Just a little perfect Brazilian Birthday Party

We had a great weekend last week (and sorry it has been so long to write about it, it is almost the weekend again!)

Our dear friends the Oliveiras had a birthday party for their daughter.  This family is just amazing to me.  They both had busy leadership roles in our church and they were always so kind and so giving and so loving and so wonderful to our family.  They were the first to invite us over to their house for a barbecue.  That is where we saw Grace's true love of meat. 

We drove out of the city for about 30 minutes to arrive at a little Sitio.  It was so perfect.

  Swimming pools for the kids. 

Food for the adults.  A fishing pond. 

Friends.  One couple I had met in the park months and months ago, she was from Japan and he is Brazilian.  They were very nice to chat with and it turns out their daughter is friends with the birthday girl.  It was a small world and it was nice to chat in English. 

Oliver was famous because he was the only one at the party that caught a fish.  And he caught 2!  (and almost a third!) 

I panicked when I saw a fish on the line.  I didn't know what to do with it.  And I wasn't going to touch a fish.  And neither was Oliver. (as you can see from the picture) So I told him to drop it back in the water (still on the line) and I ran down a hill, across a stream, through a pavilion, to a soccer field to find Harley.  He was so great to come back with me and take care of the fish (you know, take the hook and and put it back in the water.)

Then Oliver caught the second fish.  It was much bigger than the first. And beautiful, but we still weren't going to touch it.  Luckily a relative of Harley was at the pond and was brave enough to actually grab the fish and take the hook out.

So much better than a fish!

 

Even Jamison had the perfect time.  Holding a sleeping Miles and taking a little nap himself.  Perfect. 

 My job was to keep an eye on the kids so they didn't drown.  And hold Felix when he wanted to be held.  And play volleyball, no soccer, no football, with Grace. 

And get us all out of there in time to catch a movie, Gravity, with Jamison.

We got to the theater and there were only 2 ticket windows open.  On a Saturday night?  And only one of two automatic ticket machines working.  I know First World Problem.  So after waiting for 15 minutes to buy the tickets I learned that the movie was in 3D.  I hate 3D movies!  The glasses don't work for me and I am just frustrated.  But what could I do.  I just waited 15 minutes for the tickets and I couldn't waste that, plus the babysittter too.  So I just took one for the team and showed my love through sacrifice of personal preference. 

It was a good movie (intense, but good) so it wasn't too hard.

On Sunday we had some friends come over who moved here from Ohio.  It was nice just to sit and visit on a Sunday afternoon.  But it was also time change (Spring Forward for us) and I didn't set my watch and I was late for a baptism at the church.  I took Abby with me since it was her friend getting baptized, plus the chocolate chip cookies (with real American Chocolate Chips!).  I ended up playing a special musical number for the children there to sing.  I'm glad I got there.

My only disappointment is that when it was refreshment time the kids grabbed the cookies, one 5 cookies at once.  I wanted to say, "Do you know how precious those are?  They aren't something that you just grab!  They are to be savored. "  But who knows how to say that in portuguese.  Not me.  So you let it go.  They are only cookies made from chocolate chips you brought from America in a suitcase and have saved in your freezer since August for a special enough occasion to make.  I'm glad I wrapped up 8 in a special package just for our little friend who turned eight. 

Next time I'm making snickerdoodles, I brought plenty of Cream of Tartar down.