Luana's Last Day

I can't believe 5 months is already over.  It seems like Luana just got here and she's already heading home.  We will miss her so much!  She fit in so well with our family and the kids and Todd and I just adore her.  Some of my favorite things are how obsessed she was with Rhianna - hilarious.  How she always said "menina" (girl) a million times in a sentence.  She always loved everything she saw "it's so beautiful" and she would pull out her camera to take a picture of the funniest things on the side of the road or of the moon.  Every day.  Her laugh was contagious and Luke said she had magic fingers and was the best at tickling.  She is so full of life and fun.  I am going to miss her so very much!

For her last dinner in Utah I asked her what she wanted to eat the most and she picked PF Changs.  She loves the Mongolian Beef there.

 She posted the cutest thing on facebook.

My last day here and so much to say! First at all, I wanna say THANK YOU for everything, you guys is the best host family ever , craziest, funniest and so many great things! I really enjoyed this experience that changed my life forever. I'm leaving, however It's not a farewell, but a SEE YOU GUYS SOON. I gonna miss you guys so much, you always will stay in my mind and my heart! I feel so happy, great, blessed, because you always make me feel like part of the family and like in home. I'll never forget my host sisters and brothers, Sophie ( Sophie Spanish), Claire ( calling me for play with her), Tayson and Luke ( teaching how swimming and with crazy games), you Kathy for be so nice, adorable, funny and so many things, you Todd for be so nice, " sometimes speaking Portuguese with me and forgetting some words" and funny too, for sure Lizzy ( always take my sandals and go outside kkk ) and Zeus for be so calm! Both Kathy's family and Todd's family is amazing! Everything in this experience was worth, met you guys, be with you guys! I'll come back and make sure that see you guys soon. May God bless you guys and I love you! *----*

 
And left us this note:

Frozen

We took the kids to play on the frozen lake after church.  It's an amazing thing to walk on a frozen lake.  Todd and the kids found fishing holes and tried to break them by throwing rocks - but the ice was too thick to even crack a little.  Todd put his arm in one of the holes and it was over a foot deep.  Gabby and Luana were amazed by it all and had a blast.  I started to get a little cold so Todd let me wear his super warm hat that he has for Canada.  It was awesome. 

Tucano's

We finally made it to Tucano's with Luana.  She was excited the minute she walked in and could smell the food.  Everyone spoke Portuguese with her and she was in heaven.  It's always fun to have a reason to go eat that much food. 

Great-Grandma

Great-grandma is 90 years old and we love coming to see her at Christmas.  It helps make the trip completely worth all the driving and packing during the holidays.  It's always so sad to say goodbye but we are so grateful for the time we get to spend together and know that there is always next year.  We love you Grandma!!!

The Beach

It wasn't fast or pretty and it was very hot but I did an 8 mile run from Todd's house to the beach.

It was such a beautiful and warm day - I can't believe it is December.  The kids played in the water for hours and even had to put on sunscreen!

Disneyland

We knew we had to take Luana to Disneyland so we braved the crowds and had a blast.  Disneyland was so much fun and so festive.  I loved all the lights and Christmas themed rides.