Araha Beach- July 2009

While Mike is away at his Advanced Course School up at the northern part of the island, we have to get out and stay busy as often as possible. Mia, Gracie, and I went to Araha beach to watch a beautiful sunset and to bid another friend on island farewell!

Gracie's new bicycle.

Gracie got a bicycle for her birthday from Grammy and Grampy. It is too hot to ride around outside right now, but you can tell by the excitement on her face she doesn't mind riding in doors. We still need to practice a little before heading out, but she has knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet to keep her safe :-)

Trip to Texas 2009

While stateside, we were able to visit my family down in Texas. Below are a few pics of the girls. They had a great time playing with their cousins Kameron and Ashlyn. I also got to meet my new nephew Hunter!

Gracie's 3rd B-day in Newbury, MA

We were all finally able to make it back stateside in June 2009 to visit family. We had a wonderful time and only wish we could have stayed longer... Gracie had a nice birthday party and Mia enjoyed watching all the action!

Red Sox Game

I can now say I have officially had a Fenway Frank and gone to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park! I have waited almost 4 years, but I finally made it! Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost that night, but the experience was so much fun!!!

Forest Adventure Park

Mike, Lindsey, and I visited the Forest Adventure Park and spent the afternoon zip-lining through the Jungle in Okinawa. I must say, for Mike to be afraid of heights, he certainly was a champ that day! It was so much fun, but a little terrifying at times! Not sure about Mike, but I would love to go back!

Easter 2009

This year we celebrated Easter without Mike :-( He was deployed to Korea, but that just gave us all the more reason to keep busy. We went to a Festival on Kadena AB and Gracie enjoyed jumping in all of the bouncers. We dyed Easter eggs with the Beeman family and hunted them later that day. We also had a visit from the Easter bunny and enjoyed a nice brunch with our good friend Lindsey Borjas. It was definitely a fun filled day!!!

Araha Beach a.k.a. "Pirate Ship Park"

We love spending our weekends at Araha Beach. It is only a 5 minute drive from the house! Gracie loves playing in the sand and on the huge Pirate Ship playground. Plus, it gives Mike, Mia, and me a chance to relax while Gracie burns off some energy :-)

Playing at Araha Beach

One of Gracie's favorite places to visit is the Mihara Horse Stables. Gracie loves riding and grooming the ponies. Below are a few pictures of Gracie with Lisa and Kiah Beeman (our next door neighbors in Okinawa).

Playing catch up....

I realize it has been forever since my last post, and once you see all the updates, you will completely understand why I have not been able to stay caught up on my blog. Below are a few random pictures of the girls.

Mia 4 weeks old

As you can imagine, our home has been very busy lately.  I haven't had any time to snap photos of the girls, but here are a few I was able to capture this past weekend.  Mia will be a month old this week!  I can't believe it!  I was just looking through all the photos of Gracie when she was an infant, and now she is almost 3 years old!  It is bittersweet to watch them grow so fast :-)  

Mia 1 week old...

Well, we survived our first week! Mia is doing well and already growing so fast! She is sleeping every 4-5 hours and eating like a champ! Gracie loves every minute she can get with the new baby and has proven to be a wonderful big sister :-) Hopefully, I can capture some pictures of the two of them very soon.





We

Welcome Mia Kathryn Morrill

She has arrived!  Mia Kathryn Morrill arrived on January 7, 2009 at 9:43 PM weighing in at 8lbs 2.3oz and 20 inches long.  I went into the hospital around 1pm with some pretty steady contractions and they decided to go ahead and admit me since I was already one day past my due date.  I must confess, the labor and delivery felt like a piece of cake compared to Gracie's delivery.  Everything went well and Mia arrived perfectly healthy :-)  We had to stay two days in the hospital for the routine follow-up, but we are now home and adjusting to all the new changes.  As you can see below, Gracie is extremely happy to be the "big sister" finally!  Below are a few pictures of the arrival.  More to come, I promise :-)