to fit in the car. Making two large bags, one duffel bag, two backpacks, a double stroller, two car seats, two car seat travel bags with wheels, a garment bag, a camera bag, a diaper bag, an activity bag, and a bag with snacks all fit into a Toyota Camry was insane. Good thing my awesome husband is a master at car packing level super saiyan. With everything we needed, we were on our way! The drive to Houston went well and, despite having to stop a few times, the kids did just fine.

Desafio número 1: Fazer tudo caber no carro. Fazer as malas para 4 pessoas por 5 semanas não foi tão difícil como a fazer tudo caber no carro. Fazer com que duas malas grandes, uma bolsa de mao, duas mochilas, um carrinho duplo, duas cadeirinhas de crianca, duas bolsas com rodas para carregar as cadeiras, uma bolsa , uma bolsa de fraldas, uma bolsa de atividade, e uma sacola com lanches todos caber em um Toyota Camry foi loucura. Ainda bem que meu maridinho é um mestre em empacotar o carro nivel Super Saiyajin. Com tudo o que precisávamos, nós estávamos a caminho! A viagem foi tranquila e, apesar de varias paradas, os meninos se comportaram bem.

I should start by clarifying that not all the traveling was "vacation" but it was continuous. The first part of our trip was to, the much anticipated, Texas Conference Pastors and Teachers meeting/retreat. I confess that since last year's meeting I was anxiously waiting for this year's program. It is the only time I look forward to a 5.5 hr drive (not counting all the stops) all year. It is great that we get to spend time with friends from all over Texas we had not seen in a while and meet new ones. At the retreat, while the hubby spends most of the mornings and evenings in meetings, I get to hang out in the nursery room with the other moms of little ones and the kiddos get to play. In the afternoon, we can spend some family time by the pool and hanging out with friends. Turns out all the pictures we have from the retreat are mainly from our time at the pool. I guess you can say that was our favorite spot ;)

Eu deveria começar esclarecendo que nem toda a viagem foi parte das "férias", mas foi contínua. A primeira parte da nossa viagem foi para, o muito antecipado, Retiro de pastores e professores da Associacao do Texas. Confesso que desde a reunião do ano passado eu estava esperando ansiosamente pelo programa deste ano. É uma das poucas vezes que eu me animo com o prospecto de uma viagem de 5,5 horas (sem contar todas as paradas) durante todo o ano. É ótimo rever nossos amigos de todas as partes do Texas que ja não víamos a tempo e conhecer novos amigos tambem. No retiro, enquanto o marido passa a maior parte da manhã e à noite nas reuniões, eu fica na sala das criancas com as outras mães e os pequenos. Na parte da tarde, podemos passar algum tempo como família à beira da piscina com os amigos. Quase todas as fotos que temos do retiro foram tiradas na piscina. Eu acho que você pode dizer que foi nosso lugar favorito;)

Little Seiferts and Preuss

Mini-golfing

We really enjoyed ourselves there, my only regret is that I didn't get a chance to take more pictures with friends =(

Nos aproveitamos bastante. So me arrependo de nao ter tirado mais fotos com os amigos =(

Having fun exploring with a straw// brincando com um canudo

Making his own spray fountain// criando a sua propria fonte

oops!

Next up: Houston and the terrible airport mishap.

Proximo: Houston e os problemas no aeroporto