The Cleveland Family

Finally I Can Blog =)

2010-08-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

Hallo again everyone! We are finally back on-line so I can now update the blog! We have had a busy two months. As I posted earlier the trip to Germany was interesting, but we made it smiling. I figure the easiest way to break it down is by weeks. I will try and add pictures as I go...

The plane ride into Germany

The bus trip from the airport to our hotel

When we arrived in Germany, our baggage was missing! Thank the lord, Lani was fine and Michael carried on all of his paperwork. We were lucky to have ran into someone at the airport who was in-charge of helping all of the families get to where they need to be within Germany, and he helped us find our way to pick up Lani, report our lost luggage, and get us on the bus headed out of the airport-or else we would have been stuck at the airport until the following morning. Needless-to-say all of Michael's scheduled items had to be pushed backed, since we arrived here 1 1/2 days late.

The first week here was a whirlwind. Amaya got sick-high fever-we spent the night in the emergency room...luckily the hospital was a stones throw from our hotel...not so lucky that there were 4 ambulances that pulled up right as we walked in...6 hours in the ER is no fun. Good things is-Amaya was fine.

We found a house our first week here, which is a HUGE feat, because most people need at least 30 days. The house was the 1st and only house we saw, but it met all of our needs-so we took it. It also helped that I scheduled the appointment earlier than the 6 other families that wanted to see the house-it is true here-if you snooze, you lose!

This is our front yard

Front patio looking in from the yard

Back patio from our kitchen window with a view of the field and one garage

Our kitchen before Michael and I peeled/scrubbed/scraped/cleaned off the horrible tacky paper on the wall

The vibrant clean tile backsplash that was hidden behind the horrible tacky paper

Our living room looking out into the front yard

I will post more pictures of the house once I have them...I need to clean up again before that happens though =) We have an 17 month-old with alot of energy and we are still working on the whole "pick-up after yourself" thing...What am I talking about, I am still working on that concept with my 29 year-old too =)

Michael had a wonderful 2nd Father's Day here in Germany-can't remember exactly what we did, but I am sure it involved beer and brats-not a bratty kid-but bratwursts! Michael also passed his driver's test, which was super exciting because we could drive around on our own now-he did this the second day we were in Germany. I took mine the 2nd week and passed as well, which of course made Michael happy because now he could order the "big Boy" beer instead of the "wussy" beer.

Father's Day Lunch

We officially moved into our house on June 30th. Lani moved in with us as well (we could not keep her in the hotel, but she was really living it up-the animals laws here are VERY strict-which is great-people are taxed on their animals and must have insurance on certain breeds. No matter what your beliefs-people take care of their pets in Germany-and they make sure you do too!) All of our boxes were here from the States. We were very lucky how it all worked out. We went without on the front end by living in the furnished apartment, and then we received all of our things immediately when we moved here because we sent them so early.

We started venturing out by visiting Burg Nanstein, which is a castle not too far from Landstuhl.

Michael in front of the castle

A hotel right under the castle

Tree carvings lead all the way up to the castle

View from the base of the castle looking down onto Landstuhl

The first week in June, we used our trusty Garmin (Lucy) to get us to the Black Forest. It was absolutely beautiful hiking and wandering the streets. Michael and Amaya loved the food (I am still struggling to find food I can eat while we are out and about-I am still relying on my Detour Bars to get me through). There is an amazing ropes course that we hope to one day do with family or friends. We also hiked to the tallest waterfall. Then we drove to Triberg to see the "greenest" city in Germany. It was great fun-lots of action in the streets due to the FIFA World Cup. On our way home though, Lucy broke and we were in France with NO idea how to get home and NO map...We managed about an hour later than if Lucy were helping us...we bought a map the next day.

Walking down the beautiful vine covered pedestrian streets

The next weekend, we took a tour to Strasbourg, France. It was a beautiful city. We took a boat trip and saw the old town and of course the Cathedral. It was a hot day-over 100 degrees. On our way home our tour bus broke down and we were stranded for 2 1/2 hours in France on the Autobaun....notice a theme with things breaking down in France...

In 100 degree weather-there is nothing better

Astronomical Clock in the cathedral

The cathedral from the boat tour

Pretty girl on the boat tour

Hitchhiking on the side of the road...hoping another bus will be arriving soon!

We did make it home safely and the next morning had our first picnic here in Germany.

Family picnic at the park

We welcomed Michael's brother Chris and his girlfriend Justine the next weekend. We had a blast with them here. It was so wonderful to have family visit-it was much needed! We spent time locally, but also went to Frankfurt to sightsee. Amaya was in heaven with two men at her beckon call.

Amaya with Uncle Chris

The boys enjoying their beers

The fountain at the City Center

The boys treated us with dinner (cheese, brats, 3 kinds of mustard, veggies, and portabellas)...and it was fabulous!

The following weekend, Michael, Amaya, and I went to the Annweiler Lion Heart Festival. We toured the castle and then went to the fest. We had a wonderful time. Amaya especially loved the 'unicorn.'

The last weekend in July, we went to the farmer's market here at home. It was full of fresh fruit, veggies, eggs, flowers, meats, cheeses...just about anything you would want. It was not cheap though. We walked around and bought a few things...I made a delicious crab fried rice that night (not exactly your German fare, but there were all the right ingredients). All pictures are taken around the town.

As the weeks pass by, we miss having a dog as a part of our family. After much discussion, Michael and I decided to add a new addition to the family. The laws here in Germany are VERY strict in regards to pet ownership. We were so lucky to find a wonderful family that let us have one of their miniature schnauzer puppies. When we first met our puppy, he was only 4 weeks-after alot of thought and a couple name changes, we decided to name him Kaiser. We look forward to having him the beginning of September. Both Amaya and Lani (our cat) will love chasing the little guy around.

Isn't he precious!!!

The first weekend in September, we decided to make the 2 hour drive to the Stuttgart zoo and botanical gardens. It was a beautiful day. Amaya LOVED the zoo. We stayed for nearly 5 hours (Michael is a trooper for wearing Amaya that long-hiking up and down the hills). Every animal Amaya saw, she made a WOW face and said, "WHOA!" It was priceless!!! Her favorites were the big cats (same as her daddy's-momma likes the bears).

The WOW face

Lilly pad pond

Amaya with the animals in the petting zoo. She loved letting them eat from her hand.

Wow! If you are still reading, I am impressed. This has turned out to be the blog post of all posts. Before I post the most current weekend, I will update you on all of the other going-ons =) Amaya and I needed to get out of the house. Not that I don't like being home with my daughter all day, it is just being stranded here with no car, no phone, no internet, and no tv...I was running out of crafty ideas. I did try and teach her some self defense:

We also discovered pushpops (she eats with one hand and cleans with the other):

We took trips to the Japanese Gardens where we fed the koi and kissed Buddha:

So we bought another car: a BMW wagon. Michael loves it-goes quick on the autobaun, has decent gas milage, can hold alot of things, but best of all...we paid cash =) My good ol' buddy Dave would be so proud.

Once we got the car, Amaya and I suddenly became busy bees...we started swim lessons two days a week, we take a toddler reading class once a week, and we have joined a play group. I went from being so bored I was ironing the sheets-to busy, busy, busy.

