1997-2010

We'll miss you buddy. We had to put Norman down earlier this month, due to a fight with cancer. Definitely one of the toughest decisions we've ever had to make. Paige misses her best friend and the house seems empty, but we're thankful for the time that we had with him.

2003, the day I brought him home

2005, helping us celebrate our wedding2007, napping with Paige when she was just one month old

And kisses bye

Hoppity Easter weekend

I had quite the fun-filled Easter weekend! Started it out Saturday with a trip to the tulip fields north of Seattle, with mom, grandma, Auntie Charan, and cousin Shelby. Auntie Charan made me an adorable Easter dress to match Shelby's, only it was so cold that Shelby ended up not wearing hers. Here I am getting ready for the day.

Just beautiful!

BRRRR! We lucked out with no rain, but plenty of wind and very chilly!

Smelling the flowers



Grandma leading us girls through the mud. The puddles were probably our favorite part of the trip. Who cares about flowers when you can splash around? And yes, mommy is still trying to get my dress (and especially tights) clean!

See the candy the Easter bunny left for me!? Easter sure is fun, but it would have been better had mommy let me eat chocolate for breakfast!

I had my first trip to church too! We tried to surprise cousin Laura and her husband Moises by attending their church, but they weren't able to make the morning service. Oh well, I still enjoyed hearing Daddy sing the various hymns to me! And we did get to see Laura and Moises for lunch!

Daddy's first client

Daddy is almost done with his schooling to become a personal trainer - one quarter left and he'll be official, and we're very proud of the dedication it's taken to get this far. It's not easy to juggle full time school, almost full time work, and a family!

Naturally I'm super curious about what occupies his time. I recently discovered something that Daddy calls the TRX. I call it fun!

Daddy showed me a couple positions. I kept falling out of the thing, but soon I'll be an expert.

Just look at that form!

And those abs of steel!

Maybe I should start my own personal training business? I'll cater to the Pre-K crowd.

A few of my favorite things

Mommy has been a bit behind on updating the blog, so we'll take this time to recap and let you know what I've been up to.

I'm the next Picaso! No, really! I love my art easel that I received for Christmas. Especially the dry erase side. You can see the intense concentration, right?

My other new skill is puzzles. My babysitter says I'm better than the 3 year olds at them!

See, I fixed this one by myself.

I'm also an accomplished cook. See how I help mommy in the kitchen?

The finished product isn't bad, either.
I'm a well-rounded kid. A cool kid, I might add.

New 'do

Most kids get their first haircut around their first birthday. Not me though, not when it takes you a year to even really grow hair. So at age 28 months, I was finally ready.

Here is my "before" shot. Yep, a bit scraggly, but mommy and daddy hesitated cutting it because they didn't want me mistaken for a boy, like I have been many times (despite the abundance of pink in my closet).

(yeah, I love stealing daddy's ice cream cone)

We went to Hairmasters, and they had a lot of experience with kiddos. My wrap had safari animals on it! I wasn't too excited to sit on my own, but I was happy to sit on mommy's lap after her haircut.

Here's the first cut:

We were going for a bob. The stylist suggested mommy blow dry it under with a round brush. Mommy laughed. Blow dryers are loud and to be avoided at all costs. Still pretty cute, even without that scary blow dryer.
Here's the "after". Yep, I'm quite proud!

Riding off into the Sunset

Sorry Daddy, the Harley is mine. You can ride the pony (that I'm still scared of) instead.

We're gonna bowl tonight!

New Year started out with a bang! Ok, not for me, I was sleeping. As were Mommy and Daddy. But the neighbors sure sounded like they were enjoying it, judging by all of the fireworks.
Daddy had to work New Year's Day, but decided to take Mommy and me out for a night on the town that evening, after a yummy meal of black eyed peas and cornbread of course. Must be an Oklahoma thing, because Mommy hadn't heard of that tradition until she met Daddy.

It was my first time bowling. Who knew they made bowling shoes in toddler sizes? I was a bit hesitant at first - it was loud! They even had a slider for me to use to get my ball down the lane. Daddy helped me out getting everything lined up.

Bye bye ball! (see me clutching Daddy for dear life?)

After a couple throws though I was a pro!

I like to end every bowl with a little dance. Really, you should try it sometime.

Look! I even beat Mommy!

In her defense, she hasn't bowled since I was in her tummy! So Daddy, do you have room for me on your bowling league?