Portugal - May 2009

We finally went on a real vacation! I know, we've been back to the States a few times this last year; but when it's for work, a wedding, a holiday or there's something to do it just doesn't feel like much of a real vacation. Over the past 6 years Wes and I have made lots of little trips but I think the max was 4 days. Our last week long vacation was our 1-year anniversary when we went to Arizona and that was over 6.5 years ago. Wow, how the time flies and I'm not really sure how that happened.

I still didn't get a week in; but Wes missed 3 days of work, plus a holiday, and a weekend...so we were gone for 6 days! We rented a private Villa in Portugal in the Algarve at the Castro Marim Country Club with the 4 of us and 4 great friends; Doron and Lucie from Amsterdam and Brian and Neil from London came with us and we all vacationed together.

The Villa was absolutely beautiful with a BBQ and a private pool, all very modern and new, 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, fully furnished and ready to live in, plus daily maid service. We had a really nice and relaxing time. The kids loved everyone being there and had a great time being spoiled and looked after by 6 adults. We really took advantage of having a house and we cooked delicious home cooked dinners 4 of the 5 nights and only went out to dinner one night. We tried a family-style Portugese restaurant nearby and it was delicious. During the days we mostly hung out by the pool, enjoyed the sun, and just relaxed. Wes played golf 4 times (3 18-holes and 1 9-hole) and truely enjoyed himself (obviously!). They played 3 times at 2 different courses at the Country Club and 1 time at Monte Rei Country Club which is one of the best rated golf courses in the world and it's owned/operated by Jack Nicklaus. The boys said this course was absolutely beautiful and the best they have evern seen. I'm so proud of Tyler; he golfed with Wes 2 of the times. He actually went out with him, helped shag balls and clubs (and I'm sure beer) and putted on the greens with them. He first did the 9-holes with Wes and then two days later did the full 18-holes. He really wanted to go and be "one of the boys". I'm so happy they shared this great bonding experience together but sort of sad that my baby boy is growing up. We took two trips down to the beach, about a 10 minute drive from our Villa. It wasn't as hot as we thought it would be; maybe 80's (with wind); but it was still very nice to actually see the sun and blue skies and white clouds...what a difference from Holland. One day Wes and Neil stayed with the kids while the 4 of us did a little site seeing. We visited a few monuments and beaches and other cute towns. We were planning a horse ride in the countryside but it started to rain so we couldn't do it (what a bummer). Of course by the time we got home the sun was shining again and we hung out by the pool. On our last day we had massages in our villa; which was very nice and a great way to end the trip. Overall it was a fantastic vacation with good food, great friends, lots of relaxing, and fun times at the golf course, pool and beaches.

Portugal - May 2009

School Pictures

New School Pictures from May 2009.

Mother's Day Boating

I had a fantastic Mother's Day; spending quality time with Wes and the kids. In the morning we went to the park for a few hours and played in the sand and rode bikes and played soccer. In the afternoon we rented a boat with a few friends and enjoyed a few hours on the water. The kids had a great time and really enjoyed the boat ride.

Mother's Day Boating

A fun pet

We went over to Eric and Autumn's house last weekend for a BBQ. They recently got a new little pet...a baby bunny who is adorable. Tyler just loved her and and wanted to just sit and watch her the entire time and hold her and feed her treats and carrots and pet her. He was very entertained. The exercise machine also entertained them a bit!

A day at the Park

When the sun is shining in the morning it's hard not to get up and go to a park. We have so many to pick from and there's always fun stuff to do. This day was a "sports" morning. We played a little baseball, golf with the bat, soccer ball kicking, and even some bird chasing. It was a fun morning at the park.

Day at the park

BBQ Fun

A few weekends ago we had a BBQ at Doron and Lucie's house on their rooftop terrace. As Holland always is; the weather was unpredictable. It was a nice day with lots of sun but as the BBQ started the wind picked up and it got a little chilly. Luckily we finished before the rain came. It was good fun with good friends!

