things not to forget

lena babe, you are 21 months old (almost 22)!  crazy!  you are such an amazing little person!  here are some of the latest....

- you cry & will hug your dolly or panda or glow worm when you drop or throw them on the floor.  you worry they are hurt.  it is really so sweet.  

- you are saying a bunch of words now......  bus, key, water, doctor, hot, hi daddy, hi mama, dog dog, ball, & others i can't seem to think of now.  but you have really found an interest in trying to repeat what we're saying.  your words are pretty clear too!

- your hair is really coming in now, you have some really long sprigs right behind your ears, so so cute & in profile the little wisps really stick out & are super adorable. 

- you love stairs

- you love to play soccer - daddy says you kick left.  ;)

- you love to watch mommy's dance class.  daddy will bring you by at the end of class & you watch through the window.  you surprise me with how you spot me out of so many people.  you point to me & smile & daddy says you say mama over & over again.  

- you laugh a lot

- you give a lot of hugs, but are very selective with your kisses.  even to mama & dada

- you get so excited when you see your best friend Q, who we are so lucky to get to play with quite often, but you even recognize the car & start squealing when you see it

- you love to dance & love to sing - your favorite songs are abc's/ twinkle twinkle, & the happy birthday song

- you're a great snuggle bug, we love to cozy up together at nap time, or in bed in the morning, or just on the couch whenever.  & you love to snuggle your dolly, panda & glow worm too!  

- you'll pull a bunch of toilet paper off the roll & i'll tell you no & you then start to blow your nose.  how can i be upset with that?!  

- some of your favorite toys......  rolling pins, snorkel mask, stickers, books, hand towels, shoes, soccer balls, animal cards & your zoo, the recycling bin & whatever is in it, & the phone .... on that note you also LOVE hide & seek & hiding things.....  :/   

you are a total joy!  we have so much fun together!  can't believe you are almost 2!  

wearing your friend Q's boots

in mommy's shoes

snorkel mask

mommy's sunglasses

a video of you kicking!  you do just like daddy, you'll pick up the ball, put it down in a specific spot, back up, then run & kick......  so so cute!

the day lena experienced her first concert & blues band

ok, so yesterday lena (& her best friend 'q') went to the imagination movers concert.  what?  never heard of them....  well, neither had we.

but really glad the base offered this FREE concert for the kiddos.  it was a blast.  they are apparently really big on disney channel & have even won an emmy....  they were great.  at first lena just sat on my lap, taking it all in.  but a few songs in she was up on her feet... clapping, dancing, running around!  forgot to take the camera, but my friend caught this clip on her phone....

& i managed to get video of another concert later that evening.

so we met up with people from jeff's office for dinner at a fav restaurant here, mermaid's tavern.  food was great, lena saw her friend cece & we heard a few songs from a cool blues band.  it was pushing bedtime, but the girl was having fun so we stayed a little after dinner so she could dance & clap.  check out these super cute (short) videos.....

not quite ready to pick up the bass, still working on her vocals...

girl appreciates some music

& a sweet hug goodbye with her friend cece

things not to forget

little bean....  you're almost 19 months!  how/ why does it go so fast?!  you are amazing & i find myself wanting to pause time & always remember you just as you are at this time.  i do want you to grow up, but it's bittersweet.  i will love all the ages & stages you pass through, but it does go by fast....  :(

-you are so loving, you give so many hugs....  you come up to me & give me hugs, you hug the animals in your books, you hug your friends (& some are even starting to hug you back!)
-you love it when we say no.....  it seems to be your motivation, to get mom & dad all worked up, laugh & keep doing more of whatever it is we want you to stop doing....  annoying for us, but also hard to be upset when you're so giggly
-you are constantly exploring, you are not afraid, you are super brave & strong & if you get hurt, you don't let it stop you from trying (please always keep these qualities)
-your hair has really started growing!
-you brush your own hair & teeth & like to help get yourself dressed & undressed
-your communicating skills are improving....  you're not saying many more words, but you listen & respond very well to what we say & you have your own little sounds that confirm, question or disagree with us when we are talking to you....
-you love bubbles & are really trying to figure out how to blow
-your always busy, busy with the magnets, busy with your scarves, busy with mommy's flip flops, busy with daddy's wallet, busy with the amelie dvd case (what is it about that one, huh?), you want to understand, play with, explore everything!  i love that about you!
-you are silly, you put random things on your head or up to your face & look at us to make us laugh

there are so many moments that are just so amazing!  you my dear are amazing, you are the light in our lives, you make us so happy.....  we love you!

