Abuelos in Espana!

We have been having a wonderful time the past few weeks having Abuela Jill and Abuelo Lynn visiting us in Spain! Jay especially has loved having his grandparents here. We have done so many fun things! Hmmm... where to start? On Friday the 23rd we went in to Sevilla and saw all the fun sights there: the Cathedral, Maria Luisa Park, and La Plaza de Espana. Then we walked through the beautiful Jewish quarter of the city for an hour or so while Mike and Anna looked and looked for a wonderful little plaza they had stumbled upon on their first visit to the city. We wanted to eat lunch there but finally our stomach's couldn't stand waiting any longer and we settled on a nice little restaurant with a menu del dia that looked tasty. Mike and Anna had some very good swordfish and Jill and Lynn decided to try the lamb - or so they thought. Somehow the word "liver" was lost in translation and they ended up with a lovely lunch of lamb liver instead of lamb meat. Luckily the yummy dessert made up for it! Jay also had a special treat at lunch... his first taste of Fanta! He either really loved the soda or the glass, we're not sure which. Unfortunately, he's still not too keen on cereal or other baby foods, just Fanta. Uh oh!

After eating lunch we noticed a pretty little park nearby. We were enjoying the wonderful aroma of newly blossomed flowers in the park when we realized we were very close to the plaza we had been looking for. We backtracked our steps from our previous visit and made it to the plaza in less than 2 minutes! We were so close and we didn't even know it. At least we know where it is now for all you people out there that will be coming to visit.

We left Sevilla in the afternoon and headed toward Benajon. Mike found an absolutely beautiful little B&B/Hotel (called a casarual) near Ronda in city of Benajon about an hour away from Sevilla. The town probably only has about 100 people living in it and our casarual sat right up against a little river with multiple waterfalls cascading down it. Unfortunately Jay got sick with a cough and cold while we were there - which made the night terrible for mom and dad. We still had a wonderful time though. Mike, Jill and Lynn went for a little hike while Jay took a nap with mommy the next day.

We left Benajon on Saturday and headed toward Marbella, a city on the coast. One of Mike's friends got us a great deal on a hotel only a block from the beach. We ate with Mike's friend and his wife at a great gallegan restaurant (gallegan food is from northern Spain). We had muscles in a garlic tomato sauce, octopus - a delicacy, tortilla and cous cous (which was actually a Moroccan dish). Jill wasn't too excited about the sea food, but our friends piled plenty of cous cous on her plate to make up for it. After dinner we took a stroll down the beach. It was somewhat comparable to Venice Beach in So Cal. The ocean was gorgeous! We enjoyed our time there, except for night time when Jay again had a difficult time sleeping :( Luckily grandma and grandpa took him in the morning so mommy and daddy could get some much needed rest!

After leaving Marbella we headed back toward Ronda. Mike again found us a perfect place to stay - the local Parador. Parador is a hotel chain here in Spain but it is a very unique one. All Parador hotels are restored buildings such as castles, palaces and convents, rescued from ruin and abandonment. The outside of these Paradors are monuments that represent Spain's historical and cultural heritage. The outer portion of the edifices are actually owned by the Spanish government. Inside they have made the hotels four and five star caliber, and so are very fun to see. By the way, they offer a 50% discount to anyone between the ages of 20 and 30. Since Mike and I are still under 30 we were able to get both rooms for cheap! We spent our time in Ronda admiring the incredible 500 foot gorge, the gorgeous blooming flowers, and the beautiful linen and leather found in the town.

We had such a fun time on our little getaway. It was wonderful to see new places in Spain and to share it all with family. Even though Jay was sick, he still had a great time hanging out with his grandparents. He was such a good boy the whole trip (except for not sleeping at night.. but who can blame him when he was sick?). Thanks Jill and Lynn for such a wonderful time!

Baby Jay Loves to Dance!

We put this cool music on for Jay and then Mike started dancing for him. Jay thought it was hilarious! Jay had his six month check up just a few days ago. He now weighs 16 pounds 1 ounce and is 27 inches long. This puts him in the 50th percentile for height and weight. Way to go baby boy!

Springtime!!!

Look how beautiful our flowers are!!! We are so excited. While my mom (mama J) was here we went to the town of La Rambla where there is tons of pottery for sale for very cheap. We bought these beautiful pots and haven't had anything in them for about a month. Finally we went to Viveros and found these flowers. I just hope they withstand our summer heat. We also bought this gorgeous new BBQ! It's charcoal, so no chance of flames shooting up through the knobs this time. I also took this picture at sunrise off our balcony a few days ago. Isn't it pretty? It was nice to see it... but I wish I could miss a few sunrises and sleep instead. You can do it baby Jay! Sleep through the night!

