The kids' reactions so far

Since the kids are 4, 2, and 1, we weren't sure how they would react to the tremendous change of moving to a new country that speaks a different language. Overall, I am really proud of how they are doing so far! The first few days everyone was tired and having trouble adjusting to the time zone, but since everything happens later in Spain anyway, we seem to be easing into that very well. We eat lunch closer to 2, take naps around 3, then do an evening activity and dinner around 8, not going to bed until 9ish. I would have thought that schedule was impossible for us in the States, but we have found it necessary to wear them out so they will go to sleep, since they are all sleeping in the same room.
But in case you are wondering what moving is like to a kid, here are some quotes so far:

"This town looks just like Ted's town in the Lorax!" (Sophie's statement the first day here. It's not quite Thneedville, but the bright colors and original architecture are reminiscent of Dr. Seuss.)

"This beach has no water!" (Danny's reaction to low tide at the very shallow beach near our hotel. The beach was covered in seaweed, and the waves were almost at the horizon. There are better beaches on the other side of town.

"I love Spanish ice cream!" (Sophie and Danny both think it's amazing that there are ice cream booths scattered around town that are open at night. I ordered them some Fantasmikos, which is apparently a bag of mini popsicles, so they each got to have 3 popsicles and shared with the rest of the family. They were pretty tasty.)

"We are almost to North Carolina! I think I see Granny's house!" (Sophie's remarks after we went for a 1-hour walk in the evening along the boardwalk. We had to remind her how far we are from home and family, but it's probably good she thinks they are nearby.)

"Spain is awesome. It is even better than Granny's house!" (Sophie's comment on day 2. High praise coming from a girl whose favorite friends are Granny and her dog, Simba.)

 "This is the most beautiful dinner I ever saw." (Sophie's reaction to leftover night on our hotel patio. Spaghetti for them, paella for the parents. I guess the right surroundings mean the food doesn't matter!)

"They have playgrounds in Spain!" Sophie's reaction every time I take them to a little park or play area. I guess she was worried that playing is an American thing?)

"Hola perro!" (Danny greets every dog he sees when we go for walks, and the kind locals usually say hola back. One man even handed Danny the leash and let him walk the dog for a few moments! The locals have been friendly, and the kids have been eager to repeat any Spanish phrases I tell them.)

"I want a big bowl of mac and cheese." (Sophie's request for dinner the first night here. She was a little dismayed that Spanish restaurants don't have much pasta. But she ended up saying her rice and meatballs were "bueno!")

"We are going exploring!" This is what Danny tells us whenever we drive in the car or go for a walk. Everything is an exciting new adventure for them, so we try to keep a positive, upbeat attitude, even when we are doing mundane things like completing paperwork or going to the grocery store.)

"Wahhhhhhhh!" (Alex's reaction every time we strap him in the carseat now, since he doesn't know if he is going to be stuck in it for an epically long time. He usually ends up falling asleep after a bit of crying and fussing, though.)

So there you have it. They are having fun, making new friends, and enjoying new experiences, even though this is currently not much of a vacation. I mean, no American family would bring young children to Spain for vacation, and if they did, they wouldn't spend a week doing paperwork and preparing to move into a new house. But even so, that's not what the kids will remember. To them, this is an exciting no place with new yummy food, and adventures around every corner! So we will try to keep it that way for a while until we start to miss the U.S.