Música Faz Bem Para a Alma

Eu amo música. Amo cantar, apesar de que minha voz é horrível e sou desafinada. Amo cantar até Galinha Pintadinha, principalmente porque meus bebês amam! Cada fase da minha vida tem uma música que quando escuto, me leva direto de volta para ela.

Desde que viemos para Colorado, eu quase não escuto música. Eu escuto mais no carro com os bebês. Escutamos um CD que ganhei no Book Club que é instrumental de piano. Eu AMO!

Eu trouxe as caixinhas de som mas ficam no meu quarto porque o laptop fica na escrivaninha no quarto.  Eu esqueci como é bom escutar música mas hoje eu lembrei quando a música "I Pretend" da Priscilla Ahn começou a tocar. Me fez viajar na mente (quase na maionese! hehehe)


Antes de virmos, eu sempre colocava músicas da Marisa Monte enquantos os bebês brincavam na sala.  E sempre que eu acordava eles eu começava a cantar "Deixa eu dizer que te amo..."

Quando eu era jovem, eu queria ter uma banda! hahahaha... Imagina o desastre!!!

E para terminar, aqui vai a música que eu DELIRAVA quando começava a tocar no rádio quando eu tinha uns 14 anos. Como a banda está velha! Mas eles ainda sabem rock it!

Brasil - World Cup 2014!

I was born in Brazil. I watched all World cups with my family.  I even prayed that Brazil would win the 1994 World cup! I rooted, I got my hands sweaty during penalty kicks, and I screamed when we won! Romario, Dunga, Bebeto, Ronaldinho! Ah, my heroes.

Now, world cup 2014, here I am, sitting in the couch with the tv on waiting for the second time.  I watched the opening ceremonies and all I wanted to do was cry.  Weird though, I wasn't crying because I missed my country or because I was so happy the World cup is in my country. I cried because they showed all the diversity and richness of my country and yet, all I had in my mind was the poverty, corruption, and how all that richness and beauty could be even richer and even more beautiful.  I have never felt such deep sadness for my country as I did today while watching the opening ceremony.

I watched this clip posted on Facebook and it made me so sad... In a nutshell, other countries have spent 10-15bi on getting ready for the cup and Fifa has paid all taxes.  Brazil has spent 30bi and has allowed FIFA to not pay taxes. Ask any Brazilian why the difference, they will all say that it went to someone's pocket.

Brazil is a wonderful country. Believe it or not, even after all this, Brazilians are just generally happy.  They may be in the worst situation but given the opportunity, they will serve those in need.  How many times was I in a public bus with a heavy backpack going home from school and someone sitting offered to hold it for me until I got off?  Or how many times a stranger opened the door for me or allowed me to go in first? Banks, grocery stores and anywhere that offers service to the public have priority line for the elderly (it's part of our constitution to look after the elderly), pregnant women, and people with children. And if a line is not present and these three kinds of people show up, they will let them go first, even if they will be in line another 30mins.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited for this world cup, but I am conflicted. The sport is a wonderful thing. It brings nations, people, and families together. But what it has represented for my people while they were getting ready, makes me feel conflicted inside.

I wish Brazilians were patriotic all year round - and that includes Brazilians in government.  I wish they wore the flag on independence day like they wear it during a world cup game. I wish good people would have the hope to drive them to run for office in government.

Brasil, the green and yellow country. Full of happy people and richness. I love my country and I will never lose hope that someday it will be a wonderful place.

O Samuelzinho

Eu tenho um marido de outro mundo, no bom sentido.  Como ele tem pasciência!  E todos os dias ele me impressiona mais e mais.  

O Sam não me deu presente de dia das Mães porque eu falei para ele que eu não sabia o que queria, além de um pé de azaléias brancas.  Ele me deu as flores, mas o presente mesmo eu ainda estava (e ainda estou) pensando, afinal, é meu primeiro dia das mães oficial! :)

De noite, ele veio com os bebês com cara de quem tinha aprontado.  Daí cada um tinha esses papelzinhos na mão.

Quando eu abri! Ah, eu morri de cuteness overdose! O Sam sempre foi tão thoughtful em TUDO.  E eu sei que isso é super simples, mas eu fiquei imaginando ele com os bebês no colo e fazendo o cartãozinho.  Ah, eu senti warm and fussy inside.  O papel amaçou porque os bebês estavam tentando comer o cartão enquanto seguravam. 

Esse thoughtfulness dele, já tem muito tempo! (Desde antes de nos casarmos) E cada vez eu fico impressionada com os craft skills dele!

Orquídia é minha planta favorita! Ele sempre me dá uma.  Ele que cortou as letrinhas e o cartazinho pendurado no flor.

