Orion's First Easter

Orion's first Easter started with waking up and us showing him his Easter basket. It contained a bottle of bubbles, a package of peeps (which were really for us), a book and truck from grandma, and lots of fun easter grass!

Our Easter celebration continued as we traveled down to Newport Beach to attend the Newport Center United Methodist Church's Easter service. This is the church I worked at for 5 years as choir director. And we haven't been there for 6 months, so it was great to drive down and see the church and all the great people there. I can't say I heard too much of the service, since Orion was being particularly noisy and I was out in the hall. But the church looked beautiful.

After saying our goodbyes, we drove over to the Mormon chapel in Newport Beach to watch General Conference, which was of course centered around the Easter message. The talks were inspirational, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sounded so heavenly. (that's their job, right?) The Newport chapel is right next to the Newport Beach Temple, so we finished off our trip by walking around the temple grounds. Happy Easter!

Spring Break with Mom

Spring break turned out to be a great week. It had a rocky start, when I randomly got a speck of dust or sand in my eye when I was getting in bed on Sunday night, and it ended up scratching my eye. I could barely sleep and I ended up calling an eye doctor from church the next morning. He ended up seeing me 3 times over the next 24 hours. Thankfully, after spending all of Monday in misery, he prescribed me an antibiotic, which really helped take the pain away. My mom arrived at our house on Monday night, so thankfully I was feeling better relatively soon after her arrival. How random, to have a whole day ruined by a speck of sand.

Mom was with us for 3 days, and we had a great visit! We went hiking in the Pacific Palisades, with amazing ocean views and hiking trails. We hiked at Kenneth Hahn Park, with views of all of LA. We went for a beach walk to Fisherman's Wharf, and played at the beach park with Orion. We walked around Santa Monica, had dinner at Boca di Beppo, and walked UNDER the Santa Monica Pier for the first time. It was really an amazing sight, to walk through all the old wood posts, as the water lapped against them. I can't believe I have never done that in all the years I have lived in LA, and all the times I have walked on the Santa Monica Pier. Mom loves to hike, so I planned lots of hiking and walking. By the end of the week, I was seriously sore! It was so nice to have my mom here, and to share my cute baby with her. She enjoyed reading to Orion and chasing him around. She could have done without all of his screaming when he was "done" with sitting in his carseat. But for the most part, I think she found him to be a very happy child. She got to spend a few days with my brother Niel and his wife and two daughters before hanging with us, so I think she had a great spring break seeing her grandkids in LA!

I enjoyed having the chance to talk with my mom on our long hikes. I asked her lots of questions about what her life was like as a young mom, and learned a lot of things I didn't know, which was great. Another treasure was finally learning how to make lasagna! This was my favorite dish growing up, and why I waited 33 years to learn how to make it I'm really not sure! As I look back on spring break, I think it was nice for me to enjoy a vacation without actually going anywhere. Having someone visit me was a perfect blend of celebrating and enjoying each day without all the pain and drain of travel. So thanks Mom!!

Time is Flying

I just can't keep up! The months are flying and Orion is growing fast. He is almost 10 months now. He's getting a front tooth and it makes him look so old! He is pulling up to everything and pulling things down. Michael says he works very hard at his mischief, so you have to pay him some respect, despite the destructiveness. He's really trying to communicate, which is cute. And the big change lately is that he's "so OVER" baby food. If it can't be picked up or chewed on, he's not interested. What's so wrong with easy to swallow?

The highlight of our February was travelling to Utah for a week. We drove, and Orion did very well, thankfully. We had a great visit seeing Michael's family. Lots of visiting, and Michael was doing research and interviews for a documentary he is making about his grandmother. It was great to see Orion interact with his many cousins, and just great to have time with Michael's brothers, sisters, and his mother.







