Hola, amigos....I'm TWO....

Tonight we met up with some family members for Sequoia's birthday dinner. We picked a local tex-mex place because Sequoia always gets so excited whenever they go to someone's table to sing their birthday song.

She thought it was great when they came to her table and gave her an ice cream sundae and a sombrero.

The sombrero is hers to keep, but the ice cream sundae did not last long enough to make the ride home with us.

Gram-mom was there to show Sequoia that either Sequoia is as mature as some one in their 70's or that gram-mom is a bit loopy and arguably as mature as a two year old.

I am not making any judgments here. 

I think either scenario is perfectly acceptable.

We all had a good time. We were joined by gram-mom, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Jeff, Aunt Trish and Aunt Gena and cousins Will and Christopher.

I love my little birthday senorita!!

Easter parade on the Bay...

This morning we went down to Chesapeake Beach for their annual Easter Parade on the boardwalk.

There were a ton of people there to follow the Easter Bunny down the boardwalk to the beach at the end, gathering goodies along the way from local merchants.

Here Sequoia is sporting a Hershey Kiss mustache....not a look she gets to try out very often.

At the beach she got to meet the Easter Bunny himself ... or herself? .... I really am not all that up to date on the Easter Bunny.

It was a beautiful day, and everyone enjoyed the event. There was an Easter Egg hunt, free Kettle Corn, cookies, games and candy.

It was a great Easter Parade and a wonderful start to her Birthday Celebration, part Two.

Two Year's Eve.....

Sequoia turned TWO on the 25th. She is really growing up quite nicely.

She is a big little girl in so many ways.

Her big present was her new tricycle this year. She was absolutely beside herself when she saw it. She actually wanted to sleep with it that night. We finally "put it to bed" by putting a blanket over it. The following night at bed time she went and got the same blanket and covered the tricycle, telling us to be quiet. It was too funny.

Other big hits this year were her new soccer ball and a wooden Thomas Train set.

She loved the momma and baby sea turtles as well.

She had a great time playing with the fun sticker books.

She took time to enjoy each present that we gave her. 

After presents we had Birthday Cake. It was a delicious ice cream cake in the shape of a bunny. Very cute. She could almost blow out the candles, but needed a little help from mommy.

All in all I think it was a great birthday - even if it was on a Thursday - plus I think it is safe to say that Sequoia's cake eating skills have improved dramatically since her first birthday.

Equinox rocks....

Sequoia celebrated her second spring equinox with the traditional bonfire and wildflower wreath.

In honor of living in North Beach, she also decided to put on her leather jacket and cruise through teh party on her tricked out John Deere trike.

Even tough biker babies sometimes need a little hug from daddy.

And of course a good old fashioned S'more will put a smile on anyone's face.

As will a little fire ring drum circle rhythm.

We honored the tradition of burning the Christmas tree on the equinox. Not really sure of the significance, but it is cool to watch.

So that's what we did - watched it burn. Doesn't take much to amuse us.....

Snow angels....

We had a major blizzard in late January that dumped about 30" of snow on the county.

It was the deepest snow most people around here had ever seen. It just about covered our picket fence.

It was a bit too deep at times for Sequoia to do too much with, so there were many hours spent indoors looking out at the snow and playing winter games in the house.

Sequoia did not mind having some quality time with her mommy.

They are pretty cute together.

Eventually we were able to get the snow under control to the point that Sequoia could actually get out and enjoy it. She absolutely loves the snow.

We walked in it. Played in it.

Tested it and tasted it.

It was a fun time watching Sequoia discover the nature of snow and what she could do with it.

She even wanted to try on mommy and daddy's snow shoes to go hiking. She is fearless.

Daddy's girl...

I have said this a million times to a million people, but I had no idea what being a dad was going to be like....no idea at all. On top of that, I had no idea what being a dad to a little girl would be like, since I have yet to figure out girls of any age. Well whatever I thought it might be like - I never could have imagined how amazingly cool the reality would be. I certainly did not expect Sequoia to mature so quickly. I am astounded by her growth, her personality and her intelligence.

I am also amazed by her desire to be a BIG girl.She wants to do things for herself, and is a quick study. she puts the groceries away, helps make her own breakfast, picks out her clothes, puts away her dirty clothes. She loves to help and is actually a help when she does.

She cracks me up with her sense of humor and keeps me straight with her sense of order and makes me dance with her sense of rhythm.

Life is pretty groovy with her around.

Polar Bear blues....

To celebrate the New Year we decided to do another Polar Bear Plunge. Here I am signing away my life to the city of North Beach.

My sister Peggy watched Sequoia while her husband Jeff documented the festivities.

This does not look like a promising day at  the beach to me.

Luckily they were giving out free hot chocolate to keep us warm while we waited.

Seriously....this looks more like we are waiting for the lift to the top of the ski slope.

Well here's the proof...yup it was cold.

For all of our efforts we had to make our own sign, but I think it was worth it.

Maybe next year Sequoia can join us.