We are in Hawaii on The Big Island enjoying our thanksgiving vacation.  Calla is having so much fun. Here are the first of many many pics from the trip:

 

We took Calla to the zoo today. She loves animals though was much more interested in the farm animals than anything exotic:):

 

We had a great weekend mostly in costume. Calla trick or treated on Saturday with her friend, Audrey (the Buckeye below) at a few homes but mostly just enjoyed walking around as a duck:

 

 

I finally captured it on film!

 

Today was a typical Seattle day-rainy and cool. We played inside for a good part of the day and took the opportunity to do a little photo shoot featuring the Calla's bubble skirt (a recent Target purchase):

 

Here are some fun videos of Calla playing:

 

 

My friend Kim from Villanova came to visit (well she came for a wedding but I got to see her) and we had breakfast with Calla. Thanks for the quick visit Kim!

 

Calla started walking last weekend. She can take 5 or 6 steps before taking a seat:) I have yet to capture it on video but stay tuned for that. In the meantime here are a bunch of pics of her just having a good time:

 

We have a big wicker basket that holds Calla's toys. Recently her favorite activity is to get in and out of the basket:

 

 

We've started to encourage Calla to use utensils. It's a bit of a process as you can see:

 

Dad + Calla dancing with a little Pearl Jam-the quintessential Pacific Northwest Father/Daughter dance:

 

 

 

Our friends (and neighbors), Kurt and Kylee brought their baby, Macy home from the hospital today. We are so happy to welcome her to Boyer Ave:

 

Audrey came over for a short playdate tonight. The girls had a ton of fun:

 

We've been really busy lately so it was nice to have some down time this weekend, just the three of us. We went to the park (many times) and just had a good time hanging around. Calla is looking very old these days. Here are some pics:

 

Now that Calla has 6 teeth we figured it was time to start brushing. She loves our sonicares and now she had her very own regular toothbrush to use. Here are a bunch of pics of her enjoying the new ritual:

 

 Saturday was Calla's first birthday. Since we were back in Boston at the last minute, we decided to cancel her party. We did however have an impromptu celebration up in Bellingham. Here are a bunch of pics of the birthday girl. Happy Birthday Calla! I hope your 2nd year is as great as your first.

 

Last week my Aunt Sharon died suddenly. After making a full recovery from her aneurysm about 18 months ago, she died in her sleep last Tuesday. It's been a tough few weeks but it was great to be with the family. We will miss you aunt Sharon.

 

Here's a pic of Aunt Sharon & Calla when she came to visit last November:

 

I had a great weekend thanks to Phil, Calla and friends who helped me celebrate. It's also hard to believe that in just 2 weeks we'll be celebrating Calla's first birthday. She's looking more and more like a little girl these days. Here are a few pics:

 

We went on our friend's boat (Kurt & Kylee) to watch the blue angels and go swimming in Lake Washington. Calla did great and had a blast swimming....