The Best Gifts Aren't Wrapped

Christmas Eve
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

We received a Christmas card from our friends that said, "The best Gifts aren't wrapped." We've found that to be especially true this year. We've been blessed with good friends, a home in beautiful Hawaii and a darling little girl. And even though we were far from many of the people we love and who love us, we were grateful that our little family could be together to celebrate the God who lay in a manger so that we could know His love. Our first tropical Christmas was very merry, indeed.

We attended services on Christmas Eve at our church, which is just up the hill from our apartment. Our friends the Autrys came with us and they and some other friends from church stopped by after service for some cider and cookies and a piece of Buche de Noel. (That's French for yule log, for those of you that aren't Marie Childress!) We have lots of cookies left over, so if you've got a sweet tooth and you happen to be on Oahu, you should definitely stop by!

Presents
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Christmas morning came slightly later than normal, since Kathleen had been tuckered out by all the evening's festivities. But when she did wake she was very excited to see the gifts under the tree. Kathleen has been blessed by some very generous relatives, and they blessed her with lots of gifts. We opened presents, ate breakfast, played with presents, played with wrapping paper and boxes, opened more presents, and then had to take a break for a nap! And when she woke up, we did it all over again. Well, except for the breakfast. That time we had lunch.

Mind if I take this call?
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

A few toys emerged as clear favorites, though. A cell phone from her cousins was an enormous hit. (Should it trouble me that my toddler knows how to flip open a toy cell phone when it rings?) She loves the Noah's Ark she got from Mommy and Daddy, and how she can put the animals in and out of the ark's door. And a bench from her Uncle Kevin and Aunt Marie was the first thing she went for Christmas morning. The bench has her name on the top as a puzzle, and she loves to pull the letters out to play with them. The other thing she really likes about the bench is climbing up on it. We have lots of this going on here lately:

So Tall!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

On Christmas afternoon we headed to the Autrys, where we enjoyed an absolutely delicious Christmas dinner, and entertainment courtesy of Kathleen and Adeline. Adeline had received a wagon for Christmas, so after dinner the girls got to ride around the block in style! And after that, we all went home, full and happy and tired.

Holiday Cheer

Holiday Cheer
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Okay, so we know these photographs are a little blurry, but they were just too funny not to post.

Kathleen wasn't sure about wearing the hat at first; she preferred putting it on either Mommy or Daddy. But eventually she figured out that she could wear it, and then she was a little ham, dancing around the living room. She'd still try to put the hat on one of us occasionally, and we didn't take any pictures of that. You'll have to take our word for it -- she's a lot cuter than we are!

Anyway, if this little girl doesn't bring you holiday cheer, we don't know what will!

Dancing
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Happy Birthday, Kathleen!

Look at the candle!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Yesterday was Kathleen's first birthday! It's hard to believe that it has been a whole year since she was born. At the same time, though, it's hard to believe that the teeny-tiny baby girl we brought home from the hospital in Kentucky is the same girl who now toddles around our apartment in Hawaii. Time really does fly!

We started the day off on a less-than-celebratory note, but an important one, nonetheless -- we took Kathleen for her one-year check-up. She weighed in at 24 pounds, 15 ounces (I think all the running around is slimming her down) and measured 31 inches tall. She's still practically off the charts. She was a trooper and only cried a little when she got her shots.

In the evening we celebrated! Our friends Zach and Laura, and their brand-new baby Colt, and George and Kerry, and their daughter Adeline joined us for a little birthday party. We shared a meal of Kathleen's favorite foods -- chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, steamed veggies, and grapes. Kathleen and Adeline are always very entertaining together, so watching them play was possibly the best part of the evening. We did open a few presents, but found that the gift bags, wrapping paper, and ribbon were almost as fun as the gifts themselves. Kathleen's still carrying one of her gift bags around this morning!

Kathleen didn't blow out the candle on her birthday cake, but she did enjoy everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her. (It was also a hit when her cousins the Gustafsons sang it to her on the phone.) She dug into her piece of cake, but didn't overindulge. When she'd had her fill, she just signed that she was done -- she didn't even throw the cake off her tray!

All I Want For Christmas... Is Not To See Santa

No Santa!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

We attended the battalion Christmas party this weekend, which Kathleen genuinely seemed to enjoy. The party had a lot to offer to Kathleen -- a score of children running around a community center, cookies (a newly-discovered love of Kathleen's), juice, and Christmas cartoons.

