1, 2, 3, GO!

It's amazing to me how quickly we develop. As I watch Makani grow, I share with my parents that "it goes by so fast!" And they always respond with a knowing, sometimes bittersweet look and reply, "Oh, I know." And I realize they *still* think the same thing when they look at me, their daughter, then a wife, now a mom.

Makani has been doing such a great job hitting all those milestones. He's now sitting up for minutes at a time (he gets bored, or sees something more interesting a few feet away, then just falls to his tummy), he's learning that he can get on his knees and balance there, he's definitely mastered backwards motion, sideways motion, and even turning in circles and now he's using all his might to get forward motion going.

The house *HAS* been baby-proofed.

Now all that's left is to watch Makani's face light up as he realizes he's MOVING FORWARD! Good thing we started running again, gotta keep those muscles in top shape as we gear up for chasing after this little one.

Much love,
The Dolfos :)

Ariel turns 25!

We always go wine tasting for my birthday. It's an unspoken tradition by now. So the Saturday before, a few good friends and the two of us piled into the big silver van and drove up to Temecula. It was such good fun! We stopped at three wineries, including Leonesse (where we are members) and we had a picnic, tasted wine, enjoyed good company and beautiful weather. It was a wonderful celebration and I felt blessed the whole time for everything I have. :)

Of course, going wine tasting takes a good part of the day (the whole day, really), which means it was our first test being away from Makani for a WHOLE DAY. We did much better than we thought we would! Of course, I would text my mom just about every hour asking how Mak was doing down there and she was wonderfully patient with us and would always text us back (even a few pictures of him being content). That did help a lot. The original plan was to let him stay all day at my mom's (Abue's) house and also spend the night there, but when we got home, Brad and I looked at each other and decided being away from our baby all day was enough for us for now, so we drove the five minutes to Abue's and picked him up. Makani was SO HAPPY to see us! Oh, the smiles! That made us feel so much better about our decision. We don't want to be wimpy parents who can't enjoy time as a couple without the kid, and it's nice to know we're not. It's also nice to know that we're bonded as a family and that Makani misses us as much as we miss him.

I must say that birthdays are so much sweeter when you have a little one of your own. Sure, they don't know there's something significant about that day, but when they smile at you all day, it's just heartwarming.



I had a wonderful birthday where I was able to see all my parents (that's rare)! Thank you to everyone who made the day so much special. Here's to a great start into my mid-twenties! :)

Much love,
The Dolfos