mmm... chocolate

Jay found a piece of chocolate in a drawer in the kitchen and he silently unwrapped and ate it when we were in the other room. And so it starts...

What we've been up to lately...

It is SOOOO hot here right now! It's been around 105° every day the past week. Unfortunately this means less outside time for our little Roo. Luckily he loves being in the basement, which is nice and cool, so we spend a lot of time down there. We also go for walks along the paseo in the morning and often stop to say hello to the ducks on our way home. Jay has also been watching the movie Madagascar a TON. He's obsessed with it! He pretty much only gets to watch it in the car now but since we make frequent trips to the beach now I'd say he's seen it about 40 times. He has this book about animals that he loves to read and when we get to the safari animals he can point out his favorite Madagascar characters. We say, "Where's Marty?" and he points to the zebra. "Where's Melman?" and he points to the giraffe. I'm not exactly sure this is a good thing... but at least he's learning, right? He's learning new words and phrases every day too. Now he can say love you, all done, more, knee, doggy... and a few more I can't think of. We're still hoping he'll start to pick up a few Spanish words too. When he's with Johnny he does pretty well. We heard him say vamanos and ven a few times. We were supposed to go see John and Maria in Chipiona again this weekend but Johnny has chickenpox! Poor little guy. We decided to stick around home since Jay hasn't gotten his vaccination yet. The American pool on base is under constructions (it was supposed to be done a month ago - but you know how it is). The Spanish kindly agreed to let the Americans use their pool so we went there today. It's a beautiful pool and we had a great time swimming. Jay really enjoyed it. The cool water felt wonderful! For dinner we picked up some kabobs but Jay threw a fit and refused to eat anything except for ketchup. What can you do? Well that's all for us... I better get back to watching Dumb and Dumber with Mike. He's cracking up about every 30 seconds... Here's a few favorite quotes to enjoy:

• Lloyd: That's a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?
  Bus lady: Austria.
  Lloyd: Austria! Well, then. G'day mate! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!
• Lloyd: Why you going to the airport, flying somewhere?
  Mary: How'd you guess?
  Lloyd: I saw your luggage, then when I noticed the airline ticket I put 2 and 2 together.
• Harry: How was your day?
  Lloyd: Not bad. Fell of the jetway again.
• Lloyd: I can't believe we drove around all day, and there's not a single job in this town. There is nothing, nada, zip!
  Harry: Ya, unless you want to work 40 hours a week.
• Lloyd: His head fell off?
  Harry: Yeah, he was pretty old.
  
• Lloyd: We got no food, no jobs, our pets HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!
• Lloyd: Hey, I guess they're right. Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose. I'll be right back. Don't you go dying on me!
• Harry: Petey? You sold my dead bird to a blind kid? Lloyd! Petey didn't even have a head!
  Lloyd: Harry, I took care of it.
• Lloyd:Tic tac Sir?
• Harry: But he blamed me. You heard him. Those were his last words.
  Lloyd: Not if you count the gurgling sound.
• Lloyd: Hey guys. Oh, big gulps huh? All right! Well, see ya later.
• Harry: I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this.
  Lloyd: I was thinking the same thing. That John Denver's full of crap, man.
• Lloyd: What's the matter, Har? Some little filly break your heart?
  Harry: No, it was a girl.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!!!!

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear MIKE! Happy Birthday to YOU!

Today is Mike's Birthday! Hooray!!! What a wonderful day. Jay and I both love Mike so much. He lights up our lives each and every day. Everyone that knows Mike knows how positive, friendly and fun he is. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. He is the best daddy I could ever imagine for our little Jay. He is so patient and loving. There is no doubt in my mind that he absolutely adores his son - and that his son idolizes him! We just think he's the greatest guy in the world. How did we get so lucky to spend our lives and eternity with him? Happy Birthday to you - we hope you have a wonderful day!

