C r e a 's

It only took me 4 months...

2010-03-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, so apparently I don't have the time I was hoping for to keep up with this blog after having Addison. Being a mom is a busy job!!! Especially when your baby girl only wants MOMMY to feed her and put her to bed and only takes 30 minute naps! :) It's a good thing she is the the cutest thing on the face of this earth. Needless to say, I don't have a lot of "down time." I REALLY want to make a better effort though to keep this thing updated because it's so fun for me to look back and see what in the heck I have been up to. These past 7 months have flown by, I am SO glad we (mainly me) have taken lots of video of her because I seriously can't remember what we did yesterday, let alone last month. I do however feel like Addi and I are getting into more of a "routine" (I use that term loosely) and that I am really getting a hang of this whole mommy thing. There really is nothing in the worth that can prepare you for your first baby, that's for sure!
We are starting to get busier and busier with "Cousin Days," visiting friends and family, taking walks, and just getting out and about. I actually JUST signed Addison up for her first swim classes this morning at the YMCA. Cousin's Cody and Ellie and taking them with us, we can't wait! We just got back from Hawaii at the beginning of March and Addi got lots of "swim" practice so she'll have to show her cousins the ropes! ;) We are REALLY looking forward to much more nice weather because her and I really love to get outdoors. We love our walks, taking the dogs to the dog park, planting flowers in the yard, etc. I want to plan some fun outdoor outtings this spring and summer!
Speaking of Hawaii- ahh, what a wonderful trip that was. I am not going to lie, I was getting more and more nervous as the trip approached thinking to myself, "was I smoking crack when I thought taking a 6.5 month old to Hawaii was a good idea?!?" BUT I have to say, it went beautifully! Addison was such a good girl on the plane (minus one meltdown) and she seemed to love living the island life! The weather was a perfect mid 70 range pretty much the whole time and she really loved seeing all the new sights! She took all but one nap in either the front pack (her home away from home) and in her stroller which was so great so that Rocco and I could still enjoy some nice quiet dinners and strolls on the beach! She absolutely LOVED the pools and putting her toes in the sand. Addison and daddy spent lots of time in the pool, giving momma some poolside time to herself which was really nice. Of course I was typically shooting video's and snapping pictures most of the time but I did manage to get caught up on my Hollywood gossip (thank you US Weekly and People) and get a little bit of color on my post pregnancy white belly. All in all it was just a wonderful trip, one that will definitely go down in the memory books. I feel very fortunate that Rocco and I got to spend that time with just Addi. We really want to try and make it a family tradition as Kauai is such a beautiful place to spend time with family and it's pretty kid-friendly. We hope to make many more memories there...
Addison is doing SO well. She is 7.5 months and her little personality is really starting to shine! She is 90th in height and head but is only 25th in weight. She is still a little peanut! She started sitting up about a month ago and thinks she's pretty cool that she can hang with her cousin's on the floor without having to be propped up! She started eating (or should I say playing with) solids at 6 months and we are slowly but surely getting a better hang of the whole concept of eating. Typically most of the food ends up in her ears, nose, eye brows, her 10 hairs, and on her bib but hey- at least she's trying! ;) So far she likes carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, prunes, bananas, and strawberries and DOES NOT like pea's. I don't blame her though, I cant stand them. She LOVES drinking water (it better be iced!) out of her sippy cup but prefers to drink out of mommy's cup so beware if you're holding her with a drink in hand. She WILL have both hands (with mouth wide open) going for it within seconds and homegirl will NOT let up! We spend most of our days with water down the front of both of us. Her favorite things right now are her baths (when given by Daddy- apparently I just can't get it right), her favorite show Baby Genius (she is obsessed), watching the dogs play, being sung too, making people smile, being out and about, playing with any toy that makes LOTS of noise, and pretty much being in any situation where all attention is on her. ;) She is definitely a drama queen! She is constantly smiling and has the cutest giggle you'll ever hear! She makes Rocco and I SO incredibly happy, we never knew it was possible to love something so much! She is our Angel.
So, I am not even going to attempt to update you with pictures. For those who follow us on Facebook know that I would probably crash the Blogspot site if I try and upload pictures from November until now. Not to mention blogspot doesn't make it easy to upload pictures- but hey, it's free! Chances are though, that you have a facebook. I will however add pictures as I try and keep you updated in our lives! I am hoping we will have lots of fun new adventures to share as we come into spring and summer!
Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog that is probably full of run on sentences, spelling errors, and horrible grammar! Hey- you can't have it all! :) Until next time, Mahalo!
XO,
Sarah (with sleeping Addi on my chest)

The pictures are here!

2009-11-25T22:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some the final pictures of Miss Addison from her 3 month photo shoot with the fabulous Sylvia Cook!

Love,
Sarah

100th Day Celebration- Korean Style!

2009-11-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

Addison & Harmony

Monday marked a special day in the Crea Household. It was Addison's 100th day birthday! In the Korean culture this is a very special day in a childs life. I have to admit, I have to do a little reading to educate myself on why exactly this IS so important and here is a small tidbit from my fact finding:

In Korea, on the 100th day after a child's birth, a small feast is prepared to celebrate the child's having survived this difficult period. If the child is sick at this time, the family passes the day with neither announcement nor party, for to do otherwise is considered bad luck for the infant.

At this time the samshin halmoni is honored with offerings of rice and soup in gratitude for having cared for the infant and the mother, and for having helped them live through a difficult period. The family, relatives and friends then celebrate with rice cakes, wine, and other delicacies such as red and black bean cakes sweetened with sugar or honey.

To prevent potential harm to the child and to bring him or her good luck and happiness, red bean cakes are customarily placed at the four compass points within the house. If the steamed rice cakes are shared with 100 people, it is believed that the child will have a long life. Therefore, rice cakes are usually sent to as many people as possible to help celebrate the happiness of the occasion. Those who receive rice cakes return the vessels with skeins of thread, expressing the hope of longevity, and rice and money, symbolizing future wealth.

Now we didn't exactly follow this exactly but we did have a small get together with Rocco's parents and his cousin Sungi and Suki (Rocco's mom) or Harmony (which is grandma in Korean) brought Addison her 100th Day Dress and a HUGE rice cake! Addison was such a tropper on this day with us dressing her up, passing her all around, snapping pictures left and right, etc. She was especially cute when Grandpa (Rocco Jr) was holding her for the first time! She laughed and smiled and "talked" to him, it was just too cute! She even fell asleep in his arms, precious!

Here are some pictures from her special day!!!

Love,

Momma

"Addison"

Photo Shoot by Sylvia Cook, starring... Miss Addison June.

2009-11-17T16:37:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a fun day! On Sunday, photographer Sylvia Cook spent several hours with us at our home to take some photo's for us! I was so skeptical because I wasn't sure how long Addison would cooperate but she did SO well! With many outfit changes, different hats and bows, and lots of different backround changes, she acted like such a little professional! :) She smiled and giggled through most of it before eventually drifting off to sleep sprawled out in our entry way topless in a black tu-tu and red bow! But even then, she was as precious as ever! :) I dont know who was more exahausted that evening, Addison or Momma and Daddy... Rocco and I were singing and dancing around the whole time like a couple of dorks just trying to keep Miss Addi happy and smiling! It was so much fun though! As we are waiting for the photo's, Sylvia was kind enough to post a few and we are THRILLED with the outcome! We can't wait to see the rest! Stay tuned...

Love,
Momma Crea

Check out Addison's debut on Sylvia's blog here:
http://photographybysylviacook.blogspot.com/

Little Miss Sassy Pants!

2009-11-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a new picture of Miss Addison in the bath tub giving us a little attitude! I just love it, it's so "her!" The older she gets, the more her personality shines! She is such a joy in our lives!

In 3 days, she will be 3 months old! I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone! I cannot imagine my life without her, she is truly our little angel.

Love,

The Crea's

Happy Halloween & Happy Birthday Grammy!

2009-11-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

My Momma's birthday was on the 27th but we celebrated on Halloween instead! Chris and Cali hosted a GREAT Halloween/Birthday party at their place and we all had a great time! The babies were all troopers considering it was past all of their bedtimes! I cant believe that next year they will all be walking!!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday Momma!

Love,
Sarah & Addison

Monster Mash!

2009-10-27T10:12:00.001-07:00

My hilarious brother Chris created this and I just HAD to share!

Introducing... (drum roll please)... Mister Cody Kovin, Miss Ellie Fulker, and Miss Addison Crea with special guest, Grammy Lisa in the 2009 edition of MONSTER MASH!!!!

P.S.
You might want to hit pause on my music player to your right before hitting play below to get the full effect! :)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

A dinosaur, a horse, and a ladybug...

2009-10-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

I cant believe it's already Halloween! Wasn't it JUST August and I was bringing my sweet little girl home for the first time?! Man, time just flies! Anyhow... Cali, Heidi, and I had a little "trial run" of the kiddies in their costumes after the Pumpkin Patch and I just had to share. Of course there isn't one where they are all smiling but I think it will be awhile before we can count on that! Addison wasn't all that excited about her costume but she was a real trooper! Looking forward to more pics on Halloween!

Love,
Sarah

Happy Carving!

2009-10-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

We (and by we I mean Rocco) carved our pumpkin last night! We started out with 2 pumpkins but one is already soft and getting moldy, eww! So, Rocco carved away while Addison and I watched and took pics! Check um out!

Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!
Sarah & Addison

Visit to GrannZ & Papa's!

2009-10-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Addison and I headed to the Swanson's on Friday afternoon for a visit with Grannz, Papa, and Auntie Melissa! Mel was able to capture some pretty cute pictures of my little angel so I thought I would share! :)

Love,
S&A

Harmony's Birthday!

2009-10-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated Rocco's mom's birthday at our place with the Lackey's and the Crea's! Rocco made his amazing homemade lasagna along with fresh bread, spinich, and grilled asparagus! Yummmmmmm! Great people, good food!

