Big Brother

Everyone needs a big brother, and I am so happy my younger kids have such a good one. Caio is such a good kid. He talks a lot about how important it is for him to teach the younger kids how to be good or to do something he is already good at doing. He isn't perfect--he really isn't even very close :-), but he is good. There is a lot to be said about the word good.

I also love how much he wants to be bigger even though he is still so young. He is always talking about how much he wants to go to work with Daddy and earn money for our family. He refers to things as being a little boy and when he gets big enough to go to work. He wears his future missionary badge he got from his grandma to church every week with pride. He wants to serve a mission because his daddy did. He saw a missionary picture of my husband on his back with his head, arms and legs in the air, so Caio does that pose every couple of days and says he is practicing so he can be a good missionary.

Recently, when Marcio told him he couldn't play the Wii, he came to me and said, with a deep sigh, "Daddy won't let me play the Wii..." I just nodded and said that maybe that was for the best. His response was, "I can't believe he would tell me that! I just can't believe he said 'No.' All I wanted was to play for a little bit." He was so serious I wanted to laugh. The whole thing was too cute. He wasn't getting angry or being beligerent, he was just trying to share his frustrations, so I let him know that it was okay to feel that way, as long as he obeyed and was nice about it. Then he looked at me and said, "Mom?" "Yes?" "What does believe mean?" It was so funny. I explained it and then he began to laugh and we talked about other things.

At his last dentist appointment a few weeks ago, the dentist told me Caio had a loose tooth. Then he explained to Caio that he has a grown up tooth coming in to replace the one that was falling out. After that Caio started refusing to use plastic silverware because he said he needs to use "grown-up" spoons and forks, because he thinks he is almost grown up now that his grown-up teeth are coming in. Since then his first tooth fell out. The Tooth Fairy gave him a whole dollar! I only ever got a quarter for my teeth. I told him there must have been a mistake and offered to trade my quarter for his dollar.... he didn't take me up on that. ;-D

All About My Girl

I love my little girl so much! I am so happy that Heavenly Father sent her to live with our family. Tonight I just wanted to ramble about her for a little bit. :-D

Jordan loves my brother's fiance like crazy. She loves to show off for her and play with her, and his fiance is very cute with my daughter, and nice enough to play along most of the time. One day I heard Jordan saying, "He can be the Daddy (my brother), and you can be the Mommy, and I will be the SWEETHEART!" I did everything I could to keep from laughing out loud.

Whenever people ask who she belongs to, she says she belongs to Mommy. Contrary to what one may think, I never started that one--it all came from her little head. "Who's cutie are you?" "I'm Mommy's cutie!" "Who's princess are you?" "I'm Mommy's princess!" The only time she gives a different response is sometimes when she is asked who's silly goose she is, then she is Daddy's.

Lately she talks all the time about how "Awesome!" or "Cool!" something is. I get all happy every time. It is funny hearing her cute little voice saying things that sound too old for her. She uses other big words that catch us off guard, too, but I can't seem to think of them right now. The truth is, she normally says so many cute or funny things right in a row that I can't remember all of them five minutes later. I just do my best.

She also is full of randomness that keeps us giggling. Monday, Marcio asked her if she was cute and she said, "No I'm cool. Because when people punch me, I punch them back harder. But then I feel really sad inside." Haha. Well... We love her so much.

-Ginger

Overdue...

