Happy Gotcha Day, Baby!

It's hard to believe it's been 365 days of hugs, kisses, and giggles. Ok, somewhere there were sleepless nights, tandrum fits, and sniffles too. We can hardly remember without pictures or video what our baby looked like the day we got to hold her for the first time. What a special day that was. What a blessed year this has been.

Our Group 115 gathered in Huntington Beach this year to celebrate Gotcha Day Anniversary. Ten of the sixteen families made it.On this Gotcha Day anniversary, our baby is no longer a baby. She's a little person...and full of energy!

Goof ball

<-----I was taking out the trash and asked Caelyn to come along. She immediately ran into her room and put on her winter hat and picked up her tool box. Then ran back out and waited for me by the front door. I couldn't help myself laughing at this image. Plus look at the t-shirt she happens to be wearing that day.

Caelyn is quite helpful, of course when she wants to be, at home. ------->

Her new chore is to help me sort and bag recyling items. After I tie the bags she usually picks them up and walks them outside the door so we can toss them on our way downstairs later. Who says 19-month olds can't have assigned chores?

It's hard to catch a good picture of any baby much less one that smiles. So I thought I should simply try asking for a smile when I bring out the camera. I thought just maybe I get lucky. And lately this is what I get when I ask her to stay still and smile for the camera. Not sure if that's what I had in mind...but hey, it's a great way to keep track of how many teeth she has at 19-month.

<----My yoga girl...doing her downward facing dog perfectly.

I thought it was a good idea to buy a pair of infant sun glasses that wraps around the head. But when I put them on Caelyn she looks pretty dorky! She, on the other hand, apparently loves them. She often asks for them specifically...,"eye, mama, eye!" She points at the diaper requesting for them. At home she goes to the diaper bag and takes them out herself. And put them on herself and runs over to me, "look! mama look!" After the 10th time, I was still laughing. Because every time gets goofier than the last.

A few more on Hawaii

The timeshare where we stayed has some small gardens, waterfalls, and lots of birds and chickens. The story on the chickens is quite a funny one. A few years back there was a storm that knocked one chicken coup open. Just one. And the chicken has bred all over the island. For a few years now we can see chicken and roosters everywhere! We can see them on the beach, side of highways, resort gardens, and airports (not runway of course)...just everywhere!

To our surprise walking through the garden we spotted pineapple plants! One of Caelyn's favorite activity in Hawaii was spotting birds and chickens. And her other favorite activity is to chase them all over! So needless to say nana, daddy, and I did a lot of chasing too. Chasing the pink hat!

There are fake waterfalls in the gardens that Caelyn helped herself in. So easily amused. She played in the water for over an hour!

"Borrowed" papa's reading glasses!

Papa and daddy took a morning to go hike the napoli coast while nana, Caelyn and I had a lazy day. The weather was perfect...and that's unusual in Kauai. It's usually raining, mugging, or just super warm. But this day was perfect. Caelyn who is usually not a big napper slept on her own for 3 hours on these pillows next to Nana who curled up in her favorite book.

In Kauai it rains more often than Seattle. But it is different here. It's warm and it comes and go within minutes. We have taken walks where part of the walk it down poured but by the end of the walk we're completely dried. And it was only a 45 minute walk. Caelyn heard the rain and ran outside and start stomping on the wet patio. Before you know it she's drenched. Some days she changes clothes five times.

This lighthouse is a great lookout point and as we discovered a great place for Caelyn to spot birds and chase them across the vast lawn areas. Look at the photo where Caelyn is on daddy's shoulders. See the white specs that cover the hillside cliff? Those are special species of birds that only live on the cliff and no where else in the world.

More breaking waves with her watering can.

Most days Caelyn's hair is like she just got out of the bath. It's humid and her hair shows it. I manage to put a flower over her ear for a hawaii look.

On our botanical garden tour we viewed some really unique plant life. This one below is an Indonesian ginger plant. Ginger must be in the root...but the flower is beautiful.

I can't remember the name of this flower but it's generally white with yellow in the center. The white variety is common in the tropics, in particular in Hawaii. And they are used to make lei (Hawaiian necklaces). But this rare variety is red.

This tree has large jack fruit hanging from it. I love jack fruit...Zach and I were the only ones on the tour who have had jack fruit before. Everyone inquired us what it tasted like.

Just a few of Caelyn's buddies....

Caelyn has been blessed with so many little friends and her big Sister Allyson (her cousin) whom she calls, "je-je." Besides all her China sisters from G115 which she sees once in a while she also sees her Yum-Yum brothers and sisters! The photo below shows all the children in the Yum-Yum group a few months ago. We have one more addition since. They are just so CUTE!!!! Je-Je below just adores Caelyn and Caelyn adores Je-Je. My sister and I have almost the exact same age difference and we have pictures of her holding me when we were kids...almost exactly like this. The similarity is uncanning.