Todo St. Patrick's Day ele faz alguma surpresa verde. Ele fala que é Saint Paty's Day. (Nessa foto eu tinha acabado de acordar)

Aqui de novo ele mostra os skills com a tesoura! hahaha

 

Aniversários são sempre elaborados! Q saudades das minhas negas!

Nesse niver eu queria um custard pie. Ele fez from scratch!

E ainda escreveu parabéns com as frutas

Quando fui para o Brasil cuidar da saúde para fazer IVF mais uma vez, eu voltei e não encontrei só uma orquída, mas duas!! Eu tenho um monte de orquídia em casa!

E essas só são algumas das fotos que encontrei. Temos muitas fotos no computador e é uma bagunça.

Mas é, ter marido thoughtful é uma benção. Amo o Sam. Ele é um marido e pai maravilhoso! I couldn't have asked for more.

Blank

Eu sempre tenho mil e uma coisas que penso e gostaria de escrever aqui.  Dai eu cuido dos bebes e coloco eles para dormir. Dai eu penso "agora eu posso ter uma secao de blogterapia". Sento na frente do computador e.... BLANK... Hence, no updates.

Mas, como eu queria escrever algo, aqui vai. Hoje o dia comecou 2 hrs mais cedo. O Lawrence acordou e eu acho que o culpado é o dente que está nascendo.  Ontem o dia foi bem difícil para os bebês e, consequentemente, para mim. O bom é casar com um homem que participa em tudo e AMA ser pai. Então o Sam chegou mais cedo do trabalho para, como diz ele, "take over."  Além de ele "take over", ele ainda por cima levou os bebês junto com ele para o super porque eu estava com vontade de comer sorvete... Pode?

Bem, ainda bem que hj ainda tenho sorvete porque um bebê acorda, dou de mamar, brinco e daí qdo está na hora de ir tirar uma soneca, está na hora de pegar o outro e fazer a mesma coisa. Daí qdo este bebê está pronto para dormir, é hora de acordar o outro para comer e fazer tudo de novo.  E os dois estão com o dentinho nascendo.  Então por aqui rola muito Tylenol, highland's gum gel, beijos, mordidas, e muito sorvete (pra mim of course).

Depois me dizem que ter dois bebês com 12 mêses de diferença é a mesma coisa que ter gêmeos ainda mais qdo se é mãe de primeira viagem de DOIS. Não dá nem para rely na experiência com o primeiro.. ENFIM...

Antes eu falava "nossa, vida de bebê é tão difícil... Comer, brincar e dormir..."  Mas pensando bem, é difícil mesmo! Imagina nascer e ver tudo 2D e, do dia pra noite, tudo fica 3D e vc vê mais nitidamente.  Fico imaginando o choque. Imagino tb uma dor de dente insuportável e fico imaginando se é mais ou menos essa dor que os bebês sentem qdo o dentinho está nascendo e rasgando a gengiva.  Agora que somos adultos entendemos e aguentamos dor e desconfortos. Mas um bebê que nem faz 1 ano que chegou ao mundo e não sabe de nada... Realmente, a vida é difícil para um bebê. Ainda bem que eles crescem e não se lembram...

Denver Zoo. Se tem que tirar selfies, it better have flamingos in the background!

AMO sair em família para passear! Mal posso esperar para os bebês crescerem e podermos ir em ainda mais aventuras!

Yo No Espiko!

I walked in Walmart at 9:30 PM.  I look ahead and I hear Spanish.  Two isles down, more Spanish.  

Then I go get food for the babies, more Spanish.  

I'm in the check out line. 

Ahead of me, Spanish.

Behind me, Spanish.

I'm sure if I didn't look Asian, the cashier would have spoken to me in, Spanish.

In the little square I live right now, I think 80% speak Spanish.

Conclusion, I need to polish up my Spanish! Oh, and I need to stop saying "hi" to people I don't know, especially males...

Happy Working Song

So, those that I have on Facebook and have been reading my updates you know how much I hate my current living quarters right now... 

From dust under furnitures, panties around the house (that are not mine and who knows if they're dirty [ew]), the owner's half eaten foods in the pantry and fridge, full closet with her crap so I can't put away mine properly, and the odds of being shot by flying bullets, etc etc I hate this condo.

I mean, the inside is fine in terms of how it's updated. But the negatives are so negative that it overwrites any positives it may have.  

Anyway, I was thinking today that I should try to have a better positive attitude towards this whole thing. I served my mission in this state and I have wonderful memories of people and places. 

The chapel we go for church is where my mission used to have mission conferences. I mean, how lucky can you get?! How many people would like to have the opportunity to walk where they walked as missionaries and to actually live there.

