Here's the newest addition to the Melo family... Cesar bought her from PuppyFinder on the interent. She came on a flight from Kentucky! After long and hard thought, we're pretty sure she's going to be called Bela. She is a 9 week old Alaskan Malamute, a companion for Nebo.

So Alicey has truly become a GIRL! This week I took her and Olivia to go see Summer on campus. When we were driving into the parking lot, all of a sudden Alicey gasps and says (in Portuguese), "Oh no! I forgot my purse! And my cell phone!" It was pretty cute. And then last night we were getting ready to go to a birthday party and Alicey come out of her bedroom with her arms full. She was struggling to hold onto her purse, big Dora cell phone, and sun glasses. She often walks around the house carrying as many bags as she can. Here's a picture to help you imagine.



And here's Olivia showing off her funny faces. She gets a big kick out of making people laugh. And she also doesn't really like cold baby food. (Sorry the beginning of the video is sideways)

Here's a cute video of Alicey and Olivia saying hi to their cousins Katya and Oliver.

Chatham girls at the Florence/Busby Christmas 2008 reunion.
Alicey with her beloved Telma (nursery leader) at our ward's Christmas party.
We took Alicey and Olivia to the mall to meet Santa Clause, and like most little kids, Alicey wouldn't look at or speak to him. But in the end she was still pleased because she got a sucker!
Olivia on Santa's lap at the mall.

Christmas Eve 2008 at the Melo family home!

Christmas was WONDERFUL this year! We were blessed with the company of my parents at our home for a week. The Busby's (my dad's cousins) organized a big family reunion which by the way turned out to be FANTASTIC! Well prepared and very nice time spent together. Christmas eve and morning everyone from my family came over (Mom, Dad, Mandy, Trevor, Lindsay, Summer, and us of course). We all opened up presents together, had a nice breakfast- my mom's yummy breakfast casserole- and then went over to Mandy's for the rest of the day.

Alicey was happy after one present and didn't know what to do with all that she ended up getting! And as usual, my mom outdid herself with all that she had prepared for everyone. She now makes 90% of her gifts! And close behind her in thoughtfulness and creativity was Leah, Hank's wife. She made fingerpuppets for Alicey, Olivia, and Calvin, and bound a self-illustrated book of a Marty Florence original story. Amazing art and talent! Leah also went far and beyond this year. And Lindsay, Trevor's wife, surprised me a few days before Christmas with a wreath for my front door she had made herself! She had heard me mention a month ago that I didn't have one and so decided she was remedy my problem! I have VERY thoughtful sisters-in-law!

I personally have enjoyed this past week (after Christmas) for the relaxation it has offered me! I have been able to sleep plenty, eat plenty, and do not much plenty!

This morning Alicey disappeared while I was making dinner. After a while I realized something
was fishy and went looking for her. This is what I found! Alicey had painted herself with my makeup! She had even rubbed eye shadow all over her eyes! There was no way I could get mad at her! Cesar and I just busted out laughing! Who knew little girls pay such close attention!

You've gotta love Alicey's fake smile! Whenever you tell her to smile this is what she does.

This week I decided to make sugar cookies with Alicey and decorate them. It was a lot of fun, though I don't think she enjoyed how long it took. She had to wait in between each step of the process. I wanted her to be able to help in ever step. As we were decorating them I kept asking her who they were for. Most of them she wanted to give to her friend, Clarissa. Some for Nebo, the dog. And of course others for Calvin and her aunts and uncles.

Finally Halloween!! (I'm a little behind) This is Olivia and her cousin, Calvin (Trevor and Lindsay's baby). This was their first year trick-or-treating! They even got some candy (though didn't get to taste it).Trick-or-treating in down town Provo on Halloween.

This is Alicey (a chicken AGAIN) and her best friend, Clarissa. They went trunk-or-treating at our ward's Halloween party the week before Halloween.

Alicey also got to help carve her first jack-o-lantern this year. She really enjoyed watching but didn't want to stick her hand in the gooey stuff!

So yesterday, thanks to the help of Mandy, we were able to get some nice pictures of the family! Here's us, Cesar, Heather, Alicey, and Olivia on October 25, 2008.

