Spain Dad, a baby blog

At Christmas time Americans sing about roasted chestnuts. Europeans eat them.

April walked into the living room and leaned over the back of the recliner. “Mom, do you have a nightlight?” she asked. Mom was sitting on the couch with little Teo asleep in her arms. “I don’t think so,” she said, not taking her eyes off her grandson, “but you can look around.” April disappeared [...]

“Look, Amy,” Alleke said, lifting up the long cardboard box. “This is where Christmas trees come from.” So much for trudging through the snow and cutting down an evergreen tree with a hacksaw, which is what I remember from my childhood. For our little city girl, Christmas trees were made of plastic and wire and [...]

Happy Kings Day, or Feliz Reyes in Spanish. Tag along with Alleke to the Kings Day Parade, take a bite of our traditional Kings Day breakfast, and enjoy the unexpected Christmas weather. Watch Reyes on Vimeo.

Like many families in Spain, we will be exchanging gifts on Kings Day (January 6th) this year. Nativities are an important part of Christmas in Spain, so part of the fun has been watching Alleke wake up each morning and discover that during the night our three little kings have journeyed a little closer to [...]

When I put Alleke to bed on Christmas Eve, I thought twice about telling her about the presents we would open in the morning and the party we would go to at her friends’ house. Like most kids on Christmas Eve, I thought she would wake up ridiculously early looking for presents and party food. [...]

We spent two days at the beach last week, and apparently Alleke is a beach girl now because when I asked her if she wanted to go to the playground this morning, she shook her head and said, “No playground.” I gaped. “You don’t want to go to the playground?” I asked. “BEACH!” she screamed, [...]

Who would have thought a vacation at the beach would demand so much courage… Watch Courage on Vimeo. For more, see photos of Alleke’s first trip to the beach… …and thanks to everyone who left suggestions on games we could play with Alleke at the beach.

I was an ocean away from my wife and daughter on Mother’s Day. We had decided beforehand that they should stay an extra week in Iowa with family, even though I had to return to Spain for work. I got back last Friday, which meant I was home alone for a few days before Mother’s [...]

Always After Me Lucky Charms Photo by tlindenbaum. “What do you want to do tonight?” I asked April, falling into the couch next to her. She looked up from her book. “I don’t know. We could call Shani and see what she’s doing.” “Alright” I said. I dug in my pocket and tossed her my [...]