Lazy President's Day

We had a lazy holiday today. Matt went surfing so the girls played all day. First we built a table hammock. I was amazed at how much fun Alma had with this - will save this idea for the next rainy day.

After nap we decided to hit the park with Auntie Amanda, Izzy, and Lili to enjoy a breezy, beautiful day in Kaneohe.

Big Island 2013

The family took a trip to the Big Island January 22-27. Matt and I had to attend a conference, so we decided to turn it into a mini-vacation. We had a wonderful time! A bonus was that we got to meet up with an old friend, Kristin, from our doc programs so we had a friend to share all the fun with and help out with Alma. We stayed at the Sheraton Kona Resort at Keauhou Bay. There were so many things to do at the resort. Alma would have been happy just to stay there the whole week.

The landscaping was beautiful. Alma really enjoyed exploring. We had to really keep our eye on her though due to all the lava rock and we were right on the ocean. She could have literally walked right into the ocean with no problem - no fences, nothing.

She was so disappointed to find out this sit-up bench was not a slide. 

The baby pool had a rock beach and a rock floor to emulate the rock beaches on the Big Island.
All the babies loved it!

We had a large lanai which gave her plenty of room to run around (and to have her morning coffee). 

We really only got to go explore one day when we were there. We drove around the whole island that day from Kona to Hilo and back. Our first stop was Akaka Falls.

 After all that driving around, Alma needed a break and some running around. Our next stop was a picnic lunch at the Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens. It was perfect for Alma. We got to see a White Siberian Tiger eat lunch and chase a peacock!

Then we headed to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for a perfect end to our day. We got to walk through a Lava tube.

Then we spent some time a the steam vents.

And showed up just in time to see a beautiful view of a glowing volcano at dusk.

Our last night we got to have dinner by the ocean with our little lady. What a magical place! Hoping to go back soon.

P.S. This place has amazing sunsets! Highly recommended!

Christmas Morning 2012

Christmas morning was so much fun with Ms. Alma. We had a number of gifts sitting out when Alma woke up. She walked into the living room and she didn't even notice anything at first. When she say the kitchen she walked over and started laughing at it. Love at first site. She spent the rest of the morning cooking delicious treats for us. 

New bath toys!

Thanks to Auntie Aleta, Alma is fully domesticated with her new kitchen and broom set. 

This adorable, giant, giraffe was a gift from Auntie Amanda. We have a video of Alma's face when she first saw it - so cute. This guy still has a reserved seat on our couch. He gets lots of snuggles from Ms. Alma.

The animal zoo from Nanna and Papa was a hit. She loves all the animals.

Thanks for all the wonderful gifts! Alma had an amazing Christmas.

Toddle Time - Part 2

Life has a way of just continuing to move along even when you are not ready for it to. I can't believe we are already in February. I am so behind in getting some posts up. I haven't even shown you all Christmas (yikes!). For starters, here is Part 2 of Toddler Time, which feels like an eternity ago. Amazingly, she has changed so much even since these pictures. She continues to astound me and I am truly honored to be her Momma. Enjoy!

As a reference these took place the last two Thursdays in December, 2012.


Day 1

Day 2