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...

Goo Goo for Gaga

We were watching "So You Think You Can Dance" tonight and Lady Gaga came on to perform.  Avery took one look at her and said, "That's a strange Barbie!"

Monarchs on the Milkweed

One of my favorite summer rituals.

 

The Big One

We had a backyard party for Chloe's first birthday on Saturday, with friends and family gathering to celebrate and enjoy barbecue, cake, presents and lots of fun. It was a beautiful afternoon that stretched into the night, long past when the Birthday Girl had gone to sleep.

We're so lucky to have our sweet little Chloe, and even more so to have such wonderful people surrounding her. Happy Birthday, my little love bug.

Look out world; it's my birthday!

Making an entrance

Little Miss Mae's Day!

Happy 1st Birthday to our little pumpkin Chloe Mae! Chloe woke up early this morning, eager to start the day. As Michael and I tried to keep snoozing, she crawled between us, looking in our faces and saying "hi" over and over. It was like she knew it was her day and couldn't wait to enjoy it.

Chloe is such a sweet, happy person, and we love having her in our lives. It's been amazing watching her grow over the past twelve months (already walking like a champ!), and we can't wait to see what she has in store for us!

Here's a picture from her celebration at Irene's today:

Wish

Avery, before tossing a penny in a fountain this past weekend: "I wish to go to a rainbow." Me too, honey. Me too.