Jay loves playing with his daddy!

Jay thinks his dad is hilarious - just watch!

Sleepy and Cute

Just a quick update - this week we've all been very tired as baby Jay has decided that sleeping is not necessary. He hasn't slept through the night more than a handful of times, but things have suddenly gotten worse! I know you parents out there can sympathize. He wakes up sometimes 7 or 8 times a night :( He sure is insanely cute though! I took these photos of him today in his new Pooh overalls. Thanks Great-grandma Erica. What a sweet little boy. That smile makes it all worth it.

Madrid!!!

We had a wonderful time in Madrid on Monday and Tuesday. What a cool city! We rode the bullet train up which was an experience in of itself! The normally 6 hour drive in the car takes a short 2 1/2 hours in the speeding bullet train. We arrived at the train station in Sevilla only 15 minutes before the train was to leave. When Mike went to purchase our tickets he could only buy one ticket in coach and had to buy the other in first class. We figured we could find someone willing to trade us their coach ticket for the first class ticket, so it wasn't too big a deal. We ran to the train and hopped on seconds before it took off. We talked to an usher and told him of our ticket predicament. Mike casually asked if we might just sit together in first class, even though we only had one ticket there (we held up Jay's cute face for incentive to say yes). We figured there was no way this man would allow this because Spain is not known for having good customer service. Lo and behold he said yes! We could hardly believe it. So we traveled in first class style with Jay all the way to Madrid. We were given comfy seats, free drinks, and a tasty meal. Luckily Jay was a good boy the whole time and didn't make the usher regret his decision. People commented that they didn't even know there was a baby on the train. It's no wonder since he slept most of the way on mommy's lap. What a good boy!

We arrived in Madrid in the afternoon and went straight to our hotel. After getting rid of our things we made our way on Madrid's wonderful Metro system to Retiro Park. Mike didn't tell me where we were going and when we got to the park and I was very surprised by it's beauty and grandness. Let's just say that the parks down here in Andalucia leave much to be desired. Mostly they consist of dirt, cement and a few rusty slides. In contrast Retiro Park is filled with beautiful trees, grass, flowers, statues and even a large man made-lake fit with rentable rowing boats. We walked around the park for an hour or two counting the different languages spoken, laughing at the numerous fortune tellers, and even rowing around the lake in a little boat. After leaving the park we went road the Metro to the American restaurant Ribs near the Puerta del Sol plaza. Yummmmmm... it was a taste of home. We had great food. The best was dessert - a giant homemade cookie with icecream and chocolate sauce on top! Our waitress gave Jay a balloon and a funny little bobblehead toy at the end (as mentioned in the previous post).

After dinner we hit the street. Following Rick Steves' guide book on Spain and Portugule (highly recommended) we made our way toward the Plaza Mayor. We stopped off at a confiteria on the way mentioned in Steves' book as being famous for its Napolitana cream-filled pastry. The book didn't let us down! The pastry was great. We finally got to the Plaza Mayor and walked around the square. By that time it was dark and the Plaza looked beautiful. We walked by several restaurants and were repeatedly asked to come in and eat. When we told them we'd already eaten (and it was only 8:00 pm) they were appalled! Dinner so early? We were tempted though by one restaurant. It was named "Ecoli." No joke! I doubt they get much business from English speakers. We then walked on to see the Royal Palace. It was also beautiful to see at night. I tried to convince Mike that he should become an ambassador so that we might one day be invited to dine in the Palace. When he told me that he'd pretty much have to work 18 hour days as an ambassador I decided that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. I guess I'll just have to be content reading about royal balls.

Then next morning we had a wonderful breakfast at our hotel in which we found out later that our drinks alone cost 10 euros! I'll never get used to the fact that they have no free refills in Europe - even at a buffet! Mike had to work the rest of the morning so Jay and I set out on our own to navigate the Madrid Metro system. It actually turned out to be really easy! It's almost identical to the D.C. system, which I became very familiar with the summer we lived in Maryland. The only bad part was trying to get Jay's stroller up and down all those stairs! Luckily there were some escalators and a few kind people who helped me out when I was struggling the most. After switching to the blue line and listening to a man playing trumpet in our train car we finally disembarked at the Atocha Metro stop near the Prado. On our way to the museum we walked through a book fair with several vendors selling used and new books for very reasonable prices. I looked and looked but sadly could not find any children's books. I'm desperate to get some in Spanish for Jay. We finally made it to the Prado and there wasn't even a line to get in. All I can say is WOW!!! What an incredible museum. It has an amazing collection of art. I enjoyed being able to spend time alone in the museum going wherever I pleased and staying as long as I wanted at each exhibit. Jay was a very good boy. He loves going on walks in his stroller, so he was content while I looked around. Some of my favorite pieces were

1. The Family of the Duke of Osuna by Goya

2. The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch

3. Las Meninas by Velazquez

4. The Holy Family of the Lamb by Raphael

There of course were many more wonderful paintings, but I liked these the best. After Jay and I met back up with Mike we had to head back to Sevilla. It was a wonderful trip! Short, but wonderful. Madrid is a great city. There is still so much more we'd like to see and so we hope to go back again soon. Hasta luego amigos!

