Barcelona

The next few posts will be about our trip to Spain and have tons of pictures. First, let me explain why we went to Spain. Jason has worked very hard for the last few years and finally had some time off. We wanted to take a family trip to see more of our beautiful world and expose Calder to some new ideas, cultures and places. When looking at all the places we wanted to go, Spain was the cheapest at that given time and fairly high on our list of places to go, so we chose Spain. 

We flew from Baltimore to New York and then to Barcelona. We had a delay in Baltimore which left us with 30 minutes to make our connecting flight. We made it after running through the airport me pushing the stroller, Jason carrying the backpack and Calder yelling "faster, faster". Thankfully they don't let you fly internationally without your bags on the plane, so they made it too.

 This is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. It is a very dark, but impressive cathedral.

 Almost every day we were in Spain we found a fun local bark. This is Citadel Park. It was an awesome shaded park with a zoo, a lake you can rent boats in and a greenhouse.

 Aaaahhh, the beach. We LOVED the beach. The weather was 80 degrees and sunny every day we were there. Perfect beach weather for sure.

 Barcelona has this really cool waves bridge that turns when a boat comes through. It leads over to a floating shopping mall.

 This is the Port of Barcelona building. Honestly, we didn't go inside, Jason just loved the exterior. It is a rather pretty building.

 We took Calder to a fun European toy store and told him he could choose anything that would fit in our suitcase. He chose this adorable wooden helicopter with a little driver. It was a great companion throughout our trip.

 All right, this is probably our favorite stop. La Sagrada Familia or the Holy Family Church. This is the most impressive building I've every been in. The exterior looks like a gray cake in the rain. It is droopy and rather sad looking but the interior is light, bright and colorful. The church has been under construction for ever because it is totally funded by admission fees.

 I'm sure we looked like this a lot while on our trip. Calder, chummy in the stroller and one of us pouring over the guide book.

 Okay, back to Sagrada Familia. This is the interior. The symbolism in this building is amazing.

 See, gray cake in the rain.

 Calder and Cami at Park Guell. A great hike but it didn't have a playground.

 It also had a great view of Barcelona.

 This is really funny. At Park Guell they had little spaces carved out of the rock wall that people were posing for pictures. Calder loved being in the hole. I wish I would have taken pictures of the large group of Asian tourists also taking his pictures.

 Calder was a true tourist. He loved looking at all the signs and figuring out what we were looking at.

 This is a fancy light and music show by the Olympic village. It happens every night in the summer and is incredibly beautiful.

La Boqueria. The most beautiful outdoor farmers market. There were so many people that it was hard to stop for pictures inside but we got an amazing fruit smoothie here.

Calder at the maritime museum. 

Calder made a friend at the park. They rode the rocking duck together. It was sweet to see their non-verbal communication. Then they played with the gate for a while. It was sweet. 

 The Museum of Contemporary Art. Oh my goodness, we didn't understand any of this art. I guess we're just not into contemporary art.

 Zoom in here, that little spot at the top of the stairs is Calder. I can't believe how small he looks.

 This was the crazy line to get into the Picasso Museum on Free Sunday. Nope, we didn't go.

Every Sunday locals get together to dance the Sardana Dances. It was fun to see them doing a very traditional dance with strangers.

 We wandered back to the beach and happen to catch the Barcelona air show. It was very impressive.

 Calder and I did go stand in the water for a while but we didn't go swimming. It was just fun to play on the beach and the waves.

 A real big fish.

 While we were in Barcelona we went to General Conference. Every six months our church hears from the prophet and our leaders. It was fun to find a church and be with people who are so different than we are but believe the same things.

Barcelona is a beautiful and amazing city. We loved every minute of our visit and would love to go back some day.

First (real) Baseball Game

 While I was in Chicago the boys went to a Washington Nationals game. It was Calder's first real game. We tried to take him to a White Sox game when we lived in Chicago but it got rained out. I'm so glad Jason and Calder could enjoy some bonding time over baseball.

 That same weekend there was a block party on our street, so they went and had a great time. I think it was very sweet for them to spend all day together and I think it helped Calder to realize that Jason can do everything he needs. It's nice that Calder lets Jason help him go to the bathroom occasionally now too.

Chicago

Last month I had the most amazing opportunity to meet up with some of my Chicago friends in Chicago for a girl weekend. It was so fun! I was quite nervous about leaving Calder for the first time but it really helped that Jason would be with him the whole time and that they had some fun things planned.

I stole all these pictures from my friend Danielle. (Thanks Danielle) There were 5 of us that came from out of town. Three from DC, one from San Diego and one from Little Rock. Here's Kate, LuAnn, me and Danielle. 

We planned the whole weekend around food we wanted to eat and people we wanted to see. LuAnn and I got haircuts on Friday and then I went to work to visit my old coworkers. It was great to see them and chat. I miss them.