Amaya at the pool 1 year ago with grandpa.

Amaya loves to sing and splash

She will also dunk her head to pick up the toys at the bottom of the pool

She is practicing her splashing and bubble blowing-she would rather be dunked than try and blow bubbles

Amaya and mommy going down the waterslide

We are loving getting out and meeting people. Amaya enjoys being with the other kids. She is growing at lightening speed. I cannot believe how smart she is (I am sure all parents think this about their kid). She knows how to distinguish between recyclables and trash! She loves to help mommy clean and do laundry. She chases Lani around the house trying to brush her and also trying to play with her by throwing hairties so that Lani will fetch them. She loves to read stories to us.

She is a shoe girl, who loves to pick out a matching pair of shoes and wear them around the house all day. She recently sat still so I could paint her toenails a pretty pink-it is the same color I wore to the hospital when I had her. She also found a pair of boots I was saving for her-they have become her favorite to wear.

Pretty pink toenails

First thing in the morning...she loves to read-of course with her boots on

She loves rockin' the sparkly Lelli Kelly's

She has a mind all of her own. Today she saw the Dora bandaides and pointing to them, and in her little words told me that she wanted them. I explained to her that we only need them when we have an "owie." She walked away (I thought, "wow that went well") then she turned back around, walked back up to me, pointed to her finger and said, "Owie." I was cracking up (on the inside-of course), but I caved and let her choose her Dora bandaide for her "owie." She wore that thing all day-she even tried to keep it on during her nighttime bath.

Hiking at Burg Nanstein

4th of July

Hanging around town

Out to dinner at our favorite restuarant (which happens to be our landlord's). Amaya loves Chupa Chupps...I have yet to buy her any-she gets them from the store/restuarant owners everywhere we go =)

At lunch on our trip around Kaiserslautern

Dinner at our favorite restuarant-Amaya decided to eat the cranberries straight from the bowl

Driving the ship while watching the other kids play

Shopping at the local German mart-she loves having her own cart

I guess this brings me to last weekend!!! Yeah! It might not seem like it, but this post took me over 4 hours to complete...even Michael has gone to bed. Last weekend was our anniversary weekend. Six splendid years together. I wish I had wedding day pictures to post, but I have yet to scan any. That is one of the things on my "todo" list, but first I have to set-up the scanner... We had a wonderful anniversary in Trier. We went to their Roman Days festival. Last week, we met a great couple from California (who live a few blocks away from us now) and we all went together. They have a little boy about Amaya's age-it is great to see them interact with one another. We spent the day touring the town of Trier, walking through the Roman festival, and trying 120 wines from Germany. For 15 Euro we were given free reign of the wines-it was surreal. Of course we had the kiddos with us, so at least 2 of us had to be responsible parents-but we all had an outstanding time and tried some really delicious wine. Then we ventured off to see the gladiator fights-this was fun, but we were so tired and a couple of us had a lot of wine-during the show, I had Amaya asleep in my arms and Michael sleeping on my shoulder...can you guess which one of us was the 'responsible' parent =) We finally made it into bed at 3am, which is about 6 hours passed my normal bed time...and Amaya was up at her normal 5:30am time. Gotta love it!

Porta Nigra-the Black Gate (2nd century AD)

Roman Baths

Wine tasting: 1st wine

#120

Amaya loved the live piano music and being chased by her newest buddy

Hard to believe that we have accomplished all of this in exactly 2 months...we have many more adventures to come. We love and miss you all-remember-open invitation to all-COME AND VISIT!!!

The final 6-Weeks

2010-06-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Our final date night visiting Meg-Out at the Honkey Tonks

Dinner at Judge Bean's Bar-B-Que with Michael's family

Our little adventurer moves her stroller around and then stands on it to get what she wants...really safe huh...

Helping to clean in our casita (Panama and I decided this was a good name for the apartment)

Amaya hair is long enough to do full pig tails

Our final 6-weeks before Germany have been a whirlwind. Here are some pictures to document the time.

Finally in Germany!

2010-06-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hallo! We made it =) It has been a VERY busy 6 weeks since I sent our last blog. We enjoyed the weeks in our apartment-swimming in the pools, grilling out, spending time with Meg, Panama, Eric, Nana, and Grandpa, and playing at the playground. I finished my final year of teaching (at least for a little while) and Michael came home. It was great to spend time together.

The flight to Germany was interesting...Michael and I will are able to laugh about it now =) 1. We started out having a 2 hour delay in Nashville, 2. then an extra hour in the plane to our midway point. 3. We missed our connecting flight, 4. the next flight did not leave out until the following evening. 5. We stayed the night in an airport hotel (with the cat-no kitty litter...thank goodness the hotel was very helpful). 6. The flight the following day was delayed 6. We sat on the plane for 55 minutes before taking off. 7. Amaya only slept 3 hours of the 8.5 on the plane. 8. Our luggage went missing for 4 days. But we got it =) And it ended up being a blessing because they delivered it directly to us.

Of course we took it all in stride. Over the past couple days Michael passed the drivers test, we accomplished many of the things we needed to do, and this morning we found a house...which is GREAT! We cannot wait to finally be able to move in and get settled. More pictures to come.

Amaya is adjusting-she has been in and out of the car for the past couple days and then airplane traveling the two days prior. Her poor little body is all out of whack. It was a little better last night, and I am hoping even better tonight. Tomorrow we have free =) so we will take her out and play for the day. She is saying many new words and sounds. She loves seeing and saying "doggie, puppy, ducky, tree, leaf, thank you (dank da), Panama (Anama), Nana/Banana (Nana), up, meow (eow), baa-baa." She is quite the talker. She loves climbing and sliding. She can climb and slide all on her own and actually does not want any help. She is a little adventurist.

Doggie Heaven

2010-05-03T15:12:00.001-07:00

Me with Kasey

(a few day before Amaya was born)

We made the difficult decision today to lay Kasey to rest. He had a wonderful life-but will be greatly missed! Not quite the way anyone wants to end their week, but he let us know, it was time. We have had him for 12 years-over a third of my life. Although it was very hard to say, "good-bye" I am at peace with the decision.

!```EDWAXZZZZZ (Amaya typed the title)

2010-05-03T04:13:00.000-07:00

Nana, Gpa, Erica, Meg, Panama, Amaya at ChuckE.Cheese

Almost the whole crew hanging with Chuck-E-Cheese

Gpa, Momma, Amaya

Meg and Panama

Amaya loves playing (pounding) on the computer. She is growing so quickly! Here are some of the things she now does:

-She started walking backwards, and thinks it is so funny to bump into things

-She loves feeding her animals, giving them kisses, and talking to them

-She walks Kasy like a big girl-holding the leash all by herself...she also has a little dog that she love walking around the house

-She continues to love swimming-she now steps off the side of the pool into Gpa's awaiting arms-She is laughing the whole time

-She LOVES bananas and wakes up in the morning, walks into the kitchen, points to the nanas and says"nana-nana-nana" (this has to be her favorite word-it means all things good) We are trying to teach her please...but that may take awhile yet (Wonder where she inherited her love of food?)

