Spain, Day Three

We woke up early on Monday and made the 1 1/2 hour drive to Gibraltar. We have been in the past, but the Greens wanted to check it out. Good news was our friends from Okinawa who now live in Rota made the drive to meet us for the day. It was so good to see Melinda and Lydia! The last time we saw them was over 4 years ago.

 The Rock

 Walking through the tunnel to the main walking area.

 The Okinawa gang together in Gibraltar. Oh, the traveling lives we lead!

 After the busy day we went to a beachside restaurant not far from our resort.

 Shawn had mussels...they were amazing!

 On the way back to the room we wanted to check out the indoor pool. 

Jason thought it would be fun to throw Jackson in with his clothes on.

 In he goes...

 and out he comes, soaking wet! He thought it was pretty funny.

Spain, Day Two

We checked out of our hotel and went down to the Marriott where we had a room for the next 6 days. The kids were excited to finally go to the beach and play in the sand and water!

(Sorry for picture overload. This is the day with the most.)

 We tried to get these sun beds a few times, but they are a hot commodity and were snatched up fast.

 In front of the hotel.

 The kids LOVED playing at the beach!

 Jason and I have a picture like this from Okinawa. Brings back memories of our days on the island.

After a while at the beach the kids headed up to the outdoor pool and hot tub.

 What would Spain be without a sangria? Yummy!

 Some pictures of our two bedroom apartment home for the week. It was perfect and had everything we needed!

Kids bedroom

Kids bathroom

 Me and Jason's room

The beds were amazingly comfortable! I have nothing but good things to say about this resort. 

We loved just hanging around the place and enjoying all the place had to offer. The kids played golf, badmitten, crochet and ping pong. They also had shuffle board, giant chess and checkers which they didn't get to take advantage of because they loved badmitten so much. The resort has a kids club all day with different activities going on depending on the time of day. Jackson and Grace loved being able to go to that! It was perfect for us to take the kids there and then have our time during vacation.

One night was a kids night out so me, Jason and Liz went to the boardwalk for a great seafood dinner. When it was time for the kids to get picked up, they didn't want any part of it because they were having so much fun!
We made it an early night because we had to get up and make the drive to Gibraltar in the morning.

Southern Spain for Spring Break, Day One

Spain called out name this year for a spring break trip. After being the darkest winter in Germany in 43 years, the sun was calling...no, screaming our name! 

We took advantage of my parents time share and stayed at the Marriott Marbella Beach Club. Our arrival dates were a little off so we stayed at the same resort our friends the Green's stayed at for our first night there. It was great to be in the same area as them and the kids loved being close to their friends.

The first thing we did when we checked in the room was sit on the balcony and let the sun beat down on our skin. We missed the warm sun on our bodies!

Off to the pool. The water was a little on the chilly side so the kids spent some of the time at the indoor pool.

I guess being in the sun makes Grace a little goofy.

Liz and I watching the kids play at the pool. Let the vacation begin!

AJ's Koality Chorus Performance

Jackson was part of the RES Koality Chorus Club for a couple of months. If you don't know already, Jackson loves to sing. He has always been like that as long as I can remember. He used to sing himself to sleep when he was little, sing in the bathroom, sing outside/inside-this boy just loves music!

We were able to see him perform 8 songs with the rest of the group. He did a fantastic job!

Easter

Easter morning is always fun for the kids to wake up to. They were for sure that the Easter bunny didn't come after searching the house. After looking and looking they realized they forgot to look in the loft...and there they were!

They were so excited and happy to dig through the baskets at all their treats.

Emma's 11th Birthday

We celebrated Emma's 11th birthday today!

She got a stuffed animal for her birthday and within a matter of hours the stuffing, squeaker and eyeballs were ripped out and torn off.

Emma is always faithful and looking out for the kids when they are out playing. Some funny things about Emma:

~She waits about 10 seconds after the food is poured in her bowl as stares at it--almost as if she is praying.

~Every night when we walk upstairs to bed, she peeks in the kids rooms to make sure everyone is tucked in for the night.

~She has a secret sense for every time I open the peanut butter. She can be in a whole other room and as soon as I open the jar, she is there waiting for a sample.

~If we can't find Emma in the morning, more than likely she is has snuck in one of the kids room and sleeps with them.

We have been noticing the little things that make us realize she is getting old. She has a hard time walking by the end of the night and her joints pop and creak. Emma is getting cataracts in both of her eyes. When on a walk and we will throw the frisbee or ball after about 2 throws she is done and just lays down to chew on it.

We watched Marley and Me a few weeks ago with the kids and it made us truly appreciate her even more. I think it was an eye opener for the kids to know that Emma won't always be with us. They definitely give Emma more love these days....and so do we.

Emma is the best dog we could ask for!