Happy Birthday Harmony!

Love,
The Crea's

Pumpkin Patch 2009!

2009-10-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

It's that time again and now we have 3 new family members to add to our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch! Luckily the weather cleared up on Sunday so the day was just perfect! We will have to get creative with photoshop to add Brittany (who had to work) and Brian (who was at a work function) to our annual pumpkin patch photo! Check um out!

Happy Fall!
The Crea's

Fall Family Pictures!

2009-10-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we all met at DeCoursey Park downtown Puyallup for some family pictures! Luckily Brian's sister Megan is AMAZING at taking pictures so we asked her if she would shoot some for us! We really needed some updates pictures now that the little ones are here!
Enjoy!

Read to me Daddy...

2009-10-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Addi is expecting more and more entertainment each and every day! She loves walks, being read to, sung to, or talked to, she loves her rattles and anything that plays music or has bright pretty lights! Rocco was reading her a book the other day and I was able to snap this adorable picture... she just LOVES the attention of having someone reading to her! Even though she isn't real interested in the actual book yet, she sure loves the funny voices and sounds mommy and daddy make when they read her a story! :)

Happy Reading!
Sarah

Happy Early Birthday Papa/Daddy!

2009-10-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

My Dads birthday is on the 12th but we celebrated early this year because of a VERY busy October! We all had dinner and Pumpkin Pie at my dad and Lynnz's and luckily it turned out to be a beautiful day! Miss Addi loved seeing her Papa and GrannZ and meeting Scott, Patricia, Dave, Brenda, and Melissa for the very first time! Here are some pictures of the fun day!

.. Happy Birthday Daddy..

Heart,

Sarah

Salmon Days!

2009-10-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Now that we are officially in the 98029, we just had to make our appearance at Salmon Days last weekend! It actually ended up being a lot of fun and we even ran into our good friends Matt and Jenna! Good food, good music, LOTS of salmon, and we even picked up a handmade winter hat for Miss Addi. Cant wait for next year!

Love,
The Crea's

Rubber Ducky... You're the one!

2009-10-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Miss Addison LOVES her bath time... well, except the whole getting out part. She loves the water, getting her hair washed, and smiling at daddy while he sings to her! Here are some pictures from bath time over the last couple of weeks! Enjoy!

Love,
Momma Crea

Happy Fall!

2009-09-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

Fall is just about here and I have to admit, as much as I love the sunshine, I am really looking forward to a change of scenery, Addison's first trip to the Pumpkin Patch, her first Halloween and Thanksgiving! So many fun times ahead!

Love,

The Crea's

Bff's

2009-09-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

I am copying Jenni by doing this post but I couldn't help but share these pictures because they are just too dang cute...

Jenni and Ainsley had Addison and I over last week and of course Jen and I wasted NO time in putting the girls through their first photo shoot! :)

The top pic I just HAD to share also because it's Addi's first picture of her smiling with her eyes OPEN! Good work Jen!!!!!

We had a great little visit and can't wait for these little girls to spend more time together in the future!

Love,

S & A

Family Love...

2009-09-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Rocco, Addison, and I had the Kovin's, Fulkers, my mom, and uncle Mark over for a BBQ and mini celebration for Grandparents Day! Addison was sure to send all her grandparents cards this year! :) Here are some pictures!

XOXO,
Momma & Addison

Happy Birthday Honey!!!

2009-09-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday Dear Rocco/Daddy,

Happy Birthday to you!

Love,

Sarah, Addison, Giz, & Woody

Angel...

2009-09-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Over the long weekend, Rocco and I put our Nikon to use and shot some fun photo's of our Miss Addison. She was a real trooper! Enjoy!

Sarah & Addi

Our first wedding anniversary... (9.6.08)

2009-09-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Maybe...

Maybe we are supposed to meet the wrong people before we meet the right one so when they finally arrive we are truly grateful for the gift we have been given.

Maybe its true that we don't know what we have lost until we lose it but it is also true that we don't know what we're missing until it arrives.

Maybe the happiest of people don't have the best of everything, but make the best of everything that comes their way.

Maybe the best kind of love is the kind where you sit on the sofa together, not saying a word, and walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you ever had.

Maybe once in a lifetime you find someone who not only touches your heart but also your soul, someone who loves you for who you are and not what you could be.

Maybe the art of true love is not about finding the perfect person, but about seeing an imperfect person perfectly.

I love you!
Happy 1st Anniversary Love.

XO,

Sarah

Addison's Special Tree from Grandpa...

2009-08-27T20:06:00.001-07:00

My dad planted a tree in my honor when I was born so we thought it would be so special to plant one for Miss Addison the week after she was born. My dad came over on Tuesday and he and Rocco went out on the hunt for the perfect tree for her. They came home with a beautiful white dogwood! Rocco and my dad spent the afternoon planting the tree (while Addison and I watched in the shade) close to the entry of our home so we could see it everyday! We are very excited to see the beautiful blooms this spring and to someday share with Addison the story behind it. Thank you Daddy/Grandpa for Addison's Special Tree! We love you!

Love,

Sarah & Addison

We've made it through the first 10 days!

2009-08-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Phew! We made it through the first week and a half and we are all doing great! Besides being the most tired I have ever been in my entire life, I am recovering well and starting to feel human again! :) Rocco has been off work since I gave birth and has been a wonderful help! Addison is adjusting beautifully to life outside the womb and we could not be more in love with her. She had her first check up on Monday and has already surpassed her birth weight (now weighing 7lbs 2oz) so that made mommy very happy! She has been a real angel... already giving us lots of smiles, eating like a champ, taking long naps, and loving bath time! She especially loves getting her hair washed... hmmmm, wonder if she'll like to get pampered like her mommy. :) We really couldn't have asked for a sweeter baby girl.

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their kind words, cards, flowers, balloons, cookies, dinners, gifts for Addi, and visits! We feel so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing support system! Thank you especially to Grammy, Harmony, and GrannZ who have cooked, cleaned, and even babysat so that mommy could get some rest! And a special thanks to Grammy who bought Addi a bunch of preemie clothes to keep her adorable and comfortable while she is still just a little peanut. :) We love you!!!

Here are just some fun pictures of Addison over the last 10 days. Enjoy!

Love,
The Crea's

Addison June Crea

2009-08-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

I have been staring at the screen for 10 minutes now trying to find the words to describe our emotions at this point but I've just come to the conclusion that there really aren't any. No words can truly describe how much we love this little girl and how thankful we are for her safe arrival.

Miss Addison June Crea was born on Sunday (August 16th) at 10:52am at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue. She weighed 6lbs 15oz and was 19.25" long. She has dark hair and looks just like daddy! My labor, although long, went beautifully. I started having contractions on Thursday night but they were inconsistent and weren't all that painful. By Friday morning, they had subsided so I went about my day which included getting my hair done (just in the nick of time!)and going to the McKasson's concert at the Mandolin Cafe with some of the family. Around 7pm that night the contractions started in again and this time they were a bit more painful and were coming every 5-7 minutes. I still wasn't convinced I was in actual labor considering my bout of contractions the night before that later went away, so I hung out at the concert for a bit longer before heading home. By the time I got home, they had picked up even more and the pain started to increase. Rocco hung out with me and timed them while we decided what we should do. Finally around 3am after not being able to sleep, we called the doctor and he recommended that we go get checked out at the hospital. So, off we went! After getting "checked" we found that although my contractions were strong and consistent, I was only dialated to 1.5cm. Bummer! The nurse recommended we go home and try and get some sleep because she predicted that we would be back within 24 hours (easy for her to say). We arrived back home at around 6am and even though she gave me an Ambien to help me sleep, there was NO WAY I could with contractions coming as hard and often as they were. So you can only imagine the zombie I was having taken an Ambien but then not being able to actually sleep. Rocco told me later about all the funny things I was saying and doing. I am still not sure what that nurse was thinking. Even though I was delirious from A. NO SLEEP and B. Being heavily medicated, I proceeded to take about 6 walks that day, roll around for hours on my exercise ball, vacuum the entire house (even though it didn't need it), walk up and down the stairs about 30 times... I was just bound and determined to not be one of the poor women who labor like that for a week or two before they actually give birth. No thank you! By 7pm that night (Saturday) things really started to pick up. It became much more difficult to walk and/or talk during contractions so I was pretty sure I had made SOME progress. So, once again- off we went. Luckily this time around I was dialated to 3cm which is just enough to get me admitted! Aww, I was SO relieved! From there, I began making phone calls while Rocco grabbed our bags and then we were up and around again trying to keep my labor moving along. We walked the halls for hours with our iphones, calling and texting people to let them know it was "go time." My mom arrived not too long after and was a wonderful help to us! Cali and Heidi, along with the babies, also came up to with us luck! After finally reaching 5cm, my new best friend arrived... the anesthesiologist! Wow, what a relief that was. The epidural was quick and relatively painless and allowed me to finally get a little shut eye. My mom, Rocco, and I all dozed on and off for a couple of hours (well, Rocco was snoring so I think he was doing a little more than dozing...) until finally getting checked again around 9am (Sunday) and hearing the good news, I was 10cm and ready to rock and roll! Wahoooo! The frantic phone calls started, as we were thinking originally we would have a BIT more notice but I certainly wasn't complaining. Luckily for the family, the doctor look about an hour and a half to arrive so everyone was able to make it for Addison's big debut! Even though the actual labor seemed like an eternity, the delivery went quick! 30 minutes and she was out (thank you, thank you very much!). :) My mom and Rocco were both in the delivery room as my coaches and Heidi and Cali were the paparazzi (see pictures). The rest of the family stood outside the room with their ear's to the door! It couldn't have been a more perfect delivery, I felt SO blessed. And then there she was... my sweet little baby girl. Talk about the most amazing experience a woman will ever go through. Holding her for the first time was a moment I will cherish forever. She was perfect, and all ours.

