Happy New Year 2013-14!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!  Happy New Year!  2013 seemed to last forever and fly by all at the same time.  Looking back on photos from the year, I can't believe how much Cameron has changed.  Watching children grow is the true measure of the passage of time.

We did not go out for New Year's Eve this year but we did stay awake until midnight for a kiss.  I started out New Year's Day photographing the sunrise from the east side of the island with a friend while Johnnie and Cameron had some daddy/daughter time.  We ended the day with a family trip to the west side of the island to see the sunset.  Photographing the sunrise and sunset on the same day was a big item on my Hawaii bucket list and New Year's Day was a monumental day to do it!  To be honest, the photos are still on my memory card but luckily I have some Instagram photos to share :)

*** 2013 in Review***

In January Cameron learned to roll onto her side, I stopped breastfeeding her, and we joined some friends on a whale watching cruise.

In February, Cameron began rolling from her back to her stomach and began moving across the floor.  She also experienced her first Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day!

In March, Cameron started eating baby food and became a champ at moving around.  We went on an excursion to the Byodo-In Temple and she enjoyed her first St. Patrick's Day and first Easter!

In April, Cameron was still low-crawling and was able to sit up unsupported.

The best event of the year was in April - Johnnie returned from his six-month deployment!  We were very glad and thankful to have him return safely home to us.

In May, Cameron started pulling up on things and was pulling up to standing by the end of the month.

In May we also took a trip to Pennsylvania to introduce Cameron to my family.  The photo below is my parents with my three brothers and myself, our spouses, and our children.  Our family of six has grown to a family of 16.  It's so special when we can all get together!

In June, Cameron began cruising along furniture and walking with her learning walker.  She was able to stand unsupported by the end of the month and also got her first two teeth.

In June we also took a trip to Seattle to introduce Cameron to family and friends, and Johnnie and I both ran a half marathon.

In July, Cameron took her first steps, began climbing stairs, and took swimming lessons.  We also celebrated Dulce's 4th birthday!

In August, Cameron was walking everywhere - no more crawling for her!

In September, Cameron turned one year old and we had a house full of visitors to help celebrate!

Also in September, because family was there to help watch Cameron, I took an impromptu Space-A trip to Japan with some friends!

In October, I took a weekend trip to San Jose to run a half marathon with a friend and we had fun dressing up as a family of pirates for Halloween.

In November, Cameron's birth story was published in Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, Cameron and I took a ride on the Hawaiian Railway Society Train, and we had a great Thanksgiving at our house with friends.

In December, we picked out a Hawaiian Christmas tree, went the Hickam Freedom Tower Lighting where we saw some celebrities, Johnnie and I both celebrated our 36th birthdays and we also celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary, we had a wonderful family Christmas, and we went to the North Shore to watch the Pipe Masters Surf Competition.

2013 was a good year for running!  I completed three 5K races (Cameron rode in the Bob stroller for all of them!), one mud and obstacle Spartan Race, and two half marathons (Rock N Roll Seattle in May and Rock N Roll San Jose in October).

A few goals for 2014:

Continue to blog! I will continue with our weekly posts and hope to get a few extra posts up as well.  I would love to get caught up on the dozens of blog draft posts I have started...

I am attempting a 365 photo challenge on Instagram.  I'm going (to try very hard) to post a photo every day with the hashtag #2014daybyday.  Tag your photos with #2014daybyday if you want to participate - I'd love to see them!  If you're a phone photo kind of person then you need to check out one of my favorite apps, PicTapGo.  I almost always edit the photos on my phone with it before uploading them to Instagram :)

My photography portfolio is growing and I would like to get a collection of prints/products up for sale this year.  Choosing and preparing the photos takes time so we'll see how it goes.

I will definitely run at least one half marathon this year and hope to run some other races as well.

This will be our final year in Hawaii so we are going to enjoy it as much as possible!

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"Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day."

~Michael Josephson