Making a Splash

Hooray! Chloe Mae's first pee pee in the potty today! Afterward, she gave her dad a huge grin and said, "Big girl." You betcha.

Fairy Tales

We're looking forward to our visit from Grandma Lynn next month. We were talking about it tonight at dinner and asked Avery what she remembers about Grandma Lynn, who she hasn't seen since summertime.

"I love her," she said. "And she swings me. And there are trolls and gnomes and fairies."

So I'm thinking her grandma must have told her about mythical creatures living in her beautiful backyard on the river. Or else Avery and her grandma have had some pretty incredible adventures together.

Lessons from Chloe

1. Life is an adventure. Say “Wheeee!!” a lot.

2. Some obstacles are insurmountable. But you should try to climb them anyway.

3. One should enjoy their meal with all five senses. Especially touch.

4. Sometimes, a cozy mimi (blanket) and a good ba-ba (bottle) make everything better.

5. It is important to dance often, and with complete confidence.

6. Often, you learn the most by just observing.

7. A smile and "hi" can make a stranger's day.

8. Sometimes it’s better to disregard your limitations. Forget that you're small, inexperienced, and don't speak the language, and you can achieve great things.

9. Do what makes you happy.

10. No matter how annoying she may be, a sister is one life's greatest gifts. Hug her a lot. Then borrow her shoes.

You Can Say That Again

Chloe had her 18-month checkup a couple weeks ago, and passed with flying colors:

"Does she have at least six words?" the doctor asked.
"Check."

"Does she point at things to get your attention?"
"Oh yes -- point, grab us by the hand and insist we go with her. All of that."

"Is she trying to climb things?"
"Does shimmying up the coffee table and dancing on it count? And do you suppose that's genetic?"

The doc was pleased with her growth, and glad to hear Chloe had already achieved some two-year milestones, like jumping with two feet.

"Two-word sentences are her next verbal milestone," she said. "Things like, 'Me up' or 'Eat now.'"

Sure enough, after finishing her breakfast this past weekend, Chloe pushed herself away from the table, leaned back, and said ... "Whoa, baby."

I followed with a two-word sentence of my own. "Oh, my."

Overheard

"It's raining, it's pouring. The old man is sleeping."

Message from Santa

Santa sent Avery a message this year! First, here's what he had to say:

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/g5LDubSR9ORBr3mRiyQiplg

And, her reaction:

Beach Babes

I had a hard time picking just a couple favorite shots from our Hawaii trip. Instead, here are a whole bunch of pictures from our latest journey to "The Islands."

First, the amazing views from our condo:

Sunset ...

Evening...

And morning.

We enjoyed spending time with our cousins Kae-Li and Kae-Sn:

And the incredible days at the beach:

 

 

We took in the sights:

The view from Diamondhead

 

And modeled our beachwear:

And we rested, a lot:

 

And, after years of being the subject of my lens, Avery decided she wanted to try photography herself. Here are some of her very first shots:

Not too bad for a first try!

Aloha and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Little Pumpkins

I've fallen a bit behind on posts lately. I've really meant to keep up but life has been more chaotic lately than usual. Aside from it being the busiest time at work for Michael and me, we just bought a new house:

And our current house goes on the market tomorrow. Phew!

It's probably appropriate to start catching up with some of the most recent activity around our house, starting with Halloween! First, a trip to the pumpkin patch:

As for costumes, we somehow ended up with a blonde fairy tale theme at our house this year, with Avery opting to go as Rapunzel and Chloe as Goldilocks -- complete with the three bears. Chloe wasn't too excited at first ...

But by the end of the night they both were trick-or-treating like champs. Chloe even ended up with a stuffed black cat decoration from a woman who simply wouldn't settle for Michael's insistence we had enough candy already.

And now for a few days of relaxing on the beaches of Waikiki. Ahhhh....er, um, Alohhhaaaaa...