Merry Christmas

I have much to say, but I don't feel much in the mood for a long post at the moment.  Still, I couldn't let the day go by without wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. :)  Santa brought Emily an easel that she is in love with.  She really loves the chalkboard side.  The other side is a magnetic whiteboard.  Santa also brought some really nice animal magnets to play with, which she also enjoys.

Lately, coloring has become a favorite thing to do and so we thought that an easel would be the perfect gift.  It turns out we were right, though the box warns it's for 3+ kids.  Poo, on their recommendations!  ...And I can't even imagine what she'll do when we introduce her to paint! ;)

We had a very merry morning.  Angelines got up with us to see what Santa brought, then went back to bed since she had gone to sleep at 5am and is fighting a nasty cold.  We cleaned the bar with abuela and tita and then had Christmas lunch at tita's house.  Before going down for her nap, we all three watched Frosty The Snowman--a personal Christmas favorite--and this evening we made gingerbread cookies which I hope to deccorate tomorrow.  So, it's been a Christmasy day only made better by the fact that I spent all afternoon on Skype with my family laughing with them as they opened presents.  It was almost like being there.

I hope you've also celebrated with family and that Santa's brought you everything you asked for (and more).

Merry Christmas!

Long Live Leftovers!

It is a well-known fact that the very best part of a Thanksgiving day feast are the leftovers that, if you're lucky, last more than a week!  Every November I look forward to at least a week of turkey in all it's variable creative, culinary reincarnations.  And don't even get me started on the mashed potates, yams, gravy, stuffing and the pies...Oh, the pies!  Eating my second Thanksgiving feast on Friday, before the pickings get slim, requiring a bit more preparation, is my second favorite meal of the year. 

And yet, the term "leftovers" in Spain is almost derogatory.  I think I have offended more than one person in my time here by offering to prepare them a plate of sobras.  It's as if I were suggesting that they somehow weren't good enough for the "real" food.  Or perhaps it's a matter of pride?  Sobras in Spanish carries the connotation of the unwanted remnants, which isn't the case at all with the English word.  Although, pondering linguistic dilema, the English teacher in me concludes that the meaning can be similar to Spanish in cases when the word is accompanied by the definite article "the".  There is a differnce between giving some leftovers and giving the leftovers.  Grammar aside, my mind is still boggled by this cultural difference, even after ten years here, and so I wanted to briefly blog in honor of the beauty represented by a refridgerator full of leftovers!

Our bird this year was exraordinarily large: 11.5k or 25lbs.  That is a big turkey even by U.S. butterball standards; in Spain it's virtually unheard of.  I was honestly worried that it wouldn't fit in my oven.  Angelines glibly suggested cutting off the thighs and cooking them separately if it came down to it--a thought which completely horrified me, of course.  In the end I was able to tuck it together nicely and it fit on the lowest rack in my little Spanish oven scraping the sides and just missing the top by less than a centimeter.  It was a close call, to say the least.

Needless to say, this year I was much more generous doling out the turkey to our guests.  In general Spaniards refuse to take leftovers from joint meals.  It seems the unspoken rule is "host takes all".  Even when you bring a plate of something, it would be terrible manners to take what hasn't been eaten back home with you.  Usually after some obligatory heckling and repeated polite refusals I can get people to take SOME of what they've brought home with them, but inevitably I am left with much more food than I bargained for. 

My covetous, glutonous instinct as a food lover, is of course to delight in the fact that I can keep all the spoils to myself and not be seen as a stingy pig!  But this year, in light of our huge turkey, I was legitimately concerned I wouldn't be able to eat all the possible leftovers; there are only three of us, after all.  Nor do I have endless freezer space to store food for longer periods of time, so I was more insistant than ever that people take leftover turkey, etc. home with them.   

When all was said and done, I still had a large plate piled high with cuts of breast and thigh, and of course the carcass was all mine.  I always make a batch of broth with half the bones and freeze half to make more in a few months' time.  This year, I made broth and was able to divide the rest of the carcass into two parts to make broth two more times.  I am elated.  Turkey soup is perhaps the highlight of the winter months, as far as I'm concerned. 

My creativity with turkey was more limited than in past years.  Aside from our second Thanksgiving, we ate turkey soup twice in the week and a delicious turkey curry pie I made up with,you guessed it!, leftover pie crust.  But I also savoured turkey on my morning tostadas for a full week.  My only other moment of inspiration with Thanksgiving leftovers came when faced with two small bowls of cranberry relish.

My mom brought me a few cans of whole cranberries when she and my dad came here for Thanksgiving the year Emily was born.  I used the last one this year.  At home, my mom always buys OceanSpray fresh cranberries and makes a mean no-cook cranberry relish...but cranberries are hard to come by in Spain, since they are not grown here and so I have learned to make a suitable cranberry sauce of my own with whatever I can get.  The first year I was here I used current berries, but since then I have always had a some shipment or hand-delivery (my favorite) from the States to help make this most typical of Thanksgiving garnishes.

I made two different cranberry sauces this year.  One more similar to my mom's with orange and walnut, and one that caught my eye on the can.  It was a sort of compote, I suppose.  Apple, onion, orange zest and cranberries simmer together until the apple is soft, then you add ginger, cinnamon and allspice--fantastic.  It was the apple-cranberry sauce gave me the idea.  After my turkey pie I still had a little extra crust and I am loathe to throw anything away if I can avoid it.  I rolled it out and put it in a mini pie tin I have, then chopped up some more apple and mixed it with the cranberry sauces to make a pie filling.  I must say, my cran-apple pie was outstanding.  I highly recommend it to any of you looking for ways to make use of extra cranberry sauce after next year's Thanksgiving.

Well there you have it, the nitty-gritty of post-Thanksgiving goings-on in my kitchen: Long Live Leftovers!! ;)

I am Thankful for...

I suppose it isn't a tradition unique to my family, but every year at Thanksgiving, we go round the dinner table and all share something we are thankful for.  Depending on the year, it can be easier or more difficult.  Since Thursday I have been thinking of everything I am grateful for--an important thing to do, and not just once a year!--and I am overwhelmed by all of it.  All of us complain about things like mortgage payments, or electricity bills, or the rising gas prices...but shouldn't we take pause and reflect on the fact that we have a house? We have electric lights and appliances?  We have a car?


And of course our gratitude should never limit itself to material things.  I am thankful for my health; for my loving, dedicated wife; for my amazing, inteligent, gentle daughter; for the friends who surround me here and the ones I miss so dearly from back home.  I am grateful for my beautiful, fun-loving sisters and as I grow into my role as a mother and parent, I am more and more grateful for my own parents whose endless dedication in my childhood and beyond has given me the confidence to be who I am.  I am thankful for my job and especially for my wonderful boss and coworkers who make going to work fun; and I am also thankful that I can afford to work only part-time so that I can be witness to my daughter's amazing growth and development.

I complain (more than I should) about skype, or patchy internet service, but I am thankful for the technology that allows me to keep in touch with all of you--my faraway family.  I complain of the distance that separates us, but I am grateful that I have means to visit you...even if it's less frequently than I would like.

