Sunday Skyping

We had a nice day at church. Natalie was a good girl during nursery - enjoying her snack.

It's so hot coming home - they fall asleep pretty quickly, we have all the windows down, but they all get pinked up cheeks pretty quickly. Actually, yesterday we were in the car longer than usual, cause we drove by the Campinas Temple on the way home - even though it's out of the way.

Hot hot hot. "Fall" in Brazil. I don't think I'd survive their "summer". Although I did survive two summers in Arizona as a missionary (got to 120° one day), so maybe I could do it. But that's a "dry heat" versus the humid humid weather here. We're pink and sweaty and sticky and clammy all day long. We take a daily poll to see if we hate mosquitoes more or the heat. So far mosquitoes are winning, so we keep the windows closed at night. I'm getting close to switching over to "I hate heat more than mosquitoes" though.

I was glad that Natalie was quiet during sacrament meeting today and I didn't have to walk around outside with her, cause it's hot outside. After our hot drive in the car, and the kids sitting through another 3 hours of not understanding much at church, we all rewarded ourselves with some hardship ice cream...

(We find some reason to reward ourselves with hardship ice cream everyday!)

What else did we do today ~ we had our first Skype call with Joseph and Ethan tonight. We probably should have done one before now, but they've been busy with school and stuff and we're busy here. Actually, we're not so busy on this end, but our do-nothing days are over when it gets dark at 6, which is when they are getting home from school, so I've set an alarm on my phone to help me remember to call them at 6, otherwise the night slips away and it gets too late for us. I'm glad they are busy, helps the time go by. We've been doing good at calling them on the weekends. They are doing well and it was fun to see their faces. 

Yesterday Sophi talked about going home, and we were here at "home" when she said that, so we asked her what she meant... "You want to go play at Juju's house?" - who is her little friend at the house behind ours - thought that would be a way she could know that we know the house that she's talking about. She said "Yeah! Juju house!!" Then we changed topics, we didn't want to get into trying to explain to a 3 year old that she's stuck here for a few months. We have had similar experiences with 3 year old Hyrum when we were in Brazil in 2007 and 3 year old Abi when we were in Costa Rica in 2010. These poor 3 year olds, it's hard cause they doesn't have a concept of time or really understand it when we try to explain it or know what we're doing here anyway. So we changed topics and said "Where's Joe?" Sophi got a look of "Oh yeah, that's something else that's missing here..." and we got the phone to call him, but the vonage wasn't working here for some reason. So I had to make sure Sophi talked with them.

It was fun to talk. Ethan said "Help Sophi! I'm stuck inside the computer!!!"

And look at Natalie's curly hair. Always curtly in this 90% humidity country. (It felt exceptionally hot yesterday.) The kids were watching VeggieTales in the other room, we called them in one by one to see their long lost brothers.

Ethan sang for us some of his latest compositions, Joseph played some Billy Joel on the piano (Just The Way You Are) and it was just fun to see them being their goofy selves. Said hi to cousins and grandparents too.

Anything else we should report about this from your point of view, Joseph, Ethan?

The kids really really wanted to give them a tour of our house too.

I don't think house tours via skype work well. I've been on the opposite side of them, and it just doesn't really count. You can't really understand it without being physically there, so it's kinda just a waste of time in my opinion. I was looking through pictures of this house that Corey sent me back when he stayed here, and I got a tour of this home via computer webcam, and now the pictures make sense cause I'm here and understand it, but before it just doesn't register. Not a big deal to waste time that way, but again I just don't think it adds any value to one's understanding. I might have Melodie draw a map of our home and see if I think that is helpful!