Out with the old and IN with the NEW!

Happy New Year everyone!  2011 has been flying by and I can't even believe it's the middle of January already!  Our little Addi is 6 1/2 months old and has developed quite the personality.  She has learned to rotate herself 360 degrees  and is able to do this VERY quickly.  It seems like crawling is just around the corner...yikes!  The biggest highlight for mommy is that Peeps now "asks" to be carried by leaning with her arms out.  That small little gesture of neediness seriously makes me melt...Another big milestone in the Arbles family has been the introduction of solid foods!  Rice cereal and mashed green beans have been the new dinner of choice for Addison this past week and while we were looking forward to the menu change, we were not at all prepared for the resulting changes the diaper area.  OMG!!  Gramps Paik has noticed that Peepers is slowly starting to look more and more "pocho" (Portugese) to the delight of her daddy...although Gramps also commented that Addi also has a little Korean temper...not sure where she gets that from. 

Jon and I hope all of you were able to ring in the New Year with a bang.  As usual, the New Years' celebration for us was filled with family parties, good food, and lots of fireworks!  Another one of the many, many reasons we love being home in Hilo :-)

Here are some highlights from January...

 Our New Years celebration started out on the eve with a party at my sister Erica's house.  If you ask Kysen Honda who his favorite person is he will tell you "Adda".

Aunty Marylyn and Uncle Tim came from California to visit and joined us for the party.

 Hanging out with Aunty Erica at her house on New Year's Eve.  (Whenever I ask people who Peeps looks like, one of the most common responses I get is that she looks like my sister's kids! )

On New Year's Eve we went to Papa Correa's house for lunch and Addi got to hang out with Papa and Tutu Arbles.   

She also got to spend some QT with Aunty Mary Correa whom Addi is named after.  One of Addison's middle names is Malia which means "Mary" in Hawaiian.

 Uncle Ryan (my brother) and his new fiance Aunty Chrissy even came to visit from San Diego!!

 One of the highlights in January for little Addi...green beans and rice cereal!

One of the highlights for mommy and daddy in January...DATE NIGHT!  We went to Cafe Pesto to listen to Uncle Rupert Tripp play.

Addi's new favorite toys...Sophie (my parents dog) and Zoe!  Addi LOVES to grab Zoe and touch her fur and laughs hysterically whenever Zoe brings her squeaky toy out of her kennel.  Unfortunately for Addi, Zoe doesn't quite feel the same and tries to avoid Addi whenever possible.

Christmas is GREAT!!

Our holiday celebration started with Christmas Eve mass then dinner with Papa and Tutu Arbles, Uncle Bryan and Aunty Kristeen and her cousin Jin at Pond's Restaurant.  Although Addi was asleep by the time we opened Christmas presents mom and dad were excited that Addi got a new Bumbo chair and a Jumper!  On Christmas day we opened presents at home then had lunch at Uncle Tom and Aunty Wendy's house followed by dinner at Gramps and Grammy Paik's house.  All in all a great but exhausting Christmas!

Addi, or "Peeps" as Gramps Paik likes to call her, had a great first Christmas.  At least we think she had a great first Christmas...amid all the holiday comotion and last minute running around was a little girl who had no idea this day was different from any other.  In a weird way, her naivity was somewhat refreshing.  We get so lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas crowds, shopping lines, and traffic that we end up trading in our "holiday spirit" for a "scrooge attitude".  We become so focused on what's left on our "to do list" that we forget that Christmas is not about giving gifts or spending money or putting up fancy decorations.  Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of something GREAT.  Everyone's definition of  that "something great" will differ, but my little 5 month old baby really put in in perspective for me.  As I sat on the floor next to Addison with ribbon, paper, and tissue paper strewn about the living room floor, she looked up at me and gave me the most innocent, pure, honest smile I have ever seen.  And that was all I needed.  It's amazing how something so small and unknowing can remind us that Christmas is a time to give thanks for what is GREAT in our lives.  We hope that during this holiday season all of you rediscover what is GREAT in your lives!!

 Grammy and Gramps Paik with all the grandkids and their dog Sophie!

Christmas Eve dinner at The Pond Restaurant

Addi's first Christmas morning! 

 Hanging out with Aunty Kristeen and Aunty Anne...

 ...and Aunty Lesley and Uncle Kelsey

Playing with Aunty Wendy's expensive crystal ornament (shhhh...don't tell her!)



This about sums up Christmas

A Christmas present for all...

Since Addison was born in July I have been meaning to start a blog.  One of the things Jon and I love most is reading the blogs of our friends back in Washington because we get to watch their families grow.  What I am still trying to figure out is how Jenn Kang and Alicia Fritts (my two inspirations for this blog) find the time to blog despite having TWO kids...amazing.  Jon and I have discovered that along with all the amazing things parenthood has brought, it seems that all our spare time has been swallowed up.  Simple emails or phone calls to friends and family far away have become almost impossible...so sad.  Although a little blog post cannot replace a phone call to a friend far away, it is a great way to keep everyone up-to-date on what is going on in our lives.  So as a little Christmas present to myself and all of you, I am proud to introduce the debut of the Arbles blog!

Here's a little update on what's been going  in our lives...

 Every Sunday Addi goes to church with daddy then has breakfast with great grandpa Correa

Addi gave Gramps a little present all over his shirt! 

 Great grandma Akiyama turned 94 this month!!

It might be time to start solid foods soon...