Seay For All

Granada's AlhambraThe Gardens

This is Spain's greatest attraction...it is HUGE! The gardens were my favorite part they were beautiful and the colors were so vivid.
I have so many fun pictures it has been such a daunting task to pick and choose which ones to use. Maybe that's why it has taken me 6 months to blog about our trip.
The Alhambra consists of three palaces and more gardens then you could imagine. The detail on the palace walls was incredible. This one palace took 100 years to build before it was finished.
This was King Charles the fifth's Palace (son of Ferdinand and Isabel). It was huge and if you stood in the middle of the courtyard, you could hear a loud echo of yourself talking because of the acoustics.
THE TRIP OF A LIFE TIME!

The Rock of GibraltarSpencer and I decided to spend the day at swimming at the resort. Now that was a big mistake because we sure missed out. I thought everyone was just going for a drive and exploring a little. So I was rather tired from going a hundred miles an hour and decided to relax and have some one on one time with Spencer. Don't get me wrong Spencer and I had a good time, but Gibraltar looked pretty awesome.
Brooke told me the best part of going to Gibraltar was the monkeys. They also had a ton of cool caves for exploring. They had a cool guide that showed them around and introduced them to some of the monkeys...the pictures looked very fun.

Real Madrid vs MalagaMike and I had a huge SURPRISE for Brooke and Spencer. They had no idea where we were going or what we were doing. I didn't think it was possible to get tickets to the game because every time we looked they were either sold out or way too expensive. Mike decided to just go down to the field and see if he could get tickets...and he was able to get some :)
They were so surprised it was perfect! It was a great game to watch and almost just as fun as the game was watching all the people around us. They take soccer very seriously almost like a religion. If they scored or anything good or bad they just screamed and then cried. There were grown men crying all around us. Another unforgettable moment...

OlveraOlvera was a definite family favorite. Mike pulled over on the side of road to get this picture on the way up the hill to the castle in Olvera.El Castillo De Olvera "the castle" closed at 2pm for siesta and of course that's when we got there. Lucky for us the grounds keeper let us go in anyway. We had the entire castle to ourselves. It was so awesome the kids just took off running and exploring. This place is completely unforgettable mainly because of the kids excitement. This was by far my personal favorite picture of the entire trip! As we were exploring the castle we just kept going up and the higher we got in the different towers the smaller the stairs got. We had to go on our tip toes and that barely fit on the narrow stairs. All of the views from the top were worth the climb it was beautiful.
One of the main reasons we came to Olvera was because Mike had heard how wonderful their olive oil is and how it is world renowned. After the fun at the castle, we went in search to buy some olive oil. Mike found out where to buy it using his great Spanish skills :) and then he stocked up. He bought 10 liters of oil...crazy because then I had to figure out how to get it home. We ended up emptying out one of the kids suitcases to put it in.

Setenil De Las Bodegas
This was the craziest Pueblo Blanco (little white town). To make room for the town, they carved it into the rock. If you go into the buildings, you can see that their roof it literally the rock. What a fun interesting place to drive through.

Ronda
Ronda was incredible!
When we got to Ronda we decided to hire a tour bus for a couple of hours. So we got an exclusive look of the bridge from ever different angle, and a lot of other historical sights.
After our tour, a lot of shopping, and tons of walking we were of course hungry once again. We had heard great things about a little pizza place in Ronda called No No Pepe. It did not disappoint...so yummy! Brookes favorite part was the chocolate cake, big surprise.
This was one very busy, fun, and exciting day...yes we did all of this in ONE day.

THE GIRLS ROCK!!!

