Turning 40 and Harvesting Almonds

Turning 40 ain't so bad! :) We think he still looks pretty good!
Barcelona even had an airshow in honor of his 40th birthday, can you believe it?! :) Well, not really. But he got home 3 days early from a trip, and was here in time for an amazing airshow in Barcelona, as well as his actual birthday! They had an interesting array of airplanes, this is a fire suppression bomber demonstrating a water drop.

We decided to sit right by a playground to watch the airshow, which was one of the smarter things we did that day.
This is the same water bomber coming in to pick up some more water to do another drop.
Here is a view of some of the thousands of people who came out to watch the airshow.
There were even hot air balloons!
A Spanish armed forces F-18 did a demonstration, which was the highlight of the airshow for Luke!

Helicopter formation demonstration team.
The Spanish version of the Thunderbirds was this 7-aircraft formation team.
Caroline liked when the smoke trail made a heart shape in the sky.
Same group, sideways view.
At the end of the airshow the jets flew with red, yellow and red smoke trails to make the Catalonia flag.

On the actual day of Brian's birthday, we spent a really nice afternoon on the beach. As you can see, we had the place to ourselves! We had a picnic lunch, played futbol, went for walks, and played in the sand. It was a beautiful day, and very relaxing.
Caroline and Jackson going for a walk.
Luke playing in the sand.
And Brian enjoying turning 40. :)

This past Saturday we went to the "finca" of Luke's friend Dylan to help them harvest their almonds! It was a great experience. Here are the kids playing in the small shed.
And here's a view of the shed, with people husking the almonds, and Tarheel happy to be invited along.
I don't have a good picture of the first process of the harvesting, but the guys would go out to the almond trees with bamboo type sticks and knock the almonds off the trees onto plastic tarp. They would then bring sacks of almonds over to where we were husking them.
Here we are having a nice picnic lunch.
Husking the almonds was actually pretty easy, and the kids even enjoyed stopping and helping in between playing. We just peeled the outer fuzzy skin off, and made a big pile of the almonds in the middle. They will be sold to the cooperative, and then someone else gets to crack them to get the small piece inside that we actually eat. It was a really nice day, and we were happy to just spend it outside, doing some work, and being with friends! We went for a hike later in the day, cooked dinner over the fire, had a nice campfire, and then drove home. We decided not to camp out this time. :)

Much love to everyone,

Tonya

Hi all,

Tonya and the kids made my birthday very special, as did all of you who sent cards and greetings! I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful family and thoughtfull friends! I hope to have 40 more to enjoy with all ya'all!

Thanks again and may God bless you!

Brian

Happy 40th Birthday Brian!!

Hola Amigos y Familia!

We hope that you are all doing well! On Tuesday, September 30th Brian will turn 40!! So on Saturday, September 20th the kids and I, and three of his closest friends here, surprised him with a day of sailing on the Mediterranean. He was thrilled! The kids tried to keep it a surprise, but were so excited they let little things slip from time to time. :) Nonetheless he arrived blindfolded and they guided him to the boat. Here is a group shot on the catamaran.
As we left the port in Vilanova, we saw this nice boat with a pretty backdrop of the town of Vilanova and mountains in the background.
Our friends who joined us: here is Uncle Yves (as the kids call him) from Belgium,
Patricia from Brazil (she and husband Lisaneas are our small group leaders).

Caroline, Jackson and Yves watching for huge jellyfish.
Brian, Luke, and Lisaneas enjoying the sun and the views. We were so thankful for a beautiful day!

Brian and Jackson.
View of the town of Sitges, where we live, from the sea.
Luke and Caroline on the lookout for sharks. :)

Closer view of Sitges, with a nice view of the church.
This is actually up the coast a little further near Luke's futbol field.
Lisaneas enjoying the views.
Dad the pillow!

After sailing up the coast, we stopped at Cala Morisca to swim and have lunch. Here is another catamaran close by.

Brian and Luke doing some snorkeling. To our surprise, Cala Morisca appeared to be a popular place for nude sunbathers, so we swam near the boat. :)

Yves, Luke, Brian and Lisaneas checking out the jellyfish.
Another nice view along the coast.
Jackson attacking Brian on the "trampoline".

Boys wrestling with Uncle Yves.

Our skipper, Nicholas, was very friendly. He let Luke sail the boat for a bit...maybe that's why I got a little green. :)
Family shot on the boat.
Happy 40th Birthday Brian!!!
The next day we went into BCN for church and a picnic lunch by the Tower of Columbus at the port.
The kids have been wanting to ride the lion statues ever since we got here, so they finally got their chance! Here's Luke...

and Caroline.
Driving through town we also happened to see a random parade of horses and soldiers. The kids loved it!
On the way home from BCN we drove up a road to see where it went and found some nice views of the coast along Sitges.
Brian then left on Tuesday, and that evening we visited a new gymnastics class for Caroline with some neighbor girls. At one point I peeked around the corner at her and she said "Mommy this is so much fun!" She was so excited. I'm so proud of how much more confident and brave she has become!!

It was hard to get very many good shots, but we tried to get a couple.
Luke snuck in and took a few shots too. :)
And then tonight it was his turn, first night of futbol!! After how hard it was for him last year (new language, new kids, new coaches, new sport), he did just incredible tonight!! He wasn't afraid at all, and was also so confident and brave compared to last year. I was so proud!! He's the one in all blue (head to toe!)
What a difference a year makes. They've both just learned to get in the back of the line and follow the other kids if they don't understand what they're supposed to do.
Jackson and Caroline playing at the futbol field. They were both excited about futbol starting too, so they wore their Barca jerseys. :)

Jackson wanting some attention: "take a picture of ME!"
Luke kicking the ball during a scrimmage at the end of practice.
Caroline wanted to take a picture of Jackson and me.

Closer shot during the scrimmage. And I just loved this one...team huddle on the field with the palm trees and Mediterranean in the background. Can't beat the views!

Home-schooling is going really well with Luke and Caroline, and they will also start a Spanish class in town next Monday. We're sad that summer is over, but it's been great to see how excited the kids are about their different activities.

We're praying for all of you who are dealing with difficult situations and loved ones in the hospital. Know that we think of you often!

Con mucho amor,

Tonya