Early summer vibes, and the girls are in deep, already!! I LOVE IT!!

Just don’t ask the lifeguard to follow suit (Dad, what do you think of that “follow suit?” Pun hall of fame, or what?!).

75% of them anyway.

At least this time one of the girls dressed her for the part…

But until one of the two reluctant adults braves the water with her, she’s on standby.

Looking absolutely adorable, if at the risk of peeing on the patio furniture.

Satisfied with the occasional visitor,

the heirloom water table triumphantly restored to patio residence (once she figured out what it was for),

and a steady stream of food.

Hard to keep up with demand around here!

The recent weekends hosting are a great precursor to the summer ahead. We are planning another exciting family road trip, but the bulk of the summer will center around the beach, pool and table.

The girls are making connections with schoolmates in our neighborhood as well, so the house is starting to have a hilarious Spanglish tilt… except when it comes to the homework. Fluency escapes some of us.

Jane is just starting to read Spanish fiction books, while Rose pretends to so she can fill out her reading log. I don’t sweat it because she is always absorbed in a book. This year she read the entire Harry Potter series! She didn’t have Jane’s patience for read-aloud with Ken and ended up devouring a book a week.

Gives us hope for Cate, who, like the Rose of old, prefers pictures to words.

The Absorbed-in-a-Book Club does present some irritating challenges. Like getting ready for school, and checking in with the “babysitters” watching Lucy during parent-teacher conferences… “How are things going? Diaper check went okay? The baby head first on the slide isn’t your sister?”

Which brings us back to the future fish out of water. Lucy is more in the mix than out, like never before!

Thanks to the love and attention heaped upon her wherever the sunny days, and her stylists,

take her.

When did this happen???

We just keep saying over and over how fortunate we are Lucy came along… because the original baby of the family is growing up way too fast!

Certainly her affection for body suits and cheap lipstick has something to do with the aging process.

But the change is incredible, here is Cate just a year ago turning 6!

And this year her former teachers asked her to visit kindergarten on her birthday! How could we not?!

Cate was a little shy in front of the students but super eager to share a special hug with her beloved Ms. Flake and Ms. Callahan. I don’t know that the new school will ever raise the bar quite high enough to compete with her alma mater, and I wouldn’t necessarily want it to. Kindergarten was an awesome experience for Cate.

And this year’s celebration was extra special as well because Nana and Papa were in town on her birthday for the first time since… her debut! They were even able to be a part of the poster-making fun. Well, for some. The creative process can be intense, especially when mispelling “birthday” consecutive times is pointed out by your little sister.

Typically the posters and Ken’s moments of decorating genius win the day for me. But my personal favorite expression of love this year? Rose and Jane going through their drawers looking for things to “gift” Cate while helping hang decorations. Melted my heart.

Nana fried up a delicious batch of elephant ears before we went on Cate’s chosen birthday excursion.

After an afternoon spent climbing among the branches and hearing bilingual Cate celebrate in English and panic in Spanish, we headed home for partying with Nana, Papa and the Tias.

The girls and Cedeño sisters traded lessons in clap chants while Nana and I put the finishing touches on Cate’s menu.

And what did she wish for??? A red panda, a plush of her favorite animal. That was it. The number one request. An easy enough box to check, a simple Amazon click.

Cate: “So why in the, ahem, world… would my family put a plain, ahem, panda in a gift bag?”

Because we are relentless teases.

And when it’s one of your sisters’ birthdays, you’ll root us on and love us for it.

Lucy is already guarding herself against the tease.

While also perfecting the swipe… check her out when Grandma’s box of beautifully wrapped goodies arrived.

Fresh off a nap, Lucy was literally living the dream!

Cate keeps pace with Jane and Rose in energy and appetites, and overpowers them in hugs, hair growth and words per minute. While a tad explosive, you sort of expect it after a lifetime of third place finishes. She does wake up first, ranks second in picky eating, and is the least likely of the four to leave us at a skilled nursing facility. To me, that’s a wish of a kid come true!

“As long as I’m living my baby you’ll be,” goes the famous line in Love You Forever. That will never change, big as you grow my sweet, sweetheart.

We had a great time experiencing the hometown processions! The floats were stunning and the energy exerted coordinating and carrying them left us awestruck. Next year we plan to attend consecutive days in nearby cities, but this evening out definitely gave our Easter celebrations a memorable character.

And from the Passion to the celebration!

Poor Cate held a cold at bay until her after birthday so she missed decorating. She went to bed voluntarily, a clear indication she was legitimately sick.

