Happy Birthday Cally Mae!

I can hardly believe it! It's been a year since Cally was born but only feels like yesterday! I have learned so much and my life has changed immensely but I'm grateful for it all. Cally has been an amazing baby and it's been so much fun watching her grow and learn new things. She is such a happy, smart, and friendly little girl! She loves everyone, always smiling and laughing and now waving hello. This last month she reached a huge milestone. She finally got walking down and she's now cruising around like a pro. No more hands and knees! This is an exciting time for all of us and I'm so grateful that Zane was around to witness it. It's so fun to watch her walk around, she's like a little person, no longer a baby. I have officially weaned her off breast milk and she is now drinking cow's milk with no complaints. She continues to sleep in her crib and through the night. Along with waving hello, she loves to clap her hands together every time we say "yay!!!" and she's trying her best to communicate with us. She is not quite saying any distinct words but she makes noises to get our attention and to express herself. This has been an amazing year for all of us! Happy Birthday my darling girl! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you'll ever know!

Cally officially turned 1 in TN while we were there visiting John and Mary. We celebrated with a little birthday cake and presents from Nan and Papa bear!
(Pictures to come...)

The following weekend, we drove down to Yuma to visit with friends and family and decided to throw her a small birthday party at my friend Jil's house. We got together with family and some of my best friends which I had not seen in a very long time and celebrated along with all of our kiddos. It was so great to see everyone and share such a fun day!

Mmmmmm, yummy cake!

haha, licking the plate!

Uncle Klay, Auntie Erica, and cousins Nick and Katie

Rachel, Stephanie, Melanie, Me, Jil

Rebbeka, Zoe, Cally, Cadence, Matthew, Carter, Jackson, and Tennison

The mommies, the kiddos, and Mel ;o)

Rebbeka, Rachel, Kristen, Samuel, and Melanie

Rachelle, Brandi, Scott, and Faith

Scottie and AJ

Aunt Bev and Zane

*Jil, thank you so much for lending us your beautiful home and helping me out with everything! I could not have done it without you! Love you!

Mommy-Daddy time

Zane and I decided to take a little trip down to Cancun just the two of as part of our post deployment rekindlement. We both had a hard time leaving Cally but knew it was important to spend some time together without her. Michelle, Zane's sister, was kind enough to fly down from Oregon with her youngest daughter Zuri, to watch Cally for the few days while we were gone. It was a great opportunity for us to finally meet Zuri and for Cally to spend some time with her Aunt Michelle.

Michelle flew in a day before we left to help make the transition a bit easier for Cally. We spent the day at the beach splashing around, and enjoying the sun. It was still pretty chilly but nothing compared to the wet and cold Oregon winters that Zuri and Michelle had experienced so they were happy to just see sunlight.

The following day Zane and I left early in the morning to L.A. and left Cally to get to know her auntie and cousin. She spent the next three days playing with Zuri, going for lots of walks, and just having a great time. Michelle said she never even cried which shows be the bittersweet truth that Cally can, in fact, survive without me.

*Michelle, thanks so much for coming out and watching Cally for us! We really appreciate you taking the time to do this! We'll be more than glad to return the favor one day, all you have to do is ask! ;o) Love you!

Our trip to Cancun was wonderful! We spent the first day at our all inclusive resort, laying out on the beach and enjoying the hot sun! It was spring break for the Canada schools so it got kinda rowdy towards the end of the day but it was interesting nevertheless. It was funny to look at the crowd and think that we once were a part of them but I definitely felt I was way passed that time in my life, and glad of it. After a long day in the sun, we enjoyed some wonderful sushi, and called it a night being that we are now so "old."

The following day we drove inland to one of the new wonders of the world, Chichen Itza, a sacred Mayan temple and city built in 600 AD. We walked around admiring the ruins and learning a bit about Mayan history while bargaining for souvenirs with the local vendors. After a long day of walking around, we ended it by enjoying a refreshing dive into a beautiful "cenote." A cenote is a water-filled limestone sinkhole which are found all over the Mexican Riviera and Yucatan and their natural beauty is indescribable! A must see if ever there.

Our final day in Cancun, we decided to head south towards a small beach city named Playa Del Carmen. Our plan was to take a tour through caverns that were nearby but when we found out that the tour would take too long and would make us late for our flight home, we decided to find a beach and enjoy our last day out in the sun. We found the perfect spot and spent the day swimming in the beautiful Caribbean waters, having a delicious lunch on the beach while enjoying some great music, and doing a little shopping at the stores nearby.

We had an amazing time and came back with a great tan...Could not have asked for more :o).