Europe!

We went to Europe as a family of four for 10 days to visit family and friends. First we went to London where Arne's cousin Ryan lives. He has two young girls but they were away on a vacation so Elsa got to stay in their room and play with their toys. We saw Karna's friend Grace and went to the Tate Modern and the Millennium bridge. 

To get out of the cold - it was snowing - we went on a short boat tour on the Thames. It was perfect for getting Elsa to nap, but Liam stayed awake and enjoyed viewing London by boat.

 

The next morning we explored around Ryan's home, seeing daffodils in Kensington Park and going to a science exhibit. We took the train to Paris.

At the Paris train station there was a long line to get a taxi, but because we had a baby we were moved to the front of the line - nice! We stayed with Martine and Jean, Arne's family friends, and enjoyed wonderful meals made by Martine and served with wine made by their daughter, Cécile. Arne's brother Paul also stayed with Jean and Martine five years ago when Paul's daughter Erika was about Elsa's age.

The next day we headed out to see a bit of Paris and took the bus to a boat ride along the Seine river.  It was great to see lots of the sights and also be warm. Elsa stayed awake this time.

After the ride, we toured around Notre Dame.

I enjoyed navigating via all the maps.

Elsa only wanted to eat cake.

 The next day was Sunday and our first sunny day of the trip.  We headed out to the Menagerie (zoo). Arne explored the winter garden greenhouse while Karna took the kids to the playground.

It was fun to explore Paris via metro.  Elsa enjoyed all the special time with us, and particularly her brother Liam!

Monday arrived and we took a flight to Barcelona.  

 

Once there we headed to Sitges, the home of Arne's friend from first grade, Ben. 

It was so nice to be in a warm sunny country.  We were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset, with Arne taking lots of photos and videos.

The next day we explored Sitges and played at the beach.

We had a wonderful dinner, courtesy of a happy Liam and  Elsa.

Our last full day in Spain we took the train to Barcelona and went to the Parc Guell. Karna went to Parc Guell in 2007.

It was fun but tiring adventure.  That night we headed over to Ben's home for food and play with his family. Elsa ate her favorite meal, a half a loaf of bread insides.  Liam was just happy.

The next morning we headed for home. 

I was sad to leave Spain, but happy for all the great time the kids had together.  They are a blessing. 

100 Day of Liam

Liam has been part of our lives for 100 days now!  The days seem to fly by with walks, naps, and adventures.  He started out just so small and now is getting so big - almost 14 pounds - and he is able to do things his sister never did, like suck his thumb.

The weeks just keep going by with our baby boy getting bigger.

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

His sister Elsa was 100 days old not that long ago, and now she is just such a great big sister who loves her brother.

We are so lucky to have them in our lives.

Easter 2013

This was our first Easter with Baby Liam!  We started the day with Arne's parents in Berkeley at the First Congregational Church Easter service and then ended the day in Millbrae with my family.

 

Elsa really enjoyed hunting for the eggs we decorated.  She also like to put them out again and tell people to collect eggs.

In particular she liked putting eggs in the angel statue.

Auntie Amanda did a good job with Liam while Arne took video.  Liam is not mobile enough yet to participate in Easter egg hunts.

After the egg hunt we all gathered for a brunch of cheese souffle made from my grandmother's recipe.

It was good family fun!

Nisewaner's

Stokstad's

Kauai: A Hawaii Family Adventure

For my Mom's big birthday we all headed out to Hawaii!  It was a wonderful family adventure.  We started out going to Waimea canyon, the "Grand Canyon" of Hawaii.

We had a good time at the canyon and then ate at the Shrimp Shack on the way home. It was March 17th and the residents at the resort decorated their golf carts for a St. Patrick's day parade.  The parade ended with all of us enjoying sunset at the beach.

Liam was a very good boy the whole trip, smiling a lot at everyone and enjoying himself. He turned three months old during the trip.

Elsa was very excited by a "floaty" that she played with on the greenbelt behind our house.  She would throw it up in the air and then run after it.  It was endless fun.

Elsa also got to use the floaty in the pool with her Auntie Amanda and Uncle Carter one day, while Mom and Dad enjoyed a day at the spa.

 

We enjoyed a train adventure around an old plantation that included feeding wild pigs, while others visited waterfalls and hiked the beautiful Na Pali coast.

 

 Elsa also really liked the beach.  She built sand castles and ponds, and then would sit in her pond. Mom took this fabulous picture of Elsa:

 Both kids got to enjoy the ocean at Poipu Beach.

 It was a lot of fun to have a happy Elsa at the beach.

This was a wonderful trip with Mom and Amanda.  We were last in Hawaii together in 2002 on the Big Island.

 The flight home was perfect with both kids sleeping most of the way.

 Hooray for Hawaii 2013!