Surfing in Dallas!!!

Ahoy Mateys!! Our Pirate Party!!

Here it is, the long awaited pirate birthday party video!!

Despite my reservations about hosting a party with 35 guests in 106 degree weather at our house, it actually turned out pretty well (at least that's what I think). We had loads of activities and games, many of which we never even had time for, and plenty of food. We got to dress like pirates, create telescopes, engage in sword fights, walk the plank, earn gold doubloons, pop cannonballs, hunt for treasure, eat cake, make messes, and have lots of other fun.We even got to eat a delicious and beautiful strawberry treasure chest cake and plenty of yummy pirate banana cupcakes all lovingly baked and designed by my good friend Erin. Thank you Aunt Erin!!!!

I think the kiddos and even a few adults had a good time. Happy 4th Boys! Enjoy the video:

Other bits and pieces

Yep, still working my way through all those birthday photos and video clips!!! The good and the bad of digital photography I guess. In the meantime, here is our video of all the other miscellaneous stuff we did during the month of August.

A Day with Trev & Family

My brother Trevor is in transition from one job to another and found himself with a few days off. He mentioned wanting to stop by and see our house before he starts training next week, and somehow that quickly turned into all of us going to Hawaiian Falls together. What Fun!!

Molly, Trev and the kids are season ticket holders and wanted to check out a different location as a little day-stay-cation before Trev starts working again and the kids head back to school. How lucky that they not only invited us, but they had free buddy passes as well. They picked the Roanoke location which is the newest park and looked like it had some pretty cool rides. It was a compact and totally fun place. We spent the day sliding, climbing, riding the waves, floating (flying) around the lazy river, getting soaked, eating, and mostly staying cool.

Even though the days are still over 100 degree mark, most of the places to cool off are closing down during the weekdays and will be closed for the season after Labor Day weekend.  How nice that we got to finish out the "Summer" with some of the Schreier's. They never did get to come by and see the house, but I guess that's okay since they'll be here next weekend for the boys 4th birthday party ;o)

Because of all the water, I wasn't able to get many photos or videos, but here's a compilation of what we did get:

Swimming!!

After seeing one of our previous videos, Landri and Avery decided they wanted to check out the Coppell Aquatic Center with us. So they came over yesterday, we packed up the cooler, and we all headed out for some summer fun at the pool. The kids had a great time jumping, climbing, leaping, sliding, and swimming. We almost didn't notice it was 107 degrees.....almost. Afterward, we headed back to the house for some rest and dinner before saying goodbye. It was a great day and we hope they come out and join us again soon.

What Happened to June??

Well, it's been a month since we closed on the house....we've moved in and actually started getting some furniture. We are still waiting for the roof and gutters to be finished after over 5 weeks or so, (it was part of the "deal" when we bought the house and the seller picked a really terrible roofing company), but we are settling in and trying to wrap or heads around being actual homeowners.

Of course we've been up to a bunch of other things as well. Playing, swimming, skating, local events, spending time with friends, and hanging out. The weather here is crazy hot, so if it doesn't involve water it better be somewhere inside!!! Here is a recap of what our June looked like:

Water, Water & More Water!!!

Our Memorial Day weekend was filled with lots of water activities and BBQ!! First we were invited to a Wacky Water Party where the boys played tons of fun games, ate yummy food and snacks, and got totally wet. Next we headed over to another friends house for delicious fajitas and swimming. Then we hosted Trav and the girls at our apartment pool for MORE swimming and more BBQ. Needless to say it was a weekend spent in our swimsuits!!! Too much fun!

An Unexpected Road Trip

In less than 3 hours we found ourselves in the car making the 16+ hour journey to Wisconsin for an unexpected road trip. We thought we were heading up to see my grandfather one last time before attending his funeral later in the week. Two days after we arrived, things took a 360 degree turn and he started getting better slowly but surely. He is now in rehab trying to make his way back to his apartment in an assisted living community.

Although it didn't start out under the best circumstances, it ended up being a great trip. We had been meaning to get up to Wisconsin to visit, but we were waiting for Jaime to find a job and have a start date to finalize the plans. I guess we needed a little push to head up. We spent just over a week hanging out with my grandpa in the hospital, helping him celebrate his 86th birthday, and visiting with family. Now we are back in Dallas and prepping for a move into a furnished temporary apartment and getting ready for Jaime to start his new job in just over a week. More on all that sometime soon....

Spring Break 2011

Okay - so every week is pretty much Spring Break in our house, right? Actually, we tried to lay a little low during Spring Break here in Dallas. We wanted to avoid all the other kids and families who would be crowding all our favorites spots. We still managed to have a little fun though.....

Back in the U.S. of A

Hard to believe we've almost been back in Dallas an entire month! Our flight was great and we're as settled in as we can be while intruding on family space.

We spent our first week getting all the "necessities" like a car and a phone and whatnot, and then Jaime got down to the business of looking for work. Lots of resumes sent out across the US, but nothing promising just yet.

