3 Boys in 30 Days: Part 1 - Arrival & We Gotta Go!

Hola,

Well, that was four crazy and fun weeks.

I brought all 3 boys to Europe for the first time together - and over the next couple of posts, I'll share some pics and vignettes about the trip to Spain and Portugal that had moments of madness, loads of laughter, some indecision and one huge meltdown -- and that was just me!

These pictures cover the first week, and me Ma, (aka Nana) joined us the day the boys arrived, too, so everyone enjoyed the last week of my old apartment near the beach -- as I had to move out July 1. (Yeah, the timing wasn't the best, but 'tis what it was:)

At the lounge, waiting to take off and #2 Son discovers a self-making pancake machine!

Meanwhile, the night before, two thirds of the boys were too excited to sleep...

Until later. I wasn't getting in the middle of that mess, so slept on the ground!

Thumbs up if you're going to sleep on this night flight?

Dinner - and a movie - kept them awake for awhile...

...But sure enough, they were wrapped around each other like 3 cute, little octopi.

Having a well-needed bath the next evening, the boys showed off their new "Papa Beards." 

The community pool was discovered late the next morning. 

And the Mediterranean Sea was soon found, with free surfing lessons available...

Given a project to find glass sand, the three boys eventually made the Irish Flag!

Then, it was time for a break - and I promise this isn't a bottle of Strongbow!!

Jamon is so huge in Spain, people buy full legs and slice the ham at home. Here, #1 Son didn't want the Dutch cheese display to be ignored!

Moving Day came way too fast, but I'd planned and it went smoothly - enough :)

Luckily, we had a 6-seater, so there was *just* enough room to get everything in the rental.

We stopped at a B&B/Pub for one night to meet friends - and #1 Son made a new friend of his own!

#2 Son was more of the traditional Parrot-on-the-Shoulder type of guy.

It was a hot evening, so everyone was outside, which meant the boys could watch TV...

...And learn how to play Darts in a new and unique way (John Lowe would not be impressed.)

Meeting up with old buddy, Danny and his wife, Bonnie, was a highlight of the trip...

...We hadn't seen each other for 14 years, so enjoyed the evening gossiping about our adventures:)

Next day, we arrived at Mirjam's cottage, where we'd stay for 10 days, alongside the neighbor's 3 dogs and 5 stray cats!

At the town pool, Nana (playing for Oireland) was beaten by a young American squad...

...while the other 2 were like, "y'all are crazy, it's 37c (99f), we're staying in the water!"

With no Internet for the first few days, the boys learnt some card games, dominoes and tried their hand at winking, too.

A boy. His milk. And a pair of borrowed Gucci sunglasses. Coolness is as cool does.

Dominoes soon became a favorite, with Ma joining in while sleeping dogs lay -- recovering from all the unexpected attention.

Mirjam was able to join us for a few days -- and we all ate much better!!

The boys even got in some chores and helped move some olive tree wood upstairs to the grill.

One evening, we discovered Sponge Bob randomly in a public park...

#3 Son was quickly spit out by SB... apparently, the kid was too tough :)

As Ma prepared to leave after 2 weeks, I wasn't sure if her new olive tree hairstyle would go down well in Dublin...

With the feeling of being watched while eating my stew, I turned & looked over my left shoulder...

Oh, and that self-making pancake machine? Amazing. It worked like a charm everytime!