I am extremely grateful that I have wonderful people--friends and family--here in Spain with whom I can celebrate this most wonderful of American holidays.  In the ten years I have lived here, I have made nine turkeys and eaten nine feasts.  In 2008, when I was home for Thanksgiving, my friends here celebrated in my honour.  It is too easy to wallow in negativity and fall into the consumerist trap of wanting more simply to have more; which is why Thanksgiving is such a beautiful holiday.  On Thanksgiving we can step back and take stock of what really matters in our lives.  On Thanksgiving we search for even the smallest thing for which to be thankful for in the midst of what may otherwise be darkness and with our gratitude bring light into our lives. 

With a grateful heart I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Terrific Two

My baby is two years old.  And her mother and I have pulled off a second fantastic birthday party. ;)  Three days later, I have finally recovered enough to sit down for a minute to blog about it.

Blowing out her candle :)

November 4th (yesterday) was Emily's actual birthday, but we celebrated on Wednesday the 2nd because that's our day off together.  It's not such a convenient day for the guests, but there was no way we could have pulled off a party on a day when either of us was working.  

Emily's birthday came as the pinnacle of a very long weekend for me.  November 1st, as you may know is All Saints' Day and a public holiday in Spain.  That means that I didn't have to work, but my dear Angelines did.  Since Tuesday was a holiday, most schools and my academy in Estepa took Monday off, as well.  So I didn't "work" Monday-Wed of this past week, but do not be fooled into thinking that I was well-rested come Thursday!  I was thoroughly exhausted, but in the most delightful way. ;)

Monday we got an early start on the day in large part thanks to the time change!  We cleaned the bar in preparation for Tuesday and then got our things together to head to the indoor pool in Campillos (about 20 min away).  After about 50 minutes at the pool we quickly did some last-min. shopping for birthday ingredients at the supermarket and then raced off to meet friends for a picnic barbeque in a park we've been wanting to take Emily to.  

 

We had wanted to play with her in the autumn leaves that  were sure to be littering the grass, but I guess this prolonged summer is taking it's toll because there were no leaves on the ground and most of them were still quite green on the trees.  I guess we'll just have to go back. Lunch was delicious and Emily had a great time (sans leaves) riding around on her pink motorcycle, swinging, drawing in the dirt with sticks and going down the slide again and again. Around 4:30 we headed home to get Emily into bed early (no nap for her!) and snuggle in on the couch with a good movie.  It was a very busy, but productive and fun day.

Tuesday was dedicated almost exclusively to the cake.  I had been racking my brain for over a week as to what kind of cake to make.  Last year I made a simple yellow cake with an oreo buttercream layer and chocolate ganche on top.  It was delicious, but Angelines said it was too sweet...  This year I wanted to make something equally decadent without going overboard on the sugar.  I consistantly halve the sugar in standard recipes as is, but with buttercream frosting I couldn't see a way to get around using loads of powdered sugar.  I decided that perhaps whipped cream was my answer.  

After investigating and even getting some long distance advice from my best friend's friend (we were talking via Viber and she was simultaneously texting her friend!--sometimes I love technology), I decided that whipped cream would be an okay layer, but not an adequate outer frosting.  And it was also clear that I would have to wait to assemble the cake until the day of the party since whipped cream can weep, melt and otherwise loose fluff over time.  

Emily and I baked the cakes together.  She has a great time in the kitchen with me.  As she gets older she enjoys "helping" me more and more.  Her new favorite job is peeling carrots.  She liked dumping the flour, sugar, etc. into the mixing bowl, but was grossed out by the eggs.  Slimy things disgust her. ;)  We made a double chocolate cake and substituted the cup of coffee the recipe called for with cinnamon tea.  

My long distance consultation had given me a few ideas for different frosting recipes and I decided that once Emily went to bed I would do a trial of a few different frostings.   At midnight I finally hit the hay after deciding that I would make buttercream frosting but with a different recipe: you make merengue and then whip the butter into that, thus avoiding the problem of too much powdered sugar.  The next day I halved the sugar in the merengue and after adding the coacoa powder to make it chocolate, voilá, I had a perfect, glossy, not-too-sweet frosting!  

Wednesday was a rush of cleaning, cooking, and last min. cake decorrating.  Once again we celebrated in our garage.  This year Angelines asked the boy who sometimes lends a hand at the bar to come and help with the balloons and set-up...and it's a good thing because I didn't step out of the kitchen from about 9am until after lunch at around 3 o'clock.  And once Emily was down for her nap I was back at it again.  The party wasn't until 6:30, so we had time to get everything in order, but for me it was non-stop washing and dirtying dishes.

The party itself was a hit and lots of fun.  At kids' parties in Spain, and I suppose this is often true in the States, too, it is customary to give out little bags of candy.  I don't let Emily eat candy and so I thought it was ridiculous for us take up this unhealthy tradition.  Kids get enough sugar at birthday parties, they don't need candy on top of it all!  Angelines was adamant that this was a deal-breaker...that our daughter would become some kind of social paraiah if we didn't go along with custom, "You're going to make it so kids won't want to come to her birthday parties!"  I told her that if I went to a party where they DIDN'T give out junk food and candy to my kid, I would be appreciative, which only provoked the response, "You're not like the mom's here!"

I am against the candy for health reasons, obviously.  I didn't want Emily to eat it, but if I was giving it out at her party, I couldn't very well not allow her to have any!  I thought of giving some other little trinket as a party favor...but I am also very against cheap toys like party blowers or key chains...or other things that just break or get lost or thrown away after a matter minutes or days.  Most of those things come from China where they are probably made in factories by children just a few years older than Emily! (Okay, I may be exagerating here, but you see my point)  

I find it ridiculous and actually amoral to just give something (which ammounts to ANYTHING--consumerism at its ugliest) only because we are expected to do so.  That follow-the-heard mentality is certainly not something I want to instill in my daughter; but I could see that it was very important for Angelines that we give some kind of gift to the children attending.  After thinking it over some, I came up with a compromise: a take-home craft.  

Emily and I made salt dough ornaments with cookie cutters that the children could paint and take home with them. I didn't feel the least bit guilty about this idea.  It was cheap, and all the materials were bio-degradable.  Plus, I did think it was important to have something for the kids to DO at the party.  As I hatched this "crafty" plan, memories of my mother's elaborate scavenger hunt birthday parties came to mind and I had to smile. :)

Emily got loads of gifts.  Many fun clothes, but also some great toys.  Her auntie gave her a big, stuffed Mickey Mouse which she loves, and friend gave her a babydoll that cries!  She is adorable with the baby.  She spent almost an hour this morning giving it its bottle and pacifier when it cried, then giving it "foffee" from her mug and offering invisible food on one of her plastic spoons.  She swaddles it and rocks it.  She is a little nurturer, as an aunt of mine says.