playing with sidewalk chalk paint we made

grinning on your slide

click here for a link to an article that captures the idea of wanting to freeze time but ultimately letting go to grow.....  a beautiful read.

here's a video of you laughing at dinner....  you had started making these funny faces where you open your mouth real wide & giggle, you're a total goof ball!!

things not to forget

lena beana,
you are almost 18 months old!  crazy!
-you are saying more words - butterfly, turtle, airplane are a few of the recent ones (you still prefer to babble in your own language, but have figured out how to mimic more of our sounds - we'll keep working on more english words, but you're learning!)
-you hug your friends & blow kisses (only to mommy, daddy & once to grammy on skype)
-you like to test us & laugh hysterically (& run away from us) when we tell you no (not so fun)
-when i ask you to find items in your picture book you point to them
-you still love reading & pick out your books for us to read to you
-the eating is getting better & you are drinking & liking milk more
-you can take off your socks & pants
-you are trying to jump (i don't think you know what it is - i've never really shown you - but you like to bend really far down & spring up quickly)
-you do the same kinda thing in the pool - you'll bend down so low in the water, almost to your chin & pop right up (kinda scares mommy i must admit)
-you also do this super cute ballerina move where you are leaning to one side & lifting the other leg up while looking at something or in deep thought.....  you got pretty good balance kid!

we love you, we love you, we LOVE you!  can't tell you how much!

staycation

ok, so here's a little recap of all the fun stuff we've been up to here in guam the past few months.....

we've been to onward water park.....  super fun! lena loved the slides & she is such a little fish... she loves the water!

our gang (jeff's office people - way cool, lucky he works with such great friends)

 her fav

 mommy & daddy on the scary slide....  the manta - literally a straight drop into a half pipe sort of thing (i got whip lash....  but went again. that's how cool it was.)

we went out on a boat with jeff's soccer team to celebrate the end of the season.  lena loved it!

lena checking out a starfish

 moms & their babies

 the end to a nice day

we've been to gab gab & snorkeled & not sure what to call this....  jeff calls it his front flip, but i think we can easily call fail on that one.....

little cousteau

we decided to open up a daycare service in our home & then immediately reconsidered such a crazy thought when we were out numbered by 3 toddlers.  (we were watching jeff's coworkers' kids during an award ceremony)

we celebrated easter & mommy forgot, not once, but twice that the poor girl actually needs a basket to collect easter eggs with, duh!  still getting the hang of this mom stuff.....  

at the easter egg hunt on base (sans basket)

traditional easter carabao ???

at max's house for easter brunch (again, without basket)

now this would be a lot easier if i had somewhere to put these eggs....

that about wraps us the local stuff, next post will be about australia!  

things not to forget

ok, so little one, you are 15 months old! it is so crazy! you are walking/ running up a storm, babbling non-stop, discovering new & awesome stuff everyday! you make daddy & i smile all the time & we talk about how awesome you are everyday (& we call you our little best friend)! you really are such a cool little person! we LOVE you!!!!

here are some of your latest & greatest....

-you say "uh-oh" when you drop something

-you will walk & squat down a little like you're looking for something - it's adorable!

-you are dancing (bopping your head & doing your plies)

-i feel like you understand us so well. you may not be saying many words (in english) but you understand the things we say!

-you try to put our flip flops on your feet, then on your hands & on your arms & then you wear them around like a bracelet

-you know where nose, eye, mouth, ear, hand, & feet are & will point to them when we ask you

-you point to things a lot & when you're really excited you have a look of amazement on your face - your eyes are huge, your mouth opens wide, you point & say "OH!" - we love it!