28 wonderful/Interesting things to know about Mike:
1. Always smiling
2. Calls his parents weekly just to say hi
3. Loves to snuggle with Jay in the morning
4. Will pretty much try anything
5. Holds strong to his values
6. Can still act an immature 16 around his High School buddies ;)
7. OBSESSED with BYU football
8. Works hard at everything he does
9. Has an easy way of brightening your day
10. Rarely complains
11. Can make friends with just about anyone
12. Loves the outdoors
13. Frequently makes up his own lyrics to songs
14. Tells me he loves me multiple times a day
15. LOVES hanging out with his little boy
16. Knows how to cut a leg of Jamón Serrano
17. Can name all of Santa's reindeer
18. Stays in touch with friends
19. Been to 17 different countries
20. Makes a mean tortilla
21. Favorite movie is Dumb & Dumber
22. Has been bungee jumping
23. Can navigate a car through a 12 lane round-about
24. Is an Eagle Scout
25. Falls asleep instantly when his head hits the pillow (although his eyes still appear to be open)
26. Knows how to use a "get out of jail free" card in Italy
27. Still knows all the words to the Rock Canyon Middle School theme song
28. BEST husband and father in the whole universe!!!

Here are a few pictures from our birthday celebrations.

Chipiona

We spent the weekend at the beach in the city of Chipiona. John and Maria live there during the summer months so they can make tons of money selling their mini donuts on the boardwalk. Since there are relatively few entrepreneurs here in Spain they make a killing. While we definitely miss having them closer it's nice to be able to crash at their place in Chipiona which is only a few hundred yards from the beach. Jay was more than thrilled to see his idol Johnny again. He's really obsessed. Next time we go visit them I need to get his reaction to first seeing Johnny or knowing that he is close by on tape. It's so cute! He starts making squealing noises and jumping around in pure delight. Luckily they play really well together, although Jay tends to hog all the balls. He doesn't mind as much when Johnny takes one from him though - not like when anyone else tries to touch his most precious of possessions.
On Friday night Mike and John decided to go spear fishing. The coast of Chipiona is covered with Roman walls which were and still are used for fishing. The walls, made of stone, begin at the coast and become higher as they stretch out to sea. The fish are trapped here by the tide which makes for great fishing conditions. Our men went out to catch us some lunch for the next day and they came back with a squid. Apparently there were a ton of people out fishing and so the pickings were slim. The squid was a great catch though since they are harder to find. John cleaned it up for us and then fried it making some very tasty chocos. I've had chocos in restaurants before and these were by far the best I've tasted since they were made so fresh!

We of course spent plenty of time on the beach while we were there. Jay's getting used to the ocean water now and actually got mostly in - I'm pretty sure seeing Johnny's example helped a lot. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of them playing since I was up on the beach relaxing and guarding our things. No worries, I know we'll be back for more.

Jay was pretty tuckered out from all the fun and would only let daddy hold him while he slept.

One of my favorite experiences being there was waking up early with Jay (I know - crazy, huh?) and sitting out on the porch overlooking the ocean while he played nearby. It was so peaceful and relaxing. We really enjoyed ourselves while everyone else slept away. Sometimes an early morning can be a good thing ;)

Jay and I have been alone for a few days while Mike's been away for work. We've been trying to stay out of the heat as much as possible. Andalucian summers are not my favorite part of living in Spain! Tomorrow we're heading back down to the beach where the ocean breeze makes the temperature a little cooler. We can't wait to play! Here's a video I took of Jay playing with his shapes toy and saying yellow and purple. It's so fun to see him trying to talk more and more.