-She uses her fork and spoon all by herself! No thanks to any of us adults...one day a couple weeks ago, she took the fork and has been feeding herself with one ever since

-She is a climber-thanks to her cousin, who is a fearless climber herself-Amaya thinks it is so great to climb on just about anything

-She still has a voice =) Loves to talk-talk-talk

I am sure I am missing so many things. She never ceases to amaze me!

Craziness!!!

2010-05-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Amaya helping Gpa get the car ready to be shipped

Daddy is molding a SuperFan...

All boxed up!!!

The last time all 3 of us were at our 1st house

Living large at our new place

Hello all!!! Sorry for such the delay in blogging. I thought life was crazy before, but that was nothing compared to what we have done this past week...(which is nothing compared to what our fellow Nashvillians are going through with the local flooding. We have had 14 inches in the past 24 hours!) As a good friend once said, "Life Lives" and we are sure living =)

The week in review:

--Nana and I drove the car to St. Louis last Friday and drove back the same day.

--Michael flew in from San Antonio on Saturday, we got Amaya's traveling passport, drank some great wine, spent time as a family, had a hail storm Sat night, and Michael flew back out on Sunday.

--The movers started moving us on Monday and they finished Friday afternoon. They left us with an empty house-and ALOT of cleaning for the dueling Cinderellas to do.

--We moved into our little apartment on Friday as well-Grandpa took the grandgirls to the pool. It is a really great place-I defiantly miss my house though =)

--Saturday: Nana and I cleaned like crazy-the rain sure was coming down.

--Sunday: Almost didn't make it to church this morning...rain...rain...rain. Organized the apartment and found out there is no school tomorrow.

Please keep the Nashvillians in your thoughts and prayers.

At this point, I am hoping that all starts to calm down. Michael, Amaya, the animals, and I will be headed to Germany mid-June. As I have said many times before-We would LOVE to have you visit!!!

2010-04-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

The 3 Ladies at Easter Mass

Trader Joe's Shopper in Training

(Multi-tasking with the balloon in one hand and the cart in the other!)

Taking Hello Kitty for a walk

Mom, Amaya, and I had an eventful Easter weekend. With the sale of the house, we are now in the hunt for an apartment...I was shocked to find out how expensive furnished apartments are! We hopefully found a place that will take us animals and all. The girls enjoyed the weekend together as the rest of the family was out-of-state for one reason or another. We had a great time shopping, walking the parks (as you can see, Amaya decided not to just walk Kasey, she also decided to walk her Hello Kitty around the house) and dinner at PF Changs (gotta love their GF menu). Amaya finally had her 1 year pictures taken and the kid wouldn't sit still long enough for a picture. She was too busy chatting and running over to the prop box to kiss all of the stuffed animals (too cute!) Overall, we are all doing fabulously well. Everything seems to be falling into place.

The Countdown Has Begun!

2010-04-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Michael's Promotion Ceremony

Amaya's 1st Ride

She wanted to steer-just like she does in Grandpa's car

Amaya in San Antonio trying to put on her sun glasses

Amaya, Panama, and Meg jumping on the trampoline

We have been in a constant whirlwind the past two-weeks. We put our home on the market, had the fabulous Myra & Jodie visit, found out Kasey (my doggie baby) has diabetes, flew to San Antonio to watch Michael be promoted (Yippee!!!), and got a contract on the house...all in less than two weeks!

We are so happy with all we have been blessed with and I am trying to slow down, take a breath, and enjoy the moments as they come. I have a new found respect for single parents-Amaya and I are so lucky to have my momma here to be a momma =) I was also so fortunate to have Jodie and Myra visit when they did-Michael had just left, we had our first showing (The people loved it so much...they wrote up an offer-I hope I am not jinxing myself by writing this...), and it was just plain crazy at our house. They were here to talk, walk, and have a great glass of wine with me =)

Amaya is getting even better with age! She is absolutley the best thing ever!!! She is a little comedian-who loves making others laugh with her weird sounds, funny faces, and new words. Today she was saying, "Peek-a-boo" while running and hiding behind the walls. So much fun!!!

San Antonio was a blast. There is a little bakery called "The Little Aussie Cafe." I had bread for the first time since August. It was a wonderful little place. We loved the riverwalk, the food, the shopping, and the people. I am looking forward to our next visit.

Loving Life!

2010-03-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

I love Amaya in her piggy tails!!!

She loves loving on her teddy bear!

I know I am biased, but isn't she just the cutest!!!

Well the whirlwind has truly begun. Michael is headed off in 3 weeks and will return for only about a week before heading off to Germany in June. We are still thrilled, we just did not anticipate it all happening so soon...our new family motto has become, "That's Life" (of course we say it happily). So we have spent the past several days running from place to place on-base trying to figure out where to even begin. Michael spent all of Friday laughing because he was so excited to finally have me see what he has been dealing with for years. It was a fun filled day of passports, POA's, account transfers, transportation offices, flight scheduling, and doctor's visits...and I still don't think we got a single thing accomplished. I tried to make myself feel better by saying, "We empowered ourselves with knowledge." =) The knowledge that we really have no clue what we are doing!

Amaya continues to be our ray of light through all of this insanity. She is now walking more than she is crawling. In fact, now that I think about it...I don't think I saw her crawl at all today (granted, I was at work for most of the day-we are now going 30 minutes longer to make-up for our snow days). She is teething like crazy-she still only has two full teeth. Some how she manages to eat all things put in front of her, and some things that are not-like Lani's cat food. Yuck!!! She likes it though...she races straight for it as soon as I put it out. It makes me gag =) Maybe she does it just to see me racing across the room after her making gagging noises...she always laughs when she sees me coming.

Overall we are all well, and happy. We are booking up the Cleveland haus (yes, my German tutoring is paying off). We would love to have you all come to visit =)

Germany...Here We Come!

2010-02-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

Amaya walking with her bunny ears on...isn't she just the cutest!

(This picture has nothing to do with Germany...but it was so cute)

Hello All =) In the craziness of this week-we got news that Michael has passed the NCLEX (Nursing Boards) and that we are officially going to Germany! Of course we are thrilled, but we also found out that Michael will be headed of to training in Texas and will only have a couple days back at home before he has to report in Germany. So, we are running around like crazy trying to get things in order...too bad we really don't know what the heck we are doing. One way or another it will all fall into place-a good glass of wine helps to make the reality a little easier...here's to you my fellow wine lovers. Michael and I are already filling up our calendar with visitors' requests-we would love to have friends and family come and stay. Just let us know! Michael will be there in June, we plan on joining him the end of July/early August. We hate to be apart especially with Amaya growing leaps and bounds daily-Michael really dreads the thought of missing out on anything...that is part of what makes him so wonderful =) (Yes, Amaya and I are two lucky ladies) I will continue to keep you posted...

Birthday Girl!