Saturday we went to Boulder, my first area. We went by the apartment I lived, the chapel we met, the street I used to walk all the time. So many wonderful memories....

So, as I was pondering about all this, and this song came to my head and it made me giggle. The making off the director said that this scene was to portray that although she was in this weird land, she decided to make the most of it while she waited.  Isn't it kind of fitting?

This part is the part that came to my mind

Oh, how strange a place to be

Till Edward comes for me 

My heart is sighing

Still, as long as I am here

I guess a new experience 

Could be worth trying

So, I will try VERY hard to change my attitude about all this.  Sam said he will dedicate the condo.  I can clean it all and dispose of the underwear under our bed wearing two pairs of cleaning gloves (wink wink). I think these two things will address safety issues and cleanliness issues.

I also thought about taking some evening classes of whatever. Last week I found out that there is a Hobby Lobby 8 mins from here and they have gum paste and fondant classes... I am so taking them if Sam can get his schedule approved! :)

Fruits and Babies

When I was about to start feeding solids to my babies, I heard that fruit should be last because of the sugar.  So there I went with rice cereal, then cooked veggies (starting with yellow), and so on. I even massed produced because I needed to get going with the packing and the last thing I wanted to do was to make food every time the babies needed to eat.

It was hard to feed them.  Thomas a little less than Lawrence. Lawrence, what can I say about him... I foresee a picky eater.  Both of them were having bad spit ups and sometimes throwing up. They drink formula 5 times a day and during 3 of the 5 solids are included.  Sometimes, after their solid meal, I would wake them up for their formula feeding and they would sometimes throw up what they had eaten the feeding before.

I'm no physiologist or biologist but the little I remember about digestion, food shouldn't sit for that long in the stomach...

One day I got an email from my mom. She told she met with our naturalpathologist. No worries though, he's accredited and really intelligent (he even owns a naturalpathologist university - accredited and recognized). He was wondering how the boys and I were doing. So my mom told him that we were doing well and the boys were now eating.  He advised her to let me know that I should only feed the boys foods that didn't have to be cooked because of the enzymes contained in them that help with digestion.  In other words, fruits.  He went on to explain that when we cook foods, the enzymes are cooked off so the baby's body is not ready to digest this kind of food and it's hard on their bodies.

I was a little hesitant and skeptical because everything I've read and everything the pedi has said was that fruits should be given last because of the sugar (although everything he has said to me so far have worked and proved to be true). So I started to observe whenever I fed the boys cooked food and raw food (fruits).

And tah dah, there was a pattern indeed. The boys would fight against eating cooked food, but once they did, they would either spit or throw up a bunch.  Either right after eating or hours later (their cribs were turning into a mess).  Whenever I feed fruits, they would devour it and don't spit any.  When I get them to eat after 3 hrs as usual, they don't spit up their food anymore (they just don't spit up).  So it's true, feeding fruits is better and it makes sense that enzymes are still there and help with digestion.  I think That's why they say to eat salad before eating a cooked meal...

This is one of the best things I learned because I know they are not going to get sick and fixing their food is easy for now.  I don't have to mass produce, I just have to blend fruits when it's time to eat. :)

FRIENDS and "Friends"

So, a couple of weeks ago, I was ticked off because of so called "friends".  A "friend" to me, is one of those that are your "friends" but they hide in the corner of your life and they show up only to send you negative vibe. They show up to say negative things about what you're feeling instead of building you up when you feel broken down. I think these "friends" are only possible because of social media because if you were to let your feelings out to them they wouldn't say nearly half of what they write you on social media.

As I was tired because of current life events, I was roaming and dwelling on this issue... I think if I was stronger (more like rested) it wouldn't bother me, but oh, it did bother me A LOT.  But then, something magical happened.

FRIENDS stepped up and made a huge difference in my life.

We may have "friends" in the shadow of our lives, but we have way more FRIENDS all over our lives. Wednesday and Thursday were the real proof of this.

My pregnant FRIEND washed all the dishes in my sink as I was late to go out with her. Another FRIEND helped me book a hotel room at the last minute and she just seemed thrilled to be able to help. My other FRIEND stayed at my house all day doing all the things I needed to get done including taking care of both babies while I was packing. Another FRIEND helped Sam load the car and take care of babies. Another FRIEND family came over and watched the boys while the other FRIENDS were helping Sam.

I'd like to say that these FRIENDS are like FAMILY. And I guess the point of this post is, I want to be a FRIEND like the ones I have are to my family and I.  I don't want to ever be a "friend," this one is boring and serves for nothing, well, I guess they serve for helping us develop patience and Christ-like love. :)