Love,
The Crea's

Addison already has Daddy wrapped around her teeny little finger...

2009-08-10T21:29:00.001-07:00

Rocco came home from work today with the cutest little grin on his face... he handed me a Tiffany's bag and said that it was a gift for Addison but that he just couldn't WAIT to give it to her! :) My heart of course melted right there on the spot. I opened it up for her and turns out Daddy had gotten her a beautiful rattle from Tiffany & Co. Talk about one.lucky.girl! I cant wait to show her and tell her the story someday... She's already SO loved.

With Love,

Momma & a VERY spoiled little girl.

Rocco's Early Birthday...

2009-08-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

Considering we are about to enter a new chapter in our lives and things are about to get REAL... hmmm, what's the word I should use... Busy(?!) around here, I thought it would be wise to throw Rocco a birthday party a little early this year so that his special day wouldn't get lost in the shuffle. So, my Dad and BM (that's Bonus Mom) graciously offered up their cabin as a place for our families to gather for his celebration. Other than the fact that we were missing Seth (who is knee deep in their remodel) and my mom and Jake (who were on a place home from London), we had a WONDERFUL day. I am sure if you asked anyone OTHER than the 38 week pregnant woman, the weather COULD have been a little warmer but of course I was in heaven! We spent the day visiting, eating, boating, eating, opening presents, eating birthday cake and rootbeer floats, visiting some more, and then of course eating a little more! :) There is never a shortage of food with the Crea's and the Swanson's get together! All in all, it was just a fabulous day and most importantly, I think Rocco really enjoyed himself. Here are some pictures from his special day.

XOXO,

Sarah and Addison

Belly Shots!

2009-07-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

So I went back and forth on this for a couple of months about whether or not I wanted to do the whole "maternity photo shoot" thing and it just seemed like the bigger I got, the more the idea didn't sound so appealing after all. Not that I didn't love my growing belly, it was the other growing "area's" that I wasn't all that excited about. Well, in the end I decided that if anything, they would be pictures we could look back on and laugh at how big "mommy" was so I made the appointment. Luckily my great friend Lexie had hers taken the year before at Cooper Studio's and since they turned out so beautifully, I thought I would give them a shot! In the end, I was SO glad we did them. Amy and Forrest, the owners and photographers at Cooper Studio's, were WONDERFUL and made it so much fun, not to mention their studio is amazing! Lots of fun and unique textures, colors, and props at their renovated historical building made it right up our alley, very much our taste! Turns out their work is amazing too! :) We are really happy with our photo's and are really excited to show them to Addison someday. We are actually taken Addi back a couple weeks after her arrival for her newborn pictures... can't wait to see those!!! Below are some of our favorites... Enjoy!

We are SO blessed...

2009-07-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

I really feel like I need to pinch myself because of all the wonderful blessings lately. Last Saturday Lynnz and my Momma hosted a GORGEOUS shower for Addison at the Swanson's. There was a great turn out of family and family friends and it just turned out to be a perfect day. The weather was beautiful so we spent most of the day out of the deck which my dad and Lynnz had worked VERY hard on to have looking it's best for the big day. Lynnz decorated in a precious vintage birdie theme and had fresh bouquets of flowers scattered about. It was so "me," I just loved it! The food was of course incredible... we had an arrangement of YUMMY salads, fruit tarts, and chocolate covered strawberry's! Momma and Lynnz did an amazing job! Patricia brought her famous caesar salad which was also a huge hit! The gifts were unbelievable. It's so amazing to me the time and effort that went into them. When shopping, people REALLY chose their gifts with such thought because they could not have been more "me!" I couldn't have picked them better myself for my little angel! Then, there were a collection of handmade gifts that turned out AMAZING! Brenda Holt and her daughter Erin McGovern spent so much time making Addison the sweetest gifts... handmade booties, a framed picture of different photographs spelling Addi's name, a precious little toy box with Addison's initials... They even make me, my momma, and Lynnz these little handmade brag books that are just too cute for words! We are going to have fun filling them up with Addi's pictures once she arrives!

So, thank you. To everyone who came and celebrated Addison's upcoming arrival into our family and also to those who helped with all the preparation and details. A special thank you to Lynnz and my momma for throwing such a gorgeous shower. Thank you Lynnz for hosting it at your home and adding all of your creative little touches, making it such a unique and beautiful shower.

With much Love,
Sarah & Addison June

What an AMAZING day!!!

2009-06-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my mom and cousin Heidi hosted a BEAUTIFUL shower for me and Miss Addison at our home. The weather was gorgeous, the food was SO yummy, the decorations were so fun... It was just absolutely perfect, I had such a wonderful time! To have most of my bestest friends in the whole wide, along with some of my amazing family, in one place helping in the celebration of my sweet baby girl was just so special. It's times like these where you can't help but stop and look around and thank your lucky stars for such a wonderful circle of friends. I know, I know... the pregnancy hormones have me all weepy but I am just SO thankful. Addison was so spoiled and I have had so much fun going through everything and getting things all set up for his big arrival! From pink Tu-Tu's (Thanks Auntie Jenni), to personalized towels (Thanks Grammy), to HANDMADE quilts and blankies (Thanks Auntie(s) Dot, Erin, and Tiff) to PRECIOUS little outfits and diaper essentials, this little girl is SET! She is already so loved and she's not even here yet! I cannot wait until she is here and I can introduce her to all of the people who love her so much!

So, thank you to those who shared this special day with me and especially to my momma and cousin Heidi who were amazing hostesses, and also Jenna for organizing all the fun games. I appreciate it more than you ladies will ever know!!!

XOXO,
Momma & Addi

Mister Cody Christopher Kovin has arrived!!!

2009-06-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

I am SO proud to welcome sweet little Cody Christopher into the world! My brother Chris, and sister-in-law Cali met their precious boy on June 23rd at 12:45pm at Tacoma General Hospital. Cody and Mommy are doing wonderfully. I have of course been back out to the hospital everyday to visit... I just can't get enough of him! He looks a lot like my brother Chris but with Cali's adorable little button nose. I cannot WAIT to introduce Addison to him, and also her new cousin Ellie Sage (who is 8 weeks old). The 3 of them will all be roughly 8 weeks apart and we are already planning the play dates and coordinating outfits! Welcome Baby Cody!

Love,
Auntie Sarah & Cousin Addison

Happy Birthday to my Baby Brother Jake!!!

2009-06-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

To top off our very busy (yet fun filled weekend) we headed back down south to celebrate Jake's 12th birthday! My mom hosted a great little birthday party for Jake and it was great to have the family together to celebrate! We are SO very proud of Jake and all his accomplishments... In this past year, he has made the WPFC Black Soccer Team yet again as their only goal keeper, kept us entertained with his guitar, drums, and trombone skills (even making it into the Meeker Honor's Band), graduating from 6th grade from the VERY TOUGH Quest Program at Meeker Elementary, And after a rigorous day of testing... was placed into the PAGE program at Kallas Junior High (PAGE is the junior high version of "Quest"). Needless to say, we are always so proud of Jake and really enjoy watching him shine at soccer games, band concerts, etc. Keep up the good work Jake!!!

We Love You,
Sarah & Addi

Some fun family photo's from the celebration...

So proud!!!

2009-06-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend was a double doozy of graduations in the family, first Miss Christina Crea graduated on Friday from Centralia College and then Miss Brittany Johnston graduated from Puyallup High School on Saturday! We are SO proud of both girls and can't wait to see what the future has to hold for them! Congrats ladies!!! We love you very much!

Love,
Sister Sarah & Neice Addison June :)

Here are some additional photo's from the weekend fun...

Bump Watch- 28 weeks!

2009-06-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

I am officially in my 3rd Trimester!

The Home Stretch!!!

Here are the most recent belly shots...

Proud Grandparents! (cont. from post below)

2009-06-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pictures of the Grandparents at our 4D Ultrasound (see post below)!!! Addi is one lucky girl with all these grandparents who love her so very much! Thanks so much for being there, It really made the experience that much more special! We love you!

Hearts,
Momma, Pops, and Addison

28 Weeks- 4D Ultrasound!

2009-06-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Addison June Crea

Well hello there! Sorry it's been a while... I tend to go in and out of "blog-mode" and apparently I have been on the "outs" for a little while now. Anyhow- I have some exciting pictures to share which will hopefully make up for lost time! Yesterday Rocco and I had our 4D Ultrasound at 28 weeks at Baby Pictures in Bellevue. This is the same place we went for the Gender Check ultrasound where we found out we were having an Addison and not a Rocco III. Even though finding out she was... well- a she, was exciting, this last ultrasound was even more exciting because we got to see her *sweet* little face. We had ALL the grandparents with us which made it THAT much more special! That little girl is already SO loved. We were all just squealing with excitement the whole time, it was so much fun! Addison was busy in there as usual, playing with the umbilical cord, smiling, sucking her thumb, squirming around, etc. She is quite the little show off (Gee, I wonder where she gets that from?!). The shots we got of her smiling are my absolute favorite! Seeing her little smiling face up on that screen just completely melted our hearts! It almost looked like she was giggling!!! Glad to know she is having so much fun in there!! :)

So here are our most favorite pictures... The one at the top is the smile/giggle one I keep raving about. The umbilical cord is of course some what in front of her face because she kept playing with it but you can see her little smile peeking through! :) I am already such a proud mommy!
Enjoy!

Love,
Momma and Baby A

Sweet Baby Girl

Little Tootsies

Raising her hand

Profile

Sticking out her tongue

Giggles

Sucking her thumb

Little Smirk

Britney's Back!

