POD "Food Friends"

I have a feeling these kids are going to be the BEST of friends. ESPECIALLY... when there is food around. :)

POD "Before Teethers, Came..."

Before there were those cute, little, colorful, dishwasher-safe teethers... what did we do?! Well, those poor kids must have had NOTHING to chew on.

NOT. It dawned on me Saturday night, while we dined at our favorite Italian restaurant, that a hunk of fresh bread makes the PERFECT teething food for babies. So, I gave Finlay a piece and let him go to town. He loved it.

And to think ... I spent money on those special teething biscuits. ;)

POD "Why mop?"

And then God said... "Why mop when you can blog instead?"

Between the mop handle that snapped in half and the heart shaped suds in the bucket... I knew someone was trying to send me a message. :)

Rota CARNIVAL!!!

It's Carnival time in Rota again! A time for song, dance, costumes and drinking in the streets! (Think really fun adult halloween party that lasts for almost 2 weeks!) Surprisingly enough, I neglected to share the pictures with you that I took from LAST year's carnival, so I'll start with a few of those! The first picture is a shot of Rocio and pregnant me (oh how different this year was), waiting in the street for her boyfriend Javi's Chirigota to perform. :)

Chirigotas (accd'ing to Wikipedia) are well-known witty and satiric groups that train for the whole year to sing about politics, topics in the news, and everyday circumstances, while all of the members wear identical costumes. Each chirigota – whether a professional group or one made up of family members, friends or colleagues – has a wide repertoire of songs. They sing in the streets and squares, at improvised venues like outdoor staircases or portals, and in established open-air tablaos (tableaux) organized by the carnival clubs.


Here is a shot and video of Javier's chirigota performing last year as "geeks." So funny!


Another chirigota performing.And another. Seriously, the costumes are SO elaborate and funny!Fast forward one year, and you are now looking at Carnival 2012! While spending time at Rocio's home, her mom pulled out her VERY FIRST carnival costume. Of course, we had to put Finlay in the adorable clown suit! I cannot believe this costume is over 20 years old!!! So cute!
Yesterday afternoon, Matt and Fin and I headed into Rota to enjoy some of the costumes, songs and other Carnival sights. We found Javier's group performing on the street. This year they were dressed as "Kebab vendors" hehe. The Spanish aren't afraid to be a little politically incorrect. So funny! Check out the video.


We opted to dress Fin as BATMAN! (Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na batman!) Matt pointed out another couple with the same idea, and I couldn't believe it. It was my friend, the spanish teacher from the DODDS school here on base. Small town. :) Of course, we had to take a picture. What a cute family.
Don't worry, we didn't keep Fin in that annoying hat for long. Just for a couple photo ops. :)
What a great afternoon! I told Matt that wherever we end up living next, we WILL be holding a Carnival themed party, chirigota singing and all!!!

Fin'evision "Baths are Funny"

Hotel in Zermatt, Switzerland... $$$$
Catching Finlay's first true giggles on Camera... Priceless.

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POD "Enjoying You"

Yesterday was just one of those days. We all have them. Days where we feel out of sync, not on our "A game," unable to keep up, not in control... I think you know what I'm talking about. For a mom, that means the laundry and dishes are piling up, the floor needs to be swept, the baby won't allow you to put him down, but he won't sleep either. Yep. That was my day.

So, what do I do on those days? Well, for a couple hours, I fight it. I AM going to get something done, fussy baby or not. BUT... usually... when I'm smart... I surrender and wave my invisible white flag. Okay Finlay, you win. I am NOT going to do any cleaning (or ANYTHING for that matter) today. Instead, I am going to sit, and enjoy you. Not half-ass play with you like it is some sort of chore while I selfishly wish I was on facebook or blogging or having a cocktail on some tropical beach. Nope. I am going to shut all that out of my mind and ENJOY just being with you and playing with you in the sunshine. So, yesterday, that's what I did. And what do you know... he cheered right up. Actually, I did too. :)



So those days when you aren't seeing a blog or a facebook post from me, now you know where I am. I am enjoying my amazing, little, growing-up-way-too-fast, Finlay.

THE SWISS ALPS: A photo adventure!

