Pacific Island Fern

the end.

2011-10-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

I have decided to end this blog. I don't feel right about changing the name of this blog, and I don't feel right about leaving it the same now that we are in Wyoming, starting a new chapter. So this is it, the last post.

But after talking to Al, we decided that I should continue in a brand new blog! Allen came up with the name Rocky Mountain Fern in about 3 seconds, and it stuck. So, hopefully I'll be posting more of Fern, crafts, arid gardening ventures and such sometime soon here.

Love!

handmade

2011-07-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hi. Fern's birthday was a long time ago. And I've been wanting to post these for a long time, but you know how it goes. A couple of friends gave Fern some really thoughtful handmade gifts. I've been wanting to share their talent so here they are.

Else made her this beautiful dress with organic cotton. It has a little bird on it. I love that she'll be able to wear it for the next 3 years.

Eriko made Fern a kite bag, and it included a kite!!! She had so much fun flying it that day!

discipline

2011-07-03T21:43:00.001-07:00

I wish I had more of it. There's a special probiotic diet out there that is increasing in popularity as it has helped to heal many, many people from various ailments. It's called the Body Ecology Diet and I am convinced that it is an ideal way of life for me. The problem is that it's really dang hard to stick with it. Once you get past the first 3 months, it's smooth sailing, as you can add things back in to your diet. My start date keeps getting pushed back. I did it once before, back in 2004, but it hasn't gotten any easier. I've made it for a month recently, but I was waiting 6 weeks for a culture to arrive in the mail (an integral part of the program), so I gave up and decided that I would start again after Fern's birthday. But that day still hasn't come, and this time I have no excuse. The jist of it is no sugar. of any kind. not even fruit. No grains except amaranth, millet, quinoa, and buckwheat. No flour of any kind. A small bit of meat, all organic. No dairy, except fermented dairy, but even that has to wait until month 4. Basically, it's veggies, veggies, veggies, a TON of sea veggies, and a bit of meat. But, not only do you have to avoid foods, there are foods on this diet that you are supposed to eat every day. And I can certainly do that part. They are cultured vegetables (and fermented drinks, like coconut kefir), and they are writhing with probiotics and goodness. I just made a big batch yesterday. They are tangy and delicious, and I eat them with every meal. I can tell a difference in my digestion amongst other things. Fern even eats them with me. And that makes me so, so happy.

This batch is made with cucumbers, purple and green cabbage, onions, garlic, lemon juice, and mint.
You have to blend some of it to make a brine.

All ready to sit on my counter for 1 week.

I put some hijiki in one jar as a test. (That's the black stuff on the left that resembles leeches)

it was a blue fox birthday

2011-06-28T00:07:00.000-07:00

Fern turned three nearly a month ago and I am just now posting detail pictures of her party! sorry about that. We had a woodland animal themed party. Fern's party requests were nothing more than a big blue cake and blue.

She's holding the baby I made in her matching woodland animal dress:

all of the masks that I made for the kids. I had made Fern the bluebird mask, but Fern couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to be a bluebird. She kept telling me, "Mama, I don't want to fly!" In the end she decided that she wanted to be a blue fox, so I had to whip one up really quick. My personal favorites were the owls and the deer. {remember that you can click on the pictures to see them larger :)}

I made chocolate owl lollipops and then mostly forgot to pass them out! So, we ate our fair share of chocolate during the next few weeks, and I shared with co-workers. It was fun to make these little guys. I'll definitely do it again sometime.

I also made toadstool appetizers with hardboiled eggs, roma tomatoes, and feta cheese! Basil and lettuce grass/moss was sprinkled around the toadstools. Jolene helped me with these...thanks Jolene! They were actually all eaten too, which surprised me.

I made chocolate avocado and vanilla cupcakes, sweetened with agave (I'm a huge fan of agave) and topped with tofu frosting. I also threw together the cupcake stand. I was dreaming of vintage vases and plates, but all we have in Guam is dollar stores and Ross. (I will really appreciate garage sales once again when we return to the mainland!):

Fern's cupcake had turquoise frosting, her favorite color, and chocolate letters- she's a big fan of chocolate too:

I tossed together an arrangement of ferns at the terrarium making station:

I had all of the materials together with a sign of instructions on a table outside. I got this idea from crafty crow and it was brilliant. Moms could help their kiddo's make a terrarium and I didn't have to walk everyone through it!

I had this idea in my head of her party in a dark, majestic forest. with animal masks hanging from tall trees. My house hardly has a yard, yet alone a forest. So I had to make due and hang the masks from three big bushes around my house. As kids came, they could choose a mask for themselves. I made masks in 2 sizes: one for little kids and a bigger size for the bigger kids. Here's Fern sitting under one of the bushes before her party.

Fern had actually snuck upstairs and found her cake before the party and had a tiny taste despite my efforts to hide it from her. She also managed to open some presents when I wasn't around during the party. She's a tad bit impulsive, this one. She was very excited for the birthday song and the blowing out of candles. It's funny though....she says she a big fan of cupcakes, but she's really not. She always leave half of them. This time, she wanted to eat the icing off of every cupcake, but could care less about the cake itself.

I had a photobooth made from a frame I had lying around. We hung it from a very tall tree on the other side of the fence. Sadly it rained so much during her party that it didn't get much use. Here are Phaedra and Ariadne, sporting their masks. They were the first to arrive, so I was able to get pictures of them.

a fierce fox and badger (and it happens to be the only picture I took inside once everyone got there...a bit mad at myself about that):

Fern's terrarium. She wanted to put WAY more of each layer than you're supposed to, leaving very little room for planting. I bought some blue rocks especially for her. The toadstool cupcake toppers doubled as terrarium decorations.

View from above. All the kids planted a pilea microphylla (common name: artillery fern). These plants make perfect terrarium plants, and they happen to grow like weeds around here. I've always liked this little succulent, and then I thought, "Well no wonder...it's a fern!" But it's actually not related to the fern family at all. Her little plant is still alive - just a bit unbalanced as it is reaching for the light.

happy, happy birthday Fern!

2011-06-12T03:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Fern,

Wow, I can't believe you're three now...such a big, big girl.

Here are some things I don't want to forget about you at three:

1. You love your dink more than anything in the world.

2. You love playing with babies, real ones and babydolls.

3. You're extremely feisty and extraordinary, so much that you even shock your teachers at times.

4. You like to tote around a million things with you when we go places.

5. You love to pick pacific cherries every day and swing.

6. You're gaining confidence in the water...you like to go under and pick up things off the ground that sink to the bottom.

