Rio Escadaria do Seleron (Seleron's Staircase) on Scott's B-day

One sight we wanted to see was the Escaderia. Years ago this staircase was a dirty, dangerous place. Then an artist decided to decorate it with tiles. Now it is a colorful, lively place. The boys loved looking at the tiles from all over the world. Unfortunately, the artist died two weeks before we visited. Friends that visited said they saw him working, and if you brought him a tile, he would install it on the spot.

The boys gladly climbed up to the top of the wall for this photo op.

The boys wanted their picture taken everywhere. So cute!

Family photo.

I just love all the bright colors. We climbed all 250 steps to the top.

Love this one of Owen.

This spot was near the top. My sweetie, Isaac!

View from the top looking down. People's front doors we adjacent to the staircase. Cool place to live!

To celebrate Scott's birthday we went out to eat at our favorite place from last time. It has delicious food and an amazing atmosphere. The boys were so fun that night. We had some grat discussions and they were very adventurous in trying the food. I told the waiter that it was Scott's birthday and asked them if they did anything special, like sing. Who knows what Brazilians do! Well, the waiter laughed and said, no. However, when we were done eating, they brought out this cake and sang "Happy Birthday" in English! It was an awesome end to a fun, delicious dinner!

 

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Rio with Friends

Scott's college roommate, Brad, and his wife, Anne, came to visit us. We spent a few days with them in Rio and then they came to Horizontina. It was amazing to see Rio for a second time. I can hardly believe it. We feel very blessed to get have spent some more time in such a beautiful city. It was also so fun to share with friends, and then get to share our city of Horizontina and the Brazilian culture.

Our last visit focused mainly on seeing all the sights in Rio. This time we wanted to spend more time at the beach. While Brad and Anne had a tour of the city, we hung out at the beach. Here are the boys playing in the sand.

We decided to rent a couple of paddle boards and try that in the ocean. Scott is fitting in with everyone in his Brazilian trunks.

Scott and Isaac took the first ride. They did great.

Ethan and I paddled together. The view of the beach from the ocean is gorgeous. Ethan was so cute. He was not strong enough to paddle against the wind, so he paddled on the same side the entire time, and I still had to push him around myself. We got pretty far out from shore because of that.

Scott and Ethan enjoying some snacks on the beach.

Isaac and I did a little body surfing.

Owen would not go near the ocean, but he loved the showers for washing off your feet.

We had to stop at the juice bar for some fresh juice. Ethan loves the acai juice, which is a Rio specialty.

Brad and Anne are enjoying some coconut juice.

 

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Pizza and Ice Cream

Last Friday night we had homemade pizza and went out for ice cream. The boys and I figured out that you can buy premade pizza crusts from our favorite poderia (bakery). We came home with 2 for R$5.00. What a deal!

The Isaac and Ethan made one pizza and Owen and I made the other one. Isaac shredded the cheese.

Owen ate the cheese.

Ethan and Isaac made half cheese and half pepperoni and cheese. The pepperoni was imported. I made half Hawaiian and half supreme. Mmmmm!

We ate in our back yard by the pool. The night was warm with a cool breeze. Just perfect for eating outside. We went swimming in the afternoon.

Ten we did one of my favorite things. We walked to centro for some ice cream. There is an ice cream parlor with a buffet. Isaac, Ethan and I always go for the buffet.

Scott and Owen went for a cone and shake, but Owen later switched to buffet. It was a super fun family evening. My favorite kind.

 

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