Checking in again

I still feel like we are only functioning at about 75%. Amelia is feeling much better after new antibiotics and is sleeping through the night again thank goodness. Now Sean and I are feeling kind of lousy, blah. I think we are allergic to the US! :)

Grandma W. came for a quick visit this past weekend. She watched Amelia while we looked at houses with the realtor. When we got home, Amelia was sound asleep on Grandma's lap--very cute.

House hunting is going well. There are a lot out there and this crazy market is favoring home buyers with good credit (hopefully us!) right now. Of course there are the trade-offs ("I wish this house came with this kitchen in this neighborhood... etc. etc.) but I think we'll end up in a lovely place!

I haven't really taken any pictures. This weekend if we are all feeling better, I hope to go to a pumpkin patch and art festival with our friends Shana and Bryan and their little Ben. Photo opps galore!

Checking in

Well, we made it back to the US of A. It was an extremely long travel day and night, and our plan of minimizing the pets time in crates was thrown out the window when we discovered our flight was delayed for 6 hours. But, we eventually showed up at Dulles at 2am with pets, luggage and sick Amelia in tow. Much to our suprise, Alexis and Dave were waiting for us (!!) with a sign and wonderful goody bag. They helped tremendously when I was with Cali and Amelia while Sean picked up the rental car. We are eternally grateful to them for this!

We checked into our new apartment, which has lots of nice amenities. It will be a good temporary home.

Amelia woke up last Thursday morning with pink eye in addition to her lingering cold. Poor thing looked like she'd been in a boxing ring with red, puffy, swollen eyes. Yesterday, she woke up with a high fever and it fluctuated all day. We brought her to an Urgent Care place when she had a temp of 104.6! This is our first experience with sick kid, and it was pretty scary. Turns out she now has a double ear infection on top of everything. We've decided that she likes to do everything on a grand scale (e.g., she can't just get one tooth at a time, she has to get 6!) We've started her on a course of antibiotics and are hoping they work their magic quickly.

Oh, we also bought a Toyota Prius, which is something we've been talking about for a while. It is cute and peppy and I'll enjoy driving it around town!

I guess I'm still adjusting to being back for good. It kind of seems like I'll move on from Spain quickly and that makes me sad.

Looking forward to seeing friends and family and house hunting next! Think healthy thoughts for my Mia!

rain and boredom

It's a rare, yucky rainy day and we have 4 days left in Spain. Everyone is napping (including loudly snoring Cali) and I'm bored. Amelia had a nasty virus all week and now she's catching up on sleep. I guess in addition to picking up some walking tips at daycare last week, she picked up a bad bug. Needless to say I was extremely happy when Sean got back from his conference on Friday night!

Below are a few photos from the past week or so. When we get faster internet connection, I'll post lots more to the website.

The smile before the sickness.

Kid Day on Base-she had a great time!

New favorite thing: passionately embracing the tv. Apparantly a McCain fan.

Goodbye cake! Great fiesta thrown by the Werners:)

Hasta Espana...

*NOTE* : Even though we have almost 2 weeks left here, I don't think I'll be able to post much, so I'm saying my blog goodbyes now... sniff sniff. I'll catch everyone up once we are stateside residents again!

Well, we have packed up the house and are living in the temporary base house. It is nice for the pets to still have a yard, and to have a kitchen, etc. We should be able to check our email at the library occasionally, but that is about all. I can't believe that it is time to say goodbye, but I guess it is...

For now you can still reach us at the gmail account: mcbridesa@gmail.com. We can use a calling card to make calls from on base, and I will try to make some phone calls next week!

We get in to DC on Friday Oct 3 and will be staying overnight with our saintly friends Kevin and Donna (who really don't know what they've gotten themselves into!). We head down to our temporary apartment in Virgina Beach the next morning, and I have a feeling that one of our first stops will be to purchase cell phones.

We've promised Amelia we'll visit one day so she can see her beautiful birthplace. We've promised to stay in touch with all the dear friends we've made. We've shipped back tons of Spanish wine and pottery, and we know we can get Manchego cheese back in the states (although it's so much more expensive!!) We have completely loved our time here and feel like we took advantage of all it had to offer. We will be eternally grateful for this life opportunity!

