Just You Try To Keep Up With Her: Happy 4th Birthday, Kendley!!!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Mommy and I sincerely apologize that this birthday post is a little late, as we JUST only finished cleaning up after your ‘GRAN FIESTA’ last weekend. More than 75 people arrived at our little home in the campo to celebrate you on your special day.  Aside from the seventeen little boys and girls from your class, it seemed as if the entire pueblo was in attendance; there were moms and dads, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, and even a scattering of grandparents.   Not that we were the least bit surprised… you are loved and admired up and down the streets of El Gastor.

Rainy days and Umbrian country roadsBut really, has another year already passed us by? It feels like yesterday that we were celebrating your 3rd birthday in Madrid and your 2nd in Bordeaux.  How long we’ve been on this adventure together! And while we have been able to see so many amazingly beautiful things together, what I have enjoyed the most is watching you grow.

Tea in a French calque, anyone?Every night when we pray I look into your eyes and I am reminded of just how lucky I am. I cherish the time right before you fall asleep when I put your nose to mine and we say together:

You are my HEART.
You make me SMILE.
You fill my life with JOY.
You are the love of my LIFE.
I have been given a life beyond my wildest dreams, but by far, you, Ollie and Mommy (and our baby-to-be) are my greatest blessings. You are beautiful in every way and I am eternally grateful that you are now my BIG GIRL!
Highlights of the Past Year Include:
  • Our big girl no longer needs to use diapers to make it through the night.
  • An even more significant milestone…you finally quit sucking your two fingers!

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
    The last time we’ll see this!
  • The new addition of Argi, our beloved Bernese Mountain Dog and Cortijero, our Andalusian horse who loves to take little kids for trail rides.
  • You and Ollie learning to speak Spanish like real ‘Andaluces’ (although, with that accent, half the time, neither Mommy nor I have any idea what you’re talking about).
  • Watching movies with you on my lap and realizing that you are no longer my ‘baby’.
  • Your beautiful dress at Feria in Seville, Spain.Gitana Girls Love their Daddies!
  • Celebrating Halloween at the American Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
  • A bittersweet moment: Being robbed in Rome and having all your toys stolen.  Despite this, I am so proud that you pray for the people that took your toys every single night and that you have forgiven them.
  • Hiking the heavenly mountains of Durmitor National Park, Montenegro.Borring Ollie's Raincoat
  • Exploring the beautiful waters of Croatia and Corfu, Greece.
  • Watching in awe as you took down an entire pan bagnat in Nice that was as large as your face.
  • When in Nice, eat tuna sandwiches as large as your head!
  • Our first Spanish ‘Easter egg hunt’ with our dear friends Andres, Ingrid, Nora, Cloe, and Elsa.
  • Making wildflower crowns with you in the mountains of Switzerland and Austria.Austrian Flower Crowns!
  • Watching you snuggle the baby in Mommy’s tummy, while informing him ever so kindly that your toys are COMPLETELY OFF-LIMITS.
  • Biting your cheeks and having you retaliate by punching me in the nose (you are just like your Mommy).
  • Up close and personal with the falls in Gavarnie, France
  • Holding your little finger in my hand as we visited over 12 countries last year.
  • Grandma sending you an Elsa dress and you demanding to wear it everyday for at least a month (don’t forget the gloves, crown and more)
  • Watching you become a blossoming artist (albeit one that prefers painting ‘au naturel’)Plein Air and Au Naturel

Kendley’s 4th Birthday Interview

  1. How old are you today? Uno, dos, tres, QUATRO! FOUR in ‘Panish!  (Note to readers, Kendley STILL cannot pronounce the letter ‘S’.)
  2. Where are we celebrating this year?  In El Gastor! In the campo.  
  3. Do you remember where we were last year? Yes, Yes! We were in…in… no, I can’t remember.  We celebrated in Madrid.  Iker went to Madrid, y también Francisco. Ellos son mis amigos!!!
  4. What did we do differently this year? I had a HUGE fiesta! Indeed. There were 75 people at our house on Sunday. I am exhausted just thinking about it.  I wanna do it again!
  5. Tell me all about this birthday party.  I played in the pool with my friends and I rode our horse, Cortijero. And I ate a million cupcakes. My tummy hurt after.
  6. I’ll bet. Now that we have a home, do you miss traveling? Yes, sometimes. Why do you miss it?  I dunno. Because I get to sleep late and eat lots of gelato.
  7. What’s your favorite thing to do these days? I love to jump in the pool and eat birthday cake. I like to dress up as a fairy. I LOOOOVE Peppa Pig.
  8. What’s your favorite color?  I love the color purple. I have a purple and green vestido. (That’s a dress).
  9. Tell me about school. It’s brand new for you, right? Do you like it?  Yes!! I do a lot of things in cole. I dance and sing songs in ‘Panish. I paint flowers and I write my name. That part is hard, and sometimes I want to take a nap.
  10. Tell me about some of the new friends you’ve made in the pueblo.  Yoli and Brenda and Virginia and Mercedes and the big and little Antonios, and Nayara, and Claudia and Santiago and Ainhoa and Martina and….Whoa, whoa, whoa! You are quite the social butterfly!
  11. What are you most excited for this year?  Opening my presents!!!!!  Well, let’s get to it!!Where to next?