Thankfully she rallied to make the egg hunt.

Lucy: “Yes, I’ll take some of that, I’m definitely not feeling like myself since you barged in here rummaging for eggs.”

Cured.

Easter and birthday decorations combined for this one.

As did the cooking for a fabulous feast!!!

Happy Easter!

How would Lucy react when confronted with the voices she calls by name on the bluetooth??? How quickly would she make the connection? The flights were not delayed… and yet they were forced to wait.

And wait? No, just kidding.

Lucy perked up immediately, strangely enough…

They ALL did!!!

Yes ladies, this is allllllll you need to know about Spring Break. It’s customary for people of all ages to spend a week with family, playing wholesome games, exercising and eating well. In spite of what someone tries to tell you when you get older, it’s simply not true.

Though it would appear that some in our party were fanning the flames of dissension.

And why do you look like you just stumbled out of a rave?!

And you… which one of them taught you that expressive masterpiece?

We may have to keep the Floridians on a much shorter leash than we expected. And I happen to know just the girl for the job.

The one most attached to mom, and least susceptible to bribery.

Formerly.

Forget what I said. Instead, picture Lucy at the bottom of the stairs calling, “Papa, Papa!!!!” Just about every time he left her line of sight.

In spite of the mischief, a full house was a refreshing change.

Epecially for Lucy, having not just the girls,

but doting grandparents around the house everyday.

It’s usually so dull around here.

And maybe that’s what Nana and Papa were saying after we tempered their European Spring Break, but I tend to doubt it. We kept life, laundry and meal prep moving along at the usual frantic pace.

But many hands definitely lighten the load(s).

And now that everyone is out of the house, someone is looking to make a getaway of her own.

Says she’s ready for another Spring Break with Nana and Papa… Oy!

Not hibernating during winter… just BURIED ALIVE!

How fast have you grown? Out of a car seat already?

Of course not… it’s just nonsensical to be trapped in a 3-point harness with a horned beast sticking its muddy snout inside the car.

There are just so many things wrong with this picture… and my goodness if you could smell the stench it carried!

Had we passed a dealership on the way home I was ready to trade the car in. Not that the floorboards were looking Blue Book.

That is one brave hand.

I found the camel to be at a tolerable distance…

The zebras with the flared eyes were pushing it…

Then another horned creature crossed the line.

And moments later Jane hysterically leapt onto Ken’s lap.

For some of us, the walking portion could not have come at a better time. I repeat, “For some of us…”

You can almost see the idea forming in Ken’s mind…

Surely the discerning portion of his brain matter will stop him…

Nope.

Don’t look at me! I’m just along for the ride.

Everyone was that day, in (and especially) out, of the car.

Thankfully, even after nearly losing her hand, Lucy was still very happy around eye-level animals.

I’m not overly concerned, if Jane could overcome her goat trauma…

(or she’s just used to it)

And Rose, to completely shed her animal fearing years,

Little Lu has a bright, giraffe-nuzzling future ahead… I can already tell.

That’s all folks!

Actually, photo unfinished. We have a dozen of these in an envelope wedged between the junk bowl and the electric pencil sharpener. But, we are in Spain, and there is something of a mañana spirit here…

December was absolutely magical. The girls BELIEVE, most days. Their friends are patient and generous about it. Nobody wants the first domino to fall… otherwise innocent Cate will cross over prematurely(if she hasn’t already)! Mañana.

So on the Christmas Eve table Jane placed a letter to Santa asking for proof, because she didn’t want to stop believing… and Rose left her tooth because the tooth fairy failed to show up the 23rd and she was sure Santa could help straighten the situation out.

The night before the mischief making elves arrived, Ken snuck over to the local grocery store to pick up some treats. What he thought were tidy, pre-bagged candy variety packs were actually chunks of edible coal.

Parents: “Oh my gosh they are going to be so freaked out!!! What do we do?!”

Kids: Completely unfazed. Blood pressure unchanged. Zero introspection. I don’t think they even took it as a warning.

Then again, as soon as the elves joined us… Ken and I decided it probably was time to break the news. Eliminating the, “What are you talking about ‘Did I set up the elves?’ It wasn’t my elf night!” accusations and panic for a few years would make our lives much easier.

Speaking of elves, this one initially wanted nothing to do with the uniform,

but she warmed up to it.

Maybe we didn’t mail anything this year… (it’s not “maybe”… we totally dropped the bulb) but we baked cookies, decorated, and had our fill of Christmas pageants, music and movies.

And our fill of Kisses.

Lucy: “I love this job.”

