trimestral report

So I look back at how time flies and I realize we've been here two months already!
And now it's three!
The kids are in school, Fernando is at work and I'm finally getting some new activities into my calendar.My boys have settled in, have their activities sorted out and seem very happy.

Luzia has been such a great help around the house, I love my bike and I wish I had my dog here!

I still miss my friends! I'm so glad I have kept in constant communication by phone with Alicia, Amber, Anita, Catherine, Edith, Kate, Laura, Lynda, Maria, Norma, Sandra, Tammy, and our families, so that has really worked out well. Facebook and emails have done their share to keep me busily happy and tuned in with the rest!

So far, I've talked much more to Yuwei (Chinese-New Yorker from school) and Ana Maria (Brazilian neighbor),both really nice ladies. Yuwei & Scott, along with their kids have been to our house and invited us to theirs; it's nice to start building up a family relationship, the downside is that we live far from each other, so it's not easy to see her in a regular way, like I would like to.
With Ana MAria it's very easy to see her since she lives right in front of our house, but she doesn't have any kids, so we usually get together in the mornings to go grocery shopping and just recently to our dance lessons. Hopefully we'll do more things together as time goes by... and my Portuguese gets better!

When is a friend "oficially" a friend?

We haven't received the dining table, chairs we ordered, so I still have a couple boxes of things I'm putting in the buffet, I can't believe I still have things in boxes (only a couple)!



The weather in Rio these months has been surprisingly nice and mild. AS an average, I can safely say it stays around 72F, except those rainy days where sunshine didn't show up for a couple of days in a row and the temperature went down to lower 60's, great for sweaters and long pants. On very hot days it went all the way up to lower 80's, but that has been only a couple of days.
We have now entered Spring, weather has been in the lower 70's, great for outdoor activities, but still cool for the beach (at least for us- the ones who have not yet used their own swimming pool). Everybody has warned us about the intolerable heat during December, January and part of February- ha! I'm running away to Mexico and Houston!
We are now members of the American Club in Rio, and eager to go to all their get-togethers and meet new people. Our first party was the "Cajun Night", which was a blast; great food, drinks and chats with all sorts of members.
We just got a new dentist/orthodontist, but we still need to find a pediatrican, ob/gyn and church.Fernando & boys go to the barber shop close to our house, I went to a good salon that cost a leg, arm, both eyes and hands and was good (better be!)... don't know if I can go back, though! bummer. Maybe if I do it once a year?

We just received our first sleep-over guest: Larisa Dominguez! It's been fun going sight-seeing with her, I'll take her to Copacabana tomorrow.

The Olympic Games were just announced two days ago and everyone here went wild! It'll be great!
AND, jst because I promised, the waiting list to our house, for the Olympic Games started with Amber & Bob, then my brother and fam; and then Edith & fam! If we're still here you are ALL invited! I'll get extra hammocks if necessary ;-)

So, you can say we are finally settling in!!!