2009-04-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Rocco got me some Britney Spears tickets for Christmas and last Thursday was the BIG DAY! Michelle, Cousin Alison, Roomie (Sarah), Brittany, and I all went together to the show and it was A-MAZING! This was Alison and Brittany's first Britney concert but Michelle, Roomie, and I have been to ALL her concerts together! Rocco got us GREAT tickets, the best I have ever had at a Britney show! He scored some major points with that one!

The crowd was INSANE, it was a sold out show! You know you are getting old when you have ZERO tolerance for all the drunk 18-21 year old girls dressed like they are going to the Playboy Mansion's semi-annual "Pimps & Hoe's" party.

Despite the fact that Britney has been... well, how do I say this... a complete train wreck for the last couple of years, she made a serious comeback! We were NOT disappointed! Granted she didn't sing a note live, which is nothing new, but lets be serious- we aren't there for her singing capabilities! The show itself is what you spend a ridiculous chunk of change on. Her theme this tour was "Circus" so it was full of circus acts, acrobats, some of the most amazing dancers I have EVER seen, tons of costume changes (ranging from a genie to a sexy cop), and lots of fire! The best *bonus* of the show was that the Pussycat Dolls opened for her! They too completely rocked the house!

Britney looked great. Granted she had a slight roll hanging over her costume half the time, one can only HOPE they look that good after two kids back to back. She if course sported her long, platinum hair extensions which finally look normal again since her hair is finally semi-grown out after the infamous "head shaving" incident. And surprisingly enough, there were no break downs, storming off the stage, crotch shots, or drug induced stumbles across the stage. Awww, we were all so proud! :)

So until next time we meet Brit, keep up the good work!

P.S.
And yes, thats a onsie that says "Opps I Did it Again" on my tummy in the group picture. Of course I just HAD to get it! :)

Thanks for the great pictures Michelle!

Love,
S&A

Photoshop Wiz!

2009-03-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is the ACTUAL picture that my brother Chris photoshopped for my birthday card this year! It's supposed to be Rocco, Addison, and I enjoying our new house! :) This is his best card yet, I still cant stop laughing!!! I don't know what is most disgusting... the filthy room or my filthy, hairy, scabbed up legs! I think my legs win.

Birthday Party & Baby Addison Celebration!

2009-03-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole wide world given the amazing families I have! :) My mom, with the help of Susanne and Suki, put on a wonderful little family get-together to celebrate my birthday and also finding out the Baby Crea is a GIRL! We had a YUMMY dinner, the BEST cake, and then opened presents! Baby Addison and I are lucky gals, we got such thoughtful gifts! Addison got enough cute clothes to never have to wear the same outfit twice! That girl is going to be one stylish chick!!! So thank you to Momma, Momma Crea, Susanne, Mya, Christina (who was sick and couldn't make it :( Brittany, Justin, Sungi, Chris, Cali, Jake, and of course... my husband! :) It was so great to have everyone together. Love you all to pieces!!

OH! And a couple of side notes... First off, the lovely bandaid on my neck is because I had a big bug bite (I know, gross!) that I couldn't stop itching and was making it worse so I had to cover it up so I would leave it along! AND, the hi-larious picture of Rocco and I living in a shack in the Depession Era is from my brother Chris, who is a MASTER at Photoshop! Every year, for each birthday, he creates a funny card for everyone and they get funnier every year! This is suppossed to be Rocco and I living in our new house! Ha! I don't know what's worse... the filthy house or my filthy feet! Oh! And one more thing, YES that is Jake, my 11 year old brother who is officially taller than me!!

Love,
Happy Momma & My Little Fashionista, Addison June

Officially... 98029!

2009-03-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Crea's are FINALLY nestled into their new home in Issaquah. Let me just start this blog off by saying that if I NEVER move again in this lifetime, I am 100% okay with that! Man, moving is just SUCH a hassle... and we even hired movers this time!! I will say though that Rocco and I have been busting a move around here and have gotten SO much done. Don't get me wrong, we still have a long way to go but I am pretty impressed with our progress! We have been working morning until night with not much resting in between. When we do finally sit down at the end of the day, it's all over!

Moving day went great. We decided that it would be worth it to hire movers this time around and boy was it worth every dime we spent! We had 3 guys who literally worked 12 hours non stop (minus a 10 minute pizza break) unloading 2 trucks (Yes, they couldn't fit everything in the truck on their first trip so they had to make a second trip and managed to fill it up again!) and those guys were busting their butts! The only downfall was that only one of them spoke broken English so my color-coded organization system didn't work out quite as well as I thought it would. Yes, you read that correctly, I had floor plans printed out with different colored stickers in the rooms with coordinating colored stickers on the boxes that were to go IN that room. They sort of got the concept but I still got a lot of confused looks even though the box said KITCHEN on it with a red sticker that corresponded to the red sticker on the layout I gave them. Whatever, in the end the boxes were primarily where they needed to be! :)

The days since moving day have been filled with unpacking, unpacking, and more unpacking... Rocco has been working diligently out in his VERY FIRST garage while I work on the interior. After trips to IKEA and Lowes, Rocco has got a pretty cool system down in the garage, I love it! The best part is, we can actually park BOTH cars in it! :) The interior is coming along... of course I want walls painted, window treatments up, art hung, etc... like NOW, but I just keep reminding myself that this will all take time... and money!

So, all in all things are going great! We can't stop saying to each other, "I can't believe WE actually live HERE!" We are both so excited to grow into this house and raise a family here. We feel so blessed. Not only do we love this house, but we love the area and especially our neighbors! In the last few days, we have had several families come by to introduce themselves and welcome us and we even had someone bring us a chicken dinner and another brought us a bouquet of flowers! Wow, who does that?! We spoke with one neighbor who informed us that there are roughly 30 kids in 20 houses so they are always organizing family gathering, etc. and even "Happy Hours" for the adults! In fact for Easter, everyone pitches in and the neighborhood does a HUGE Easter egg hunt in the entire neighborhood. It will be interesting to see how it turns out!

Well, I better get up and pretend I am working before Rocco comes in from working in the garage! :) I will post some pictures soon!

<3 Sarah, Addi, Gizmo, and Woody!

Addison's a Movie Star!!!

2009-03-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Rocco for getting me all set up on this movie maker program, I was able to make my very first (and very basic) movie of Addison! I took our 20 minute ultrasound from Tuesday and edited it down to around 4 minutes. It's pretty cute to see how active that little girl is! Click on the link below to watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr4H58gMbEw

Love,
Momma & her little Movie Star, Miss Addison June!

Happy Birthday Gizmo Louise!

2009-03-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

BIRTHDAY BOY!!!

Today our little boy turns 4! I took him and Woody to the Dog Park to play with their good friends, Maddox & Kasey and Rocco bought him home some "doggy irish stew"(St. Patty's Day), some cookies, and a new version of his all time favorite toy! Aww, what a good daddy. Rocco and I even sang him Happy Birthday (both dogs were staring at us like we were nuts, which they had every right to). So, Happy Birthday Pooh Bear!!! We love you!

Miss Addison June Crea!

2009-03-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

ITS A GIRL!!

What an amazing day! Rocco and I had our 17 week ultrasound today and found out the wonderful news that we having a baby GIRL! We had the ultrasound done at "Baby Pictures" in Bellevue and had such an GREAT experience! My mom even met us there which was a lot of fun! Needless to say, she is pretty excited that she will have both a girl and boy grand baby, thanks to Chris & Cali who found out they are having a boy a few weeks ago!

During the ultrasound we were able to see Addison with the hiccups, playing with her hands and face, squirming all around, opening and closing her mouth, her precious little feet... it was so unreal! Seeing her "on screen' and knowing that she is in my tummy was incredible! The lady doing the ultrasound made a comment about how much of a ham she was because of the "show" she put on for us... Gee, I wonder who she gets that from! :) We had such a fun time watching her! We of course had to purchase the DVD of some of her movement and are currently working on getting it uploaded for those interested! Here are a couple of shots that I love... her sweet little profile and her little itty bitty foot.

Love,

Proud Momma & Addi June

Bump Watch!

2009-03-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official... I AM pregnant! Ha! At least that's how I felt when I finally started noticing an actual "baby bump." It's been very exciting to experience all of the amazing changes that are happening... even though some are not as pleasant as others! :) I will say that the sickness, which has been mainly in the evening as of late, IS improving. Thank the sweet Lord above!!!!! It's still hanging around but not nearly as bad as it's been. I have just learned to try and eat a pretty decent breakfast and lunch since I am not as excited about food in the evenings.

My cravings are fruit and cereal... mainly honey nut Cheerios's and mango, kiwi, pineapple, and strawberries. I have also become really into Perrier and pellegrino. I found that plain old water was too boring so I picked some up to see if it would help me drink more fluids and I don't leave home without it now! Since I don't drink pop I think its the carbonation that really hits the spot! Other than that, I have more sporadic cravings that come and go and its usually things I haven't eaten in YEARS! The other day I all of the sudden started craving a vanilla ice cream cone from McDonald's and there was NO stopping me! And for those of you who know me well, know that I don't eat fast food. Not to mention, I haven't had a vanilla cone in like... 15 years! Anyhow, I literally drove like a bat outta hell to the nearest McDonald's drive thru and devoured that cone in minutes! It was amazing how satisfying it was! Ha! But the funny thing is, I haven't craved one since. Which is probably a good thing because there is NO self control with cravings when you are preggers! As far as food aversion's go, I cannot stand ANY type of meat right now. I have NEVER been a big meat fan to begin with but I would force myself from time to time and now, uh uh- no way in h, e, double hockey sticks can I eat meat. I CAN do VERY thinly slided turkey on my sandwiches but that's it! So needless to say, I have had to get real creative with my protein intake. Lots of smoothies, yogurt, cheese, etc.

