The Kotas: What's Up?!

Hey there!

I know I've been MIA. Many excuses this time and the most relevant one being that I have a huge belly which makes it very uncomfortable to sit down with a computer to write an usually long blog post. Then there was the Olympics! Three glorious weeks of exciting and diverse sporting events and some popcorn-drama too! Then, it was summer time! We were busy, busy for some parts of an usual day and for the rest of it I was tired, tired.

I'm not even sure what I want to say with this post, only that I know it has been too long since I last posted and I like to update stuff. I like to register the highlights of our life in my blog! I'm sure my kids will enjoy having the opportunity to look back about a time which they would have no memories of, otherwise.

So, here is the summary of things:

In the end of June we visited Minneapolis/St Paul, the twin cities and we loved it! It was a 2-day trip only, but we had the most of it! It was an economical trip, but very fun! The road trip was so-so, obviously, because pregnant queasy people and little kids alike don't ever enjoy a 4h-turned-into-6h car ride! Dan was not happy about it either but at least he enjoyed our unplanned stop at a McDonalds that had an arcade room. Ps, so curious, there was a hockey table instead of a soccer one, HAHA! That's so Minnesota.

Anyway, we drove around the whole place: quirky downtown, The University of Minnesota beautiful Campus in the middle of the city (it reminded me of Columbia University in NYC), a weird-like-Austin food avenue, the lake/beach/trail park in the middle of town, the free Zoo (don't worry, we gave a donation ticket), fun but terrible tasting snow cones at the Zoo, a very nice lunch at a great and packed mexican place (Austin-like again), a necessary visit (but cut short by a wild runaway Nico) to the Mall of Americas (HEY, they have a Shake Shack's there!!! But no chick-fil-A......), a stop at a great Japanese Restaurant that reminded me of the Rice Village in Houston, for Udon and Ramen (it was a very hot mid day but the baby in my tummy was craving a hot japanese noddle soup). We also visited the St Paul Cathedral for St Josemaria's Mass, it is a beautiful building. The Mass was great, we socialized after it over a nice breakfast in the room downstairs and Dan and I were even able to go to confession with an Opus Dei priest, and it was so great! Certainly what I miss the most about having Opus Dei activities close by! To finish our trip, on the way back we took a different route passing through lots of small cities and we even made an unplanned stop for ice cream at an apparently trendy place!

In front of the Mall of Americas, waiting for our hotel shuttle.
I look terrible, but Nico is finally looking at the camera! So....

Still talking about trips, we visited a small city nearby (1h15min away) that has a camping village hosting a "Train Days" event. It was fun and we had the best meal at a restaurant by the lake on our way back home! So fun!! Lastly, one summer night we also went to a drive-in 45 min away and the experience was really awesome!

waiting for the train ride, eating popcorn!

VERY good hamburgers and fries!

Popcorn! We love popcorn!

The drive-in was showing 2 movies, we planned for the kids to go to sleep in the car during the second movie, but we ended up heading home earlier! Don't worry, kids were back in their car seats!

But back to South Dakota for summer break vibe! Gorgeous not scalding hot weather (I love Texas, but I don't miss its summer weather, no sir). Outdoor playgrounds any day we would feel like it, many trips to various swimming pools (we bought the family season pass! Sometimes it was even a little too chilly for pool to us.... but not to our neighbors, apparently) and some play dates. And besides, the city has a TON of planned activities for the kids for each season! Like toys at the park with supervision, outdoors theater plays and fun kids day at the museum! We enjoyed many BBQs in the porch, water play and popsicles in our backyard, tricycle fun on our driveway and sidewalks, outings to the beautiful bike trails along the river and our usual trips to the library and to the gym, why not. The kids like to play in the kids zone and pregnant mommy enjoys a book or talking on the phone comfortably sitting on a armchair! Not feeling guilty here! Anyway, we had a blast! At last, I'm not feeling so Texas-homesick anymore and I'm even craving all the winter snow already!!!

It seems that every weekend there are some hot air balloons flying around!

We can see them from our backyard! Ah, let's not forget the fireflies!!! The last time I've seen them was so many years ago in my childhood in Brazil.

Play at the park

Happy Father's Day - in Brazil, mid Aug

Brazilian Father's Day BBQ

Yakitori Chicken - google it and try it! You won't be sorry! Kids love it!

Some gardening experiments! Marigolds are blooming, roses, not so much.... Basil is growing like crazy, Thyme is doing ok, and we have lots of tomatoes, but no one red yet! I'm already admitting we failed at vegetable crops again!

Usually summer breaks last forever (3 months with school-age kids at home is no joke). I thought I wouldn't survive it very well. But it was relatively easy! Really, I couldn't believe it! School was back at the blink of an eye! I was even a bit out of place with just Nico with me at home when Rebecca started school again this monday! I'm sure Nico misses Rebecca a ton too and he is still adjusting! By God's grace we managed to enroll Rebecca in a private catholic school and she is just the cutest thing wearing those uniforms! She is still adjusting to making new friends but she already loves her teacher and vice-versa. Everyone is being so kind and attentive to her and us, it's nice! And she is always very happy when I pick her up!

See what I mean???

And I guess the biggest thing this summer was finding out we are having a GIRL! And I'm here to officially announce her name for those who doesn't know it yet: Victoria Maria! Baby Vicky! My parents and in-laws flight tickets are already set and bought, let's just hope baby Vicky can wait for our first visitors! The fear of preterm baby is real, y'all. Not medically speaking, I mean. Well, I had a cervix ultrasound to check the measurements and it's not very long (2.9 some-unit-of-measure and the minimum they expect as healthy is 2.5 some-unit-of measure). I'm generally felling uncomfortable most days. Or it is mildly painful braxton-hicks contractions, shortness of breath, headaches, feeling lightheaded a lot, the awful heartburn and even baby movements are not very comfortable to me, although I'm very happy to be able to feel it so often! Anyway, I just would like to ask for your prayers! Things are good, but I'm so paranoid about preterm labor.