She Loves the Beach

Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii
December 2010
We stayed at the edge of the water, playing with the sand and making sand sculptures. There were a few waves that day, and we wanted her to get used to the water before heading in. We took her into the water. She was laughing and kicking her legs. After about 10 minutes we headed out and plopped her down on the sand, hoping to make some more sand sculptures. Nope - she got up and started running into the ocean! (I caught her before she got too far.) She loves the beach!

Tennessee Valley Beach, California
January 2011Yesterday was a beautiful day here so we met up with some friends for breakfast and then went on a hike to the beach. The Northern California beaches are nothing like the soft sandy beaches of Hawaii. The sand was more "gravelly" and the water was a LOT colder. We didn't think Samantha would like venturing into the water. We were wrong! Once she saw the water, there was no holding her back. Each time the wave crashed and made its way back into the ocean, Samantha pointed at the water and said, "MORE!" She loves the beach.

Samantha's Birthday Luau

Bad blogger again! I always intend to put up a new post, I have things "written out" in my head...but I just don't have the time to sit down a do it!

Anyway, Samantha's birthday was on November 16, and we had a small birthday party here with just family and close friends. We kept the celebration small, because we had a huge birthday celebration planned for December with all the family from Hawaii.

What a great party it was! Thank you to all her aunts, uncles, and grandparents who made it all possible. Samantha is so lucky to be so loved by so many.

Her beautiful birthday sign made by a talented friend.
The decorations. The tables were decorated with beautiful flowers and pictures of Samantha inside hand-painted frames. Each guest got to take a picture home with them.

The pinata. See that turtle? It's a handmade pinata. Amazing

The pig. Delicious. Sorry vegetarian readers.

The Birthday Girl! How did she get so big ?

The birthday girl chasing chickens.