Yeah!!! We are finally back after four months of a sleeping blog. Fortunately, our camera has not taken a break during this time...we have been busier than ever, enjoying the warm weather and being outdoors. We have been camping and hiking and up to lots of other fun stuff. Also, as most of you all know, we are expecting Baby Boy #2 in November! The morning sickness hit hard this time, so lots of things took a backseat and the blog was one of them. Regardless, we hope you enjoy all the updates...there are many:)

Here we are outside of the Dr's office after we just found out that the baby is healthy and "It's a Boy!" Liam was very cute in the ultrasound room because his comment was, "Hey Baby." The first ultrasound he went to in March, the nurses asked how it went and he said, "Uh oh." We assumed he that he meant "Uh oh, I'm not the only one anymore."
Here is Liam and Daddy later that day at a carnival by our house. He LOVED the ferris wheel and was waving to everyone he could see.

Liam loves his new lawn mower.



Liam likes having his friends over to play. Here he is with his friend Ethan having a laughing fit.

On June 17th, Pearl Jam came to the Virginia Beach Amphitheater. Tom and I really wanted to go, but were totally unprepared. Neither of us remembered the date or set up a babysitter. Luckily, the day of the show, we found out that not only were there still tickets available, but that if you were military, they were $5! (regular seats were $42). Tom and I decided right away that we would both go and bring the little buddy along since it was at an outdoor venue. That way, if he was fussy, we could just walk around or leave. Our good luck followed us that night because Liam fell asleep shortly after the concert started. (Imagine that!) and allowed us to just hang out. We couldn't believe it. I do have to mention, however, that he has been crying before every bedtime since that night:(

Here are the girls enjoying the show...Me, Mayu, Rebecca, Rell and Rebecca's niece.
Here are the boys (and me) enjoying the show...Tom, Liam, and Mike.
The poor little guy cracked a smile even though he was so tired. I think he really enjoyed the lights.
Here he is on his way to passing out for the night.

Liam's new favorite hat is his fire chief hat. Unfortunately since this picture, it has been stepped on and is now broken. But Liam wore it every day until then.

Happy Father's Day 2008, Da Da!!!

Liam and Daddy spent a wonderful Father's Day together. They played all day and if you notice, Liam's shirt says he is on "Daddy's Team." Liam loves to play ball and he has become quite a good little pitcher.

Liam has developed quite a love for dancing. We caught a few moves on video, but check out the very end where he talks about having fun on his recent camping trip.

Again, we're trying to capture his dance moves. We do get some, but we also film him dusting. What a good helper.

Kirsten, Tom and Liam went on a camping trip to beautiful Shenandoah National Forest in Virginia. We met up with our friends Krista and Derek there which was so much fun. Our camping trip turned out to be a huge success with Liam sleeping great in his sleeping bag, and Ella liking sleeping in the Jeep. We went hiking during the day and had campfires and grilled at night. It was super relaxing. Check out some of our pics...

Here we have proof of Liam sleeping so peacefully in his sleeping bag. What a relief for Mom and Dad!
Here was our first hike down to a waterfall.
Derek and Krista met up with us in Shenandoah, which was awesome. They were in the process of doing the ultimate road trip...from Oregon to Halifax and through the South, they had so many stops. Luckily, they have their fuel efficient Prius to get them across the continent. It was great camping and hiking with them. Good luck on your trip and hope to see you all again soon!
Liam loves the shallow water.
Tom, Liam, and Krista.

Liam is such a good helper to Daddy as they try to start a campfire.
Here is father and son enjoying the campfire.
We had a beautiful hike down to this watering hole, which was so refreshing after the hike and the heat. Liam loved the water, as long as Daddy was close by.
We're almost back from our hike to the watering hole and it was quite the grueling hike for Tom (carrying Liam) and Kirsten (carrying baby). Derek and Krista breezed right through the hike. Oh well, it was really fun and good exercise too.
We are all smiles to be almost back to the car! Ella was limping at this point. If you look closely, you can tell she is smiling too.

A beautiful view from Chimney Rock, but smokey from a forest fire. The happy campers.
The first official Hanrahan camping trip was a success!!! We are ready for our upcoming big Rocky Mountain camping adventure.
Our grungy family stopped for lunch and a stroll in Charlottesville where the University of Virginia is. We were surprised at how cute and charming the town was in seemingly the middle of nowhere.