7. You eat my cultured vegetables in small amounts! (you love everything pickled, including okra)

8. BUT, you still have a sweet tooth despite my efforts to avoid it.

9. I can tell you are going to be a good climber...you have it in your blood ;)

10. You call yellow "lellow"

11. You are not intimidated by anyone or anything, and that kinda scares me.

12. You sneak into the freezer several times every day to get blueberries.

13. You're pretty mean to our cat, Horace. You think it's funny to chase him. He WILL scratch you one day.

14. You love exploring critters...toads, skinks, geckos, slugs, and snails.

15. You always end up dirty, and often naked.

16. We lay with you in your room at night until you go to sleep.

17. You can't be still.

18. You love to dance and sing and read stories.

19. You love to paint, but you are done with your masterpieces in about 2 minutes.

20. Dad has gotten you hooked on chewing gum. You want it as a reward for using the potty when you are clearly beyond that!!!

21. You just started a Montessori school, and Auntie Mary looks very tired when we pick you up.

22. You know how to express yourself well.

23. You're very clever.

24. You talk about the big bad, bad wolf too much. He's always lurking around the corner, or cutting the grass.

25. You just flew your first kite all by yourself!

26. You have already had lice two times. and so have I.

27. You are loved.

Love, Mama and Dad

Fern wanted a baby sister for her birthday as well as a 'blue' birthday. No sister was in the plan, but I tried to incorporate blue in her birthday party day. Here is a tiny video of her on her actual birthday when she woke up in the morning and found her surprise. She also had a little party at her school to celebrate her birthday and her last day of school. We had a bigger birthday party the day after, but those pictures will come later. I thought the family would enjoy this one. It starts with her at 2. She has grown so much as you will see.

Untitled from Ginger Haddock on Vimeo.

a surprise

2011-05-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

So, I've been working on a doll for Fern's birthday. A long time ago, she said she wanted this for her birthday and she never changed her mind.... So I finally ordered it for her, since she really is so into baby dolls and not much else. She's not interested in pretend kitchen play (unless we suggest it and play along), and keeps stating that she doesn't want a dollhouse. She brings a baby EVERYWHERE. Along with the dolly changing table she said she wanted this. She wanted one with blond hair and blue eyes, and of course, blue clothes. She is so into blue everything. She told Grandma on the computer that she wanted a big big blue cake for her birthday. I'm not too sure about that, but I'm trying to include some blue into her birthday. I felt wrong about spending 105 bucks on a baby doll that she is going to drag around everywhere and possibly lose at daycare. So I decided to make one (and ended up spending almost that much in material and shipping...but it will make more than one baby, so I suppose it was worth it). It was alot of fun after some trial and error, and advice from a friend. It took me a while, but I'm sure the next time will be much, much easier. Will there be a next time? Who knows, but I had fun doing it, and I am soooo excited to give it to her in a few weeks!

I made 2 diapers for her out of old prefold diapers of Fern's. They have velcro fasteners for little fingers.

She has jointed arms and legs that move!

All dressed up! I created some blue accents to go with her dress. I bought Fern a dress with the same fabric for her birthday. I bought some extra fabric to make this baby a little dress. I thought it was turquoise, but it turned out to be more like a green, so I had to add the blue so that Fern would like it. I think Fern will like her dress if she is matching her baby's dress. She is always wanting to match me.

A little pocket baby. In my dollmaking book it says to practice on a few smaller dolls before attempting a large jointed doll. I learned that you have to stuff the head super tight in order to avoid the 'grandma with no teeth' look like this little baby has. After I made this first little doll, I jumped to the big one. not recommended!

I made little mary jane's with velcro closures. I used a pattern out of the book for the first pair of shoes I made, and they were ridiculous looking. So I designed these little blue ones myself.

A super soft snuggly blanket with lots of blue to go with her knitted bonnet, which I made for Fern when she was a baby. It fits the doll perfectly. Of course we didn't use it and now we will! so happy about that.

little hairclips that I made for Fern while back.

Her hair is made with mohair yarn. I quickly taught myself to crochet to make the wig of hair. It's much easier than knitting. Then I brushed it with the dog brush to give it a fuzzy look.

Ta dah!

craftiness

2011-02-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, but here I am! I wanted to share our Valentines Day crafts. I made Fern some play cookies but they look more like little pastry puffs, mostly because I wanted to use what I already had around the house. And then Fern and I made Al some felt flowers. Fern had fun painting the leaves (I painted two sides but she wouldn't allow me to paint more than that). Then I cut the wire and felt circles while she was sleeping (you can use coat hangers but I happen to have a roll of bendable wire) and she put them all together with a bit of guidance. It was really easy and a great craft for a 2 yr old. Fern walked upstairs to wake daddy up with the flowers. It was pretty sweet. Check the other blog for pictures of Fern here in her heart-shaped glasses.

Fern runs a daycare here at the house. She always lining up the babes to feed them, laying them down for a nap or changing them. Here are a 'whole bunch' of babies in the midst of a diaper change. (She had run off to get some wipes)

She is talking so much these days. I wish I could capture (or remember!) all of the funny things she says. She's on a "I'm going to do my workstuff" kick right now. And then she grabs a pen and paper and my phone and a calculator and gets to work. I have captured some of her dance moves however - check out the video below:

Untitled from Ginger Haddock on Vimeo.

stinky skunks

2010-10-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have the coolest friends. They do the coolest of things and knowing that they are on this island is what gives me sanity. They started "Garden Day" (which is probably what you think it is and more) and for about a year I was able to attend on Tuesdays, but my work schedule no longer accommodates that which is a huge bummer. BUT, they still have weekend celebrations of sorts a few times/month, and holidays are no exception. So we were looking forward to our Halloween this year. I've been reading Fern 5 different Halloween books (thanks to sister-in-law Jenn) for the past few weeks to build her up about the festivities. I partially made our costumes and had good intentions to make them entirely but just didn't have the time to make three of them.

Back to how cool our friends are...they tell the story of the switch witch who comes in the night to switch out your bag of candy for a toy. (I had also been building Fern up for this!) Fern collected about 8 pounds of candy so thank goodness for the switch witch! (And Fern walked the whole entire way by herself, even through the spooky jungle) She walked up to every single person and opened her bag wide saying 'trick or treat! give me something good to eat!' I'm pretty sure I had just as much fun watching this night as I did when I was a kid, if not more.
So, this morning, I woke Fern up and told her that the switch witch had come and left her a surprise. She was sooo excited to go downstairs and was happy to find one piece of candy and a play stove!

