Had to Share...

I just can't get over how much Sadie looks like her Daddy!

You can't really see her chin dimple in this picture... but it is there!

Newport Bay Aquarium

While at the coast for Lantz's birthday, we took Sadie to the Aquarium...

She LOVED it!

Her favorite was the "Puffer" Birds! She was giggling, pointing and calling out "splash-splash" as she watched the birds play in the water. I think she could have stood there all day, if we would have let her.

She got to see Sea Lions, Otters, Starfish, Jelly Fish, Humuhumunukunuku Apua'a and other tropical fish, Tiger Fish, Eels, Turtles, Sting Rays and Sea Cucumbers as well. I am sure I missed something, but that is all I can remember for now. Plus we visited the Under-Sea Gardens with Sharks. She had a great time in the dark under the water. She even had to check the map to make sure we were still on track. :)

(I think she may have been trying to figure out how to get back to the Puffers!)

Upon leaving the Under-Sea Gardens, you exit into a small Gift Shop (convenient for the Aquarium) and Sadie found the stuffed animals, which she has taken a real shine too in the last month or so. Anyway, she proceeds to want to pick up everything and gently lay it on the ground... turtles, sharks, sting rays, jellyfish, etc... that is until she found the Puffer Bird. She picked him up and bolted for the door! She must really love those birds. Lucky for her, her Daddy is a push over and can very rarely say no to this little face...

In all fairnesss... Who could?? Really??

So she got to come home with her very own stuffed Puffer Bird.

I know that Lantz, Grandma Cook and I truly enjoyed watching Sadie at the Aquarium. She ran from one exhibit to the other with a huge grin on her face and laughing all the way. There were a few times she got over excited and would trip and fall in her rush to see the next thing. We can't wait to take her to the Oregon Zoo in a few weeks!

Lantz's Birthday

Well... the day has finally arrived. Lantz feels old! He just turned 40!

He has had a hard time turning 40. But we made it a nice weekend. His parents were able to fly up and join us for this special birthday. We rented a lovely home on the coast that was able to comfortably accommodate us and both of our parents. Sadie even slept in a "big-girl" bed. She will not sleep in a pack-n-play so we just let her sleep on the twin bed in a room near ours. It had beautiful views of the ocean and surrounding mountains.

We were able to spend 4 days and 3 nights. We enjoyed eating in, visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory and Newport Bay Aquarium. (Pics of that to follow soon.)

We watched a little "Look Back" video of what was happening in 1969 on the night of his birthday after Sadie went to bed. He was spoiled and got home made ribs, fresh corn on the cob, and a chocolate cake with my special chocolate cream cheese frosting! He's lucky I like to spoil him! Unfortunately, the cake must have looked too good, since I forgot to take a picture. I remembered about the time we all finished our piece. :)

Sadie LOVED helping him open his presents! :) She is such a cutie! She has no idea what he is opening, but her little expressions says that it is exciting!

Sadie's 2nd Birthday

So I am a bit of a slacker. Her birthday was a few weeks ago, but I have had issues getting the photos off the camera. We had a very low key event this year for her birthday. We invited the next door neighbors and close by family. The only real splurge was her cake. Her Grandma Cook made her a great Barney Cake.

Lantz and I hit Toys R Us at the perfect time during a sale and was able to take advantage of some great bargins and get her an art easel, art pad, chalk and crayons. She has enjoyed this everyday since her birthday. She loves to color!

She was not too sure she enjoyed being sung "Happy Birthday" to, but she did like her cake. She knew immediately that it was Barney! Kuddos to Grandma Cook for doing a great job!

All in all I think she had a great day! She had lots of fun opening presents and playing with her cousins. It is amazing how fast they grow up!

Rose Garden

We also went to the Rose Garden after hitting the Rose Festival to see the garden in full bloom! It was truly spectacular. Lantz and I have been numerous times, but never when all of the roses were in bloom. It was absolutely gorgeous and smelled FABULOUS!

I got a little carried away at the Rose Garden taken pictures... these are just a few of the best, and believe me... it was hard to decide.

Rose Festival

Well... we finally did it! We finally went to the Rose Festival. We have been her 10 years and my parents were the ones to convince us to head out and brave the crowds. We actually were very smart. We took advantage of the festival, the fleet tours, and the street vendors all during the parade. This allowed for all of these events to be low key and for the most part uncrowded, because everyone was watching the parade.

Here are just a few pictures from our US Battleship tour of the Destroyer Shoup...

Sadie's First Bike!

I wanted to get a tricycle, we have all been looking for weeks! Even our neighbor has been helping search, but I could not bring myself to spend $50 + on a trike that she would ride for one summer. Well... today, Lorinda, our neighbor, came running over right after she got home from work to let me know that she saw a little bike for sale and a yard sale about 2 miles away. So... Grandpa and I loaded up Sadie and went down to take a look.

She LOVED it! She broke into tears when I took her off it to load it in the truck and come home. She cried almost all the way home. As soon as we got her and it out of the truck, she was all over it. She calls it a 'cuck' (her version of truck) which right now anything with wheels is called a 'cuck'. If you ask her which is the car, tractor, motorcycle, she can point them out right, but when you ask her what they are, she says 'cuck'. So I guess she has a new 'cuck'!

She had a great time playing with it this afternoon....