2010-02-24T03:38:00.000-08:00

Our precious baby girl turned ONE!!! We are now the parents of a toddler...she continues to be the best gift ever! Everyday she accomplishes something new and we are amazed. Amaya had a very special 1st birthday party. It was wonderful to have our family here to celebrate. Amayacontinues to follow Panama around and try everything she does. Amaya had a special doggiecake-Panama got one too. The cake experience was not nearly as dramatic as we imagined it would be...Amaya ate a tiny bit of frosting and did not care for the cake part. We had a blast at the JumpZone...Panama is a fabulous climber! Amaya had a great time opening her gifts-she quickly learned how to climb and slide on her new swingset. Overall it was a splendid way to kick off year # 2!

Walking Lady

2010-02-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Amaya took a face plant in the snow =) She didn't seem to mind-she loves the outdoors!

Still walking around the neighborhood, even in the snow...

Isn't she pretty!!!

It has been an exciting couple weeks...lots of snow. Well, for Nashville =) We had several more inches on Monday night, which meant I got two more snow days to enjoy with my family. Amaya stared really walking on Michael's birthday (it was better than any present I could have gotten him). It is so much fun to see her grow!

Play in the Snow Day

2010-01-30T17:16:00.000-08:00

Well we had our first big snow here-well at least in the past 10 years Michael has been here. It was so much fun dragging Amaya around on our homemade sled (top with shoe strings). She had a lot of fun as did Mommy and Daddy. Grandpa got into the action by building a German town-no kidding-check out his blog =)

http://olehere-olethere.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html#8383322374750687398

--Amaya took her first solo steps today =) She is a very cautious little lady.

Amaya and Panama love playing. Amaya follows her everywhere. Panama is sure one smart little lady. Shas taught Amaya how to push her around =)

Princess Amaya

2010-01-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

She still only had 2 teeth-we finally got a picture of them

(Notice my shirt-hand made in Africa-from Nana's Medical Mission Trip)

Orange tights, Velvet pants, Striped sweater

(Grandpa let her pick her clothes)

Wow-the time really flies by...Amaya is now 11 months. She continues to amaze us. She went to her first birthday party. A friend of ours turned 3 years old. She had an adorable princess party filled with crowns, wands, and a dragon (the dragon was destroyed with swinging swords). Amaya had a blast chasing the big girls. Michael and I had a great time watching her interact and play. I know I have said this before, but we are so lucky to have my parents here to care for Amaya during the day. She comes to visit me for lunch everyday. With that though comes Grandpa's fashion =) I have learned to just smile and hope that it doesn't 'sink in.' Amaya may end up with a style 'all her own.'

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Amaya turns 10 months! She loves her 100% fruit popsicles =)

She is a Daddy's girl in her Raiders shirt

(I need to take a pix in her UCSB sweatshirt)

Avery's Baptism

Hello All! It has been a few weeks since I have been on-we have been running around like crazy since Michael's graduation. We started our Christmas break with the beautiful baptism of our God Daughter Avery. Then we were off to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. It was a fabulous holiday weekend-we could not have asked for a better 1st Christmas for Amaya (we know Grandpa Cleveland is watching down from above). Amaya had a special Christmas with her two cousins. It was so much fun to see the little girls together playing-Amaya was a trooper keeping up with her two older cousins. As always, we all had a wonderful time. She turned 10-months on the 21st-she is not quite walking on her own yet, but she is clapping, high-fiving, and waving 'hello' & 'goodbye.'

Smiles all around in pretty Christmas dresses

Who would have thought that Big Girl Pants were the best gift!!!

Panama was so excited when she saw them, she put them on right away!

Michael, Amaya, and I went to visit the Gestautas Family-we hiked, ate sushi, and played on the floor with the kids. Alicia is a trooper! At nine months pregnant she is hiking 4 + miles (there were many pee breaks though).

Megan's Birthday and Garth Brooks!!! My little sis turned 27-WOW!!! The big kids left the babies with the grandparents and went out on the town. **Garth was unbelievable!!!!!! It was so much fun to see him at the Encore. It was a very intimate performance-better than I ever dreamed** It was a long time coming-Thank you Michael for making it happen for me =) You are still making my dreams come true-one of the many reasons why I married YOU!

Graduation Weekend

2009-12-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

Michael's Pinning Ceremony

Michael's Graduation

Green's Gluten Free Beer! Hard to find-from Belgium

(One day Gpa and I will visit the Distillery!)

Well, it is official...Michael has graduated from Austin Peay State University. It was a crazy week, but we all made it through smiling =) We could not be more proud of Michael! He had his final assessment (final) on Monday and on Thursday was his Nursing Pinning. The Pinning ceremony was beautiful-Megan, Eric, Panama, Nana joined the two Cleveland girls to cheer Michael on-he was awarded the Sigma Theta Tau International Award (yes, I am bragging on him!). It was really awesome-of course, Nana says that is the best award! STT is the National Honor Society for Nursing and it is awarded to the student who has maintained the highest GPA and demonstrates impeccable leadership in Nursing.

Graduation was on Friday-it was a small graduation in comparison to the UCSB graduations our family is used to. We arrived 1/2 hour early with no parking problems (I worked half a day) and we got great seats. After graduation, Michael and I went into Nashville for dinner and celebrating with friends. We went to a wonderful sushi restaurant, the Flying Saucer, and stayed at the Historical Union Hotel. Amaya had a party night with her Nana-I hear they had a blast =)

The weekend ends today with the Baptism of our God-daughter: Avery. It will be a beautiful baptism. We are looking forward to a fabulous ending to a very special week.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-12-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes-Yum!!! (Notice her 'bull snort' face-she does sound effect too!)

Thanksgiving Night Pictures-I will get the entire family picture on here soon =)

Her first Christmas Decoration Morning

She enjoyed putting the first ornament on the tree

Rocking at school-Playing Patty Cake!!!

Thanksgiving weekend came and went so very quickly-we find ourselves so blessed! Amaya and Panama looked beautiful in their Holiday dresses. Amaya was thrilled to eat a mixture of sweet and white potatoes...she likes to grab her food by the fist full (unlike her dainty cousin).

On Friday morning, Michael and I had a early morning date-shopping all of the best sales. We had a ton of fun! Not to mention we finally went to one of Nashville's famous breakfast spots-Pancake Pantry-guess what-they had gluten free pancakes!!! Go Pancake Pantry!

Michael and I decided to get a real tree this year for Amaya's 1st Christmas. She had a blast pushing the boxes around and hanging her first ornament on the tree.

Last week Amaya started playing 'patty-cake!' It is the cutest thing-she will clap whenever we sing the song. I am trying to get her to clap to 'Yeah!' so that she can clap at Daddy's graduation =) She also finally has two bottom teeth =)

Our family has been busy, busy, but we are loving every minute of this crazy life.

Sitting with Santa

2009-11-25T14:52:00.001-08:00

Michael and I went to Borders to get some new books and we ran into Santa at the mall!!! Amaya is not quite sure if she likes him yet or not =)

9 Month Princess

2009-11-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Pretty Ladies

Chasing the Kitty

The months continue to fly by...Amaya continues to enthrall us with her delightful personality, beautiful smile, and sparkling eyes. She continues to pull herself up and walk around everything-she loves holding our hands and 'running.' We cannot imagine that it will be too long before she is walking on her own-she has stood on her own, but then realizes that no one is holding her and she sits quickly =) Luckily, she is very cautious on the tile floors. She also loves chasing Lani -our kitty- around. Lani enjoys teasing Amaya and lettig her get within hairs of touching before she runs off. It won't be too long beore Amaya gets her hands on Lani.

