The Replacement

Just before our Spain trip someone broadsided us and totaled our Accord. Luckily my mom and dad came to visit soon after because they watched the kids while we madly scrambled to find Eli a replacement vehicle. We finally struck a deal for this Civic at a dealership thanks to Eli's wicked-awesome bartering skills (I know she has skills never knew she was such a good negotiator).

Natalia & Alejandro

A few pictures of Alejandro and Natalia we had taken the other day.  Enjoy!!!

July rain in Indy

Kids playin' in the rain go as well together as penut butter and jelly.  There's just something right about it.

Fourth of July

It was the 5th of July actually; we were rained out the day before so Indy decided to light up the night the next day. Even though they did it a day later there was plenty of entertainment.

Reality

No matter how you consider it, she's beautiful and he's...........well he's really happy! 

Conner Prairie

We headed up to Conner Prairie for some 4th of July fun and the kids had a blast. Alejandro loved the little petting zoo especially and Natalia got to milk a goat there. I was reminded of all those years milking the goats with Dan morning and night. One of the workers there overheard me talking about milking and asked me if I was interested and I said NO!!! I re-lived all I needed to watching the kids.

The 1859 Balloon Voyage was awesome (well it would have been funner if the cable had broken and we could have really gone on a voyage). It is like the first balloon made back in 1859 powered by.............helium. I love heights and so naturally I thought it was awesome but some others in our group, not naming any names April, got a bit terrified. If you are ever around Indy you gotta float on up.

Happy Birthday Alejandro

Alejandro turned 2 a few weeks ago and he had a lot of fun dipping his finger in his "tres leches" cake and opening presents. He was a little apprehensive about blowing out his candle because he knows they are hot but we finally got it out with a little help. He also had a lot of fun bouncing on the balloons on the trampoline; watching them

trying to pop them was hilarious. Most of the kids had at least a little bit of trouble but Natalia was on a mission. She popped one after another. Alejandro also enjoyed playing with his new motorcycles with Mateo.

Cordoba

La Mezquita de Córdoba is an amazing and stunning example of a crashing together of cultures. Originally there was a Christian temple, the basilica of San Vicente which was destroyed sometime in the 8th century a.d. It was destroyed by the Spanish Muslims in order to build the Mosque, a sanctuary that would become one of the most important in all of western Islam. Years later in the 13th century, the Christians reconquered Cordoba and commenced with the rituals of purification of the mosque. Usually cathedrals were built on top of these holy buildings but this Great Mosque of Cordoba was so immense that the cathedral had to be built inside. It is an amazing experience to be walking around the mosque and then suddenly come face to face with an enormous cathedral. Some of the images below illustrate this clash.

Here are some pictures of the Mezquita from outside as well as from inside.

Just outside is the Guadalquivir river which is one of the four large rivers in Spain. By the time it gets to Cordoba it is really big. It looks dirty but it's really the turbulence lifting sediment and carrying it downriver. We picked a lousy day for visiting Cordoba; the temperature got up to 115 degrees F. We thought we were going to die. Luckily we brought with us a spray bottle which we continuously emptied on us and the kids. The only people out on the streets were idiot tourists like ourselves. So, some respite in the shade of some trees on the banks of the river did us well. It also gave Natalia and me a chance to grab some pebbles and water for our collection.

Granada

The crown jewel of the Muslim empire in Spain in my opinion is definitely the Alhambra in Granada. Each time I have gone I stand in awe at the perfectly detailed craftsmanship of the buildings and gardens. If you ever find yourself in Andalucia, you must go see the Alhambra.

Another reason for our frequent visits to Granada is because it is home to Eli's alma mater, the University of Granada, where she studied for five years. We usually meet up with Dolo (Dolores) and her sister Carmen, Eli's friends and roommates through college who are a lot of fun to hang out with.

We reserved a night tour this time at the Alhambra and we barely made it in time. When we arrived we had five minutes to make it from the entrance all the way to the Nazaries Palaces. I took off running with Natalia and we got there with seconds to spare. Once inside, we were able to stay until they closed the buildings. Visiting at night was very cool. There is so much to take in, both in the palaces as well as in the gardens so this time it was nice to be able to focus on the palaces.

Alicante

My computer has been giving me all kinds of problems. After many frustrating hours with customer service and a few hammer blows to the cpu I finally figured out the problem. My wireless adaptor went bad on me and I had to buy a new one. Anyway.....

We went to Alicante for more beach and also to hang out a little with Leandro's sister Marijose and her husband Hector. Natalia was also able to swim with Aaron, Marijose and Hector's little boy, first at the beach and then in the pool. Alicante's beaches were sooo clean; too bad we didn't have tons of time to just hang out there. Sorry about the sparse photos, I was too busy swimming in the Mediterranean.