Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter Everyone!!
We headed to the beach for some play time and a picnic this week before we head to PA on Monday where there might be snow this weekend. Yikes! Hopefully it will be warmer before we get there. :)
I am amazed at how long the kids can sit and play in the sand with a bag full of diggers. It's our favorite thing to do here.

Well Luke is a typical 5-year-old boy. When choosing teams for his NCAA pool this week he kept choosing Butler to win because it sounded like "butt". Oh brother!
On Thursday we painted Easter eggs! The kids did great.
Here are the finished products.
Today (Saturday) Miss Annette came over and we had our Easter dinner! We had steak, chicken, seasoned potato wedges, roasted vegetables, baked macaroni and cheese, dates wrapped in bacon and bread. We had a wonderful time, and we were stuffed!
But not too stuffed for Miss Annette's famous chocolate cake! It was very yummy.
We hope you all have a blessed Easter as you celebrate what Christ did for us on the cross this weekend with family and friends. We'll be in PA for the next 10-14 days (flying back stand-by so we'll see when we get back here!) We'll be in touch again then. God bless you all, we're thankful for all of you!
With love,
Tonya & family

More Fun and More Visitors

Hola Amigos y Familia! We hope this finds you all doing well. We have just enjoyed wonderful visits with Grandma & Grandpa Siegrist, and friends Scott & Karen Hoober. After everyone left on Saturday, Caroline said "Mom, who's coming next?" Scott & Karen arrived on Saturday the 8th (Grandma & Grandpa were still here), so we all went to Luke's futbol match (they won!) and then walked around the port area near the stadium. It was a beautiful morning, and Les & Scott especially enjoyed looking at all the boats.
Here's a shot of the marina.

We then walked around San Sebastian beach in Sitges and had lunch by the sea at an Argentinian restaurant.
After lunch we walked around old town Sitges.
From the port area we had a view of Sitges that I had not seen before. Karen was taking some pictures with our camera.
I think she may have captured my new favorite shot of Sitges and the cathedral by the sea. I love this view.
Family photo in the port area.

Then on Sunday we went into Barcelona for church, and had a nice lunch outside at Port Olympic. It was nice until we discovered that Scott & Karen's camera bag had been stolen, right before our eyes. So we spent the afternoon in the police station and buying a new camera, but luckily still made it to the Barca game in perfect time!!
Becky & Les took the kids home to our house, and we spent the night in Barcelona going to the Barca vs. Villarreal futbol match with our friend Josep and his brother-in-law Carlos. We really had a very fun time, despite the fact that it was rainy, cold, and Barca lost. :( It was still great to experience the atmosphere at a Barca match (and Josep had gotten us great seats!), we loved it.
Me, Brian, Scott and Josep at the game.
Hmmm...these pictures got a bit out of order. Here I was meeting up with Brian, Scott & Karen with their passports (the guys at the hotel actually gave me the key to their room, I couldn't believe it!) They were shopping for a new camera and then we went to the police station.
A metro ride with Grandma!

On Tuesday March 11th we flew to the island of Mallorca. It was only a 50 minute flight from Barcelona, but of course the kids loved it. We were planning to meet up with Scott & Karen there while Grandpa & Grandma flew back to the States (that's a long story!!)
Sorry about the order here. On Monday the 10th we took Grandma & Grandpa to visit Monsterrat, the famous monastery outside of Barcelona. It is so amazing how they built these beautiful buildings right into the side of a mountain!
We took a cable car ride to the top of the mountain. The kids love that part.
Grandpa, Grandma, and Luke in the cable car. When I told Caroline we were going to take Grandma & Grandpa to Montserrat, she said "You mean the yellow cable cars??!!" She knew exactly where I meant.
View of Montserrat from the cable car. We had a wonderful visit there with Grandpa & Grandma. While we were there, Scott & Karen went to explore Valencia for 2 days. They ended up going to a bull fight, which they loved! (Glad we weren't along, ha ha!)

On to Mallorca...we first went to Palma when we arrived, and found a great place to have lunch. The kids enjoyed their treats!


After lunch we had dessert and coffee at a cute little cafe by the cathedral in the historical section of Palma.
Here is the cathedral of Palma, Mallorca. Right by the sea, and very dramatic, it was just beautiful.

After Palma we drove to Porto Cristo and checked in at our hotel. The next morning we checked out the beach.
Here is a view of the coast on our drive from Palma to Porto Cristo.
We spent some time enjoying the sun by the cathedral in Palma.
Girls picture.
Boys picture.

On Wednesday the 12th Scott & Karen arrived on Mallorca and we went to see the Drach Caves. The tour through the caves was pretty amazing (it ended with a short boat ride through the caves), but you weren't allowed to take pictures down there. So here's a family shot on the way out of the caves. Any of you who have visited us will appreciate this picture! Ha ha!
Luke took about 20 photos of the peacocks at the caves. :)
Back to the beach by our hotel...the progression of clothing removal was pretty funny. We arrived with all of our clothing on, pretty soon the kids shoes & socks were off, then their shirts, and then their pants! I guess they were in true European fashion swimming in their underwear!

On Thursday the 13th we took a scenic train ride from Palma to the cute little town of Soller. The train ride took us through quaint little villages and lots of orange and lemon groves.
There was a really nice playground near the train station in Palma, so the kids had fun there while we waited for the train.


Scott & Karen at the Drach Caves.

Once in Soller we took a tram to the Port de Soller, which had beautiful views of the mountains and sea.
Another shot in Port de Soller.
Scott & Karen by our train.
You can imagine that the train ride was a highlight for the kids. It was about an hour ride from Palma to Soller.

The cathedral in Soller, it was situated in a beautiful plaza with cute outdoor cafes all around it.

Karen & Caroline on the train ride.
Picture of the lighthouse in Port de Soller.
We had a nice lunch outside at the Port. But the funny thing was we couldn't believe how many times we would pick a restaurant, get situated, and then they would tell us the kitchen was closed. I think they saw us coming and ran out the back door. :)

On Friday the 14th (Karen's birthday!) we drove north on the island to Port de Alcudia and Port de Pollenca. Here's a group photo at Alcudia.
More amazing views of boats, mountains, and the Meditteranean.
Near the train station and playground in Palma, they had a really cool night-time display of lights and fountains! Scott taught Luke how to jump the fountains at just the right time (except that they both got wet...ha!)

Jackson on the train ride back to Palma.

From Port de Pollenca we drove out to Cap de Formentor, and found that there was amazing cloud cover and we couldn't see anything! We talked to some locals who said that in 25 years of living there, they had never seen anything like it. Here's a cute shot of the kids with the clouds in the background.
Another group shot with the clouds where the Mediterranean sea should be!
And a family photo.
Jackson enjoying a ride on Dad's shoulders.
Luke & Caroline were excited to find Marlin & Dory on the side of a boat!











Grandma & Grandpa went home. Scott & Karen went home. We flew home from Mallorca. Brian left on a trip. Back to reality. :) We are so thankful for our family and friends for these special visits and making special memories. We love you all!

We hope you all have a great week as you prepare to celebrate Easter and the incredible meaning that it brings. God bless you all!

Love, Tonya