I just didn't have time to get any really good photos but here are a few so you can get an idea of our costumes. (I also posted some of those cool friends of ours...)

I made pizza decorated with spiders and jack-o-lanterns!

medley by Fern

2010-10-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

The girl can't stop singing!

medley by Fern from Ginger Haddock on Vimeo.

dancing on Saturdays

2010-10-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

This video is old, but thought I'd share anyway. One of our Saturday morning rituals. Nice droopy drawers Ginger! Time to buy some new clothes I suppose!

Untitled from Ginger Haddock on Vimeo.

closing down the park

2010-09-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

from seed

2010-09-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from a magazine article to make Fern some of her very own flower boxes that will someday be veggies if I can muster up enough sunlight somehow. (How is it that I live on Guam and yet have a hard time finding the sun I need to grow some things?) Anyway, Fern loves flowers, so she picked out some zinnia and phlox seeds at the store (almost a disaster...she wanted to open them and then eat them) and she planted them with dad's help. We've been checking them out every day, waiting for buds to form. Okay, I've been anxiously waiting for the buds to form-Fern doesn't yet know what a bud is. The first zinnia bloom made it's appearance the other day. The phlox is still tiny and I wonder if it will ever flower.

first bloom

several blooms later

Before the flower box, Fern planted some boonie pepper seeds and they are just now forming peppers. She gets it, I think. She talks about how the seeds turned into plants, I think. I love growing things from seed, especially seeds I collected from the forest. how very resourceful. :)

I ran across this lovely poem several weeks ago. I'm usually not one for poetry, but really loved this one, so I thought I'd share:

All things by immortal power,

Near or far,
Hiddenly
To each other linked are,
That thou canst not stir a flower
Without troubling of a star.

-Francis Thompson

boonie pepper seeds

flowering boonie pepper

Oh, and let's not forget the okra. We manage to get enough okra from two plants to have it with a meal every week. barely. Fern usually eats half of my portion and some of dad's. She looooves okra...so much that she's named several of her human and animal babies 'Oka'. She is definitely her mother's girl!

okra guardian

my girl

2010-09-06T03:35:00.000-07:00

You would not believe how many things she lugged to the park with us that day...funny girl makes me smile. :)

Talofofo Caves

2010-08-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

I needed a hike with Fern several weeks ago so Alisha and X were good sports and decided to join me. This was Fern's first walking hike outside of the Ergo. I had to carry her through the steeper parts but she was more than willing to walk herself.

in awe of the giant hole that is the cave.

having a snack and a chat with her Auntie Alisha.

Alisha and Xavier

The big girl carried her own gear.

Rehydrating before the return hike. :)

And running down the trail as fast as she could! She ended up on her face here. Did she cry? nope. not Fern. She's one tough cookie.

mulberries. yum.

2010-08-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

{She can never seem to collect enough to do anything with because they all go straight into her mouth. :) }

On turning two; we love her to pieces

2010-07-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

(We took this video on her actual birthday...apparently she had some reaction to the sunscreen they put on her at daycare, which is why she looks so splotchy and ill! )

Fern turned two a couple of months ago already. It makes me kind of sad to see our baby growing out of toddlerhood and into childhood, but things are definitely getting more fun. Her vocabulary is exploding and she is putting sentences together. She says things like "I'll help you mama" and "I jump real high!!!!" She loves to sing songs from start to finish, especially her "a b c's", "apples and bananas", "twinkle, twinkle little star" and "go to sleep my baby", a lullaby that we played and sang for her day after day when she was a baby. She just switched from a crib to toddlerbed (yikes!), she still eats dirt, and she loves to dance. She asks to swim and/or swing every day now and she calls them both "swimming". She still uses a pacifier and drinks milk from a bottle at night, but she is the bravest girl I've ever known. She loves her stuffed animals as much as her babies now, swaddles them and feeds them. She still dislikes TV (yay?), she loves play food and tea, and has a hard time sitting through an entire book during the day. She loves gardening and talks about how the plants are "growing" and "drinking water." She is at her best when she is 'helping', she flitters about from thing to thing, and she has ALOT of energy. She gets frustrated when she can't do what she wants to do and can throw on heckuva tantrum. :) She is very independent. She loves "noonles" and avocados. We love her to pieces and can't wait to see what this year will bring.

We celebrated her birthday (twice!) when we were on our trip with the grandparents. When I was little, making ice cream was a tradition on birthdays. We intend to keep that tradition. Homemade ice cream is the best and Fern seems to agree:

Yummy salty ice.

Grandpa and Grandma make the best vanilla ice cream! Grandma makes the mix and Grandpa freezes it. {I have memories of the freezing process taking 'all day long', but in reality it takes less than an hour. It's crazy how time gets shorter as you get older}

Mas, por favor.

Another birthday tradition we started is breaking the piggy bank to see how much money Fern saved up over the year. We are trying to teach her (very early on) the importance of saving money, even the pennies. She has a piggy bank and Allen always drops his pocket change into her bank. Over the last year, Fern collected more than 50 bucks in change! We dumped it out (this one doesn't need to be broken) and Fern had much fun putting the coins into the little paper rolls. I actually took some photos of her doing just that, but they seem to have disappeared. :(

My mom had asked me to take a picture of Fern in a velvet red dress that I had when I was 2. So I did. Below is a picture of me in the dress, next to Fern in the dress, next to Al when he was 2. What do you think? Does she look more like Al or me? I think Al might win this one.

Happy Birthday sugar pop!

spending some time with Grandma

2010-07-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

having a conversation

tickle the monkey

poke the monkey

kiss the monkey

Fern misses her Grandma and wishes that she would come to Guam for a visit. hint. hint. ;)

I think this is the last that I'll be posting from our trip.

the fourth

2010-07-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Very late, I know, but I thought the grandparents would want to see Fern on her very first ferris wheel! We went to the carnival, had some delicious Vietnamese street food made by a co-worker's mom, and then played some games like 'pick a duck out of a pond and you get some junk!' Some junk was smaller or bigger than other junk, but it was all big fun and I would do it again a million times over because Fern loved it. (Most of it as you shall see) She emptied our wallets with ride ticket purchases. I would have never guessed that she would go on these rides with Ska, without me, but she did. I was definitely more afraid than she was. And then... the tantrum. She threw the biggest tantrum ever. I rode with Ska on the Octopus (which left me spinning and nauseated) and she wanted to go, and couldn't understand that she was too small and felt betrayed that I would ride with Ska and not her. I could hear her through all of the screaming on the ride. In the end though, Ska was beaming, so it was worth it. At 9:15 or so, we watched an AMAZING fireworks display. A couple of times I said 'this must be the finale!' and it wasn't, so it was much better than I thought it would be. Fern called them 'flowers' in the sky and said a whole lot of 'whoa's' and 'oh man's!' and 'boom's'. Pretty funny indeed. And I got to catch up with a friend to boot. It was a good evening, that's for sure.

watermelon by day

carnival ride by night

day at the beach

2010-07-03T20:54:00.001-07:00

Fai Fai...one of our favorite places to go.

