Positively Thrilled

Surprise! We are all very excited and preparing for our new family member which will arrive the end of September! I am feeling like a regular pregnant gal, you know, so tired at 9pm that it feels like i've sprinted a mile and feeling starved to within an inch of my life every 2 hours! I am 13 weeks so far, and will not be able to squeeze ridiculously into my clothes for much longer. But I am happy and healthy, Dax is being very good to me, and the kids are just so excited and tell me "wow, look how big the baby is growing!" It is great.

HOME!

The evening we arrived at Dax's parents house was surreal, almost more than our trip. I saw my kids and my eyes could hardly believe that it was real. The fact that I'd been traveling for 2 days and slept in the London Airport the night before and crossed 10 time zones and I was completely in an exhausted fog may have had something to do with it not feeling real. It really felt like I had been in a different world and I was re-entering the one I left. It was weird. But these kids had never looked cuter and I could not hold them and hug and kiss them enough. Hearing their little voices and seeing their smiles was so wonderful. Preslie kept saying, "I missed you so much." and Hunter kept saying, "I can't believe you're here!" It was really cool.

More Trip Pics

Graffiti Art. An oxymoron to some, but there were some impressive displays that covered the entire lenght of a cement wall.
More pretty architecture. Love it.
They have small cars over there, which makes sense because the streets are super narrow and there is no where to park. I saw this Smart Car (the smallest car I saw) and laughed when I thought of all the giant SUVs being driven here in the U.S. Americans have just about everything Spaniards have but most of it is just way bigger. Bigger cars, homes, appliances, streets, refrigerators, butts, everything! Spain does top us on a few things...Cheese for instance. They have tons and tons of different cheeses in their grocery stores. They also have a lot of really good bread.

Photo Shoot by the Ocean

Just snapping a few shots by the ocean and liking how the waves looked in the background. It was quite a shocker what happened next...
:-)

The Canary Islands

The grocery store is one of the best ways to find out about a place's culture. Dax is standing in front of a huge wall of Jamon Cerrano (cured ham). It is just a bunch of pig legs hanging there-they've been cured in salt so they don't spoil (I tried some)-and this stuff is very popular and there is tons of it in the grocery stores over there.
A great view on the island of Lazarote (lans-a-roe-tay). There are lots of beautiful things to see!
The last day of our vacation, and finally warm enough to go to the beach and swim. We had a blast jumping the waves and trying to body surf. It is a different experience going to a beach in Europe. It is no big deal for the gals to go topless...including women that are your mom's age.
I took many pics of the unique architecture. I loved the brightly painted homes and buildings, the detailed balconies, and just the old world charm.

Count down to the Canaries

Many of you know that we are going to the Canary Islands soon. We are busy getting ready and busy getting way way excited. I will post some photos when I can. It may be a while before I do, but I will! Thanks to family who gave me $ for my b-day so I can have some to spend over there. We are just thrilled for the chance, and if you remember, include us in your prayers so we can have a safe and wonderful trip and that my kids and Dax's parents will survive each other for the duration, and most of all that I won't go crazy missing them! Love you all -- I will be thinking about you when I am walking on the beach in my shorts and flip-flops under a pleasant 70 degree sunshine!

My Birthday

I always have a great birthday. Everyone always tries to make me happy, and this year was no different (except the cashier at K-mart, but I don't think she knew it was my birthday, or she would have been way more helpful) Dax made me dinner (pasta with this amazing cheese alfredo sauce that had saute'ed garlic, onions, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in it -and I am pretty sure it was fat-free).Dax's brother and wife came over for dinner and they gave me this super cool t-shirt which I love! If you are wondering where my cake is, well, I don't really love cake, or ice cream for that matter. We made chocolate chip cookies but didn't bother with candles, which is good because 26 candles is a lot for cookies to handle.

My family and many friends were very very thoughtful and made me feel loved. And I can always count on my brothers and dad to make me laugh each year when I read what they write in my b-day card. Thanks everyone!