Bien venido a Espana!

Keith and I decided about a month ago that we wanted to go to Spain for our beach vacation because we had heard great things about Mallorca and how family-friendly it is, with beautiful beaches and delicious foods -- sounded perfect to us! For those who don't know (like me, before we booked this trip), Mallorca is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea (technically the Balearic Sea), off the coast of Spain near Barcelona (and a stones throw from Ibiza). There are many Brits and Germans who live and vacation there, but not many Americans (most people thought we were British, haha!).

Having fun while we wait at the airport

So we booked our holiday just weeks before we left and planned to spend eleven days in Mallorca at the beginning of July. We were lucky enough to have great friends keep Murphy while we were gone, and off we headed to Eindhoven airport (luckily only ten minutes from our house) to catch a two-hour plane ride to Palma, followed by a 45 minute drive to the other side of the island where we were staying, in Playa de Alcudia. Unfortunately the board said our plane was delayed. Indefinitely. Until further notice. Seriously? So we fed Liam and had a drink ourselves, knowing we would eventually make it to the beach that day. And we did. Just two hours later than we thought. Lucky for us, the temperature was perfect the entire time -- in the mid-80s (28-29 C), sunny, breezy, and perfect.

Happy Easter!

It's hard to put into words what Easter means to me . . . I was on the verge of tears throughout the day as I thought about the resurrection and read things by people who can put it into words much better than I can. It is the most defining of days for Christians, where in a single moment we were granted the opportunity to have eternal life. God loves us that much, that He would watch his Son suffer and die so that I might truly live. Wow.

Easter here was probably like most of yours, spent with family. I got to prepare Liam's first Easter basket and watch him sort through it, which to be honest, was a bit anticlimactic at this age. I did put a lot of thought into what I wanted him to have in there, and I also had to do some improvising because it was difficult to find anything Easter-y here besides some chocolate bunnies and eggs. No traditional Easter baskets (which was fine with me), no green plastic grass (also fine), but I think the end result turned out great . . .

Carnival is in the air . . .

Carnival kicked off the weekend before last, which is a HUGE deal here in Eindhoven. It's bigger here than even in Amsterdam so I hear. The kids were out of school all week and everyone celebrates! People were asking us if we were going to see the parade, so we thought, "Why not?" It's not every day we get to experience things like this so it's important to us to take advantage when we can. I would hate to miss out on such cool experiences with lame excuses like "the weather's not too great" or "it's hard to get out of the house with the baby" . . . yada yada yada. We could make excuses all day long and miss out on life. I have no intention of doing that!

So Saturday afternoon we got bundled up and headed to the City Center to see what all the fuss is about. Now for those of you who have been to Mardis Gras and the like, it's pretty much like that apparently, though I have never been. There was a huge parade and people were dressed up like I've never seen! And when I say "people" I mean EVERYONE -- babies, teenagers, families, and old folks . . . no one was exempt from the craziness. There were "traditional" costumes, by which I mean things that are pretty recognizable: army uniforms, Mario Bros, Bert and Ernie, witches, sailors, hippies, etc. Then there were other get-ups that one can only assume are in some sort of competition called "How Gaudy Can You Get?" People dressed all in gold or glitter or big-wigged or face-painted . . . it goes on and on. We took some pictures but it's really hard to capture the essence of Carnival. It's one of those things you must experience for yourself.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day was a great day . . . despite the fact that Liam only took one nap. Seriously. I'm about to pull my hair out! ANYway, despite that fact, we still had an awesome day and Liam was in a great mood. AND Keith surprised me by coming home at lunchtime with flowers and lunch for me! We got to spend a little bit of time together in the middle of his crazy work day. Awesome hubby. : ) That night Keith made us dinner and we relaxed together and enjoyed our happy baby. Not only is Keith the best husband, but he is a wonderful dad . . . he even bought a big valentine for Liam. Suh-weet! : )

Thanks, Dad!

Yum!

the card reads "You're the sweetest" in Dutch

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love is in the air!

~Jessi

"I'll be home for Christmas . . . "

I know I've been MIA lately, but I promise it's for a good reason . . . we surprised our family and friends by coming back to Georgia a week early! I've been super busy spending time with every one, doing Christmas shopping, and getting Liam adjusted to the time change. I promise to write all about how everything has gone, but I really want to enjoy this time while we're here. So here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past couple weeks . . .

. . . thankful

Well today is the traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving. As I type this my family is having their pick of a half dozen desserts, after a meal that was lovingly prepared over several days by a dozen different family members, and probably took about a dozen minutes to consume. ; ) I was able to get in a quick Skype session before putting Liam to bed, and am SO looking forward to seeing them all soon.

There are many things I am thankful for, but none more than being saved by a God who loves me. His grace and mercy are unending, and I am undeserving. Yet he loves every bit of me, the good, the bad, and the worse. He has blessed me with an incredible life, and all the other things I am thankful for come from Him . . .