So, next on the pregnancy agenda is my 16 week appointment next Monday and then I am HOPING I get to have another ultrasound at 17 weeks to find out if Baby Crea is a Boy or a Girl! We can't wait!!! Of course we will keep you updated!

Take care...
Momma & Baby

We're Moving!

2009-03-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right... we actually sold our house in this insane market and so we have purchased a new home in Highland Terrace in Issaquah! We are SO excited about our new home. It really is perfect for us and it's one we see ourselves in for MANY years to come. We think its a wonderful location to raise our family with so many parks and outdoor activites, not to mention its top rated school district.

Our official move in date is April first so we are VERY thankful for the time I have right now at home to help with the packing, organizing, etc. Ugh, its SUCH a huge project to move. But, it will all be worth it in the end (at least thats what I keep telling myself!). :)

I have attached some pictures "pre-move-in" and of course I will post more once we get settled. I also attached the floor plans that were provided by the builder. Our ACTUAL floor plan is slightly different in that it actually only has a 2 car garage and it doesnt show the basement which has been completely finished.

Hope all is well!

Sarah & GROWING Baby Crea

3 Musketeers do Crystal Mountain!

2009-02-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

The 3 musketeers headed to Crystal Mountain this past Sunday for some snowboarding and skiing! Rocco and Jake snowboarded while Chris skied! For those who remember, Chris used to be a "Ski Bum" in high school/college but hasn't been much since so we were all wondering if he would come home in one piece or not! Thankfully Chris took his camera (which also takes video) and between him and Rocco, they were able to get some great pics/video and we were able to see that he can still dominate the mountain!!! :) The only difference he was no longer sporting his fluorescent pink, orange, and green K2's (see below). Gotta love the style in 1987! Also, Chris put together this great video of their adventures- check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMf96iNMgb8

11 Week Update!

2009-02-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

Well hello there!
I have actually gotten a few "Hey, why aren't you updating your blog anymore?!" comments so here I am!!! I am just flattered that people actually read this thing! :)

Today was a pretty exciting day for Rocco and I... we got to hear the sweet little heartbeat of Baby Crea! At our 7 week ultrasound we were able to SEE it but it was too early to actually HEAR it. So today was the big day and it was amazing! Our wonderful Dr. (Dr. Graham) had to "fish around" for a bit (as he liked to refer to it as) but after exploring every square inch of my belly for a few minutes, there it was! Of course we brought our camera so we could record the audio, so take a listen for yourself below! It was TRULY amazing to hear that little heart just a beat'n away. Music to our ears!!! Dr. Graham said the heart rate is approximately 156 beats per minute which according to him is great! Keep up the great work Baby Crea!!!

Next week I will FINALLY be in my second trimester! Yahoo... I MADE IT!!!!!!! The first trimester was a bit rough so I am hoping the second trimester brings that "burst of energy" I keep hearing about and that my nausea continues to get better. Granted it is WAY better that it was but I am still dealing with it in the evenings, I just really have no appetite after like 4pm. It's funny though because I have gotten so used to telling myself how GOOD it is that I feel that way because it means Baby Crea is growing and doing great so when I DO have a good couple of days with no sickness I start to worry that something is wrong so I kinda wish I felt crummy because then I at least KNOW my little peanut is healthy and strong... The stress just never ends! :) Thank goodness for Rocco who has been dealing with my funny cravings and doing most (okay, ALL) of the cooking otherwise I would be living off of cereal and applesauce.

So... I think that about wraps it up. Now its just waiting, watching my belly grow, and MORE waiting! I cannot WAIT to find out what I am having... let the shopping begin!!!!!! My mom, Rocco, and I have done some shopping but what I really want to start doing in buying clothes and things for the nursery which aren't very fun when you don't know the sex. I have managed to buy my stroller (thanks Amanda for the B.O.B suggestion, we love it!), my Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag (My mom and I found that RIGHT away and I couldn't pass it up), some unisex clothes (mainly from friends & family), books, etc. etc. OH! And my momma got me this awesome sling (which of course we put Gizmo in to try it out!). I am trying to restrain myself from buying much more until I know if Baby Crea is a B or G. We'll see how long this lasts... :)

Click this link to view the video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMWNTTdHQjA

Lots of Love,
Sarah, Rocco, Gizmo, Woody, & Baby Crea

First Ultrasound @ 7 weeks!

2009-01-10T12:53:00.001-08:00

Rocco and I went to my first ultrasound at Overlake Hospital on Monday! It was THE most amazing thing I have ever experienced. Even though our little peanut is still so small and you dont see much more than the outline of its body, seeing its little tiny heart flickering away was SO incredible. We were both just so blown away. In about 3 more weeks we will get to actually HEAR the heart beat! We can't wait!

Love,
The Crea's

Baby Crea

2009-01-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

Okay so the books really weren't kidding when they said that "morning sickness" kicks in around the 6th week of pregnancy. Lucky for me, I proved them right! Literally 6 weeks on the dot! The one discrepancy I DID find in my reading is that there are two other types of "sickness" associated with early pregnancy that they fail to mention and that would be "Afternoon sickness" and "Evening sickness!" I won the prize of having ALL 3!!! They do however mention that sickness in the first trimester is a sign of a very healthy little bean (well they say baby, but I prefer bean) so there are some positives to the constant queasiness and inability to smell or even LOOK at certain foods. It's amazing how sensitive your sniffer gets! I even made Rocco bathe the dogs and clean their ears because I could have SWORN they didn't smell right and it was making me sick. I think they can tell momma doesn't feel good because they have both been following me around all day (even more than usual) and literally trying to sit on my lap the minute I sit down. It's pretty cute. So thanks to a wonderfully doting husband, good books (thanks mom!), a DVR, preggi pops, phone calls to friends and family, and the Internet, I have managed to stay somewhat positive through my first week of the ickiness of my first trimester. Don't think I am not counting down to my second trimester and hoping that I get lucky and start to feel SOONER rather than (God forbid) later. Well, I think I am due for another satsuma (the one food that seems to slightly settle my tummy) so I better sign off. I hope you all had a wonderful New Year!!!

With love amongst the queasiness,
Momma & Baby

Christmas with the Crea's!

2009-01-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

So after a fun filled morning at my moms, Rocco and I headed South to Chehalis to celebrate with the Crea's & the Lackies! We all had a wonderful day of presents, movies, YUMMY food (Big Rocco's famous meat balls!) and catching up with everyone. It was really fun watching Elias and Mya open all their fun new toys! They are just too cute! We ended up staying the night and having a nice big breakfast the next morning. Susanne came back over with the kiddies and Suki called in sick (shhh!) so it was great to spend some extra time with them before we headed out. Rocco and I baked sugar cookies on Christmas Eve morning and brought them along with the decorating supplies for a little activity with the kids. Elias sure proved to be quite the little baker! Here are some more pictures for your enjoyment! :)

Happy New Year,
Sarah (& Baby Crea)

Christmas Eve/ Christmas AM

2009-01-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

Wow! I seriously cannot believe that the holidays are officially over. Sadly, Rocco and I spent the afternoon taking down our tree, holiday decor, and outside lights. Boooo! I have to admit, it is SORT OF nice to have my house back in order but I do miss all the lights!

Well Christmas Eve morning Rocco and I had "our Christmas" together... with the dogs of course! We both got a lot of fun stuff and spent the morning together just hanging out and watching MORE snow come down in Remond. Later that afternoon we went to Nana's house for the big celebration with my momma's side of the family. It was so much to see everyone and watch all of the little ones jump for joy when "Santa" stopped by to drop off some gifts. It was so amazing to think that next Christmas we will have 3 more wee ones with us. Cali (my sister in law), Heidi (my cousin) and myself (duh) are all expecting within a couple months of each other so next Christmas we will have a 7 month old, 6 month old, and a 4 month old! My mom won't know what to do with herself! :) After a great time at Nana's, Rocco and I headed back to my momma's house where we stayed the night with my mom, Britt, and Jake. We even all had matching jammies! HA! :) Christmas morning, Chris and Cali picked up Mary Ellen and came over to join us! We all had a great morning together opening gifts and having our HUGE traditional breakfast! My mom was so sweet and creative and had put together baskets for both Cali and I of pregnancy goodies for one of our Christmas gifts! It was full of belly butter, "Preggi-Pops", protein powder, books, pregnancy calendar's, a Belly Band, baby blanket, and so on and so on! It was SO much fun! I have already started to put a lot of it to use! The so called "Morning Sickness" which should really be called, "All Day Sickness" just started to kick in this week so I have been sucking on my preggi-pops trying to get the queasiness in check (NOT an easy task by the way). So thank you Momma, for your your VERY thoughtful gift! Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas AM... Enjoy!

Love,
Momma Crea

Christmas with The Swanson's & Mel and Robin!

2008-12-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

Today Rocco and I had my dad, Lynnz, Mel, and Robin over to celebrate Christmas... a little early. We had a great time eating, catching up, and opening gifts. Everyone was really happy with their gifts but I have to say that I was most happy with the amazing quilt Mel and Robin made me. Not only was it done in our wedding colors, They actually ironed on pictures from our wedding! It is so amazing! They put such thought and care into this gift, we appreciate it SO much, we will cherish it forever. I even attached a picture, although pictures don't do justice! My favorite gift to give this year was sharing our exciting news with my dad and Lynnz... I wrapped 2 bibs ("I love Grandpa" and "Grandma's Sweetie"). It was so much fun to see their reaction! After presents we had some of Rocco's famous home made lasagna which is TO-DIE-FOR! Those Italian roots really come out when he cooks! Everyone left full and happy before the crazy storm hit and I was so relieved to hear everyone made it home safe and sound...

So thank you, Mel, Robin, Dad, and Lynnz for another amazing Christmas. We love you!

Many Thanks,
The Crea's

Rocco and I recieved the BEST Christmas gift this year... We're pregnant!!!

