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Sophia's first birthday...

was fabulous!! There was cake and ice cream and lots of friends and a big pile of gifts. Sophia got a bit overwhelmed opening everything. Luckily her 1 year old friend Josiah was there to help. She got so many great things that should give her hours and days and months of play. She had naps at just the right times to help her to have energy for more birthday party and then after she got cake smeared everywhere we whisked her off to have a bath. It was such a good birthday. There might be photos at Jonah's blog jonah.triburbana.org
We are back at home in Seville now. 2 families in our house. But the Bowles may have a flat lined up. Jonah and company are headed off to England this week for 24-7 stuff but when they get back we will be helping the Bowles into their new place and getting things reorganized in our place.
I am very exciting about autumn. Although by the looks of the weather around here it doesn't seem like autumn is anywhere near arriving...

update on Jonah's travel

Jonah just got home about a half hour ago. What a relief to have him here safe with us again.

Jonah's stuck

Jonah went to England this week for meetings with 24-7 Prayer. He was supposed to be coming home today but now with the terrorist attack alert that was issued his flight has been canceled. He might be able to come home on Saturday but we will see. Well, at least I know he is safe and sound in the UK...

bit of travel and August.

We just got back from a 5 week adventure that took Sophia and I to California for 2 weeks, then England for 10 days, then camping through France and Spain for 10 days. We got back just in time for the hottest month of the year. We are doing our best to stay cool which means staying inside all day in the dark and boarded up house. Kati came back from the kennel very, very happy to see us. Samuel and Robyn Bowles and baby Josiah have arrived to stay with us this month. They are joining our work here in Seville and will be living with us until they can find a place of their own probably in September.

Mother's Week

Sunday was Mother's Day here in Spain and next Sunday is Mother's Day in America. So I get a whole week to celebrate my very first Mother's Day. I think I have an idea now, of why Mothers get their own holiday every year. Being a mom (or a stay at home dad, for that matter) is like a full time job with constant overtime and barely any breaks. So here's to Mothers (and Fathers)! You guys are amazing!!! Thank you so,so much for your love and hard work.

being a mom

past, present, future converge...what have I accomplished? What do I still have time left to do? What is actually worth the effort? Fighting the feeling of not getting much of anything done and why am I so tired doing nothing? Trying to enjoy the days that I have now and not wish for what I don't have. Why is this so hard. A constant lesson to learn. Be content with what you have. It may never come again. You may get what you wish for and then wish for what you had. Relax in being a mom and not being able to do much of anything else, for now.

amazed

I'm amazed that people are still hanging in there with me on the old blog...after a two month silence. Thanks for the comments everyone : )
I am really enjoying the spring here in Sevilla. In April we had Holy Week and then a week later the Spring Fair. I didn't go to any of it. A little bit of a survival course with a small baby. And Jonah had too much on his plate to go either. So we enjoyed normal life at home. Yesterday we attended my FIRST First Communion. Claudia, the daughter of friends of ours, Juanan and Inma, had her first communion yesterday. It is similar in importance to a wedding. We got dressed up in our best wedding outfits and spent all day celebrating with our friends and their family. Bit of a survival course with a baby too, but worth it and very special and fun.

finally...

It's not that I don't have anything to say...just barely any free time AND two hands free at the same time to sit down and type a blog entry. The last month and a half has been very stressful for me. But now things seem to be a little more normal and maybe I can blog occasionally again. Sophia is growing and getting her bottom two teeth. She is 8 months old now. I am planning a 2 week trip to the USA at the end of June with a detour to England for a wedding before coming back to Spain by car in late July. Jonah's 31st birthday is coming up in May. And my brother Cody is graduating from University with a degree in Engineering. He's the first of 4 kids to get a degree. I almost have a degree in 3 different things but lack a few credits for any of it. But Cody...he is actually gonna be a GRADUATE!!! Way to go, Cody!!!

hopefully more soon!!!

Trip to Paris

Saturday we waited under the Eiffel Tower in the freezing cold to meet some friends for a cafe au lait and a chat. I thought about how I had carried a miniature Eiffel Tower on my keyring for over a year. I bought it at the Thursday Market for a euro here in Sevilla. A souvenir of a dream that was conceived on that list of goals I wrote out in my early twenties living in California and trying to figure out what the heck I wanted do with my life. Visit Paris with a romantic interest sat there on the page between learn french and spanish and visit New York City with a romantic interest. Three out of the four isn't bad and I'm only half way through my thirties. Still time to work on a third language. At six months of age Sophia has sat in her push chair and stared at the Mona Lisa, Monet's Water Lilies and Degas ballerinas. We shared exquisite cheese and wine with our lovely french family. Jonah and I have kissed in Paris. Reality was better than I had imagined when I doubtfully wrote those words on my list and bought my tacky key chain.

I love February

Spring is just around the corner. Strawberry season is near. A fresh, new year is starting. Jonah and I have been together for 7 years on Valentine's Day. We get to go to Paris for 6 days on the 22nd through to the 27th. Nice way to celebrate 7 years together. My first time there. I am really looking forward to it. I can wear all my old clothes again after wearing maternity clothes for over a year. Helen gets here on the 16th from Los Angeles to live here and help us with Triburbana. She really wants to get involved in the club scene here and is an aspiring club DJ. It will be good to have another female around. Sophia blesses me so much everyday. I am completely in love with her. She is so cute and growing and learning and changing everyday. She teaches me so much about God and life and love. I am really thankful to have such a nice dog that I have already spent so much time training and preparing so that now I don't have to worry so much about her around Sophia. That was a smart thing for me to do, have a couple of years to work with Kati before Sophia came along. And I think it is really important to have animals around for children to get used to and learn from.