A Day of Exploring

The week we got home from Madrid, we were able to take a day with friends and go explore some new spots in our beautiful new country.  We drove 3 hours north and went swimming in one of the "Natural Swimming Pools."  It was beautiful and refreshing!

Weston is a really good swimmer... but that water was cold! :)

Swimming is one of the boys' favorite things to do!

I am so surprised at how much Carolina loves the water... even cold water!

After swimming for a while, the kids got hungry.  We drove another 15 minutes and found a beautiful place near a creek.  The boys loved being outside where they could be as loud as they wanted.  I seriously think water and rocks can keep my boys occupied for an entire day. :)

These are some typical Spanish picnic dishes- a Spanish "Tortilla"- made of eggs and potatoes.  Carolina loved it. :)

After we ate, we went hiking along the creek.  It was so peaceful and GREEN!  We have to travel north in order to find green.   It's very dry and hot in Cáceres. :)  After the kids got tired of walking, we drove to a nearby town for some refreshments.

This was the town square.  We sat at a little cafe and got coffee... the kids got popsicles.

Carolina had her first popsicle ever.  Can you tell she loved it? :)

This is very typical in Extremadura.  That is ham hanging... very expensive ham, actually.

We had a long drive home after a fun day exploring, but it was so worth it.  Spain is so beautiful and we have so much more to see!

Weston's 7th Birthday!

What does every 7 year old boy in Spain want for their birthday... just days after the World Cup?  Yes, you guessed it.  A Spain jersey.  My parents had asked Weston what he wanted for his birthday, and that was the ONLY thing he said... well, the jersey with the shorts and the socks and the shoes and the ball!  (I can't believe how 'futbol' crazy my boys have become.)  Of course, Mom and Dad couldn't find Spain stuff in the States, so we decided we would look here.

We looked everywhere in Cáceres, trying to find one, but couldn't.  Cáceres is so small... there are SO many things we can't find here that I'm sure we could in a larger city.  So, when we went to Madrid, we made it a point of finding one for him.   He was thrilled.  I think it was the highlight of his week!... and of course, he got to wear it the day of his birthday. :)  (It's a bit too warm to wear the socks, but the rest works!)

We have several traditions for birthdays around here, and one of them is that the birthday boy gets to choose whatever he wants for dinner.  Weston chose hamburgers and fries... a good ole American dinner! ... at least he hasn't become TOO European! ;)  Anyway, that was totally a 'Wes' meal, so Wes made Weston's birthday dinner!  The burgers were incredible, and he cut potatoes and fried them and everything.  It was scrumptious! (and I didn't have to make it!!!!) :)  The kids all loved it.

Of course, continuing Weston's latest obsession, we also had to have a soccer ball birthday cake.  Ok, now I'm so hesitant to even put this picture on here.  It doesn't even compare to the cakes I've seen some of my friend's make in the States!... that whole new marshmallow fondant thing being the new craze. :)  I think y'all are just way better than I am.  We don't have cake mixes here... we don't have canned frosting here... we don't even have marshmallows!!!! :) (So that's my excuse :) ) haha. :)

At Nathan's birthday, I couldn't find powdered sugar, so I couldn't figure out how to make frosting.  I improvised there and made a brownie cake with just candy on top.  But, I knew I couldn't do that for Weston's.  I was so thankful for a friend who showed me where I could find powdered sugar and what it was called!!  We had to buy tons of cans of it, though, b/c it doesn't come like we get it in the States.  It's so funny how the most basic things are just different here!  Anyway, I found an amazing recipe for vanilla and chocolate frosting on the internet, and it turned out pretty good!... it tasted good, anyway. :)  I'm sure I'll get better at all this stuff with each passing birthday. :)  It's a good thing we have a large family... I'll get lots of practice. :)

The other thing that has kind of become a tradition is that we skype my mom and dad, so they can be part of the "party" as well.  Thank the Lord for technology!  It's never quite the same, but at least we all feel a tad bit "less far away," if that makes any sense. :)  I still can't believe my Weston is SEVEN!  All in all, it was a special day for Weston!! :)

Madrid and the World Cup!

