Cooper: Week 42

COOPER LIKES:

Catching Zzz's with his Mommy & Daddy.

Taking in all the sights.

Hiding and then surprising Momma! Boo!

When complete strangers want to take his picture.

Strawberries!

Swinging.

Airport entertainment.

Riding the funicular!
We were by the window on the way down and the wind was hitting him in the face which made him absolutely crack up!

Rick Steve.

Riding the metro.

COOPER DOES NOT LIKE:

When the stroller stops.

Gaudi's crazy rooftop.

Rain.

Too many pictures.

MOMMY'S FAVORITE 

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

This entire set of pictures was taken right as we were about to leave the La Alhambra in Granada. Cooper had been very good despite the small crowded spaces and the rain that kept us from letting him down to explore. We finally found a spot where he could stand on his own and he was so happy to see that the sun had finally begun to shine. He chattered away while wobbling as he reached from bar to bar... Brandon could barely stand to be the three steps out of the frame for fear Cooper would fall... People stopped and smiled and doted on our precious boy... The view of the gardens outside the barred door was beautiful but I never saw past the tiny boy - my heart is constantly full of awe and wonder that God gave me this incredible life. 

Thank you Lord for letting me be this precious baby's Mommy.

WEEK 42 HAPPENINGS:

Day 288: We arrived in Granada right in time for a huge Spanish parade! Flamenco dresses and men on horseback in traditional attire filled the main street right outside our hotel. It was so fun to get to see all the colors and traditions come to life. After the parade we took the Rick Steve's walking tour through town to get accustomed to our new surroundings - as you can tell by the pictures Cooper just kicked back and chilled the entire time.

Day 289: We spent virtually the entire day touring the Alhambra - the last and greatest Moorish palace of the 13th and 14th century. The intricate work done throughout the palace was unbelievable and the gardens were fabulous!

Day 290: Really no pictures today... We had a little mishap when booking our flight from Granada to Barcelona so we spent most of the day in a couple of airports. Needless to say we were a happy to finally make it to our hotel in Barcelona.

Day 291: Barcelona! We spent the day exploring the beautiful city - one of our new favorites I might add. We spent a large part of the day walking through the Eixample and checking out Gaudi's famous works - La Pedrera and the Block of Discord. We rambled up the Ramblas and did our best to just get lost in the city - mission accomplished! On our way back to the room towards the end of the day the quiet square we had walked through earlier that morning had become the site of a protest. The Spanish King had announced that day that he would be stepping down from the throne and passing his crown on to his son - the people were apparently not too happy. The protest was a peaceful one and we stopped and watched for a little while - it was very interesting as we are so used to a democracy that it caught us off guard that the whole country could be in an uproar but it didn't really make any difference whatsoever. It definitely made us appreciate our right to vote!

Day 292: We took a quick little train ride over to visit a pretty monastery in the mountains of Montserrat. While the monastery itself was very nice, it was completely overshadowed by the amazing scenery! We took two major funiculars to the very top and then spent the rest of the afternoon walking back down. Cooper was a big fan until he got sleepy and then without making a sound crashed on our shoulder for most of the remainder of the walk. When we got back into Barcelona we strolled through a few more sights before heading in for the night.

Day 293: Another beautiful day in Barcelona! Today we cruised down to the beach, snacked at the markets and just slowed down to enjoy the view!

Day 294: We took full advantage of our last day in Spain! This was probably our favorite day of sites as well! We started out the day at the magical Park Guell! What a fun and colorful place - it felt as though we were standing in a place straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. After that we walked to the unbelievable Sagrada Familia church. When in Europe, you see lots of pretty churches and cathedrals but this one, oh my, it was the most amazing of them all. Very rarely do we visit a place that we say we just must come back to, but mark my words some day we will return to the Sagrada Familia to see the completed project. It was just incredible. We topped the evening off with a show at the Magic Fountains - there was music and lights and lots of water and our precious boy just loved it! It was the perfect finish to an incredible trip.