Mike, Spencer, and Grandpa wanted to stay late in Seville so they could see a bullfight. Us girls didn't want any part of that because we would probably have cheered for the bull :) However we also didn't want to wait around all day and night especially because we had already checked out of our hotel. Mike had an idea to see if there were any trains leaving from Seville to Malaga because that was on the way to our next destination. So we bought tickets and decided to be adventurous. As just the girls started walking to the train I looked back and saw Mike laughing at us... I'm sure the sight was very comical.
4 girls + 8 big bags + not knowing Spanish = One very funny and crazy dayAfter the train ride we needed to rent a car to get to our hotel in Marbella. By the third rental car place we finally found someone that actually had a car available. Kay and I were trying to understand the sales man as about every 5th word was English. I got enough out of it to rent the car and had a small idea of where to find it. Nothing in Spain is close I have learned. So the 4 of us grabbed all of our bags, purses, and backpacks and went looking for the car. After walking about 4 blocks in different neighborhoods we finally found the car. ( I can only imagine how ridiculous we looked) When we saw the car we all laughed out loud it could not have been smaller it was a mini cooper. We sat there for a minute trying to figure out how all of our stuff was going to fit in this car. Luckily 2 nice guys came to our rescue and smashed everything we owned in the trunk and back seat. Poor Aunt Margaret and Brooke ended up having to sit on each other in the back seat. I got in the driver seat and Kay in the passenger seat so she could help navigate. As soon as I sat down the tears started flowing because I was laughing so hard. This car like every other car in Spain was a stick shift. I have not driven a stick in years and all of the streets in Spain are all on huge hills. I practiced in the parking lot for a few minutes and then we were off.

Now the directions Kay had to the time share were from the airport. Well we were by the train station not the airport. We tried to ask for directions but no one spoke English. Oh how I wished we had a cell phone. So after some wrong turns, crazy neighborhoods, and going the wrong way on a one way street we actually made it. Looking back it was some of the craziest and fun memories of the trip.

The resort was beautiful we stayed at the Marriot in Marbella. We had 2 seperate time shares each had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a nice front room, and kitchen. Mike, Brooke, Spencer, and I stayed in one and Dick, Kay, and Margaret stayed in the other.The pools were a lot of fun, even though is was a little chilly the first couple of days. One of the pools had a water slide that the kids even got me to race them down it. Mike was freezing so we usually found him under a towel somewhere. Brooke and Spencer loved exploring the hotel, but I think their favorite part was going to the store and saying just put it on the room...lol.

Every year the kids school does a family picture night. It's a great fundraiser that I look forward to. However they decided to do it every other year so I didn't get a picture last year.
So I made up for lost time and had him
take a ton of pictures :)
Mike thought I was crazy for signing up for the pictures because the only time they were being taken was the night before we left for Spain. I told him not to worry that I could get everything done and all he and the kids had to do was just show up.

Amazingly enough it all worked out and now I have some cute pictures of everyone.

We got a DOG!
I know we are totally crazy, but he was too perfect to pass up. Mikes Aunt Margaret has a couple of dogs at the ranch mostly big dogs and then this cute little Chihuahua. I would have never in a million years ever thought that I would a Chihuahua, but he has a way of melting your heart. Brooke and Spencer fell in love with him (well I guess I did to) and we pretty much blindsided Mike with the idea of bringing him home with us. Poor Mike didn't have a chance with all three of us trying to work on him. So Margaret was kind enough to let us have him as long as he would have a good home. So far he has been a perfect dog and all of the kids absolutely love king Bruiser.

Great Grandma Lois and the boys. Grandma came out last Sunday for dinner and she was having a good time talking to all of the boys. So of course I had to grab a quick picture before the Laker game started :)

Brooke doesn't like the fact that I am the one that is always taking the pictures. She thinks that it is her responsibility to take some pictures of me. Little does she know that is why I like being the picture taker...so I don't have to be in the pictures :)

Since explaining that to her she now tries to get pictures of me whenever possible. I said that's not nice and she said it's only fair. So I told her I would post her pictures.Mike, Bree, and I just hanging out on the couch. Bree wanted a picture of us. She said when she tells her friends that she is living with her aunt and uncle they all picture Mike and I as being old and no fun. Now she has proof that we are totally cool...haha!
-TOO FUNNY-

From the moment that Spencer was born Mike and I knew that he was special. He has always been easy going and happy. I wish that everyone has a chance to raise a son like him. Spencer has always been a straight A student working hard and excelling in everything that he does. He is an amazing reader. I am constantly looking for new books to buy because he goes through them so quickly often reading his books 2 or 3 times each. He loves scouts and cant wait to get his Eagle like his Dad. Spencer also enjoys almost every sport. So I have had to limit him to picking 2 sports a year (to be on a team). Otherwise I think he would play ALL of them. I'm pretty sure that his favorites are basketball and soccer with baseball close behind.
This year the only thing that Spencer asked for was hats. He loves wearing hats and I mean loves them. I have to beg him to take it off for a couple of hours. I even find him in bed sleeping with his hat still on. So that being said I'm not sure why I bought him more hats for his birthday but I did. He asked for a BYU and a UCLA hat. I think he has been influenced by his uncles and grandpa :) Mike and I also got him an ipod which was a complete surprise to him...he LOVED it!