The second week of July, we all packed everyone into the van and we headed to Madrid for a meeting with all the missionaries in the Western Mediterranean "Cluster"... we got to see many of our friends again!  It was wonderful to be with other missionaries... and especially to worship together in ENGLISH! :)  it's kinda crazy how we have taken that so for granted!  There is something amazingly powerful about lifting praise to our King all together... in on accord (in words we could understand.)  It was so refreshing.  This meeting was planned before we were even here on the field... who would've ever guessed that Spain would be in the WORLD CUP on the first night of our conference?!?!

We left Cáceres early so that we could get to Madrid and relax a little at the hotel with the kids before we actually started our meeting.  We were thankful that we did, b/c (according to our friends) the traffic ended up getting really bad with everyone coming into Madrid to celebrate and watch the World Cup.  That night, we ended our meeting in time for everyone to be able to watch the game.  There was a big party in the hotel, and they were also showing the game in the REAL Madrid Stadium (just blocks from us), but we had the pleasure of watching it with 3 excited little boys. :)  Before we left home, we shopped around a bit and found España t-shirts for the whole family.  It was such a big deal to the boys... it was cute.   I had made some special snacks before we left home, so that we could enjoy the game together.  So, we all piled on beds and couches in our hotel room and watched Spain win the World Cup!  What a night!! :)

 

After the game was over, we could hear the screaming, yelling, hoking, and even fireworks very late into the night.  It was so thrilling for the boys. :)

While Wes and I were in meetings and training sessions, the kids were with a group of volunteers from the States who had come on a mission trip to take care of all of our kids during this conference!  They had quite a task ahead of them... there were SO many kids!  The actually did VBS (Vacation Bible School) for them throughout the week.  The first time we dropped the kids off was a little rough for Nathan and Carolina.  It was almost like we had shifted back to our "transition mode," and they were insecure again. But, they eventually adjusted and really had a great time!  The volunteers were wonderful.  The last day, the kids all came in and did a little presentation for us. 

It was a fun time to be with friends, worship, learn... and get our "American" fix.  :)  Most evenings, we went until 10:30pm (it was a long week for my kids who normally go to bed around 7:30!), but we did have one evening free.  We took all four kids on the Metro in Madrid and went to Taco Bell!  It was a great treat... although, I still can't believe we made SUCH a trip for Taco Bell.  Thankfully, we had other families with us; and some helped us by trading off and on carrying Carolina and eventually Nathan. :) haha.  BUT, we got Taco Bell... with fountain drinks and free refills!  (Neither of which is normal here in Cáceres!)  Wes and I also sneaked away during one of our breaks to find Starbucks!  Wow... now THAT was a treat!  There's no such thing as flavored coffee in Cáceres.  I got the largest size, and savored every sip! :)  

Saying Goodbye

                  Left to Right: Timon, Joel, Daniel, Wes, Paul

In the beginning of July, we said goodbye to Daniel who was one of the Journeymen here with us.   Daniel was one of the first people we met when we arrived in Spain.  He and Joel picked us up in Madrid.  From the moment we met Daniel, he has held a special place in our hearts.  My boys fell in love with him from the start, and he often came over to wrestle and play with the boys... no better way to win over three little boys! :)  During his last couple days here, we got together and had some "game" time.

Daniel's girlfriend, Natalie, and one of her friends came to stay with us overnight (our very first guests here in Spain!) at the tail end of a month long mission trip in Africa.  We were so excited to meet Natalie, since we had heard so much about her from Daniel!  I'm bummed I never did get a picture of Ashley.  They were both so sweet, and we enjoyed the fellowship!  And, of course, Natalie won the heart of my little girl.  Carolina was just enthralled with her.  I think she thought Natalie was a princess. :)  AND she had "pretties" on her arm... it doesn't get better than that, for Carolina!! :)

We had a little going away party in the park for Daniel.  The boys each drew pictures for him and; of course, they had to explain what each thing was.  We have missed Daniel since he's been gone, but we know the Lord is using him greatly where he is right now.

Left to Right: Carolina, Daniel, Weston, Jonathan, and Abby (Joel and Angela's daughter)