Surprise! Merry Christmas!

Well...we pulled it off! We surprised my (Stephanie) parents for Christmas. We'd been thinking about it for awhile, but didn't know if it could happen since we fly "stand by". We checked in our luggage around 9 am on the 24th and were told that a flight the night before was cancelled and that 40 extra people were trying to get on our flight. So, we weren't very optimistic about our chances of getting on this flight. After checking in, we returned to Daniel's house and I called my parents. I "fibbed" saying that we were trying to surprise them, but the flight was too full. This left my mom pretty sad and upset. Well...we returned to the airport and the plane started boarding around 12:30 pm. Surprised and delighted....we were called up and given tickets. Unfortunately...I was by myself with Elijah somewhere in the middle and Micah and Daniel were in the back. Halfway through the flight though we were able to switch and sit together. Elijah didn't like flying too much, but Micah did fine.

We arrived in Raleigh, NC and rented 2 small cars (which was cheaper than 1 SUV) to fit all of our luggage. We surprised my Grandma first about 1 am. She met us at the door crying! Then Christmas morning...we sent Micah in to wake everyone up by jumping on the bed. Daniel filmed the whole event! What a wonderful Christmas present! Isn't God good?!

Christmas Holidays at the Beach!

I can't believe that Christmas is already upon us! Here we are in Brasil, celebrating the SUMMER Christmas season. It's weird. Santa Claus just doesn't look the same in his suit in 90 degree weather! In most malls you can find an African Santa, an Indian Santa, and a European Santa. So, you can take your pick!

Thanks to Daniel's parents, we were able to "escape" down to the beach for a few days. We went to Santos...a beautiful turistic city. The hotel was actually connected to a mall. It was nice to have AC for those couple of days, since it was hot and humid down there. I can't complain though...the weather here is Sao Paulo has not been consistent. It seems like every other day it changes from hot to cold. It's probably a lot like what I hear is happening in NC too.

We look forward to seeing many of you when we get back to NC sometime late next week.

What Color Eyes Will Elijah Have?

That's the question everyone is asking here. Daniel's Mom is certain they will be blue like mine (Stef.). It's too early to tell since they will change up until 8 months of age. He looks like such an angel in this picture. I wish he was always this content:) We are blessed though...he's not a fussy baby. Hope you're not tired of seeing Elijah...because there will be many more pictures to come:)

Pool Time

Micah is enjoying a warmer day in the pool with cousin Sam. This look says, "Oops...They caught me."

Going to Grandma's house

Well, as Christmas draws near, so does our plane trip back home to North Carolina:) Micah is ready to see Stephanie's family and go back to "work" with Grandpa! Even Elijah is catching "tarheel" fever! Notice the words on his shirt: "That's it!!! I'm going to Grandma's!"