Spencer also chose to go to the movies and dinner with his friends like Brooke. He had a lot of fun hanging out with his friends.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

A new season of basketball has already began and ended...so of course that means that I am still playing catch up on my posts.
This was Spencers second year of basketball on the our city league. He has become quite the good basketball player. He fools everyone as he drives to the basket with his left hand and as soon as they figure out the left he tricks them and goes right. He has spent a lot of time practicing so that he can have two dominate hands as a point guard. Spencer was very excited to make the all stars team at the end of the season...I'm a very proud Mom!
(Mike getting soaked after winning the championship game)
Brooke is now in her fourth year with the city league and playing better then ever. Mike was her coach once again which she requested...again. It has been a ton of fun to watch her progress. She has the best vision on the court and has amazing ball handling and passing which makes her a great point guard. Out of the 4 years that Mike has coached Brookes teams they have won first place twice, second, and third. Pretty awesome track record great players and an great coach! This year was the other first place season...YEA! Brooke also made the all star team and was awarded MVP. I enjoy everything there is about basketball and watching my kids play is just the icing on the cake.

Getting back to Brooke's birthday...I've been rather busy lately. So this is an effort to try and get caught up on my blog. Grandma and Grandpa Seay were down for her birthday which was really nice. Grandma Kay bought Brooke a "Bread Basket" cake for the birthday girl and luckily we all got to enjoy it. This cake has quickly become a family favorite with all of the fresh berries and shaved chunks of chocolate -YUM-

This was the big #12 for Brooke which brought many milestones. 1) The ever anticipated age for getting her ears pierced...the age that was set by my Dad and which we also thought was a good age. 2) Finally graduating from primary and starting Young Womens at church. 3) The age that Mike and I set for the kids to get their first cell phone. Now as a Mother with all of this happening at once it was like my baby instantly grew up on me and I wasn't exactly happy about that idea.
Brooke decided to have a small party with two of her very close friends. They do everything together as you can see with their matching basketball sweatshirts. First we went to Wood Ranch which is one of Brookes favorite places to eat. Then we went to the store where all of the girls picked a ton of candy and junk to munch on. Finally we went to the movies and saw Tooth Fairy. It was a very fun girls night out!

I have been thinking all day about what to say about Brooke. I mean really what do you say about a perfect girl? From the moment that Brooke was born she has been nothing but a joy to Mike and I. I must have done something pretty amazing to have been blessed to be her Mom. She amazes me on a daily basis. Whether its her academics, sports, or example to her family she is spot on in every way.

This year she started middle school and with that was introduced to all honors classes. I think she was a little apprehensive going into honors classes, but she is doing awesome with straight A's. On top of her academics she is still playing club soccer which is year round and loving it. She also made her middle school basketball team which practice every morning before school. Brooke is one of the smallest girls on the team, but she definitely holds her own. She is also on the city basketball team which is coached by Mike. This league is for girls from 6th grade to 8th grade so that means Brooke is one of the youngest as well. I love watching her play basketball it makes me smile every time. Mike just went to a coaches meeting last night and all the coaches from the league do a skills rating for each girl. He was so proud when he came home and told me that the coaches rated Brooke #3 in the whole league.

Enough with the sports and academics Brooke is a great girl, daughter, sister, and friend. She is so caring and thoughtful always trying to find fun things to do with her younger brothers when she is babysitting. They look up to her more than I think she realizes. Brooke is constantly looking for ways to help me. I cant imagine going through a day without her she is like my right hand. She helps me clean, cook, and watch the boys with almost no complaining.

Brooke is very excited as turning 12 in our church means that she gets to go to young womens and all of the activities that come with that. I love it because I teach in young womens so I get to be in there with her. Not only is she she a good example to her brothers she is to Mike and I. She is on her third time reading the Book of Mormon and good at writing in her journal. She has been in YW's for only a week and has already finished 3 value experiences for her personal progress.
I love this little girl more than anything and I am very proud to be her Mom.

A couple of weeks ago Mike and I met up with his brothers and parents for dinner. It had been a long time since they were all together so it was fun for them to catch up.We ate at a family favorite the Crab Cooker...Good food and Great company!