Summer Fun

Chris and I recently returned from the Dominican Republic where we celebrated our 6th anniversary (1 week early) and also celebrated our friend's Jason and Stephani's wedding on June 10, 2011.
It was a beautiful beach wedding in Puerto Plata, DR. It was a fun week of gathering with old college friends, telling stories, laughing, lounging, and simply having a good time. While we were there we went to the 27 Falls National Park, and hiked up to the top of the falls and then jumped and slided down to the bottom. It was so much fun!! Definitely one of the ways I love to vacation.

While we were there we also got to meet up with our friend Jessica Ensing, who is now teaching English at a Christian School in Jarabaoca, DR. The picture below was taken at Jimenoa Falls 2. We had a great time meeting up with Jess and learning about the many awesome things God is doing in her life. I feel like it's rare that I get the chance to see how God has been at work in the lives of my former youth group students as they have gone off to college, graduated, and taken new adventures in their lives. I am blessed to continue to have Jessica in my life and see how God is using her to touch the lives of others.
It was definitely an adventure for Chris and I to get to Jarabaoca to see Jess. It was a 2.5 hour bus and taxi ride from Puerto Plata, and our Spanish was a bit rusty! But thankfully we made it and felt like we really got a chance to see the country side of the Dominican Republic... something we didn't really get to see while staying in Puerto Plata.

All in all we had a fun adventure together. It was the first time we had left Malia with her Grandma Nelson, and Great grandma Yuriko, but even she had a fun mini vacation at home without mom and dad. It was great to get away, but we sure missed Malia!

So now we are home. No major trips planned for the remainder of the summer. I have two months left of my CPE residency so I continue to pray that God will keep me going strong so I can finish well. It's been a crazy but rewarding year in many ways. Obviously I have not blogged much about it... hmmm... between motherhood, and full time work, it has been a tough year. God has given me a lot of insight as to the direction of ministy He is calling me, and I've learned a lot about myself in the process. But I'll save those thoughts for another day!

Walking in my Shoes

One of Malia's favorite things to do lately is to walk in our shoes. She will attempt to walk in any pair of shoes left by the door, and often times she succeeds in her attempts! Here is a little video of Malia taking a stroll in my house slippers!

Malia's new hairdo

So the other day I decided to go out and by Malia some hair barrettes. Although she doesn't have that much hair, she has just enough for me to put a little barrette in it! The best part about this is she loves it! She likes to touch her hair, but that also leads to playing with the barrette. She pulls it out of her hair and then tries to put it back in. She laughs really loud when I put it in my own hair. So for now we will keep attempting to keep the barrette in Malia's hair. Better that she gets use to it now so when she does have more hair I am able to put things in it! It's fun having a daughter!

On another note... I took this picture after she ate her lunch. She had macaroni and cheese and oh did she love it! She is definitely my girl! After all who doesn't like mac and cheese right?

13... almost 14 months

My friend Dayna recently posted an update on her daughter Myka. It gave me the great idea that I should also do an update on Malia since I haven't in a long while! Malia just celebrated her first birthday in May! It's been a joy to watch her grow over the past year (actually almost 14 months now!) She always knows how to bring a smile to my face and we love her so much!

Malia was born May 24, 2009 and weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz, and was 19 inches long. Eye color then was steel blue.

Today Malia is now: 18 lbs. 4.5 oz, and 29 and 3/4 inches tall. Her eyes are a greenish, brown with blue on the outer edges.

Malia loves to go on walks, hikes, and bike rides. She loves to help in the kitchen... she has her own drawer full of kitchen tools she can play with. She loves all animals, especially our cat Zola. She tries to pick her up frequently but can't quite manage yet. She loves bags, and shoes... definitely takes after her mom! Lately she loves to put on my shoes and walk around in them. Although she doesn't get very far. She attempts Chris' shoes too, but his are really big! Malia loves the water, although when it is cold it takes her a long time to warm up to it. She loves climbing up the stairs and recently has started to climb down too! Really she just likes to climb anything she can. She likes running barefoot in the backyard with daddy, and she loves dirt! Playing in dirt, eating dirt, and just sitting in dirt! Definitely a girl of nature!