Happy Father's Day

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

We had a nice, quiet Father's Day here in Spain. Mike pointed out that it is actually his fourth Father's Day since Spain celebrates Father's Day in March. While we live here he gets to celebrate twice a year! Too bad he doesn't get presents on the Spanish Father's Day too! Speaking of presents, I'd say Jay and I did pretty well this year. First Mike opened his cool new bookmarks from Jay. Since daddy loves to read Jay decided he might need some specially made bookmarks from his little boy. Each was decorated by Jay and has a picture of our little Roo at the top. I decided this might become a Father's Day tradition. You can always use a bookmark. As far as Mike's second Father's Day gift... well I'll just let you watch him open it. As a young lad Ty Detmer was Mike's idol. He knew virtually every statistic on the BYU Heisman Trophy winning quarterback of 1990. Of course he's still his favorite BYU quarterback of all time. Look how happy he is!!! After opening presents we cooked up a scrumptious Father's Day dinner. We made kabobs on the BBQ. They weren't any regular kabobs though. They included pre-marinated mushrooms and chicken. The chicken was wrapped in bacon and then skewered with the mushrooms and several chunks of pineapple in between. They were INCREDIBLE!!! Speaking of food, I also make Mike some homemade cinnamon rolls on Saturday morning. My first try! They pretty good if I do say so myself. Oh how I love allrecipes.com. And we love our wonderful husband/daddy too! Happy Father's Day Mike! And Happy Father's Day to Papa Lee and Papa Lynn too! We miss you both so much and hope you had a great day.

Taking a Walk

Jay of course loves taking walks outside and his new thing is to bring something with him that he can push. His best friend Johnny kindly let him borrow his mini shopping cart and Jay is in heaven! He takes it with him everywhere. I don't know what it is about pushing something around but Jay thinks it's the best. Here he is making his way down the paseo.And over onto the grass.We had such a good time together on Monday. We walked down to the store, bought some yummy Spanish bread and a little treat to share, and then made our way to the bird park. We found a bench to sit on and shared our treat in the shade. Jay is so sweet. He loves to give me bites. After we had chocolate all over ourselves we broke out the water bottle. Any time Jay sees or hears water he says, "agua, agua." Here's a video of him using his new word.

After resting we went over to see the ducks. I must say that I feel very badly for the ducks in the park. Why are they caged in? I used to love the duck pond south of BYU campus. Those ducks just seemed so happy and there were always plenty to feed all year round. I don't know why the Spaniards don't let the ducks roam free around the pond. Maybe it's not that they're worried the ducks will get out but that the teenagers will get in and make a mess of things. I could see that happening. The poor ducks look trashed. I don't know if it's being in confined quarters or what but they're always fighting and picking on each other. Many of them have missing feathers. Never the less, we do have fun feeding them. Jay made me laugh when he copied the way the ducks eat their bread crumbs. He was right on! Here's a video of him throwing the ducks some bread and mimicking their motions. What a silly boy.

Popcicles

Sometimes after we get home from walking on a hot day we like to enjoy a Popsicle together. Here's Jay enjoying the gooey goodness.

Spanish Truckers on Strike

It looks like the good times for the Spanish economy are officially over. Housing prices are dropping, inflation is up along with unemployment and now the truckers are on strike. Spanish truckers have gone on strike to protest the rising cost of fuel. Over the past 6 months prices have gone up 30%. Truckers are asking the government to intervene by creating a minimum price on fuel for transport companies to pay. They're pretty serious. Any truckers attempting to carry on with their work have had their tires slashed and windows smashed in. Truckers have also blockaded entrances to factories and major roads creating serious traffic jams and stopping any commercial transportation into Spain. What does this mean for us? Probably nothing too significant. The base gas station and tiny supermarket are temporarily not receiving food and fuel shipments.. The supermarkets in town have similarly stopped receiving shipments. We have enough food to last us for a while though and there still is plenty to be bought. I imagine this strike won't last too long. Even if it does no one worry, the Military won't leave us stranded here! We've heard that these strikes are relatively common and things will go back to normal before long.

Hey, at least they're enjoying themselves right? :)