-you love hearing the airplanes & pointing out the window to them (or up to the sky - you've got sharp eyes too, because you frequently see the plane before mommy)

-you love being outside, playing & exploring

-you are so adventurous & curious, you have a real strong desire to see, learn, interact & figure things out

-you love reading - you spend a lot of time at your bookshelf looking through your books & you'll also bring books to us so that we'll sit you on our laps & read them to you

-you give hugs & sigh & hmmm when we hug & snuggle

we love you so much my dear! you are our light, you make us so happy & we are cherishing every moment we have! you are awesome!!

priest pools

so we went with our friend cindy to priest pools this past week. it's all the way on the south part of the island... you turn right at a church, take a left at the store that looks like a house but has sale signs in the windows, walk down a driveway, follow the grass path & arrive at the start of the pools. (gotta love guam directions). but the pools are lovely. they start out as a small creek & the water flows into these pools formed by what looks to be like lava rocks.... & they continue down the mountain...... pool, waterfall, pool, waterfall.... it's awesome! of course it was kinda rainy, kinda sunny.... so guam. & we got rained out a little, but we had a fun time & my little one is turning into quite the brave (independent) adventurer.

humid hike :)

looking down the mountain

"i do" (her favorite words) in action,

with mommy trying to keep up....

& yes she got all the way up there on her own

curious kid

& the rain

at least lena's not phased by the rain....

marbo (marvo?) caves

ok guam people you have to go here! it is amazing & so easy to get to! i can't believe we haven't been before now. well my friend cindy took lena & i to the caves this week & we had so much fun hanging out in the cave & swimming in the water. you drive down this road until it dead ends, hike a little down the road & find the cave entrance to your left. then it's just a short climb down into the cave & then you're standing on a man made concrete platform in front of the fresh water pools. i'm so glad cindy was there to help.... A. because she knew where it was & B. you can't really do this experience by yourself with a baby. it wasn't hard, but you can't climb down into the water while you're holding a baby & i'm not brave, um crazy, enough to jump in holding lena. no thanks.

the water feels amazing & there are really deep parts (deep enough to jump off parts of the cave into the water) & places that are shallow where you can sit on the rocks. cindy showed us a way to swim through the cave to get to the back pools. it was really cool, but in the moment i felt a little scared because you're basically swimming through this narrow path, cave rocks on either side of your head, & cindy's holding lena because i'm too afraid i'll dunk her, but we made it to the other side. & it is deep & dark over there. but the water is still crystal clear so you can see all the way to the bottom. so no fear of critters. i think. ;)

so we hung out a little while, met some japanese tourists & then headed home. it is a must do again for sure!

lena & i sitting on a rock in the water

say "cave"

the entrance to the cave (looking up from the pools)

little explorer

blurry, but check out the water! crystal clear!

some of the japanese tourists (aka. bunch of young guys wearing floaties & snorkel masks)

we HAD to get a picture with them

time ???

yep, i'm a total slacker when it comes to this blog. sorry. i honestly have kinda been thinking about giving it up. & really only 2 of you read this, but it still is such a great way to keep a record of our lives. & as my sister says "you of all people should be blogging!" being so distant is pretty tough.

so an update. lena is a crazy, wonderful, strong-willed, independent, cuddly, curious, sweet, funny, sleeping in her crib all through the night, walking, almost running toddler. yep. i can't believe it. at almost 14 months now & she's getting her molars (so fun), she's waving, giving high fives, giving kisses, playing with the trash & the toilet (yuck), eating pretty well & dribbling jeff's soccer ball all through the house. we go on play dates, we go to the pool, we go to the library, all kinds of fun stuff. it's pretty great.

& yes, we had a major break through! she is sleeping all night in her crib! we finally found a system that worked (that didn't require major amounts of crying!) so she's been going strong now for 2 weeks! (hopefully i'm not jinxing it by talking about it)

other than that nothing else really... jeff's training & playing soccer a lot, i'm addicted to pintrest.... i've been cooking like a mad woman (so many yummy recipes) & being totally crafty (ha! in my mind.... haven't really gotten to as many as i'd like, but i've "pinned" a ton & feel really productive after seeing all the crafty things i'll get to do.... if i ever get off pintrest). um, what else... we're planning a trip to australia soon. & basically just being blown away at how fast things are going! i mean we have less than a year on guam!! & i'm really really liking guam again. loved it when we got here. hated it when i was pregnant & lena was first here & now all i think about are the things i'll miss when we're gone. the palm trees, the weather, the coconuts, the beach, the friends, jeff's co-workers.... i mean guam is lena's birthplace & it really is this special out of the way, way across the world, escape from the usual kinda place. i wonder if lena will ever get a chance to come back & visit when she's older? who knows. but looking forward to the next assignment.... will it be europe? will it be west coast? please don't let it be alaska. don't even say it.

