Brasil: Part Um

That's right... there may be multiple posts on this one. We were fortunate enough to go on a 2-week trip to Brasil at the beginning of December with the whole Bloem family, and I still can't believe we made it there and back with the 2 kids - ha! There were lots, and I mean lots (2,000 on our camera alone!) of pictures taken... and I'm still going through them. It's so hard to pick just a few to share on the blog, so I think I'll be making a short video to showcase just how much fun we had. {stay tuned}

But just to sum up the trip in words... beautiful, fun, exhausting, chaotic, loved, blessed, crazy, lucky, wonderful, did I mention exhausting? Ha! Who knew you would need a vacation after a vacation with 2 kids! But it was worth every minute! We flew into Sao Paulo with Sandra & Cliff, then stayed with Bob's Tia Stela e Tio Paulo in Campinas. Tia Stela was the one who we surprised, and we got her good! They were so generous to open their home to all of us. We stayed there for the first week and enjoyed the weather, a trip to Bobby's Vovo's farm, and a birthday party/bbq for Stela (and me) ;) We then went down to Riviera de Sao Lourenco for the second half of the trip, and enjoyed the beach, sun, and all the coconut sorvete we wanted!

And most people want to know about the plane ride: I think overall it wasn't as bad as we (or Sandra and Cliff) were anticipating. Bob and I were most anxious about this part! The trip back was a lot better than on the way down... but, once the kids got settled.. they slept pretty good. Bridgette had her own seat, and Aiden rode as a "lap baby". Bridgette sat in between us, and used her nap mat to get comfy on the seat... and we took turns holding Aiden. Once we exited the plane, Bridgette and Ava both loved looking out the airport windows at the "big planes" outside!

So... all in all, it was a great trip! The kids got their first passports stamped, Bob and I survived our first big trip with our kids, we got to travel with his whole family, and we have great memories because of it! We're not sure what the kids will remember as they get older, but Bridgette sure is holding onto things now! She came back with new words, remembers new family names that she met, can count to 10 and knows new songs in portuguese! We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family! A big obrigada to Bob's family for making us feel so loved!!

Here is just a little taste of Brasil... stay tuned to a video coming soon!