2008-12-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

Yep! You read it right, we are expecting!!! Talk about the BEST Christmas present in the whole wide world. What a perfect time of year to be given life's most precious gift. We feel so incredibly blessed. I found out very early (I will be 5 weeks on Monday) but I just couldn't WAIT to share our news.

On Monday morning I took a test at home and got the "1 pink line, and one very faint pink line" result. I thought for sure it was just a fluke with the test because I was expecting 2 bright pink lines for a positive test. Well on my way to work that day, I of course couldn't stop thinking about it so I stopped at Walgreen's on my way in and bought one of those fancy digital tests. I got to work and immediately went to the ladies room to do the test. After the longest 3 minutes of my life, up it popped- PREGNANT! I couldn't believe my eyes! Needless to say I was in complete shock all day and I don't think I was able to get ANY work done. I had the biggest smile on my face all day but I didn't want to tell anyone at work until I told Rocco. I REALLY wanted to tell him in person so I had to wait ALL day to share our news. After work I ran to Target and put together a little "Daddy-2-be" care package! Later that night after Rocco got home I told him I had an early Christmas present for him and had him open the "gift." He was completely shocked and SO excited! We haven't stopped smiling yet! We are both so happy! Its been so much fun telling family and friends and seeing their reactions! It's going to be a LONG 8 months... waiting to see our babies precious little face.

With much love this Holiday Season,
Rocco, Sarah, Gizmo, Woody, and Baby Crea

Better late than never...

2008-12-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

Well, after a disappointing day yesterday of literally canceling all schools due to the "huge snow storm" coming our way and not seeing ONE snowflake (at least in Redmond), we woke up to a winter wonderland! Everything was completely white and the snow was coming down like crazy! Being that I am completely obsessed with snow, I of course started running around the bedroom waking everyone up (by everyone I mean Rocco and the dogs:) and have yet to be able to go back to sleep (that was before 6am). I honestly don't think I have seen this much snow in this area... EVER! It started snowing at some point in the middle of the night and it has yet to let up even once! And it wasn't like we had any snow to build on, that had long since melted.

I love these days that actually FORCE me to relax. I am a non-stop "go-er" so its been nice to be "snowed in" and just hang out with my boys. Needless to say, I am caught up on my gossip magazines, updated on facebook (and now our blog), I got a fresh coat of paint on the nails and toes, plucked my eyebrows, got caught up on my email, finished wrapping all my presents... Okay, I know it doesn't seem like I have been doing all that much "relaxing," but this is actually my way of relaxing. I am not very good at sitting still. :)

After a while, we DID manage to get a little big of Cabin Fever so we took the dogs outside to see what they thought of all this white stuff. I thought that because of their short coats and of course the fact that they are very much indoor dogs, they would be shivering and by the door in about 3 minutes. Wrong-o! They had a BLAST! We literally had to drag them in after about an hour. Now they are both curled up sound asleep! So here are some pictures of our "Snow Day!" I hope you are all staying warm, enjoying the gorgeous scenery, and driving safely for those who have been on the road...

Cheers!
SC

Annual Martini Party at The Bordens!

2008-12-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

Every year Sarah (Roomie) and Tyler Borden host a martini party for family and friends. We have YET to miss one and always look forward to seeing everyone! To top off a very fun evening, the snow was falling and we came home to a "winter wonderland" in Redmond! Happy Holidays!

Love,

Sarah

8 more days!!!

2008-12-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone!!!
Here are some pretty hilarious pictures from my mom's "Ugly Christmas Sweater" dinner last Sunday. I think its safe to say, we took it to the next level! :) Hope you are all staying warm during this crazy weather! Lets all keep our fingers crossed for a white Christmas!

Love,
The Crea's

Santa's Little Helpers...

2008-12-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

Of course I did! You're not surprised are you?! Every year I torture my dogs but "posing" them in front of our tree in festive holiday-wear. I even managed to get some pictures of Ari, who we are babysitting for some good friends of ours. Don't worry, many treats follow their good behavior so its not THAT bad. I just had to share... :)

Tis the Season...

2008-12-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

The holiday parties are in full swing! Last weekend Rocco and I attended my Dad and Lynnz's holiday party as well as the Microsoft Holiday Party! Both were a blast and it was great to spend time with friends and family!

Cheers!
Sarah

Magical Strings featuring The McKassons!

2008-12-08T20:57:00.001-08:00

Cali, my sister in law plays the piano for The McKassons (http://www.themckassons.com/) along with her brother, who plays the fiddle, and Matt, who plays the drums. One of the tours they do during the holiday season is with Magical Strings, which is a Celtic Yuletide concert. There first stop was Seattle so some of the family attended to show our support! Here are some funny pictures from the intermission where they had silly hats and clothes for the "kids" to dress up in... needless to say, we were all over it. :)

So much to be Thankful for...

2008-12-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

What a great Thanksgiving we had this year... Busy, but great! Sandy McKasson invited Rocco and I, as well as my mom and Jake, to join her family this year for Thanksgiving dinner. Although we had to cut it short because of our traditional Thanksgiving at Nana's later in the day, we had a wonderful time. Sandy, Cali, and Brooke made an amazing dinner and as always, it was great to spend time with everyone! After dinner #1, we all headed to Nana's house for round 2. This was our first Thanksgiving without our Papa so it was nice to all be together. Nana, Heidi, and Linda all pitched in and did a great job on the food! By round 2, we were all pretty much in a coma.

The next day, we headed up to Chehalis for a "post-Thanksgiving" dinner with the Crea's and the Lackie's! We had another amazing dinner and then played board games and even some poker. Good times! It was great to spend time with everyone and to of course play with Elias and Maya, our niece and nephew. We ended up staying the night and then heading back on Saturday.

Hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving!

Love,
Sarah

Crea Wedding Trailer

2008-11-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hello Family & Friends!
Rocco and I just recieved the first rendition of our wedding video! Thank you to "Roomie" (aka Sarah Borden) for talking me into hiring a videographer because being able to look back on our special day through this video is truly priceless! Our wedding day was such a whirlwind, its great to now be able to sit back and watch the day unfold. Watching the video just reconfirmed to us how perfect our day was and that we wouldnt change a THING! We feel so blessed for the beautiful venue, perfect weather, great food and drinks, beautiful flowers... and most importantly all of our friends and family to share it with. Oh man, here come the tears again! Ha! We are just so thankful...

So for those interested, here is the 4 minute trailer (dont worry, we wont bore you with the full video!). The full video turned out amazing, Cory and Corbin with Bogle Productions did a fantastic job... just a couple small tweaks and then we will have our final video. We cant wait!

Drum Roll Please...

Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!

2008-10-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat!
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Halloween! I am currently at work in my high school dance uniform (GO RHS!). Yes, you heard me correctly. We are having a high school themed Halloween here on the 5th floor at good ol' Starbucks! Everyone is supposed to be dressed as they looked in high school! I have not laughed so hard at work in a LONG time. You get a bunch of designers together and people get pretty dang creative! And no, I wont be sharing any pictures of me in my skirt which is busting at the seams! Apparently I was near anorexia in high school because the zipper isn't even close to being zipped up! Thankfully my sweater around the waist worked great!

Anyhow... I do however have pictures from our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch last weekend! This has been a family tradition since Jake was in diapers. We had a great time! Cali was in Phoenix, so that was a bummer, but Chris earned some extra "husband points" by bringing home not JUST a pumpkin, but corn stalks as well! I was very impressed! After picking out pumpkins, doing the corn maze, and visiting the stinky farm animals, we went back to Mom's house for Halloween Dinner. Yes, that's HALLOWEEN Dinner, not just dinner. My mom made homemade chili with a slice of cheese on top which she cut out by hand in the shape of a cat! Then we had cheesy bread sticks for dipping which was made to look like arms with fingers and even cashews for "claws." For an appetizer she made "pigs in a blanket" that looked like little mummies- SO good! For dessert she made these amazing brownies that looked like a pumpkin patch and punch garnished with sour worms! It was so much fun! Way to go Momma!

Love,
Sarah

Weddings Photos...

2008-10-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well hello there!
Wish I could be saying "Aloha" from my deck in Kauai but unfortunately, that is very sadly not the case. Instead I sit in my cubicle with a turtleneck sweater on and a hot "cup of Joe" where the sound of waves crashing on the beach is replaced with the broken copy machine that sits behind me. Life just doesn't seem fair... :)

Anyhow... I FINALLY received our wedding photos and I wanted to share them with you all.
Don't worry- I went through all 1200 pictures and scaled back SIGNIFICANTLY (even though there are still a couple of hundred) to share with those who are interested... They are in 3 different folders because apparently Facebook Albums can only hold 60 at a time. Here are a few of our favs!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65713&l=00c8c&id=606614767 - ALBUM 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65716&l=af8af&id=606614767 - ALBUM 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65720&l=5d660&id=606614767 - ALBUM 3

Enjoy!
The Crea's

A hui hou Kauai!

2008-10-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well, its 6:30pm island time (9:30pm Seattle) and we are about an hour away from leaving the beautiful Makuhuena. Thanks again to Scotty and Patricia for the perfect spot to spend our honeymoon!
We have about a 30 minute drive to the airport in Lihue and our plan leaves at 10:30pm island time (1:30am Seattle). Unfortunately the only non stop flight out of Kauai to Seattle is a red eye. Needless to say, I packed some sleepy pills for us to take to hopefully give us some rest so we aren't completely delirious as we try and readjust to reality. As much as we aren't ready to go back to the reality of work and the hustle and bustle, we do miss our family and friends and we are DYING to see our pups! I know, I know! I am also really looking forward to getting back to our king size comfy bed! And as much as I will miss this unbelievable weather and warmth, I am looking forward to the fall at home.
We spent our last day here on the island at guess where... of course, the beach. We had our Starbucks on the beach this morning, spent all day laying in the sun and body surfing on the beach all afternoon, and after we took quick showers and finished packing, we grabbed pizza at a local pizzeria in Koloa and even took our pizza back to the beach for dinner. Life sure is rough here!
What a wonderful trip this has been... Rocco and I feel so blessed with how amazing everything has gone from pre wedding festivities until now, as we put a close to our honeymoon. I know that I personally wouldn't change ONE thing! This trip has been so relaxing... the atmosphere alone here is truly breathtaking. The beaches, dinners, walks on the beach, hikes, shopping, snorkeling, swimming... its just been perfect! We definitely want to plan a trip back here someday!
Mahalo to those of you who followed my dorky blogs! Hopefully I will be better now with keeping this thing up to date!
Malama pono,
The Crea Clan

Oh we're going to a Hukilau...

