Kanigan Family: Less Than Two Months Left!

I am so excited that I am finally able to take a minute and sit down and write. I've been wanting to update for weeks, but life has been so busy! We have less than two months before we leave Rio. It's starting to sink in now (both the excitement and the sadness), and all the logistics of the move are needing to be handled. I feel an ever present weight of responsibility pushing down on me that occasionally freaks out a little when the kids are being wild, or when my brain can't work fast enough to keep up with the mental tally I have going on. Sell the computer, register the kids for school, go through everything and declutter, get Dan the tax info he needed, send passport and visa documents....ect. I've had to give myself a few time outs this week just to breathe.

As far as Rio goes...we are really going to miss it here. We asked the kids what they loved best about Brazil and here are a few of their responses: The pool, the soccer court, paozinhos (little french breads), the beach, friends, the swan boats, their primary teacher, the bread guy who sells from the trunk of his car, mangos, fireworks at Christmas time, Hot Zone, and Lagoa Adventure. Then we asked them what they are looking forward to in the U.S. and they said: Donuts, fresh milk, stores with parking lots, camping, cousins, grandparents, open spaces, fishing, American candies, cheddar cheese, Cafe Rio, and being able to understand what people are saying to them.

As I think about everything we have gone through these past few years I am amazed at how much has changed for us, and yet life is still the same. I think we've changed more on the inside. We have become a little stronger, a little more brave. We appreciate all of the ease and convenience we took for granted before. People eat, sleep, love, work, have good days and bad ones, want somethings different than what they have, and dream. I feel blessed to have been able to see some of the poorest individuals on earth. There is never a time, walking the streets of Rio, when there aren't at least an armful of people who could use help in some way. Things I would consider junk, are treasures to some. It's humbling.

Dan has had to use up his comp time lately so he doesn't lose it when we go. It's been really nice to have time with him while the kids are at school. We walk all over the place and try little, obscure restaurants. We've been up to Santa Teresa, toured the Centro area, and (our favorite) the streets and beaches of Ipanema. I feel blessed to have my best friend always by side. No matter where we end up, or how difficult it may be, it's okay...cause I have him. It's funny, cause we are very different. Even our moods flip-flop. If he's having a hard day, I'm strong, and vice-verse. We hold each other up.

Well, anyway...I guess that's about all for today. I'll try to squeeze another post in before pack-out. I'll just end by saying that life here has been difficult, but in the end, I look back, and I am so grateful for the hard times and how they've made me stronger, and more grateful for what I have. I don't always go through trials gracefully. I whine as much as the next guy at times, but I keep trying, and I think my Father in Heaven knows that. No one is perfect, but we don't have to be...we just have to keep on trying.

Hope you all have a great week with whatever life throws at you!
Here's a few pics from the last couple of months. Beijos.

Wow...way back from Christmas time...our family Christmas pictures.

The younger kid's Christmas Concerts.

Rio's Christmas Tree lighting...

Oh, and Owen got baptized by his Dad on December 23rd! Abuela and Abuelo were here, and the font was full of old, cold water...but the spirit was there anyway and no one got sick. :)

He also finished a semester of Jujitsu!

This is how my kids burned through a pile of colored paper over the Christmas break. Once they got started, it kept them busy for hours! Can you recognize any of these flags?

Gingerbread Houses!

Christmas Pajamas!

Touring the City with Abuela and Abuelo...Parque Lage

A sweet Brazilian boy was on the other side of this see-saw. :)

Forte Copacabana. Don't touch him!

Sooooooo hotttttt.

After Christmas, Dan spent three weeks in Venezuela...while I was hope with the kids until February. We had to get creative about how to spend our time. This was from a Friday night indoor campout. Logan built most of this. :)