We spent a little over a week visiting a couple of beautiful places in Brazil. Our first stop was Florinopolis which is an island off the coast of Brazil with over 100 beaches. It is beautiful. We especially loved being in Florinopolis because we got to spend our time there with Andy's sister Amy and her husband Mike. We were sad to say goodbye. The kids especially loved being with them. As we were leaving Florinopolis we asked Lucy what her favorite part of the trip was and she said it was seeing Uncle Mike and Aunt Amy!
Amy and Mike with Lucy and Ethan
While in Florinopolis we took a 4 hour boat ride which made stops at different islands. Our favorite stop was on an island where there was an old Portuguese military fortress from the 18th century. The grounds were so pretty and there was a lot to explore.
Unfortunately it rained some of the time we were in Florinopolis. However, that didn't seem to keep Andy and the kids from playing in the water. One morning we got all ready for the beach and by the time we got there it was raining. However, the kids had their hearts set on playing in the sand and swimming. There was no way they were getting back in the car before having some fun. So Andy, being the GREAT dad that he is, took the kids out to the water even though it was raining. Mike, Amy, and I stood under a covering and watched them get soaked!
After saying goodbye to Amy and Mike we flew to Iguacu Falls. It was one of the most beautiful places I have seen. The pictures don't do justice but here is a little taste of what we saw. The first day we stayed on the Brazil side of the falls. On the second day we crossed over into Argentina which was really neat and gave a different perspective to the falls. There are bridges that take you over the top of the falls. It is beautiful. We also had fun taking a boat ride down under the falls. We went out on a motor boat and passed many of the different falls and made our way to the biggest one. It was tons of fun and the driver gave us a great ride. The kids loved it too. Ethan was laughing whenever we'd do crazy turns in the water. Lucy claims she liked it even though she kept asking if we were going back yet! While in Iguacu we also came to know their public transportation. It was great because as soon as we got to the hotel they were trying to sell us on their taxis that would take us to the Brazil side one day and Argentina another day. However, the prices were crazy. Given we both served missions in South America we knew we could get there by public transportation much much cheaper. So, for example the first day they wanted to take us to the Brazil side for $R90. However, we ended up taking the city busses for a total of $R8!!! I will admit it was not quite as easy to jump on the buses with 2 kids and strollers as it was to get on as missionaries. However, we did it and saved a lot of money and had fun!!
The first day we were at the falls these strange looking animals were everywhere. They weren't afraid of us at all. We were told they'd approach us but to not feed or touch them.
This weekend Lucy had her first ballet recital. Andy and I really weren't sure if she would really get on stage and dance. She was extremely nervous and Andy left her crying with the teacher but was told a few minutes later that she had stopped crying. When he found me at our seats he told me he wasn't sure if we'd end up seeing her dance. He really didn't think she'd end up walking out on the big stage. However, Lucy amazed us! Not only did she go out on stage but she ended up leading the line of kids because the girl who usually does got scared and didn't end up dancing that night!! Anyway, she did a great job and loved it!! Lucy has come a LONG way since our arrival to Brazil. For most kids dancing in a recital or going to school without mom and dad are normal things but for Lucy, who has always been extremely shy, these are BIG steps!!
Lucy is holding the hand of the girl in the white costume