2008-10-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

Aloha... wahine here!
Today was such a perfect day! We started out the day with Starbucks on the beach watching the sea turtles ride the waves in to catch some breakfast on the reefs. They are so entertaining to watch! I had been whining that Rocco got to dive with them and I hadn't even seen one yet from the beach so I was so excited to finally see them!

After breakfast, we headed out to the North Shore where we were going to go snorkeling at Tunnels Beach. Once we left the south side of the island and headed north, we ran into a HUGE tropical rain storm. We were of course cruising down the road in our jeep with the top down and by the time we pulled over and quickly put the top back up, we were SOAKED!!! For those who haven't witnessed the rain in Kauai, you know what I am talking about. It literally comes down in sheets! It was hilarious though, we were cracking up!!! Luckily all of our stuff was hidden under our beach chairs and we had towels to dry off with... Even though the rain falls are usually short lived (and of course its still in the 80's) we figured we would be safer heading back to where we know it is sunny and dry. We ended up back at Poipu Beach and I am glad we did because we had so much fun snorkeling! The fish were loving the fish food we bought, in fact one that kept following Rocco around eventually bit his finger, drawing blood even! Of course it was Rocco's fault because he thought it would be a good idea to hand feed them! It was worth the laugh though! Of course my main concern that Jaws was going to smell the blood from miles away and come eat us for lunch so I kept my eyes peeled!

After the time spent at the beach, we headed back to the condo and get ready for our Luau!!! We had been looking forward to going the whole trip. We had so much fun! The food was fab and the entertainment was awesome! Rocco splurged on our tickets and bought the "Golden Circle" seats which was WELL worth it! We sat right up front, had Mai Tai's coming faster than we could set them down, and had first dibs on the food! Then of course even had all the honeymooners up on stage and had us dance to the "Hawaiian Wedding Song." Good times! Luckily the guy at our table grabbed our camera and took some pictures of us.

After the Luau, we took a walk on the beach and then headed back to the condo for our last night on this beautiful island. :(

Here are some pics! Enjoy!

Aloha nui loa,
Mr. and Mrs. Crea

Zen

2008-10-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Aloha kakahiaka,
I know, I know- I am getting lazy with the blogs... this whole "Hawaiian time" thing really is true! I am going to try and get you blog followers caught up though while I sip on my Soy Chai this morning...

Two days ago Rocco and I took a drive up to Waimea Canyon located on the western side of the island. "The canyon was formed by a deep incision of the Waimea River arising from the extreme rainfall on the islands central peak, Mount Waiʻaleʻale, among the wettest places on earth." Given that I have visited the Grand Canyon in the past, I wasn't all that blown away. It was beautiful... I guess my expectations were just too high. We drove around to different lookout points and then even did some more off roading with the jeep. We have definitely gotten MUCH use out of that jeep!

After the drive to the canyon, we stopped for some shopping at a farmers market where locals were selling fruit, Hawaiian trinkets, and jewelery. I think its safe to say that at this point if I never see another puka shell necklace, Hawaiian shirt, or coconut bra in my life, I won't be disappointed.

Driving through Hanapepe we came across the Kauai Soto Zen Temple Zenshuji, a beautiful Buddhist temple. We stopped briefly to snap some pictures!

We ended up by the pool and did some reading (I think Rocco is on his 4th book while I am still working on my first- I tend to get distracted) and then finished the night with a nice walk to Poipu Beach.

Overall the day was relatively non eventful but VERY relaxing.

Here are some pictures for our day:

Malama pono,
S&R

Herrrrre fishy, fishy, fishy!

2008-10-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!
Wahine Mare & Kahu Lio here (Bride & Groom)! Well the sun was back out and in full effect yesterday so of course we headed to a new beach for some snorkeling and basking in the sun. This time we headed to Lydgate on the east side of the island. The snorkeling was great and the beach was beautiful (Duh!). We took some fish food out with us this time and I swear those slimy little suckers can smell that stuff from a mile away because we hadn't even opened the bag and we were already being swarmed! We included a video to show you the chaos! I am not even going to attempt to name the fish we saw but regardless, they are all so beautiful. The pictures don't even do the colors justice!

After a great day at a new beach, we headed home to get ready for dinner at an Asian Restaurant I have been dying to go to. Well... after showers and watching some of the presidential debate- we were done! Its amazing how the sun just takes it all out of ya (I know, poor us!) haha! So hopefully we will make it to that restaurant tonight instead!

Check out the video and pics from our snorkeling adventures!!!

Mahalo,
The Creas

Where is our Sunshine?!

2008-10-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hoʻokipa i ka malihini!
As some of you may have noticed, I didn't have the blog updated this morning like I usually do. I know, I know- this Island Living has turned me into quite the slacker. :) We had a sort of overcast day yesterday so when we woke up this morning to sunshine again we were eager to get back at the beach! But here I am, staying dedicated, trying to get this blog finished before we head to dinner!

So as I said, it was pretty overcast yesterday (but still warm and VERY humid) so we decided to do a little more sight seeing. After a nice lunch at Brenekes on Poipu Beach, we headed up to Eleele to the visitor center of the Kauai Coffee Company. I know- sounds about as fun as watching paint dry but it was surprisingly very interesting... and beautiful. The visitor center itself is nestled in the midst of acres and acres of coffee tree's and they even have a maze that wraps through an area of the coffee tree's that leads you through the process of coffee beans from tree to cup. I know- I am a true coffee geek. After tasting some different coffee's, visiting the gift shop, and touring the small museum- we hit the road and headed back to Poipu where we watched a Polynesian Show! Man those girls can shake those hips!!! I love watching any type of dance so I was in heaven... I think Rocco just liked watching the hips shake! :) He was CONVINCED that one of them was giving him "the eye," I think he was dreaming! :) After the show we stopped at the Spouting Horn again to watch the sunset before our dinner reservations at the Beach House. Being that I think I am Dr. Doolittle I thought it would be a good idea to take a granola bar, split it with Rocco, and feed the Roosters (which for those of you who haven't been to Kauai, they are everywhere!). We hadn't even completely unwrapped the granola bar before we were swarmed by Roosters, it was hilarious! We were cracking up! Rocco even thought he would take it one step further and throw the crumbs at my feet and watch me freak out when the roosters would all come running for me (hardy har har!). Once the rooster escapade was over, we headed to the Beach House for a WONDERFUL dinner. The restaurant was RIGHT on the beach and we literally had the best seats in the house. Rocco enjoyed Macadamia Nut crusted Mahi Mahi and I had a Blackened Ahi Caear Salad. Then of course we had to share a Mango Mojito and a piece of Hawaiian Chocolate Haupia Cake. Okay- now, I am not usually a huge chocolate fan but this cake was TO DIE FOR! It was a chocolate cake layered in Hawaiian Coconut custard and topped with coconut flakes!! So yummy!

Here are some pictures from our day...

Beach Bums

2008-10-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hoʻokipa i ka malihini!
I'm not sure how many people are actually following our many blogs, but I have to admit the morning ritual of coffee and blogging is growing on me... Its so much more fun when you are sitting out on your deck with a view of the beach in 80 degree weather! :)

Yesterday was a very relaxing day... which was what we needed after that crazy hike. We spent most of the late morning/early afternoon at Poipu Beach in the beautiful sunshine. We snorkeled for over an hour (Rocco had to basically pull me out of the water) and then spent the rest of the time basking in the sun. Rocco is of course on his 3rd book so he was reading away (nerd alert!) :) while I listened to music on my iphone and people watched. I always bring a book with me but I am somehow so much more entertained by all of the interesting people on the beach. I now understand what people mean by the island being visited by either "Newlyweds" or "Nearly Deads."

The snorkeling was fantastic in Poipu. We were under the impression that it wouldn't be that great but we ended up seeing lots of cool fish! I would love to share pictures of what we saw but that would mean I wouldn't have forgotten the memory card for our camera in the laptop at home. Ooops! We saw eels, clown fish, angel fish, parrot fish, and even an octopus! Those are the only names I can come up with... to sum it up, it was basically all the fish from the movie Finding Nemo.

After the beach we headed home briefly to shower and grab a snack and then we headed to the west side of the island to explore some new territory. We stopped at the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge, the Russian Fort Elisabeth- state historical park, and even went 4X4-ing at Polihale State Park. We caught some amazing views along the way of a beautiful rainbow, unique churches, and local surfers.

On the way back we stopped at Tom Kats for some greasy burgers! Yummmm!

Here are some pictures from our trip to the west side.

Me ke aloha,
Sarah & Rocco

Raiders of the North Shore...