We got pedicures and ate a ton of good food. My favorite eats of the weekend were cupcakes at Sweet Mandy B's, breakfast at Bongo Room and sushi at Sushi Wabi. Pure bliss. I wish there were a Sweet Mandy B's here, or even an equivalent. Those are the best cupcakes I've ever had. Ever.

On Saturday night we got together with a bunch of friends from Chicago. It was so awesome to see so many old friends and have the time to reconnect.

Oh and on Sunday we stopped by Hyde Park Produce on the way to church. I didn't spend a ton of time shopping here when we lived here, but it was a pretty great store for last minute stuff here and there.

I had a fabulous time and can't wait to have another girls weekend with these ladies!

29

I am so behind on my blogging, so I may be a bit short here. I turned 29 last month and I'm totally loving it. I feel like I'm at a great age. I know who I am and am comfortable with it. I am confident to stand up for what I believe and what I want. I am happy with my life. It is so fun that I get to hang out with two amazing guys every day. My birthday was perfect and I am spoiled in every way. 

Bethany Beach

 This week we went to Bethany Beach, Delaware. It was the first time Calder and I had been to the Atlantic Ocean. We all had a great time. Calder thought the waves were really fun and didn't mind when they splashed his head (which didn't happen often). He enjoyed burying his legs in the sand about as much as jumping in the waves. We spent about 2 hours in the morning playing on the beach, stopped for lunch and then spent about 2 hours after that at the beach. It was perfect.

Because we went on a Tuesday there were lots of people there but I didn't feel like it was over crowded.

Calder was so tired that I got to sit in the back seat on the way home. There is nothing worse than a 4:30 nap. Thankfully we made it home without a nap and he slept very well that night.

Great Falls

My friend LuAnn organized a trip to Great Falls recently. It really is beautiful and we had a great time. The kids enjoyed the little hike and the indoor visitors center.

 This kayak does not move. I know it looks like they are taking a wild ride, but they aren't. I promise.

How many boys can we get in the mini kayak?

Martin Luther King, JR

 The Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial was recently finished and our good friends the Marshalls invited us to get a picnic dinner (at 5 Guys!) and visit the memorial. It was a lot of fun! The boys had a good time driving cars around while we enjoyed the views.

 You can see the Jefferson Memorial so well. I am shameful to admit I haven't been there yet. Soon. Very soon.

Thanks for inviting us guys! As always, we had a good time!

DJ Calder

 Calder loves to play the piano on my computer. If you google 'play piano online' you'll find a great keyboard that you can change the sound from piano to saxophone to organ (Calder's favorite). He doesn't normally wear noise canceling headphones but as Jason was unpacking he couldn't resist.

Columbus

 While Jason went to Oregon to visit family last week Calder and I decided we would go to Columbus! We had a great time and ended up extending our vacation due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene. We stayed with the Bardsleys and loved it! Thanks guys!

 Calder loved Grace and all her toys. She was incredibly patient and shared so well. I'm so glad they became friends and Calder asks regularly when we can go back.

 We went to COSI because it was basically our second home when we lived there. It's amazing that Calder doesn't really remember it but he sure had a good time.

 We made sure to do lots of fun things for Calder and for me. We went to the Park of Roses in Clintonville and we went to Sew To Speak for me. I sure missed Sew To Speak. It is by far the best fabric store I've ever been to. I got enough fabric to make a button up shirt. It is now on my list of things to sew.

 We also visited our old dog, Deebo. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures. It was fun to see him and it is obvious he loves his new house and new family. We drove by our old house and played in our old park.

Spencer was kind enough to let Anna and I have a girls night out with Amy while the kids slept. Calder woke up upset, so he snuggled in with Spencer. It's funny he didn't remember any of it in the morning.

I am so thankful we had the chance to go back and visit. It was fun to see our friends and see what has changed  and what has stayed the same.

Natural History & Annapolis

 We recently went to the Natural History museum as a family and had a marvelous time. Calder loved the little explorer room where he could examine butterflies under the microscope and touch all sorts of shells and skins. He loved the turtle shell and listening to the ocean in the seashells.

 The next day we went to Annapolis. Jason had only been there once about a year ago, so it was fun to go back again. We explored the pier and then went to a park to kill some time before we went to dinner. This is the second park we went to in Annapolis and we have been happy both times.

 Calder thought this large pay phone was a gas pump. He hasn't ever really seen a pay phone and the dial does look like the one on the gas pump.

  Then we went to Mike's Crab House. It was delicious as always. My only complaint is the lingering smell of crab. No matter how many times you wash your hands, they will smell like crab the rest of the day. It is so worth it though.

And, I'll leave you with a funny conversation we had the other day.

Cami [while rubbing Calder's feet]:  When you get married, you'll have a nice wife who will rub your feet every night.

Calder:  No, I want you to rub my feet when I get married.

Cami:  Ok.

Calder:  My wife can rub daddy's feet.