Feria and Drew's 3rd Birthday!

On Sunday Drew celebrated his 3rd Birthday!  I can't believe how fast the past three years have flown by and how fun they have been.  EVERYDAY for the past few months Drew has told us or someone else that, "Today is my birthday"!  So to wake up and finally have TODAY be his real birthday was so much fun!

We started the day off with homemade pancakes and then opened birthday gifts.  One of the items was a Buzz Light!  Drew is obsessed with Toy Story and Buzz has not left his sight since this morning!

Drew went running to his room and yelled, "Dad you be buzz"!  It was sooo cute and in my mind I thought how fun this is like Barbie's when I was little!!!

Drew also recived a helmet from Papa and Mimi that talks!  Drew isn't to sure about it once dad wore it....

Drew put his water rocket pressent to the test as well today!  It has a switch that you pull and it blasts off the rocket while shooting water in the air!

Feria is Here

On Saturday we took the kiddos to Feria in Jerez about 20min from here.  Every Spring,  every local Spanish town  throws a week-long party with tons of  people that show up! La Feria  began as a cattle trading fair in 1847, and through the years it has evolved into a sexy Spanish round-the-clock spectacle of flamenco, bullfighting and  fun.

On Friday night a few of our couple friends all got baby sitters and hit feria!

Typical Spainish appetizers

This picture cracks me up!  The Spanish keep their kiddos out till wee hours in the night and have them sleep in strollers!  This little girl had her feria dress, high heal shoes, and was out!

Jerez is known for all of their horses.  Horses took couples all around

We told Drew he could pick one ride he chose the three wheelers! 

                                Claire was a hit with the local Spaniards!

Garden Is Ready

This was our first year of having more than one veggie and so far so good!  We planted tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, onions, and radishes.  This past weekend the lettuce was ready to pick.  We told Claire she needed to be the helper on the outside of the fence to avoid walking on the veggies...

We were able to pick bowls FULL of delish lettuce!

Claire managed to find the SMALLEST opening in the fence and squeeeeeezed in to also be a BIG helper!

Claire and Drew thought it ws fun to sort all of the yummy lettuce!  We have been having a lot of salads!!

Dave and Laura's Wedding

Last weekend I traveled to San Diego, SOLO while the kiddos were in heaven at my sister's house with my parents, and brother in great hands.  Laura and I met six years ago when we were both in Okinawa and then went to Korea together for a summer college program.  We hit it off right away and were at each other's hip. I then moved to San Diego where she also lived and we became roommates.  Laura watched Andy and I fall in love and it was so neat to see her and Dave (who was stationed in San Diego) also fall in love. This past weekend was her wedding and I was honored to be apart of it.   Laura has now joined the Navy wife team and their stationed now in Hawaii!!

Dave, Laura, and I

Ashleigh and I have known each other since the 1st grade.. all through high school.. lived together in college for a few years.. and then she moved out to Cali and was Laura's roomate!

Utah and 1st Hair Cut!

Last week we took Clarie to our favorite kids salon in Virginia Beach for her 1st hair cut!  I was a little nervous if she would sit still, but she did great!!  We the mullet off of the back and then made it all one length. It still goes up in pig tails and pony tail... that's how much hair she has!

Taking the Taxi car for a spin

Claire sporting her new cut!  Also in aw with the Disney movie on... this salon is soo smart!

Drew and Cade on the swings probably talking about how they can sneak into the snack drawer!

Claire and Lucy LOVED each other and it was sooo cute!!  Lucy is seven months older than Claire and it's so much fun!  They will be  both so serious and give one another kisses while the other hold totally still!

One of Drew and Claire's favorite toys at Allison's awesome assortment of toys was a toy doll stroller!  Claire held completely still in it the entire time Drew pushed her.  This is the stroller that I need to keep in my car for her to sit in for errands if she likes it this much!

Claire could move right into Allison's house ASAP as she discovered the most wonderful cupboard at  her level.  Claire helped Allison with all sorts of organizing!

Utah

This past week the kiddos and I traveled to Utah to visit my sister, Allison, her husband, Jeremy and two children Cade and Lucy.  Cade is one year older then Drew and Lucy is six months older than Claire, so it's a blast!  We try every day for a great photo of all of the cousins and this is the best one we have so far!!!  ( I took away Claire's HUGE apple that she was chewing on and that really didn't help the photo situation)!!

Claire and Lucy couldn't be any more alike.  As soon as they hear one of us even have our hand on the dishwasher they come running in and are such BIG helpers!!  We really don't even need to run the dishwasher as the girls lick all of the dirty silverware clean!

                     It's so funny when the boys sit down to eat the take their shirts off!!  What boyzzzz!

Allison and I thought it would be fun to make up the dessert called dirt.  It's full of pudding, whip cream, crushed Oreo, and gummy worms.  We thought it would be funny to act like we were putting soil on the tree and then said we were going to try it and taste the dirt.  The boys were a little discussed, but since the girls already eat dirt they dove right in!!

                             Claire and Lucy didn't care if we called it dirt at all,  and dove right in!!

                                Playing some baseball and Drew already for some action in out field

                                                                    Allison and I

Botanical Gardens

Another HOT day here in Virgina Beach!  We met up with our old group of friends here at our favorite location, the Botanical Gardens. It's an awesome place with fountains and toys where kids can run free and wear out ALL of their energy.  I remember when we first moved to VB and Drew had just turned one, and seeing him at the gardens with all of the water for the first time.  Watching Claire about the same age today reminded me just of Drew.  Claire went charging in dipping her face in without blinking!

Our friend Moyra's little boy Nathan (Nati) he kept saying, "Hold baby".  I think though when I handed him Claire, he didn't think she was much of a baby!

Claire, Yared, and Kai

Kai's mommy Aya, and her daughter Mia. Mia was born two months after Claire

So today when we were driving to the Botanical Gardens I was telling Drew who all we were going to meet up with.  Drew replied back, "Mom I miss my friends here".  He sounded like a sixteen year old boy all buckled up in his car seat and gave me a huge lump in my throat.  I reminded him of the great friends that we have in Spain and how we can come back and visit the one's here in Virginia Beach.   I can only think that this conversation will get harder every two/three years when we have to move again...  

                                                              The boys... so busy fishing!

Back In The States!

Were back in the states!!!  Last week we jumped on a military flight back to Virginia Beach and will be here for about a week before we fly to Utah to see family and then I'm off solo to my friend Laura's wedding.  The kiddos were great travelers for the nine hour flight over.  AND we had to sit on the run way for two three hours before we even took off.  The jet leg is getting better every day for the kids and I stay busy running after them that I don't even remember that I have it!  

My brother Brian had a command Easter picnic this past weekend with a Easter Egg hunt, it was a blast!  Claire didn't care to much for the bunny though..

She did love the swing though!

Uncle Brian helping the kids on their bug hunt!

Easter day we took the kid's to the beach here with Brain and our friend Chad.  The weather was beautiful and as always they stayed busy in the water!

Chad chasing Drew with 42* water!