Happy 24th Gus!

Happy birthday little brother!! 

Even though you're probably desperately missing your family (right??), I hope the road trip you're on has all sorts of fun in store for you! I always say 24 is the best year, it's a really good age to be. Enjoy it! Have a happy day and happy year!

HBD Patrick!

Happy happy day to you! Here's hoping this next year brings lots of lovely things into your life!!

Tall big bro and I in front of his tall, tall workplace a few years ago.

Remember when I said he's generous? Well,for various reasons my salary is stuck here for the moment, so he's spending his bday buying me a plane ticket! Thanks big brother!!

Flowers in May

Othman has been winning in the flowers-for-his-wife game this month.  Flowers here are cheap, fragrant and gorgeous and I love having them around. Take a look at what has been brightening up our living room recently!

 Birthday bouquet #1

Birthday bouquet #2

And a just because bouquet!

Thanks lovey for making me smile!

Channeling creativity

As a really original and fun birthday present this year, my mother-in-law took me to a scrapbooking workshop last week. I had been sick all weekend and had to take the day off of work on Monday (my actual birthday) and cancel what celebration plans I had, which was a bummer. So I was really pleased that I was better by that stormy and blustery Wednesday and able to go out with her for a lovely afternoon!

 

The workshop was led by a French-Moroccan lady who came over from France. She brought all the materials and had an example project finished, but she really encouraged us to stray from the pattern and make it our own which I appreciated! Here's what I had to work with:

There was even a delicious spread of snacks to keep us going!

There were six of us ladies, mostly teachers, who spent a really lovely afternoon creating beautiful keepsakes ready to frame afterwards! It was new and fun and I really enjoyed the collaborative and creative aspects. Here's what Othman's mom made:

And here's mine:

Merci beaucoup belle-mère pour une superbe après-midi!

In which my dad turns a year older

Happy birthday daddy! Here's hoping this Friday the 13th is enjoyable, celebratory and full of good things for you.

I found this very natural, lovely series of you and mom on my computer today and had to post it! I barely remember taking these photos last summer but I definitely love them.

I'm so grateful to have you as a role model; thanks for all that you do! Wishing that this next year brings you plenty of good and as little bad as possible. Sending lots and lots of love from across an ocean!!

Happy 21st Isabel!

To a sister who's classy, 

talented,

and loving,

happy happy birthday! Hoping 21 brings you plenty of new adventures, happy changes, and lots of love!

A Maria of all trades (and master of all!)

To the sister who has written two entire novels just for fun, who has competed in the national Scripps spelling bee, who plays both organ and piano magnificently, who sings in multiple honor choirs, who draws, who letters, who paints, who is learning her third foreign language, and who is just all around amazing:

Happy 17th birthday!! 

With all those accomplishments one would think you'd be twice your age... or perhaps straight out of a Jane Austen novel!

You're a fabulous little sister, and I love bragging about you, maybe even almost as much as mom does! I got that opportunity today—in your honor this sister of yours (who can never even remember how to spell receive let alone "pfeffernuss") volunteered to judge the spelling bee at school! Seeing how stressful it was for the students I was even more proud of you than before. 

I love you and am so thankful you were born 17 years ago!!

Happy 1st!

Today is the first birthday of the sweetest little boy I know!

Exactly a year ago Othman and I visited Jessica, Ahmed and hours-old Noor in the hospital.

A lot changes in a year!! Even those little hand and nails have grown a lot!

 

Happy first birthday Noor, I feel so privileged to be your surrogate auntie. And happy first full year of motherhood to your mommy, who is such a wonderful friend!! 

Happy Birthday Mom!!

I hope your day is as lovely as a cold, snowy day can be for a Brazilian, but more importantly I hope the year ahead brings you lots of love and joy!

Thanks for being a wonderful mother and example. Cheers to you!

Happy birthday Thomas!

Hey lil brother, remember when you were this small??

Well I know it's hard to believe...

  

But you're all grown up now!

Happy 22nd!!

Out for dinner!

A week ago today (I'm not the best at timely blogging) Othman and I went out to celebrate his birthday with friends. He had his choice of cuisine, and seeing as I can eat more wheat now he opted for Italian, which we hadn't gone out for in years. Luckily we have a bona fide Italian in our group of friends, so Gioia chose the restaurant, called Bacco e Venere (Bacchus and Venus—those Italians aren't bashful about their priorities!). The six of us had a really lovely evening celebrating Othman's birthday, good food, and great friends.