Determined to go to the car to retrieve her 'milko'.

bricktown

2010-07-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

First, we had dinner at Abuelo's to celebrate abuela Hambrick's 70th birthday! Then we took a walk along the riverwalk and Fern saw her very first ducks.

all I could get

2010-07-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

Fern loved her cousin Lukas. She seems to look up to bigger boys. But the only chance I had of getting a photo of my super sweet nephew Lukas was when he wasn't paying attention, or when I was really far from him...

Once he was on to me, I got things like this....(holding a fenceboard in front of his face).

I have a feeling Fern might be the same way in a few years, so I am snapping away while I can! She is already starting to give me those sarcastic smiles when I ask her for a smile. Or she will just completely ignore me. It's a nice reminder to put down the camera sometimes. :)

twinkle star

2010-06-25T03:16:00.000-07:00

When Fern began to say her first words, she called stars 'twinkles'...I suppose because we sang 'Twinkle twinkle little star' to her every night as we laid her down to sleep. She eventually began to call them 'twinkle stars', and now she just calls them stars most likely because we unintentionally correct her by calling them stars ourselves. But when I asked her what this was in the picture, she said it was a twinkle and it made me so happy.

And here are a few more from the other day. This is what I get when I ask her to smile at me:

And another lovely smile:

Trying to open the water bottle with all of her might and then some... she already knows how to exaggerate. uh-oh, we're in for it! ;)

adore

2010-06-24T21:34:00.001-07:00

I adore this face. Last night the dog sneezed and Fern said 'Bless you Samuel'.

the Hambricks

2010-06-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of Mimi and Papa from our trip. For those that didn't know... Al's dad is a baptist minister, and this is his cute little church.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Al,

It's sad to think that you probably don't know how much you are appreciated. I should tell you more often. Thanks for being the best dad you can possibly be. Fern is one lucky kiddo and I can tell from these photos that she agrees. :) From the bottom of my heart, Ginger

the duck pond

2010-06-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

When I was little, I would go feed the ducks with my musical kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Strobel. She really liked mushrooms and owls. They were all over her house. I have a feeling that we would have much in common these days now that I am all grown up. I was only three when I knew her, but she has left somewhat of a lasting impression with me. I think it has something to do with nature's impact. It is so powerful for little ones. And absolutely necessary I think. I don't know how many times I went with her to feed the ducks, but I remember it like we had been hundreds of times. Maybe we had.

There are no ducks in Guam, that you can feed anyway, so I was really looking forward to taking her to the Duck Pond in Norman while we were there. And we got to go with Aunt Greta to boot. Most of the ducks have been replaced by geese, so I'm sure they have left an impression on Fern. (They could be a tad intimidating to a 2 foot tall person.) If not, she'll have this video to remember them by. And the bazillions of photographs of course. :)

spreading seed

2010-06-08T21:49:00.001-07:00

Another picture at the farm. Blowing dandelions. This particular one wasn't quite ready and she was having a pretty difficult time getting those seeds to disperse. :)

the farm

2010-06-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am slowly getting through more pictures of our trip to the mainland. I was hoping to post about the trip while we were still there, but we are already back and I am still going to be posting about the trip a few more times. Anyway, here is a sneak peek from our visit to the farm to see Uncle Kenny, amongst others. Sadly, it was raining most of the time we were there, so I didn't even take that many pictures. I think our farm is one of the most beautiful places, EVER. Every time I go back, I am astonished by the beauty found there. I think it must come from living in the tropics and never ever seeing big oak trees. In fact, most of the trees in Guam are quite puny, due to the typhoons. I am totally going to freak out when we go back to the northwest someday...at least to visit. Those are some big trees. I can almost smell them just thinking about it.

Calling the cows with Grandpa. Her first real live cows!

Oh, and here is the watermark for my new logo. so exciting! Isn't it cute?

back yard fishin' and long walks

2010-05-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

I love that this is my parents back yard now.

Earthworms!!!

Reeling in the line!

Fishing with dad.

Lukas caught a fish!!!! 1 of 3.

A little bluegill...not a good one to eat... he was released.

Walk in the woods.

Exploring Grandpa's property

Grandpa looks so tiny on this big hill!

So handsome.
My parents new place with Grandma on the deck

Pretty little butterfly

Going on a walk with Grandma and Grandpa, enjoying the perfect weather.

Arkansas

2010-05-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Two mamas on Mother's Day

Securing the boys while they clean the gutters from the rooftop

Hotubbing with cousin Lukas!

Tired baby after a swim

family tree

2010-05-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

My folks recently moved to a house on Lake Anne in Arkansas, so I was super excited to see their new place. They have about an acre of woods behind their house and it is brimming with birdlife... hummingbirds and woodpeckers being my two favorites to watch so far. I can say that I will never take birdsong for granted again. When I step outside here, that is all I hear, and it is fantastic. I was looking forward to it, but it was so much better than expected. I just want to sit outside all. day. long.

Of course my mother wanted a picture of all of us, so I decided to have everyone sit on this fallen oak tree. I'm really excited about these woods you see. I learned that I really need to buy a remote for my camera. Using the timer for this one was challenging to say the least. I only had about four chances to run up the steep, rocky hill and jump up onto this tree that came up to my eyebrows when I was standing on the ground. That's alot to do in 10 seconds. (Now I'm thinking that the time might be able to be adjusted on my camera.) After the 4th snap, I was too tired to get up there again. I didn't even make it the second and third time! So considering, I was pretty happy with the result. (Fern was also throwing one heckuva tantrum during most of this, so the fact that she is smiling is pretty amazing!) The flowers are from the woods all around here. Not sure that I like this collage but thought I'd post it since I spent the time to make it. More of our trip to come...soon.