There are still baloons up in the garage, but the birthday cake is finished, and things are getting back to normal now.  As you can imagine, I was completely wiped out come Thursday, but it was the good kind of exhaustion; the kind that comes when you've really been productive.  Yesterday I went to sleep with Emily at 10pm and today I had a nap.  I am fighting off a little cold, which may just have begun as a result of all the running around and lack of sleep this past week.  Needless to say, this weekend we are planning to lay low and take it easy.  Although tomorrow is the Feria del Jamón in a nearby town and I do think we'll drive out for a bit to partake in some meaty goodness. ;)

Hope your November is off to an equally good start!

On My Home Turf

Late September I got a call from a woman at the city hall informing me that somebody had asked her for my number to offer me a job teaching.  She hadn't felt comfortable handing out my number to a stranger so she passed the woman's contact on to me saying that she had warned her that I was already working and the woman had insisted that this was a very low time commitment and to please have me get in touch...  As usual, the number sat around on my kitchen table for at least a week before I called.

I was in no hurry.  I have a job and I'm quite happy there.  I didn't really see any reason to call, except that the kind lady at city hall had gone out of her way for me, and I appreciated that she didn't just give out my number.  When I called, I discovered that this is a contracting company that hires English teachers in different towns and cities.  They had been hired by the parent-teacher association of La Roda to put together classes (mainly for primary students) here in town.  They wanted a native speaker who was available once a week for a maximum of five hours of teaching.  I would be given a full contract and paid quite well by the hour.  I told her I'd think about it and get back to her.

After discussing with Angelines, we decided that this was a great opportunity to supplement income with very little extra stress.  I wouldn't have to travel to classes.  I could teach Thursday afternoons, which is a day I usually only work in the morning and a day that's pretty slow at the bar.  Angelines could just open a bit later, and then take Emily with her to the bar for a few hours until I was finished.  It seemed like an ideal opportunity, so I didn't take but a day to get back to the woman and accept the position.

Yesterday was my first day of classes.  In the weeks and hours leading up to the start of these new classes I have many time wondered if this was the right choice to make. I have a tendency to say "yes" too easily to these kinds of things and then suffer from burn-out.  More stress is the last thing our household needs--it can be trying just to juggle the schedule that we have worked out and still satisfy Emily's needs and our needs for some family time together.  Over the phone I was assured again and again that this would be a very low time commitment.  I would be given all the materials, books, etc. that I needed, and my classes were to be more conversation/game focused rather than too grammar heavy. By this time I have quite a stock of games and materials of my own, so I decided it was a safe bet; but even so, I was wondering in the back of my mind if these classes wouldn't end up being a mistake.

As four o'clock Thursday afternoon rolled around, I reminded myself that we needed the money, and that it was only a contract through May, then I gritted my teeth and headed out with my bike to cross town with my laptop slung over my shoulder.  No more did I step through the door, than I was greeted with hugs and kisses by children and parents alike.  I would say except for the oldest group of students (14-15 yrs), 90% of each class is made up of my previous students.  I felt immediately at ease with them.

When I originally accepted the job last year at the academy outside town, I had been very sad to say goodbye to the children here.  Many of my older students had been with me since they had been in preschool.  All of them had been loyal students year after year.  In such a small town, it's unavoidable to grow quite fond of one's students.  As is always the case, there were some children who were more trying or who often misbehaved and disturbed class, but even they were sweet and admiring when I'd see them on the street over a weekend.  Although I have been repeatedly thankful for the job I have in Estepa, it is true that I often think about and miss my students here.  And when I first took that job, I couldn't help feeling a bit like I had betrayed them.  It was quite redeeming and a very beautiful thing to see that the affection I feel for my students here in La Roda is mutual. 

My five hours of classes went by relatively quickly.  Of course, these first classes were a bit difficult just because we have no books yet, nor had we had a chance to previously scope out the facilities to know what would be needed to give, good quality classes.  One of the women who hired me (the one who convinced me over the phone to take the job) stayed and observed my first two classes and then approached me during a short break to give me a run down of all the things she thought would be useful for me to have for future classes, and ask me if there was anything else I could think of (!).  I was very pleasently surprised to feel so supported from the very first day and we've arranged to get a projector and speakers to hook up to my laptop, plus some crayons and basic materials for the children to use.

When I locked up at 9:10pm, I had a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart and a smile on my face despite the fact that I was quite tired after my first ten-hour day. :)  I rode my bike to the bar, hopped in the car and drove off to my sister-in-law's to pick up my baby who was contentedly reading on the couch with her auntie when I arrived.  In the end, I think this may just be a great experience.

The Rain

Wednesday it rained.

Emily was shocked.  I am sure that she doesn't remember rain.  She was thrilled when I showed her how to open her hands, palms up to the sky, to catch the drops.  Though the weather lost all enchantment when we told her she couldn't ride her bike because it was raining!  Some rainboots and a raincoat are in order for her so we can let her run around without worrying that she'll get soaked.  Of course, for all it rains here, she'll very possibly only be able to use them once or twice all winter!

We were in desperate need of the rain, and although this little storm was welcome, we really need a whole lot more before anyone with olive crops can breathe easily.  The drought has been intense.  This time of year is when they harvest the still green olives for table olives... but this year many farmers are leaving them on the trees and waiting for them to rippen in hopes of getting more money for the deep purple, oil-destined olives.  If we don't get more rain, I'm affraid some will choose not to harvest at all.

The cloudy sky and fog shrouded hills around La Roda were a sight for sore eyes.  The sun's heat and intensity seems only to increase at the end of such a long summer when the calendar reads October and all you want is to need a sweatshirt and long pants, or an extra blanket on your bed.  Instead we are still scrambling to find shade as we walk along the streets in flip-flops, tank tops and shorts.  It seems like a cruel joke to feel the need to wear SPF 50 sunscreen to go for a morning walk in mid-October!  But so is life in Southern Spain.

I don't think any of my friends or family in the Pacific Northwest can truly appreciate the rain and clouds the way I now can.  Yesterday was intermittenly overcast, but without much precipitation.  The air was crisp and cleaner than it's been in months--all the summer dust hanging in the air was washed away.  The trees were a new green, rinsed of their coating of dirt.  Everything seemed to sparkle in the sunlight that slipped out from behind impressive storm clouds.  And the smell after the first rain is always the best.  The world smells fresh, vibrant, clean.  I found myself near hyperventilation for the huge, deep breaths I couldn't resist taking in through my nose.  Indeed, it was sensory overload.

I am so grateful.  And also so contented to be snuggled in a sweatshirt as I type this.  Happy Fall, y'all!!

A Baking Day

The weather has cooled to a chilly 80º and so I thought it was safe to do some baking today.  In the heat of summer the last thing anyone wants to do is turn on the oven!  Chocolate chip cookies were in order.  It's been ages since I made a batch.  I made up the dough while Emily was sleeping, but she helped me put the spoonfuls of dough onto the sheet for baking. 

Although I am a huge fan of cookie dough... I am reluctant to let my daughter eat it.  Memories of my childhood best friend's father singing "Sal-mo-ne-la, Sal-mo-ne-la" to Händels halleluja chorus, come to mind. ;)  Of course, Em inevitably did suck a little bit, but when I told her not to eat it, she contented her self with kissing the dough ball saying, "Love you, cookie!"