Our household continues to be a fun and crazy place. Michael has started his preceptorship and the 12 hour shifts (14 hours if you include travel) are not much fun for Amaya and me...he goes to work while we're sleeping and gets back when we are sleeping...at least we are getting our beauty rest =) He is enjoying it though! School days are flying by for me. I am still really enjoying work, but I am also very much looking forward to taking time off to be at home. I am freaking out a little bit, because I am going to have to start cooking on my own again! I better watch Nana and learn all of her tricks. Michael will official graduate in less than a month and then the craziness will really begin =) We will keep you all posted...

Celebrating Life

2009-11-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

Mom, Amaya, and I had a wonderful weekend (in Florida) filled with love and many memories of our dear friend Bobbie. Tim was so gracious to have us visit-we made many more unforgettable memories. Amaya was wonderful on the trip to and back from Tim's...I was thankful since I was flying on my own with her-with out the assistance of the hubby-aka Amaya Entertainer =) In our family, dad is the 'fun' one...mom means business =) Well...not really, but I like to think so...

Amaya had her first trip to the beach-she fell asleep about two minutes after we got there-I think it was the sound of the waves and the cool breeze. I enjoyed a 40 minute stroll along the ocean-boy, do I miss the smell of the beach and the salty water. No matter where I go, I will always miss Santa Barbara...

We enjoyed a lot of food and ate fabulous fish-yum!!! We also met many of Tim and Bobbie's friends. What a special group of people there! Tim, mom, Amaya, and I all celebrate my big 30 at a beautiful little restaurant down the street from Tim's house-we all had the Genuine Snapper-as opposed to Fake Snapper =) It was wonderful!!! Amaya had one of her favorites: pears =)

At 8 months Amaya is still toothless! I did meet an 11 month old who had just gotten her first tooth, so I guess my kid is not too out there =) She is teething like crazy and will gnaw Nana's chin off any time she gets a chance. It is the funniest thing, something about Nana's chin makes Amaya want to chew. Amaya is always on the move. She is still walking around everything, crawling up the stairs (we are still working on how to get down them safely), and talking up a storm. On the flight, she talked with everyone around us the entire hour & a half there and back...people all get a kick out of her and she is always making her momma laugh. I cannot imagine life without her!!!

Turning 30...

Wow, I always thought 30-year olds were OLD!!! Now I am one =) I think this is one of the best birthdays that I have had...I am so blessed with great family and friends. As I get older, I realize more and more how lucky I am to have the support system that I do. I truly feel grateful and I look forward to many more years of memories to be made.

PS...We found out this weekend that we are headed to...da.da.da.da---Germany!!! Who knows when our final arrival date will be-most likely next summer. We are more than thrilled-it will be a bittersweet move-we will miss Meg, Eric, and Panama more than I can imagine!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-02T05:51:00.000-08:00

She was 'hog wild' for Halloween

She loves to give the 'smirk' smile

Amaya got 2 baby pumpkins

Jumping Pillow

Amaya had her first trip to the pumpkin patch on Halloween and she had a fabulous time! Michael, Amaya, and I all headed out on Saturday to Honeysuckle Hill Farms-it was fun for me to go back-it had been years since I went there on a field trip with my 1st grade class. Each year, the owners of the farm add something new...this year they added a huge 'jumping pillow.' I think I had the best time on that!!! We went in the mazes-Michael and I let Amaya decided which direction by going on the trail that she looked in =) Needless to say, she got us very lost!

Halloween night was fun...we had bar-b-que with good friends Bob and Cathy...we only had 10 tricker-treaters...more candy for me =)

Piggy Tails =)

2009-10-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

7am-momma on her way to work

daddy & Amaya at home to play

crazy crawler

Amaya can wear pig tails! She is cute as a button!!!

Missing Grandpa

2009-10-25T18:02:00.001-07:00

Alot has happened in the past week...we went to Asheville, back to work, back to school, and family fun. Grandpa has been missing his girls-for the past couple weeks he has been living it up in Little Rock (well maybe not living it up, but he is earning a living) =) He has been doing some consulting and seems to be really enjoying it. So the girls decided they wanted to take a picture for Gpa, but they could not agree on which picture to smile in =) So we took many, but none of them has 2 smiling girls.

We had Ken, Jan, and Brian swing through on their way home from a trip along the East Coast. It was great to have them here again...it had been since the first year Michael and I moved in...hard to believe it has been 5 years.

Michael and I decided that it would be fun to take Amaya to Ghouls at Grassmire zoo. We all dressed up in our costumes (50s theme) and drove to the zoo...we waited in line for about 30 seconds before we decided that all we really wanted was a picture...so we went to Meg and Eric's and had a picture taken =) We ended up going to a Nashville pizza place that makes gluten free pizza...yum...yum.

Amaya is going like crazy. She loves being the center of attention and at this point she is standing more than crawling. She has not taken any hands-free steps yet, but walks around everything. She reminds us of Skippy-John-Jones because she 'crawls over, and squeezes under' everything (if you don't know who SJJ is...you have to catch up on your kitty-kiddy reading). She is quick! Even with all of us here, we have to keep a constant eye on her. Same goes for Panama...she quickly found Auntie's mascara today and decided she would be beautiful if she made herself up =)

Amaya loves playing peek-a-boo...notice the pictures =) She will hold up something in front of her face and likes to hear, "Where's Amaya" then she pulls it out from her face and laughs...it warms my heart just thinking about it. Parenthood is WONDERFUL!!!

Fabulous Asheville

2009-10-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

We had a splendid time in Asheville-The Brown's were great (as always) and we finally got to meet Buzz boy...We ate WONDERFUL food at both the Laughing Seed (a vegan-vegetarian-gluten free) restaurant and Posanas. Needless to say, I think we all may have gained a pound or two on the trip. We did walk alot at both the Farmers' Market and the Biltmore.

Gluten Free!!!

2009-10-15T12:26:00.001-07:00

I am sooo excited! Mom, Amaya, and I are headed to Asheville, NC for a weekend retreat-we are meeting up with the beloved Brown's =) I have just found a completely GF restaurant!!! It is called Posana...I will let the rest of you Celiacs know how it is...I know your jealous =)

Yum-Yum...Loving Gpa, Nana, Plums, Momma Time

2009-10-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

Loving on Grandpa and Nana

Eating my prunes...I mean aged plums

Hello All =) Amaya and I are spending lots & lots of time together this week-Fall Break. We are both loving every minute of it. The girls all went shopping yesterday-Nana, Amaya & Momma...Meg was tending to Pancake who is under the weather. Nana and I find that we spend way too much money when we are not working =) We had a great time shopping though-Amaya is an excellent shopper in training..we are working on teaching her the Ramsey technique-cash or debit only =) Michael has been a busy man with tests, clinicals, studying, papers, football season, and his girls (Lani included). We recently put in our Army "wish list," so the time is coming close when we will see where our next adventure will be. At this point, we are enjoying every minute of life together as a family-although we do really miss our long distance family who we hope to be seeing sometime soon...

