Is this really my life....?

This place is like a little slice of heaven served up at just the right time in my travels.  Life just kinda flows here in a stream of splashing kids, laughter so pure you want to bottle it and save it for a moment you need to smile, comfort in routine with just enough spontaneity to keep you on your toes, and great company through it all.  The kids and I have started to find our middle ground on everything.  They respect me and I respect them.  It is always a bit tricky to navigate life with kids when they have a few different people taking care of them.  I don't think it is a bad thing at all....I actually think it can be really great for the kids to understand that they are cared about by so many people and that we all follow the same rules but do things a bit differently.  There has been many a moment in the beginning where I was told "My Mommy doesn't do it that way!"  That comment has now turned into (most of the time) "You do it different then Mommy...but it's ok!"  Sometimes kids are so much smarter then we give them credit for.
Life with 3 kids is busy for sure and there is never a dull moment.  In the middle of all the madness though we always sit down together for at least one meal a day.  That meal is usually lunch.  Diana will make some

Luis and the story of the blue nails

amazing salad or some other tasty dish and the kids,Lara and I will set the table.  We will then all gather around dishing up the food and talking about whatever is going on.  Family meals so often are something that get lost due to all sorts of circumstances in life but when it comes right down to it those circumstances most of the time are just excuses.  So often we feel it's just easier to do it separately or our schedules are all so different we can't find a good time.  There is always a way to make something that we feel is important happen.  I have been reminded here by this family the importance of sitting down and sharing a meal.  I have learned so much about everyone around the table during these meals and feel like I am so comfortable and relaxed here partly because of these times.  What we talk about is not life changing but being together is.  The simple pleasure of hearing Luis talk about his blue finger nails and how 2 were not painted anymore because he went to the doctor and the doctor said he had to take it off was adorable.  That story was important to him and might not have been shared or heard by all of us had we not all sat down.  Maxime remembered today while we were all eating fruit salad how her mom used to make faces with her fruit and you could see her just light up with joy while she talked about it.

Meal time laughs..Lara and Maxime

It's these moments that make putting aside the challenges of getting everyone to the table at the same time worth while.
In between meals life has been happening also and it has included some adventures and some mishaps this week.  Here are the mishaps....  Maxime has had a bit of a rough go of it lately.
Incident #1: We had a barbecue with some of their friends over the weekend and while playing she took a corner too close  and slammed straight into a cement post leaving her with a nice big scratch on her forehead.
Incident #2: The next day poor thing started running a fever just as we were leaving to take her to her sports camp so she climbed into bed for the day.

Poorly Maxime

   Incident #3: The next morning as she was getting ready for the day by bruising her teeth she had an unfortunate meeting with the floor.  This has to be one of the best falls I have ever seen in my life...super scary in the moment.  Let me set the scene for you.  It's about 8:30am...me and the 2 oldest (Maxime and Luis) are in the bathroom.  Maxime has just started up her electric toothbrush...one of those disney ones with snow white on it (I promise this snow white bit is relevant later).  The story begins as she puts it in her mouth and starts to brush Luis announces "Sara!  I need some wee's! (translation...I need to be put on the toilet so I can go potty).  I pop him up there and then Olivia who was still asleep starts chatting in her crib to get up.  After getting her up I hear the call from Luis "I'm Done!!!"  I walk back into the bathroom and as I am setting Olivia down to go help Luis Maxime stands up, and as she steps her feet catch in her nightgown and she just goes down flat onto the floor.  She didn't even catch herself at all with her hands because they were on her toothbrush.  My heart stopped...as I picked up this sobbing child of course I was completely calm and collected on the outside but inside all I could think is...I hope all her teeth are there and she didn't break her nose.  Luckily at this moment the housekeeper walked by and picked up Olivia.  I grabbed some tissue from Luis who, bless his little heart, was just sitting on the potty still waiting and applied pressure to the quickly swelling, bleeding lip.  Diana must have heard the cry from upstairs and came down with an ice pack and snuggled her crying daughter to calm her.  I walked over and finally freed Luis from his front row seat to this show (the potty) and took him out of the bathroom.  After a bit of time with mom this little trooper came over to me and said " Sara, I can go to sports camp now....can you help me find my clothes"  We go her dressed and off she went...busted lip and all (no teeth were lost thank goodness).
I have to say I have never seen a fall quite like this one.  It was full face to floor contact with an electric toothbrush as the only buffer between the two.  After she had left for camp I went back down to clean up the scene and when I picked up the tooth brush the only piece that had broken out of the middle of it was Snow Whites face.  I have been joking now with her that the toothbrush busted her face but she busted it's face too.
Our hope is that since things usually happen in threes Maxime should be good for a while!

Day at the Beach

 One of our best days so far was an outing to the beach.  Diana, Olivia, Luis and I went to this lovely little beach and spent the better part of the morning and afternoon there.  We went early and set up in a great spot very near the water and nice and shaded for the kids.  I am back to sandy beaches here.  I had gotten so used to the rocks I forgot how soft and lovely laying on sand can be. The water was gorgeous...beautiful shades of blue and green with perfect temperature.  Not so hot that it isn't refreshing but not so cold you can't stand to be in it....it is just right.  Luis and I had quite an adventure looking at all the fish. I was really surprised at how many there were so close to the shoreline.  Sandwiches from a beachside cafe for

Palma Beach at dusk

 lunch made the day complete before we headed home.   I also did venture out for an evening with Lara into downtown Palma.  We went down to the beach just as the sun was setting.  It was really funny as we were walking onto the beach Lara kept saying keep looking forward..don't turn around yet...then when she felt we had reached the perfect spot she let me turn and look back and it was beautiful.  The city was bathed in this dusk glow.  Everything had a warmth too it.  The historic cathedral was lit up and looked magical.  It was the perfect time of night to see everything.  This city really has a nice feeling to it.  After walking the beach a bit we popped into her friends restaurant and had some wine.  The restaurant is in a great location right on the beach and the building is a historic landmark.  It used to be these really cool old windmills but now it's the restaurant.  We had a nice time just chatting and getting to know each other a bit.  Lara is taking courses in fashion so it was fun for us to find this common interest.  Hopefully we are going to be able to do some designing together while I am here.

El Molino Resaurant

I must say that life in Spain is just great.  I am loving it so much and know that it is just going to get better as the days pass by...not too quickly hopefully!