Last updated on May 5th, 2024 at 02:06 pm
A few weeks ago we hopped on a short plane ride to Marbella, Spain for a long bank holiday weekend with friends. This year we had numerous family holidays lined up for us before B started school and MM turned two. Now we are coming to our last trip only a day away and then we will be subjected to school terms, short breaks, and a lot more expenses when traveling as a family of four. So we really tried to make the most of our trip to Spain. It was the first time we had been to Spain as a family. Our good friends had just moved there and we were excited to see them and let the kids run wild while we all caught up and chilled out together. My friend’s two kids are the exact same age as my two kids so it was perfect.
While our husband’s didn’t know each other really well it was amazing over the long weekend how much they were alike. It made it the perfect balance for us adults as well as the children. (minus a horrible vomit bug that wiped each child out one by one starting with MM). But it was a great family dynamic and we don’t have many families where we are all friends.
Right from the start our trip went smoothly for the most part. The skies were blue as can be as we landed and the weather was warm. It felt so great to have the sun on our backs soaking into our skin and feeling rejuvenated already the moment we touched down.
We got right to it and went to a cute cafe along the beach front. The view was stunning as were the fancy cocktails we were served. If you were following my instagram you would have seen the colorful concoctions, I tested out. They were absolutely delicious.
The giggling that came from our two older children couldn’t be described. It was endless. They may have been drawing on the table when we weren’t looking but they were having a ball together. It tickled me that when we got home all B wanted to eat was pasta and told me it was because that’s all M eats, his new friend. I have tried getting him to eat pasta for four years and it takes one little cute girl to convince him otherwise I have no chance against first girlfriends of the future do I? Eeek…
This little fashionista was keeping us all entertained with her sunglasses and Audrey Hepburn poses all weekend. She is really starting to get her own identity and personality while sometime challenging it’s lovely to see what a beautiful little girl she is becoming. I only wish she hadn’t been so sick her very first time while we were traveling bless her. Unlike B who is always sick, MM had never really been sick, sick. My heart went out to her being in a new place and her very first stomach bug. She really was a trooper and normally I am saying that about B instead. Those that followed along with our recent France trip will understand he really is our bubble boy. Putting her illness aside though she was talking more and doing new things that she hadn’t done before. It was great watching her with the other kids in the house too. She is really starting to claim things as hers and hers only which is tough but I think they all go through the not sharing phase. I just hope it doesn’t last too long. I do like her willpower though and she isn’t a push over by no means. It’ll be interesting to see what she is like in a few years.
I just had to put share this one as Mr P can’t swim. (he says he can but he can float for 5 mins let’s be honest). Our friends are having their pool retiled while we were there so it sat empty and Mr P lounging next to an empty pool had to be the funniest thing I ever saw but it was pure paradise to him. I kept teasing him about it all weekend. I love a good banter as they would say in the UK, meaning teasing each other. Mr P and I really do a good job of it too and it’s hilarious. My beautiful friend S, is pregnant and near the end and yet looking even more fabulous than ever. I think I might look more pregnant than she is and I am not pregnant. She has to be the nicest person I have ever met. She has a heart of gold. There wasn’t anything that she didn’t do to make us feel so very welcome in her home in Spain or even when she lived in the UK. She is the type of friend I know I can always count on and go to her if I need to but we may not speak every day or every week. I hope she knows I am always here for her too in the same respect. I truly loved spending the long weekend with her and being with her amazing family. Her girls are so loving, happy and respectful and I hope my kids (minus bringing illnesses into their home) made the same impression. I can’t wait to meet her son soon too.
It was lovely staying with friends which meant we didn’t have to have every second of every day planned out and we could just chill while the kids played outside. We got lucky with the weather and the kids started perking up on the last day we were there. It was nice to just sit back and really take in my beautiful family and be grateful for the life we lead and everything we have. I truly feel blessed to have my son and daughter and a loving husband to see the world with me and amazing friends. It made me realize I am spending far too much time switched on than switched off from work and my “to do” lists. Those things will always be in my life clearly but I need to prioritize my family first as the kids are only young once and it’s important to always work on a marriage and relationship with your partner too. This past year I think I have been trying to put my heart and soul into my blog (which has been great) but I don’t want to ever look back and regret lost time with my little ones or hubby.
We were lucky enough that our friend’s in-laws live next door and have a pool too. We had promise B he would be going swimming and so he was so excited that they kindly let us go in their pool for the evening our last day. The clouds started to roll in a bit but that didn’t stop any of us from jumping in. B comes alive in water and his swimming confidence is really improving lately. MM is always ready to go along for the ride. They were squealing with laughter and splashing around in pure heaven. I think our friend’s in-laws thought we were crazy to be swimming in cold (to them) weather. To us, it was just right and I grew up in the country swimming in rivers so it was still like bath water to me. I was handed a glass of lovely rose wine while I floated around with my kids in the pool. I have to say I have never experienced that before, definitely a first, and I enjoyed every last sip of it. (Don’t worry it was my only one).
We had a lovely day at Nikki Beach too, which our friend’s had planned. It was the best May bank holiday weekend we have ever had. I hope to go back and visit again soon.
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