Once again I can't believe how quickly time flies by. Halloween has come and gone. Thanksgiving passed and I missed my moms amazing turkey and gravy and Dads home made rolls. My stomach growls just thinking about it. Now christmas is literally a blink away and I hardly feel prepared. I have been enjoying my time here with the kids and as always we have been busy just living daily life. Each day is filled with big and small moments that make me laugh, cry (most of the time from laughing too hard) and then laugh again even harder. These kiddos are growing up right before my eyes and becoming such beautiful independent little people. I feel lucky to be apart of this journey with them and grateful that they let me be a part of all these special moments and make some wonderful memories. Here is a update on what we have been up to….
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| Just one of hundreds she has done…plus she can write her name now! |
Olivia as you know is in proper school now and loves it. She is also very into drawing or as she calls it "painting" She creates such lovely detailed drawings now. It's fun watching her just blossom and become a little girl and not a baby anymore. She is happy to let you know how grown up she is too. She is such a spunky fun little girl you just can't help but be drawn into her delightful world and be charmed by her cheeky smile. One of my favorite comments from her lately is after she has picked out an outfit and put it on she stands back from me runs her hands down the outfit and proceeds to say "I look nice Sara?" I can't help but
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| Witch hat and princess dress = perfect outfit! |
smile…a true little princess. She also tends to get quite creative with her outfits and accessories. Lately there has been a witch hat that tends to be worn quite often. I know all stages of childhood are fun and I love them but I really hope she stays in this one for a while. She is starting to get more independent but still wants to hold your hand or grab you and give you a cuddle for no reason at all. I just love it! Now my favorite little boy Luis is staring to turn into a big boy. He has grown leaps and bounds physically and emotionally. He is definitely getting to be more "boy" everyday. Lately it seems as though there is something wrong with our washing machine because all of his pants are getting so short! I suppose maybe he is just growing but sometimes it seems to happen over night. His confidence is absolutely amazing and he is always trying to make people smile or laugh. He hasn't quite worked out how to tell a joke properly…punchline usually ends up being given away during the telling but the kid has mastered funny faces. He is getting to be an amazing football player…his footwork and power kicks are super. He always tell me "Sara, I wish I could just play all day!" I really think he would if given the chance.
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| Why stand and wait when you can RUN! |
Even though he is getting to be such a big boy he still loves to give me a hug and a kiss when I drop him off anywhere and holds my hand for no reason. He is just becoming the perfect balance of a gentle heart and a strong independent boy. As these kids get older another thing that I am so proud of them for is they are still being kids. They have not lost their creativity and inventiveness in all moments. So many kids nowadays if they have to wait for more then a minute start asking for an electronic device to play on. Not these kids….they come up with some sort or game. While waiting for a birthday party to start Olivia and Luis discovered some ball shaped dividers that looked like fun so they proceeded to zig zag running through them. They invented a race where they had to do it a certain way one way then another on the way back. This is the kind of thing that happens all the time. Also all the games they come up with
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| Happy Birthday!! |
are appropriate for the area and respectful of other people around them. Usually children their age are fully self involved but not these kids. They are so thoughtful and aware of others. So speaking of Luis getting bigger he is also turing one year older! His actual birthday is December 24 but we celebrated it early with all of his friends. It was a fantastic day with huge jumpy houses, football matches and cake! The party was at a beautiful old finca (farmhouse) in Palma. It was one of the most beautiful places I have seen. Maxime and I wandered around the whole thing and found beautiful treasures everywhere. There was a huge pond, a huge main house (Maxime said it looked like a hotel), another smaller house in the courtyard where the party was and a small orchard with oranges, mandarins, and lemons. I kinda fell in love with it and wanted to live there. Only bad bit was it was right near the motor way now which I am sure wasn't there when it was built. All in all it was a fantastic day. Luis had a blast
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| This is how we feel about cake…kinda excited! |
which is all that really mattered. December also brought about thoughts of Christmas. This holiday would definitely be a different one for me considering it will be my first one away from my family and also we are going skiing so it will be spent in a hotel. It shall be exciting I am sure however lets start with the holiday bit at home. We all got in the Christmas spirit to start with by bringing in the Christmas music. Since I am not in the states and there is no Thanksgiving I could start the Christmas music as early as I wanted. Truth be told I started it before Thanksgiving! There were many car rides to and from school with me and 3 kids singing jingle bells at the top of our lungs. I feel as though we had it going basically anytime we
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| Christmas decorating!!! |
could and were enjoying every minute of it. Since we were not going to be in town for the holiday we didn't get a proper tree but we still decorated the house a bit and decorated a palm tree outside. The kids and I did some fun crafts with wine corks creating christmas trees and wreaths. We also made the classic paper chain with a count down. Our count down was to our skiing trip though not to Christmas. December also brought christmas shows at the kids schools. With 3 kids and multiple activities this made for quite a few shows. All were fun and the kids were so excited about each one. Maxime and I even made here a cute skirt for one of hers. She was quite proud to be wearing a one of a kind outfit for her show. Along with the kids shows I ventured into downtown Palma a few nights for some christmas fun of my own. I was able to attend the Nutcracker which I have never seen before and it was absolutely amazing. It was even more special because one of my friends was playing in the orchestra. I also just wandered around taking in all of the beautiful lights
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| Maxime in her Christmas show. |
that they have all over the downtown area. They were really beautiful. One evening the kids and I headed out on a christmas adventure. It began with a bus ride into downtown which they love. Next stop was dinner out which is also always a treat. Final stop of the evening was a theater show…A Christmas Carol. We got our tickets and took our seats. The kiddos were so excited and ready for it to start however they had a bit of a shock when it did. Olivia was fine but Luis had a bit of a fright with how loud it was. There was a lot of discussions during it to make sure all were clear that it was pretend and the grumpy man wasn't really grumpy he was just pretending. Olivia explained to Luis at one point that the big skeleton looking guy was just halloween so he didn't need to be scared. I seriously love how these kids brains work. By the end all was ok and Luis ended up loving it. It was his first experience with the theater which I am sure can be a bit overwhelming for a little guy but I think he likes it now. All in all the build up to the christmas holiday
has been great and. We are preparing to head out to Austria for our skiing holiday which will be very a new experience for me but thats what all these adventures are for right! Next time you hear from me I will be in the Austrian Alps having a very non-traditional christmas.
Much love and happy holidays to all of you near and far!
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