Splendid Spain, part 2

I’m back to continue the tale of our February trip to Andalucia. After Colleen and Ryan’s exquisite wedding, we spent a relaxing day exploring the nearby Mediterranean beach towns.

Our first stop was Nerja, an upscale vacation town known for its “Balcon de Europa”. The expanse of blue-green seas, rugged cliffs topped by white-washed homes, and tropical vegetation were just as impressive as their delectable ice cream!

Then we followed the coastal road east past the occasional ancient fortification or tile-roofed beach house.

We soon arrived at Almuñecar, where more gorgeous coastline mixed with Roman, Moorish, and Christian ruins from the town’s colorful history.

Our final coastal stop was Salobreña and we arrived just as the setting sun bathed the stone walls in a golden glow and tinted the distant Sierras purple.

I loved the narrow cobbled streets that wound up to the castle, though their compatibility with modern transportation is questionable. We were grateful for Aunt Marian’s legendary driving skills, she just folded in the mirrors and forged ahead as the ‘street’ got narrower and narrower until we reached the top!

The next morning we bid farewell to the Palacete, (where we stayed for the week and the wedding was held) but not without taking a few more pics and a  video to document the rustic mountain road that takes you there. Minimal medieval-era guardrails separate traffic from steep drop-offs and you never know when a group of goats or bicycles might be hiding around the next hairpin turn. But when you finally arrive, the location is well worth a few heart palpitations. The Palacete dates back to 1492 and is set atop terraces of avocado trees,

Overlooking the sleepy town of Otivar.

And don’t get me started on the sumptuously grand yet comfortable interior, and the picture-perfect grounds! To have the private run of such a paradise felt like an extended daydream of a royal family vacationing at their country chateau.

I’ll be back soon with the final Spain installment, our whirlwind tour of Sevilla!.

Skipping off to Spain (back in February)

On our own, I don’t think we would have ever decided to leave the kids for 9 days and jet off for Europe. But when my sister announced that her wedding would be a European destination event, of course we were going. And once you travel so far, shouldn’t you stay a day or two to take in the sights? So that left us with an extended trip to Southern Spain, highlighted by Colleen and Ryan’s beautiful wedding!

Our first day we toured the Alhambra, an enchanting palace unlike any other royal dwelling I’d seen. The Moorish architecture was bright and white-washed, welcoming nature inside with reflecting pools, gardens, and bright inner courtyards resplendent in lacy white and gold tile. Despite their grandeur, when you actually consider living inside them, other European castles tend toward gloomy and confining, but the Alhambra felt dreamily idyllic, albeit on a grand scale. Even the chilly damp day couldn’t make it dreary.

The next day we drove out to Ronda, a darling town stunningly situated on either side of a plunging gorge. Terraced buildings, winding cobbled streets, and glorious views over the peaceful countryside punctuated every turn. We ate lunch at a restaurant looking across the fields, ancient bridge, and waterfall. Never have I dined with such a captivating vista and there was such a surreal magic to the almost-empty, spotless town that I felt as if we were walking from set to set of a Disney fairytale.

Day 3 was spent back at our home base near Otivar in the giddy excitement of wedding preparations! We selected flowers at a local market,

Enjoyed a joyfully anticipatory rehearsal dinner, and prepared the grounds for the big day.

All the guests stayed at the exquisite Palacete de Cazules, and the wedding was held in the private yellow-stuccoed chapel on its grounds. It was the perfect size for the gathering and so authentically Spanish-countryside-destination-wedding inside.

Colleen did a gorgeous job crafting her own bouquet,

And I loved the way she and my parents and brothers displayed local fruits amidst flowers on the table for the reception in the main house of the Palacete.

Then we retired to the regal bedrooms to dress for the occasion.

Finally, we simply walked across the courtyard to the romantic chapel for the lovely ceremony, reverently performed by an Anglican priest.

The tropical grounds were lush even in February with a brilliant overlook of the valley toward the town of Otivar. Perfect for photos and appetizers!

Dinner was delicious, followed by dancing, the requisite Ferry family serenade, a touching slideshow, and other spectacles!

So much gracious glamour and simple elegance, just right for my beautiful sister who epitomizes both! We’re so happy for you Colleen and Ryan and wish you endless joy and blessings in your new marriage!!

{I’ll be back soon with part 2 of our Spain trip, where we visit the Andalucian coast, Sevilla, and say goodbye to the Palacete! Until then you can find all our wedding week pics here.}

Snapshots of L & E

It’s been far too long since I’ve updated this blog but maybe, just maybe, a string of updates is on its way. Why not start with some current tidbits on our fierce knight and regal princess, spotted here at a Renaissance Faire.

Luke

Favorite book: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Favorite food: Luke’s a pretty pleasant eater. Often he tells me it’s whatever I’m serving for dinner. Such a sweet-talker!

Learning milestones: His reading is leaping forward these days and he’s much more confident breezing through easy beginner readers. Math remains his forte though, with double-digit addition and multiplication being his favorite challenges right now. He also just learned to swim from one end of the pool to the other, hurray!

Signature statement: He likes to put both thumbs up to answer yes to questions.

Most amusing negative behavior: He can take chivalry a little too far. So if we’re out and I really want him to eat a snack to counteract looming grumpy fits, he’ll resist me insisting that Eleanor and I share the food while he goes without. I appreciate the generous sentiment, but of course eating the snack would align better with my meltdown avoidance agenda!

Typical prayer:  “Thank you for everything in the world. Thank you for Grandma & Grandpa, Nika & Papi, Mommy, Daddy & Eleanor, the Chans, the Hamburgers, the Headleys, the Lavins, Aunts & Uncles, animals….” This goes on for quite a while.