{You can click it to see it larger :)}

Horace

2010-04-30T03:33:00.000-07:00

no more photos mama!

2010-04-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

Fern thought it was pretty funny to try to put my lens cap on when I was trying to take a picture of her!

my girl is rad

2010-04-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

We took Fern to Ritidian in the morning over the weekend. We found a perfect spot that has alot of shade well into the morning. It was also a bit overcast off and on, which may have helped with the shadiness. Regardless, we will be going more often now, I'm certain. Fern thought the hermit crabs were very interesting until...

...the little guy grabbed onto her fingertip when she tried to drop him, and he clung to her with all of his pincer grasp might. He finally let go, but Fern didn't know what to think of this little critter now. Her uncertainty is displayed below in the video. (I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut while I'm taking video, and they would be much nicer!)

She definitely doesn't want him on her shoulder, DAD. :)

After swimming and crabs, we went butterfly hunting (or they did actually, while I watched through my viewfinder). Fern already loves butterflies, but they are usually too quick for us to catch them around our house to show her one up close. At Ritidian, though, they like to hang out in the bushes and you can grab them while they are resting on the branches unaware:

See them in the trees?

Allen is a very good butterfly catcher. He's quite sneaky.

Oh, the anticipation!

Allen says that they play dead. Sure enough, this one took off moments later and fluttered on his merry way.

Then more swimming.

And finally a nap.

A good morning it was.

My girl is rad.

all around the mulberry bush

2010-04-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was super excited to learn from a neighbor that there were three mulberry bushes within a 5 min walk from our house. I took Fern to pick some. She had a blast, but didn't get the idea that you should leave the red ones for next time, that the red ones turn black, and then taste much better. Fresh berries (blueberries, and strawberries) are about 10 bucks for 20 individual berries here on Guam, and they are already half-rotten by the time they get off of the ship. I had no idea there was an edible berry like this that grew in the tropics. It was my first time (and Fern's of course) to taste these berries and they are absolutely delicious and sweet. I have a feeling we'll be visiting those bushes several times a week. ;)

Q: Can you guess what's in this series of photos below?

A: It's a teeny tiny sagu palm tree! I found it, digging around a compost pile in search of rhino beetle larvae. It was a small chunk of trunk with some roots. Sure enough, after I stuck it in a pot of dirt, it sprouted a tiny frond. It's pretty neat to watch all of it's miniscule leaves unfurl!

Letting the cat out

2010-04-13T02:27:00.000-07:00

She said "Ki-kat, potty outside?" Luckily for us, she can't quite manipulate the doorknob, but that won't stop her from trying.

eggs, eggs, and more eggs!

2010-04-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

I know I'm posting this a bit late, but late is better than never for the grandfolks! Fern's daycare celebrated easter with an egghunt for the kiddos and I came to watch. Unfortunately, Fern had pooped her britches and I was changing her in the bathroom when they started the hunt, so there were only a few left by the time we made it outside. No biggie, since there were more egghunts to follow! Fern's best buddy Daniel is pictured below. They were using their pointer fingers to play in a puddle of water that was sitting between them while the basket decorating contest was going on in front of them... almost the cutest thing ever I think, the two of them in their matching Good Day shirts:

This year we used ingredients around the house to color eggs, such as achiote, turmeric, and coffee! Fern had fun putting stickers on the eggs, and we all had fun coloring them with crayons (I think I had the most fun with that part, but even Al colored one, and then asked for another, and there wasn't another because I had already greedily colored them all...).

Saturday, Xavier and Alisha joined us on an egghunt around our house. We were initially going to do it alone with Fern, but we are so glad that they decided to join us. Allen hid all of the eggs and the kiddos had fun collecting them and then meandering over to the park as the sun went down. It was a good day for sure.

We finished up the holiday with brunch at the Westin, treated by friends, and another egg hunt for Fern there. I still haven't uploaded those pictures yet... just a few more to come!

sunny delight

2010-03-27T14:33:00.001-07:00

Taking pictures in full sun presents somewhat of a challenge, one that I've been trying to embrace lately. After all, most of my waking time is spent in full sun, is it not? Here we are lying around at the pool a few weeks ago. I have Allen to thank for taking these. Thank you Allen, :)

I told her to close her eyes and act like she's sleeping....
Of course, squinting eyes are the result of looking directly into the sun-something that can ruin a picture, but I sure think it is adorable here.

We went to the annual 'make a wish foundation' kite festival for a few hours yesterday. Fern ran around saying 'kite. kite. kite.' It's pretty cool to witness your very own child seeing things for the first time. Shortly after these pictures were taken, and while I was attempting to chat with some friends that we met there, Fern ran to the overflowing trash can, picked up a beer can that was partially filled with beer+cigarette butts. Before I could snatch it out of her tiny hands, she poured it down the front of her dress. Let me tell you, that smelled nice!! {I took these photos with my old telephoto (70-200) that I haven't picked up for a few years. It was alot of fun, but wow! it's a big, heavy lens. This was a perfect event to reunite with it and I hope to use it more frequently now.} Here's some more midday sun!

One last sunny shot....remember the coconut we chopped up for the orchids? This is how the local people use the coconut to hold orchids to palm trees. Eventually the orchid will grow into the tree and you can remove the coconut. This one we attached to our betelnut tree.

little hands

2010-03-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

I love the hand on the hip here.

Isn't She Gorgeous?

2010-03-16T03:00:00.000-07:00

{I was referring to our blooming pineapple, but Fern fits the bill too. ;) }

Blessing by the Ocean

2010-03-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

I've got these gorgeous friends who have these gorgeous babies... we all gathered at the beach in Ipan so that these new little people could be blessed with some love and poetry. I was lucky to be asked to snap some photos. {Good thing I brought my camera. ;)}

Here are Luna Isa and Anna!

And here's a couple of my favorites:

Little Anna has the most beautiful eyes. They look extra sparkly here and if you look closely, you can see about 4 coconut tree reflections in her eyes. Gotta love island life...

Ekko, playing with a car while laying down! He is the mellowest of little boys.

Luna and her dad, Tom. And Ekko in back.

In the Garden

2010-02-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

I wish I had more time to spend in the garden, if I can even call it that. It's mostly just a smattering of plants and herbs here and there. Someday, I will have a big garden, (flowers and food), and a big greenhouse, and many hours in the day to fiddle around in it. It is so relaxing. We bought an orchid yesterday for inspiration.