(Ashton, Gabriel, & Orion)





We were expecting more of a winter wonderland, but it was quite warm and there was very little snow on the ground. On the way out of town, it started snowing. So at least we saw some flakes before coming back to California.
(Here are a couple pictures of me and Orion outside the Mormon Tabernacle on Temple Square, the day we left Utah)














On the way home we stopped in Calico Ghost Town, and enjoyed the sights there. It's really an amazing place, stuck in time. Michael's been begging to get the old fashioned photos done there, so we finally did. We did a family picture, and then some of Orion. It was so fun to dress him as a little cowboy! Then we had lunch at a restaurant there with peanut shells all over the floor (not good with a crawling baby), and ate buffalo burgers, which were delicious.







































One hard thing over the last couple months is that Orion's had an ear infection that has held on for 6 weeks. It's getting better, but it's still not gone. I just hope he's not in too much pain. On top of that, he got a stomach bug when we went to Utah, so when we took Orion in for his 9 month check-up, he was under weight. He was 28 inches, and only 17 1/2 lbs. So the doctor is trying to get us to fatten him up. He has put on a half pound since then, so we're not too worried. He's so active, it's going to be tough to fatten him up much more!

The highlight of my March has been going to the park with my baby. With my working full time, there is just no daylight to get to the park. (Michael makes a point to take him every Thursday when he's home with Orion) We have done lots of Saturday and Sunday walks on the beach which has been great. But this month, I have had the opportunity to take Orion to the park to play on the playground twice, and I have loved it. He's old enough to crawl around and pull up on different things, interact with other children, and just explore.













I have enjoyed the conversations I've had with other parents too. I realize that going to the park is a very common thing, but I feel like I've joined a wonderful club. I can't wait to take him again now that the days are going to be a little longer. The other nice thing about him playing at the park, is that he's totally stimulated and happy, AND he doesn't make a mess!













Looking ahead later in March, my mom will be coming for a visit, during her and my spring break. I can't wait to have her here. It's natural to want to share all the milestones with one's parents, so we are counting the days. I'm hoping to go to several different parks with her and Orion, and just enjoy the sun and company and relaxation. I'm so thankful for a sweet husband, precious baby, and wonderful extended family to share life's experiences with!

Orion's January

Our little guy is growing and learning and changing so much. He pulls up, walks around furniture, crawls like a pro, and is getting into everything. He loves cords, cables, remotes, phones, DVD's, and electronics. He continues to love paper, eating our mail, and shredding our magazines. We try to only leave junk mail in his reach!

He finally got his first tooth mid-month, and he's working on his second. He's eating many new foods, and loving to eat, always saying mmm with every bite. He's starting to babble, and imitate the intonations of speech.

In January, he had many new experiences. Here are some of them:

playing with new toys

going to the library

playing outside

feeding ducks with Daddy

feeling sand in my fingers and toes

learning how to roll, kick, and catch balls

helping to water the garden

riding rides at Chuck E Cheese

Swinging at the park

It's been a great January! We'll see what new things I'm up to next month. Bye!

8-Month Photo Shoot

Kirstina took these pictures after church last week. Orion was feeling sick, but we managed to get some cute pics anyway! Aren't the Collins boys adorable?

Balloon Discovery!-- Orion's First Balloon

Who knew one balloon could bring so much amazement and joy?

Beach Day

Just after the New Year, we went for a walk at the beach and saw a group of people playing volleyball. Michael has been looking for a beach volleyball group to play with for a while now, so we asked them if they were a group that he could join. It turns out it was a meet-up group and he could join! I'm so happy-- each Saturday, Michael can play volleyball with really good players right at our nearby beach. These pictures are from the first day we went. I enjoyed watching Michael do his thing, and watching Orion discover sand. It's fun to watch Michael-- he's really a good player. You wouldn't know it's been over a year since he played, except for his very sore muscles he came home with... These Saturday games are also a great excuse to get to the beach!


































I thought this next picture was too funny-- kids sledding in swim trunks on a pile of sand. A true California winter scene!