My 34th Birthday

It is 1AM as I type this. My birthday is officially over. But, it was a good first birthday in Brasil. I was greeted this morning in the kitchen with some Happy Birthday singing by my crew (minus Cass). They then presented me with some cards that Daddy had made with them (with their fingerpaints that they'd never used...what a treat). Then we were off and running to get dressed and ready to head to Goiania. We had a fun day planned there. And, I will just show you what we did in pictures...

Waiting at the Outback. Yep...good ole Outback.
Hadley being a little toot. We had to tickle her out of that. :) Sometimes it requires other measures of course, but this time some tickling did the trick.



Some shots of me and Hadley messing around.







My boy.
Hmm, what to eat? Our friends Carmen and Bia joined us for lunch...always so fun to hang out with them. They are a blast. They've lived in the states off and on for years now (hope to be moving back soon actually) and Carmen sat down and said, "Close your eyes...if you don't look around, it's like you are back there." So true. I know I'm supposed to be here and I really do like it here, but it's good to get a taste of home sometimes too. She's so funny...and can totally relate to me, even though she's Brazilian (she misses the states too).
Poor Hadley...the sweet little waitress apparently didn't notice that big display leaving my little girl out of the picture.
The staff singing to me. You actually have to show your ID here at this Outback to prove that it's your birthday before you get a free dessert. Funny huh? Oh, and yes, I was nursing Cass the whole time. Hee hee hee. I have no problems nursing in public (obviously), but it is a little weird if you think about it. :)
Eissa was so funny. I think she was a little freaked out. :) Look at her face.
Mmmm! Bia called it "perfection on a plate." :) It was dadgum good, I have to say.

Carmen, Bia, and Eissa enjoying their dessert.
We then went to the mall and walked around. Right before we walked in the mall, Joel told the kids what my present was from then and Grady told me "We're giving you sandals." That was the plan anyway, but they didn't have any of the kind I need. So, I got a book instead. That made me just as happy. It was so fun though...the kids were just thrilled about giving me a present. They get so very excited!
The children's section of the bookstore. This is my favorite part of Flamboyant (the mall). It's a GREAT bookstore. It's like walking into a Barnes and Noble in the states (yes, another taste of home). So fun to go in and sit on the couches with your drink from the coffee shop there and read. We've gotten to do that a couple of times. Ahhh. :)
Close-up of the cutest readers there. :)
Joel (in the white shirt at the counter) ordering my favorite coffee drink there at the bookstore...and yet another taste of home (and Starbuck's, but not quite). See why I like going to Goiania? :) It's rare that we go, esp. now that I'm not pregnant and don't have doctor's appointments there, but it's a nice little "vacation" when we do go.
The little girls...oh so tired.
Out cold. She fell asleep while we were still in the bookstore.
And then a glimpse at the cards they gave me.





My birthday was so great. Thank you family!! Thank you, Joel, for planning it all out for me and making it so special.

And a little business...FYI: We will be fasting the computer this week. So, if you need to get in touch with me, go to our website (EbersoleOnline.com), go to the 'contact us' page, and do what you need to do to reach me without a computer. Otherwise I will just be back online Saturday and will see you then.

I was going to have a post pre-prepared for each day scheduled to post automatically. But, I've changed my mind. There will be a very special post tomorrow and it will remain the only new post on the blog for the remainder of the week. I want everyone, even the people who don't check my blog every day, to get the chance to see it. So, stay tuned for that post and I'll see you back here on Saturday. Have a great week!