Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a great 2013 and that 2014 is even better.

Nalnai and Alyssa enjoying a New Year photo shoot.

Flying High

If you're a four year old and your father is an has an obsessive climber you are going to spend a good amount of time out at the crag.  The trick for me as the father is to try to make our time in the dirt fun and fortunately Hammie is a great "crag kid" as rocks, sticks, plants, etc provide endless amounts of entertainment for an active imagination.  And lately Hammie has even taken to climbing as she lugs her own pad around and seeks out problems of her own.  I've got my fingers crossed that the climbing bug will stick. but the important thing is that we have fun, and Hammie is certainly good at that.

When climbing with a rope the appeal is mostly to swing.  Here Nalani takes flight.

Heading out to the boulders with her own crash pad

Nalani geared up for a day of climbing with a good friend along for the ride.

Poppin' Tags

For well over a month I've been promising Nalani that I'd take her dress shopping when we got to 'merica.  So when we finally got to Grand Junction the Aunties, Nalani and I when to a sweet thrift store to see what we could find.  I tried to be hard but how could I say no to my little girl when the sparkly dress only cost $1.  After all was said and done Nalani got one new dress, two skirts, and two pairs of shoes.  And I got some stuff for me as well.  Nothing like poppin' tags.

 Nalani presents the pile of dresses to try on

 Nalani's favorite dress of the day

 She wasn't as psyched on this on left it for some other lucky girl

 One of the skirts

 and the sparkly party skirt

We weren't feeling this one

Thanks to Auntie Dut Dut for all the help

What other cool stuff can we find at the thrift store?

What we do when we get to the boulder.

This is a little video that Aunt Autumn (aka Dut Dut) took last winter and I'm now posting after threats from the other aunts.  Hope you all enjoy.

Back in "merica

Our annual trip to the States happened a little earlier this year and started in Tennessee.  After shaking off a little sickness (and passing it on to her dad) Nalani has been enjoying the southern hospitality and exploring the many sandstone boulders.

In the airport heading to 'merica

Layover 

Once in Tennessee we began exploring the boulders.   Nalani found a nice cave at Little Rock City

Nalani and her dad, ready to take on the Dirty South

It's a good think she looks like her mama

 Mormor busted out some old pictures of Lina as a little buckaroo.  I guess it was never really in doubt but now we know for sure where Hammie gets her cuteness from. 

Who's cuter?

A Shot of Bravery

Perhaps nothing is more harrowing to a 4 year old than getting a shot.  Hammie seemed ok with the idea in the days leading up to it but on the morning we were to go in for the shot her bravery faltered.  In the doctors office no amount of assurance and comforting could get Hammie to calmly accept a needle in her arm so we had to resort to holding down a very angry and sad girl.  It is not the easiest thing for a parent to do but that's what is required sometimes.  For awhile after the incident Hammie declared between sobs that she was angry with us.  My heart breaks a little seeing our little girl so upset.

Fortunately a band-aid, little toy elephant and a lollipop helped sooth the tears and when we dropped Hammie at daycare she was herself again.  Among her friends she proudly displayed the band-aid as a mark of her bravery.  The other 4-year olds  were very impressed.  We haven't yet broke it to Hammie that her bravery will be tested once again next week.  We'll see how it goes.

Hammie post shot and her badge of courage

A happy Hammie and her new toy.