MEGA UPDATE - PART 2 (Scroll down for Part 1)

The weekend before Easter, we went to Aunt Helen's place to attend the Calaroga Easter Egg Hunt, a wonderful event that the kids loved. The girls got dressed up and everyone was very happy.
Flora and Aunt Helen at the Easter egg hunt at Aunt Helen's place.

Anaya and Aunt Helen. Such happiness here. :)

And because I have been told that it looks like I am never with my family, I was, indeed at the egg hunt. See?

On Easter Eve, Anaya set out broccoli, water, and a note for the Easter Bunny.

Anaya's note: "Easter Bunny, bring Sadie something." Adorable note makes parents rethink the Easter strategy at a late hour.

Flora likes chocolate bunnies! For weeks after Easter we heard "choc, choc, choc!"

MEGA UPDATE

Oh dear. It's been WAY too long, folks. Sorry! Here we go on a whirlwind tour of the last six months.

Back in late February, Flora was very interested in toilet paper. After all, doesn't this look fun?

Toilet paper puppets.

Anaya turned 4 on March 10, 2011. Can you tell what she's into right now? There's a theme here.

Yep, you guessed it. Princesses, fairies, anything sparkly and twirly.

Anaya, very excited to be painting the beads she got for her birthday.

Very careful.

I love watching her concentration.

Flora, adjusting her favorite "necklace". Sadie, missing her own "necklace" is often following close behind.

Trying to get the jingly tags to the front.

What? Is it not my color?

Flora decides to wash all her pacifiers. She was having a blast.

The pépé bath.

In April, we headed up to Mt. Hood and the cabin. Here are Bobby and Anaya hitting the slopes on skis, despite the gray clouds.

A big thumbs up after Anaya's intro to skiing!

Flora before the sledding, and a little unsure.

Signing "more" after coming down the first hill.



The cutest snow bunnies ever.

Flora tries on the ski helmet at lunch. What do you think, Mom? Too small to go down the black diamonds this year?

Hawaii 2.0

The last time we went to Hawaii (the Big Island), Anaya was almost 2. For two years every time we ask her where she'd like to go, the answer is always, "Hawaii". Living at the 45th parallel, we decided she had a brilliant idea and that we should go for New Year's. Despite the fact that our camera decided not to work when we actually remembered to take it to the beach, here are a few sunny-themed pictures from our adventures, this time, in Maui. Aloha!

Bobby and Flora under the palms on the lawn of the house in Kihei. Flora's outfit of just a diaper and a curly head was often what she wore, and who can blame her?

Give the Portland girl some sun in January and boy is she happy.

This lovely hammock was part of the house, too.

Playing on the bed while getting ready for the beach.

The Not-so-merry Christmas

Flora gets excited for Christmas. That funny look on her face is her response to "Flora, smile!" without dropping the pacifier.

Christmas Eve, after Santa came to visit.

This is the last shot we got of presents on Christmas because less than 8 hours later, Bobby and I were violently ill, with some sort of horrible 24 hour stomach flu.


Thus, we got one requisite shot of each child before we threw up again.

Good thing they were little enough to not be too traumatized.

Of course, Santa brought Anaya bunk beds as she has been badgering him for many months. Too bad the elves can't come every week to help change sheets.

After almost three years, the cardboard kitchen that Auntie Simone gave Anaya on her first birthday had finally seen it's last casserole. The new kitchen came from Mom and Dad - carefully addressed to both girls.

As we recovered, we had some down time to just hang out. Flora's rosy cheeks after a nap and a goofy grin.

Flora, being silly.

Anaya and Bobby settled in to do a Sudoku puzzle. Anaya paid attention for a few moments.

And then she suggested Bobby "put a six right here!"

Fall / Halloween

Flora is a happy girl (who's almost one! Where does the time go?)



Big girl

Sister Love.

Summer 2010 Continued...

The 4th of July gang bundles up for an unprecedented chilly day at Blue Lake. Paddle boats and mosquitoes, here we come!

Our two paddlers: Jessica...

and Bobby.

And the passengers: Vanessa, Hot Dog, er...I mean, Flora...

and Anaya.

The big girls decide where to paddle to next.

Flora bundled up for a nap, post-paddle. Incidently, she was the only one who didn't get bitten by the swarming mosquitoes.

Anaya and Jessica try to cover all skin in the hope that the mosquitoes wouldn't find them. (They did.)

Happy cousins.

Flora decides to give Auntie Simone some raspberries.

Cuteness.

Flora and her flowers.