Other favorites: Making books and gifts, putting on circuses and shops, bikes and BMX, Legos.

Luke thrives on achievement and exceeding goals. It’s exciting to see him soar!

Eleanor

Favorite book: Limu the Blue Turtle. What else would you expect from Eleanor the Pink & Purple Turtle?

Favorite food: Cheese and Macaroni & Cheese

Learning milestones: She’s doing much better these days with writing her letters. Probably because I finally figured out that she’s a lefty! Several months ago she started riding her pedal bike without training wheels and now she can make it all the way around our 2-mile loop with only a couple pushes from Daddy to help her up the really steep hills. She loves to zoom and keep up with Luke!

Signature statement: “Awk, eek!” followed by turtle kisses for her mommy turtle. She’s always loved to imitate animal noises and has created her own for the strangely silent turtle species.

Most amusing negative behavior: She’s still stuck on hyperbole when feeling displeased with the state of things. “Can I get you something, Eleanor?” Her reply: “Nothing! Never!”

Typical prayer: “Dear Jesus, I love you and trust you. Amen.”

Other favorites: baths, blankets, friends, gymnastics, and swimming.

Eleanor loves to help and lights up and rushes in when I invite her to join me in an activity. She’s always looking to have fun, be silly, and is still delighted to be our baby and cuddle in her mommy turtle’s arms. She impresses us with her sensitivity to Luke on many things, playing a bit of a gentle mommy role sometimes and keeping the peace. Still, she’s far from a pushover when something comes up that she feels strongly about. The other day she rushed in from outside, fuming and indignant, to proclaim, “Luke say he marry me but he CAN’T!! Because he not a PRINCE!!!” Some things just aren’t open to compromise.

In other news, these two won’t have first dibs on the stroller seat indefinitely…

 

We’ll welcome another one-of-a-kind Nielsen to our family this fall, a baby boy due in November! The kids are so eager to meet him that they ask me daily how many more weeks until he’s here. Luke gives me discounts at “Terrific Ice Cream” his make-believe creamery in our back yard because of the baby in my tummy (meaning that I pay 1 cent for a cone and Erik pays $300. If only I could get that type of treatment to catch on more widely!). Eleanor can’t wait to help take care of the baby, especially now that she’s gotten over her initial disappointment that he isn’t a she. Erik and I love to hear them ask about “our baby” and think this little boy will be a lucky kiddo indeed to have the two of them for siblings!

Butterfly extravaganza! Activities, décor & *magical guests*

I love our Eleanor’s zeal for a party! She had been so looking forward to her butterfly birthday bash that we started prepping the activities and decorations a few weeks in advance so as to best involve her in the pre-party fun. Then we kept the decorations up for a belated get-together with friends who couldn’t make the party date. As a result our home looked like butterfly central for a full month, and now I’m wondering if I shouldn’t keep a few things up to incorporate into our Easter décor?

There were butterflies, of course, to greet our friends on the porch.

Eleanor picked out the butterfly fabric for the craft station table cloth and we paired it with lanterns from last year’s bday.

A fancy butterfly table set for brunch. Erik and I made the butterfly garland using a butterfly punch, pretty papers, and ribbon. We cut the giant #3 out of cardboard and covered it in polka dot duct tape.

Another table view to show off the colorful linens, flowers, and a big cardstock butterfly at each place as a name card.

But more than the decorations, I deliberated over the party activity line-up, trying to come up with the best options for our mix of kiddos and ages. First up was butterfly wand painting. Erik had sanded dowel tips and wood-glued butterfly cut-outs on them, forming paint-ready butterfly wands.

The kids colored them with crayons, painted them with watercolors (for a resist effect with the crayon), and finally chose a few ribbons to finish them off. When paired with some wings, they make for the perfect butterfly photo-op!

Then we did the classic tulle in a clothespin butterfly craft. The kids colored the clothespins with markers and picked their tulle colors. They were cute and easy, and while some kids were finishing Erik vaulted them through the air with some sort of elastic band launcher for extra pizzazz.

Then we headed into the playroom for a butterfly hunt! Eleanor says this was her favorite part. Pre-party, I punched butterflies out of various papers and half-hid them throughout the room. Then we sent in the kids with party bags to collect them easter-egg style.

After that we trooped outside to make butterfly nectar. I told the kids that some extra-specially beautiful butterflies come through ABQ once a year, and today was the day that they should be passing through! So we mixed up some nectar with food coloring, water, sprinkles, and glitter to leave out in hopes of providing a special treat for the butterflies’ long journey. Here the kids are mixing,

And then pouring it into nectar pans!

Next, I read a story (Ella the Elegant Elephant) while the kids did butterfly scratch art around the playroom table and Erik whipped up brunch. Then the kids donned their flower hair bands (which doubled as dainty napkin rings in the table setting) and feasted on french toast.

As they finished up eating I checked on the butterfly nectar pans and what do you know?!? They were covered with the magical once-a-year butterflies!

I called for the kids and told them that we’d have to be quiet and not get too close so as not to scare the thirsty butterfly friends. They were spellbound! (And this was Luke’s favorite party happening.)

Then we brought the kids back inside for cake – a carrot cake with sprinkle butterfly stencils on top.

 

Eleanor approved.

Then we went back outside to check on the magical butterflies. They were gone, but they kindly left some sparkly butterfly charms for the kids to gather. They must have really liked that nectar they made.  

Then the kids jumped, climbed and slid on a little butterfly gymnastics course on the patio.

We finished off with presents and hugs for the lucky birthday girl.

I do think our girlie-pie was pleased with her day and it was such a joy to see all the kids have fun together! We love you Ellabelle, or Ella-turtle as you like to be called these days! You fill our hearts with joy with your silly, spunky, sweetest ways. 

{More pics here.}