Small Dose of Happiness

I can't get enough of these baby fingers

Friday Photo Fest

I'm getting behind on posting photos, and still have quite a few from before we even left for California. What follows is a mish mash from the Summer.

Today called for an early evening pick-me-up in the form of cinnamon dusted sugar cookies.

 
Freddy roasting hot dogs over the fire during our most recent Alentejo weekend.

 He was a pretty happy chappy all weekend

Speaking of happy chaps, when we were out with Zita on her driving lessons, we saw Mooj zooming down the road toward us.

I'm going to nominate this Gap Kids dress for the find of the year award. It was ridiculously inexpensive and makes every picture beautiful.

 

  The beginnings of a nectarine upside down cake. Any cake can become a fruit upside down cake with a little brown sugar heated in butter and poured into the bottom. Delicious.

 

Every time we go to the park in Cascais, the kids, now only Freddy really, go straight for these feet instead of the playground equipment.  

 This big chess/ checkers board drew the boys in for a game, but it turns out none of us remembers the rules to checkers very well. Will there be an entire new generation that can't play checkers? We've got to brush up.

. Late night trips to the beach are my favorite. No sun block needs= happy Mummy.

And to close, I leave you with the picture of pure happiness.

Tears of Joy

We're all breathing a very long and deep sigh of relief on Happy Street.  As of last night, Pai is a fully accredited lawyer. As in no more bar exams, no studying, nothing but plain old work lies ahead.

Pai had the standard 4 years of law school during which time Freddy was born, Caroline was little, Mooji started elementary school, and we were both working full time. They were happy years, but hard years. We operated under tag team parenting mode with me getting to work every morning at 6:30am and Pai coming home from classes at midnight. It worked, but it was not ideal.

After law school, Pai had 1 written bar exam and then a 4 year law internship followed by a second bar exam, which he passed this January. The final step was an oral exam that he passed yesterday!  He's done! There were so many days during the last 8 years that I thought we wouldn't make it another week with such craziness, so little sleep, and such a packed life. Little by little, things got easier; the kids are old enough for us to nip out to dinner here and there, I stopped working (outside the home), and now the weight of having only one of us working with a not-yet-certain professional future has been lifted. Is it safe to say that so many years of hard work, sacrifice, and cooperation have finally paid off? I think it is.

When Pai got out of the car last night looking so handsome in his suit, and Moojie walked down the steps to give him a congratulatory hug, I let go of all of my stress and worry about the future. The tears rolled people. Oh yes they did.

Moojie is in need of major bricks on his head. I think he grew since last week.

I think this picture is so funny because it shows Freddy's squishy hand going straight for the iced tea instead of a hug. For the record, he did give a jump-in-the-air-and-wrap-his-legs-around-hug when Pai said he couldn't have the iced tea.

 This weekend  we'll all raise a glass in celebration of a new phase of our lives. I'm so optimistic and confident that the best years are yet to come. Here's to you Pai- perhaps the most modest, humble and kind lawyer around.

What Makes Me Happy?

Sees chocolate boxes with an exact depiction of our Blackie. My mom sent a great array of Valentines goodies that will get a post all their own, but I couldn't wait to put up the Blackie chocolates.

What makes me happy?

A friend dropping by with goodies right when lemon poppy seed muffins and mini-loaves

 are coming out of the oven

What makes me happy?

A teenage son who can make lunch!

What makes me happy?

Getting this in the mail!



Thanks Mom:)

What makes me happy?

Labels.