The good life...Brasil!

After 9 days in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil we are having a hard time readjusting to responsibility.

Day 1

The first day we first to "Sugar Loaf" Mountain where we rode 2 mostly glass cable cars up to the top. It was actually really scary (I'm turning into a wuss in my old age), but the views from the top were amazing.

Yes, those cable wires in the background belong to the car we rode up

After that we drove/hiked stairs up another mountain to see the huge Cristo statue that overlooks the city of Rio de Janiero.

Day 2

We took a cruise from Angra dos Reis, they say this is the most beautiful water ever. Their claim to fame is that a cigarette commercial was filmed here.

The boat stopped a couple times for swimming in the ocean but it was cloudy and to cold to get in. Because of this it turned into more of a booze cruise, with a lot of dancing and drinking. There was a three-man band with us that played some great traditional music. (When they weren't playing the radio played music in English that never quite made it in the states.) Small world moment: I met a guy from Spain that lived in Freeport, ME as an exchange student in 1996!

Day 3--Happy 4th Anniversary

It is so crazy to think it has been 4 whole years. It has been great; I think we are actually still in love!

This day we took another cruise to tour some tropical islands. The boat stopped to swim and we got in and swam to the beach. There are so many beautiful places that can only be accessed by boat here.
After swimming they took us to a little restaurant on a tiny island where there was a buffet for us. Then we were able to explore the island. They have these cool walk-ways that lead all around the island.



Day 4
We spent this day in Buzios, which is a gorgeous little town with lots of beaches. I guess this place became famous after Brigitte Bardot (a French actress) stayed there. We took another boat (right, I know, a lot of boats) out and toured some of the surrounding beaches. This boat ride was unique because the water was extremely chopping and we had some waves to surf and got wet without getting in.

Day 5

Today we went to the beach in Rio de Janeiro for the first time. It is crazy how fast it gets crowded.

That evening we went to a Samba show. It was so cool, it included about 10 different kinds of traditional Brasilian dances.

Some of the traditional Carnival outfits


Days 6-9

We spent the remainder of our vacation at the Sheraton Resort in Rio de Janeiro; laying out on the beach getting tan, reading, playing in the water, shopping at the Hippie Market and eating yummy Brazilian food (ask Mark how much red meat he ate). It was amazing!

Our resort's beach

View from our room

The miracle of not trying

As I write this I hope I am not jinxing myself...Katie is officially potty trained. She is currently wearing little blue fishy "big girl underwear." I had actually given up. It was my goal this summer and became even more important as we prepared for 2 more babies, but my half-hearted efforts didn't seem to be working and I couldn't find the time to work on it AND THEN one day she was doing it. I am amazed!

We took our first real trip out to Target on Thursday. We got there and I asked her if she needed to use the potty. "No!" was the answer. Every few mins I would ask the same question and get the same answer, except that it got louder every time. Finally, I was getting worried and tried to take her to the bathroom. Katie's response was the beginning of a tantrum so I gave up. A couple mins later we were in the shoe aisle (yes, she has to try on about 10 pairs of shoes before I can get her out of there), trying on Dora croc type shoes and she says, "I need to go potty." As I run to grab her I realize I am too late because there is already a puddle gathering in the bottom of one of the shoes. What do I do!?! I clean it up, wipe the shoe up with wipes and walk away. Is that bad? I did buy more underwear to change her into.