While we eat out, or in, with these two couples relatively often, we don't have many pictures of such occasions. I don't bother to bring my Canon to a meal out and we are't a smart-phone infused crowd. When we decided to document the night this time we chose Ahmed's phone as the one with the best camera, but the waiter still struggled a bit to get a clear image. This is the best one we got, but even though it's pixelated the happiness and friendship shines through!

So thankful on this Thanksgiving weekend for wonderful friends, who truly make our life a better one to live.

Tessie turns 15!

It's this beautiful girl's birthday today!

Tess-bo-bess can you really have been born 15 years ago already?? You're still supposed to be my tiny, little, adorable sister who would show off her new reading skills by reading books to me over Skype! That little cutie (who-knew-she-was-cute, let's be honest here) who would contribute the most adorable drawings in my college care packages! You're growing up fast Tessie, but I guess you're doing it pretty well. I'm especially happy your freshman year of highschool has been so great for you so far! Band season, choir concerts and a musical and we're not even at Christmas yet! Congrats on being superhuman. Speaking of super, let's remember those glorious days of summer and a certain DC vs Marvel feud:

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, and happy that you get to have almost everyone home to celebrate with you! Hope the year to come brings you all sorts of beautiful surprises. We love you lil sis!

Othman's big 3-0

Othman turns 30 today! We had his family over last night to celebrate, so of course as part of the preparations I asked him to buy some flowers for the house. But once he brought them home a realization made me giggle-- essentially he bought flowers for himself!

We prepared some nice little appetizers and got out a new tablecloth from the US!

Family dinner! Carrot soup, cucumber salad, mushroom risotto, mini meatloaves... we all ate well!

Cake time! He requested the blue buttercream icing, and it was harder to spread than I expected, so I made a Cookie Monster-esque cake!

We all joked that it either looked like his beard or his ever-disheveled hair.

Gifts from the family-- a new panini maker which he uses for sandwiches or to warm up bread on a daily basis, and winter gear for our Christmas trip to France!

Happiest of birthdays my love. I'm so thankful that I have you by my side every single day. Here's hoping that the next decade will be slightly less crazy, even more beautiful, and just as filled with love than the last!

Happy 6 months Noor!

Can you believe that this tiny little newborn, pictured exactly six months ago today...

could turn into this big ole chunky boy in such little time?

With this adorable protruding tummy?

And those big ole eyes?

Even uncle Othman is in love!

Happy six months of life sweet Noor! So happy I get to be your auntie Claudia!

Happy birthday lil bro!

Yesterday was my brother Gus's birthday, but I was in Sioux Falls with Othman all day running errands before picking big brother Patrick up from the airport, so I didn't have time to blog! Oops.

But Gus's 23rd seemed like a good day, not least because a large contingent of our family arrived (from Alaska and Texas) for our family reunion! Beer and bonfires ensued, so who can complain about a birthday like that?!!

This summer has had some ups and downs but here's hoping that 23 is a fantastic year for you Gus! Happy birthday!!

Happy Birthday Pap!

Today my big brother turns 28! We live on different continents and so we can't have joint birthday parties anymore like we did when we were little,but at least I can celebrate here! 

At home Patrick is a silly, fun presence, always goofing around and getting his siblings to do the same!

Dec 2014, South Dakota

He was even able to start a music-less dance parties in my in-laws' backyard.

Aug 2014, Casablanca

He's also super generous, like when he took Isa and me out to probably the fanciest restaurant either of us poor lil sisters have even been to!

July 2014, Chicago

He and I have shared the best of friends.

August 2013, South Dakota, with friends Emily and Sarah

And we even went to the same university, sharing sibling lunches, a car, care packages, and of course always giving each other a hard time.

April 2009, Notre Dame

When we were all younger and would go on trips to Brazil, my dad and Patrick would often join us later, having to attend school and work. The day they arrived was always one of the best.

December 2006, Rio de Janeiro 

He has always been the leader we all follow!

July 1997, Indiana

And it's thanks to him and all the other boys I was surrounded by as a kid that I am as tough as I am now. 

1994, Texas, with cousins John Michael and Jacob

We don't see each other often, but when we do, we always have a wonderful time together, usually as he talks my ear off explaining something to me that I probably never knew existed. But it's fun.

Maybe 1995, Kansas

Thanks big bro for being such a good one! Here's hoping that year 28 brings you lots of happiness!