I missed writing for a whole year. Perhaps I should say I took a year sabbatical. Or maybe I should just admit that I got a little overwhelmed and tired of posting for a while. Whichever way I look at it, though, I wish I had kept it up. I looked through my blog recently and realized that I have stored a lot of memories on my little blog. Now so much has happened in the last year that I will never remember, and I wish I could.
Since I posted, our family took a trip to California. It was amazing. We spent a week visiting family and hanging out at the beach and the pool. We did some walking around Downtown Disney and made some great memories. I didn't realize what a great trip it was until May came, and the whole family started craving another trip to CA. We just couldn't seem to stop talking about it. I could almost smell the beach I missed it so much. I hope we go again next year.
Not long after we got back we discovered we were expecting baby number three. Life wasn't super easy through the waiting. There were a few concerns about the baby and a job lay-off which resulted in a brief period of unemployment, but Heavenly Father blessed us with a healthy baby boy and a good new employer.
The kids have been wonderful. Caio is so smart and so excited to be as grown up as he can be. He is such a big help and I love having him around. We are also discovering that he is a very artistic person and we are excited to see that skill grow and mature. He is strong and healthy and good. Jordan talks up a storm and is the second mommy in our house. One of her nicknames is "Princess" and she is all girl. She is the biggest help with the baby, because she is so maternal by nature. She keeps us giggling with all of the funny things she says or thinks about, and we love to see what a sweet girl she really is.
Our newest addition is Baby Spencer. He just turned five months old. I think he is my happiest, easiest going baby so far. He is smart and active. Exactly what you would want to see in a five-month-old. Whenever Jordan comes around, he can't stop giggling and grinning with anticipation of her interaction. When Caio comes, Spencer smiles and watches his big brother's every move. And when Daddy comes home, everyone hears Spencer's loudest, wildest laugh, even before Marcio has gotten close enough to kiss and tickle; after all, everyone in our house knows what Daddy does when he says hello to Spencer. :-D
Life is really good right now. We are happy and everyone is in good health. Marcio and I just celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. It has been better than I ever could have dreamed. I am serving as a Mia Maid advisor in our ward and Marcio is a counselor in the Elders' Quorum. I can't think of anything more to share here, but I plan on posting again soon.

Made Me Laugh…

Just wanted to share a few pictures I found online while I was looking for some completely unrelated things. Hope you chuckle like I did.

And Finally:

LOL!!!   :-D

-Ginger

SUPERFEET! TO THE RESCUE!

So my podiatrist let me know that I am now free to sell my boot on ebay.

I am thinking of marketing it as a “Disney Land front-of-line pass.” LOL! ;-D (Actually, that was his advice). I probably won’t put it on ebay, but if you know anyone interested…

So he asked me how much I have cheated and not worn the thing in the last two weeks when I was supposed to. (*blush*) I kind of thought he wouldn’t know since Marcio didn’t come with me to tattle, but I told him when and where. I mostly “cheated” the last few days because it was feeling so much better that I felt more like a faker when I wore the thing than that it was really doing me any good. He said I should still be careful for the next few weeks, but that I can walk around in my own shoes as long as I don’t overdo it.

He then talked to me about the probable cause of my stress fractures. He looked at my feet and showed me why my arches are bad. He said that is why I got hurt when I was using them a lot.

Never fear, though! Because now I have:

SUPERFEET!  (Actual product name. Gotta Love the name! Mine are even GREEN; just like in this picture.) These are on the approved foot apparel list his nurse provided me at the end of my visit. These things will cure my problems or their name isn’t SUPERFEET! LOL!

So… Long story short: I’m Free again… More or Less.  :-D

-Ginger

And the Darn Thing Broke…

For those of you out of the know, I thought I would bring you back into the loop by relating a little tale:

A couple of weeks ago I was walking around, minding my own business—doing my own thing. I moved around like I always do: with the aid of my foot… and the darn thing just broke on me! Well, I didn’t know it broke at the time. In fact I didn’t really know what happened. I thought it would just go away, but it got worse and worse until one day… I made a visit to the trusty family practitioner. He pushed on it with glee while I tried to hide the tears rolling down my cheeks and said we should do some x-rays. After that he said I needed to see a podiatrist.

