A visit to the park turns into a 2 mile hike!

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The 4th of July, a holiday obviously not celebrated here, was a rough time for our little monkeys. Zane especially enjoys this holiday and was pretty mopey all day. However, technology and family to the rescue. While it was almost midnight here, they stayed up to see some of the fireworks. As you can see, Alden still does not enjoy the noise, even from 5000 miles away! Poor kids passed out while watching! Huge thanks to all our family in Kansas that helped out. Big hugs to Marcie and Alan for holding up the phone!

Had to throw in some love for this guy. For all he has been through and not understanding, he has been a champ. He still is not sure of all the people that come and go, but he is getting comfortable in his new surroundings. He also is loving all the walks he gets to go on!

Saturday morning, we didn't really have any plans. We lounged around for a while. The farmer's market was set up outside our door again, so we went and purchased some goodies. We spent $R15 on all of this (equivalent of about $5!!) and will definitely be getting some more if they keep coming back. Still adjusting to the fact that there IS a farmer's market in the 'winter'.

I told Greg the boys would enjoy going to a park. He said, "Oh, I will take you to one that I run at. I think the boys will like it!" We pull up and instantly they are excited! Welcome to                         Represa João Gasparini 2.

And after about 2 minutes, they are done! I said, 'I thought you wanted to play'. They said, "Let's explore." I looked at my dress and flip-flops and thought why not! This park surrounds a lake and Greg suggested we walk on the path that he runs on. So off we went. 

 Anything that could be climbed, jumped over, swung from, etc., was explored.

A little pond near the lake. We were discussing how easily this could flood.

Showing off their muscles!

And we found monkeys!

Beautiful trees, monkeys and family!

I know they won't want to do this forever, but holding their hands and talking with them is something I will always love!

We are nearing the end of the lake. I looked out at the water and saw this school of fish having a meeting. We are unsure of the type of fish, but were intrigued. There also happened to be some ducks in this area. The ducks, geese, and chickens at our condo are not very nice and tend to be vocal when people are near. As we walked by this particular duck Alden says, "That duck had his eye on me!"

We came to the end of the lake, where water flows in from another pond. There are lots of paths leading into the 'jungle' area on the other side of the lake. This was one way to get to a path. We chose not to take this one!

Do you see the size of the leaf?!

A hammock of sorts

Where the pond feeds into the lake.

This one looked much safer. 'Please can we go,' asked the boys. Sure, why not?! I am sure it doesn't go far.

It amazes me how much these leaf-cutter ants can carry!

 So much to explore and see!

 I loved the way these vines knotted up!

2 miles later we came out on the other side of the lake. THANK goodness we kept picking the right path to follow! It was a great experience, though next time, we will be better prepared in the shoe and clothing department. These smiles made it all worth it!

 Those trees on the other side are what we walked through!

As we walked back to the car, we noticed a farm on the other side. We had to check out the vacas (cows) and  cavalos (horses) and talk about differences and similarities. What do you notice?

Greg is so good at putting up with me when I find a spot for a good picture (see all above). Currently, my phone case is on the container and I have been limiting using my phone. So, he has been kind enough to stand exactly where I ask him to and shoot exactly what I ask him too! The boys are watching the road for cars! These photos are looking into Vinhedo.

After, we drove by so the boys could see where daddy works. THV Dinamica. Located in the business district of Vinhedo. You can't see how big the warehouse is in this picture, but it is! The boys could not stop commenting on the amount of glass in this building!

We ate lunch at a local Italian restaurant that was really good, but we didn't take any pictures!

Greg then took us to another Shopping in Jundiaí. It is the little things that I find so interesting. This parking garage had lights above each parking space. They were red when full, green when open. Each row had an LED sign showing how many open spots were available. So simple! Also, the quality of the concrete in this garage would impress the brother-in-law so we had to take a few photos!

Walking through the shopping we found a Discovery Kids: Exhibition in Brazil! They had each of the regions of the country divided up and the kids could learn what plants and animals were common in each part. 

We found and explored a Dave and Buster's like arcade. We took a few pictures of interesting games. 

The boys enjoyed a snack - ICE CREAM! Gulp. This was a big deal as we have tested free of the dairy allergy, but I was hesitant at them just diving back in. We have done little bits at a time and have had no problems! This snack was from McDonald's. You think, really? But here, in every shopping we have been to there is a HUGE food court and then around every corner is a small McDonald's stand that just sells ice cream treats! 

We went home, grilled, snuggled and went to bed after our fulfilling day!