I learned to ski when I was 4 and 3rd M now has me beat by 2 years. Last weekend we went up skiing with some friends and while I was on the mountain 2nd M rented 3rd M everything he needed to get on the snow. He loved it from the first turn.

When he got to the bottom after the first run he said more. I then took him up on the magic carpet and we came down with a little more speed.

At the bottom he said FASTER. After lunch he ran up to his skis and tried to put them on all by himself.

The first day was just about having lots of fun. Mission accomplished.

Some day we hope to get him to wear his gloves.

3rd M and his best friend are always trading hugs and kisses. Usually it is to cheers the other one up if they are having a bad day. I finally caught it on the camera and a friend touched the pictures up.

This last weekend 3rd M visited his first farm. We all had a blast.

First we got to meet the guard dog and then we fed the llama who also helps protect the sheep.

Once we passed through security, we got to pet the sheep.

And after a short chase, pet the chickens.

We found the barn cat right before we helped haul some water for the horses.

You can see the horses way off in the distance.

After running around in the pasture, we all got to go inside to meet the puppies.

It was a full morning and we all slept well that night.

Our first full day in Barcelona and 3rd M is having fun and making friends. Africa (pictured below, what a great name) and 3rd M had a great time running back and forth, up and down on the steps in front of the harbor. Her mom is from El Salvador and her dad is from Guyana and they have a restaurant here in Barcelona. The mom was surprised when we told her we not only knew where Guyana was but that we had been there.

Farther down the path we got to pop bubbles. These were not your everyday bubbles mind you. These were huge, run after, jump into the air and throw your hat at to pop bubbles. What a great way to make money. Parents are happy to give up a few coins for someone to entertain their children. 3rd M spent more time going for the can full of change than the bubbles though. I would like to think that has to do with making shaky can noises but I could be wrong. We eventually had to pry the can out of his hands after he had run a good distance off from the bubbles clutching the can to his chest. In my parent panic I did not catch a picture of this theft but I think the bubble makers understood once we brought the can back and took a crying 3rd M away.

So far we have had perfect weather. Warm enough to go swimming but not so hot you get soaked on the walk to the beach. It rained last night and we were told that is the first rain the city has seen in 2 months. Las Ramblas was packed with people all day but especially tonight as we walked home from the beach. We are all enjoying Barcelona and happy that we will be here for a few more days. Having Uncle G with us for the first few days is nice and 3rd M was happy to see him. We also appreciate an extra set of hands to corral 3rd M.

Note how he is face down, knees slightly tucked under him, one sock on one sock off. He wiggles a lot, but most of that wiggling’s intent is to move forward, hence the strategically placed pillows. The two red ones stop him from banging his head against the walls. The brown one is a hot water bottle, which believe it or not, keeps him from seeking out mom’s or dad’s warm body at 3am. And the green one? Well we had an extra one and with pillows it’s always “The More the Merrier.”

You’ll also note the Binky isn’t needed as much and he’s kind of self soothing now. (For those not in the know, “self soothing” is the Nirvana that all parents try to attain, but are incapable of achieving.)

Uh oh! He just whacked his head against the wall and smiled at me.
Moments from now he’ll be crawling over. Gotta run….

While travelling in Europe this August, the 3 M’s sent home several email’s to family and friends and we received many comments about our trip. Email is so volatile with time we wanted to preserve them in a longer term format. We will start with those emails and elaborate further as time goes. As most of you know we love to travel and with the newest addition to the M’s we will have plenty of content.