Maui Wowi

We thought we would never make it. I got a bad case of the flu and a horrible bee sting on my foot, the next day Ryan got sick and the following day Camryn got sick. A few days later Camryn and I were feeling better and Ryan definitely had the Swine Flu. There was even discussion on whether or not he would be joining us. Oh did I mention that 3 days before we left the airline had no record of mine/Camryn's ticket (whole other story altogether). After 3 1/2 hour phone call to Wells Fargo Rewards for our ticket retrieval and Ryan finally kicking the pig (as he called it) we felt up to our trip. We seriously felt that we weren't supposed to go and Ryan even said that if he died that it would be on me...well luckily nothing happened except for a great vacation!

So here are our pictures-yes there are a lot!

After church. Mom, Ryan, me, Cam, Sis. Amy, Emma, BIL Mike, Owen and Dad

We stayed in my parents Westin timeshare in Ka'anpali. It was abosutely amazing. This is the view from our room one morning. Can you say picture perfect?!

Ryan enjoying his Shave Ice! Well actually it wasn't that good.

Playing at a local park, one of the first times she actually played! Now that she is walking it makes it more interesting for her.

Best cousins sharing a treat

She only liked playing in the water with dad.

Loving the slide on the pirate ship. Such a great pool for kids-well and us. We spent most of our days here.

Is that not the cutest bathing beauty you have ever seen?!

Ryan and I got to have a night out with Amy and Mike while my parents watched the kids. What a treat and the food, company and shopping was so great!Those are the timeshares in the background. It was such a great set up with the beach and pools right there.The besties playing in the sand. You thought Camryn was little? Nope! Emma is the tiniest cutest thing you have ever seen. Which was great because she was able to borrow swimsuits from this past summer. I love having a girl cousin so close in age!
Taking a break from snorkeling and playing in the sand.

More pool time

Our outing to the Maui Tropical Plantation. Look at these good lookin dads!

Iao Needle-short little hike but really cool mountains. Probably a small scale version of what Machu Picchu would look like.

Our last night on the Island my dad took us out to Leilani's for dinner. This was the view from our table. Again, not bad. Aren't my mom and dad so cute together?! They were so generous and amazing to allow us to stay with them! I hope we get invited back everytime!
The Atherly's-such a amazing family. It was so fun getting to know Emma and Owen better. This was the first time Huncle Ryan (as Owen called him) got to meet Emma. She is such a sweet little girl but is always on the move-she will be walking in no time! And Owen is the cutest kid. So smart and loves his Monster trucks! Our favorite was the way he spoke! We still repeat the things he said. We cannot wait until they are in Southern CA next July!
Our little fam. What a fun and memorable trip! So fun that we got to spend time away and with family. My dad's plan is all the adults and no kids in a few years! Let's just say we can't wait for that!

New Arrivals at Twigg

After another visit to LA I have 3 more styles to add to the collection.

Flats have been selling like crazy.

Each one only $25 at a party or $28 online.

Visit twiggshoes.com to book your party or order a pair!

What a Weekend

We started celebrating at Ryan's work Halloween Party. Ryan and I actually dressed up! He pretty much had too. So we chose the always easy cowboy and cowgirl. Camryn wore her costume most of the time but a stuffed sweatsuit monkey costume is not ideal for Southern CA weather. Camryn got her first tattoo, let me tell you how hard it was to get her to sit still. I think I got it to stay the second time around.

Friday night we went to our ward Halloween Party. Again the monkey was a hit however she was not happy for long and ended up looking like this...

Still cute with a pacifer!

We woke up Saturday morning with a fresh start and I made homemade chocolate chip pancakes dyed orange in all sorts of Halloween shapes! Let me tell you they were tasty! I hope to make this a Halloween tradition.

She got to have her first sucker! Now I know why all mothers give their kids them when they need to be good! She was in heaven! You could not pry that out of her grip if you tried. But at least she was willing to share.

She was such a fun cute little monkey. She had fun going door to door in our neighborhood and playing with Grandpa and Grandma Smart.

We finished the night off with a dance party before bed! She has increased her dance moves and I attribute it to her new little tutu! Who says you can't wear a tutu with your jamies? I can't wait until next year, each year will get more and more fun!

