Meet the Fur balls

Figured I should write a lighthearted post and whats more lighthearted then talking about pets? So I thought I could introduce ya'll to Molly and Koda :)

Molly joined our world first. Energetic, playful, and above all a people lover. She loves being around people, and if she hasnt seen you all day and you just go inside and leave her outside, she will whine to let you know she hasn't had enough people time for that day... She's a very good watchdog and probably has made better friends with our neighborhood then we have... Because of how our yard is she can watch as people go by and they talk to her and tease her all the time. Because she is a bigger dog and so energetic some people are afraid of her when they first come over (which is good since one of the reasons we got her is for protection) but once they get to know her they see she just excited but would never intentionally hurt anyone. She picks up on things very quickly, like tricks you teach her and even recognizes the sound of the locking of a car of someone who comes over often.
Ever since we taught her how to shake she constantly offers you her paw for you to just hold, its pretty cute... and most unique of all, She loves hanging out in the hammock... Molly is about a year a 9 months old now, still very much a puppy and makes you feel like you are the most loved person in the world.

Koda came into our world right after Molly turned one, and is often seen as the opposite of Molly in every way. Chill, even boarder-line lazy, she loves to sleep and couldn't care less if shes right next to you or not. She likes people but is also very independent and goes off on her own. Her favorite thing to do is sleep, and she does it like a pro. Unlike Molly who wakes up with every tiny sound, Koda can sleep through anything. She loves to just sit still and snuggle, and since she is so fluffy her personality works extra well with her :-P. Everyone who meets her absolutely falls in love with her. Underneath her chill, I don't care, personality is a very mischievous dog. Shes a lot bolder then Molly when it comes to getting into trouble. When corrected Molly runs to do the right thing and Koda just kinda looks at you and takes her own time. She's a quiet rebel you could say. Molly learns her boundaries and wouldn't dare cross them, while Koda simply does. She's smart too which helps her get away with things, like she has learned out to open the gate we have to keep them out of the house. She loves digging holes and playing with water... being the smart dog she is, shes also learned how to turn on the outdoor faucet so more then once we have come home to a soaking wet yard and happy dogs... Koda is now one year old :)

Carnival Retreat

Thought I would share some pictures from Carnival retreat... Ill slowly add more as they come in. Yes they are in random order :-P

Journey to Judea

As promised here is a brief overview of Journey to Judea :)

Some of the ladies would greet 

them as they arrived. :)

Our Christmas Tree

Upon ones entrance there was a reception area.... here not only could people sit and socialize but also they could eat cookies and get something to drink :) This is where Hosanna's cookies all ended up :-P

The Guides

The 3 young ladies on the left were the guides, they would take the visitors from scene to scene. Adding verses and bits of information along the way.

For our first scene we would hear from Moses. He talked about the 10 commandments and how all have sinned and are in need of a Savior. That Savior was promised in the Old Testament and that He would one day come. After hearing some Scriptures that promised His coming the group proceeded to the next scene.

Moses

There they witnessed the angel Gabriel coming to Mary and telling her how she would be having a child and His name was to be Jesus. He would come to save His people.

Mary and Gabriel

The Shepards

After this the group would meet with the shepherds and hear about their normal night which turned into a huge surprise as the birth of the Savior was announced to them by the Choir of the singing angels. Below you see our Angel choir, mostly composed of Children they sang their little hearts out. :)

The Angels who sang

Manger Scene

Next was the manger scene. We were Mary and Joseph and the third person with us sang "Silent Night" in the background. 

The Wise Men

After this they visited the wise men who told them about their visit to Baby Jesus and how Herod wanted to kill Jesus. They told a little of Christ's life and Ministry as well.

The Centurion Guard

Then they met the Centenarian soldier who told of Christ's death and Resurrection and explained the Gospel. 

The final scene was Angels in the Clouds telling them that Christ will come again and this time it will be to judge all of us. 

This picture is a personal favorite of our whole group.
Although the wise men did not visit Jesus at the Manger scene they
wanted to take a picture presenting their gifts to Baby Jesus :)

Group Picture

 Group Picture

Group Pictures after our last production! We are so blessed we had around 200 people come through and hear the real meaning of Christmas and the Gospel Message. :) Thank you for all the prayers as we prepared before hand and each did our individual parts on the days we presented.

Settling in :)

When you want cereal and don't have bowl
Tupperware works great :-P

We have been in Maceio, our now home town for a little under a week. It has been a crazy week but a very productive week :). We have been so blessed to have my parents (Hosanna's) here with us for 3 full days. 

When we arrived on Monday night, we were so blessed to find the apartment pre-cleaned. The youth group cleaned our place for us, and the church had purchased a water cooler for us. Due to the fact we can't drink tap water here in Brazil having a bottle of water and a water cooler was a huge blessing! They also decorated the place with signs :-)

Inaugurating our stove 

Early Tuesday morning we went shopping. Although it took several stores and jumping through hoops we were able to come home that night with a fridge, a stove and a washing machine.


Wednesday was filled with other things, we were able to do quite a bit of sorting hang out with our new co-workers and we were able to pick out a mattress. Mattress picking isn't the easiest thing due to Hosanna's back problems but we were able to find a good one quickly.

Thankful for the good ol
Toyota so we could take
things when we buy them

Thursday was also a full day in which we were able to find a table and chairs and a pull out couch so now we can have visitors!!!! (hint hint). We also ordered a kitchen cabinet which will arrive in the next couple weeks. We also painted one wall. Its nice to add a bit of color to the place and personalize it. :)

Laundry dries faster with a fan on it

Some of the challenges have been learning how to deal with the humidity. Not only are we near the ocean but its also rainy season, so it takes longer for anything to dry. We have had to be creative with laundry :-P. Another challenge has been space. This apartment is smaller then the other two we have lived in. Personally I enjoy this challenge though since I can tend to be an organization freak :-P.




So now you have seen a snip-it of our new life :) Hope you can see it personally someday.