The following morning I visited a very nice man who earned a few letters at the end of his name a while back. While Marcio and I waited we could hear a little four-year-old girl in the room next to us crying loudly (I guess I should have been worried—lol). When the doctor got to me he took a turn poking and pushing. (I took a turn trying not to show weakness). He looked at the x-rays I brought with me and ordered some new ones which he decided to take himself. When we were all finished I got to go home with a boot and a prescription and an appointment to see him in two weeks for more x-rays and information. He said it looks like I have a stress fracture on two bones on the top part of my left foot—probably from walking improperly too much lately (I have been trying to exercise). Today, though, my foot feels way better to the point that I almost feel like a faker, but I know how bad it was to begin with. I find out on Tuesday what the new prognosis is.

I have to say, I am very grateful for medical technology. It isn’t fun going through all of it, but then I think about my life. If I had been born even a century earlier than I was (which isn’t that much when you think about how old the world is) I wouldn’t have been born, and my mother may have died trying to birth me. Had I been born, I also would probably have lost my son and maybe my own life when he was born. Without ultrasound technology, which wasn’t even available as recently as when I was born, my daughter would have surely died during delivery. I have dealt with doctors who care a lot but don’t seem to know a lot and doctors who seem to know a lot but also seem that they could care less. I have been in an emergency room and believed I was dying and left there alone for almost two hours in that condition. But with all of that, I have seen miracles in my lifetime that I know weren't there for previous generations and in some parts of the world are still not accessible to some people. The good comes with the not so great, I guess. I am grateful, however, that I live in this country at this time and I am able to see a doctor when I want to without putting in a request or getting approval. Heavenly Father has been good to me to let me live where I live when I live here. For that I am eternally grateful.

-Ginger

Learning Adobe Photoshop

Marcio has been encouraging me to work with Photoshop more. He enjoys watching the stuff that I do and he knows that I enjoy playing with it and learning new things. I saw this picture on the internet done by a professional that made me want to try do something similar. My attempt is below. I found a picture of a break dancer online and tried to waterize him. I am pleased for a first attempt, but I hope I can do better in the future. If you like it, let me know what you think. If you don’t like it……

……

So, yeah. If you like it, I would love to know your opinion. ;-D LOL!

Pro Photo

Original

My Photoshop Fun

-Ginger

“Flying Without Wings…”

I meant to post this yesterday, but with all of the drama our family is going through, a day late is better than never. :-D

I would like to make an announcement for anyone who doesn’t already know who might be interested:

I love Marcio!!! :-D

You are the best husband EVER, and the best father, too! You are kind and giving and patient. You are a hard worker and an interesting and considerate companion. You have made my life better literally every day since you came into my world. Nobody else could make my heart soar like you do. Six years ago on Valentine’s Day we told our families that we had decided to get married—this will always be a special day to me. Happy Valentine’s Day, Docinho! Hear is to the last six and the next sixty++++!!! :-*

-Ginger

My Time…

I keep thinking of that oldies song, “Time is on my side. Yes, it is!”

SO! What have I been doing with my time? Well… Just a little something that I have been doing for my Lil’ Bro for an upcoming date idea he has. If I didn’t like his girlfriend, would I put forth this much effort???

Well… Maybe, and maybe not. The point is, even if things don’t work out with his girlfriend (who I really do like quite a bit), I still care enough for my little brother that I have plans to complete this on a few more photos of the two of them before the week is out. Here goes:

If you notice with the original photo the way I cropped the edges to make it a square instead of an elongated photo and then placed multiple pictures in the frame with different colored backgrounds… that is what the plan is for all of the pictures so that he can cut out small individual cartoon pictures of the two of them. I am actually enjoying this so much that I may mess around with it some more after I finish up this project for him. Isn’t the world a better place thanks to Adobe Photoshop? LOL!