What Kathleen did not enjoy -- not at all! -- was visiting Santa. She sat on his lap for less than a second before erupting into true screams of terror. Mommy snatched her back up as quickly as possible, but not before Daddy snapped this photo, capturing the less-than-idyllic holiday moment.

Kathleen calmed down again fairly quickly, at least once she'd been plied with an oatmeal cookie. She did, however, remain firmly attached to a parent's hip or leg until Santa Claus left the building.

We realized after the fact that we don't think that Kathleen has ever seen a man with a beard -- much less a man with a beard, glasses and a fuzzy hat. As Jim pointed out, "Santa Claus could only be scarier if he came with a vacuum!"

Happier Before Santa
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

The Best Toys Aren't Toys at All!

Stirring Things Up
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

We've discovered lately that Kathleen's favorite toys aren't really toys at all. Oh, she plays with the shape-sorter and with her stacking rings, and she vigorously hugs her stuffed pig and monkey, and she happily totes around her books for reading (and chewing). But the things that really capture her interest and imagination are everyday items, not toys. She's fascinated by the television remote and her daddy's cell phone (particularly the way it snaps open and shut) and the pots and pans in the one kitchen cabinet that we haven't quite managed to put a safety latch on yet.

Yesterday afternoon Kathleen and I made cookies to take to a friend with a new baby, and Kathleen inherited the empty oatmeal canister. She's been playing with it since then, carrying it and its top around the apartment, sticking a wooden spoon in it, and rolling it on the kitchen floor. She loves it!

An Apple A Day

An Apple A Day
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Last night Kathleen kept pestering Daddy for a bite of his apple, and so Daddy gave her one of her own. He thought she'd just carry it aroundwith her, but she made pretty amazing progress eating it! She put her teeth to good use, and helped herself to a serving of fruit. And, when she was done, she used the apple like a ball, tossing it across the living room floor and running after it. She thought it was great! We thought it was hysterical, but stifled our laughter long enough to explain that we don't throw food. (For the record, we're having a tough time making that concept stick. Even though Kathleen will make the sign for "all done" when she's finished with her dinner, she generally throws any remaining food from her tray before she signs to us!)

Does This Girl Want to Run, or What?

Run!
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

Off and Running

Ready to Run
Originally uploaded by the golbys.

After months of deliberating, this weekend we finally purchased a jogging stroller. We researched the subject to death, only to find that our choices were pretty much limited to the strollers we could find on the island, since shipping a jogging stroller to Hawaii comes with a fairly hefty price tag. (No free shipping deals for us!)

We finally settled on a middle-of-the-road jogger, the Baby Jogger Q-Series, with 16 inch wheels. And while we were worried about finally taking the plunge, the only regret we now have is that we didn't do it sooner. Kathleen, as you can see, is quite pleased with the stroller. She fits in it comfortably (with lots of room to grow) and chatters and kicks her legs as we jog along. She likes to look up through the sunshade's window to check on the person pushing her, which is pretty cute. The jogger performed beautifully on its maiden voyage, a four-miler around the air field on post. And it did equally as well for a shorter run this morning, which we were able to squeeze in right before breakfast. And speaking of squeezing in, the folded jogger fits in the trunk of our Nissan Versa and in Kathleen's closet. Hooray for portability and storage! Anyway, enough about the jogger.

Mommy and Daddy aren't the only ones doing some running lately. Kathleen's been working up some speed herself. She's moving around more and more quickly, though she still trips herself up frequently. She runs around our condo with her own little agenda, purposefully striding from one room to the next, carrying things back and forth, laughing and babbling. We're not sure what she's doing, exactly, but we know she's hard at work!

The Untimely Demise of a Camera

We're sad to report that our digital camera recently had an unfortunate encounter with a leaky bottle and now refuses to function. We're particularly sad about this because there's so much we wanted to show you. For example, we wanted to show you how much Kathleen loved having her Aunt Angela visit from Illinois. We could have shown you Kathleen and Angela with the giant sea turtles on the North Shore, or in the gorgeous sunset on the beach. Or we could've wowed you with pictures of the thanksgiving feast we devoured in shorts. We really wanted to show you how Kathleen was literally the life of the party at the luau, putting on her own little show for Mommy, Daddy, and Aunt Angela. Oh, well. I suppose you'll just have to imagine it.

We've gotten another camera, though, and we'll be putting it to good use soon, we promise!