The Distinguished Man

He's done! He made it! He's home again! My distinguished man is a distinguished graduate of the leadership academy he was attending in Germany these past six weeks. It was a lot of hard work but he had nothing but great things to say about his instructors and fellow students. Congratulations honey and, as always, job well done!

Monte do Brasil Courtesy of Ethan

This time the pictures are ALL Ethan's! His class took a field trip to Mt. Brasil and he convinced me to let him take the camera. I warned him that we would both be in trouble with Dad if anything happened to the camera but he proved himself to be very responsible- nice job Ethan! He told us all about the fort, nature walks and a park with a zip line, I think this will be our next family destination.

Eggs and Vinegar

It's not a science experiment (ever made a rubber egg?), it's the smell of my house- unfortunately. Must be egg decorating day! I made sure to grab up some white eggs from the store just for dying and half of them blew up in the boiling water- not sure what that means- so we did some of our brown ones too. We got some interesting shades and the boys had fun- what more can you ask for!?

Serreta Revisited

A couple weeks ago we finally got the kids out to Serreta- the park Kevin and I found a while back. We packed up some snacks and spent a few hours walking around, exploring and playing at the park. One little boy played on the teeter-totter with us for quite a while- he spoke some English but his favorite phrase was "oh my God!" which he kept yelling as we hopped up and down. It takes a good 45 minutes to get there, surprising considering the size of the island, so next time we go I think we'll make it for the whole day!

Evolution of the 'Stache

March was fun but also hairy! I don't know why the the coming spring makes men want to grow facial hair for fun but that's just what our goofy guys in uniform were up to. Because of the fuzz I was eager to welcome April. Kevin had to tease, of course, that he was thinking of keeping his facial accessory but I was ready to take matters into my own hands (in the middle of the night) if needed. He's back to his smooth, handsome self which makes it more fun to look back at the pictures, laugh and share them with everyone in the online world. And for all of his taunters who weren't impressed with his 'stache - he grows an outstanding goatee!

Hens In the House

Ever since we arrived in Portugal I've been eager to get some chickens. Day to day there's usually lots to do around the house and lately I haven't given more than a wishful thought to the whole idea. Well my husband, who never settles for me telling him I don't want anything, went out and got me some chickens for my birthday! I was so surprised and excited- we spent the day making some old pens in the back into a coop area. They have the whole yard to roam during the day and a safe, dry place to be penned up for the nights. Their nesting boxes are in what many years ago would have been a bathroom! They don't seem to mind, they're already down to the business of egg laying. Thank you to my sweet husband- I love them!

The Winner Is....

A Winning Photo

Our boys entered a photo contest and one of Ethan's photos was the winner for his age group! His picture was treated to the works- enlarged, matted and framed- and is being sent to Germany to compete in the next level of the competition. We're so proud of both of them- here's a few of their photos- can you guess the winning shot?

The West Side

Kevin is back to shift work which will take some getting used to but one benefit is sometimes we have some free time together while the boys are in school. We took one such opportunity to explore the west side of the island and found a park/picnic area that will be perfect for the family once spring arrives. The pictures of the fountain and the green mossy carpeting were taken there. Another stop provided the ocean cliff view and the compass done in traditional stone work. There is actually a "walking street" in Praia done in this type of stone with many different patterns created using the white rock. No paint is involved, they chip the stones until they get the desired shape and size and piece them all together. Even parking lines will be done like this.

Busy Boys

Well, Isaac wishes he was busier and truth is we haven't found a whole lot for him to do here yet. Ethan on the other hand is going, going! He's old enough to join lots of cool activities now- Boy Scouts, chorus, the youth program. He's been to a dance, gone paint-balling and earned his Bobcat Badge. Isaac is jealous and we're keeping our eyes open for programs for younger kids. Both of them are thriving in their new school and have decided they like it here- thank goodness! The last picture is some of our neighbors this past week. The cattle (and occasional goat) are rotated from pasture to pasture, it's funny- the farmers walk them on the roads to their next spot. Several times a month we see cows out our window walking down the road to a new pasture. When we first moved here I accidentally set the house alarm off while the neighboring farmers were moving their cattle and started a small stampede. Thankfully it was a small group of well-behaved ladies who hadn't been milked recently and couldn't run too fast! The farmers were forgiving and still wave when I drive by, another day in the life I suppose.

Welcome To Our Home

Bem-vindo a nossa casa! The doors here are so cute and it's hilarious to watch Kevin try to go in and out- especially in uniform, he's like a giant in this land. This door is where the doorbell is located but family and friends would more likely use the door at the kitchen. Like a good Portuguese woman would, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen but I'm not making bread for the day, I'm washing dishes- no dishwasher! I'm being dramatic of course- because you wash dishes after every meal, you actually require less dishes overall - half of them are not sitting in your dishwasher waiting to be run! As Americans we think we need so much crap, and are always acquiring more, more, more. Visit another country and it becomes so incredibly in your face- like the highbeams of oncoming traffic! We love the bigger and better of anything: houses, cars, gadgets and toys. Transplant it all to a European country and it becomes so ridiculous it's comical. You should see us trying to get the truck out of our driveway!! Adjustments are being made every day around here- we should get the hang of it by the time we say goodbye- sigh. The trees in front are trimmed for the winter but will be so full and beautiful for the summer, their branches were joined together long ago and now each tree is connected to the next. We have many flowering bushes and a yard from which to gaze out at the surrounding pastures. It's beginning to feel like home....

Three Months in Thirty Seconds

I debated making this post about present time- after all, so much has happened in the last few months, where do I even begin!? But for the very same reason, I just couldn't do it. So here we go, I'm gonna skim the top of the last three months and depending on your own reading pace, we should be all caught up in about thirty seconds... In November Kevin graduated from DLI well versed in the Spanish language, we packed up and departed from the street with a very long name- thank you Army. It was a great place and we had the best neighbors- go Navy! We stopped in AZ to see my brother graduate from ASU-congrats!- and spend a little time with family -love you guys!- before moving on to Iowa. Iowa was busy and so much fun, the boys and I had not visited in many years. A nephew turned one, we celebrated Christmas and witnessed a beautiful wedding -so happy for you!- all before heading to Boston the beginning of January. We spent 10 hrs. in the airport there -cool rocking chairs- until making our way to one island and then another and finally being done with our travels- whew! The details are hairy and become more so from here, what's important is that we spent time with family and arrived safely in Portugal ALL TOGETHER! Until next time- thanks for making it so hard to say goodbye -seriously!- everyone should be blessed with family and friends as great as you all!