Day 3 - Gibralter

We decided to go to Gibralter for the afternoon as we felt there was too much to see and do for a quick morning trip before heading over to Morocco. This was our worst weather day because it was hazy and the views weren't as good as normal. I know, cry me a river, it was still sunny and perfect in the low 70's. The drive to Gibralter we made two more times and we could see it as we drove down the coast. I wish I had been able to stop and get a better picture. I'm really thankful we did Gibralter as its own day because we spent more time looking around than I thought we would. We parked in Spain and then walked across the runway. That is kind of interesting. They open and close the walkway/street between landing planes so you've got to keep moving across the runway! We depended on public transportation which sometimes drives me crazy as it slows us down having to wait for a particular bus. Being a completely different country we got to go to McDonald's for lunch so Jeff could add to his country count (lucky us!). After lunch we planned to take the cable car to the top of the rock and see the view and the monkeys everyone talks about. Unfortunately we got all the way there and then found out the cable car was not running that day. We thought about going to the fortress or the wartime caves but decided to just head over to the beach on the sheer cliff side of the rock. It was a gorgeous little cove. The problem was that we had planned to drive to one of the beaches on the way home so the swim suits were in the car. So when in Spain....we stripped the boys to their undies and no one cared a bit! I kept my clothes on, and I had a nice cup of tea at a beachside cafe while the big boys played on the beach. The boys enjoyed this more than the fortress anyway. It was a relaxing afternoon for us all but ended too quickly when the sun went behind the enormous rock.

Day 2 - Saturday in Granada

Colton in his baby bijorn. He was such a trooper all throughout the day....until he got hungry and then this....

The only truly planned thing about our holiday was a visit to the Alhambra in Granada. I learned about it in school many years ago and always wanted to visit. It was a beautiful drive just over an hour long. The Alhambra is a huge complex of park and palaces circa 14th century. There are many different sections to visit, and the architecture is amazing. Moorish and Spanish mixed together. We spent a beautiful afternoon walking the grounds and snapping photos. We even did some shopping. Each of the boys got a new slingshot from one of the shops. The views of Granada and the mountains were pretty amazing. The Sierra Nevada mountain was covered with snow.

The boys posed for these photos with the palaces in the background. Handsome fellows! The other sight I really wanted to see was the cathedral where Isabel and Ferdinand are buried. We tried to go in but they were in the middle of mass. We made a hasty exit.

We had a wonderful dinner on one of the plaza's near the cathedral. Jeff had this magnificient piece of fish fully encased and cooked in salt. It had to be cracked open. The boys thought this was pretty interesting. We really enjoyed this city and the surrounding area. Wish we had more time to explore the area a bit more.

Spring Break - Day 1

FINALLY, a vacation! Well deserved and well needed if you ask me. Jeff has been working tremendously long hours and we haven't been able to do lots of traveling with the pregnancy and new little baby. So this was our first large adventure travelling with 5 people. Let's just say that preparing for all 5 of us provided a lot more effort than just traveling with the 4 of us. Plus we were flying and that provides it's own set of challenges with weight allowances. Our plane left at 7 am so we decided to drive to Gatwick the night before and shuttle in. It was still a 0330 wake up call to catch the shuttle and check in 2 1/2 hours early. Colton slept through the entire process in his car seat and woke up in time to eat as we were taking off. We arrived to see the SUN!!! A beautiful glowing orb that we'd heard tell of up in these parts! We headed to our villa which was 3 times the size of the house we're living in with a heated pool in the backyard. I think Jackson stripped down to nothing and jumped in within five minutes of arrival! We then headed to the beach and spent the afternoon there. We stayed within a 1/4 of a mile from a pretty nice beach so it was an easy walk. I absolutely love the Med. The big boys were immediately in the water and sand. Colton dipped his toes into the water and didn't really like it. He was really intrigued by the water though and wanted to watch the waves come in and out. He just didn't like the temperature I think. (Mom: notice he's wearing a hat, and yes, we applied sunscreen too!) After cleaning up we ventured forth to the supermercado which I always love. It's too much fun to see all the fun products they have in different countries. And then we had a nice relaxing dinner as Colton slept through the entire meal. It was a great start to the vacation! It's Friday, this must be Spain!

Big 4 Month Old

It is hard for me to believe that it has already been four months since our little baby was born. At the same time, he's so giant that it's hard for me to believe that he's ONLY four months old. We can't take him anywhere without folks commenting on how large his is. We just say he's supersized, kind of like daddy's favorite restaurant McDonalds. So what is Colton like at 4 months? He's rolling but inconsistently. He is incredibly interested in EVERYTHING he sees. He loves going to his brother's soccer games. He smiles for just everyone, he's always a happy baby. And he's really working to sit up. He doesn't want to lie back anymore. He works so hard to sit straight up out of his bouncy seat. He has the funniest expressions. He's always perplexed looking if he isn't smiling. His laugh is hysterical and he loves playing peek-a-boo. He'll jump when you say boo and then laugh. We think at his four month appointment he'll be over 20 lbs as he's fitting into his 12 months clothes very nicely at this point. I'm so lucky I've got some great friends who have quickly provided some hand me downs so the clothing bill isn't so high!

Colton's Day out in London

We had the opportunity through the Lakenheath Officer Spouses Group to take a free bus trip to London for the day. Jeff and I decided to take Colton as it was going to be a 12 or 13 hour day. I was a little bit nervous, with our big MDG charity auction the night before stimulating him a bit more than I thought it would, that he would be a mess during the day. However, he did brilliantly! Just like a little British boy should. He took turns being carried by mommy and daddy throughout the day in his little front pack. He took in all the sights and sounds of the busy streets, riding a bus and even the tube throughout the day. We decided to spend the day doing things the other boys would most likely not enjoy. So we went shopping up and down Portabello Road. It's this cool market street by Notting Hill. It's in the movie in scenes. I watched it after we got home and recognized shops throughout. We hung out with several of my friends Wendy Lawlor and Sarah Hall and picked up a few neat things from the market vendors. We also visited the largest map shop in the world. Jeff fell in love with a map of Texas which was several hundred years old. I told him no as it cost 27 thousand pounds. We found one of the Suffolk area we live in that we really liked. So perhaps for fathers day it will appear as it was considerably less than 27,000 pounds. Then Jeff had never been to Harrods. It is the most amazing store I've ever been in so we poked around a bit and visited the food halls for some tasty treats for the bus ride home. It was a fun day and it gives me hope that Colton will be a great little traveler.

Mummy's Baby - The Happy Chappy

Colton is growing so quickly I feel I have to post all these sweet pictures of him so I won't forget all the faces and cute looks he gives us daily. He's a real thinker this one. He's always willing to give up a sweet smile when asked. He gets passed around and fussed over by all of my friends and folks up at Jeff's work. He's such a good baby he almost makes me want another.

Mommy's Two New FAVORITE Boys

Okay, so everyone knows I'm CRAZY about my 3 sons! But I have discovered two new "men" in my life that I ADORE! Bob and Dyson make my life as a mom and housewife a dream! Dyson is my houseboy. He picks up dirt like you wouldn't believe. And Bob goes with me everywhere helping take care of my hauling giant baby needs. Both of these purchases while extravagant make my life easier. I have to look at Jeff every time we use Bob and tell him how much I love using that stroller! It just makes me happy.