Natalia's First Day

Natalia was really excited about starting school this year and it wasn't at all like I expected. First, she wanted to ride the bus and for me not to take her. Second, when we rolled up, she told me told me to just let her out and she knew how to get to class (she had never been there before) and lastly, she had no trouble telling me I could go when we made it to her class. I think she was more ready to start school and have some more independence than I was.

Then after about a week of me driving her to school she finally convinced me to start letting her ride the bus and we went through the same thing all over again. There was no coaxing necessary, she just hopped right on and didn't look back.

Utah

We got to go back to Utah for Lou's wedding/family reunion/Bear Lake. I wish we had had more time to hang out with friends and whatnot but with everything happening it was hard.

We were able to squeeze in a weekend at Bear Lake with MJ and kids, Deb and her little slitherin' Lizzy and Steve and Kristy and Mika. My mom and dad were even able to sneak up for a day.

The pool was a lot of fun for the kids but the beach....the beach was a LOT of fun. The water was perfect. It was hot but not your-gonna-fry hot. Almost too hard to leave.

Back in Utah we were able to sneak out to Temple Square for the afternoon before the wedding crazyness began. I used to work for Temple Square Hospitality so I was there all the time between the JSMB and the Inn and the Lion House so it was cool going back.

Mike and Connie had rockets for us to design and shoot and shoot they did! Being the curios moron that I am, I shot myself with a rocket and it hurt. I should have shot Dan instead and then asked him if it hurt. That would have been smarter.

It was cool to see Lou and Justin who were married married in the Bountiful Temple, my temple.

The End.

Chick-fil-A Face Painting

Natalia got her face painted at Chick-fil-a the other day and when Alejandro saw her, insisted on getting his painted as well. He patiently waited in line and sat still for the duration. Amazing.

Then later, we decided to do a little painting of our own. It didn't turn out very well and I had the impression that maybe I should leave the face painting to the professionals. What do you think?

Some friends from church had a bunch of people over for bbq for the 4th of July weekend and there were tons of kids. Alejandro is definately into roughhousing. Enjoy!

Clay as a manipulative for math.

Step 1: Tell your kid "Get the clay out of your brother's hair!"

Step 2: Remind them: "No, those little balls of clay are for counting, not for stuffing up your nose."

Step 3: Tell them again: "Hey! I said to get that clay out of your brother's hair!"

Step 4: Ask yourself: "Do I really want to try this again?"

Indy Zoo

There always seems to be something new at the Indy Zoo. This year they brought us Kimodo Dragons. They are HUGE! and when you look at them and them at you, you know why called them dragons.

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.

Murcia

Eli's sister Marijose and her husband Leandro now are living in Murcia so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go see them there especially since they live so close to the Mediterranean. It was evening before we actually made it to the beach "Los Narejos" and the sun was setting. The "plan" was to walk on the beach and maybe roll the pants up and walk a little bit in the water so we didn't even think about bringing swimming suits and towels. I guess the kids had other ideas which the quickly made known. The water here is very warm and it took the kids literally under a minute to get in, clothes and all. I even ended up having to sacrifice my RSL shirt for kids to use to dry off.

The next day Alejandro and I went to the store for sun block because we were headed right back to the beach and we came across a park on the way.

Jaen

Eli's family is from Jaen and naturally we set up home base there. It is one of the lesser known of eight provinces that make up Andalusia which translates into fewer tourists and a more authentic travel experience; it also means that the historic monuments and tourist attractions, although plentiful, are smaller in scale compared to others in the region. One thing it is known for, which you might have guessed by looking at the picture above, is that it is the olive oil producing capital of the world.

Some of the places we made it to this time are the Moorish Baths, the fair, Jaen's first university, the Castle Santa Catalina and the Children's City.

Jaen's Moorish Baths, some of the largest and best preserved in all of Europe, are found in basement of the Palace of Count Villardompardo. The baths were originally constructed around the 11th century but sometime during the middle of the 13th century, the Christians conquered the city and built the palace on top. After conquering, the Christians would build their cathedrals, churches and other buildings on top of other cultures' temples, mosques and other holy buildings. Maybe they believed that by building their cathedrals and churches on top of other buildings they considered unholy they would somehow purify them. I was not able to take pictures inside because it wasn't allowed but I was able to smuggle out some dirt from one of the baths in the hot water room.

La Feria de la Virgen de la Capilla de Jaén, the smaller of the two fairs during the summer in Jaen takes place some time between the 2nd and 3rd weeks of June. It is a Catholic event complete with a procession but also includes bullfighting and rides and food of course.

Here are some pictures of Jaen's first university. I don't really know much about this place, we ended up here by accident. It is a cool building though.



El Castillo de Santa Catalina sits atop a mountain overlooking the city of Jaen. It was built by the Christians sometime after they conquered the Muslims in the 13th century AD and was a major staging point for conflicts between the Christians and the moors in Granada. We always manage to make it to the castle on our trips maybe because it is cooler there than in the city or maybe it's for the night views of Jaen which are so cool.

La Cuidad de los Niños was an area between two and three acres filled with theme based play equipment.
We ended up visiting this park often because the kids really had fun.