Our Little Graduate

Andy graduated homeschool kindergarten on Saturday.

As we rehearsed and memorized for the ceremony, a quote from one of our favorite cartoons, The Incredibles, came to mind: "They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity". Yes, it's kind of funny to dress up a six year old in a cap and gown for an event he may or may not remember by this time next year. It may also not be any great feat for a child his age to know addition and subtraction or to read on a first grade level, but we are very proud of him and look for opportunities to celebrate this wonderful child.

So, without further ado, please join me with the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" playing in your head while you view these photos of Andy graduating with other homeschoolers at a local church:

The Proud Big Brother

The Proud (of himself) Little Brother

Waiting for the Ceremony with a Bunch of Yucky Girls

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance

Receiving his Diploma

Last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the part of the ceremony where we recognized and promoted the siblings into their respective grades. Jonah was promoted to the fourth grade. Again, no big deal, right? This is a kid we were told was autistic and may not ever learn to read or write. If you saw the Mother's Day card he made by himself for me you know that is not the case. So we're aware of how much we have to celebrate and were thankful for this forum to publicly acknowledge the gifts God has given us in our children.

Ben on His Tricycle

The only thing cuter than a naked baby? A naked baby on a tricycle.

Disney World

When we got out of bed Dad told us we were going to the doctor. He even said we might have to get a shot. When he saw how nervous we were, he pretended to call the doctor who said what we need is three days at Disney World. Woohoo!

We beat the heat by spending the first half of each day in the pool at the hotel:

Then we went to Disney:

It was a blast even though a few of the the lines were kind of long.

Being there at night was beautiful and we were wiped out by the end of each day. What a great trip!

Andy Rides a Bike

It dawned on me that Andy probably didn't need his training wheels anymore. We took them off and he was free wheeling in about twenty minutes. Ben, however, did not appreciate all the attention aimed at his big brother.

The Boys Are Back in Town

Well, I think two years is long enough to go between posts so I've decided to pick this thing back up. I'm aware that those who read my blog Brazilian Jewells are not necessarily interested in reading about my kid's loose tooth or latest school project so this page is dedicated to those of you who are.

Here's a picture I took of the boys last week at the park.

Now that you're up to date on how much they've grown, I'll start filling you in on what they're doing as well.

Andy's Early Birthday Celebration

Andy will turn five at the end of the month but we decided to celebrate early while we're still here in Brazil with his friends. He wanted a Spiderman party, so a Spiderman party it was:

He had a pool party in November - something that probably won't happen next year:
Dad grilled up some deliciousness while the menfolk milled around the churrasqueira (Brazilian-barbecue oven):

Judging by the expressions, he's gotten pretty good at it:

Andy opened some presents:And played some games:
While Ben wondered when he was going to get a turn. Not for about four months, Little Man:

Then Andy disappeared and Spider-Man joined the fun for a group photo:
All in all it was a great day and a birthday to remember, not just because of the food and fun, but also because it will be the last birthday Andy celebrates with this Portuguese-speaking bunch... for a while, at least.

Jonah Turns Eight

We celebrated Jonah's eighth birthday with a party at our house.

The first item on the agenda was cool hair styles for the three amigos:

It was an experiment with egg whites. Jonah, Andy, and their best friend Irvaine all sported the spikes until they hit the pool a bit later in the day:

Here's the birthday crew:

The theme was Ben 10 again. Jonah L-O-V-E-S Ben 10, as do most of the other little boys around here. I'll be interested to see how popular the cartoon is in the States. Since we got rid of TV, our boys have to rely on videos and comic books of their favorite super hero.One of our guests, while reaching out to hand a card to Jonah, quickly pulled it back when she saw the "Ben 10" table decoration. She whispered to her mother, "You wrote happy eighth birthday on the card to Jonah but it's BEN who's turning TEN. How embarrassing!" I had to laugh, and I assured her they had it right the first time. In case you haven't guessed, they also don't have TV.

Dad grilled up some tasty treats:

And the big kids talked and ate together:

While the little kids enjoyed the pool:

And the even littler kids enjoyed poking each other with sticky fingers:

Then there was this:

And presents:

It's going to be sad to say goodbye to good friends but we are blessed to have made so many memories while we were here.

This may be the last pool party Jonah ever has because it's much colder in October north of the equator. I'm sure he has no idea how much he'll cherish these memories, but he will be blessed by them forever.