Glimpses of Cali

Our backyard patio is getting more and more complete. We now have a table and BBQ (thanks to our neighbor).

The oranges here are amazing. Sam finished two and still wanted more. The juice was running down his face and hands.

This trail is close to our place. We call it the snail and lizard trail due to all of the little creatures we find along the way. It also provides a great view of the ocean. As does the photo below which is our street directly out from our driveway.

This is our new home. The middle garage is ours and our front door is along the right side of the house.

So we'll leave you with a clip of Sam runnnnninnng. He loves watching this over and over again. A lot of the parks around here have grassy hills so he has been taking advantage playing on them. Another favorite is to roll him up in a blanket and then push him down the hill. Believe it or not he can't get enough of this and therefore I have to redirect his attention so that he doesn't get sick from all of the spinning. Notice in the video that Sam always finishes with a crash. Enjoy!

Our Backyard (hooray!)

We are enjoying the added features of our new place, namely a garage and a backyard. I don't think that we'll ever be able to do without these again. Sam now has a small pool to play in, concrete to ride his trike on, and simply a place outside to run. We are refinishing some chairs that were left back there and looking for a nice deal on patio furniture. This is taking precidence over the inside because of the optimal temperatures most of the year here. Now ladies, you can see that I do indeed have a belly. Joe seems to think that I am a lot bigger than I was with Sam. I'm not completely sure about that, but I do know that I feel different (mainly more tired, nauseated still sometimes, and the occasional headache). Hmmmm....maybe a girl... however I continue to go back and forth.

All of these photos were taken by my dear friend Jenna Biggs who came and stayed with Sam and I while Joe was away for work. As you can see, she's a professional. She called this one "Meeting of the Minds". I think that Sam was actually trying to attack me here (a.k.a. pinch my face and grit his teeth).
Sam loves the water. He is perfectly at ease relaxing on his back. He often hangs out like this in the bathtub.
My little baby! He enjoys it when I wrap him up and hold him like he was still my little baby.
What a handsome boy. He often asks to go to grandma's house, or to visit his friends in Steamboat. I tell him that we would have to go far away on a plane. He's always up for it. His usual response: "Let's go!"

I wish we could. Thinking of you all.....Jenelle

We're Back!

It has been an eventful summer so far, and we are happy to be settling into our new home in Dana Point, California. Of course the hightlight of living here is being so close to the ocean. Sam loves the sand and the crashing waves. Joe takes the opportunity to surf nearly everyday. And I simply love that the beach provides something for the whole family. One of our favorite things to do is take a picnic and have a fire on the beach in the evening. We have made a point of doing this at least once a week. Sam has fallen in love with hotdogs from these outings. In the picture below Sam actually went over the handlebars when an unexpected wave crashed and dumped him into the water. Dad quickly caught him and luckily Sam didn't get too upset. He simply said, "All done." (I will get more pictures posted from Cali now that the camera and computer are back in action.)
The following photos are from our trip to Idaho:


Sam enjoyed riding in the boat with Grandpa Carberry on Payette Lake. He especially liked watching Dad waterski and crash into the water.

Sam continues to be obsessed with helmets. This one is Grandpa's motorcycle helmet. He insisted on wearing it despite the sweat rolling down his face.

We spent the first couple of weeks up at the cabin in McCall with extended family, and Sam loved all of the attention. Here he is teasing Uncle Ed.

California is proving to be a nice place to live. However there have been a few growing pains... dealing with all of the people and traffic, but mainly just missing our friends and family. We are thinking about all of you and looking forward to your visit.

Sending our love, Jenelle, Joe, and Sam

Yipeeeeee!

It's summertime. We are all so excited. Of course Sam loves the longer daylight, which means more time to play. Here, he's obviously stoked staying up late with his buddy Killean.
The big boys are happy that Fish Creek is finally high enough to run. Don't they look cute in their skirts?

Sam is in awe of this whole process. Look at the little kayaker in his hand. Daddy is definately the favorite when he puts on his kayaking gear.

I still get a little nervous when the guys put on the river. Can you see the continuous whitewater in the background? If you look closely, you also might notice my belly.

Sam is such a big boy now. Here he's collecting sticks to throw in the river.

During our last couple of weeks here in Steamboat, we are soaking up the much needed sunshine and realizing how perfectly our lives have grown here. This big change is bitter/sweet, as most changes are. California will present new opportunities as well as challenges, and Steamboat will always hold a special place in our hearts. Thanks for making the trips out here to visit and we are quite certain that we will be seeing a lot of you in Cali. Until then, we can't for our stay in Idaho. See you soon!

Sam's New Pal

This past weekend, Sukha got to sleepover. I was a little nervous about Sukha with Sam due to their past relationship (often included growls). However as you can see from the photo, they worked it out and became the best of friends. Sam thought Sukha might need to share his blankie for "night-night". Sukha looks kind of interested-right?

The river is something that you can't keep Sukha out of. After watching Joe compete in the kayaking rodeo (me with Sam in my arms and Sukha on a leash), Joe took a swim through the hole. Sukha insisted on following him and practically pulled my arm out in order to swim out there. These next photos are a sequence from that excitement. Luckily, Sukha is a really strong swimmer.



And this final photo.....Sam, just how we like him at the end of the day.

May Day Flowers?

This is what we woke up to on May first......six inches of more snow. (Just what we need.) Sam acted like it was his first time in snow all over again. He seemed to forget that we have already been through six months of white. California is looking more and more appealing everyday.

Sam gets to play with his new tricycle inside. Notice the helmet too, he wanted to take his nap with it on. Today it is finally sunny and warm and Sam got to take his trike outside. I hope the sun is smiling on you today as well.

Guess who's 2?

Yes, we celebrated Sam's birthday last night with Russ, Julie, and our neighbors. Doesn't he look like quite the big boy now? He insists on wearing a hat everyday, so I thought that it was time to get him a new summer cap. I think that he approved.
Before the party started, Sam was running up and down the balcony singing "birthday, birthday". I think that he gets the idea a little more this year. He even wore his birthday hat throughout the entire evening, until he opened up his new baseball cap.




The first blow of the candles was more of a spit. After a few tries he figured it out. We saved the slobber piece for him.






Julie said it best, "Do you know of any kid who can get more excited than this?". Sam has always had a unique way of expressing his enthusiasm. He continues to get better with age. Despite the continual testing of his limits and my patience (this is normal I'm told), the "terrible twos" aren't looking that terrible at all. We enjoy the new words everyday, watching him play at the park, big boy undies all day, noticing the little signs of spring together, and all of the opportunities to learn and grow together. He will be an amazing big brother!

We are anxious to see everyone in July. If you haven't heard already, we are moving to California. This means that we will be closer and I think that this will be even more appealing for all of you to come and visit us at the beach. Love...Jenelle