Mommy & Daddy Beach Getaway -- And Other Firsts

...and two, albeit, not consecutive nights without children (more on that below).

While Grandma and Grandpa were here they made their way to France and spent some time with friends.  I think they enjoyed their time.  We partook in some family time around the house doing the kinds of things we do during the summer, evidence below : ).

Grandma and Grandpa also generously gifted us our first child-free getaway EVER.  This is just the way it's worked out for us living in Barcelona.  I think, however, now that we have a regular Catalan babysitter, some good friends, and grandparents visiting on a regular rotation (hip-hip-hooray) there will be more of these in our near future.

We visited a great winery, enjoyed a long lunch, took a LONG dusk walk along a beautiful beach, shared a bottle of said wine on our patio, and slept in a bit in the morning.  After that, we went and got our kids because, heck, they're our favorite people in the world (and, truth be told, since I had been in NYC the week before I missed them).

 Beach cuties.

The sand and water here, in El Vendrell, are so much nicer than the beaches closer to home.  And Aoife LOVES playing in the water.

Loving the sand.

 Yes, we need three umbrellas for shade because we really are that white and burn that easily.

 The right way to "beach it."

 Getting just a little sun.

 My handsome partner-in-crime.

 She thinks being buried in the sand is about the best thing ever, can't you tell?.?

 She worked very hard...

 ...to make Mommy a mermaid.

 Close up...

 ...at a distance, with a heart, my heart.

And pizza for dinner, seriously like some of the best pizza ever.  It was called, The Sinatra, I am documenting that so that next time we go back to El Vendrell we get the exact.same.pizza.  Delicious!

Later that week the girls had their first ever slumber party -- at school of all places.  They had A BLAST!  Aoife struggled to sleep a little, Aine not at all, which is exactly what we expected.  They were in great and capable hands with people they love and who love them so we were confident it would be a success all along.  They had dinner together, played games, including tracking down magic with their flashlights on the patio, and turned in side-by-side along with their friends.  We enjoyed a night free of children, another bottle of wine (are you noticing a pattern here?), a movie, a late lie-in, a morning walk and coffee, a tasty menu (set, all-inclusive lunch) and just generally being together.  I think we might get the hang of this (every now and then at any rate).

We've had a lot of  "firsts" this summer, some documented above, more to come later.  I suppose that won't go away just yet as our kids are so young, I hope it continues to go so well!

Stay tuned for the news from Austria & Germany.

Love, love, love!

Xo