Today is the one year anniversary of our arrival in America. I can't believe it's been one whole year already. This time last year the girls and I had just touched down in our new home after 17 odd hours of flying.
It really doesn't feel like we've been here that long especially as there is still something new to experience almost every day. That said, at the same time it kind of feels like we've been here for ever. Isn't it weird how that happens?
To celebrate our first year in America I thought I'd share some photos of our favourite moments, many of which were also firsts: our first Halloween, first Thanksgiving, first wintery Christmas, first Valentine's Day, first trip to Disneyland... Not to mention the milestones like Lola's first steps and Ava starting school. It's amazing how many new things the girls have had the chance to experience since we've been living here.
It was hard to narrow them down, but here are a *few* of my favourite photos from our time in America so far...
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| Ava loved San Francisco right from the start! Here she is in Union Square when we first arrived.. |
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| Our first jack-o'lanterns. |
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Ready for trick or treating for the first time!
Ava dressed as Cleopatra and Lola was a ladybug. |
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| Visiting the Full House houses was one of the first things we crossed off our "to do" list! |
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| Posing for our Christmas cards. |
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| Ava with her Thanksgiving drawing. |
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| Ava watches the huge balloons at the Christmas parade in Oakland. |
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| Ava riding the Children's Creativity Carousel in December. |
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| Lola and I go for a ride too. |
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Hanging out at the California Academy of Sciences in December.
This is one of our favourite places in San Francisco to spend a day. |
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| The Golden Gate Bridge from the roof of our building. |
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| Sunset over San Francisco from the roof of our building. |
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| Ava crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on a grey December day. |
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| Lola and the Golden Gate Bridge after our first crossing. |
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| Our first ride on a cable car. |
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| At Limantour Beach, north of San Francisco on New Year's Day. |
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| There are so many good playgrounds for the girls to enjoy here in Berkeley. |
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In February we visited Habitot in Berkeley for the first time and it soon became one of our favourite places.
The girls love dressing up as astronauts and playing on the rocket. |
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In February we took a day trip to Santa Cruz and had fun at the Boardwalk.
Ava was enjoying the ride despite the look on her face! |
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| Celebrating Ava's 5th birthday in February with a party on our rooftop. |
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| In March we had our first visitors. My friend Daniela and her family came to visit from New York. |
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| Riding the cable car with our friend Aurelia from New York. |
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| Ava at Old Faithful of California in March. |
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| Lola in the Petrified Forest, Calistoga in March. |
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| More San Francisco love in March |
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In April we got ourselves some wheels!
Here are Kim and the girls on our Yuba Mondo cargo bike. |
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| In April we took a trip to Monterey and visited the aquarium. It was amazing. |
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| Lola at Dennis the Menace Playground in Monterey. |
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| On our way to Monterey we took a ride on the Roaring Camp Railway - and took some pretty funny photos! |
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| My little scientists about to launch the rockets they made at Lawrence Hall of Science here in Berkeley. |
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My parents came to visit from Australia in May. The girls were pretty excited to show them around town.
Here they are at Pier 39 wearing their "Mamma & Papa USA" t-shirts we made. |
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| Lola on the ferry heading to Alcatraz with Mamma & Papa. |
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| Ava and I trapped in a cell at Alcatraz. |
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| The girls with my parents and the Golden Gate Bridge. |
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| Goodbye to Mamma & Papa as they head back to Australia. |
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| In late My we celebrated the Golden Gate Bridge's 75th birthday - on the same day as my (not quite 75th) birthday. |
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| Ava and Lola walk through Crissy Field. |
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Ava has been taking ice skating lessons since January.
She's starting to get pretty good and looks the part in her lovely leotard! |
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| Lola at the Palace of Fine Arts in June. |
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| Ava at the Palace of Fine Arts in June. |
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| In July we took part in the Color Run. Who would've thought a 5km run could be so much fun?! |
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| The girls riding their bikes on our rooftop on a Summer's day. |
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| Happy 4th of July! |
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| During the long Summer vacation we went to Children's Creativity Museum where Ava created an animation with these little guys we made. |
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| Space Commander Lola at Habitot here in Berkeley. |
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| In August we went to our first baseball game. |
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| Lola says "Let's go Oakland". |
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The end of August and the start of school.
Ava's first day of Kindergarten |
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| In September my sister Kylie visited from Australia which was the perfect excuse for a trip to Disneyland! |
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| The girls meet Pluto at Disneyland. |
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| Meeting Minnie Mouse at Disneyland. |
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| Meeting Tigger at Disneyland. |
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| On our road trip back from Disneyland we stopped at Santa Barbara for some beach fun! |
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| Ava and Lola on the beach at Santa Barbara. |
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| The girls and I at the top of the Campanile, the big tower at UC Berkeley. |
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| Kim and the girls at the top of the Campanile, UC Berkeley. |
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| Only ten days ago we celebrated Lola's 2nd birthday with a Mickey Mouse themed party on our rooftop. |
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| The girls have made some great friends since we've been here. |
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| It's almost Halloween again. Time to visit a pumpkin patch. |
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| Our latest outing - a trip to the local fire station for Lola and her little friends. |
What a great collection of photos - my faves are Ava and Lola as Cleopatra and the ladybug, Ava the astronaut and at the aquarium. I don't think anyone could pack in any more to a year than you do :)....Amy
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