2008-10-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

Aloha!
Its the Wahine here! Rocco is still snoozing so I thought I would make some coffee and write a new blog about our adventures yesterday! Rocco convinced me to go on a hike to Hanakapi'ai on the north shore of the island and I am so glad we went. It was such an amazing experience... tiring, but amazing. Here is some information on the hike for those interested from Kauaiexplorer.com:

Cool Because
You get a river, a beach and a waterfall in an ancient pristine valley
Topography
Trail begins at Ke`e Beach traveling along high ocean-side cliffs. Narrow path passes in and out of several valleys with steep inclines and declines. Trail conditions may range from muddy puddles to dry, crumbly rock. Path leads to Hanakapi`ai beach with option to follow along Hanakapi`ai river to waterfall that drops into large, deep pool.
Not Good For
Those that do not have strong endurance and are not in good physical condition.
Hazards
Extreme inclines and declines on uneven, narrow footpath on high cliffs. Loose rocks underfoot and from eroding cliffs above. Trail is slippery when muddy. Strong sun, little shade. Heavy backpacks can cause overexertion. Filter all water. Strong currents and flash flooding can occur at the river. Dangerous shorebreak and riptides at Hanakapi`ai beach - use extreme caution.

DIFFICULTY
Strenuous (9 out of 10)
LENGTH
4 Miles (one-way)

Good thing I read this AFTER the hike because I probably wouldn't have gone. :) It was really tough but WELL worth it. The beach at the end of the hike is incredible. I kept seeing signs leading up to the beach such as:

And wondering "How dangerous can it REALLY be?!" We were so hot and tired, I just kept imaging jumping into the ocean to cool off once we got there... Well- once we got there, I quickly realized why it wasn't such a good idea and saw how so many people had drowned there... Pictures really don't do it justice but the waves were HUGE and so powerful. There was an area where the water was very calm and shallow so at least we could wade in and clean all the clay off our feet. Speaking of feet... I have to give Rocco some credit for making us purchase these dorky REI shoes that he claimed would be perfect for hiking and for walking on beaches were there was lava rock, etc. I was less than thrilled about purchasing these but figured anything would be better than "Aqua Socks." Well those shoes have been SO nice for snorkeling, hiking, and even walking around the town. So... here is goes, "Those shoes were a good idea after all honey."

So after the hike, which took us roughly 4 hours, we stopped in Hanalei at "Bubba's Burgers" for a late lunch. Hanalei is beautiful (thanks for the tip Amanda!) and we plan to go back there this week for some more beach time and to watch the locals surf.

After our 1.5 hour trip home (which is a beautiful drive), we were absolutely exhausted. We managed to take showers and eat pizza in the condo and that was it. We were done!

Here are some pictures from the hike!

Turtles, Sharks and Dolphins Oh My!

2008-10-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Aloha Friends and Family,
I'm just hanging out on our deck waiting for my wifey to take a quick shower before we head out on a hike to the north shore. As Sarah mentioned, I went diving with Seasport Divers yesterday and I have to say they are a great operation! I think I lucked out a bit in that the trip only had 4 divers, so we had plenty of room on the boat and the dive sites were not that crowded.

The first dive was a drift starting at Turtle Bluff and ending up at the Fish Bowl. Visibility was decent I would say around ~75 feet and water temp was around ~75 F and my max depth was 75 ft. I was a bit rusty at the beginning of the dive but got right back into the flow about 5 minutes into the dive. Saw a few small white tip sharks sleeping under an overhang, good thing Sarah wasn't there or she would have freaked!! I Swam by a turtle cleaning station which was very cool to see and as a whole just explored and relaxed.

So after we were all back in the boat we headed back east past Poipo Beach toward Sherdan Caverns. On the way we motored by the beach where Jurassic park was filmed and the famous Fantasy Island beach "The Plane, The Plane!". However the coolest part was a school of dolphins that decided to play with us just off the coast here. The captain stoped the boat and all of the divers jumped into our snorkel gear and slipped into the water being sure to not make big splashes and scare off the dolphins. The school (not sure if this the right word for a group of dolphins) including a little baby dolphin swam around us and under us checking us out before heading on up the coast.

The second dive was Sherdan Cavern's which are a bunch of old lava tubes that have collapsed and that turtles use to hang out and sleep in. This site had great visibility, I would say around ~80 -90 feet with a max depth of around 60 feet. If you want to see turtles this is w/o a doubt the place to go. I must have seen around 20-30 of them on this dive alone. There are some cool little swim throughs and lots of little cracks to explore. Of the two dives this was definitely my favorite. We even heard the dolphins off in the distance but they never came close enough for us to see them.

So after the diving I headed home to my wife and we packed up and decided to do a relaxing afternoon down at the pool. We both got plenty of sun while doing plenty of reading and relaxing. That evening we went out to "Old Koloa," did a little trinket shopping and relaxing before heading home and calling it a night. Well I think my wife is just about ready so we are off to explore the north shore! Stay tuned for the next update!

Island Living...

2008-10-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Aloha kakahiaka (Good Morning!),
Wow... like just doesn't get much better than this. The island life has been treating us quite well and we are having a ball. I could really get used to never knowing what day it is or what time it is and having my biggest decision of the day be, which beach should we travel to today?! The weather has been fantastic (fingers crossed) and we have been really settling into this life of leisure!

Yesterday was another great day. We woke up to a small tropical rain shower in the morning so we took our coffee cups and sat out on the beach in front of our condo. I know it sounds weird, purposely sitting out in the rain, but when its already pushing 80 degree's and the rain water feels like a warm shower, its actually quite relaxing. So after our morning coffee and a small hike, we headed to the Spouting Horn for some outdoor shopping of Hawaiian made gifts, jewelry, and trinkets, and then journeyed out to the "secret beach." This is a beach my dad and Lynnz came across during their time's spent on Kauai and told us its a must see. Good thing we rented a Jeep because the roads leading to this beach are all dirt roads and quite the rocky ride. Once we finally got there we realized why they loved it so much. Its a beautiful remote beach with maybe 5-10 other visitors at a time. It has both the sandy beaches and some reef to get it some good snorkeling. We snorkeled quite a bit and ran across some beautiful tropical fish. I even saw an eel with freaked me out!!! Those little slimy things have always give me the creeps! Needless to say, I made Rocco hold my hand for the duration of the snorkel trip! :) Other than swimming and snorkeling, we just relaxed... Rocco is already on his second book and I enjoyed reading my gossip magazines, reading the books Ngoc let me borrow, and watching the little sand crabs on the beach. After a few hours on the beach we decided to take a drive into Luihue for some Starbucks and a little more shopping. On our way back to the condo, Rocco and I stopped at a little dive shop in Kaola which was a recommendation by Rocco's good college buddy, Paul. Turns out Paul grew up on Kauai and used to work there before college. The owner was working when we stopped in and was so pleased that Paul had sent us. He was so helpful and set Rocco up for a dive the following morning (this morning)! Rocco is a certified rescue diver so he LOVES to dive on vacations, especially in tropical locations! That evening we enjoyed a very nice dinner at Keokies in Poipu followed by a walk on the beach. The food was EXCELLENT! After some Mai Tai's and Pina Colada's, we had Auhi Tuna and Pesto Shrimp Linguine. I don't think I have ever tasted such fresh seafood! Overall the day was just fantastic!

This morning Rocco left for his dive around 7am and I am enjoying the sunshine, Kauai coffee, and of course a little blogging out on the deck. Next stop is the pool while I wait for my hubby to return. I cant wait to see all the pictures from his dive and hear all about his adventures.

One other bit of excitement from yesterday was my very good friend Sarah (Roomie) gave birth to her baby girl Olivia! From what I hear, she is just beautiful with a full head of dark hair! I cant wait to see her when I get home... Congrats Bordens!!!

Here are some pictures for yesterday's festivities!

Mahalo!

C r e a 's

It only took me 4 months...

The pictures are here!

100th Day Celebration- Korean Style!

Photo Shoot by Sylvia Cook, starring... Miss Addison June.

Little Miss Sassy Pants!

Happy Halloween & Happy Birthday Grammy!

Monster Mash!

A dinosaur, a horse, and a ladybug...

Happy Carving!

Visit to GrannZ & Papa's!

Harmony's Birthday!

Pumpkin Patch 2009!

Fall Family Pictures!

Read to me Daddy...

Happy Early Birthday Papa/Daddy!

Salmon Days!

Rubber Ducky... You're the one!

Happy Fall!

Bff's

Family Love...

Happy Birthday Honey!!!

Angel...

Our first wedding anniversary... (9.6.08)

Addison's Special Tree from Grandpa...

We've made it through the first 10 days!

Addison June Crea

Addison already has Daddy wrapped around her teeny little finger...

Rocco's *Early* Birthday...

Belly Shots!

We are SO blessed...

What an AMAZING day!!!

Mister Cody Christopher Kovin has arrived!!!

Happy Birthday to my Baby Brother Jake!!!

So proud!!!

Bump Watch- 28 weeks!

Proud Grandparents! (cont. from post below)

28 Weeks- 4D Ultrasound!

Britney's Back!

Photoshop Wiz!

Birthday Party & Baby Addison Celebration!

Officially... 98029!

Addison's a Movie Star!!!

Happy Birthday Gizmo Louise!

Miss Addison June Crea!

Bump Watch!

We're Moving!

3 Musketeers do Crystal Mountain!

11 Week Update!

First Ultrasound @ 7 weeks!

Baby Crea

Christmas with the Crea's!

Christmas Eve/ Christmas AM

Christmas with The Swanson's & Mel and Robin!

Rocco and I recieved the BEST Christmas gift this year... We're pregnant!!!

Better late than never...

Annual Martini Party at The Bordens!

8 more days!!!

Santa's Little Helpers...

Tis the Season...

Magical Strings featuring The McKassons!

So much to be Thankful for...

Crea Wedding Trailer

Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!

Weddings Photos...

A hui hou Kauai!

Oh we're going to a Hukilau...

Zen

Herrrrre fishy, fishy, fishy!

Where is our Sunshine?!

Beach Bums

Raiders of the North Shore...

Turtles, Sharks and Dolphins Oh My!

Island Living...

Rocco's Early Birthday...