Favorite foods... well we're still discovering those things! Lately she loves avocado, and cheese is always a favorite too! Peanut butter is high and rising on this list as well.

Favorite toys... again she loves to play with purses and bags. She loves balls, and she especially loves books. She will sit and read her books quietly in her corner while talking to herself. It's super cute!

Dislikes... There are a few things Malia really does not like. Riding in the car is one of those. Hopefully that will change when her car seat can face forward. She has a short tolerance for sitting in her car seat. She did try Zola's cat food once, and didn't like it either... thank goodness!

So that's the update on Malia! Thanks Dayna for giving me this great idea!

Packing on the pounds

For the past few months we have been trying to put some weight on Malia's little body. She is small for her age, but then again she is my daughter and I'm not a very big person myself. Malia is 13 months, 75th percentile for height, and not even on the weight chart for other girls her age. So we have had almost monthly appointments to check her weight. In all other aspects she's met all the criteria for girls her age.

Today I'm happy to say we had a break through and she's packed on some pounds! It does help that she has not been sick and has had a hearty appetite! She now weighs 18 lbs. 4.5 ounces, which puts her in the 3%-5% range for girls her age! Yay!! She's healthy and strong!

Malia has been exploring more things around her, becoming more verbal, and now climbs onto everything... or at least attempts to even if she can't get up. We take her back to the doctor in a month and a half for her 15 month check up, and we hope to see a little more weight on her by then! But we're glad to say she's happy, healthy, and having fun!

Malia Crawling

This year we received a little gift the day after Christmas... Malia started crawling! At first she was a bit wobbly and moved slowly, but now she's crawling all over the place. We've moved our coffee table to the side of the living room to block her from crawling over to Tiki's cage and the dining room and kitchen. She zips all around the room and spreads her toys everywhere. It definitely looks like she owns the room. She has also begun to pull herself up to her knees and is working very hard to get to her feet. It's amazing to see how quickly she has coordinated herself in such a short time to enjoy this new freedom to explore.

This is a short video of Malia crawling on December 30, 2009.

Visiting the Grandparents in New Mexico

This past weekend we drove to my parents house in New Mexico. It was a wonderful weekend of rest for us! Malia enjoyed hanging out with grandma and grandpa and meeting quite a few of the neighborhood dogs! It was a nice time to get away, especially since our apartment is still filled with boxes and things put in "temporary" places. It will be nice when we get totally unpacked and settled.

On another note... Malia is now 4 months old! She's getting stronger and bigger everyday. While in New Mexico her grandparents bought her a little doorway jumper since she's now big enough to use one! We put her in the jumper, but she hasn't quite figured out how to jump! But she enjoys standing up in it! I'm sure she'll figure it out soon!

Malia Merri Grace Nelson

Malia Merri Grace Nelson finally made her appearance in the world on Sunday May 24, 2009 at 2:53 a.m. Chris and I were so happy to see her bright eyes looking back at us after she was born. She was so alert as she was taking in her new surroundings! What an amazing nine months it has been and now finally we get to welcome our daughter! 

Malia's middle name Merri is in honor of my (Lisa) grandfather Merritt Middaugh who passed away on Friday May 22, 2009. She also shares a very special birthday with her great-grandma Ruth Nelson. 

We'll continue to post pictures and updates as we are able to. Right now sleep has been a big priority, so when Malia sleeps we sleep! But I promise to keep writing and sharing the fun stories of our family! 

Thanks everyone for your prayers and support over the past nine months! We are so happy to share our lives with you! God Bless!

Malia with mom and dad. 
Malia Merri Grace Nelson: born May 24, 2009 at 2:53 a.m.
Weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz. and standing at 19 inches long!