Thanks Wendi for the encouragement to post a blog. It seems that even with the luxuries I have right now with daily housekeeping, and a gardener, it is still hard to fit in all of the daily tasks, plus computer time. I will miss having someone clean the house and the yard while I am homeschooling!!! lol We have a special room upstairs that I use for school where I teach the girls our formal curriculum from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.. At 11:30 when I come downstairs to make lunch-- my house is spotless--the floors are mopped, everything is dusted, the windows are washed, the showers are scrubbed daily, our laundry is folded and lying on my bed to be put away, the clothes are all pressed, etc...when we return to the States those things will be put on the back burner, and the house won't be quite so clean, and the clothes will be pressed as we need them!!! ;-) The afternoons are busy also as the girls and I use them to excercie, practice their violins, do homework, and then we go to Portuguese classes. By the time all of that is done, it's time to make dinner, and get ready for classes for the next day. It's busy, but it's about to get even busier when we return home!!!

Now that I've made my excuses for not blogging, I guess you could say life is going great for us--fast and furious as we are on the countdown. We have appoximately 7 weeks to go. The girls and I have about 5 weeks left of our homeschooling curriculum!!! We are excited to be done and ready to leave for home and start our summer vacation with a bang in the good ol' U.S.A.!!! YAY!!! It's been an awesome school year with all of the usual challenges and triumphs. The girls are my prized pupils and I am so very, very proud of their discipline and accomplishments this year. Samantha will be entering 5th grade, and Makaela will be in 3rd!!! :)

Our precious little lizards are no longer with us. One died from being attacked by a stray cat, and the other two managed to escape through a makeshift "bedroom" the girls and designed and attached to their large cage. ;) The little street dog that adopted us, has captured all of our hearts and we are trying to facilate his return to the States. He will be an awesome cushion to my little girls' hearts. They are leaving so many dear girlfriends behind, which has been so heartbreaking for them, but I'm hoping this little guy's presence will be a blessing and a precious tangible reminder of their lives here.

We are planning a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina next Friday through Tuesday, with some Brazilian friends. It is said to be the Paris of South America. Samantha and I studied it for her Social Studies class this year, so it will be quite the treat to visit in person and see all of the awesome, historical architecture. It also has South America's largest and nicest zoo which the girls are going to love.

I hope all is well with each and every one of you. We look forward to visiting in person very, very soon! God bless!!! :)