Well, time sure flies when you’re keeping busy and having fun, doesn’t it? It’s hard to believe that two months have gone by since Liesl’s first birthday in September! She’s 14 months old now, and here are some things we’ve been up to this fall.

Liesl’s first visit to the zoo
The three of us ventured to downtown Waikiki one weekend and visited the Honolulu Zoo. I think Pete and I had as much fun (or more fun) than Liesl! As soon as we walked in the zoo gates, Liesl got pooped on by a bird, but that didn’t seem to phase her at all. (Nothing seems to phase her, truth be told, unless she’s hungry; if that’s the case, all bets are off.) She especially liked the super loud sounds the chimpanzees made when they were chasing each other around their play area!

Halloween
This year, although she didn’t quite understand the concept of “trick or treating”, she did enjoy wearing her fairy bug costume! In fact, I’d put her in this outfit as much as I could in the month leading up to Halloween, partly because it fit her perfectly and partly because she’s just so darn cute in it.

First household sickness
Our little family all came down with a pretty nasty cold that lasted about two weeks earlier in October. This was the first time Liesl had been pretty sick, and she was mostly affected with a runny nose, lots of sneezing, and general orneriness. Who could blame her? (I think Pete was actually more ornery than her…)

Learning to climb
Liesl is becoming quite the climber! Apparently Pete was a big-time climber as a toddler, too, so it’s not too surprising that she’s (gasp) just like him. She seriously takes after him in so many ways; I’m waiting for the day when Pete and I change our tune and say, “She’s just like her mama!”

First haircut
Our little girl still refuses to keep any kind of hair accouterments in her hair. I started putting ponytails in her hair to keep her bangs out of her eyes, but she just yanked the rubber bands out (and lots of her hair with it)! She also pulls off her barrettes and headbands, so a little trim was in order to keep her hair a bit less unruly.

Continues to love being outside
I feel so lucky to be in Hawaii, where the weather is always 80 degrees and sunny, for the sake of our daughter. She loves to be outside, and on those days when she’s done being cooped up inside, it’s so nice to be able to fill up the pool and go play in the backyard. It doesn’t matter that it’s the middle of November — everyday is perfect when you live in paradise.

Liesl in general is a very active, very playful little girl. She’s pretty fearless, and loves to explore her surroundings through touch, taste, and exposure. All of this can be terrifying as a parent, but I suppose that’s just par for the course, right? It’s been super fun to watch her learn and grow every single day. She recently started to enjoy stacking her boxes/blocks, pushing everything around the house (e.g. the laundry basket, our bar stools, the diaper boxes, etc.), taking her diaper and placing it in the garbage bin (best trick ever!), and crawling her way onto the couch. She’s still learning how to go down the stairs backwards, but based on her physicality my guess is she’ll figure it out soon enough.