Now we're munching cookies and sipping milk.  It's beginning to feel a bit more like October around these parts.

Ready for November...

I have had my Presidential Primary Ballot sitting in my office unopened since somewhere in March...or earlier.  Needless to say I missed the Primaries.  I received an email from the Embassy in Madrid notifying overseas voters of the necessary steps for abesntee voting...once again it has sat unopened in my inbox for at least a week. But never fear, I am dedicated to getting my act together for the General Election. ;) 

You may gather from my nonchalance that the election seems very far away and very unrelated to me or my current life.  Don't get me wrong, I realize that voting in the United States of America can have great impact worldwide as it is such an influential country in world politics; but all the same, the hype on facebook about the candidates (because this is virtually all the information I'm getting about the campaign) makes it seem more like some kind of twisted reality show as opposed to a legitimate Presidential campaign.  It's hard to take seriously and much more convenient to ignore all-together.

But I have finally been galvanized to action by the thought of what may come on November 9th.  Every vote counts.  I have just filled out the necessary paperwork to request my ballot and will mail it Monday.  The deadline for an absentee request is Oct. 18...so I'm even ahead of the game it turns out!

#ProudOverseasVoter
(that's the hashtag, the Embassy asked us to use on our social media sites!)

Autumn Upon Us

Fall has finally fallen...though, in all honesty, aside from shortening days and that beautiful slanting autumn light that comes just before sunset, you can't really tell much difference here in La Roda.  The first week in September was the hottest all summer with the highest temperatures for this month since 1922!  It was 115ºF for several days straight and I think the lowest it dropped to at night was somewhere around 85ºF.  Thankfully, that heat wave has passed and we're having more normal temperatures now.  Daytime highs are still in the low 90's but at least it's cooling off quite nicely at night.

Anyway, I am not blogging to give you a weather report...sorry.

Things around here have been rolling right along so quickly that it just seems impossible to sit and blog.  Sometimes because I really haven't got the time, and sometimes because I feel too scattered to focus and write my thoughts.  Even now, I am (as usual) writing on borrowed time since Emily is long over due to wake up from her nap.

And speaking of the smallest member of the household, she is daily more fun, more engaging and more of a little character. :)  What joy she brings to the home!  Her vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds, though I do notice that her Spanish has really begun to catch up with the English now that my parents have been away for some time.  Their presence really gave her a boost of English.

She now says "Shesh you" when you sneeze and "Tookey" (thank you) when you give her something.  She has finally started to say "sí" as before "yeah" was her only affirmative word; and surprisingly she separates to whom she should reply with which word!  She has never responded "sí" to one of my questions in English and with her Auntie and Abuela I hear her most often answering in Spanish.  It's pretty amazing to watch her bilingualism grow.  I am envious.

At work we have begun classes for the school children again, but with the difference that we are now planning our own classes.  So far this is wonderful because I have my classes prepped and set up exactly how I like--planned to the gills!  Last week was our first week and it went off without a hitch.

...Well, Emily woke up, as expected, and I'm just sitting down to finish this up and post it before anymore time gets away from me!

Anyway, work is going well, and for now the planning doesn't mean any extra work for me.  Usually I teach Thurs. Fri. mornings if you recall, but at the moment (with the beginning of the school year, etc.) we don't have many morning classes so I spend that time prepping.  My boss would like to get everything put together in a sort of homemade coursebook, so I'm just working away until I get the whole year planned for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade. ;)  I'm just about to Halloween with all three at the moment.

Now it's time for my dinner.  Em is down for the night so a relaxing glass of vino is in order and then maybe my book or a movie...or maybe just straight to bed. ;)

Olé, olé y olé!

Emily, despite her blonde hair and blue eyes, seems to have some gypsy blood.  She LOVES flamenco music; and as you'll see in this video, she's actually got arte as they say in Spanish.  So enjoy watching my little Spanish dancer. :)

Dinner conversation

Last night Emily and I had a scintillating conversation over dinner.  Here's the tail end of it.  It was, as usual, much more entertaining before I thought to grab my phone and record some of it... Without further ado: Emily the conversationalist. :)

My Little Chatterbox

Now that you're somewhat up-to-date with our travels, I thought I should post a quick something about my dear Emily Alejandra.

Maybe it was exposure to a third language, or maybe she's just growing up, but her language skills really took off over the four days we were in Belgium.  I was amazed by the sudden change--even I noticed it and usually those kinds of changes in children aren't noticeable for those of us who are with the kid 24/7.  Anyway, she came back to Spain talking a blue streak.  Although she mixes the two languages, many of her words remain English.  I am sure this has everything to do with my parents' visit and the extra doses of English she was getting with them.

She is becoming more and more of a parrot--repeating everything, and often with fairly good pronunciation.  But even more fun is that she is beginning to speak intentionally and spontaneously to communicate beyond simply asking for things.  A favourite is rememorating time and time again, her many falls and "pupas" (owies) that she has on her knees.  The light pink scars do kind of stand out now that her legs are so tan from the beach!  She also likes to point out if anyone is wearing shashes (glasses) or a coco (ponytail).  Yesterday she popped out with: "Bye-bye, beach!" as we were heading to the car after our Wednesday outing to Málaga.

It is also amazing to me to see how much she remembers based on what she says. Of course her memory is best when it comes to her numerous falls, but I have been surprised and pleased by how much she remembers my parents' visit and our time in Belgium with Nanny (Maggie).  One of my dad's projects while he was here was covering our BBQ stovepipe (cement) in white cement so that it would blend in more with the patio wall and then my mom and I decorated it with beach shells she had collected.  They helped Emmy put her handprint in the wet cement and wrote her name and the date.  Several times since our return from Belguique, she has pointed to the BBQ and said, "Me hand Poppa, Ga".

She also remembers clearly a more traumatizing moment in Belgium when she ripped Aunt Maggie's glasses off her face and tore out her nose ring!  It sounds worse than it actually was, but Maggie's nose was bleeding and it certainly hurt.  Emily was shocked by her Auntie's reaction and when I pointed out she'd given Nanny a pupa she was pretty interested.  I asked her to appologize and now at random moments, when she remembers, she'll pop up with: "Sorry, Nanny.  Pupa nose shashes."

And then there are the times that she unintelligibly babbles.  I've been on skype twice now since coming back from our trip and both times she is right there babbling away, doing her best to talk over whoever is on the other end of the call!  We can hardly get a word in edge-wise.  If you want to skype with me it's best to do it after she's asleep...though she's so darn cute, it's a shame to miss her.

Speaking of her antics, we've actually just come home from an evening out in Estepa.  My boss told me about a concert that one of our students was directing and I thought that sounded like fun.  Emily loves music and especially dancing and clapping--she is very flamenca!  This was going to be different medlies and rock-fusion played by a concert band, but I knew Em would be up for it.  And she was.  She danced up a storm!  My boss and her husband were, of course, enchanted with her.  After various dance performances and leading them around to see interesting things (leaves, rocks, etc.) she blew them kisses when it was time to come home.  I think their hearts had completely melted by that point!