Orchids like to use coconut husks to grow on...

Thanks, Al. ;)

*You can also use woodchips or lava rock, but we are lucky to have coconut trees around (just one of the nice things about living on an island).

Fern is proving to be a fan of the garden too. And quite a big help she is! {Notice the dirt around her mouth. She doesn't mind getting dirty...that's my girl! I'd rather her not eat it, but she's pretty determined.}

She helped me weed out all of the aloe and put it in a box to give away. (not a bad weed to have, right?)

We've been waiting a long time for this guy to make his appearance. Our last pineapple took about 1.5 years to bloom, and this one waited just as long. It's makes the event one to celebrate, that's for sure. I'll be taking pictures of it as it grows- it it one of the most gorgeous fruit blooms I've ever had the privilege to see.

Lemongrass for tea. It grows like a weed here too, thank goodness.

Spending some time...

2010-02-20T01:22:00.000-08:00

...outside with my girl while Allen makes our traditional weekend pancake breakfast. I used to make the pancakes, but Al took over...his pancakes are much tastier, hands down.

And here's the best part: they're blueberry.

After Fern picks out all of the berries, she makes a request for more. We always have to keep our fridge stocked full with blueberries!

Ruffled Bum

2010-02-19T02:46:00.001-08:00

Baby and Me

2010-02-12T11:31:00.001-08:00

There's not too many pictures of Fern and myself, so I thought I'd post a couple Al took the other day. Here we are looking at birds (she loves birds but she gets easily distracted as you can see), and jumping (something she REALLY likes to do and I'm almost regretting teaching her how as she nearly launches herself off of the couch and coffee table, thinking that I can catch her from 5 feet away.) { I guess it's nice to know that trust is not an issue. :) }

Stinker

2010-02-12T01:18:00.000-08:00

This one speaks for itself. Allen grabbed the camera and snapped this. I'm glad I didn't discover her, because I would have probably grabbed the child instead. And I would have never seen this picture that I love.

Dollies

2010-01-30T19:34:00.001-08:00

I was never too terribly fond of dolls growing up. My thing was stuffed animals for sure. I'd put a diaper on a monkey before a doll any day. I think I had one single Barbie, and that was because it came with a horse called Dallas. I wanted the horse. So, I just assumed Fern would be the same. So far, she hasn't even touched any of her stuffed animals, but oh my, how she loves her 'babies'! for now at least. She got her first one this Christmas from my cousin Jannifer. And she has since stolen one from daycare. She has to have them when she eats. She has to cover them up with a 'seet' just so. She gives them kisses. I do encourage it, so that might have something to do with it. Maybe deep down somewhere I want her to have a little brother or sister. :)

A sweet little kiss.

Car Wash in Gum Boots

2010-01-23T23:29:00.000-08:00

Fern's friend Mariana brought back some gum boots for Fern from their trip to New Zealand. Here she is, sporting her new boots and helping Dada wash the car. She loves her new boots and now chooses them over all of her other shoes.

Could she be any cuter? I'm not so sure....

Stuff

2010-01-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

Fern loves her Learning Tower, and so do we. It has enabled her to be a part of things when we are cooking or cleaning in the kitchen, and has kept her from getting under our feet and hanging on our legs. Sometimes she eats snacks there, plays with puzzles or blocks, plays with her babies (one of which she stole from her daycare, she loves it so much...), helps us clean the counter, or just practices climbing. It is going to be great to use as she grows.

Fern's first taste of fresh coconut:

Fern's first ponytail:

Her first pigtails:

Dada putting a hair clip in her hair...it's a miracle (that she's allowing it):

I was on a hair clip making frenzy a while back. Below is one that I made. She's also making the sign for bird here. So darn cute, no?

At the playground:

Fern likes to simulate naptime at home these days. And she always wants me to join her. And of course we have to cover up with a 'seet'.

At Tumbles Gym:

A few things that Allen whipped up last week:

Sauteed shrimps...yum.

And Molasses Wheat Bran Nut Muffins:

The final product....{yeah, I'm pretty lucky. :) }

New Years Resolution

2010-01-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to try to take photos of things other than Fern. And post them here or maybe just on Flickr. One of them being food I make. I think it will help me to slow down and make my food prettier and more presentable. I want to slow down. Is that possible with children? Sometimes we will eat dinner with half of the table covered in books and mail and other junk. Not very relaxing. Here are a couple of things I made last week from Miro's new cookbook, Chakra Recipes!

Spinach Potage Soup:

And Crispy Pumpkin:

Check it out if you are into vegan food, especially if you live on Guam because the dishes are made with items available here on island! http:/www. mirori.jp/

Just click on works, then chakra recipes. You can also see some of her amazing artwork here, which is included in her beautiful cookbook. Don't let the Japanese scare you, the recipes are also written in English. ;)

Jumping High

2010-01-07T23:57:00.000-08:00

We took Fern to the friary to see the Christmas Around the World display. We had to wait until they opened, so here we are, killing some time:

Allen was teaching Fern how to jump, and it quickly escalated to a big air competition with Dad's help, of course.

A quick glance for the camera.

Before and After

2010-01-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming, but finally our kitchen is done! I will spare you the 'during' shots.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I think it's an improvement. :)

Thanks, Joon, for your time and talent!

Christmas Traditions

2010-01-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

Here's my attempt at capturing some gift unwrapping for those of you on the other side of the world. Thank you everyone for all of your sweet gifts. Her favorites were the Learning Tower, a singing puppet, an Elmo boom box, a baby doll, and shoes. Some of my favorites were some super cute dresses!

Christmas Swim

2009-12-30T23:06:00.000-08:00

I can't wait for the day that chlorine is banned and salinization is the norm. Fern loves the pool, especially the ladder! We ran out to buy a life jacket because she is scaring us with her fearlessness. Now that she can run almost as fast as we can swim, it takes two of us there to make sure she doesn't just leap into the pool without us there. I think she would! Turns out that she is NOT a fan of the life jacket. I'm pretty sure I wasn't either when I was her age.

Merry Christmas after the fact!

2009-12-28T02:07:00.001-08:00

I didn't want to spoil the surprise and post my pictures for the Christmas card before everyone received it. I'm thinking MOST people have received it by now? We took Fern out to take pictures in her Christmas dress.... here are a few...

Our Little Cock-a-too

2009-12-01T02:31:00.001-08:00

From Auntie Jenn

2009-11-16T02:52:00.000-08:00

Aunt Jenn and Uncle Richie gave Fern this outfit many months ago and it is one of my favorites. I love the top so much...it makes me want to sew...for lack of better words and TIME.

