Weekend Update

What a fantastic weekend! Sometimes Sunday night rolls around and Pai and I lament how quickly the weekend passes without any real time to spend together as a family. It feels like we are on such a tight schedule with so many activities, that there is no time to catch up on anything. This weekend was different.

Saturday started with 7:30 cookie baking, a sunny rugby game and a relaxed afternoon getting ready for my mom's arrival. The kids do the best job on welcome signs and decorating the bed for visitors. There's nothing better than a warm welcome. 

My mom arrived Sunday morning on a 6am flight and came into a sleeping house. The kids woke up and one by one gave her the best welcome hugs. 

For us, my mom's arrival signals the begining of the Christmas season. 

The warm weather meant that the boys made great progress in the never ending garden clear out and  Sebby got to circle the house until his little legs could walk no more. 

The other big event of the weekend was Freddy's first cello recital. As soon as I upload the photos, I'll do a whole cello post. Here follow a few more rugby pictures. 

 

The kid's last day of school is tomorrow and we already have a full month break from music lessons. What will we do with so much time? 

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful low-key Thanksgiving on Saturday evening.  The celebrations commenced early with pie baking and cranberry sauce making. Mooj was my helper since Zita and Freddy had orchestra and tennis, respectively. 

The 16 lb turkey came with all of the giblets, so I made Moojie deal with that, naturally. We had a good laugh that every single year I can not find the meat thermometer. We also kept the pumpkin pie under close guard thus breaking the cat's pie sabotage streak. We triumphed with pristine pie for the first time in three years.

I need major help in the photography department. This is the photo my camera takes with no flash on. It's blurry. I know I can change the ISO setting, or get a tripod, but can I really when I'm given seconds to get the picture? Better lighting in the living room is probably the best solution. 

With the flash, I get a clearer picture, but flash photos are so blech. 

I feel like we are missing one more daughter who would be posed right in front of Moojie. I still have lots of names to use...

Freddy made the leap to cranberry sauce eater this year. 

Zita was lamenting my sister's absence, not only for her company, but for her hair skills. 

We have a new Thanksgiving fan. He got a whopping egg on his head just before we sat down to eat by smacking his head on the door frame. It goes nicely next to the bruise in the middle of his forehead. 

Turkey and mashed potatoes cured the pain likety split. 

After apple pie, pumpkin pie, and vanilla ice cream with raspberries were finished, Freddy closed the evening with We Wish You a Merry Christmas. 

We're Back

There is a ridiculous amount to catch up on, but it is the last day of Summer with school starting tomorrow, and I want to just soak up the day, the kids, the flurry of preparation, the nerves, and the giddy excitement that goes along with it.

I'll get to Sebby's accident, the hospital pictures, and the details- good and bad- when I can.

Here's the last picture I took of our angelic baby before he was burned. I couldn't look at it without sobbing until this morning. His face looks good today. He's smiley. We're all together, and life is good.

I feel nothing but gratitude. 

Pool Days

Exploring Sintra

We wanted to take my mom somewhere she hadn't already been, which is not very easy given that she has spent so much time here. 

 I blogged about visiting the newly opened Condessa d´Elda house  back in March, and we once again wanted to picnic in Sintra. As soon as tennis was finished for the day, off we went exploring.

 I wish someone were standing in front of these boulders to provide scale. They are imposing and wonderful and such a sight to see.

 Sintra never fails squash any luke-warm feeling I occasionally have about living in Portugal. The mature trees and damp misty forest with palaces and castles popping up here and there are pure magic.

 There are great views of the Palácio de Pena from the trails around the chalet. We practically walked all the way there in March. A stroller and a baby spared us the hike this time around. What was I thinking forgetting that Bjorn ?

 Disney-like enchanted forest is everywhere. I would not have blinked had a prince ridden through on a white horse.

 I´m still getting used to saying the "three boys," but here they are- the three boys.

I have constant guilt and worry that I'm failing on the cultural front with the children. Has Freddy even been to a real metropolitan symphony performance? No. I think I have to accept that we are in the thick of our nature phase and just put the guilt to rest.

Discovering Cascais

As a family of six with such a broad age range, it's hard to come up with activities to suit everyone. We usually default to outdoor walks, or hikes, if we want to sound more outdoorsy. We're slowly working our way through the list of open space areas in Cascais and Sintra, and this Christmas Pai discovered the Parque das Penhas do Marmeleiro.  The best thing about all of these trails and parks is that they are always deserted. We took a picnic on the 26th and had the whole place to ourselves.

   This sit and spin thing was a welcome change from typical swings and slides. I just can't fathom how kids can eat and spin at the same time.

 As we picnicked in the strong afternoon sun, we heard bells just over the hill. Sure enough, a herd of sheep had come to join us. What a delight this was for my 2 year old niece.

 You can see Zita as a white speck in the valley below. 

No need for trailblazing here, lots of the more arduous terrain has wooden decking. 

Unless of course, like Zita you decide to take a short cut off the path up the steep valley.

 Messing with the panorama feature on the iPhone.

Pai has taken the kids here three times already, and we will most certainly go back again.  

More on Christmas Eve

Sunday was King's Day, which for us is marked by Christmas fruit cake and the de-Christmasing of our house. We took down our tree, put away all the decorations, and disassembled the train, piece by piece, in what was a mere 2 hour process. The house hasn't fully recovered, but we are almost there. I know everyone is has had enough of Christmas, but I still haven't posted fully about Christmas Eve or Christmas day.

So back to Christmas Eve. My mom and I had fudge made by 8:30 in the morning, and being the only child in the kitchen at that hour, Freddy was there to decorate with exuberance.

We decorated the tree in the afternoon after the children had their tennis lessons.

The sound of the train and its almost constant de-railment were ever present as we bumbled around the house.

Sebby's new stocking hung by the chimney with care.

Just before our annual family-in-front-of-the-tree photo, Freddy got red paint on his khaki pants, and Zita got fudge smack in the middle of the tummy of her white shirt. The was after negotiations rivaling Northern Ireland peace talks regarding what each of them would wear. Freddy's biggest complaints were: a) a lack of blazer b) a strong preference for short sleeved shirts.

Two shots from my mom's phone:

We headed to the kids' great-grandmother's house where I spent a great-deal of the evening either nursing Sebby or trying to get him to go to sleep in an adjoining room.

A two course dinner of turkey, and fluffy gnocchi are the family's Christmas Eve staples. The evening came to a close with a puppet show about their great-great grandfather. Moojie narrated with a clear, deep, and well projected voice.

I let a lot slip this year, but like every other Christmas Eve, it was a day replete with good food, good company, and excited anticipation.