Girls: “Ohhhhh look at us!”

Lucy: “I’ve been at them for ten minutes already! Where do you think I got these drool stains?”

They definitely caught up during after-Lucy’s-hours decorating.

In years to come, should the butterfly/Harry Potter cutter tradition not continue… let us memorialize it here.

Some murmured rather loudly when we realized just three Christmas cookie cutters could be located… but a little good humor from Ken’s polar butterfly improv made me think we have a new holiday tradition.

Goes well with our empty tree tradition…

Lucy: “I’m going to find you later.”

Us: “If that softie was the only one Buddy the Elf found…”

Yep, move all the decorations just below the bald spot towards the top of the tree. We have a vacuum bag full of glass.

Parents: “Cate? Cate! Hurry, get in the picture!!!”

For the record, the re-takes are not always Lucy’s fault.

Christmas morning filled our hearts with joy as the girls seemed to appreciate their gifts and each other, for the moment.

And with a temporary peace settling over the house, I think everyone got what they wanted.

Mostly.

Lucy: “Hola. Santa. Gog. Gog. NO GOG!!!!”

How could Santa forget her dog? Infuriating. I’m blaming Santa too, Lucy. (At least he’s good for that!)

Lucy: “I’ll be using this to get at the ornaments you moved up top, sir.”

On Ken’s birthday, nearing the end of 2022, we did the unthinkable and climbed from sea level to the top of the rock of Gibraltar.

Yes, to the top.

Wish they never cut you down before winter break?

Not in a million and forty-eight years! Cheers, love!

While the 3 bears are snuffing out every English speaker on their school campus… Goldilocks is ferreting through their wares (unfortunately with a perpetual runny nose).

Maybe they will confuse it for their own honey drippings…

Oh Lucy! Ever the safety concern antagonist. She won’t let go of this spot, forbidden or not.

Much like an older sister’s library book. Check.

But call her on it…

and she threatens to pop out a screen. Checkmate.

Thanksgiving with friends. Best grilled chicken ever. Leaving it at that.

In hindsight, it probably helped keep any trauma out of the Tom Turkey coloring page.

On Friday we headed to Malaga for the Christmas light show. We made the same trip about four years ago, when there were far fewer scam artists disrupting Booking.com…. the bait and switch added some anxiety to the logistics.

A nice family picture probably is too much to ask when the sun is so bright a passerby is shielding her eyes with a shopping bag. Sorry girls, I really should know how to stage a photo after all this time.

We spent all day in the city because we couldn’t risk finding a parking spot later. Pity that deposit on a city center apartment never materialized…

Not surprisingly, we had no trouble staying active… because the red blur, our beloved (very) busy body insists.

That’s right… confess you were breaking the speed limit in there.

Before long throngs really did pack into main street for the music and light show.

Lucy greeted and entertained our crowd as best as she could.

While the lights made for a very beautiful evening, the girls were at capacity with the stimulation.

And yet… as many hours as we spent seizing the previous day, and night, on our feet… someone thought the trip needed a sunrise experience consecutive mornings.

Send her back to Confession.

At some point… maybe the tormented male in our household could tell you the exact hour, the girls and I came across the song “Defying Gravity,” from Wicked. I cannot explain how I managed to completely miss this Broadway musical spin on the Wizard of Oz during its early 2000s heyday. Or ten years later, in the Frozen era Idina Menzel craze… but I have absolutely no memory of hearing a single track before.

We have more than made up for those twenty lost years.

My Broadway-loving brother even tracked down a bootleg copy (in the purest sense of the word, like, VHS camcorder style) for us to watch of Menzel and Chenoweth sharing the stage for the last time. The onset of vertigo prevents us from repeated viewings, but it helped us connect all the soundtrack dots without yet seeing it onstage.

Someday…

So until we can get to the West End ourselves, we are finding creative ways to express our fandom.

Halloween 2022, showcasing some vintage Kirk, circa 2014.

Lately, the girls think everything good that shows up at the house is from Nicole. Why? Because she does things like drop off pumpkins while they are sleeping.

Mom: “Hey, I saved one for you so you could have the experience of scooping out the seeds. Hello? Hello? Anyone here?”

Oh, but you need a child to look at carving patterns? They come jazzed up!

Speaking of…

We had a great time carving the pumpkins!

Guess the artist…

The coordination and execution of an ensemble costume… it’s the mothering equivalent of final exams. Cate’s crown (meticulously crafted until 2AM) ended up under the stroller,

the wand tossed into the trunk (if she used it to stab me in the back I might have appreciated it at least served a purpose).