She is a gift. I really don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful, social, sweet, patient, fun daughter.

Beautiful Belgium

As promised, here is the rest of the story. ;)

Me and Fan Fan :)

Emily and I caught our plane Thursday evening.  My sweet daughter fell asleep before take-off and woke up just an hour before landing.  She has proven once again to be the ideal travel partener. I would never have dreamed of doing a trip like this solo if she weren't so willing to go with the flow and entertain herself much of the time.  And now that she's beginning to talk, she has become quite the charmer, so it's fun to be able to say, "I'm with her!"

We arrived in Brussels, picked up a rented carseat (which we only ended up using twice!) and were greeted at our host's home by Ga (my mom) Poppa (my dad), Tita Nannie (that's Maggie in Emily-speak) and a delicious spaghetti dinner.  Emily turned on full charm and was the evening's entertainment.  Bernarnd, our host (first exchange student's father), has a grandson just Emily's age and so the house was fully equipped with plenty of toys and gismos for Emily to discover and play with.  He also has a beautiful and very large back yard that Emily called the "parque", which we were all able to explore and enjoy since the weather cleared up nicely as our visit progressed.

Bernard's daughter, Fanny was our first exchange student, as I mentioned.  She holds a special place in all our hearts and really is like a sister for me.  I visited her when I did my exchange in Granada and she attended my wedding seven years ago.  In 2014 we reconnected  when we discovered that both of us were pregnant and due around the same time.  Her little Eliot was born just two weeks after our Emily.  Friday morning we had brunch over at her beautifully rennovated house.  Visiting her and her adorable family was a wonderful treat.

Emily and Eliot: the next generation of friendship!

Emily and Eliot got along as well as two 21-month-olds can be expected to--which is to say they mostly ignored one another.  At this age there isn't much playing "together" so much as playing "next to each other".  Still, we got some cute pictures.  I think they could pass for twins, though Eliot is much heftier than my delicate little girl.  And it was a pleasure for me to finally meet Ivan, Fanny's doting partner and super-dad.  He is great and I am happy that my Fan Fan has found such a wonderful person with whom to share her life and her parenthood.

Chatting in the garden...

After a nice long nap back at our home away from home (Bernard left us the keys since he was out of town for the weekend), we joined up with our second Belgian sister/daughter, Charlotte for a sushi dinner.  We had another wonderful few hours catching up over snacks and dinner.  Charlotte was married a year ago and still has that newly-wed glow about her.  She showed us pictures from the wedding, but unfortunately her husband was out of town and we weren't able to meet him.  The evening was too late for Emily, who started getting sleepy (read crabby) toward the end, but for the rest of us our visit was too short.

Friday was a great day.  Visiting both with Fanny and with Charlotte was wonderfully comfortable and relaxing.  It was such a reaffirmation of the strength of our friendship that after so many years--in Charlotte's case we hadn't seen her since 2005!--we were able to chat as if no time had passed.    I really felt at home with both of them, a great feeling when you're in a foreign country.

Emmy exploring the "parque" with Ga.

Charlotte was quite enamored of Emily, and she was pretty smitten with Sha Sha, too. ;)

Blitz Visit to Belgium!

In 2008 my family hosted its third Belgian girl through Rotary International's youth exchange program.  She is a lovely girl who, as was our experience with all our exchanges, fit right in with the family and really became a part of our Sierra Valley/Portola lives.  That autumn I was actually back in the States working at my alma mater teaching lower-level Spanish classes and so I too came to know and love Justine.  Last year she announced her marriage and even arranged the wedding date around my family's schedules.

It was difficult coordinating every one, but in the end all of us except Lucy and Angelines were present at the ceremony which took place last Saturday on a (freakishly) beautifully sunny day in the countryside outside Mouscron, Belgium.  The weather was so nice I was frantically hunting for shade and wishing I had my hat, sunglasses and sunscreen!  All the Belgians, on the other hand were bravely sitting out in the sunshine soaking up as much as possible.  We Spaniards certainly couldn't live without the sun (two cloudy days in a row ammount to seasonal depression!), but we also know that to enjoy it, one ought to be prepared.  My family was laughing at me for hugging the walls and hedges in search of shade.

The wedding was beautiful.  Spanish weddings have nearly ruined me.  Here the ceremonies are nearly all religious...and even when they aren't there's just a lot of blather about the legal responsabilities of the spouses, etc.  Very few people do much of anything personal even in civil ceremonies.  Plus, Spanish weddings are very expensive for the attendants, which grates on my more frugal tendancies.  In the States, you can get away with buying some thoughtful gift for maybe between 20-30 dollars (perhaps even less if you're a good shopper), but in Spain you're expected to fork over a minimum of 50 euros cash--many times closer to 100.  This is some unwritten cultural norm that I personally hate because it ammounts to people inviting as many friends, family and acquaintences as possible just for the money.  In Spain, on a whole it seems that people are invited and attend weddings out of a sense of obligation and not because either party is particularly interested in the event or the people involved.  It's really very sad I think.

So with my newly aquired Spanish sensitivities, I really enjoyed the origniality of Justine and Christoph's wedding.  It was as all weddings should be: a celebration of the love between two people and their dedication to each other to make a life together. I am not one to cry, but I couldn't help the tears welling in my eyes throughout the ceremony.  Justine was absolutely radiant and Christoph was so dashing.  They were so obviously in love and everyone there knew it--it was a truly beautiful thing and I am so happy that I was able to be there to celebrate with them.

I think I will save the rest of out Belgian visit for another post because I feel this getting long, but first a few pictures from the wedding:

Seeing Maggie was definitely a highlight to my Belgian visit.

Emily made a new friend at the wedding: Eva, 4 yrs.  They were inseparable!

 

The bride throwing the bouquet...Maggie caught it!!! ...another European wedding in my future?

Three generations of Barkley Wilbanks :)

Days at the Lake

The whole crew at the lake.

Spain is hot in August.  Are any of you surprised?  Our daily highs are normally over 100º F and at night sometimes it only cools down to around 79ºF.  My parents' visit has been no exception, although we have had some cooler days in the mix.  In any case, they aren't complaining because they are staying in the one air-conditioned room in the house!

To beat the heat we have made three visits to a nearby lake since the city pool is closed for repairs all summer.  It's actually a resevoir and with the minimal rains this year, the lake level is so low it's made for some nice beaches.  And thanks to the hot, Andalusian sun, the water is around 70º+--like a giant bathtub!

Our routine has been getting up from the siesta around 6pm getting our stuff organized and in the car and then making the 35 minute drive to the lake to enjoy the sunset over the water.  Because we get there so late, we don't have time for more than a quick dip; but this way we're able to avoid the usual August crowds, and anyway the days are so hot and the water is so warm that swimming even after the sun sets feels deliciously refreshing.

Emily is perhaps the only one not quite so enchanted with the lake, although she does begin to repeat "lake, lake!" when we round the corner on the highway and you can see the blue-green water stretching out before us.  She fell down on the rocky path our first visit and got a pretty nicely skinned knee.  And once you get in the water, the shore drops off quickly, so the area where she can touch bottom and play is quite limited.  We have to hold her hand(s) the whole time, unlike at the beach.  Even so, she seems contented to splash and throw rocks or sticks for Bela.

