How boring not being able to post pics! Anyway, we finally made it up to see the famous Christ last week in between all the rain. Did I mention that it has been RAINING here? Just when you think it´s over it starts up again! So anyway, the view of Rio is amazing so I´m glad we made it up! Haven´t really been up to much more, just getting ready for Christmas. Anker comes to stay with us tomorrow whoohoo! After Christmas time will go so quickly and before I know it bye bye Brazil! Ok, going now, Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year!!

Just another post from Brazil

What a pooey week and a half... it has been raining non stop! Big flooding and mud slides further south of Brazil and where we are staying the roads are dirt so they´re all muddy. So much for working on my tan in the RAIN! We´ve been entertaining ourselves by hanging out at Minol´s Aunt´s house. His cousin has a dog that he´s training. Plus we like looking at their turtle. And the little monkey that comes to eat bananas on the roof. I´m just getting over a cold. Little Minol has a cold. And big Minol seems to be getting one. Minol and I have been told to make more babies so people here can buy them. Everyone thinks Minol is adorable. Grandma Luci just loves her Grandson and is enjoying having her own son home for a visit! Nothing much else to report. Wish I could post some pictures! On Sunday we went for a drive the the bottom of the Elephant rock. A beautiful spot at the end of the beach. Oh and before I finish this post... seeing as it is still the 3rd of December here... HAPPY BIRTHDAY BINKY! Haven´t forgotten you! Hope you got spoilt! LOVE YA!

Pics from the Comp

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http://www.x-combat.com.br/campeonatos_2008/circuito_mineirinho/4_etapa/fotos_lutas/DSC02693.JPG

Hey all! Just a quick update. Yesterday I competed in the Rio state bjj comp. I was straight to the final with only one other chick in my weight category but I won non the less and scored myself a gold medal... whoo hoo Rio champ! But even more whoo hoo cos Master Wilson told Minol to give me my brown belt so now I´m a brown belta how crazy. It´s great training here with Master Wilson. He knows so many techniques it´s crazy. At his academy there are three Masters who train at once on Saturdays. That´s pretty awesome! Ápart from training we´ve been checking out the shopping centres, the markets and last week we attempted to see the sights but it was too cloudy so instead we went to an all you can eat brazilian restaurant and mmmmmn, SO GOOD. Specially the dessert. Chels, I think of you all the time here cos there are SO MANY WALLS which would be awesome for photos. Anyway, LOVE TO YOU ALL! Little boy is crazy. Still no teeth... haha!

Well, what a week. We came back into Rio (the drug capital of the world thanks Collette) for training this week and it turned out to be an interesting week for my poor little munchkin. Last week he had a bit of a rash which I was told was heat rash. Then this week he had a fever and was very very sooky but I was told that it was teething. This lasted three days. THEN he got a big rash again all over his body. I then decided we really needed to get it checked out. So yesterday we discovered he has Rubella (however it´s spelt!)!! Lucky he´s over the worst of it and is recovering wonderfully. He is back to his happy cheerful cheeky self thank goodness! Such a nightmare though when your baby is unwell. So much for teething!! Minol still hasn´t got any! How exciting for Kobe and Rowan...haha!! I´m really missing family and friends right now and can´t believe it´s only been three weeks... how many to go?!! I´m excited though, tomorrow we´ll catch up with Anker who´s staying in Barra. He´ll stay with us over christmas so that´ll be great! Back to the beach house on Saturday, can´t wait. Gotta get back to the pool where I can tan so I can be browner than Collette this summer. Hehe. Ooooh, great to hear Simone had her little bubsie poops...how exciting and CONGRATULATIONS! Mum, I will call you tonight!

Wow, it feels like we´ve been gone for ages, but it hasn´t even been two weeks! I´m missing home and friends but am being very looked after. Unfortunately I don´t think I´ll be able to post any pictures. I´m using an internet cafe place. Brazil is an amazing place, I wish I could post pics of this place! We´re staying at Minol´s family beach house for most of our time here and going to Rio to train every now and again so it´s nice and relaxing here away from the city. It was Minol´s birthday yesterday and our first anniversary- Minol bought me flowers (in a pot) for the first time! We had some yummy brazilian dessert to celebrate. For those of you who have had the brazilian pudding we´ve made... look out! I´ll be coming home with the chocolate version! YUMMO! Baby Minol is really getting big. He´s enjoying swimming in the pool, chasing Ebano the dog, TEETHING, ok, so he´s not enjoying teething. Either am I! Generally he´s good but gets pretty sooky. He loves climbing and pulling himself up on things, especially the gate to talk to Ebano. Once again, love to you all, will post again soon!!!

