New Music

Today we have added some traditional Portuguese music called Fado. Hope you enjoy!

Our Holiday Travels - Day 4 (last day)

On our last day we decided to stop in the town of Tomar because we heard they were having a huge Lego exibition. After looking at the map & GPS, we decided to take a "short-cut" - NOT!! After almost an hour of very curvy, hilly country-side roads, our friends (who were blindly following us) asked if we were still in Portugal. We assured them we were and eventually found Tomar. It was worth it. It is the cutest town and the Lego exibition was great. Look at what we found!!!!

Our Holiday Travels - Day 3

Today we took a boat ride on the Douro River. There are 6 bridges near the heart of Porto and this tour covers them all. The kids loved it. Then we went back to the hotel and the boys got to swim. Public pools are a rarity here, so they totally love it.

Our Holiday Travels - Day2 cont

Once we checked in at our hotel in Porto and meet our friends, we headed down to the river for dinner. As always the river was beautiful! As we walked across the bridge there was a man with an acordian. Andy paid him a little, he began to play and Ethan took off! Before we realized it he had gathered a crowd.
(PAUSE THE MUSIC A THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOGPAGE BEFORE WATCHING THE VIDEO)



Micah with our friend's little boy. He LOVES Micah!


Walking across the bridge at sunset.


The view from the river at night. It is marvelous.

Our Holiday Travels - Day 2

One day 2 we visited a small town that is bordered by the ocean on one side and a marshy inlet on the other. It is a traditional fishing area and the boats were amazing. They all had very detailed paintings on the outside. As we walked down the dock we noticed a path of flowers. We thought it might be a wedding, but discovered it was for the "Blessing of the Boats". Later, while on the ocean-side of town, we saw another flower display. It seems the priest was coming to bless the boats and the fisherman. As we were leaving we saw the priest's procession coming down the street. It was very interesting, but as we stopped to watch I was reminded of the ritualistic nature of this religion. These people are bound by these rituals and don't have the true freedom of life.

Our Holiday Travels - Day 1 Continued

After visiting the castle, we traveled to the town of Sao Joao da Madeira for a city festival. There were various food booths to choose from and a stage for different performances. We were able to hear a senior adult choir and see a children's dance group. It was so great to be out among nationals! On our walk back to the car we encountered 2 goats by the side of the raod (in the middle of town) and the boys fed them grass through the fence. It was so - random!

Random Posting

Today we are celebrating the little random things in life.

Ethan lost his first tooth in Portugal


and we recieved a package from the States with Cheerios! YUM!


It is the little things we miss and that bring joy to our days!

Our Holiday Day Travels - Day 1

This past week we had 3 days off from school, so we headed out for Porto. We did so many things that I can not include them in just one post, so this is the first of 3 or 4 posts about our travels. Our first day was spent with new friends. They work with another organization, but have been in Portugal for over 25 years. They served as our tour guides for the first 2 days and we had a blast! They also shared their passion for the people of Portugal and encouraged us greatly. There is a castle near their home and they thought the boys might enjoy a visit. When we drove up Andy and I both looked at eachother and said, "We've been here before!" On our previous vounteer trip a few years ago, we stopped at this castle, but it was closed. We were so excited that it was open this time and plesantly suprised to find a children's presentation with actors and puppets. It was GREAT!

Parabens o Meu Pai

Today my dad turns 6?, so this post is dedicated to him.
Happy Birthday PopPop.
We love you and hope you have a great day.
PARABENS E FELIZ DIA DO ANO!!

Let's Try This Again

This was my first time to use YouTube to download a video and for some reason, many of you could not open it. Here it is again. Hopefully you can open it this time.

A lilttle Bit of the USA in Lisbon

Last Saturday was a great day for our family. We spent the day with our language teacher and her family. Our first stop was a little known children's musuem. It was great - and cheap! The boys had a blast. It was very hands on and the seasonal exibition was about space. The boys were able to take space walks, control a space ship and direct a moon rover. However, the highlight of our day was seeing a basketball game with the HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS! It was great. It was like a little bit of the US right here in Lisbon. You can tell by the pictures we all had fun.

Dia Da Crianca

This week Europe is celebrating "Dia Da Crianca". This is an international holiday celebrationg children. In honor of the holiday the boys both have programs at school this week. Ethan's was today and he wore a tradition costume an danced with his class. See if you can pick him out (HINT- He is the only blond, curly headed kid!)
YOU WILL NEED TO SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM AND MUTE THE MUSIC SO YOU CAN HEAR THE SONG AND DANCE