Pancakes - Brazilian Style

Several weeks ago I invited a couple of girls from our ward to bring their kids swimming at our house. Before they left their husbands ended up coming over too. It was starting to get late and we didn't have much food in the house but I felt like I should offer to have them in. After asking if they wanted to come in and eat the bishop responded, "No, we should get going. I'd only take you up on your offer if you were going to make pancakes." Of course! I had everything to make pancakes. So, they all came in and we ended up making waffles ( I still had to borrow eggs from our neighbors - which I'm not sure people really do that here! Oh well! We really had no food in our house that day) Anyway, a few days later Dianna told me she wanted us to go to their house and learn to make Brazilian pancakes with meat in them. So, last night we all got together and made salty pancakes and they were very good. I now have one more item I can cook each week. I think I am up to about 10 different things I know how to make here! Yeah, cooking is not a strong point for me here! Andy will think he's died and gone to heaven once we get back home and I am cooking real food again!


This is Dianna showing me how to make the batter

This is what they look like cooking



Here is Elainie helping to prepare them
And here is everyone enjoying the food - although this picture does not reveal the FIT Ethan threw when his fell apart and he realized there was ham inside and suddenly he hated ham and has never liked ham. You've got to LOVE those 3 year old fits while everyone is looking on and nothing the child is doing or saying makes sense!!

Our Search for Happiness!! (Ha!)

For almost 6 months now we have been on the search for Salsa which apparently is impossible to find. At one point they did sell it here. Little did we know we should have stocked up because we would no longer be able to find it in the stores. I can't tell you how many stores we have driven to and how many times we go back with the high hopes that a new shipment of salsa will be there. After speaking with many store managers we have come to find out that they have stopped stocking it. So, this week our search ended and we were filled with great happiness when Matt and Camie came to visit and brought with them a 64oz. bottle of salsa!!!! Given it is such a big bottle, we'd like to think it will last us until we move back to the states. However, we are loving it so much I just don't see it will last too long!
They also brought the easter candy I had asked for (along with a suitcase full of other requests). Andy has already had to hide the candy (at my request) because after opening one bag just to "try" the candy and after revisiting the bag many times I could tell we might not have any candy left for easter if Andy didn't hide it. I have attempted to look for it but have had no luck so far. I guess that's a good thing! There's no will power when it comes to chocolate!
We had a wonderful time with Matt and Camie. Even though we only got to be with them for a little more than 24 hours we had a great time and were grateful they made the effort to make it to our house. We had fun going out to dinner (with NO kids), playing games, getting our basketball picks in (and matt thinking long and hard for the perfect name for himself -"speedo de Janeiro"!!), getting pedicures, going out to lunch at a juice bar, swimming, and Matt even managed to see a bit of March Madness! Isn't it great hanging out with family! Our kids loved being with Matt and Camie and keep talking about their funny uncle Matt. Oh and Camie was looking cute as ever!

Little Cinderella

If you walked into our house you'd think Lucy was Cinderella because it seems she is cleaning and organizing all day long. She is definitely related to my mom. When Lucy wants to have "fun" she asks if she can mop the floors, wash the windows, or organize her drawers in her bedroom. One night before she crawled into bed she said, "Mom, tomorrow when we wake up we really need to clean out my drawers." And sure enough she held me to it and after finishing her room we had to move on to Ethan's room. The other day while Ethan and Lucas were taking naps I was working on the computer and trying to get to some of "my" things. Lucy began cleaning and organizing the computer desk. Finally she looked at me and said, "I just really wish you'd help me. Don't you want this desk to be clean!" It was as though I never clean and I sit around all day making her do everything! It was so funny. Sometimes she gets the crayon box and sorts through every crayon - throwing out any crayon that is broken. I never gave her that idea - she just came up with it. Another day she cleaned around our t.v. placing pictures on one side and then informing me that my keys were to be kept on the other side of the t.v. (which is funny because i admit that I am horrible when it comes to my keys. They are never in the same place and I am constantly looking for them) A few days later she saw them on the table and she came over the me with keys in hand and said, "Mommy, your keys don't belong there. Remember where I told you to put them!" (She's very serious when she tells me these things. She's not trying to be funny.) Oh boy! It is so funny and I could go on and on. Lucy has always been a good helper but all of these stories come from the last couple of months. It's nice to have a good helper!

This is Lucy mopping with a squeegee - that's how everyone mops here!

Lucy washing windows

Lucy rolling out the carpets after mopping and I failed to get a picture of her vacuuming the rugs which she does often.

A Must Watch!

I have found a new TV show that I think you would all be very fascinated with. We don't get great selections here but we do have the discovery channel and 2 weeks ago i came across a show that is very interesting. I believe it is called I shouldn't be alive. I'd love to write about the 2 episodes I have now watched but it'd take too long. It's such an amazing show that I always feel a need to tell someone - as though the incident happened to me! So, poor Liz has endured my lengthy recaps 2 weeks in a row! (sorry liz but you know you love it!) Anyway, if any of you get the discovery channel I think it's worth finding out when it is on! Oh and if you do watch it you will have to call and let me know if it's as good as I think it is.

How Embarrassing

Oh my gosh!! I just got on our blog only to find ME on it! I really am dying right now and was going to go delete but hmmmm looks like almost the entire family already commented which means andy must have sent out an email telling you to check it out before i got to it!! Yeah, I'm on to you andy!! We never get so many responses so quickly after posting! Yeah, I still have baby weight to lose and funny so many of you should comment on the tan. I don't feel like I have one but I guess you are all in the middle of a snowy winter right now so anything would look tan!