Foz do Iguacu

Our last adventure in Brazil was fittingly to the Foz do Iguacu, the largest waterfall in the world.
On the walkway to the falls overlook we encountered some curious little creatures:
and a whole bunch of rainbows.
And the falls themselves were spectacular.
Nearby to the falls is a fantastic bird park where we were able to get up front and personal with all sorts of bird species.
Johnny celebrated his 6th birthday in Iguacu.
And when we weren't touring waterfalls or visiting native birds species, the hotel had a Turma de Monica play area and waterpark - the theme comes from a group of "Peanuts-like" cartoon characters native to Brazil that the kids have become big fans of.

Tiradentes

From Ouro Preto we snaked our way to Tiradentes, another of Brazil's colonial gems and a town that Amy and I visited during our first trip to Brazil some 15 years ago.
In Tiradentes we toured a cool cave, replete with bats and spiders.
And took a ride on an old fashioned steam train.
So that by the end of the day, everyone was pretty tired.
Carina had her first crush in Tiradentes, an adorable 13-year old playing the violin in his grandfather's Italian restaurant.
And John lost his second tooth in Tiradentes. Fitting as Tiradentes literally means "tooth puller." The town was named after a 19th-century dentist who was instrumental in Brazil's drive for independence.
We closed out our time in Tiradentes with a pretty hike through some preserved Atlantic rain forest. The trail runs alongside of an old aqueduct that brings spring water to a fountain in one of the town squares.

Ouro Preto

Our final weeks have been spent touring around the mountains and other attraction of Brazil. First stop, Ouro Preto, a beautiful colonial town originally founded as part of the Brazilian gold rush. Since we were driving this part of the journey (2,700 km in the last few weeks). We stopped on the way at a waterpark on the northern edge of the state of Rio de Janeiro. In a temporary fit of insanity (trying to show the kids that there is nothing to fear but fear itself), Dad rode Kilimanjaro, a ridiculous 4 billion foot waterslide that you are warned against riding if you have "heart, kidney, or colon" problems.
The rest of the family was far more sensible in their choice of waterpark rides.
From there, we drove through a ferocious rainstorm in the mountains of Minas Gerais to Ouro Preto. The town is stunningly preserved with incredible hillside landscapes, beautiful cobblestone streets, and red clay roof tops dotting the hillsides.
The town also has a church on nearly every hill top, many gilded in gold leaf as a result of its early history as a mining center.
We actually took a fantastic, though scary, tour of an old gold mine. The trip started off on a rusty old rail car that was lowered by a single, frayed metal cable down into the mine over 250 m deep.
But once we got to the bottom, it was great. Both kids and animals had a great time exploring the mineral deposits, underground lakes, and other riches of the mine.

John's gallery

In honor of John's birthday, I thought I would publish a few photos that give a sense of his point of view.  He received a camera this Christmas and has already shot more than 600 photos.  Yes, many of them are of his favorite tv shows, but that's the beauty of digital cameras.  

Without further ado, here is a glimpse of life from John's perspective.....

Toys....

Self-portraits:

Family portraits:

Candy:

Skyping with the cousins:

Cool bugs:

Happy Birthday John

Happy Birthday John!  It's hard to believe that it was six years ago that we first met you - we don't know where the time went.  Seeing you grow and change has brought us so much happiness - you are a real light in our lives.  

We love you to the moon and back - forever and ever.

Who would have thought that in six years he could grow from this....

to this....

From this little chunky......

 all the way through time....

to this big guy....