Then it was Thanksgiving week...and now it's December!

Otherwise we've been hanging out and enjoying the TX weather fluctuations from 84 one day to 37 the very next day. We've been enjoying the local amenities from neighborhood parks to library story time, and we've been attending some of the many Christmas time activities throughout the metroplex. Here's a little video of our Dallas November:

Random Octoberness

And here's the rest of what we were up to in October:

Los Gigantes and....

We used my birthday this past weekend as an excuse to finally head out to Los Gigantes. Los Gigantes means "the giants," in Spanish and it describes the Acantilados de Los Gigantes which are vertical basaltic walls reaching heights of 500 metres (1640 feet) in some places. In the times of the aboriginals, the Guanches, they were known as the 'Walls of Hell."

We took a tour/whale/dolphin watching boat and headed out on a three hour tour. We got to see pilot whales, a couple dolphins, and plenty of beautiful cliffs and scenery. Afterward, we drove to Los Cristianos and hung out at Playa Las Vistas until it was time to head home.

Back at the casa, Jaime's family surprised me with some snacks, a cake, and gifts before Jaime and I headed out for some really delicious fusion tapas at a place called Victor Cruz in Santa Cruz. It was a full and wonderful 39th birthday!! Thanks boys!!!

End of Summer Fun

We've been trying to keep busy and cool since my cousin left a couple weeks ago. We haven't been up to anything specific, just a bunch of this and that. I wanted to post a quick video before we celebrate the boys 3rd birthday tomorrow!! Crazy!! Then, next week, Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of yet another summer...sometimes the days are slow, but time sure does fly!! Enjoy our fun!!

We can do it!!!

One day, while my cousin was visiting, the boys decided that they didn't need to use floaties to swim anymore.

So, they took them off and just "jumped" right in. They already think they are expert swimmers...which they just might be by the end of the swimming season.

It's amazing how much they learn on their own from one day to the next. We are happy that they are SO comfortable in the water, but now we need to be even more careful with them when they are near the water.

Here's a short video of what they are up to:

...the rest of our 2010 US Tour

Coming in at just under a month since our return...here is the final video of our recent stay in the States. It was nearly impossible to select just a "few" photos and videos, but we managed to do it!! Hope you like it!!

SO far behind....

Our time in the States has just FLOWN by!! I find myself sitting here on the eve of our last full day, and I am already sad that we have to go. I can't believe 8 weeks went by "just like that."

I am so very far behind on the blog and we've done loads of fun things, but I've only had time to put together one more video. I'm working on one for the second half of the trip as well as one from our early celebration of the boys birthday too, but that will take a bit longer.

Here is a (long) look at our 4th of July week spent in WI. We hung out in Germantown with my grandpa, and enjoyed a long weekend staying with my Uncle John and Aunt Mary up in Prairie du Sac on Lake Wisconsin. It was a fantastic week, the boys had tons of new experiences, and we thank everyone for their generosity and hospitality. Enjoy!!

Happy 4th of July!!

2010 US Trip - Part I (Video)

I heard that we are busy enjoying the hottest Texas summer in 40 years....how lucky that we decided to come for the summer this year.

Actually, we have found lots of ways to stay cool. We've been busy visiting museums, local events, water parks, spray pads, library story times, friends, family, pools, parks, malls, etc. So much to do and so little time...it's hard to believe we only have three more weeks back here in the good ol' USA......next week we head to Wisconsin for a bit and then a little more time in Texas before heading back to Tenerife.

Don't blink during this video...the pictures go by quickly. We've taken well over 1000 photos already, and I had a really hard time just choosing a few for this post. Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer!!

This is how we do it.... (video)

As promised, here is a little video about what we've been doing lately. A visit with friends, a trip to Loro Parque, and then mostly just hanging out around town and around the house. We did do a forest/beach weekend, but that's for the next post...

"A Playful Path is the shortest road to happiness."
~ The Oaqui

...And the rest of our visit with Alise (video)

Other than eating pizza, the Carnaval parade was our very first outing after Alise arrived...followed by an evening of tapas and bedtime.

The next day, we had a nice morning with breakfast near the ocean including churros and chocolate. The late afternoon/evening brought heavy rains and strong winds...so much so, that businesses closed, festivities were postponed, and the Canarian government urged people to stay in their homes....

The rest of our week was either cloudy with a chance of rain, or sunny and beautiful. We spent our time hanging out, watching movies, shopping, eating, visiting Loro Parque, basking in the sun & playing at a beach in the South, enjoying the Parque García Sanabria, and hiking and exploring the Taganana Mountains.

We also had one failed attempt to see the snow on the Teide followed by a more successful attempt a few days later, as well as a failed attempt (flat tire) to spend another day in the South followed by a visit to Playa Las Teresitas which is much closer.

Overall it was a busy and eventful visit. We're glad the sun decided to show its face at least once or twice so that Alise could bring a semi tan "home" to cold and snowy Chester, England. Now, it's back to life as "usual."