Francisco joined us the first day.

And is by far the biggest fan of these evening excursions to the lake.  They have recently made dogs at the beach illegal...and although the term "illegal" in Spain is often a bit flexible, with the outrageous number of beach-goers in August it would be completely impossible, not to mention irresponsible, to take her to the beach.  There is a dog beach we discovered a few years ago, but it has been thusly designated because it is not a very good beach for swimming.  It's very rocky; there is hardly any sand.  It is not a good beach for Emily and so we haven't been yet since it's gotten hot.  Bela was therefore all the more excited to be off on an adventure with us, especially one that included water.  She immediately makes friends with all the kids along the beach and inevitably has a following of at least three under-12-year-olds who happily throw sticks and marvel at what a good swimmer she is. 

So we have spent three evenings swimming and enjoying the cool breeze off the lake.  Having my parents here has been such a good excuse to get out and do a bit more.  So often we fall into a routine that hardly gets us out of the house; but on days that are too hot to go to the park or even out in the patio, it can be rough to keep Emily entertained not to mention maintain our own sanity.  These little trips to the lake have made it seem like I'm on vacation.

Emily wanted to ride in the back with Bela. :)

Firefighter Sam

Once again, blogging has gotten away from me and not for lack of material to write about!  Perhaps in a few weeks I'll have time for a "back-blog" or two, but the main news around these parts lately is my parents' visit. :)

My mom and dad arrived just last Thursday night and are unfortunately leaving this coming Wednesday.  A too-short visit by any standards, but a visit, regardless of duration, is always welcome, of course.

Last Thursday we got Emily dressed up after our daily siesta and headed to Málaga.  "Ga" and "Poppa" didn't get in until 8:45 so we had plenty of time.  And while that may seem to be a late hour to be driving back and forth from the airport, I assure you it is not.  In Spain they don't refer to 8pm as the "afternoon" for nothing! ;)  Emily met them in the arrivals lounge with kisses and immediately took my mother's hand to begin leading her around the airport.  My mom, for her part, practically threw down her bags to get on all fours and coddle, kiss, and chatter with Emily the minute she came through the little exit gate.  It was adorable to see them...but we did have to pull my mom up and out of the way of other travellers.

At home we had a late (for my parents) dinner, and then we all headed for bed.  I worked Friday and needed to be up by 6am.  However, around two in the morning, my dad burst into our bedroom shouting in whispers something about a "fuego, FIRE"!  I was half asleep and not processing his frantic spanglish.  I thought somehow we had lit the garage on fire when I had ignited the thermostat for my mom before heading to bed.  He clarified that the fire was in the campo, but it was "pretty big" and should call the fire department...

He had gotten up from bed to go to the bathroom and heard crackling coming from outside (we of course had the doors and windows open to let in the cool, night air).  At first he thought it was leaves rustling in the breeze, but when he pulled aside the curtain to look out over our upstairs terrace, he saw a fire not 50 meters from the house burning quickly through the dry weeds alongside the train tracks and flaring impressivly with each slight gust of wind!

La Roda has no fire department, news that shocked my father.  "Call the police!" was his response, but it took me a while to think how I'd do that since I don't know they're number.  Finally I thought to grab Angelines's phone (who was mumbling that it was probably just some farmer burning slash and we should just leave it) and was able to find the number among her contacts. "The number you have reached is unavailable" was the message I got after dialing the local police--typical.  My dad was becoming increasingly alarmed by the lack of emergency support we have here in rural Spain and becoming more and more worried about the spreading fire.

I finally remembered the Spanish equivalent of 911 and dialed 061; but this, as it turned out, was only a number for medical emergencies and I was told to call 112 instead.  I was in my underwear standing up on my terrace turned fire look-out, choking on smoke and finally on the thrid telephone call I got ahold of someone who would alert the appropriate authorities.  At this point, I just had to laugh...and also thank God that it wasn't my house that was on fire!

While we waited for the firemen, the fire drew more of an audience.  Some passerby came up to take pictures and our across-the-street neighbors all came out in their flip flops and PJs to see what the ruckus was about.  Nobody knew who to call or what to do, and I felt pretty on top of it being able to tell them all that the authories had been informed and that a fire engine was on the way.

About 15 minutes after my call, the Guardia Civil showed up.  These are not firemen, but similar to national police.  By the time they arrived, the fire had petered out and was really nothing to worry about.  Even so, they jumped out of their car with a fire extinguisher and headed out to the fire's edge, just a glittering line in the dust at this point; but when they reached the line and pulled the trigger it turned out it was empty!  A bit chagrined, the officer came back to our little group of spectators and explained that they had used the extinguisher the other day and forgotten to replace it..."Does anyone have a bucket of water?", was his question.

By the time the fire truck arrived, with flashing lights, (but to my disappointment no siren) the Guardia Civil had already put out what was left of the blaze with our neighbor's bucket.  The firefighters in full gear--helmets, boots, fireproof pants, etc.--inspected the area, but didn't even need to unroll the hose.  What seemed at first to be quite a dangerous and exciting incident, had fizzled into nothing more than a large patch of charred ground along the railroad track.  We even started to feel a little silly for calling the authorities, but you can never be to careful with these things.  Had there been more wind that night, things could have got out of control quickly and although there probably wouldn't have been any structural damage, it certainly would have left a much more lasting and ugly scar on the terrain.

So my dad the firefighter saved the day (or night as the case may be) on his first evening on vacation here in España.  Thankfully, no real harm was done and so all the mishaps and poor coordination make for nothing more than a fun story to tell, but it does give one pause.  I hope I never need the fire brigade to come any faster than they did last Friday night!

Sleep Talker

Emily's becoming quite a chatterbox as of late, though it isn't always easy to figure out what she's saying or in which language!  She actually has quite a large English vocabulary which honestly surprises me because of course she only hears English from me.  It seems to be that she chooses the shortest word from either language for any given object; for example: "eye" not ojo, or casco instead of "helmet". 

She finally distinguishes (verbally) between Angelines (Mamá) and I (Mommy).  For a very long time we were jointly Mamá...and really she said "mamá" to anyone who's attention she wanted.  The carpenter, who was putting in a sliding door separating the living/dining room from the hall to make the house more heat efficient in winter, was surprised that she demanded his attention shouting, "Mamaaaa!"  It wasn't until just about a month ago that one night when I got up to go to the bathroom she cried out, "Mommy!"...and my heart melted.

