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

Happy Spring!

Busy Boys

Yes, we are busy. If you haven't heard already, Joe took a job in Vermont. This is exciting and sad at the same time. We will deeply miss our friends here and the sense of community that we have felt. Feel free to let us know what you think. We'll keep everyone up to date as our plans evolve.

Happy Easter! (I'll post pictures from our fun day with Julie and Russ this week.)