Birthdays, Hawaii, and Humboldt Life

Greetings to you all! Time is really getting away from us. We were just looking at the date of the last blog entry and realized it's already been more than a month. We had a really nice January which is helping to get us through the winter quickly! Actually, we are in the middle of a big drought. Our rainfall for Humboldt is 67% of normal and we should be hoping for more rain, but are totally enjoying less!
On January 31st, we pulled off an outdoor 4th birthday party for Alauna! Complete with our neighbor's bounce house, the kids spent the afternoon outside in our yard and on the deck. It was really nice! She had 10 of her friends over and we had pizza party. Alauna had a wonderful time and thoughtfully looked at every present she opened.
Besides that, we are headed to Maui in about a week! We are all looking forward to some much needed vacation together and we're tagging along with grandparents so more relaxing time for us! We are staying in Napili which we both have a soft heart for since it was where we honeymooned. It has been kinda crazy going through the drawers and closets looking for sandals, swimsuits, and sunscreen in February! Alauna is an excellent traveler and we have high hopes for Reece since he can now be easily entertained with Baby Einstein videos, books, and lots of snacks!!

Alauna Update:
Our little girl turned 4 on January 31st and she is growing like a weed! We have her 4 year check up this week and it will be very interesting to see where she is at. She does have to get 2 shots which won't be fun to withness! Alauna is still a huge talker. She tells stories all the time and has an amazing imagination. She is also coming along with writing her name and letters. We've been working with her several times a week and it is looking so much better. Alauna loves riding her bike around in the front and enjoys playing with the kids in the neighborhood. Her absolute favorite toys are Diamond Castle Barbies. One of them sings and she sings right along with her!

Reece Update:
Reece's favorite times of the day are mealtimes. He loves getting into his highchair and enjoys a bunch of little piles of different foods. Food can seriously bring his mood up (or down, if we are not prepared when we're out). He says a few words, but mostly things like "moh" for more, "yah" and "nah". He calls both of his grandmas, "Nana" and calls his sister, "Ah-nah". Reece absolutely loves cows and moos anytime he sees one. He loves looking at books especially any with cows! He pretty much makes us laugh often and loves to snuggle. He's getting those last filler teeth between the front teeth and molars.

Cody and Amber Update:
On Friday night, we hosted a big neighborhood carbo feed to prepare for the Trinidad to Clam Beach Run. Then Saturday, we competed in the race! Cody did the 8 3/4 mi. in just around an hour while Amber did the 5 3/4 mi. in 1 hour and 5 minutes. It was a lot of fun and we both really pushed ourselves in the race. The highlight was the river crossing complete with rope! There was actually quite a bit of water to cross! The last 2 1/2 miles was on the beach which was pretty hard. We spent the rest of the weekend recovering, but I think we are both feeling good now!