New Bobblehead Toy

When we went to Madrid we ate at the restaurant "Ribs" for some good old fashioned American food. It was wonderful! At the end of the meal the waitress gave Jay a balloon and a random bobblehead toy. Jay loves the toy! He "played" with it the rest of the night as we walked around madrid. It has a handy latch that allows us to hook it onto the stroller. Here's a video of Jay as he plays with his new toy! Notice the strange look Jay gets on his face when the fuzzy hair tickles his nose.

Jay's first food

On Saturday we decided to give Jay his first tastes of "real food." He's about 5 1/2 months old now and it's almost time to start a steady diet of breast milk mixed with rice mush, mmmmm.... We want him to get used to the taste and texture so Saturday we gave him the chance! Check out the video and pics. Our favorite is the picture of the food all over his face. He was banging his hands up and down and hit the spoon as it was coming towards his mouth. He drenched himself with the food concoction. We're not sure how much actually got in his stomach. In the words of a wise 8 year old by the end of the feeding Jay was, "not one drop not wet!" (click on the picture to see better detail)

Jay eats

Happy birthday big brother!

Happy Birthday Cory!!!

27 wonderful things about my big brother...

1. Always sticks up for me
2. Is great at stuffed animal wars
3. "Chicks are for kids"
4. Beat me up only once - when I decided to "go out" with Ravn
5. Sticks his tongue out when he smiles for pictures
6. Taught me how to play Pinnacle
7. Lends a listening ear
8. Always let me hang out with him and his friends
9. Broke his wrist (one of many times) when a large classmate sat on him
10. Has a huge collection of baseball cards
11. Is an actuary and has a personality
12. Is part of the best three amigos group ever (along with Mikey and Amy)
13. Loves to analyze
14. Went to golf school
15. Sings the best rendition of "This is Your Song"
16. Literally the best big brother ever (just ask our parents)
17. Has been called handsome/hot/cute/guapo by any and all who meet him
18. Introduced me to "The Office"
19. Great at any sport he plays
20. Gives great advice
21. Fiercely loves his friends and family
22. Hates ants with a passion (and all other creepy crawlies)
23. Smartest guy I know
24. Owns his own bowling ball and shoes
25. Idolizes Kermit the Frog
26. Played Papa Gui in "Once On This Island"
27. He's my hero

p.s. thanks for the idea Leslie :)

Starfish Hands

Fairy tale lands and starfish hands
Plump little cheeks and counting by weeks
Onsies piled high and a soft milky sigh
The world is fine and grand as I hold your little hand

Gazing blue eyes and sweet lullabies
Afternoon strolls and chubby fat rolls
Gurgles of delight and Dr. Seuss at night
The world is fine and grand as I hold your little hand

Tiny little toes and a perfect button nose
Small sleepy yawns and waking up at dawn
Tummy time play and smiles that light the day
The world is fine and grand as I hold your little hand

Futbol? No FOOTball.

Yesterday was Dia de Andalucia... a day to celebrate the region of Spain that we live in. Strangly enough though, yesterday was one of the most American days we've had here! Mike came home early from work for a long awaited opportunity to play football - American style. He, three sets of missionaries and a few members from the ward had a great time playing a mostly offensive game of football. It was a beautiful day outside, around 75 degrees (sorry to everyone who's getting a second dose of winter in the states). Now I'm sure you're probably wondering why there are no pictures of the football game? Well, that would be because when Anna went over to the field to see the boys play she couldn't get Jay's stroller through the huge metal gate, nor could she budge the gate even a little. So sad! She did manage to get Jay in his BYU shirt though. When football games are going on we have to represent - especially because one of the Elders is actually a Utah fan! Ugh!!!! Of course when we mentioned to him that we don't feed Utah fans in our house he showed his true blue colors :) After the game everyone came over to our house for an old fashioned, American BBQ. Well... that was the plan anyway. Everyone came, but when we turned on our brand new BBQ, flames came shooting out the adjuster knobs! Apparently there's a leak somewhere that causes exploding flames when the BBQ is lit. Sooooo we ended up grilling inside on griddles instead. We had a great time and about 20 people came all together. A sweet girl in our branch even told me it was the best Dia de Andalucia she's ever had! Well we certainly enjoyed it.