Georgia up to 1 Year Old

Finally! I have time to update our blog. Has it really been 9 months since my last post? That is half of Georgia's life! We have had a quite a busy 9 months so I am going to do two posts.

This post will start with our trip to California in Sept 2010 and end with her 1st birthday. It was a busy time for both Chip and I with interest rates dipping again in July and the general contracting company starting a large house in Kahala among other projects. We were almost ready to buy another house in Honolulu when we took our trip to Palo Alto in September. About half way through we just looked at each other and both knew that we had to make the move back to be closer to family and friends. The transition began as we enjoyed our last few months in Hawaii from Georgia's first birthday luau, made possible by all our wonderful Hawaii family, to several excursions to our favorite places across the island.

The next post will include our final days in Hawaii and our new life in Palo Alto, CA.

With Fred at 10 months old (already a Giants fan!)

Camping in Yosemite in September with the Van Kuran/Marcis families

Relaxing at the Merced River with Half Dome behind

Cousin Lyell lending Georgia his cold weather gear - little did she know soon we would be wearing jackets and shoes every day

Back in Palo Alto enjoying our good friends Michele and her daughter Miranda

A visit with Great Grandpa Tincher, Great Uncle Rich, Great Aunt Leslie and Georgia's 2nd cousins Catherine & Laurel

11 months with Fred the Monkey

Her first halloween as Tinkerbell with the "Razor Gang" in Hawaii Kai - Lisa, Lara and Mariana

Her first driving lesson

Cleaning up Hanauma Bay

Enjoying Lyon Arboretum in Manoa Valley

First visit with Santa

Her first tast if ice cream mochi from Bubbies during Thanksgiving - Thanks Auntie Yushiu!

One year old! Her last picture with Fred - Thanks to Kat & the Post family for this great idea (the blog too!)

Uncle Kimo & Auntie Linda at her first birthday. Mahalo Uncle Kimo for coordinating all the yummy luau food! Sooooooo ono.

Opening a gift from Uncle Craig

Showing off her awesome Puma sweatsuit from Uncle Morgan and Auntie Anna

Enjoying birthday brownies, Magic Bars and ice cream

With Aunties Lisa & Emily showing off her new book and tattoo

Running the Honolulu Marathon with mommy (yet still learning how to walk)

Georgia up to 1 1/2 Years Old!

Mele Kalikimaka! Christmas in July? Well it could be with the way I delay our posts. In this second installment of our last 9 months we have our amazing holiday celebration with the Van Kuran and Marcis families in Honolulu, our final days in Hawaii, our first days in Palo Alto, CA, the birth of our niece/cousin Whitney Florence Marcis, and our first real road trip to Spokane, WA with stops in Lake Shasta, Lincoln City, Portland and Klamath Falls. During this time our now 1 1/2 year old learned to walk, say her first word ("daddy" followed soon after by "more" in reference to all food which she LOVES), embrace sign language (thank you Baby Signing Times!) and grow in to a beautiful, delightful little human being with a big personality all her own.

Christmas in Hawaii! There was lots of playing out front of the townhouse, beautifully decorated by Chip

We all enjoyed a visit to the Children's Discovery Museum where Georgia found her calling as a news anchor

And harvested pineapples while looking like a pineapple with her hair do

An amazing Christmas Dinner in the gazebo with only the occasional passing shower

All dolled up in her Aloha Christmas attire

Christmas morning and the XBox Kinect did not impress but the wooden stacking toy from the "retro" section at FAO Schwartz did, still a favorite

Checking out her beautiful stocking handmade by Nana

A visit to Honolulu Zoo

Trying shave ice since Grandpa now has a "license to spoil" t-shirt courtesy of my sister (thanks Kim...)

The sisters and the cousins - Lyell, Georgia and Whitney...still just a bump in my sister's belly

Pigtails for the first time - all of a sudden she looks like a toddler. This is around February when she started walking!

A visit to Kualoa Ranch by the Ko'olau Mountains (the diner from 50 First Dates is in the background)

Getting ready for the Hawaii garage sale - Nana keeps it all together somehow

Our last dinner on Oahu - saying Aloha to our marina

One last ride in Daddy's F-550 - I think we will need an area code on the door once we move it to California...still a few years out

Our first trip to a park in California - note the jacket and pants which we had to search high and low for since in March only the spring clothes are in stores and it was 50 degrees during the day.

A visit with cousin Lyell while we all wait for baby Whitney to be born. The Marcis family decided to do the birth in Palo Alto due to the severe storms in the Yosemite area so we got to visit with them for a few weeks!

A first look at baby Whitney Florence Marcis, born March 25th (another Aries!)

Chip visits, finally! We enjoy a walk at "the dish" in the Stanford hills. Georgia will only last 15 mintues in the stroller now that she can walk so we have to improvise

Georgia and I visit the Marcis family in Mariposa and spend the morning at playgroup with cousin Lyell and some chickens

Georgia and Lyell learn to be careful with Whitney although it looks like Georgia is going to do something to Lyell instead

Enjoying the community lake on the swings

Nana loves Easter, can you tell? We got to enjoy the holiday with Great Grandpa, Great Uncle Don and Great Aunt Myra

Our first true road trip! We drove from PA to Lincoln Beach, OR to Spokane, WA making a few stops along the way. Our first night was in Dunsmuir near Lake Shasta where Georgia took her first "hike" and lasted about 100 yards. Any one want to rent houseboats next summer?

Georgia loves wineries! Stopping at one of the many Oregon wineries on our way to Lincoln City

Georgia makes friends with the wildlife. Thanks to our friends Jim and Gina for sharing their incredible beach house. In case you want to go: http://splendorbythesea.com/

We still get to be by the beach... just have to wear a few more layers. Here is the view from the observation deck of the beach house

Getting some QT. Chip is with us 2 weeks and 3 weekends then back to Hawaii for 2 weeks and 1 weekend during which he works non-stop on 2 remodels and 2 new construction.

Visiting our Hawaii cousin Hanzo, now living in Portland with mom and dad Brad & Molly Ono

Relaxing with Grandpa St. Germain in Spokane, WA which had the most beautiful weather of all!

Georgia's first experience with a snow storm... in May... in California... I think it was my first time experiencing that too. Check out her split chin :(

Chip chases her down in a parking lot during a Dutch Brothers coffee stop (the best in the Northwest, Coffee Bean in Hawaii - oh how I miss you!). She is running all over the place now after waiting until 14 months old to walk.