She loves "trators" (tractors), balls and "kuhlees" (her strange word for a motorcycle).  She also loves rocks, the "mum" (moon) and "chis" (cheese).  In Emily speak, "Bela" and "abuela" sound the same: "Bila". :)  She's learning that if she says "peeeeez" she gets what she's asking for quite quickly, and she's also learning the power of a firm, "No!"  She proudly states her name when asked: "Me" (I assume this is because I often call her Emmy).  I love asking her, "Who are you?" and getting the simple, very matter-of-fact answer: "Me".  I'm glad that my daughter feels comfortable in her own skin--She is her. ;)

Her mother is also cultivating a love of football (soccer, if you will), and more particularly a love of one of Seville's two major teams: Real Betis Balompie.  Since she was just a tiny baby, Angelines has been teaching her that the rival team "Sevilla Fútbol Club" is "caca".  Now that Emily can say more, she's working on "Goooooooool del Betis!!!"  So far, all Em's got down is the "Goooooool!" part.

They say that babies process new experiences in their sleep, as I guess we adults do as well.  Anyway, now that she's speaking more and learning new words daily, Emily has begun talking in her sleep...takes after her Mommy, I guess.  She'll sometimes exclaim, "puppy, puppy" or "nena" ("kid" in Spanish).  The other night I had to stiffle a laugh when she shouted, loud and clear: "ball, ball...GOAAAAAAALLLL!" :)

Maybe she'll be a soccer star.

Just Keep Swimming

This week has been an odd one at work.  We are in the midst of transitioning from the school year to summer and have also just finished an exam period so there are many students who are leaving the academy and many others who are signing up for summer classes.  Yes, you read that right: summer classes.  We do not have summer vacation like most teachers, except for one week in August; which is just as well because it means a steady income year round.  All the changes meant that I swapped my day off to Tuesday this week because there weren't any classes scheduled that day anyway.  So our family day was moved up in the week.

We packed up the car early Tuesday morning and headed for the beach, but just as we were coming over the summit heading down toward the coast, a few big rain drops began to fall from the low-hanging clouds.  Rather than push our luck at the beach, we decided to head west of Málaga to Benalmádena and explore the aquarium they have there.  It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but in the end, quite a good one.

We parked rather far from the aquarium and walked although since we'd been planning to spend the day on the sand we didn't have our stroller or even the baby carrier.  Emily prefers walking anyway, so that was alright; our pace, however was a bit slower than usual. ;)  It was still overcast when we arrived which made for nice strolling weather, but just as we got to the aquarium it began to pour!  It was perfect timing.  We scooped up Emily and ran for cover.

It was amazing to watch this guy move--so elegant.

It's been ages since I've visited an aquarium.  I cannot remember the last time... Maybe when I was a child and we visited Sea World (does that cout as an aquarium?).  Zoos and animal parks are not my favorite places, but we decided that Emily would probably really like it; after all, she loves our neighbor's big fish tank!  And besides, I want to get into the habbit of visiting these kinds of educational places with her.  In the end we decided to buy year passes because they have events and things for children throughout the year and if we go three times in 12 months we'll have got our money's worth.  We are already planning a trip back with Grandma and Grandpa at the end of July.

It's hard to say if Emily was more interested in the fish or the other child visitors.  She was certainly entertained. Our visit was a bit poorly planned though because we arrived almost right at siesta time.  It was dark inside and there was music.  Between the gentle motion of the sea plants, the beautifully colored fish, the music and the sound of water Emily fell asleep before our visit ended.  Angelines and I also left feeling much more relaxed.  Maybe these year passes will be good de-stressors!

We saw Dory and Nemo...of course, Emmy doesn't know who they are.

The aquarium was very nice.  As I said, I don't really have anything to compare to, but they had a large portion dedicated to the marine life in the Mediterranean, of course, and then also the Amazon.  They have otters and perhaps also more fish, but we didn't get the chance to see them this time.  There were small-ish sharks, sea turtles, octopi, and giant crabs and snails.  There was also a "petting tank".  Emily seemed to like touching the sea cucumber, but I think she liked splashing her hands in the water more than anything else.

It was a long walk back to the car with a sleeping baby in our arms, but it turned out to be a great family outing and I'm looking forward to more visits to the aquarium. 

Lucky Dog

"Shadow" in the patio.

There is a real problem in Spain with people abandoning dogs.  Usually they are greyhounds (common rabbit hunting dogs) who for whatever reason are no longer useful to their owners; but there are always strays of many different breeds roaming the streets and fields.  It is heartbreaking, especially when they're injured or emaciated.  In general I just try not to look because it is completely unfeasible for us to take in another dog, nor can I afford to heal them.  This morning, however, I did a good turn to one (un)lucky pup.

Emily and I had just started out with our bikes through the olive fields to give Bela her morning run, when I spotted a little dog off to the side of the road.  My mistake must have been slowing down, because he immediately ran up to us yapping and licking at my feet and legs.  He was pretty cute a bodeguero as they call them here, some kind of little terrier similar to a Jack Russell, and obviously a puppy.  I don't think he could have been more than four months old.  But as I said, I am not in the market for a dog and so I moved it out of the way with my feet and headed off again with the bike.

This persistant little puppy not only followed me for my whole ride, but ran right next to the rear tire (I was slightly afraid I'd squish him!) yipping and whinning for what must have been close to 6km.  Summer is here and although the temperatures are notably lower today, we're still getting into the high nineties.  It was only 10am, but it was quite warm and I was worried this little dog would die on me.  There was no way, after that long ride that I could leave him out in the heat with no water...  I asked at all the little farms along the route if someone was missing a puppy, but nobody was; and so I had no choice but to bring him home to give him water and decide what to do next.  Of course, I think even had I decided to leave him on his own I couldn't have done it unless I were willing to kick him or throw rocks at him.  He had pretty much decided that I was his ticket to salvation--and as it turns out, he was right.

In the patio I gave him a bath and he drank some water.  He and Emily warmed right up to each other, but I was worried about what Angelines would say when she woke up.  Bela didn't seem to care much, but I think she was a little worried that we'd found yet another creature to knock her down a notch on the household totem pole!

Angelines wasn't too upset, after all, she does have a heart and I assured her that we weren't keeping this dog, but that I just couldn't abandon it.  I sent out a mass message on whatsapp to about half the contacts in my phone with a picture of the dog asking if anyone was interested in adopting.  I thought at the very least someone with a country house or a shed where they keep their tractor might be interested in a dog to keep guard, although honestly I was hoping to give hime to someone as a pet.

He was a very sweet tempered dog, very gentle and loving, so I was thrilled when in just ten minutes a woman got back to me asking how much I wanted for him (!).  She has two daughters for whom this was going to be a spur-of-the-moment surprise.  I knew this would be a good home for my little "Shadow" as I had decided to call him.  Of course, I told her we were giving him away and she came by before lunch to take him home. 

When the girls timidly followed their mother into the house and realized they would be taking home a puppy there were outbursts of nervous laughter and huge smiles. :)  I was tickled.  The whole scene reminded me of my own childhood--those times when I wanted a pet so badly and then the momenst when I first got to hold my future dog/cat. I was especially reminded of the surpise my parents gave Emily and I one Christmas morning when we discovered our pony tied up on the lawn with a big red bow around his neck.  Come to think of it, I should have put a bow on Shadow...sadly that little detail slipped my mind.  Anyway, it was a beautiful thing to witness these girls' happiness and excitement and also to see how pleased this little puppy was to be held and petted.

