Lilies and Oranges: February 2011

This past weekend, Alexis surprised Jacques and me by planning a last-minute weekend excursion to Santiago de Compostela. Santiago, which is the capital of Galicia, is the ending point of the Camino de Santiago, an 800 km pilgrimage route through Spain, and one of the most important centers of Christianity. (Becky and Andrew, I know the length pales in comparison to the AT...but perhaps your next big trekking adventure?)

Since it was low Pilgrim season, we were lucky enough to find a family-friendly hostal complete with crib, private bedroom and most imporantly a shared kitchen right in the center of town. Although a light, cool, rainy mist was present most of the weekend, we were able to get out and enjoy all the sights without getting too damp. Once we returned to BCN, I read up a bit more about Santiago and was surprised to learn that the one constant of the city is actually rain, and people carrying umbrellas...so now I really do consider ourselves lucky!

One of our first stops we made while exploring the city was to the Cathedral and Plaza del Obradoiro, since all paths seemed to lead right there. We spent a good bit of time walking around and through the cathedral, watching pilgrims, and playing in the plaza (i.e., chasing the resident pigeons).

The Facade of El Obradoiro...the main entrance to the Cathedral

Visitors and pilgrims alike touch the bottom of the mullion for good luck

The rest of our time in Santiago was spent exploring all of the wonderful parks...it felt soooo good to be surrounded by a bit of green again. The one thing that Jack really loved about the city was all of the fountains. Everytime he spotted one we had to stop and have a look...needless to say, we spent a lot of time looking at water flowing and getting a little bit wet.

A view of the city from one of the many parks

A father-son moment....by a fountain

Jack striking a pose....with a cold Mama in the background

Watching the water

Jack and Alexis

Spring was right around the corner as well...there were tons of flowers and trees in bloom. Alexis did try to teach me the difference between certain types of flowering trees, but unfortunately my indentification skills (as well as my memory for remembering their names) were pretty rusty.

Spring is in the air...

Enjoying all of the colors...

Unfortunately, we didn't get too many opportunities to enjoy the Galician cuisine, since we tried to honor nap/bed times as much as possible...but we did make the effort to have at least one lunch out as a whole family. In spirit of being on a mini-vacation, Alexis went ahead and ordered the plate of the day and was surprised to see a stew arriving consisting of all different parts of a pig head. What surprised us most though was that Jack actually quite enjoyed pig snout. Here's to trying new foods!

Since we don't know how much more time we will actually be in Spain, it felt good to explore a little bit more of the country. Over the past 2 years, while Alex was finishing his MBA and Jack was still quite little, we haven't had too much time to take advantage of our great location. Hopefully, there will be a few more mini-weekend adventures in the future. But, until then...here is an album for those of you that are interested in seeing more of Santiago de Compostela. Enjoy!

So it's been quite some time since there has been a post just on Jack...so in celebration of the little man turning 18 months old, let's take a peek into what's been going on in his life over the past 6 months. As you can imagine, his world has been turned upside down!

1) Running, running, running. Now that Jacques has officially mastered his walking legs, there is no slowing him down, literally! He's off as quickly as possible no matter where he's trying to go. Whether it's to the slide in the park for one last ride or to his highchair at breakfast time, he's off with no looking back.

Look out...Here I come!

Taking a little break to help with the spring planting

2) Discovering his independence. With each month Jack is able to assert himself just a little bit more, which means that his Mama and Papa have to stand aside while he discovers how to do things all on his own. Jack is now responsible for keeping his 12 pearly whites sparkling clean (that's right, 12 with 4 more on the way!)

Jack mastering his brushing technique

And even manages to feed himself most of the time...although he is definitely more effective when there is a favorite treat involved.

Yum...yogurt with granules (or as I like to say chocolate sprinkles!)

3) Playing make-believe. A few months ago, during a rainy afternoon in Barcelona, Jack and Mama went to "feeding hour" at his Lego zoo, where Jack got to "feed" his elephants, lions, giraffes, and crocodile all by hand. Now, barely a day goes by without Jack trying to share his food with one of his many animals...there are a lot of hungry mouths to take care of!

Right now, Jack's all time favorite animal is the horse. He gets so excited that even when he sees a picture of a horse he points and makes a "klip klop" noise.

Jack riding his pony

4) Weekend outings. Now that Jack doesn't have to nap quite as much as before, we can take more and more advantage of the beautiful weather in Barcelona to do some exploring. This past weekend we ventured over to Park Guell for the first time since Jack was tiny. He absolutely loved walking around the mountain and even managed to not get himself into too much trouble.

Uh oh...Watch out parrots, here comes Jack!

Always the quick get away...

Papa and Jack strollin' up the mountain

The view from the tippy top of Park Guell

Jack getting a little lift back down

Taking a little break

Mama and Jack

One of Jack's new obsessions is hand washing...he constantly asks to wash his hands, and especially likes to take advantage of all of the Barcelona foutains.

Hand washing in one of the many fountains

5) Re-discovery of his old toys...and discovery of new ones! It's so exciting to watch Jack discover purposes for some of his older toys, other then nibbling them or putting them in and out of boxes/bags. He can now successfully complete a shape sorter with a little encouragement (even though the round shapes are definitely still his favorite), he can put the rings back on the peg of his rock-a-stack (sometimes even in the right order), and will even put simple puzzles together (but usually when he thinks that no one is watching him...)

Jack received a little tricycle as a christmas present. He is still getting used to other modes of transportation than his legs, but he loves to sit on his trike and even manages to take it for a spin every so often.

Jack showing off his new set of wheels

6) Being his own stylist. Now that Jack is getting a bit more opininated, one of his many responsiblities is to pick out a shirt to wear every day (from a choice of 2). Let's just say he will always pick something with a cartoon character or even a small image on it...and if that's not an option, it has to be bright! His all time favorite shirts (and PJs) are the ones with a Moose Moose.

7) Communicating. Right now Jacques is still a man of few words...he says "Mama" and "Papa" (or more like Baba) quite well, and his new favorite word is "la" (or "there" in french) which he uses in the correct context most of the time. He also has a cute word that is a mix between "more" and "encore", but the verdict is still out which it actually might be (it's a good thing they have the same meaning!).

Given all that, it's actually amazing how much he can understand in both English and French and how well he is able to communicate. Besides finger pointing, he has taken to answering simple yes and no questions by either moving his head up/down or left/right. Luckily for us, he doesn't seem to be in that terrible 2 phase yet and answers yes most of the time.

Where is Kangaroo?

8) Being affectionate. Jack is really a great hugger and cuddler...it's such a joy to have such a super affectionate little boy. It has to be one of the most satisfying things as a parent to have your child come over for the first time and wrap his arms around your neck and hug you. The only problem is that he's so easily distracted that the hug lasts for only a brief second before he is off. I guess you got to take what he gives =).

He's also mastering the art of kissing. Now when Alexis heads off to work in the morning, he is often surprised by a little peck on the cheek. Sometimes they are opened-mouth kisses though...so beware!

Kisses for everyone!

9) Inspiring artist. Over the past few months, Jack has been discovering the wonders of finger paints and drawing with crayons. Alexis and I both think he has some talent...but we'll let you judge for yourself.