And here's an update on us:

Right now I am working about 11 hours a week teaching classes at UVU (the former UVSC in Orem). I'm teaching two sections of business calculus and a section of intro to statistics. I really enjoy getting a chance to do something I like to do and earn a little extra money at the same time. In the future I'd really like to be able to teach one class a semester. I am finding myself REALLY business as of late trying to prepare exams, reviews, and quizzes and grading homework and everything else. But that's okay.

Cesar started teaching full time at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) this year and is really enjoying it. Why? Well, very few hours, great benefits, he gets a laptop while he works there, and it's fun! His contract is a tenure track, meaning as long as he doesn't slack off, he's there for as long as he likes! Cesar is also continuing his summer work from home of translating patents of products being sent to Brazil and also revising translations of the same. He says he really likes this because it doesn't seem like work. He said it feels like he's just playing around on his computer while he watches TV... Cesar's ideal job! AND, Cesar is also finishing up a masters degree in Portuguese Literature at BYU and teaching a Portuguese class as well. So, in a nutshell, he's pretty busy!

Alicey is growing up fast! I'm sure all of you know what that's like if you've got kids at home or kids around. She it talking LOTS and LOTS now! It amazes me everything she knows how to say, and in Portuguese! And what amazes me even more is that she has also figured out how to say a lot of things in English as well! I only speak Portuguese to her, so that has come from friends, family, TV, church... She is also starting to use her potty, though she usually doesn't have enough patience to get anything done there. After five or ten seconds she gets up and asks for me to put her diaper back on. I guess that's where our problem is! Alicey's favorite thing to do is see people! She loves to be around lots of people! Her favorite place is church where she gets to see Telma (her nursery leader), Clarissa, and the babies! Her hero is Tio Radames (a guy from our ward who's been adding an addition to our house). And she loves to sing lots and lots of songs! Oh, and I must not forget that the first thing she asks for EVERYDAY is to watch "Doya" (that's how she says Dora, for Dora the Explorer). On Sundays it takes a lot of effort to take her mind off of it and distract her with other things. That's my fault for allowing her to become so dependent on Dora, and Tigger and Pooh, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Little Einsteins.

Olivia got her first tooth a week or so ago (I think I already mentioned that), and is learning to sit up. She loves to talk, or babble, roll around LOTS, and play with toys. She also LOOOVES to eat! She's eat anything, though I don't give her anything. But anything I've ever offered to her she'll accept, even the gross baby foods like peans and green beans! Olivia is also becoming a Mama's girl. She does quiet well in the evenings with Cesar while I'm teaching, and most of the time with Cesar's she's okay, but if I ever give her to someone else to hold, she usually starts crying with a few seconds! She's got the cutest smile and I love her to death!!!

Here's one more video of Olivia and Alicey. Olivia is working hard on learning to sit!

Alicey sings "The Wheels on the Bus!"

Yesterday we left Alicey at a friends house so we could go hiking with Nebo! Olivia came along in her Snuggly pack as we took Nebo on his first field trip! He definitely enjoyed himself and all of the exciting smells! We'd love to take him to a more scenic place, but we don't have a way of taking him in a car right now. So we just hike up the mountain from our house.

Here are some pictures we got taken of the girls yesterday!

... and a few more of Olivia!

What a great story teller Leah is! Alicey sat like this with her for maybe a half hour listening and reading with Leah. I think I learned a lot watching! Hank and Leah came over for dinner last night and Hank did ALL of my dishes! Thanks Hanks!!!

Thank you Mandy for this CUTE outfit! I love it! Can you believe Ive grown so big in the past few weeks??? I must have almost doubled in size! I~m wearing 6-9 month clothes and am only 5 months old!

Olivia as little Eeyore... I found these super cute jammies at DI.

Alicey just got these new "Princess Jamies". She wants to where them all the time! And Olivia is working hard on learning to sit up on her own!

Can you find which babies are real???

Alicey got this princess dress up set from Mandy for her birthday!

Alicey LOVES her new bed! She's had it for about a month now! She still thinks she can't leave her room without calling us, though. We're crossing our fingers she doesn't find out anytime soon...