Welcome Baby Boy Douglass

Congratulations to our friends Troy and Sarah, who today welcomed a beautiful baby boy! He was two weeks past his due date, and it shows: 9 lbs. 3 oz! They haven't settled on a name just yet, but Mia can't wait to meet her new little friend (and neither can we). Best wishes to the new family!

Mia in MIA

It's 49F and raining in Portland today, but just a couple weeks ago we were in sunny, hot Miami. It was Mia's first time in the "pantano," and  she got to visit with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and close family friends. She also got to taste a lot of yummy Cuban food. She was very excited to meet everyone (and to go swimming!). Tia Ale even flew all the way from Spain for the occasion! Of course, we took tons of photos :-) The full slideshow is posted here.

Los extranamos muchisimo!

Un abrazo fuerte!

Two Years Old Already

*Open Letter to Our Baby Girl*

Dear Mia,
A few weeks ago you turned two years old! You are your own little person now. You are very funny and make us laugh all the time with your funny faces. When you look back at your childhood someday, we thought you might want to know what you were like at two, so here are 10 facts about Mia:

1. You say your Ls like Ys (as in "yittle" and "vioyin").
   
2. Your favorite characters are Hello Kitty, Dora and Elmo.
   
3. You get the hiccups when you laugh too hard.
   
4. You can dress yourself pretty well and very often get the shoes on the correct foot. (If we'd let you, you'd change your outfit 10 times a day.)
   
5. You love to sing and dance. Your favorite song is Fibber Island by They Might Be Giants.
6. Your favorite books are "The Big Red Barn," "Buenas Noches, Luna," "Dora's Book of Words" and "Si Le Das Una Galletita a Un Raton."
7. Your bedtime friends (stuffed animals) are Pink Teddy, Cookie Monster, Easter Bunny and Hello Kitty (recently arrived from Japan and immediately inducted into the club).
   
8. You are VERY independent. You like doing everything yourself including fastening your seat belt, getting in and out of your high chair, going potty, washing your hands, dressing/undressing, eating, etc.
   
9. You talked mommy into using one of those ridiculously huge grocery carts with the little toy car attached to the front. (Now we have to use one even if we're just running in for milk and bread. ;-)
   
10. You love your dog Mona very much. You help us feed her every day and tell her goodnight every night before you go to bed.
    

We are so proud of you, Mia! Thank you for making our lives brighter.

With Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Ladies' Night

A few nights ago, something unusual happened: Christy, Christie and I got to go out just the three of us... and on a weeknight! (Scandalous!) We went to celebrate our friend Beth who is the featured artist at a cute new local hotel. Congrats, Beth!

Random Summer Fun

Sorry for the unintended hiatus! We've been out and about trying to take advantage of the lovely summer weather. Picnics, birthday parties, trips to the park and the pool... Mia has been busy! I've just posted a little slideshow of random photos from our activities lately (here), as well as photos of Adam's awesome baseball birthday party (here). Enjoy!

Aloha Cutie

We're baaaaack! Our week in Maui was amazing and great family quality time. It was Mia's first official trip to the beach. And what a beach! At first she was a little apprehensive, but after a couple days she started saying "Mia beach, Mia playa." We lucked out with the weather and the picture-postcard view from our room. What a magical place! More photos here. Enjoy!

Catching Up With the Mia

There's been a lot of excitement around here lately, and it's not just because of the awesome weather. This spring we "ate, breathed and slept" Kempo (helping Keenan and Sean prepare for their third-degree black belt test). We also had a visit from Mimi! We went to the zoo, the Children's Museum and the pool. In May the farmer's market opened up (yay!). Needless to say Mia's been quite busy, and you know what that means: It's photo montage time again! (Or "mashup," as the kids these days like to say.) Enjoy Mia's adventures. Next up: Hawaii!

Lo hemos pasado muy chevere esta primavera, y no nadamas por el tiempo lindo. Mia ha estado muy "ocupada." Ayudo a su papa a prepararse para su examen de kempo. Tambien nos vino a visitar la abuela Mimi. Recientemente fuimos al zoologico, al museo de ninos y a la pisina (o "pileta," para mis Campanelis). Aqui les envio un montaje de fotos de los ultimos tres meses. Abrazos a todos!