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

Moving Along with Summer - Besalu

While Grandma and Grandpa were here we were mostly still working and in school but we did manage to squeeze in some fun and mini-getaways.  One such adventure was to La Garrotxa, a beautiful region to the north (and just a little east) of us.  We stayed in a little bungalow in the woods again, they're just super affordable and idyllic for the kids.

One of our favorite stops during the trip was in a little town called Besalu, it's beautiful!  We'll be back! 

Here are some highlights from the trip, overall:

 Playing in a little pueblo closer to our campsite...

 It's ballet (or peace signs) all over the place these days, even in front of picturesque bridges.

 Coca for breakfast, oh yeah, and we are soooo tired.  Can you see it in our eyes?

 Thanks, Grandpa!

 Why don't we swing this way all the time?!?

 The girls discovered a fun bug on one of our hikes.

 Grandpa, ever adventurous and so not bothered by bugs, snakes, lizards ... all things "boy."

 However, Aoife can't be convinced.

 They always look good like this, my sweet little crew.

 Nice shot, I think they may have been looking at Grandma's camera (?).

We just made it in to lunch, and that's really saying something, on one of our days out.  We'll try and find this spot again.  The food was excellent and the price outstanding.  The service was also great -- an older guy who warmed up with everyone, a natural born charmer.  We all liked him and he like us, as you can see evidenced by the fact that not just Aoife and Aine got chuppa-chupps for later : ).

Yes, that is a ham vending machine!  Why lose the business during medio dia, or otherwise?!?

 And it was begging for a picture ... or, er, two.

 The lovely scenery at the water's edge of Besalu.

Fun, crisp and cool!  So nice on a hot day!

There should be more of Stuhan Summer 2014 rolling out soon, so stay tuned.

Besos.

Summa' Time -- 2014 -- Part I

We'll be packing up and leaving for a 10 day trip to Germany and Austria at the end of the week so I really should post again before summer's end ... but I make no guarantees.  For now, I'll just do a quick update on what summer has looked like so far around here.  It's fun, busy, messy, wonderful.

Right after we got back from our Spring Break trip Aoife turned 6 -- yes, 6 (and I do feel like that is crazy).  This is the gift she most wanted, a Doctora Jugetes (Doc McStuffin's) dress-up outfit.  She's been busy looking out for her lovies, and others, both with and without the getup.  She is brave, kind, smart and beautiful.  We are SO very proud of this little girl!  We love you like crazy, Aoife Bean Roisin Stuhan!!!

So, I suppose that's the end of spring but it couldn't go without mention, on to summer proper.

Both girls got their traveling story again at the end of the year, I am always so impressed by this activity and the work my kids end up doing!  So sweet!

 Aoife's story was a version of The Little Red Hen this year.

 Well, "Hello, Gorgeous!"

 Aine's story was about animals too, as you can see : ).

Another pretty girl...the house is full of them ; ).

 The girls also had their end of year show at school which, as usual, was impressive.

 Ceee-utest kitty-cat and bunny-rabbit ever!

This year they also had their end of year ballet performance.  Yes, Aine's legs are all banged up, she is a typical #2 bruiser but she's pretty darn graceful as a dancer.  Definitely multi-talented.

All jazzed up after their performance!  Oh, did I mention both shows were on the same day?  We were t-i-r-e-d!

And then came June, which was a totally packed month that probably actually deserves it's own post (so I'll be back sooner than later).  Here's a preview for now, anyhow.

Grandma and Grandpa Koonce were here and considering the girls often call their Grandpa, "Silly Grandpa," I think this picture is entirely appropriate!

 We don't have enough of these!  We love your, Grandma.

And fewer still of these!

I'll be back soon.

Bon estiu.

XO

Maggie

French Countryside -- Spring Break 2014

We just got home from an incredibly relaxing, off-the-grid (sorry if you were looking for us and couldn't find us), week in southern France.  It was SO nice to disconnect and just explore, eat lots of good food, take naps, read books, listen to the girls play and, or course, drink plenty of good French wine.

Here's a bit of the story, told in reverse again -- thank you Blogger.

This is taken from near the top of Queribus, which is one of the "Five Sons of Carcassonne." Carcassonne is the very large medieval castle and village in the region (now a world heritage sight) and the "Five Sons" being some of the other châteaus in the region.  I was of two minds the whole time we were up exploring the fortress, it was SO high up, everything was SO steep and the wind was incredibly violent but it was also incredibly cool and beautiful.

 I made it work -- though struggling with mild vertigo.

 She, on the other hand (like her sister), was carefree with not a worry in the world.

And for some perspective ...

The lovely family who invited us one the trip!  The acted as our official guides as they are a French-Catalan family.  It is really nice to travel with other families, we like it much more than we ever would have anticipated.

This is the still working mill in the village, Cucugnan, below Queribus.  We enjoyed a yummy snack before we trekked up to the château and bought the best bread we had during the whole trip -- which is really saying something!

Another of the châteaus in the area, so impressive.  The countryside is just littered with them!

We spent a lot of time relaxing around the house, which was impressive -- I mean both the amount of just relaxing that we did and the house itself.  Aine's quote was, "This is a really nice house and I like it here.  When I get bigger I am going to live here with Aoife and Julia." These three lovely little girls played happily all week, maybe they could make it work.

They found a "mascota" which literally translates to pet but can also be mascot.  Her name was Florentina Flor.  There were actually quite a few snails and other animals around that the girls followed and played with.  One afternoon we went on a nice, long hike in the area and discovered a series of pools that we waded in and where we "hunted" frogs and lizards.  We didn't have the camera along for that one but hopefully our companions will send along some pictures I can share soon.

 The girls practiced their skills using the camera a bit more on this trip, general silliness ensued.

The Aine.

The Aoife.

We headed out to the regional market one day and bought lots of great food.

 We got so lucky, the weather was PERFECT everyday, albeit a little windblown and sunny.

One of the market fresh meals, this was our BBQ night.  The area is known for its asparagus, it was delicious!

We did do a visit to Carcassonne one day.  It was really impressive.  I believe the quote from Aoife when we pulled into the parking lot was, "Holy crap!  You guys were right, I am impressed." -- Note:  Our child does not generally have a potty mouth, in fact, that's the first and only time I have ever heard her say that.  I guess she saves it for very special occasions.

 Looking pretty!

 Fantastic lunch, fantastic wine, great friends and one very cute Hubby!

 Between the inner and outer wall(s).

So impressive!  The castle is restored and it was really neat to see much of it how it would have been, with the wood fixtures and everything.  It wasn't my favorite though.  There is something a little more magical about the ones that are less restored for me.

Another day we went to the animal reserve nearby, Sigean.  The lions were by far the most impressive.

 After this I am, in all seriousness, ready to go on an African safari!

 Just to get an idea of how close we were.

The walking part of the park and our adorable little crew (Julia, Aoife, Violeta, Aine) -- Violeta was with us just for one day.

 We ate around the table together three meals a day, everyday.  It was lovely!

Taking in the sun on one of the two patios.  This one was adjacent to the kitchen and the open dining room pictured above.

 There were also three terraces, this one just off the girls' room.

All snuggled up, ready for bed.  I mean, there were only four beds in the room but the bottom bunk was the place to be.

And yes, we really did eat that much cheese, it was left out in this cupboard all day, everyday to breathe and I do think it was better for having done so!  Yum!

Adieu, France! Nous sommes revenus très bientôt! 

Bisous.