Back to School

After our trip, the boys and I had the rest of the month to spend time together since camps were over and school didn't start until the end of August. We hit up lots of playgrounds, had picnics, visited the zoo, swam at the pool, played with friends, and worked on crafts. We had a fun month, but I was ready for a break when school started today! Grant officially started real preschool, and both boys are going to a new school this year, St. Thomas. So far, so good- they both had a great time today!

Making some wishes.

 Superheroes!

My poor baby got caught up in some rough-housing with Daddy and Nolan and came out with this shiner.

Carousel ride at the zoo.

 Wildlife Festival

 First ever Sonic milkshakes for all of us!

Yogurt break at the park with friends.

 Big boys ready for their first day of school.

Nolan insisted on getting a picture with his buddy, Henley.

Meanwhile, back at home...

My parents came to watch the boys while we went on our trip. They did a great job keeping them happy and entertained all week! 

With the time change and unpredictable internet we had, it was nearly impossible to talk to the boys while we were gone. Luckily they sent us this video, which we watched EVERY day :)

Needless to say, we were very excited to see them when we got home, and it made us so happy that they were just as thrilled to see us!

Barcelona Day 3

We woke up on Thursday morning and could hardly believe our trip was almost over! Our plan for the day was to check out Monjuic, a mountainous park that borders the city. Though for years it was synonymous with depression and decline in the city, it was the site of the 1992 Olympics and got a complete makeover.

View from the cable car on the way to the top of the mountain. The enormous structure in the middle of the picture is Sagrada Familia.

Castell de Montjuic, on the very top of the mountain, dates back to the 1600's.

Great views of Barcelona from the castle.

Overlooking the port.

Mike with a street performer.

Estadi Olimpic

Getting close to the bottom of the mountain, looking up at Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.

We finished the day with some shopping in Barri Gotic and one last meal of tapas and Spanish wine. Our trip was perfect and amazing, but we sure were ready to get some huge hugs from our boys :)

Barcelona Day 2

We had a little too much fun with my cousins, and definitely stayed up too late, so our next day got off to a late start. Day 2 was dedicated to Barcelona's most famous architect, Antoni Gaudi. Our first stop was the magnificent Sagrada Familia. Construction of the church began in 1882 and it's not scheduled to be complete until 2026 (the Spanish Civil War halted construction for 20 years). Gaudi died in 1926, but he left very specific plans for how the church was to be finished.

The Nativity Facade was the first side completed, while Gaudi was still alive.

The following pictures are of the Passion Facade, which was completed in the late 1900's.

Before our trip, we read lots of mixed reviews on whether or not to go inside the church. We are SO glad we did! It was absolutely breathtaking, like nothing we've ever seen before. The pictures don't do it the least bit of justice. All I can say is that it's completely awesome and well worth the time it's taken to complete. I hope we can go back someday when the whole thing is done!

After Sagrada Familia, we jumped on the metro and headed north to Park Guell. Aside from housing more of Gaudi's works, the park also offers some great views of the city.

Some examples of Gaudi's trencadis tiling, where he smashed up ceramics and arranged them back together in mosaic patterns.

After Park Guell, we explored some of the Gracia neighborhood. We came across quite a few people out in the streets making decorations for their annual festival the following week.

Next we went to Gaudi's Casa Batllo followed by La Pedrera. We were running out of steam for the day, so decided to admire the buildings from outside, but did not take the tours.

For dinner, we took the metro to Barceloneta to check out the city's coastline along the Mediterranean.