We're In Love With Prosciutto

Scenes From My Lap

Look Who The Stork Delivered

Alentejo

This is our last trip of the Summer before school starts. It has been almost a month since our last vacation, so naturally it was time :) 

There are hundreds of ripe wild peaches on the trees and scattered everywhere we walk. Zita gave the trees a good shake, and then we collected what lay all over the ground for jam. It's been too long since we made a good stock of jam. 

Seb has developed a teeny tiny healthy fear of the horses, but continues to be obsessed with them. There are two new foals who are still very timid around us. 

Zita has been here all week occupying herself with riding lessons every day at a local stable, sewing, cooking, and going without TV or a phone. We were dying to see her and so happy to finally hug her tight last night when we arrived. 

I only have grainy iPad photos so far...

Sebby is saying "lift me up! I want to ride it! Lift me up!" 

17th Birthday in Photos

Moojie's birthday formula is pretty simple. Every year I give him a few clothes, socks, a ball/toy/game of some sort, a Dairy Milk Bar, and then a big surprise present. 

Zita got fancy and added a Lindt bar to his chocolate gifts. Sebby gave hime his toy- a boomerang for the beach. 

 His big present was a mini fridge. He's been asking for one for two years, at least, and we have always said no. This birthday rolled around and I was completely out of ideas.

He was totally surprised and so so happy when he saw the box.

Mooj lounged the afternoon away on Guincho while we got ready for hosting his friends for dinner. 

8 rotisserie chickens, a lot of snacks, and a mountain of cupcakes fed the crew well before we sent them on their way around midnight.  

I didn't get a picture of his room that Zita decorated the night before. Freddy made him a sign and taped it to a white board on our stairs, so Moojie  would have birthday greetings when he came home in the wee hours of the 28th.
 We had just emptied the last of the dishwasher, and dried the last wine glass the next day when guests started trickling in for the family birthday lunch. Is anyone tired just from reading this? 

 I made his favorite chocolate truffle cake and chocolate satin frosting that got resounding approval from our immediate family, but mumbles from his great grandmother who commented "the ice cream was the only dessert worth eating." Always good to hear zingers like that after going to so much work. 

 Seb was not going for the idea of a photo shoot after seeing the ice cream come through the dining room door. We got him a plate and gathered around for the first of many pictures where I look like the resident shrimpo. 

Lunch wrapped up at 5pm or 6pm, we went straight to take the kids swimming, and then collapsed around 8 that night. Writing this all out has brought to my attention that every birthday re-cap ends with me collapsing in exhaustion. I hate leaving a messy kitchen before bed, but on that Saturday I simply could not. 

On being 17: It is sort of a silly year, wedged in between 16 and 18. Mooj has kind of seemed like a 17 year old for the past 4 years or so, but what is getting to me more is the fact that we are rolling into his SENIOR year in high school. Mooj continues to be a part of the rare group of teenagers who floats through life, happy as could be. He loves his life. We love him. What more could we ask for? 

Waiting For Our 17 Year Old To Wake Up!

We have a full day of birthday celebrations ahead so I can't dwell too much on the fact that our baby went from born to 17 in a matter of months.

Summer Re-Cap

Half of the crew is home, with Zita and Freddy still on vacation in the Algarve.
It has been one of the longest and best and worst Summers on record.

On June 25th, we flew from Lisbon to Salt Lake City via Amsterdam, and then drove up to Jackson Hole Wyoming via -Utah and Idaho . That was phase one.

Phase two was Yellowstone Park, covering Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah. Lots and lots and lots of car time and beautiful scenery beyond compare.

Phase three was Salt Lake City, that we covered inch by inch as a family unit of six.

Phase four began in Salt Lake City airport where Pai flew back to Portugal, Moojie flew on to New York, and I flew with the three littles to San Franisco.
We stayed five days in the bay area, getting my sister packed up and ready to move, an the whole crew packed up and ready for Phase Five (see below :) )

Phase five brought fresh mountain air and a whole week of rivers, lakes, giant redwoods, and enough nature to last a lifetime.

Phase six and the final phase of our US journey was the most relaxing, wonderful, warm, holiday-feeling week ever in a gem of a house in Glen Ellen (wine country!!).

Phase seven continued in the spirit of a relaxing holiday with a week in Sagres, Same house. Same beaches. Just a little chillier this year. See below: hooded sweatshirts and jeans in August.

Phase eight ( I was not joking when I said it has been the longest Summer ever) started with Pai, Sebby, and myself driving through August traffic for 6.5 hours back home from the Algarve, Moojie going to a music festival in Zambujeira do Mar, Freddy staying in Sagres with his cousins, and Zita going to Villamoura for the week with a friend.

Phase ten begins on Saturday when we have all six of us back home, together again for the rest of the Summer until school starts around September 9th.

Despite covering 6 states, staying in over 5 hotels and 6 houses, two countries, 6 flights, and like 60 million hours in the car, we STILL have four weeks of Summer left to keep the kids busy.