I'm so happy he's gone to a good home, and happy that I was able to help make that happen.  He certainly is a lucky little dog!

I have a little shadow

that goes in and out with me,

but what can be the use of him

is more than I can see. 

A day at the beach

My chilly baby

This morning we got out of the house as quickly as posible to beat the mid-day heat at the beach in Torremolinos, Málaga.  It was a little on the breezy side, but that made for a comfortable temperature.  I didn't, however, actually swim because I was afraid I'd be too cold afterwards with all the wind.  Yes, I've become a Spanish wimp.

It was a lovely morning though.  We set up our towels and umbrella, picnic basket and table, and even a wading pool for Em.  She was intrigued by the salty water and after sipping out of a shell we found on the beach, proclaimed, "Mmmmm!" Yuck!

It would seem that Emily's sandbox has cured her of her fear of sand. ;)  (Mission accomplished!) And she was even quite brave with the waves as you'll see in the video I posted.  It looks as though she's trying to go to the bathroom, but really my poor baby was getting cold.  By the time I got the camera out we'd been playing for some time and before I realized it, her little lips were blue!  Still, she had a grand time stomping in the waves and ordering us back into the surf to splash and jump with a shrill, "Mamáááá!" stabbing with her pointer out to the waves.  She was the reina de la playa for sure.  She certainly looked the part, with her dark glasses and pink ball cap, which she didn't take off the whole time. ;) 


She was quite the trooper, but the sun inevitably wore her out.  She fell asleep for around 30min in the car and then I was able to put her in bed at home for another hour+.  She's just woken up mid-post, finally.  In fact, I am typing the rest of this while she cleans off in the bathtub. 

When it cools down a bit more, we'll go for a bike ride with Bela and then maybe to the park to try and tire her out even more and compensate for such a long, late nap! 

Beach Baby

Baby time-bomb Ticking

Yes, Emily is getting toward the end of her nap, and I have decided (perhaps unwisely) to sit down a blog for a minute.  Her naps can be anywhere from one to two hours + and at the moment she's coming up on that plus--pushing three.

A friend commented on my last post that her daughter's bedtime is about 7:30 in part because she refuses to nap.  I have other American friends who have told me similar stories: they can't get their kids to sleep in the middle of the day.  I have never had this problem, in fact, quite the opposite.  Depending on where we are or what's going on, I cannot keep Emily awake past about 3pm!

Siesta in Spain varries around the country, but even in big cities you can find small businesses that close from about 3-5pm.  In (here she woke up...) a small town like La Roda you can't find anything but a few bars open that time of day, so even if you don't sleep people do tend to slow down for their mid-day meals.  We usually lie down and most days sleep for at least 45 minutes.  For Angelines the siesta is sacred.  Anyone who disturbs her quite time will hear about it...or at least get a killer glare for it. 

When she was younger Emily took two naps, as I think most babies do once they are through that phase of non-stop sleeping as newborns; but as she got older she has fallen into a sleep pattern more similar to our own. Siesta is just a part of our life and so although we have never really imposed a schedule on her, she goes down daily with little or no trouble.  It's hard for me to consieve of a child who refused to nap...  These few minutes (sometimes an hour or so) of each day when I can do what I like without a toddler constantly demanding my attention--MAMÁÁÁÁ, MAMÁÁÁÁÁÁÁ!--are precious to me.

Well, she's up and at 'em now...so I'd best be off.  I promise a more newsy post soon.

BBQ Season Once Again

My Spanish baby fell asleep at the ungodly hour of 7:00pm today!  I know all you Americans are laughing at me right now (either that, or you're staring aghast at the screen wondering what kind of negligent mother I am!), but you must know by now that no Spanish child would ever be asleep for the night at seven o'clock in the "afternoon"--not even in winter when the days are shorter.  So why is my baby suddenly on an American schedule?  The answer is simple: family BBQ means no siesta!

Emily played with her aunts uncles and cousins right through her normal siesta time.  She was the belle of the ball, for sure. :)  Sometimes, I wonder what we all did before she was around to entertain us!  She danced for us and picked us flowers, played in the sandbox, pointed out ants and other small crawling creatures, rode her bike and generally charmed us all with her every move.  ...All of this while her aunties and grandma cooed and cackled and smiled and scolded her.  She is quite the character, my daughter is.

In Spain they have a saying: "hasta el cuarenta de mayo, no te quites el sayo," which translates to "until the 40th of May, don't take your sweater off."  And it is usually true that while we always start having lovely, summer days (80º+) this time of year, May's weather is fickle and we have had our share of cold days and freak thunderstorms.  Yesterday it poured for about 30 minutes and then the sun came out again. Through it all, however, I don't think the temperature dropped below 72º F.

With that in mind, we were slightly worried about the BBQ we'd planned with the family for today, but as it turns out it was just cloudy enough to keep the scorching Spanish sun at bay and we had a wonderful time in my beautiful patio.  There was, as always, too much to eat; and as always Angelines, Emily and I are the ones who will be cleaning up all the leftovers for the next few days, but the laughs and good company were worth it, for sure.

I'm looking forward to more BBQs this summer especially now that we've got some proper shade out there.  The lawn was already beginning to brown from the late spring sun and we realized that if we wanted green grass come September, we needed to put some kind of cover out there.  Angelines had some material that she had used at the old bar for a makeshift awning to shade tables and so we brought that home and hung it up over the lawn.  It is a little small actually, but I think it shades enough to do the trick.  if we are good about watering, we should be okay.  For today's get-together, we also brought home another old umbrella from the bar to shade the upper deck of the patio.  So now that we have nearly sun-proofed our patio it's the perfect place to relax and enjoy company with a cold beer or a glass of wine. ;)  Oh! And good food, too, of course!

(Have I tempted any of you into buying tickets to Spain for your summer vacation??)

Funnel fun!

Here's a quick video en lieu of a real post, sorry.  I owe you all one, I know.  But I'm sure after you watch Emily entertain herself with this plastic funnel, you'll forgive me for not writting more. ;)

Rainy Romeria

Granada's Brotherhood of the Virgen de Rocío made a pit stop in La Roda.

This year's Romería de San Pancracio was all but cancelled due to the rain. The saint didn't even leave the church; there was no procession around town; and it was impossible to take him up to the ermita because the roads through the olives were just too muddy.  It was disappointing to say the least. 

Also because of the rain and cold, we didn't dress Emily up in her flamenco dress.  I didn't dress up either.  I hope her dress will still fit her for the fair at the end of June!  On Sunday, when we are usually making the pilgrimage up to the ermita, we all gathered in a covered plaza in town and shared the traditional potaje (garbanzo stew) and sang and danced a few sevillanas. 

It was fun to go out and be with some of the friends we really only see much of during the romeria; but of course it was nothing like doing el camino and being out in the country.  We dressed Emily in jeans and a flowered shirt and a friend even loaned us some of the typical boots.  So even though she was dressless, she was perfectly outfitted for the occasion. ;)  I love the pictures we got of her next to the altar that was raised to San Pancracio.

I like the black and white one best, but this way you get a better idea of her outfit. ;)