Our Love Bug

2009-09-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Amaya was playing dress-up in her cousin's ladybug costume. She has not yet decided what she will be for the holiday...her and Nana have been talking-Amaya has convinced Nana to make her 1st costume =) She is just too cute...I had to share =)

7 Month Crawling Video =)

2009-09-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Olehere and There: Amaya is 7- Months Old, Understanding How to Use a Toothpick, Breakfast in Bed and Crawling: A New Adventure and Skill

7 Splendid Months!!!

2009-09-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Amaya now loves to crawl through different 'obstacles'

No more 'Army crawl' for this chick

Hard to believe-Amaya is pulling up to a stand and walking around things

Carrots for dinner-Yum-Yum

Our precious baby girl turned 7 months today! Boy, is she full of personality!!! She is still as sweet as can be, but we now call her the pterodactyl child-she has a voice on her. When she talks-she screams. It is the craziest thing =) I will try and upload her crawling/talking video so you all can see. She officially started crawling on the 12th of this month. She is no longer doing her Army crawl-she is a mover and a shaker now. She has also started pulling herself up and walking around things...her little life is flying by momma's eyes-I knew children grew fast, but I never expected it to go this quickly! We are still taking our sweet little time introducing food-last week it was oatmeal cereal and today it was carrots. Yum!Yum! She did like the carrots alot.

All else is going great. Michael is doing great in school-still no word where we will be next year though-maybe the Army will keep us right here in Clarksville-who knows. I will keep you posted...

Busy Bees =)

2009-09-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

Visit from Panama

Big Girl Car Seat

Driving Lessons from Grandpa

Scooting Around the Mall

Now that Amaya is a 'big girl' we are upgrading her to a 'big girl' car seat. Michael and I researched and finally decided on one...Amaya seems to like it, we have yet to use it in the car =) We have had an eventful week-learning to drive, shopping at the mall, new car seat, visit from her favorite cousin-Panama!

Our 6 month Princess

2009-09-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

OneLove Jazz Festival in Nashville

Amaya's daily lunch visit for "mummum" (as Panama calls it)-Amaya is featured in her handmade dress from Nicaragua given to her by Auntie Meg

Four Funny Faces

All in a span of a couple minutes

She is a character!

Unbelievable, but Amaya is 6 1/2 months old! She is now all over the house performing her Army crawl. She has yet to crawl on her hands, but it does not matter to her, because she can move wherever she wants to go-of course she always heads straight towards the dog/cat bowl =) She is also pulling her self up to standing position! I don't think I am ready to see her grow so quickly!!!

We started her on rice cereal at 6 months and are introducing a new and exciting food every 7 days. So far she has had peas (a 5 on a 1-10 scale) and green beans (a 6 1/2). Of course we are a "by the book" family, especially with daddy's nursing expertise =) Next week...we will be featuring avocado! Yum, so exciting...

Micheal had a blast with Amaya while mommy started back at work. It has been a whirl wind for us here at the house. During those 3 weeks Michael managed to teach Amaya to say "dadadadada" all day long...grandpa had her for a week and now she is saying "dadadapapapapa." Nana and I are left in the dust! How quickly little girls learn how to butter up daddy and grandpa =) Amaya is talking, talking, talking...she has a very funny growl that she does as well-it gets us all laughing (Nana plays scared, and Amaya loves it).

School is going well for Michael. We cannot believe this is his final semester and he will be graduating in December. We are all so proud of him!

Amaya's Pool Video!!!

2009-08-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Olehere and There: Its Saturday, its Hot, Lets Go Swimming at the Gym!

To see Amaya swimming at the pool...go to Gpa's blog(click on the link above)...Enter with Caution!!! =) Just know, you never know when Gpa is telling the truth =)

Big Bopper =)

2009-08-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Mommy and Amaya getting ready for the pool...

Amaya hamming it up for the camera...

Amaya's second time to the pool was even more exciting than the first. She swam and splashed and had a fabulous time with her mom, nana, and gpa. Her daddy got in a workout while the rest of us relaxed in the pool. She LOVES splashing and kicking her legs...she is a natural-I guess there is a little California girl in her =)

5 Years of Wedded Bliss

2009-08-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

After 5 years of marriage, we are still having fun!!! From Santa Barbara, CA to Clarksville, TN...so many wonderful moments in between. Michael and I had a wonderful dinner out on the town...we were home by 7:30pm =) What a wild couple we are!!! We had a great time reminiscing the years...not quite believing the time has gone so quickly. It still feels like yesterday we were partying with all of our family and friends on the beach!

Splashing in the Pool

2009-07-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

At 5 1/2 months, Michael and I decided to finally get Amaya into the pool. She loved swimming around with momma. She kicked her legs and splashed her arms-she was not too sure about the water she was splashing in her face though =) Michael took the picture at the end of our swimming adventure-she was still loving the pool.

Foot in Her Mouth

2009-07-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

Amaya is always sticking her foot in her mouth =) Teething, teething, teething... We have become very creative in helping her teething pains-be as pain free as possible. Her toes still seem to be her favorite chewing device though. The final days of my summer are now here. I head back Monday and still cannot believe the time has come. I know Amaya will have a blast bossing her daddy and grandpa around =)

Yeah! 5 Months!

2009-07-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Let's Party!

Amaya is 5 months today. It is so hard to believe that July is almost over. Amaya is rolling every which way and is now scooting forward and backward. She is such a joy-singing and dancing (in her jumper) are two of her favorite activities. I am getting ready to go back to teaching full time...it is a little bitter sweet. Amaya will have a great time at home with her daddy and grandpa. Michael will be headed back for his final semester of Nursing school-he will graduate in December. Who knows where the Army will take us-we are hoping Germany! We will keep you all posted.

Diana Krall Concert

2009-07-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

Mom, Megan, and I enjoyed the Diana Krall concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. Diana has been a favorite of mine for years. The concert was beautiful-it was so special to have time with mom and Megan.

Always Talking

2009-07-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

Nana's attempt to use curlers in Amaya's hair =)

Amaya loves to have her voice heard...from the second she wakes up in the morning to the time she goes to bed at night she is talking, talking, talking. She especially loves 'singing.' It is so much fun to watch her personality take hold. We are having such a great time with her. She is growing so very quickly. At her most recent (4 month) appointment...she was 16lb4oz, 25.5 inches---she had grown 3 inches!!! Michael and I continue enjoying every second with her.

White Water Rafting

2009-07-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Over Father's Day weekend Megan, Eric, Michael, and I went WWR on the Ocoee. It was used for the Atlanta Olympics canoe and kayak races. We had a blast! We were fortunate to only have the 4 of us on the raft and our guide-Kliness-really let loose =) We were all soaked...no one fell out though! Eric and I came close a couple times though!

Zoo Day

2009-07-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

We have had a Nashville Zoo membership since Amaya was 6-weeks (her first trip to the zoo was then). We have been three times since. She loves looking at the trees. The animals really do not interest her yet =) We went with Panama, Nana, and Megan-Panama tried teaching Amaya about the animals. It was great to see how many animals Panama can name-she is one smart cookie!!!