Sand Play

2009-11-10T21:28:00.001-08:00

Just One

2009-11-06T20:59:00.001-08:00

Halloween

2009-11-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

I made Fern's Halloween costume this year, so we had to test it out before her first time trick or treating. I had so much fun doing it. I can't wait until she is bigger and we can make things together. Her wings flopped a bit (and she wasn't the most cooperative photography subject), but after a few minor wing adjustments, she was ready for the big night. I can't believe she wore them the whole night. She was very excited to be trick or treating and even threw a small tantrum when I tried to help her put her treat in her bag. She wants to do EVERYTHING herself these days.

Baby Yoga- Part Four

2009-08-09T03:49:00.000-07:00

As usual, I'm a bit late on posting this, but it was too cute to skip. We took this video about 6 weeks ago.

Fern Turns One

2009-06-27T17:34:00.001-07:00

We had a little pool party for Fern and some of her baby friends. Our friends Joon and Jackie hosted it at their pool. We even had a pinata full of goodies for the babes. (We'll be making that one a tradition...dang it's fun to swing at a pinata!:)) Fern had her first taste of cake and she gobbled it up. It was a yellow millet cake with strawberry sauce on top. If it's possible for cake to be healthy, this was it. It was actually good, to boot.

Pillaging the goodies from the wreckage.

Millet cake!

I busted it open. :)

Auntie Alisha takes a few swings.

Swimming babies!

I think Luminous was skeptical of the whole pinata act.

Fern even had a turn.

All of the babies. Mariana, Fern, Luminous and Xavier.

I took these pictures of her on her birthday:

Best Buds

2009-06-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

Fern has a new best friend. As some of you already know, we have acquired Sam, the infamous snake detector dog, as our pet. Fern loves him, and I am sure it will be reciprocated as she grows older and stops grabbing handfuls of skin and hair. He is sometimes gentle, but can be dangerous. (See video below). He is a GREAT dog and we have been honored to take him into our family despite all of his hair that ends up in Fern's bowels.

*sidenote: Yay! My camera is back, so I will start taking pictures for Flickr again!

Gimme some stink-eye!

2009-05-28T04:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a video clip of one of our favorite games. It's actually kind of an old game, but I caught it on video before she stopped giving the STINK-EYE.
She also FINALLY has a little bottom tooth sprouting!

The Essence of Fern

2009-05-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

Crying, crawling, smiling, dancing, clapping, walking....our little bi-polar girl.

Rainy Day Dining

2009-05-09T01:32:00.001-07:00

Since we are in the midst of a kitchen renovation, I've had to feed Fern her dinner outside in the stroller a few times. On this particular day, it began to sprinkle. As you can see, she was enjoying herself!

On a sad note, my digital SLR has finally gone kaput. I'm heartbroken about it. So, from here forward, all pictures will be taken with my point n' shoot. phooey.

Sella Bay: Fern's First Hike

2009-03-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Back in January, we took Fern on her first hike. We went with friends to Sella Bay. It's about a 30 minute hike down to a secluded bay and some old Spanish ruins. We even took the detector dogs, Sam and Mason, with us. Fern enjoys riding on our backs in the Ergo carrier. Dad carried an umbrella to protect her from the sun, as the hike is mostly in open grassland. Good times were had by all. I didn't take any photos of the actual hike, unfortunately, but there is a longish, unedited video attached which displays the swimming skills of several, including the dogs.

Next time we'll bring something to sit on. :)

After a swim.

Look at this handsome little man!

Cozy little cove.

Photo Madness!

2009-03-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

When Fern was about 2 months old, with the urging of my dear friend Jenny, I started taking one picture every single day of Fern. (Allen has even taken some of them!) I post them on Flickr. In the past I tried to insert a slideshow of them on my sidebar but could never figure it out. I am about a month behind and several of the photos are already on the blog, but for those of you who can't get enough of Fern, click on the link for "365 Days in the Life of Fern" on the right sidebar.

Fern and Friends at the Beach

2009-03-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Christmas y Mas-Part Five- La Rebecca

2009-03-19T01:56:00.001-07:00

Good grief. We are almost through March and I am still blogging about Christmas! I'll just have to skip a few things I was going to post.

So the end of our trip was blessed by a visit from Auntie Rebecca. Fern LOVED her, as you can see below. Fern also had her first food while we were in Texas- bananas!

And finally, a video clip of Papa playing 'Sugar Time' on the piano while Mimi and Fern sing along. (I got a tip from a friend and now I can easily upload better quality videos to the blog!) This video is older than the last two...I apologize for the lack of organizational skills. :)

What does a Dog say?

2009-03-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

This is pretty cute.

Cause and Effect

2009-03-04T03:47:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but these videos sometimes take 10 attempts to get them uploaded. That's why they are so old. A friend gave Fern this cube, which she has used to perfect her standing and cruising skills. Here she is shortly after she had learned that the lever makes the music play. This video was taken over a month ago.

Christmas y Mas-Part Four-Mas Familia

2009-02-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

When Jenny and Violet left for Boise, they were replaced by Fern's Uncle Richie, Aunt Jenn and cousin Lukas.

Posing for the camera.

Lukas says hi to baby Fern.

Getting to know Aunt Jenn.

Stepping stones.

When Lukas realized that mom and dad were not following him....

Sticks are fun.

Fishing with Grandpa.

Baby Yoga - Part Three

2009-02-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

These were actually taken before Christmas. I liked them so much that I wanted to post them even though she is much older now.

Savasana- Corpse

Another happy baby pose - my favorite.

Baddha Konasana-Cobbler Pose

Christmas y Mas-Part Three-High School Reunion

2009-02-17T04:33:00.000-08:00

After Christmas #2, we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa Haddock's just in time to pick up my friend Jenny and her baby Violet from the airport. We had a little reunion New Year's party at my folks' house with our other best friend Mandy, and her her two kids, Madeline and Lola. It was really fun to meet each others' kids after talking about them (and mothering in general) over the phone for the last few years!

Grandpa and Fern. I love this one.

Mandy and Lola. How sweet :).

Madeline. She was extremely energetic when outside! I think this is the only time she looked at me and it was only for half a second.

Sling mama.

Lola is trying to keep up with her big sister.

Madeline is recoiling from the splash caused a big rock she threw.

Baby Violet on the move. I loved her little waddle!

Jenny and Violet.

