Our little J-bird (Jaycee) turns 1

Last Sunday, Jaycee turned 1. We put on her birth announcement that she has been brightening our lives since 3/25/11. She continues to brighten our lives every day. She is such a happy little girl. She loves to smile and makes everyone around her smile too. She especially loves Morgan. They give hugs and play together now and it is so much fun to see.

Here is J-bird's birthday cake.
Before she started opening presents.

Actually opening presents. She really enjoyed ripping that paper and was usually excited about what was inside. Morgan stood very close by in case she required any assistance.





It took her a minute to get started eating the cake but once she did, she shoved huge pieces in her mouth. It was fun to watch.

Two days later, she received presents in the mail from both grandma's and aunt Kalli. Getting presents didn't get old.

A little about our Jaycee:

Weight: 18lb 1 oz 6th%

Height: 28 1/2 in 25th%

She eats more than Morgan almost every meal yet remains in the 6th percentile for weight. I guess she too got her parents genes.

She started full on walking three weeks before her birthday and loves to climb. She is very independent but still a great cuddle bug.

She loves to go to the park and climb up the steps and go down the slide all by herself. If you try to help, she pushes your hand away. She will do it over and over again. She also tries to follow Morgan where ever she goes.

She is not much of a talker as far as words go but very vocal and it's not hard to know exactly what she wants. She says mama, dada, makes elephant noise using her arm for the trunk, and points to my nose and mouth on command. When she gives hugs, she'll pat you on the back if you pat her. She also leans forward to give kisses.

She does of course, clap, wave, and cover her own eyes for peek a boo.

She has her two bottom teeth and both on the top have broken through this week.

Happy Birthday Jaycee!

Day Date #2: Cliff Jumping & Cave Swimming

We ventured out on another day date. We headed out with some friends for a hike that had two destinations: an arch overhanging the ocean for cliff jumping and an underground swimming hole inside a cave.

The eastern side of Guam is more rugged and lacks a reef in many sections, resulting in conditions that are not as calm as found along much of the island's western shore. The water was beautiful, and the scenery did not disappoint.

Here is a partial view of the arch we jumped from.

Check out a video on youtube of Brent jumping from the arch.

The underground swimming hole was a first both of us. We navigated in the cave with our headlamps. The water in the cave was so pristine. Due to the complete lack of sunlight the water in the cave was probably only in the mid to upper 60's. It actually felt a little chilly compared to the warm ocean water we have grown used to.

Home Projects

Our house has been slowly but surely coming together. In some rooms, it was just a matter of finding the right thing to purchase to fill the spot but in other areas, projects were necessary.

The first was the bathroom. We found this owl shower curtain that I loved and needed a picture to match. So I painted this canvas to go above the toilet. Simple, but fun and matchy at the same time.

Next we had the family room. Our TV has to be off centered because of our couch and the layout of the room. So we were trying to find something to put on the wall that would spice it up but not compete with the TV. We looked at purchasing vinyl but our walls are fairly textured and we were afraid it wouldn't stay. Our friends in Mississippi had painted a branch on their bedroom wall and we thought we could do the same. They sent us the picture and we (Brent was a great help) traced the picture onto the wall then painted it. We're happy with how it turned out. Thanks for sharing your branch with us Sullengers.

Then we needed to find something for the little playroom wall. I searched pinterest for ideas and found this.

I loved it but had no idea where to find all those letters. I began to search Amazon but each letter was between $8-$15 plus shipping. I didn't like it that much. So I decided to make them myself. I went to Home Depot and got a sheet of ply wood for $4.01. Brent and I drew the letters but I cut and sanded most of them myself. I just used things I already had around the house to cover them. Some are just painted, some covered in scrapbook paper, some painted with push pins inserted, some wrapped in yarn, and some padded and covered in material. Morgan helped with the painting and Brent did most of the hanging. I had to spend another $3.47 on that. But all in all, a very cheap, fun, and colorful way to decorate our playroom wall.

More pictures of the home to come soon!

Exploring with Dad

I was a little under the weather today so Morgan and dad went exploring. They found this cool gun and a really big tree. And some flowers to bring home to mom of course :)

And all within a short walking distance from the house!

Rainbow Pancakes and Walking Jaycee

Unfortunately we were unable to find corned beef for St. Patrick's Day, which is our normal tradition. So to celebrate, I made rainbow pancakes with a little marshmallow cloud on top. Morgan loved helping me make each pancake a different color. She also loved eating the marshmallow cream.

Jaycee has been really walking all over the place for just over two weeks now. (11mo 1 week) I thought a better video was needed than of the four steps she took in the last video.

Date Day- snorkeling!

We've decided date nights are good, but date days are better. There are lots of things to do around Guam that are difficult with young children. So we're making our dates during the day so we can explore the island. Today was our first date day and we went snorkeling. We had both been previously but it was way better to go together, at least for me, because I scare easily. We had a fabulous time chasing and feeding fish as well as exploring the coral.


We both really loved these fish. Both the pattern and the colors are just amazing.




This photo is not the clearest, but these fish are spectacular. You can appreciate their color better when not set on a beige background.


Here is a sample of the beautiful color found in the reef.

I know it's difficult to judge the size of these fish. Some were about 2in long while others were around 2ft. They are so beautiful and colorful.

After visiting one beach, we headed across the base to another. Different terrain, just as beautiful.

If you are interested in seeing more, you can check out a snorkeling video compilation we posted on YOUTUBE. The video is choppy so be prepared. We are still trying to figure out how to stabilize the camera while shooting video underwater. It is a little tricky to video while you are bobbing in the water and the video screen is difficult to see through a mask while underwater. If you can handle the all the motion it is worth your 3 minutes and 45 seconds of not doing something productive. Enjoy!

PS: If you're going to go snorkeling for several hours, put sunblock on the back of your legs!!