Indeed, some of the glue-gunning was in vain; however, on the afternoon of Trunk or Treat, with time at a premium, Jane begged me to put together a “Tin Mom” costume. She gave me this heart. What could I do but load the girls into the car and race across town to the Bazar and make it happen.

I may chaperone Cate’s prom in my silver bodysuit. I can’t imagine it will still fit, but all the better, my pretty!

And I’ll bring my munchkin along too!

With Ken on base staging the school’s trunk (and not exactly a hair and makeup artist), we called on our village of Nicole and Amy to get the girls out the door on time, and not lost in the crowd.

I think everything would still be on the staircase if they did not intervene.

So with a little help from our friends, we had a Wicked good night!

They even called Ken onstage for the costume contest while we were on the hayride…

I’m sure with half the accessories missing by that time we were no longer a recognizable ensemble. But this guy always is! Or did she notice my discarded ax on the haystack?

Keep a lookout for Wicked 2… The Munchkin Thief.

Seems like just yesterday you were a baby in our arms…

Except that’s not Jane, it’s Lucy, the current baby in our arms.

And now you wear my shoes with a little wiggle room, and will most likely be taller than Dad in a year or two.

Just when you’ve sworn the pantry is free of trick candles…

plumes of smoke and melted wax spilling onto the cake say otherwise.

We cleared our lungs at the nearby zipline park, where the girls were free to roam with their plus one after passing the refresher course. But seriously Jane, I’m going to need you to look a little more confidently at the equipment…

now that your height grants you access to the most challenging routes.

Okay, much better.

Which she dragged Nicole and I onto as her semi-willing adult supervision.

Everyone headed out two-by-two… and three for the split second it took Rose to work the devices. She left with her friend and from that point on we only saw glimpses of her until closing time.

Cate spent the time showing me how it’s done for as often as I could set the hefty carabiners for her.

The afternoon ended with a huge sleepover beg. Jane asking not to host… but to LEAVE US for the first time. Talk about underscoring the fact that she’s growing up!

I sent Rose, my most trusted tattletale, to be the evening’s eyes and ears. Jane didn’t look back, except when I told her to pose for the parting pic. Neither did my scout for that matter. Ken and I just had a preview of 18, and it kind of stings.

They promised not to be tired the following day. We should have added a few onto that, because those two girls dragged through life until Monday, Jane’s actual birthday.

We did see a little bounce when Ken helped her pack treats for her classmates Sunday afternoon. Likely from the siphoned sugar. 2.4 pieces for you… round it to 3 pieces for me.

Lucy, a huge fan of birthdays,

waited all day for the celebrants to return from school to squeeze her and

share the cake. However, she did not appreciate the wait.

But unfortunately with four, life does not keep pace with her patience…

or theirs.

It wasn’t long before the number of disgruntled attendees grew. It’s hard to decide looking at the pics who is more upset about Jane’s transition to pre-teen gifts. We teased out the Fitbit with a few training bras and that’s when the sibling expressions really took on a disgusted edge.

What’s worse than clothes on your birthday? “Practice” clothing.

They look happy because they haven’t realized a Fitbit isn’t something anyone else gets to wear.

Take a step back…

(sorry, a little Fitbit humor) there’s a late entry!!!

We’ve got Grandma making the save! At last, something to actually play with!

Rose and Cate are NOT ready for Jane to grow up yet… and neither are we.

How many years since we’ve seen you, Finks?

Cate: “You’re sure I know you?”

Lucy: “Well, duh, Cate. It’s obviously Papa.”

Lucy: “Visiting with my oldest sister in college, yay!”

Cate: “In that case, let me get you into something more comfortable.”

Where did we go in those two weeks? What did we see?

Honestly, we barely changed seats!

We squeezed in a few trips to the local gelato shops during the afternoon commute

and some sea glass inspired beach walks.

But mostly they lent a hand as we raced through each hectic, domestic day in the Kirk household.

And I have a feeling they aren’t complaining about the missed sightseeing opportunities. It’s not often you live this close to a man glowing from the limelight of… bingo calling.

Or take in a backyard spectacular with the ever-budding, desperate gymnast…

and thrilled to have a live, attentive audience as she fights against the limitations of her (shallow) gym gene pool.

Lucy: “Ready for my floor exercises?”

Are you not seeing what’s going on out there? Please dear, stick with Kung Fu.

Another great visit came to an end, the Finks and their memories returned safely to Phoenix. And here we are left alone…

We can’t wait to see who will come through the big brown door next!

Or can we?