At the park.

Christmas y Mas- Part Two -The Hambricks

2009-02-15T03:15:00.001-08:00

After our first Christmas celebration on the farm, we headed back to the Hambricks for a second Christmas. This time, Allen's sister Margaret and our nephew Emory joined us.

How cute is this?

Aunt Margaret holds the sleeping baby.

It was insanely cold in Norman.

We also met up with some old Peace Corps friends and met their son for the first time:

Finnegan, Mindy, and me.

The Voluntad de Dios crew, reunited, and with offspring.

The Centipede

2009-02-10T04:21:00.000-08:00

Fern is crawling now, but three weeks ago she was getting around like this:

Christmas y Mas- Part One

2009-01-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

The holidays have come and gone and I am still trying to catch up with everything here on Guam. We celebrated for 3 full weeks on the mainland with family and friends. Many people met Fern for the first time; our schedules were packed with trips from state to state to show her off and many loved ones came long distances to meet her. Below are just a few million pictures of the festivities.

Prior to the transcontinental trip, we went to the beach for a playdate with Alisha, her friend Christina, and baby Xavier:

Fern wants Xavier to take off his clothes too.

Grubbin'.

I got lucky with this one. At this point in time Fern couldn't sit for long without toppling over.

Suzanne, Malo and Ska decided to join us.

The first flight to Japan was smooth sailin'. Fern even slept for about 30 minutes of the 3.5 hour flight in the bassinet at the special bulkhead seat. woo-hoo! Did you even know there was such a thing? The Narita/Tokyo airport was super family friendly. There were special nursing rooms (even though you should be able to nurse any time, any place, but unfortunately our society has made that uncomfortable for most), front row seating at the gate, and women with children were shuffled to the fronts of lines. There were even holiday crafts to pass the time:

Making a holiday craft.

At a fancier airport restaurant.

We spent one quick night with Grandma and Grandpa in Dallas:

Reading with Grandma on her 65th birthday.

Pre-Christmas at MiMi and PaPa's where Fern met Allen's whole family for the first time:

MiMi and PaPa.

More Mimi and Papa.

Aunt Greta easily puts Fern to sleep- not an easy task!

Uncle Wade!

All bundled up. It was 15 degrees F. She actually didn't seem as bothered by the weather as I was.

We hung out with some friends and met Mia for the first time. Check out those curls!

(This is quite possibly how Fern contracted her illness....:))

Christmas at the Saloga farm:

Meeting Uncle Richie.

Meeting cousin Jannifer, little Macy, and Mallory. Macy was really interested in Fern.

Grandma reading a Christmas story to the kiddos on Christmas Eve before unwrapping awaited gifts. Lukas is paying close attention.

Lukas takes his first picture with the camera Santa left for him. Lucky boy.

Fern and mama with bad hair on Christmas Day.

Grandpa.

Great Uncle Kenny looking stern.

Bart and Beth stopped by to meet Fern on their way to the lake. It was such a nice surprise!

Lukas playing in the hay barn that we (my brother, cousins, and I) used to play in when we were small. I don't know how many times I have weighed myself on that scale.

Much has changed on the farm over the years. I have many warm memories from this place. When I was little, there were pigs, chickens and cattle . I used to go feed the cows with my Great Uncle Edwin and check the chicken barn for eggs. My brother and I would hop into the pig pen, touch the piglets, and see who would stay inside the fence the longest when the mama sow became angry and charged after us. I remember picking strawberries in the huge garden and then helping to prepare them for canning. We used to build forts out of hay bales in the barn with our cousins every Easter. My Grandpa would sit out on the sun porch and play 'Pop Goes the Weasel' on his mandolin while all of us kids danced. We went on long walks up the lane with my Uncle Kenny. I spent many holidays and summers here with my family. It was a great place to roam and let the imagination soar. It is much quieter now. There are no animals, and my Uncle Kenny is the only one left in this house where my mother was born. The farm is a place of nostalgia for me. And some things are still the same, like this vice:

The old vice. We used to make 'diamonds' with the ice from the cow tank by crushing it in this vice.

We used to listen to our echoes and get all creeped out in this silo.

These tools probably haven't been touched for 10+ years.

The sun porch, where many a' pipe was smoked and many tunes were played on the violin and mandolin.

The pigs used to hang out behind that fence.

The cow barn, which is now cowless.

Taken from the inside of the hay barn, looking out at a cool tree.

My dad standing in the same doorway.

The machine shed, which housed all of the tractors and such. I LOVE the smell of this barn. mmmmm, grease.

The magnificent oak, one of many that my Uncle Edwin planted on the farm.

I hope that Fern also has a place that creates fond memories someday.

Feliz Navidad

2008-12-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

Fern wishes everyone a happy holiday from sunny Guam!

Into the Big Blue Ocean!

2008-12-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Fern has been swimming in the ocean for, geez, a few months now. She loves the water, especially when dad is holding her. We try to go as often as possible, but our busy lives don't allow us to go as often as we'd like. At least we can go for a quick dip in the pool if there isn't time for a beach trip. Oh, how I miss those endless Peace Corps days! Now I blink, and it's a new day. Such is life with a babe. Here are some pictures from various beaches. And I have topped it off with a quick video at the end. We will probably be stateside before the next post! We can't wait!

Here she is at Gun Beach after her first real swim in the ocean:

Dancin' in the sand.

At Ipan Beach in southern Guam:

Fern and mama swimming with friends Else, Penny, Ester, and their kids.

Fern with Pops, Else with Ekko, and Penny with Emily.

Fern with ma and pa.

Sunset in Tamuning:

Fern really is in this picture (held by dad).

Dad and Fern.

At Y'Pao beach (Two Lovers Point in the background) :

I think she likes it :)

Yes, she definitely likes it!

And finally, a tiny clip of her paddling skilz:

Baby Yoga- Part Two

2008-11-22T02:14:00.000-08:00

Half-lotus, Ardha Padanasana

Happy Baby, Ananda Balasana

Happy Baby or Happy Daddy?

I love these pictures. They really show what a big girl she is now. And the cool thing is that I have more! I had several things that I wanted to post/blog about, but due to computer, internet, AND camera/lens issues, I am WAY behind and probably won't be able to catch up. So I'll probably just toss up some pictures here and there and maybe a video or two before our big Christmas trip to the mainland. There is a friend coming over next week to try to fix our computer which would help tremendously. I already have more baby yoga, but I'll maybe save them for next week (even though they are already outdated).