Getting back to normal

I feel like my life is starting to get back to normal. It was awesome have my sister-in-law visiting us for 10 days and my mom for almost 3 month, but we get out our day by day routine no matter what.
I know for American is like what "3 month???????", but for me it's normal, my mom don't come very often, she thinks it's too much time inside a plain and it's. We had a lots of fun, specially the girls enjoyed having grandma around. They're very excited that grandma made their winter coat.We went see Austin Ballet.

more on Santa's helper...for the homeless

When friends get together...

We had a great time, my kids and Victor and Lucas, our friend's sons and we put together the stocking and the bags for the homeless. I can't put in words what we felt as we prepared and delivered those simple things for those in need.

Last few days

This last few days have been full of emotions. Last night some friends invited us for dinner and I confess my first thought was to say no. I have so much to do, finish all the homeless things,finish pack the neighbors and friends goodies, I didn't even start to wrap x-mas presents, but I went anyway.
I'm so glad I went, it was friends from our first ward in Austin when we moved from Dallas, so was the other two families that they invited. We had sooo much fun,so many things to remember and we still friends. We played games, what a fun,fun night we had.
Tonight we had dinner with my Brazilian friends, this was a picture night, oh my gosh we laugh so hard, this has been over 8 years, looking that slide show I thought how much fun, how many memories, those moments are priceless, we do have fun.
I'm so lucky to have Greg that embraced my culture,the Brazilian people. It's like I have a little of Brazil close by. The same way that I embraced the American culture as my on. We just have the best of both world I guess. We are the only member of church, but everybody respect our believe even though it was hard to understand why we do not aloud alcohol at our house.
It has been fun and overwhelm at the same time having my mom here, it's make me happy and sad at the same time, because I have the feeling that maybe be the last time that I see my mom. I really hope I'm wrong. I don't want to think about it right now, just want to enjoy.

Homeless and X-mas

I have so many things to post, I'm so far behind in so many things but I'll get there.
I'm very excited about the amount of donations that I got to make a few people warm this winter.
This started few years ago just me and my kids,I bought 12 x-mas stocking and filled it with can of soup,crackers,can of tuna, cup and hot cocoa mix,fruit,gift card from McDonald, a blanket and few other things, got in my car with my kids and went look for homeless people and wish them a Merry X-mas.
The next year a friend called me and I told her what I was doing and a hour later I have so many kids with bags of food, X-mas stockings and lots of love and dedication for those that have almost nothing. Greg came with us and our family was very touched for those lives that crossed our way, from each of one that we delivered the stocking we heard "GOD BLESS YOU"
I always have a party before X-mas to gather our friends. This years was a very nice one, simple, I have soup for dinner, It was a very,very cold night, it was perfect, we had Jambalaya soup, Pumpkin shrimp soup and lentil soup, they're all very good. I asked everyone of my guest to bring socks,gentle used coats,blankets,shoes,unwrapped toys and Oh my gosh you can't believe how much stuff I have to prepare those bags.
I went to the Dollar store and I bought the X-mas stocking and also some cute x-mas bags, on the stocking I'll put as always the food and in the bag I'm going to put all the tooth brush and tooth past,bar soap,socks,blanket. We're going to put it together tomorrow and Thursday we're going to deliver it.
I'm very grateful for all my friends that help me with donations, may God bless each of one. Every year I want to do more and more, I can't help everyone in the world, but I feel very blessed and very lucky for the opportunity that I have to make a difference in someones life. I'm going to put a book of Mormon in each bag :-)

Halloween 2010

Halloween as always at Cassia's and Javier's house and as every year we had lots of fun. This year they had a DJ, we dance until 3:00am. It was my mom first Halloween and she had lots of fun, I'm glad she enjoyed. I'll never get tired of dance and my girls loves too.
I got a costume for Greg and he didn't want to wear it, he said he had something in mind, when he came down stairs I asked what he was supposed to be and he told me a housewife I want to kill him. For sure he didn't get inspired on me.He also had lots of fun.

My reality

My sister-in-law and my mother think it's amazing how I have a big house, 4 kids and I don't have a full time maid, that I only have a housekeeper once a week. I was explaining to them that it would be very expensive to have a maid everyday. Greg helps me a lot, we keep things as organized as we can, the kids has responsibilities and in USA we have machines for almost everything. Greg's and my church clothes goes to the cleaner. I don't feel like I kill myself working,my house is clean, but really would be nice to have a full time maid to do everything like I had when I lived in Brazil.