HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLIE ANN!!!!

Today is such a special day!! Allie Ann is turning 8 years old! Time sure flies by!!!

I think back at the day that she was born and i fall in love with her all over again!

8 years ago on the 27th we went to the hospital in Brigham City really early in the morning because the doctor was going to induce me. Very nervous and yet so excited!!!

Yet Allie was not born until the next day, the 28th at 4:00 p.m. That was after pushing and pushing and pushing and even forceps were utilized!!!

I was too narrow though, therefore she came into this world through a c-section. After a painful day and a half it was all so worth it the minute she was here and healthy. My life was never the same. I woke up from the anesthesia almost 2 hours after giving birth and was told the good news: that I had delivered a healthy baby girl!

The nurse handed me my baby and I met my Allie Ann for the very first time! And there she was, so beautiful! I held her as tears came down my cheek amazed at how perfect she was. I noticed her dimples and thought she was the most beautiful baby girl in the whole world!

8 years have gone by and Allie continues to be the most beautiful girl in the world to me. She is a sweet little girl who is unselfish and very kind to others. She is a wonderful daughter and I am very proud of her.

The only trauma i have of those 30 something hours was having to endure this movie on T.V. in my hospital room. It was called Oh Brother where art thou?!! Man, that drove me nuts especially when pain would take over and I couldn't find a comfortable position to lay on!!

Epidural was heaven sent and it worked out pretty well. When you are heavily medicated anything sounds great!! Then I was able to endure that movie in the back ground for what it felt like 20 hours!!!! I do not know what that movie is about, in the name of memories i have tried to watch it since but i think that having that movie playing in the background for so long has created some kind of trauma that i can't get past!!! hahahah! So I still haven't watched it but I will never forget its title!!! That is for sure!!!!

Anyway, fun wonderful times! Parabens Allie... Wish you all the very best throughout your life. You will always be my baby girl!!!

Allie: Origin and meaning of the name: of a noble kind, brightness, exalted, happy, lively, merry, noble friend, inspired advice. Allie's origin is Germanic, Old English, Italian and Hebrew.

It is the pet form of Czech, English, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese Alice in the English language.

Allie's name was picked after her grandmothers. My mother's name is Albertina and the name Allie is a nickname for any name beginning with AL plus Allie's paternal great-grandmother's name was Alice which also influenced our decision to name her Allie. The name Ann was given to her after the name of her paternal grandmother's middle name.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

Many years ago the First Presidency issued a statement that has had a profound and lasting influence upon me. “Motherhood,” they wrote, “is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.

Because mothers are essential to God’s great plan of happiness, their sacred work is opposed by Satan, who would destroy the family and demean the worth of women.” Russell M. Nelson, “Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women,” Ensign, May 1999, 38

Mothers find the beauty of life wherever it may be...

Womenhood - Mothers Who Know Who They Are...

President Julie B. Beck on motherhood:

“The responsibility mothers have today has never required more vigilance. More than at any time in the history of the world, we need mothers who know. Children are being born into a world where they “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”

"However, mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children.” Julie B. Beck, “Mothers Who Know,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 76–78

Elder M. Russell Ballard on mothering:

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part-or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." “Daughters of God,” Ensign, May 2008, 108–10

You are the trip I did not take;

You are the pearls I cannot buy;

You are my blue Italian lake;

You are my piece of foreign sky.

(“To My Child,” quoted in Charles L. Wallis, ed., The Treasure Chest [1965], 54)

Field Trip

Earlier this month, I went with Brenton on a field trip to the American Heritage Center. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a chance to see how people lived in 1917. They talked and watched the blacksmith work, they played pioneer children games, did some laundry, made some butter and watched how to use a 1917 wood stove. It was really interesting. They sat in one of the pioneer living rooms and listened to a gentleman tell about the people that used to live in that house. They saw pictures, clothes, instruments and furniture used by them. After this they still had an opportunity to milk a cow! One of the interesting things we learned about the 1917 wood stove was that mothers used to place their premature babies in the stove warmer that is situated in the upper part of the stove!! The warmer was designed to place the bread after it was baked but they also used it to place their premature babies for about 2 weeks!!!! Isn't that amazing???? So right then I told Brenton that since he was born 2 months early that he would have been place in one of those too!!! And he thought that it would have been cool!! The lady who was talking to us about this part also said that a lady who went through this tour was 90 years old and that she had been placed in one of these warmers for two weeks when she was a baby. Wow! Pretty cool! the kids then enjoyed a cookie (and so did I:) baked in that cool 1917 stove and the taste was incomparable.

So last Sunday, April 26 was the anniversary of my own baptism. It did not take place around my birthday because my dad was working in Libia (North Africa) and hadn't arrived yet so we waited for him to baptize me.

What a special day it was!! I was able to have my own day and enjoy the start of a new beginning!

My family had been baptized 4 years earlier when I was 4.

As I have mentioned before, my family lived in Africa for quite a few years before I was born. I was born in Carmona, Uige in the North of Angola, (central Africa).

Due to a civil war, my family had to flee and went back to Portugal. I was only 3 years old.

We lost everything we owned and my parents started from scratch once back in Portugal. We were spared our lives and that was all that mattered. I was 3, Samuel 9 and Paulo 8. We did have guns pointed to our heads several times and were miraculously spared. Little girls my age were being raped by the guerrilla in front of their parents as well as women in front of their husbands. Our family lost all that was material but we did not suffer one scratch.

