I wrote an email to a friend from VA this morning, and I realized it is all stuff that could easily make up a blog post.
DS1 is enjoying missionary work. He is getting better at Spanish and is a senior companion now with his first transfer. It seems he is enjoying working with this companion more than the last, as they have similar feelings about how to work, so they are finding more people to teach.
He had starting dating a girl just a month or so before his mission, and doesn't understand now why, even though he prayed about it, he has still gotten hurt, as she quit writing to him a few months ago. We have been helping him understand that God doesn't keep us from pain, even when we make choices that He is okay with us making. The gospel is there to help us grow and give us peace, and sometimes that growth comes with a little pain.
The other kids are learning Portuguese. They had a month-long holiday break and return to school on Monday, but they have had language, math and music lessons to do each day. Changing math programs to Common Core was a little rough on them, as everything is out of order. During first semester, some units they already knew, and others needed information they hadn't learned yet. So, we use the break to fill in the gaps. Hopefully, when they return, they will only be ahead.
DH loves his job! He helped facilitate Joe Biden's trip here for Dilma's inauguration over the holidays, which was a lot of extra work, but his day-to-day job has been fulfilling for him.
DH and I were both part of a small vocal ensemble that gave a couple of Christmas concerts. It was made up of people from the UK and US embassies. We had a lot of fun!
Along with Portuguese studies for me, as well, I have been trying to clean up my diet. I seem to catch every bug that comes my way lately, so I cut out sugary snacks for the last two weeks and am feeling better. One more week to go without any for this challenge I'm doing with a friend from MN, and then I can ease back into the occasional piece of chocolate or dessert after dinner; not the daily overdose of processed sugar I was hooked on. I'm also trying to put more fresh veggies in our diet. I was really used to preparing frozen veggies in MN and VA, but they are terribly expensive here, while fresh veggies are cheap. It takes a lot more planning and preparation to buy the right amount and the right ones for meals without letting any go bad, so I have to get better at meal planning, as well. Lots to learn when you move to a new country, for the whole family!