'Ta Luego hermosa Espana. Muchos Besos! Te Queremos!

XX
Sarah, Sean y Amelia

Walking Queen

Yes, we are supposed to be organizing the house for the big move, but Amelia decided to start walking like a champ this week! She needs a little motivation (for some reason, Sean's watch did the trick) but she's really getting good. Check her out! Ok, now back to organizing:)

Last Weekend in Casa McBride

It is our last weekend in the beautiful Spanish house by the beach. I plan to spend as much time as possible enjoying the quiet neighborhood, the empty beach and the little pool! We move to the base on Wednesday and probably won't have much computer or phone access. I'll let everyone know how they can reach us for the last 2 weeks as soon as I can. Until then, have a fantastic late summer weekend!

Amelia-isms

My mom suggested I start writing down the funny, cute (at least to me) things that Amelia does now that she is becoming more verbal and mobile. I try to put some in her baby book, but I guess I could also blog about them occasionally.

Here are a few:

1) Elliot the cat's new name is "Gentle". That is what we yell at her when she chases him around, whacking him on the head or pulling his tail. Now when she sees him she says "Gentle!"

What's HE doing in here??

2) She refuses to wear any hats or sunglasses that are specifically hers. But mommy's hats are the greatest things in the world. See below:

3) She suddenly likes the beach! We went with our friend Natalie the other week and she had a blast crawling along the shoreline, playing with rocks and shells and splashing! I'm so glad she's changed her mind about this!

Ok, Acceptance

We had our first pack-out yesterday. It is hard to balance what we're still using here with what we'll want as soon as we move, but I think it went ok. We ship the car on Monday. I guess there is no avoiding it any longer.

I've decided it's kind of like college. We've had the greatest of times, but it just can't go on forever. It's time for all of the good, new stuff! House hunting, seeing family, visiting old friends, making new friends, job searching (?) etc. etc.

I'm not saying goodbye yet, but I know it's almost time to go.

Anger, Bargaining, Depression

No, I don't want to pack and clean and drive and fly and move!! This stinks!!

I'll pay for anyone's last minute trip to Spain if they'll take care of all the moving details.

I'm so bummed. I just want it to be November and be settled into a new place. Wake me up when it's over....

Happy 6 Years (Warning: Slight Sappiness Ahead)!

Six years ago Sean and I got married in beautiful Southern Maryland, under a gazebo, while thunderstorms loomed in the distance. It was hot and muggy and all of our family and friends were there sweating, but showing their love and support. Thankfully the rain held off until we were safely inside for the reception. I always tell people that outdoor weddings aren't for the faint of heart, but that I wouldn't have changed a thing!

Six years later we are going out to dinner on another hot and muggy night. We've had some absolutely incredible adventures together so far. We've run races and climbed mountains and brought a remarkable new life into our family. We are so very blessed and I know for sure that I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Happy Anniversary! Here's to many many more adventures.

XOXOXO

Denial

We are moving 5 weeks from tomorrow. We have not really done anything to prepare in terms of going through all of our junk and sorting things out. Our first pack-out is on Wednesday, which will be the stuff that gets to Norfolk in about 30 days. I am just really dreading all of the organizing and unpacking, ugh!!

Oh, other things I'll miss:

1) Persianas. Those of you who visited may remember the really heavy duty window blinds that block out all light and noise. These are a lifesaver in August when you have a sleepy baby and extremely loud vacationing neighbors. I want these back in the states!!

2) My lemon tree. It is finally producing tons of ripe lemons!! I'm going to live on homemade lemonade for 5 weeks straight!

Things I can't wait for:

1) Kitchen conveniences. Especially a garbage disposal, ice maker, and sink sprayer. Once you've had these, it is hard to be without for 3 years! I'll make sure we have these in our next house. They pretty much don't exist in Spain.

2) Movie theaters with more than one option (in English).

Maybe this weekend we'll accomplish something. Wish us luck!

Tree Hugger

I promise I didn't put her up to this! For some reason, Mia (we are finally trying out the nickname) loves this cork tree in the front yard. She will crawl over to it, and pat it and hug it and say "tee". My budding environmentalist!!