4th of July

2009-07-12T08:47:00.001-07:00

Before the downpour...Michael and Amaya were lounging outside, while we said 'hi' to Meg...

Clarksville's celebration

Amaya got to celebrate two 4th of July's! The Clarksville 4th was celebrated on Friday...the Nashville 4th was celebrated on Saturday. The 3rd was a beautiful night. The 4th was an adventure...we had a SEVERE downpour. Amaya thought it was great. Her daddy was a little worried trying to keep her dry and warm. At the end of the night...all we could do was laugh. It was a wet ride home.

Jumparoo Amaya!

2009-07-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Amaya in action!

She loves jumping!!!

Amaya is now sharing time between her Exerciser and her Jumparoo! She has been in it for a couple weeks now and is working those legs with her jumping abilities...she is getting higher and higher...she will be doing double axels before we know it. Maybe even triples!!! She is still too young to get her in a pair of skates, but that doesn't mean she can't practice.

Father's Day

2009-07-12T08:39:00.001-07:00

Amaya in her pretty princess dress

Party at the Aquarium

Amaya turned 4 months on Michael's 1st Father's Day. We had a wonderful day! Amaya started off the day in her pretty princess dress. We then met up with Nana, Grandpa, Meg, Eric, Panama, and the Brown's. It was a great weekend. Amaya went to the Aquarium (she still LOVES the penguins). Megan, Eric, Michael, and as always I all went white water rafting...we had a blast (pictures coming soon)! We also had fun playing games, relaxing, cooking, and chatting. We always love seeing our 'sencond' family. We only wish the rest of the Brown-Anderson clan could have joined us...if we don't end up in Germany...maybe Washington =) We know Auntie Jodie is praying for that one!!!

The Liebermans!!!

2009-06-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Amaya, Michael and I welcomed Melissa and her husband Eric for CMA Fest. We had a blast!!! On Friday night we went to LP Field for concerts...on Saturday night we hit the bars for some Nashvillian fun...and a few games of darts =) Hard to believe, but Melissa and Erica won the BIG game for H.O.T.B. (if you don't know what that means...inquire w/Michael). Amaya had fun with her Nana and grandpa both nights.

ExerSaucin'

2009-06-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Amaya is an ExerSaucin' baby. She enjoys working out...just like her momma =) Nana thought it might be time to get her into it-boy was she right. Amaya really likes turning and grabbing onto the animals. She is grabbing at things and pulling the animals down in her bouncer-not to mention pulling my hair. She no longer can pull at her daddy's hair because he chopped it all off. For those of you who got to see him in person, I think it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

PS-how cute are those cheeks!!

Great Friends!

2009-06-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Wow the past two weeks have been filled with fun, laughter, and lots of love. Emily and Alicia (two of Erica's best friends) came to visit. Emily announced her engagement and Alicia announced her 2nd pregnancy. It was so wonderful to have them here and to meet Amaya. We could not believe how quickly life has passed and it was so much fun reminiscing about all of the years we have been friends. I am so blessed to have such great friendships!

Hello Cincinnati!

2009-06-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Leaving the House-Amaya's silent display of disapproval for the 5-hour drive =)

Mommy and Daddy were so excited for the trip!

Cincinnati Zoo-and Amaya's 1st train ride!

St. Mary's Basilica in Covington KY

Michael and Amaya in front of Jungle Jim's

Amaya's first trip was to Cincinnati. Michael, Erica, and Amaya headed out Saturday morning for a 5-hour drive into Cincinnati. Amaya traveled wonderfully (notice her hand as we pulled out of the driveway-she silently let mom and dad know how she felt about the 5-hour drive). We made a pit-stop in Bowling Green and then drive the final 3 hours straight.

Why Cincinnati...well we had to see Jungle Jim's for ourselves.

What is Jungle Jim's...a grocery store =) If you know Michael, you know why we went here. They have 4100 hot sauces and Mangosteen-a fruit that Michael had as a child in Thailand.

--We also visited the zoo, the riverwalk, the Basilica, and the aquarium. Amaya had a busy, but wonderful trip!!!

Grandma Emma Arrives!

2009-05-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Amaya is now 3 months!!! Wow! How has the time flown by! We have loved every minute of the past three months with Amaya. She has been and will continue to be our little pride and joy. I always imagined how our lives would be changed, but I never expected I would tear up just looking at how beautiful she is...our lives have truly been changed.

She continues on her path to GREATNESS =) She is still rolling over and is getting to be a "pro." No more walking away from the changing table for "just a second." She is also growing like crazy. Michael and I weighed her today and she is between 14lb and 14.5lb (depending which of us you ask)...although she might say her diaper weighs a couple pounds =)

Michael's mom-Emma-flew in from Hawaii yesterday and of course Amaya is in love. One more person here to spoil her (although she is missing Gpa, who has been gone for a week). We have been enjoying her time here, we traveled into Nashville to see Megan, Eric, and Panama...tonight she is teaching us how to make sushi!

Rolling...Rolling...Rolling

2009-05-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Amaya is so proud of her rolling abilities

Amaya's victory pose

Yeah!!! Amaya is officially rolling over! We all knew she was an overachiever. Today she is rolling over from back to front, and she did it on multiple occasions. Mom, Dad, and Grandpa all got to capture her talent on camera. We are such proud parents-and grandparents =)

Good Mornings!

2009-05-12T04:46:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful smile that Michael and I wake up to each morning. We are so very blessed! Amaya is a very happy little girl. She wakes up each morning smiling and cooing-she is always excited for a new day. At 2 1/2 months, she is trying hard to roll over, she loves trying to sit up and then stand (with much assistance), she is blowing bubbles, and of course has us all wrapped around her little finger. I do have to say, she hates the car...we are hoping she will grow out of that sooner than later!

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

My first Mother's Day was a very memorable one. Poor Michael started off the day by running over our stroller...no worries...Amaya was NOT in it =) The stroller was not as damaged as one might think, but it defiantly is not usable...he was extremely pleased to find out that the company will replace all parts for FREE...go Bugaboo!

The rest of the day was wonderful! Michael, Amaya, and I met the rest of the clan in Nashville. We set up a picnic to enjoy at the Winery. This is the second year we all celebrated at the Arrington Winery. Live music, wine, good weather, family...life doesn't get much better. I had a great time getting Amaya ready. She wore our favorite kitty outfit for the first time. I can't take any credit, Michael bought it for her...she is definitely "Daddy's Girl."

Music City 1/2 Marathon

2009-04-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

4am...Before the race

Still smiling-at home after the race

The Music City 1/2 Marathon runs through the streets of beautiful Nashville. This is the 4th year for Erica to run...last year I braved the full =) Michael and I decided to give the 1/2 a shot and we made it! We surprised ourselves with how well we did. We had a really good time...it was almost like a date. Only we had 30,000 people along for the ride. Amaya stayed at home with Nana and Pancake...yes, Nana braved both grandbabies-possibly a more difficult task than running. She swears they both did great-they all seemed happy when we got home. Michael and I are discussing running the full next year-it will be in April if you'd like to join us =)

Amaya's 2 Months!!!