ok. rant is over. here are a couple videos of the sweet girl....

listen to her high pitched silly laugh & then i apologize for the tilted view, jeff corrects the camera half way through, oh & yes lena steps on spilt cheerios on the floor. that's how she has her snack. yes i let my kid eat of the floor.... doesn't everyone? please don't tell anyone. really.

butterfly birthday bash

lena had her 1st birthday (& 1st birthday party) this weekend! it was the best weekend & it's still not over..... there are plans to open some more presents later today & enjoy some more cake (& of course she's wearing her butterfly romper).... anyways.... friday was her birthday & we kept it low key with dinner & opening family presents. & then saturday was her party!! it was butterfly themed but we didn't get all crazy. no bouncy castles, pony rides, helicopter tours.... we have a few years for that right? hahaha.... but i think it was an awesome party, the kids had fun, the grown-ups had fun & we all celebrated little lena!! (still can't believe she's ONE!)

so we decorated with butterflies, we had a butterfly coloring station, bubbles & bubble machine, pizza, pasta salad, chips salsa & 2 kinds of guac (lena's favorite food is avocado, so ya know), gummy worms, teddy grahams, cheese & crackers, veggie tray, pink lemonade, juice boxes & beer & wine for the big kids. & the cake! my friend maryann makes AMAZING cakes & she made cupcakes & a smash cake for lena! it was beautiful!

lots of our friends came out.... lots of lena's friends came & the only people missing were family back in the states.... BUT they were there in spirit & on the slideshow we made that ran on our computer the whole party. it was full of photos from lena's 1st year. we had pics of lena with grammy, grandma & grandpa, grandpa & granny ann, aunt ash & cousins, great aunts, great cousins, friends from the states & pics of her aunt jenn & cousins mayer & grayson (who sadly have never met each other due to germany & guam being so not close to each other, but will someday soon!)

my favorite part of the party (one of several, but this has such sentimental meaning) was the time capsule.... we had a space where guests could write a little note to lena to open on her 18th birthday. we have some notes coming in via email & snail mail too from those not in attendance. but i think it'll be such a neat thing for her to see & open & have a look back in time. i peeked & read some & couldn't help by get teary. i can only imagine what an amazing young woman lena will grow into. so much love!

and the cake! well, it didn't go as smoothly as it probably will after we have a few more of these under our belts (we'll be pros by the time she's 8).... but really... maryann had her smash cake on a nice plate that A. i didn't want her to knock off & break on the floor & B. just wouldn't even fit on her high chair tray. so jeff & i decided to grab spatulas & carefully move it to her tray. well, as we were doing this i realized we hadn't sung to her & there was no lit candle, so i quickly started us all in singing of "happy birthday" & then prayed that my little one didn't reach for the lit candle that i then put on the cake on her tray well within her reach (good mom i know). needless to say i said "make a wish" very quickly & jeff & i blew out the candle. whew. rough start (but no fires or broken dishes). so then the girl had cake. she didn't get all crazy with it, but she had some bites & then just wanted down. i think it was a lot for her, everyone staring at her, the other kids surrounding her cake like starving little vultures (it was cute, but yeah you'd think these kids were cake addicts needing their fix). so we'll try round 2 later tonight & see if she makes the mess we're all craving to see!

so that's about that. we are tired today, happy it was a great party, but feeling bittersweet..... love seeing our little girl grow, but sad to see our baby fade away..... but we always have the memories (& the pictures!)

the dinning room

outside butterfly color station & bubble place

the spread & max under the table

color station

bubbles & my baby

yay!!

lena's face says it all....

"the candle!!! & everybody sing!!!"

the vultures circling the cake (notice the cute headband antennas i made for the kids?)

the fam

part of the table scape.... i used flower pots to hold the silverware

the beautiful cupcakes

her time capsule (with a fluffy butterfly pen of course) & the notecards are made from card stock from our wedding (that i also used to make her mobile - click here to see it)

some of the beautiful butterfly artwork (i used teeny terra cotta pots to hold the crayons & markers too)