Before I show you more pictures of this amazing trip, I need to tell you that it's absolutely surreal for me to be here, 20 years after I moved to Canada... And now that I'm in the south, where I lived for most of my Brazilian life, it's great to be able to introduce my kids to so many of my relatives and very dear friends.

On to the pictures!

The first one is the market in Fortaleza, where you can buy just about anything local, from paintings to homemade candies, dresses and SHOES!

Here the girls are enjoying pasteis at that market.  Hmmm, so good!

Now, take a plane for 5 hours and land in Curitiba, then take a drive to the beach!  My childhood friend, Ciro, picked us up, took us to an amazing Churrascaria (Brazilian Steak House) and then drove us to my parents' condo at the beach in Itapoa.  Thank you Ciro, we appreciated the ride!

Here's the kids at the beach in Itapoa:

 Here I was trying to get a shot of my parents, but then a wave came and swept my mom right under!

 Here's my little sunshine.  Her front tooth was loose so she could hardly manage to eat the corn!

Here's Tante Rosi, who hooked up my parents with the condo that they bought:

Here's a couple of shots of our parents together!

We did a lot of Boogie Boarding or Body Surfing, whatever you call it:

My mom and the girls:

Something to remember:

Waiting for the right wave:

The daily ritual:

Mr Hot Stuff:

 Ice Cream Ice Cream ALL THE TIME!

I love this shot:

Acro on the beach:

 Corn on the beach every day:

And for those who really wanted to see me in the pictures, here you go.  No I didn't wear my brazilian bikini that day.  I just knew better:

 After the kids were sick and tired of the ocean we'd head back to the condo and go in the pool till dark.

We headed out for dinner in Guaratuba one night and got my parents to babysit.   Jascha made a new friend that spoke his language:

The view from that restaurant:

Jascha had a meeting every day:

Sabrina left something for the Brazilian tooth fairy.  Her sister is the one who pulled it out.

 Then on Sunday my oldest friend from school, Ciro, and his family came to spend the day at the beach with us.  The girls got along so good you'd think they could understand each other:

And this is the view from our tent that will be forever burned in my mind:

And ladies brace yourselves, here he is, wearing speedos:

That's it for now folks, stay tuned for more!