BBQ at Doron and Lucie's

Friendship

One of my best friends Sara was in town for a few days for work. We only got to see each other at work and then one night for dinner. It was so nice to see her even if it was for a short time. I miss her so much. We lived in SB together and she now lives in Dallas with her family.

Weekend Fun with Friends

The weekend Leslie, Nick and Brian were in town we did lots of fun things and had a weekend packed with activities. The weather was fantastic and we had sunshine for over 5 straight days. We enjoyed a night out to dinner and then cruising around the Red Light District and a few bars, a 3-hour boat cruise and the Heineken Experience. It was a great weekend!

A Little Saturday Fun

Keukenhof Flowers - 2009

"Keukenhof is a historic park covering an area of 32 hectares, full of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and all the other spring bulbs. The floral displays in the park and the unique flower shows in the various pavilions are a glorious visual feast. And in the midst of this magnificent spectacle of colour there are also exquisite works of art. Keukenhof is an unforgettable experience for people of all ages. It has been one of the most popular destinations in the Netherlands for almost 60 years and is famous worldwide. Here you can gain inspiration while you relax in the magnificent surroundings of the park which has no less than 15 kilometres of footpaths. For children there is an exciting playground, a large maze and an animal paddock. Keukenhof is a unique experience and guarantees the most fabulous photos. Come to Keukenhof with your family, friends and associates and enjoy the ultimate spring feeling."

Leslie, Nick and I went to Keukenhof on Friday May 1st, the day after Queen's Day. We had absolutely fantastic weather and the flowers were beautiful.

Keukenhof Flowers

Queens Day 2009

Queens Day 2009

Queens Day 2009 was a blast. The pictures speak for themselves. We had a fantastic time celebrating the Queen! It started off Wednesday with a party at the kids school and then Thursday morning at Vondelpark as a family and then a party at Neil's on Prinsengracht in the afternoon/evening. We were lucky to have a few friends in town for the holiday. Brian was here from London, Glenn was here from Singapore, and one of my best friends Leslie was here from San Diego, CA with her boyfriend Nick.

Wes' Birthday

Wes turned the big 31 this year (and it was a Wednesday night), so we didn't plan anything to extravagant. However we were able to get a good group of friends together for some drinks and appetizers at a nice restaurant in the city. We had the entire upstairs for the party so we were able to relax and hang out and socialize for as long as we wanted. After a smaller group of us headed over to La Margarita for some good blended drinks and more food! We had a great time celebrating Wes and the evening was a lot of fun. Happy 31st Birthday Wes!

Wes Birthday

Our Little Golfer

Kids Helping

Tyler and Madison switched beds when we moved Maddie out of her crib and we had to move the side sleeping rail from one side to the other. One day I decided to give it a try and let the kids help me. They did such a great job and had fun playing with the tools.

Easter 2009

Easter 2009

Our Easter this year was pretty mellow; but fun and exciting for the kids. We enjoyed a few different festivities during Easter week. They had a little Easter party at school and enjoyed some goodies and craft making with their friends and teachers. Tyler and I attended a Easter party at The Little Gym were he played games, got his face painted, got to pet a bunny, played in the Gym, made lots of Easter crafts, saw the Easter bunny and had an egg hunt in the gym. On Easter morning we went to the Hard Rock Cafe with some friends for their annual Easter Breakfast Buffet. Here they again enjoyed craft making and egg docorating, face painting, cute little baskets, and the Easter Bunny. Tyler loved the Easter Bunny this year and Madison still wasn't so sure. She got close enough to look at him but no pictures were allowed and she wouldn't touch. At home we had our own little Easter egg hunt with the little chocolate eggs in our garden. Seemed silly and minimal but the kids loved it and had a great time. We did it after their nap so we told them the bunny came when they were sleeping. Of course Tyler believed it and was so happy the bunny brought him "more" chocolate eggs...his favorite. Overall it was a great day and Wes cooked us all dinner that night. We hope everyone had a fantastic 2009 Easter as well. Hope you enjoy our pictures from the holiday.