Hello again friends and family! I hope this finds you all well and recuperated from the always busy holidays. Christmas here in Spain was very nice, so cool to be able to walk on the beach in beautiful weather on Christmas Eve. I was missing friends and family, but had a very enjoyable Christmas nonetheless. We unwrapped gifts with the triplets bright and early that morning. A fun time since they are old enough to be really excited about the experience. Hard, though, to get them to understand that they could not tear open any gift they wanted. That afternoon David and Rosa had invited over a few of the other missionary families for dinner and games. We had an excessive amount of delicious food and a dessert table that could have fed an army. It was a great day but the highlight was being able to talk to some of my family on skype that evening. Hearing their voices was definitely the icing on the cake! As for New Years...it went out with a bang, quite literally. I learned that you are able to buy fireworks here that you could not dream of purchasing in the U.S. I'm talking about fireworks that you can only see at a fireworks display. It was amazing to see and hear what people were shooting off.
Well, as of this past Thursday I have been here in Spian for five weeks! It is hard to believe that much time has already went by. In these five weeks there has been a move to our new apartment, potty training and tons of exploration and sightseeing. The apartment is very nice with a view of the Mediterranean Sea from both balconies. It was nice to get settled in two weeks ago and finally unpack my suitcases. Felt much more like home then.
The past two weeks have been spent potty training the triplets. I know this is the subject everyone has been dying to read about! I can honestly say I have never spent so much time in the bathroom. With three of them there seems to be a never ending revolving door to the bathroom. Obviously there have been accidents, but they have done amazingly! Friday was an accident free day and today was another milestone as Micheal, the last hold out, finally did a #2 on the potty. Johnny has loving named this a BOOM!, so when they do go they run around proudly saying "I made a BOOM!". Luckily, we are spending less and less time in the bathroom as they are grasping how to recognize when they need to go and are able to vocalize this more often now.
The sights here are absolutley amazing! They don't seem to stop coming either. Every time I think I can't see something more beautiful I'm shown otherwise. Exploring is definitely my favorite thing to do here, there is so much to see. Of course I love the beaches, incredibly clean and well kept, but my favorite sight thus far has been Downtown Malága. This is a real taste of Europe with the building architecture, Cathedrals, cafe's, shops, fountains and little side streets that weave through the city like a never ending maze. I have been twice now, but the first time was just before Christmas. A friend took us all down to see Christmas lights and enjoy churros (nothing like what we have at home). The most amazing sight was the Cathedral here. It is breathtakingly beautiful and an even more incredible sight when you realize this was built entirely by human hands. While standing outside of the Cathedral I was overwhelmed by God's presence and in complete awe of Him. It is crazy to stand in a place you have only seen in movies and never thought you would be knowing that He is the reason you are there. What an amazing feeling! It is hard to describe how incredibly blessed and thankful I felt in this moment.
I am truly thankful for the support of my friends and family and am so happy to have the ability to share this time with you all! Until the next update, Adíos!
