Aniversarios y cumpleanos (anniversaries and birthdays)

15 happy years!

Nat and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary by going out to lunch at a local restaurant while the boys were at school. (We still haven't quite figured out how to pick them so it wasn't epic but we did get a free dessert). After school we took Colin to get passport photos (3 are needed) and new sports shoes for his futbol team (a different kind than he wears in the U.S.) These simple errands take much longer than at home as we have to figure out where to go, how to communicate with shopkeepers, etc... Then we had pizza and gelato at an outdoor cafe on the edge of Plaza Bib-Rambla which is a beautiful square downtown with the piped-in sounds of screetching birds (random). The kids are having a hard time right now so hard to celebrate in a big way. Perhaps in a few months....

Authentic Valencian Paella cooked by
our neighbor Jose Luis

Chef Jose Luis in his garden

We helped our neighbor José Luis celebrate his birthday this weekend but he did all the work. He cooked 15 of us an amazing, authentic Valencian paella in his beautiful garden (he's from Valencia where paella was born) that was not only unbelievably delicioso but a learning experience as well. Nat went early to be his "un pinche" (soux chef) and learned some new techniques. This was a traditional Valenciano recipe with chicken and rabbit (we didn't tell the kids) and Nat was surprised to learn that he used no onions or saffron in the dish (the onions get too soggy and saffron is nice but unnecessary). Uncle Ted would be so proud!

Nat's new mountain bike buddies:
Juan and Juan dos (2)

On Saturday morning Nat got up early to go mountain biking ride with a couple of local Spaniards (Juan and Juan 2) who showed him how it was done. They rode up the valley below Sacromonte and up in to the hills for some amazing views of the city and surrounding countryside. They only spoke in Spanish and he had a wonderful time seeing through the eyes of a local.

Overlooking the city

I must be starting to look like I know what I'm doing as two people have actually asked ME for directions (one tourist, one local!). Not that I was able to help, mind you.

Los ninos with their most relished Wii

After many years of trying to keep home entertainment systems at bay, we have finally broken down and bought a Wii for the boys. One was supposed to be included with the house when we arrived but it was miscommunicated and los ninos have been badgering us for one ever since. And as it was the only thing they were looking forward to about moving to Spain and as their birthdays are both this Fall, we decided to finally acquiesce. Nat had fun buying it in Spanish at the local department store and the shopkeeper even helped him get the best deal. We're really hoping it's worth the 4 years of begging we've put up with. Lord knows the boys don't need anymore screen time. We've given them 2 weeks to keep the menus in English.

Chocolate in flour

Wrap your buddy in TP!

So the "surprise" party for Clark at Parque  Huerta del Carlos turned out well, better than expected actually. Clark was truly surprised (although he knew something was going on) and about one third of his class made an appearance. We played some new games that I learned about through other parents (one involved unrolling toilet paper and another finding the chocolate in a pile of flour without using your hands -- see photos). And we were almost busted by the policia for serving alcohol (they arrived on horseback and gave us a warning). At least I think that's what happened....

Three-legged race

Policia on horseback

Lego Space Needle