2009-04-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, the time is flying by!!! Michael and I took Amaya to her wonderful doctor today. She said everything looks perfect. Amaya had her first round of shots today, and it was more difficult for mommy than for Amaya. We had been thinking about having her ears pierced, but after that...I don't think momma could handle it! The doctor confirmed something we all knew...Amaya is a great eater =) and at 12 lbs 12 oz, she has gained 5 lbs in 2 months! She is smiling and cooing and definitely has her daddy and grandpa wrapped around her little finger. Just like her mommy and daddy, she loves the mornings. Amaya wakes up with a smile and we all love our happy mornings all snuggled together-we know these times are priceless!

Earth Day

2009-04-24T12:49:00.001-07:00

Earth Day celebration at Centennial Park in Nashville. Michael and I were enjoying a moment by the pond...we were both mesmorized by Amaya, who was sitting in Michael's lap. It was a great day for the entire family. Megan, Eric, and Panama joined the 'Stella Ct' crew for the festivities. It is amazing how quickly the time is flying by...

California Girl

2009-04-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

Amaya and momma were California Dreaming =)

--Amaya decided to sit with her daddy and supervise Nana and Momma planting flowers. She enjoyed the beautiful day. We were lucky to have 77 degree weather.

--Amaya is growing like a weed =) She is smiley and especially loves the morning time-just like her momma. She is cooing and really starting to kick her legs around-trying to roll over. We are all having so much fun with her.

The Crib Finally Arrives!

2009-04-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, it has taken months for Amaya's crib to finally arrive. Michael and I ordered it in December and we just received it =) They must have selected the best trees and craftsman for her specific crib...we do love it. You may wonder...has she slept in it yet...well...not quite yet =) I know she will love it when she does =)

--The Custom art work was done by a local famous artist-many of you know her by the name Megan. Please contact her for your Custom works of art...she is well worth the price!!!

Michael and Amaya's Baptism

2009-04-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

Michael and Amaya were both baptized on April 11, 2009. It was a beautiful ceremony. Momma Cleveland was so very proud...and there were a few tears shed. The night was a late one for us =) We didn't make it home until 10pm! We are getting old...

--As for Easter, the 5 of us celebrated together. Meg, Eric, & Panama went to St. Louis to see his family =) Amaya had the Easter bunny bring her treats-mommy, daddy, and grandpa ate them before she even realized they existed. Amaya celebrated Easter in two dresses...the one pictured is dress #2, because she had a #2 in the first dress =) Good thing momma is prepared with lots of pretty dresses =)

Happy Baby-5 Weeks Old

2009-03-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

We may be biased, but is she not the cutest little thing =) Nana and I had tried to capture her smiling and we had no success...then after a nap, Nana was able to capture Amaya smiling. Now we can share her happiness with you.

Pictures at the Parthenon

2009-03-31T15:45:00.002-07:00

We celebrated Amaya's addition to our family with pictures at the Parthenon in Nashville-aka The Athens of the South. It was fun getting the family together, but we found it very difficult to get good shots of Amaya and Panama. Panama is now almost 18 months!!! She is always surprising us with something new. It is amazing to watch her learn and grow.

The Brown Family Visit

2009-03-31T15:45:00.001-07:00

Amaya enjoyed a full week with Erica's long time friend-Jodie. They have been friends since they were ten years old. It was amazing to have her here for a week and experience a part of Amaya's life. Momma and Daddy Brown came to visit as well. We all had a great time passing Amaya around. She is definitely getting spoiled with love!

Grandma Juim Arrives!

2009-03-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Grandma Juim arrived to help celebrate Amaya's third week here. She flew in from Henderson, NV (right outside of Las Vegas) and spent a week. We had a wonderful time with her here. Amaya loves when Juim holds her and is especially drawn to her voice. We all ate wonderful food and will miss having fewer diapers to change =) Amaya loved having 'explosions' right after grandma Juim put a brand new diaper on...since we're going organic...our monies are exploding left and right as well...sorry dad, I guess that's what daughters do (make you broke). =)

We celebrated Juim being here and the sale of the rental by taking everyone to dinner at Patti's 1880's Settlement, which is a yummy restaurant in BoonTown, KY...it's not actually in BoonTown, but it is pretty out there. We had a great time and enjoyed excellent food.

Second Week Home

2009-03-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Amaya has had a busy week. She has officially gained 1 pound!!! Which is quite impressive given that most breastfed babies are only back up to their birth weight by two weeks. The Cleveland family also sold their final rental property this week...which means a huge goal has been accomplished for Amaya's mommy and daddy! Go Team Cleveland!!!

First Week Home

2009-03-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to have such a healthy, happy baby girl. Amaya is an excellent eater-we all know where that came from =) In the first two days out of the hospital, she has gained 10oz!!! Either she is packing on the oz or full of **** (sweetness, of course!). Mom is doing great (however, I have come to the realization that no one really cares-as long as baby is great). We are all adjusting to our new life. Amaya eats every two hours, and is quite vocal if you try and make her wait...she is already the ruler of our castle. She does sleep alot though, which is weird because no one else feels as though they do. It is amazing how quickly the two hours of her sleeping passes by.

Nana (Carol) and Grandpa (Doug) are enjoying every minute of grandparenting. Between Panama (who keeps us all running-and laughing) and Amaya (who is still a blob) they are in hog heaven. Panama is as cute as can be and loves her cousin-who she calls 'babybaby' or 'Mona'...

Neighborhood Stroll...

2009-03-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

As soon and we arrived home, Kasey and Lani (our dog and cat) were introduced to our little bundle of joy. Neither animal knew really what to think. Kasey loved it because he got to go for a klaw (he has figured out the word 'walk') right away. Erica-having been locked up in the hospital for 3 days, could not resist getting out for a walk...the weather was great...and she had been waiting to use the stroller for months now =)

Leaving for Home!!

2009-03-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Megan, Panama, Grandpa, Nana, and Michael were all there for Amaya's birth. Nana and Michael were able to enjoy the whole experience along side Erica. Overall the delivery was very quick...at least I say that now =) Amaya and momma enjoyed the company at the hospital and were able to leave for home on Monday. Amaya's first car ride was a slow and steady one with dad driving. Amaya left the hospital on a beautiful Tennessee afternoon.

Amaya's Arrival!!!

2009-03-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

Birthday: February 21, 2009

Place: Gateway Medical Hospital

Time: 10:44am

Weight: 7lbs. 15oz.

Length: 21 inches

We headed to the hospital at 5:30am after about 3 hours of steady contractions. Erica was admitted and by 10:44am we had a beautiful baby girl. Everything happened so quickly. Erica did NOT have time to get the epidural...therefore, Amaya's birth was all natural. The pain was well worth it once Amaya arrived. We are so fortunate to have a healthy, happy baby girl!!!

Loving Pregnancy!

2009-03-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

We were very fortunate that my pregnancy was a happy one...Michael sure is a lucky man...hee...hee

Four Days Before Delivery!!!

2009-03-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Michael and I decided that we would take some time for us before the arrival of our precious baby girl. We headed out to Ashland City and hiked 8 miles on the Rails to Trails. Michael was scared I may deliver and packed a backpack full of supplies. How would we look if we had delivered on the trail...it would have been a "You know your a redneck if..."moment =)