Abby, Zoë and Enzo

We finally got to the store for some much needed items.  Raissa met us at our apartment around 4:00 p.m. and we took the bus to Hiper Bom Preço, which is the equivilant of Wal-Mart, and owned by Wal-Mart.  The place is huge, and it was busy.  We were glad to have Raissa with us to tell us what some things were that we couldn't tell with our limited Portuguese.  We weren't used to the set-up and Laura's disorganized list didn't help in the new store, she promised to make a compartmentalized list as soon as we got home.

Laura thinks that during the week would be a much better time to go, and was a little flustered I think.  There are many things that she will rather get at the market than here, due to the price mostly.  It will definitely be better once we get better accustomed with where to get what and when.  The store had a pizza hut in it, as well as a couple of other little food shops, and then a buffet type place where you can get more like sit down restaurant food.  There was also a child play area, a hair salon, pharmacy, and a couple of other set in stores that sold some 'finer' items like purses, shoes and electronics.

It took us far too long to get the amount of items we purchased, and we hadn't eaten dinner and were all beat when we got home.  Luckily Nonno arrived back to the apartment just after us and had some leftovers with him, that we sat right down to enjoy.  Laura complained of very sore feet, but was happy to finally be able to wash and condition her hair before bed.

Chris got lucky this year, we arrived in time for him to have two father's days this year, one in the US and one in Brazil.  Here is a list of other Brazilian Holidays.

Other holidays

• Dia dos Namorados - not a holiday - celebrated on June 12 as the Brazilian equivalent of St. Valentine's Day. On this day, boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, exchange gifts (lingerie, chocolates, and more), cards or a flower bouquet. It is celebrated on the St. Anthony of Padua's day, because, in Brazil, he is considered the patron of who want a loving companion.

• Dia das Mães, the Brazilian observation of Mother's Day, is celebrated every second Sunday on May.

• Dia dos Pais, the Brazilian observation of Father's Day, is celebrated every second Sunday on August.

• Festa de São João (Saint John the Baptist) is a holiday celebrated June 24th in many Brazilian cities - especially the one in the Northeast area like Recife and Maceió.

• Dia das Bruxas (Halloween) is not an official holiday but is being increasingly celebrated in some of the largest cities on the night of October 31, with costume parties with or without the custom of trick-or-treat. In 2005, some politicians voted for October 31st to be defined the Dia do Saci, referring to the Saci, a Brazilian Folklore image, and aiming to preserve national culture from Halloween, deemed to be an alien non-positive cultural influence.

• Dia do Soldado ("Soldier's Day") on August 25.

• Dia do Índio ("Indians' Day") on April 19 to celebrate the natives of Brazil

Source: Wikipedia

This morning we went down to the beach.  Abby and Zoë have tried the pool on the roof, and now they wanted to try the beach.  It wasn't overly warm out, almost 81 F / 26 C degrees.  With the wind it felt much cooler.  The water was not cold, but not lukewarm either, but once you got it, it was very nice and refreshing.  At certain points the water is warmer, and cooler in other spots.  So you can really feel how the water is being heated from the sun in the shallow parts.  I walked out quite a way with both Abby and Zoë, taking turns allowing them to swim with the waves.  It was tons of fun.  Mommy didn't go in this time, but thinks Monday morning will be her day to swim.  We were only out for about an hour this morning.  Zoë was hungry so we headed back to the apartment.  We need to try that little kiosk on the way back.  I saw a post on wikimapia that said the Açai there has no equal.