-Ginger

I Love To See It…

So, we had a really great night tonight. I am so happy for my forever marriage and all of the beautiful things I learn about whenever I visit again. We got married here, and tonight this is also where we went with many people from our stake in preparation (spiritually) for our upcoming stake conference:

We had dinner in the cafeteria with a lot of people we know from church as well as people I grew up knowing from my parents’ ward. It was really great. In the chapel, our stake president gave a very moving talk about how important temple attendance is and how glad he was to share this with so many people. We had an overwhelming turnout that took a couple of sessions to get through with standing room only in the chapel. He said that he had the bishops choose a few couples in every ward to invite personally to attend the session in addition to the general announcement/invitation that is always given. Marcio and I always have talked about maybe going but have never made the commitment to do it until we were one of those couples our bishop invited personally. I guess it worked really well, because a lot of people showed up. After the stake president spoke the temple matron spoke about burdens and how to turn to the Lord for help and comfort with our burdens so that we will be able to handle them for the long haul. Her husband, the temple president, then spoke about some pertinent things for the brethren and then gave a very memorable sermon about forgiveness. I think I understand a little more about how and why and when. I am very grateful the Lord helped me get there tonight.

I just wanted to share a snippet of the feelings I felt tonight. I know it isn’t really the same, but maybe it will help. I hope you enjoy. (don’t forget to pause the music --->).

-Ginger

BUSTED!!! *not really* :-D

Just a little fun from a show we really like:

Click here to see him get whats coming to him.

(Marcio)

or you can check out version numero dois:

Click here to find out just how diabolical she is.

(Penny)

And since I am in the mode to share videos with y’all, I feel a great desire to share my favorite recent youtube find. I hope you like it. There are three versions of this song that I found on there that I love, and it was really hard to choose, but I finally picked this one for the pleasing visuals that go with, but if you are adventurous, you can check the others out at the additional links following the clip. This song was written by a man named Nela Otuafi. He wrote it for his own mission farewell as his musical testimony of the truth and power of the Book of Mormon Another Testiment of Jesus Christ. (don't forget to pause the music on the sidebar --->)

Additional video links:

---Nela Otuafi singing “How Can I Be”

---Adam Ashby, Ben Mataele and Uai Fe and the Ukuleles

-Ginger

Random Pictures…

This is to go with the previous “Random Post” (below).

I just wanted to share five seemingly unrelated photos. The one thing they have in common is that they all used to reside in the dark and dusty confines of my sister’s camera and have recently (as of the last half-hour) been liberated by me onto my very own computer--and now five of them have made their way to the great big world wide web for public viewing pleasure via my astoundingly popular blog. Let the consequences lie where they may.

This first set of pictures are just random shots that I thought were super cute of our super duo playing at a family member’s home:

The next two pictures are of a new cousin named Enoch. The kids have been very happy to get to know him:

The last picture is actually the reason why I was in possession of my sister’s camera in the first place. My younger brother needed a portrait he could use to list his services as a youth speaker/presenter about being a mountain man and knowing survival skills. He did a presentation last summer for a group of young girls pro bono. A couple of days ago he received a call asking if he would like to list his presentation complete with his asking price and picture for a reference list for similar groups to find quality speakers and presenters. I was excited to help him get an outdoorsy shot in his mountain man outfit. This was both of our favorite shot out of the group… I may post others later:

 

-Ginger

Random Post…

I wanted to do a post-Christmas-post or a post-New Year’s-post or at least a post-post-post… Maybe that went over some people’s heads. LOL! OKAY!… On to bigger and better things!

Christmas:

We had a really great Christmas celebration. We enjoy making our own family traditions come to life. We are getting better and better at the whole shebang every year. We like to celebrate our religious holidays a little low key so that we can enjoy it without drowning out the purpose of our festivities. For instance, our kids only get one present from Santa and one present from Mom & Dad on Christmas. Stockings consist of a piece or two of fruit and a favorite candy bar, and this year they each got a $0.50 child’s book. For dinner I roasted a chicken and made whole potatoes and cooked carrots and some other things that I can’t remember. Santa left both kids motorized, toddler-sized four wheel bikes (DH was bugging the big man for them, but I think the kids are happy that he did… they both love them :-D).