Day with the sun

On Saturday we decided to drive down to Chipiona for a day at the beach. Our day started out great when Jay woke up at 7:30 am!!! That's seriously sleeping in for him. We headed toward the playa around Jay's nap time so he'd sleep in the car and be ready to go when we arrived. On our way down we enjoyed seeing the endless fields of bright yellow sunflowers. Although it's already starting to get hot here we love this time the year in Spain because it's so colorful and we can "legally" where flip flops again. The Spaniards have an unspoken rule stating no sandals are to be worn until June 1. I suppose it's similar to our no white after Labor Day rule except that everyone here actually follows this fashion rule... or perhaps it's just Mike and I who commit fasion faux pas no matter where we are. The weather was perfect for a beach day. We had plenty of sun and a little breeze coming off the ocean. Jay was in heaven. All day outside without having to prompt anyone with his new word "shoe." He and Mike ran back and forth up and down the beach chasing Jay's ball. They probably covered 5 miles following that ball! I happily watched them and read while catching some rays. Unfortunately I think I caught too many since my bum and the back of my legs were pretty red that night. Too little sunblock on the first day in the summer sun. Oops! Jay and I had fun building sandcastles while daddy read then Mike and I threw the Frisbee back and forth while Jay played in a little tide pool. He wasn't brave enough to get in the ocean; I think it's a little too loud for his liking. We're hoping this will change as he gets older. We had such a blast! We are constantly wishing we lived closer to the beach but at least we're only an hour away. We've both vowed that at one point in our lives we'll live on the beach. As one of my favorite Billy Joel song says,
"You've got your passion, you've got your pride,
but don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"
Mike and I love to dream. And actually Vienna still is waiting for us! We haven't been yet and don't know when we'll get there but we will get there ;) Good thing we both love to travel. It would be harder if one of us didn't. So our day at the beach ended up being a great success. We were all pretty tuckered out by the end of the day. Jay fell asleep in the car on the way home at 7:15 pm. Not even a 12 hour day for our Roo :) Oh how I love the weekends!

Line Dancing

Last Friday night Mike and I attended the "Copa" here on Base. Once a year all the Spanish and American head honchos from the Base get together to celebrate their good relationship. Since there are only a few OSI agents here we get to go too! The Americans put on the party and they always have a theme to go along. Last year it was Hawaiian and this year it was a Western/Cowboy theme. It was fun to see all of our Guardia Civil friends and their wives (Mike's counterpart here in Spain). I especially enjoyed being able to communicate better with everyone this year. During the party the Base Commander's wife asked if I would participate in a little line dance show for the Spaniards. I decided what the heck? They won't know if I'm doing it right or wrong anyway :) Luckily it's pretty easy to learn line dance steps so when the four of us got up there to perform we looked decent. The Spaniards loved it. They all wanted to learn when we were through so we taught them the Electric Slide and had a good time dancing together. Here's Jay wearing daddy's bandanna the next morning. Maria was kind enough to watch him while we went out. The party didn't even start until his bedtime! Typical Spain :)In other Jay news... As I stated in the last post Jay is really excited about learning new words and imitating animal sounds. Last Sunday at church he decided it was time to show off his new talent to our ward. During sacrament meeting a baby blessing took place. The little baby girl was beautiful and she had a ton of hair. We were sitting in the second row from the front so Jay had a pretty good view of her. I have to mention that our ward has only a few young kids (Jay's the only toddler) and so Sacrament is typically a very quiet place. Well when the blessing began in the midst of this reverent group of people Jay started shouting, "Baby! Baby!" Then suddenly he started saying, "Meow! Baby, meow! Meow!" Mike and I could hardly keep from laughing out loud. He doesn't usually associate babies with kitty sounds but this little girl had so much hair that she must have reminded Jay of a kitty. Luckily when I started whispering to him about the blessing and how it was a quiet time he started whispering too, "baby, baby. meow." A little while later when the sacrament was being passed Jay heard a man sneeze and started barking, "Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo!" (that's his doggy sound). Who knew there were so many animals in sacrament meeting? I love this stage!
So who else is really excited about American Gladiators being back on TV? We've been watching it Friday nights and it brings back so many memories! Here's a picture of Mike and Jay watching together on the couch. I love how Jay's ankles are crossed. He absolutely adores his daddy. One last fun thing I have to mention (for record-keeping sake) is that Jay now sings "I am a Child of God" with us. Well he sort of babbles until we get to the last word in each phrase (God, Here, Home, Dear, Way, Day) then sings along. Kids are amazing! Here's a video of Jay saying his favorite word, "shoe?" Enjoy!