Getting Ready for Halloween

We decided we would get ready for next weekend and go to a pumpkin patch and Halloween party. Usually people choose to go to a place close by, we chose to be adventurous and drive aways to a pick and pull farm. We got lost a couple times, it was insanely crowded and warm but we ended up having a good time. Bates Nut Farm was the place and we plan to make it an annual tradtion but next time we won't go the Saturday before Halloween. It is so fun having a reason to go to a pumpkin patch now that we have a kid! Great excuses for getting to do things I have always wanted.

After we were inviteheaded to the Simmons for a Halloween Party. The kids dressed up and enjoyed playing together while us adults chatted, had good food and craved pumpkins. I was so surprised how interested she was in what I was doing. So cute.

Here is how they all turned out! Ours is the one on the far right. I went for a happy version of a Jack O Lantern with Camryn teeth but I think it kinda looks like Mickey Mouse.

All the girls and kids with our pumpkins. The owl is awesome! And don't the kids look cute?! I love this holiday!

Date Nights

The last two weekends we were able to cash in our tickets and have some great dates. Pretty great to be able to spend time with Ryan and for Grandma to spend time with Camryn.

First up was the Jason Mraz concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Not only was it an amazing concert but the venue was gorgeous! Jason Mraz is great on his albums but live is WAY better! That voice is unreal! I hate not having talents, but luckily we can pay to enjoy other people's talents.

The seats are cute little wooden park benches and you can bring in a picnic (in our case candy and sodas) and blankets. Such a fun night out!

Next up was Lion King in San Diego. We had heard really good things about this show from Ryan's mom who gave us the tickets and it didn't disappoint. In fact it was a million times better than we could have planned for! The costumes, the music and the story...all amazing. Ask Ryan I cried like the whole time. I know I am a baby but there is just something about watching performance and the thrill of the stage. I get all nostalgic. I wish I could be up there singing and dancing with them, eventhough I was never that good and will never be that good.

My advice go pick up a Jason Mraz CD, or if your hi-tech unlike us download his album and go see Lion King. You'll be happy you did. Thanks for such fun dates Ryan and Brenda for babysitting!

Camryn's Big Day

This little squirt did it...she turned ONE! So we decided to celebrate with Grandpa and Grandma Smart, Brittany, Derek and Jack and Mia and Nate.

She actually had a lot of fun opening her presents and playing with all of her awesome new toys!
And I had a lot of fun making these for our little Monkey.

But then she got real shy when we sang to her...
and she wasn't sure about the taste...

so then she squished it together and then thought about it again...

And she decided she liked it better in her hair more than in her mouth! Well I guess that is what you get from a big ONE year old girl. Thanks everyone for your sweet notes, presents and thoughts! Happy Birthday again little cutie!

Happy Birthday Camryn!

One year ago you were born at 4:45 pm today! Boy was that a crazy experience! But you made it safe and sound and it has been a blast with you ever since! You are such a fun loving little girl! Who would have thought being your parents would be SO much fun! We want to record something you are up to these days....

~Your two top teeth are coming in
~You weigh close to 20 lbs...lucky you get to turn around in the car
~You sign thank you, please, more, drink, and eat
~You love to wave hi and bye-bye and blow kisses to everyone and every dog you see
~You say no-no, uh-oh, whoa, and wow
~You say boo for a cow, caw-caw for a crow and ba-ba-ba for a sheep
~You love to dance to every song (sorry to say your favorite is Poker Face by Lady Gaga) and you love when we sing to you
~You are crawling all over the place (had your first incident with the stairs-not fun) and cruising along everything but are too scared to let go off the one hand you need to balance.
~You throw a pretty good tanturm and scream like a girl
~You love to eat everything especially fruit and completely weaned yourself off nursing a couple weeks ago

~You love your mom's jewelry, you say whoa and wow whenever you see my accessories
There is much more to your little personality but most of all we love you! And are so happy you are apart of our family forever! We can't wait for another fun year with you! Happy Birthday Pumpkins! Here is a look back at some pictures from the year: