Spain

Casey and I ditched the kids and went to Spain at the end of June. It was our first real vacation since we got married, and it was fantastic. Thanks to Bob and Hilda who came out and stayed with the kids and made it all possible.

We spent most of our time in Seville, where Casey actually had a conference to go to (hence the impromtu trip to Europe). It's beautiful there, so much so that it doesn't seem real. Half the time we felt like we were sitting in a Disneyland or Vegas reproduction, it was so perfectly quaint. Seriously, check this out. Can this possibly be real? And every street in the city looks like this.



One of the most beautiful sights in Seville is the cathedral, which is absolutely huge. Here you can see part of it with the bell tower. The medieval-looking wall in the picture is the outer wall of the royal palace in Seville, which is still used by the royal family today.



Okay, now I'll save you a travelogue of our tour of Spain, and just include a few highlights. Here we are inside the cathedral. I got to sit on the royal family's pew.




Christopher Columbus is buried in Seville, which is where he sailed from on his historic journey to discover the Americas.



And here's our self portrait in the bell tower.



We also got to spend a day in Granada, which was the last Muslim kingdom in Spain. It is also beautiful, of course.




At the end of our trip we spent a day and a half in Madrid. Here we are at the royal palace in Madrid, and the cathedral.




Casey got to fly business class while I was stuck back in coach, which he just loved. And just to rub it in, when we made our connection in Paris the airline wouldn't even let business and coach enter the plane through the same door. But I still had to walk through business to get to my seat, which is just plain mean.



It was a fantastic trip, and so good to be able to spend so much time alone with Casey. You know, when we're not Mom and Dad, we're pretty fun together. Thanks for letting me tag along on your trip, Casey!

Little League Recap

Although it may seem like it, we haven't dropped off the face of the planet, and in fact have been pretty busy. Here's a few of the things we've been up to the past weeks.

Andrew finished his first season of t-ball, and loved every minute of it. He wasn't exactly the star of the team -- okay, so he was the kid that chased butterflies and picked dandelions in the outfield -- but he was always the life of the dugout, and he played with a great group of kids that got along really well. Here's a few highlights from his first season.

Poor Willa

Willa doesn't get to take part in birthday week. Willa has to have her birthday all alone.



Willa doesn't get birthday pancakes.



Willa has to wear funny hats and outfits.




Willa doesn't get a party, or her own cake. Willa gets terrorized by candles in cupcakes.



Willa has to make her own present.






Poor Willa. What a sad 3rd birthday.

Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day. I don't have to cook, I don't have to do dishes, I don't have to put kids to bed. Basically I don't have to do anything, and I LOVE it. Casey really does Mother's Day right. One of the highlights for the past 2 years has been the Mother's Day Tea hosted by Andrew's preschool. Each class makes food, decorates, makes gifts for the moms, and best of all performs a song or two. It is super cute. This year Andrew's class made a cookbook of their moms' favorite recipes, according to the kids. Andrew's recipe was awesome, I'll put it below for a good laugh.



But of course all you really want to see is the song. Bear in mind when you watch this that there is no trick photography here, he really is just freakishly tall compared to the rest of his class. (Which is sometimes a problem because he has no concept of personal space boundaries.)




Strawberry Shortcake (by Andrew)

Ingredients:
1 c flour
2 Tbsp vanilla
3 c baking powder
1-2 c oil
10 c sugar
2 eggs
3-4 c cinnamon
frosting from Walmart
blueberries from Shoppers (very smart since Andrew is allergic to strawberries)
colorful sprinkles

First we make the cake and second we put the blueberries inside the cake. Put it in the oven on 4 for 15 minutes. Then we put the strawberry shortcake frosting on and then some sprinkles on. Then we eat it on Mother's Day.

How You Can Tell Winter is Over

Or, "How You Can Tell Andrew is Having a Growth Spurt."

Exhibit A:



Exhibit B:



Exhibit C:



Now that the weather is nice, Andrew wants to spend all his free time -- and time that is not free -- outside. But I'm convinced the sidewalks in our neighborhood have a personal vendetta against him. He literally cannot go out without coming back with blood dripping from somewhere, and his knees and legs are so bruised up that I'm afraid to send him to school in shorts, or I'll get reported to the authorities.

Somehow, I don't think he minds.

T-ball

Andrew is loving t-ball. How cute are these kids?



He was all ready for business for his first at-bat. Notice the dirt on his knees. Mind you, he was the first batter of the game. He just couldn't help sliding around the field before the game started.



His first at-bat was a success -- he only swung and missed once.





It's crazy how time-intensive Little League is. I swear I get multiple emails from the league every day. They've even got Casey working at the games.



But you have to admit, the kid's got style. He obviously gets that from me.



Willa has fun at the games, too. She even made a new friend, the little sister of one of Andrew's teammates. They are almost exactly the same age, and together they are too cute for words.




As much fun as she has as a spectator, however, Willa is convinced she's a member of the team. Whenever Andrew's manager calls the team together for stretching, instructions, or after the game to hand out the game ball, Willa always runs right in with the group.

Time for a big girl bed