Almost over...

Our vacation is inching ever closer to the end, but what a time we've had. As I write, Nacho and I are enjoying our last night in Almeria in a small beach town called Agua Amarga. It's so nice to have a few days to ourselves, and yet, I find myself drifting back to thoughts of the girls. I love this kind of trip where we can do things that require more physical effort with less planning. But I think bringing them along in a few years will be fun too. For now though, Elisa and Carolina are in good hands and that makes us feel good and enjoy our time apart.  Tomorrow we head back to Encinar where they will be greeting us with open arms I'm sure.

Four years on...

After a few days acclimating to our Spanish schedule, we woke up to Elisa's birthday and all the glory that is celebrating her abroad. Somehow it feels more joyous to share this special day with family who don't get to see her very often. And she was definitely ready. I think she thought each day here was her birthday already, so when it finally arrived she was elated.  We started with swimming, a lunch of canelones, a nice siesta and then more swimming.   Something finally clicked in her about using the floaties, and she let herself jump into the water and swim. It was amazing to watch as she went from sitting on the steps or being carried around the pool to launching herself into the water and kicking her way all around. She was fearless and so happy to be on her own.  As a mom, I have always wanted Elisa to grow to be independent and willing to try new things.  It's not easy stepping back sometimes to allow this to happen, but when I have, I've often been rewarded with a new perspective on my oldest daughter. After all, she is her own person, and she has forged a path that only she could have chosen.  And that was kind of how the day went.  I watched Elisa doing something new and loving it which made my heart so happy.  So many times with this girl there is drama where there should be none.  The agony and the ecstasy of her personality can really wear me down.  But not that day. She was her best self and the whole day was a celebration of her spirit which is exactly what I would wish for her every year.  

Even at lunch she ate everything we did and sat in her new dress basking in her birthday glow.  After a little rest and more swimming, we hosted all of Nacho's family for dinner and cake.  Summertime in Spain means all of us hanging out around the house in Encinar and that was just how we enjoyed this special day. Her cousins playing with her and helping her open gifts was even better.  And the family really showered her with presents and love.  You could see in her face that she was the star at the center of attention and that she was so pleased to play that role.  After we put Carolina to bed around 10:30pm, we enjoyed cake and a champagne toast.  The night was almost coming to an end and someone suggested an impromptu midnight swim to mark the occasion. Elisa was more than ready and followed her cousin Sara into the pool counting and jumping in together several times in a row. It was a spectacular night.  Of course we can't always celebrate this way, but this year was special.  After missing out on last summer's bounty of swimming and eating in Encinar, we are back with a vengeance. Elisa turning four was just the icing on the cake.

Estamos aqui

We made it to Spain earlier this week after what felt like a very short flight. Under 7 hours and I didn´t even care that Elisa wasn´t sleeping. I was more relaxed about everything, although seeing Carolina give in to sleep for a few hours made me happy. There´s nothing about flying overnight with kids that I enjoy, but this time it wasn´t terrible. I was just relieved to land and see some familiar faces at the airport, and so was Elisa. Hearing her run up to her Abuela shouting her name and smiling was all worth it. Carolina warmed up a little more after a few siestas and we are all adjusting to the time difference quite well. The girls are in bed between 10pm and 12am and up between 9am and 11am. It´s not too bad all things considered. And tomorrow is Elisa´s birthday which means we´ll have to have cake and champagne and toast to all that is wonderful about 4. So far on this trip, Elisa has really impressed her family here with her independence and her playful spirit. She has fallen right into the mix with her cousins and they are all practicing a mix of English and Spanish much to our delight. It´s just about perfect. As Elisa said today...Mom, I think we need a house like this with a pool. How about in Spain?

Almost Four

Last week we celebrated Carolina's 1st birthday with a few presents and some cupcakes at the park. It was a perfectly understated celebration and gave me my first "1st birthday" party since Elisa's was on an airplane to Spain.  [It didn't take much to top that since we basically feted her with french fries from the McDonald's at JFK].  So with one party out of the way, thoughts turned to our other August birthday girl, and I kept debating how and where to have a little something for Elisa. Of course precedent is a bitch, and I knew after she requested streamers in our dining room doorways (à la last year's surprise birthday celebration) again this birthday, we were in for another present-opening blowout.  Forget that her birthday isn't until the 17th when we will be in Spain. We were going to have to do something here and somehow include a few friends for good measure. But no four year-old wants to see another one rip open gifts. So I went with my original plan which was have a morning where she could open a few things at home with us, and then an afternoon at the park where we could eat pizza with friends, hear "Happy Birthday," blow out a candle and call it a day. Now I can officially say: Done and done. 

So that is how we started the nearly four celebrations. She asked several times "Am I four now?" to which I kept saying, "Well, no, not yet. But soon."  How confusing for kid her age.  For as long as I can remember my family always celebrated my birthday on the day.  It was pretty standard to have a dinner out and then open gifts at home and eat cake with family.  But then I think she likes the multiple days of presents so I'm not too worried about her psyche.  I'm sure we'll also have a little gathering of family in Encinar when we can celebrate her cousin Diego (August 16th) and her second cousin Amaia (the 21st).  It's a birthday kind of month for our family here and in Spain and maybe that's how we should approach it every year. Just plan to celebrate from the 2nd on and we won't stop until our wedding anniversary on the 28th. It's turning out to be better than Christmas!

Seriously?

I totally bought tickets to this. For Sunday. I'm pretty sure Elisa is going to go into shock and pass out when she finds out who we are going to see. And I'm not even kidding. She's been impersonating Dorothy the Dinosaur so much recently that most conversations begin with "No, no. I'm not Elisa. I'm DORO-THY." And she wears socks on her hands (because Dorothy has white gloves). I can hear the screaming already. Good screaming. The kind I am trying to bottle and save for all the years ahead when she won't let me take her to a concert. But Sunday, oh man. On Sunday I am going to be her hero. And now I don't know if I can contain myself and keep a secret, but I'm going to try. 

Celebrating Carolina

On Thursday morning we woke up early with our girls to start Carolina's birthday festivities off on the right note. Presents were waiting for her on the dining room table with lots of balloons floating around as well. Elisa was all too happy to help unwrap the presents and Carolina didn't seem to mind though I did.  Fortunately, we had some decoy presents ready for just that scenario.  And I even continued my family's tradition of letting the sibling open a gift on the other one's birthday. Elisa was excited for about a nanosecond that she got her coveted Winx Club Doll.  Good try, mom.  But the real fun was seeing what else Carolina got.  So with a little prodding, Carolina got to pull and tear some paper and enjoy her new toys for about 2 minutes before Elisa worked her way in there and started playing with them herself. Luckily Carolina really likes balloons... 

Later after her morning nap, we took Carolina to the park for a swim and a little lunch with friends. The girl loves the water so it wasn't completely for her sister's benefit.  I suppose even at this age you have to cater to the birthday girl a little bit, and I tried.  The fact that we could have a small gathering and share some cupcakes with our friends on a Thursday afternoon made the day even more special.  Something about celebrating on the day makes it better in my old fashioned mind.  Carolina was already getting tired by the time we brought out her red velvet cupcake so we hurried things up and let her get a good long second nap at home. Nacho took that duty while I stayed and took Elisa back to the pool. And that was it. A nice day celebrating our baby girl and looking forward to many more hot August days with cake.