Early Spring

Bath time is the best!

Lucy at the tulip farm

My little guy

My big girl!

Aunt Ronda

Pony ride!

Lucy loves the little lion cub statue at the zoo the best

Jake!

One on one with the mandrill

This Spring has gone by in a flash.  We were lucky to get to go out to the Windmill Tulip Farm with Marc's Aunt Ronda when she was visiting.  What a beautiful place! I have always heard about it but never been, and we were blessed with a break in the weather. Lucy loved walking through the flower fields, and playing at the park they had set up. She even got to take a pony ride! We were glad to have Aunt Ronda visit, it is always a pleasure to have her company. This Spring we have also taken many trips to the zoo. It is a nice way to spend the morning or afternoon. Jake is really beginning to notice all of the animals and that is fun to see. Lucy enjoys climbing on the statues, and running and playing on the big zoo lawn.

Hawaii 2013

Jake Carson

Family hike to Makapuu Lighthouse, Eastern Oahu

Lucy Kathryn

Loving the sand!

Little Guy!

Building (and smashing!) sandcastles with TuTu

Lucy in a Banyan tree

Best Friends!

Under the Banyan Tree

Buried in Waikiki

Momma and Bubba, parade watching in Waikiki

Lucy at Waimanolo

I love sand so much!!!

Jake and Mommy at Waimanolo

Jake figured out how to stick out his tongue on this trip, and he did it all the time!

Jake!

Lucy and Daddy at our Lu'au

Lucy took to snorkeling right away!

Building a little pool for Baby Honu!

Special Girl

Hiking to Manoa Falls

Playing together

Hawaii Girl

Tutu and Lucy

It's funny to think, we are Mom and Dad. :)

Back in March we all traveled to Honolulu for vacation. Oh, how nice it is to go to Hawaii. Marc's Mom Randy lives there, and as always we are so lucky to have such a gracious host.  Lucy and Jake really enjoyed getting to spend time at the beach and Tutu's condo. What could be better for kids...sand, water, sunshine, and Grandma! Jake earned the nickname "Baby Honu" as he was just like a little baby sea turtle, crawling through the sand to the water as soon as he saw it. Honu means turtle in Hawaiian.  Lucy took to snorkeling right away, and pretty much figured out swimming. We took her to Hanamu Bay and she got to snorkel and see tropical fish. How special! A girl after my own heart.  We were able to take a couple of hikes, and even our first luau after all of these years. The luau was at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was tricky with the kids...very tricky, however they have a wonderful show at the end of the night with lots of Pacific Island dancing, singing and even fire spinning. We headed to Waikiki one afternoon for the Waikiki Aquarium, Henry Kapono at Duke's, and a parade for Honolulu Days. Most days we packed a lunch and headed to Ala Moana, or the "sissy beach" as Aunt Chrin called it because it is shallow and has no waves. Perfect for the kids! We spent lots of time digging and playing in the sand and water. Our vacation was memorable, special, and a nice break...not too relaxing, but that's ok! Who can expect to relax with a baby in tow? :)  We are grateful to Randy for welcoming us into her home and being so kind. We love you!

February 2013, Jake is 8 months old!

Chubby Cheeks!

Daddy, Jake and Uncle Matt

Let me out!

Lucy and Jake 

Mmmm, spaghetti!

Lucy and Daddy, going to see a kid's musical.

Lucy humored me and wore this cute outfit on Valentine's Day.

The kiddos, starting to (sort of) play together!

Checking out the backyard.

Time keeps on ticking...and Jake is now 8 1/2 months old. He is crawling everywhere and pulling up to standing and starting to cruise along the furniture. He is trying to get his balance, and I won't be surprised if he figures it out soon. He loves to eat!!! Practically everything! It is pretty fun to watch him eat, although he is loud! MmmmmGMmmm.....he makes a lot of noise while he eats. He loves to snuggle, and hugs me close. It is so nice. He will pat my back, or lean his forehead into mine. I love it. He especially likes to be held after waking up from a nap. I just love him. Jake loves his Daddy and today crawled right over with a smile when he saw Marc. Marc often hangs out with Jake if he makes one of this 4:45 am wide awake wake up calls, and he is very generous to me for often taking the "early shift" on the weekends. They get bonding time, and I get a bit more sleep! Thanks Marc!

Lucy drew me a picture of a beaver today at school. It had a flat tail and everything! :) She has learned how to write her name, although most of her c's are backwards! It is so cute. I have so much fun spending time with Lucy. We started reading Charlotte's Web together, and it is fun that she can sit and snuggle and listen to a story that only has a few pictures. She was very excited about Valentine's Day. The day before she came running up to me and said, "Mommy, they were talking about Valentine's Day on the news!" Now she talks about Easter all of the time. I enjoy taking her out, to OMSI, the Zoo, or to lunch. She especially loves to go out to sushi. She is not always perfect in public though...the other day she sat down in a grocery store and screamed. That was fun. Lucy has some good friends, and she loves to play with them! Marc and Lucy went out to see a musical the other weekend, Suessical....inspired by Dr. Suess. They took her friend Stella, and they all had a great time. How sweet they were, a little Daddy-Daughter date.

Lucy's 4th Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Lucy and Evan!

Jake and Daddy

My big 4 year old!

Birthday Friends!

Lucy - Lu!

Jake and Joby, they love each other!

LucyBel, Stella, LucyKat and Yulana. Present time!

My beautiful girl!

Bubba loves his dinner!

Jake helps Lucy with her gifts!

Pappy got her a video game!

Uncle Matt and Lucy

Ben and Tiffany

Auntie Katie

This year Lucy was able to celebrate her birthday over two weekends. First she had a double Birthday Party with her good friend Evan, Rose and Robin's son. Evan was turning three. We had a pool party! First we all enjoyed pizza, cupcakes and presents. After the celebration we got in our swimsuits and had fun swimming! It was great having so many friends at the pool with us! How special for Lucy to have a friend celebrating a birthday at the same time. I have loved watching Evan grow over the years. He is sweet and kind, and is an active boy. Lucy and Evan love to play together.

The following weekend was Lucy's actual birthday, January 27th. We had a family day, and GrandPappy Bobby, Auntie Katie, and Uncle Matt were there, along with our good friends, Tiffany and Ben. Matt has been working in the Portland area and is staying with us during the week. It has been nice to have him around, and to get to know him better. Lucy helped me make a yummy birthday cake, and she wanted shrimp for dinner, so that is what we had. It was a nice, relaxing day. Lucy opened gifts throughout the day, and of course was spoiled! She has so many people that love her, she is surrounded by love. We are so blessed to have her in our lives, she is so special. That night as Marc was putting her to bed, she said she could fall asleep by herself, because she was a big girl now. Finally hitting the milestone of being able to fall asleep by herself has been great. I miss snuggling with her as she goes down, but I am so proud of her because she is growing up to be such a strong, happy girl!