Hello from Brazil

Just a quick hidiho. We made it after a long, delayed, crappy flight. The little boy was an angel though and made soooooo many friends. He has such a charming smile. Anyway, it has been very full on meeting everyone but we are loving it here and enjoying the weather, the food, the family. Baby Minol is changing so much so quickly. He is ba ba ba-ing. And vo vo vo-ing. And eating heaps! He even has little man boobies now! Anyway, gotta go. Love to everyone! Miss you all!

2 days to go! Brazil here we come!

cambridge park

Just checking out the "stuff" at Cambridge Park.  We like testing everything out.

Picnic

It was a fab day for a picnic today.  It was also my last morning of work before our trip... whoohoo.  I can now finally focus on packing and preparing.  Grandma Luci is just going to love this little Grandson of hers!  

oh oh...someone likes ice-cream

Mummy Club

Monday was my last get together with the girls before me and the boys head off to Brazil.  I am really going to miss our mummy club and don't know what I'll do on my own in Brazil!  I made sure we got a pic this time so in years to come we can look back on our little munchkins.  They are so much fun.  It was cute as this time little Minol and Jake were crawling around together and had a big play with Ben and Cloe!  We are lucky that facebook got us back in touch with Mandy who we all went to school with and who has just had her own little munchkin Noah.  Toby entertained us all with his HAT!  Yes, that's a big hat Toby!  Ooooh, what fun! 

sunny rays on a sunny day

Just Chillin'

I love to play

YEEHAAAARRRRR A NEW TOY!

check it out

whoohoo.  saturday's mercury.  sport section.  yup.  tis us.  

all in one day

Quite a few driving lessons for this little dude today.  And a flying lesson.  Oh yes, and how can I forget... he even had his first horse sitting lesson.  What a day.

Quikpics... more to come

The WALK

On Thursday Minol said he was going to go for a walk with Phil up the mountain.  They've been really getting into going on their little (BIG) hikes up the mountain.  Minol kept saying he'd take me too so on Thursday I asked if there was a nice easy walk that I could do with them so I could take baby Minol.  Yeah yeah.  This one only takes 25 minutes to get to the top.  So off we went.  Almost 50 minutes later I got to the top catching up to Minol who had taken baby Minol off me about a quarter of the way.  Even without a baby I was snail pacing up because it was SO STEEP!  Nice one guys, coulda warned me.  For days after my legs ached which felt good but not when I had to compete on Saturday!!  But it was a lovely walk.  I stopped complaining on the way down, it was much easier but still pretty steep.  We got to put Chelsea's Lolly Pack to use and Minol loved it.  Not a peep out of him for the whole walk.  He loved just cruising along, checking out the... trees.  Very cute! 

DONE & DONE

Two GOLD and two SILVER

Minol got GOLD, and two BRONZE

Details to come.  I'm trying to recover from the big day!

getting ready for brazil

We're on the count down now.  Three weeks until we leave for Brazil!  Haven't even thought about what to pack yet but I'll get my butt into gear soon!  Minol loved trying on sunglasses while we were out shopping the other day and would check himself out in the mirror each new pair we tried on him.  And whadda ya know... he now has a pair of spider man sunglasses!  How does that happen?!  Whenever I go out wanting to buy something for ME, I can never find what I want and end up getting this little ratbag something!  

Aussie Cup

Big day on Saturday.  This year the Australian Cup is going to be held right here in Tassie.  Three years ago I entered as a blue belt and won my weight and open fights (there was only one other blue belt competitor but I shouldn't tell people that hey!)  Now I'll be competing as a purple belt.  Eeeeek, ok, don't think about it... I start getting little tingly nervous feelings!  But it should be fun!  

juice

Last week our new juicer arrived so we (MINOL) have gone juice mad.  We (MINOL) have been making the yummiest freshest juices.  Today (shoving Minol out of the kitchen) I made an apple, strawberry and kiwi fruit one.  From citrus fruits, to beets and carrots... ooooh what's next!  I'd like to find out some good combinations!

My pumpkin eater

Tomorrow this little man will be 6 months old.  FOOD here we come.  On Friday he tried some sweet potato and then on Friday night over at mum and dad's Grandma fed him some pumpkin.  And again on Saturday we fed him some potato.  AND I have to add... last night was the second night he SLEPT THROUGH!!  Not one peep from him through the night!  My boobs were the hugest they have ever been when I woke up at 5.30 am and had to go express!

Birthday at Richmond

Hip hip hooray for another year older!  Lucky for me it was a gorgeous (only a little windy) day so the Minol's and I along with Mum went to Richmond for lunch and yummy cake.  (Oooh I shoulda got a pic of the cakes... so rich and yum!)  We had a little look at the ducks at the bridge and felt like we stepped into a nature show when one of the male ducks jumped on the back of a female duck in the water and looked as if it was trying to drown it... Baby Minol, this is how baby ducks are made.