One Year +, 28.5 lbs, 31.75 inches!!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

The past several months have been quite full with some big changes: Paloma turned 1! Abuelita packed up and moved from LA to Manchester! Trini and Travis drove her car (and her plants) cross country! Travis had a birthday!... We've had quite a good time with all this and more.
























Trini went out to help her Mom pack and visited with some family and friends while in LA: Billy, "Aunt" Shirley, Lesa, Tia Celinda, Mama, 2 of her cousins, "Auntie" Esther, and channeling Cesar Chavez "!Si se puede!"








































Paloma and Trini missed Travis so they sent him photos frequently! Waving to Papa and climbing the walls.

Next, the cross-country trip gave Trini and Travis some long-awaited "together time" -- more than they had had for the entire previous year! (Although we missed Paloma terribly!) Our profound and wholehearted thanks to Alice (Travis' mom) for making this possible!












Above we're enjoying a quiet dinner in Zion National Park's lodge. Below, we are: hiking in Zion, nearly at the top of Angel's Landing (one of Zion's most incredible hikes), overlooking Escalantes National Park ( just east of Zion), in Cozaad (at the 100th meridian, half-way across the US), the "World's Largest Truckstop" at exit 80 in Iowa, and kayaking in the Adirondacks.



















On Paloma's Birthday, she opened her first gift...a water bottle from her father!!! (She loves water bottles -- like father, like daughter...!)























Paloma gives us a big smile showing all her 8 teeth... lucky for us, big smiles run in the family and are contagious...!


















We celebrated Paloma's first birthday with a little get together with our neighbors and... cake! (which Paloma realized she enjoys! -- see also photo at top of this entry!)


















As you can see, when Paloma's playing ball...she means business. She's wearing an orinal design by Trini's Tia Trini (Aunt in Mexico)...made specially for Trini when she was a baby.























Lucky for us, our garden has continued to produce all summer long. We have enjoyed (and are still having) 2 bumper crops of raspberries (frambuesas) -- they are Paloma's favorite food!... here she's "helping" Travis pick the berries -- most of them go in her mouth!


















The tomatoes were/are fantastic this year...and soooo big!























We welcomed a visit from Mara...Travis's AMSA friend and former yoga buddy. She just started a family practice job in the northwest in a small town. Good luck with the new job!!!














On Travis' B-day, Paloma helped blow out the candles.
























Sharing a laugh with Paloma was the best birthday present, ever!















We'll see you next time...