This past Presidents' Day weekend we headed to Switzerland for some snow capped mountains and fresh air! It was a long weekend of travel (Four 4 hour trains, two 1 1/2 hour flights, three hotels) especially with a 6 month old! I must admit though, Fin is probably the best little traveler I know! He was a hit on the trains. He would just stare at the other passengers with a big open mouthed smile, waiting for them to give him a glance back. As soon as they discovered the little stalker eyeing them down, he'd give 'em a huge grin (as if it could get any bigger) and start dancing around, talking and giggling. I just loved it, because even the weathered, grumpy old men couldn't hide from the highly contagious disease called cuteness. They smiled right back, and that, of course, egged Fin on even more. Here's our little social butterfly on the train to Madrid. OH! And don't forget, if you're on our website viewing these (not by email) you can click on the pictures to enlarge them!***
... Crazy little man... :) OH, and here he is with his FIRST travel toy (Every trip requires an exciting, new travel toy!) After the long train ride we found our hotel and were ready to crash for the night... of course, the party animal was just getting started. He thought the new room and lights were great.I figured out how to use this sippy cup thing! As long as I'm laying down.... :)
Waiting for our flight from Madrid to Geneva. When traveling with infants... one must get creative. Here's our portable play pen... ;)
Daddy and Fin watching our Swiss Air flight arrive. Like I said, one must get creative.... Here's my idea for plane entertainment. Hey, it prevents all the toys from dropping on the floor!
First view of the mountains from the plane!!! You're seeing the snow caps that are ABOVE the clouds!!! :)
Ummmmm, so Swiss Air is amazing. They still give free food, drinks, and luggage (FOR FIN TOO and he didn't even have a seat!!!) Can I just say how amazing that veggie pizza was?!?!?My lil sleeping beauty... :)
Remember when I told you Swiss Air was amazing? Ummm they offer you Swiss Chocolate too. Don't mind if I do! :) Hehe I love the faces of the people. You know that stewardess is like "You best not be takin' more than one piece, mmmm hmmmmm! *Finger wag*
Switzerland is known for their chocolate... and cheese! Gotta love this menu item!Fin and I were both a bit nervous on the train that climbed to our little town in Zermatt (second 4 hour train ride of the trip). There were lots of tunnels and cliffs! ;)

Thank GOD we didn't decide to drive... as we would have had to cross THIS bridge over the gorge.Enjoying the scenery from the train from Geneva to Zermatt.No, but seriously, it was a beautiful train ride. YAY! Zermatt at last! And what a dreamy, romantic, quaint (AND EXPENSIVE) ski town! :) The view from our hotel window that opened right up to the fresh air. Fin loved that.
While I relaxed in the hotel with Fin so he could take a morning nap, Matt got out to explore and take some pictures. LOTS of skiers and shopping.
The beautiful, famous Matterhorn peak. We took a cog train HALF (only halfway) up one of the mountains with the skiers to catch some scenery shots. It would have been great if Fin hadn't terrified us. He's okay now, but without going into detail, let's just say he didn't react well to the quick rise in elevation and thinner air. Easily the scariest thing I've ever gone through as a mom. Seriously Fin, you're six months old... we've already had two trips to the emergency room, an ambulance ride, a 2 day hospital stay that included every test in the book as well as an IV... and now this?!?!?! How many times are you going to do this to me before you're 20???????

Matt did manage to snag a few shots while we nervously waited for the FIRST train back DOWN the mountain to better air.

Fin seemed back to himself as soon as we headed to lower elevation. Unfortunately Mom was shaky, nauseaus and and a bit teary eyed the rest of the day.

Nevertheless, the trip must go on... and so... we ate. :)

The fondue was spectaaaaaaaaaacular and Matt was a BIG fan of the sausage and potatoes dish.
More pics of the town...

Check out that place you can BARELY see way up there on the ridge!Fin needed some rest, so Matt and I joined him with some down time in the room, overlooking the busy street with a nice glass of vino.
The sun set over the mountains...Out for a stroll again.

OH, adding to the storybookness of this town... there are NO cars allowed. The only thing roaming the streets are shoppers, skiers, and these super cute electric taxis shuttling people back and forth from the lifts to their hotels.This would have made for the most amazing honeymoon. SO many dreamy bars and pubs where you can cuddle up next to the fire for a nice brew, dinner or glass of wine.
Matt and Fin found some Swiss handicraft.
And I found some CHOCOLATTTTTTTTTTE!


And we both were more than satisfied to have an elegant, romantic dinner at... the brat stand. :)
On the 4 hour train ride back to Geneva, we enjoyed some more scenery. I can't believe people actually live in these sleepy towns!
There were SO many cool run down buildings like these. I could have had a FIELD day taking pictures if I wasn't confined to the train.
Found a cave!The water was SO, SO, SO ice blue. Beautiful.

In conclusion, the Swiss Alps:

1. Have amazing chocolate, cheese, brats and skiing.

2. Has to be one of the most expensive places in the world. How expensive? Like 29 dollars for some Jalapeno poppers expensive... Ouch, my wallet hurts.

3. At high altitudes, is not the safest for babies under one year of age.

4. Have the most storybook, DREAMY, romantic towns.

5. Have some of the most spectacular scenery.

:)