For many years Portugal had been under a dictatorship which obviously did not grant the freedom of speech or of religion. The church had not been able to get in for a very long time. But by the time my family got there the church was just starting and my family met the missionaries shortly after we arrived.

My mother is originally from Coimbra and as you know that is where we settled.

My father was very knowledgeable of the Bible and had very tough questions which had never been answered throughout the years in the faith he was living at the time. He had searched other religions but was never able to get answers that would actually put the pieces together.

Finally he met the missionaries and asked those questions. The missionaries did not have the answers. At least not at that moment and asked permission to go home and study and get back to him. My father was pretty sure that due to the fact that they were so young that there was no way they would know the answers and thought they would never not go back.

Well, they did go back and answered every question! My dad was very impressed and everything made perfect sense. They took the missionary discussions and my brothers and parents were all baptized. There were no church buildings since the church was so new in Portugal so they were baptized in a huge rubber swimming pool. The meetings were held in a local building that served other purposes. We were only the second family to join in Coimbra and one of the first few in Portugal.

I had to wait until I was 8 years old and was also taught the discussions. The missionaries gave me a Book of Mormon and asked me if I would like to be baptized. I was very young but I already loved the gospel in a way that I can't explain. I was so happy every time I went to church. We always had family home evenings and I loved my dad's prayers. It was my pleasure to accept to be baptized.

I will never forget my own baptism. I had a wonderful experience that day which will always be sacred to me.

I know that my parents went through many trials as they faced that war but I believe that it definitely prepared them to meet the missionaries and be ready to receive what the Lord had in store for us.

We were spared our lives and also given a spiritual beginning.

High School Quinta das Flores

This is one building of the High School I attended. This is situated about 8 minutes from my house on foot. This building is the one where I had most of my classes in my first few years there. My English, History, French and Math classes were all here as well as Art classes. All of the others took place in other buildings like this one. When I was in 7th grade, in this very building, I decided to buy smelly bombs and drop them in the classroom during History class. My objective was that it would stink so bad that we wouldn't have that class and that math would also be canceled. Well, it didn't really go as planned as far as cancellation goes but the place stunk SOooo bad!!! Our teachers made us sit there in class and endure that nasty smell. One of the students got really sick to his stomach! ahahah! No one could concentrate in that math class. It was horrible! Finally I told them I did it and they sent a note to my parents saying that I had placed two smelly bombs in the classroom and that I could be suspended for 3 days. My dad tried so hard not to laugh as he read that note and gave me a lecture, but I know that he was about to crack up laughing. I never got suspended because I told the truth voluntarily. I love a good prank, that's just me!! But shhshhhshhh...! don't tell Allie and Brenton about this!! ahah

This is my Middle School

This is the Middle School I attended and it is called Escola Preparatoria de Eugenio de Castro. I went there for 2 years. Here you can see some of the buildings, but this school's area was huge! It is located about 20-30 minutes by foot from my house. Fatima and I always walked together. We made sure we went way early so that we could play with marbles. The loser had to give up at least one marble to the winner. Racing marbles was awesome!! I started attending this school at 10 years old and that is when I had my first English class. My English class name was Daisy! hahahah! I really had a lot of fun here!! Fatima and I and her two brothers were the only members of the church in the entire school. My schedule was classes every morning starting at 8:20 until 1:30 p.m. and twice a week it would go from 8:20 until 6:30 p.m. I had classes on Saturday morning as well. Fatima reminded me that we also used to go to school way earlier not only to play marbles but to play dodge ball!! Man, we killed everyone!! hahahah

My Elementary School!!

This is the entrance to the elementary school I attended. It is bigger than you can tell on this picture! My room was number 4 on the 1st floor. Right across from the windows you see here on the first floor. Our windows faced the opposite side where we could see more of the playground area. It has grades 1st through 4th and we have the same classmates and teacher all through the 4 years. Two of those school years I had classes in the morning and two in the afternoon. Good ol' days!!!

Coimbra!

Coimbra

City Park (Coimbra)

City Park (Parque da Cidade) in Coimbra / Winter

Coimbra City Park

City Park (Parque da Cidade) in Coimbra

City Park (you can see the University tower at the top)

Rio Mondego in Coimbra

Coimbra tem mais encanto na hora da despedida!...

This is Coimbra! My mother was born here and only left Coimbra to marry my dad. They lived in Africa because my dad was working in Angola for quite few years and so all of us were born there. When I was 3 we moved back to Coimbra and that is where my brothers and I grew up. Coimbra is known for its University which is about 800 years old stil functioning perfectly. It has students from all over Portugal, rest of Europe, Africa, Asia and America. It is very diversed as you can imagine. The grades to get in are among some of the highest making it really hard to get in the first time one applies. I did attend this university when I was studying English/Portuguese Modern Literature. Tradition is a big thing when you live the student life! It was a lot of fun! I miss Coimbra! It has changed and grown in many ways but unlike other cities that just get big and busier with not much regard for the visitor, Coimbra will always have a hint of romance and will always make anyone who visits it feel welcome. To me, it will always be home...

Uige, Carmona - Angola (city where I was born)

I came across this picture just recently and it was very emotional for me to see this. My parents don't have a picture of Uige, I have only heard about it. This is the first time that I have seen a picture of the place where I was born. It is situated in the north of Angola and it was the main area for production of coffee which was also exported to other countries. Small little place which I would love to visit someday...

having fun in the water!! (Angola)

African Elephants (in Angola) I rode one when I was about 2 or 3 years old

Angola, Africa