New Year’s Day:

New Year’s Eve we were privleged to help a family member move. Afterward, the kids had a fun filled evening at Grandma ‘Nette’s house while Marcio and I joined his brother Rodrigo for dinner and a couple of games. The best part of the evening, for me, was the countdown which culminated in the biggest mess we could make in their living room. It was fun.

Jordan’s Birthday:

Marcio and I had a really difficult time figuring out Jordan’s birthday activity. We kept changing our minds and worrying that we weren’t going to get things together in time. We finally realized that she would probably just like somewhere to play. We went to the mall to let the kids play on the indoor playground for a long time. Then we let the kids ride on a variety of the coin-slot rides that were nearby to the tune of a whopping $2.75 (and they had pleanty of turns). We finished off by visiting Deseret Book Store and letting them each pick out a $0.50 picture to take home. It really was a success. I guess I better be careful to make sure my princess doesn’t become a mall rat. ;-D

Wendy’s Baby Shower:

The next big January event was Wendy’s baby shower. I was worried that I wouldn’t pull something very great off, but it turned out really well and she got quite a few really important things to help take care of her new baby boy. We chose the colors baby blue and chocolate brown and a polka-dot theme for the whole thing. It turned out really cute and we save a lot of money by being creative with the things we had and could find.

Wendy’s Baby:

Two days later she went into labor, but she didn’t have the baby until three days after that. He is a precious and cute little baby boy named Enoch. My children are quite taken with him and like to talk about him. They both ask to hold him, but are ready to give him back almost before he is really on their laps. It makes me chuckle. Caio told me that he would like a baby of his own, but that he will always like Jordan better. Where do kids come up with this stuff? LOL!

Looking Forward:

Right now I am looking forward to the coming month. Our stake is going to have a special temple night and Stake Conference. I am actually really excited for the whole thing. Marcio and I are also planning to enter a submission into our ward’s film festival in March. Winners will be selected to represent our ward in the stake’s film festival a month later. We have already been hashing out some ideas and we are excited to see how it turns out. We are also planning a trip to the ocean (thus the temporary beach backdrop). It will be the kids’ first. Caio keeps saying that he wants to build sand castles and walk along the beach and play in the water. I guess there must be a lot of ocean themes on PBS ;-D. It looks like there may be some videos/pictures to share later on down the road.

Until then!

-Ginger

Birthday Fun!

My winter gets very busy around Christmas time because of all of our three winter birthdays within two weeks. I am so glad that we are done with most of it. It has been fun and rewarding, but it is a relief to have it over and done with. I will give a quick rundown of each event and then pictures.

Caio asked for a pirate cake for his birthday. So I made pirate cupcakes and invited four cousins and one friend over to eat them and watch a pirate movie (Muppets’ Treasure Island). I also made each kid a newspaper pirate sword and hat. They all LOVED it, and I was SUPER happy for my boy. He also wanted to see the lights at Temple Square because of how much he loves Christmas lights. It was fun for both of the kids. We didn’t take any pictures this year, but you can see some very beautiful panoramic shots here.

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Marcio wanted to visit the Hill Airforce Base Museum in Roy, Utah. He had never been before and if I ever did it was before I was old enough to remember it. We found out they have the most AWESOME kids area where the kids are allowed to dress in child-sized pilot uniforms and helmets/hats (Caio chose to sport a N.A.S.A. jumpsuit and a white helmet with an orange visor) and they can pose in front of a huge backdrop of a moon landing. They have flight simulators in realistic looking cockpits and tons of other kid friendly toys and activities. It was awesome just for the kids’ section, but the rest of the museum was great too. We told the kids that we are definitely going back soon (maybe between Christmas and New Year’s Eve ;-D).

 

Finally, we had family over Saturday night to celebrate all three birthdays with cake and ice cream. The kids had so much fun opening their presents and Caio and his cousin, Nani, were so cute posing in his new tool vest/belt getup that he got from his grandma that I wanted to share the pics.

 

Thanks for reading.

Merry Christmas!

Ginger