Liam, Tom, and Kirsten (Ella too) have been very busy enjoying the warmer days of May. Liam is now 20 months and he enjoys each new experience more and more. See what we have been up to...



Check out funny Liam riding his horse and refusing to brush his teeth before bed.

Here is Liam and Daddy clowning around before bed.

Check out Liam's homemade water slide. He loves it, but scrunches his face in anticipation before he hits the water.

Liam and Mama went strawberry picking. Liam was sort of into it, but not as much as Mama was. She was so excited to eat local strawberries (not from California). No offense Cali, but your berries are huge and tasteless! Liam wasn't so sure though, and was ready to go home right away.



Mama was prepared for some serious strawberry eating on Liam's part, but he didn't even taste one.

We went on a day hiking trip to a State Park in North Carolina. It was really fun and Liam really enjoyed riding in his pack, looking at the animals and flowers. He would sniff all the flowers as he went by them. The temperature was nice, however, about 8 ticks jumped on Tom and Ella had who knows how many. Never again will we do that without tick medicine for Ella.

Luckily, Mama and Liam walked away without any ticks. I guess the ticks perferred hairy bodies!

Our good friends Shawn and Daniele came for a quick visit on their move from Nova Scotia down to Florida. They were accompanied by their faithful companions Coquette and Kenji. Hope you guys are enjoying Florida!

Liam, Mommy and Daddy enjoy quiet, cool days on the beach in May. The temperature was perfect. Liam is just getting used to the sand though. He's still not sure he likes it and he definitely does not like the ocean.

On May 16th 2008 Daddy was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Mommy and Liam thought this was a huge deal and got all dressed up for the occasion.

Here is Liam dressed up, although, today, he was an unhappy boy...
...and was only happy in Daddy's arms...
...which meant that Daddy had to hold him through the entire ceremony, even when he was being sworn in. Luckily the CO, Charlie "Tuna" and the rest of the witnesses understood, being parents themselves.
Congratulations Tom!
A job well done...here's your new LCDR bars.

Here is Liam doing his morning ritual of watching Curious George while lounging.
Here is the happy boy and his Mama on Mother's Day 2008. We went to a nice brunch at the Cheesecake Factory and Daddy and Liam surprsied Mama with tickets to the Season Home Opener of the Redskins in September. The rest of the day, we were stuck indoors because of rain and later on, tornado warnings. Ick!

Watch funny Liam as he is fascinated by his Daddy mowing the lawn. Just ignore his overly full diaper which Mommy of course changed promptly after the video:)

Liam is 19 months old and busy as usual learning new skills and growing (sort of) all the time. He has really taken to "jus" and would prefer drinking to anything else. Mommy finally figures out that this is causing him to fill up on "jus" all the time and not eat. It takes her about a month to figure this simple fact out though. Liam still does not love to eat, but it's much better now than our "jus" month.

Here is the "sweet pickle," as Daddy calls him taking Ella for a walk like a big boy.
Here is the "bucket head." Liam thought it was hilarious to walk around with this bucket on his head and bump into things.

On April 19th, 2008, Tom's cousin, Aimee Chevrette married Paul Bear in Stratford, CT. It was a beautiful spring day amongst cold and rainy days flanking it. Liam could not contain his excitement at his first wedding and was constantly on the go. Here is father and son in tux and suit.

On the go!
A family portrait

Watch Liam as he dances around with the other little boy, Nikki. When the music was going, so was Liam! Also check out the new bride and groom, Paul and Aimee.

The little dancing machine shows off his moves to Aunt Cil (mother of the bride). As the night progressed and the party was in full swing, Liam ripped his tie off and shed his coat.
Auntie Heather was great for riding around. She spoiled me rotten and would carry me wherever I wanted to go.
I certainly attracted lots of attention with all these dance moves I pulled out of my hat. People I didn't know were gathering around me to see my moves and take pictures. I danced for at least 3 hours straight with a break for dinner, and let Mommy and Daddy stay at the wedding until 10:30 at which point, I was exhausted!

Liam's first haircut at Kirsten's Cuttery on April 15th, 2008

What are you doing Mama?
I'm not sure what is going on but, I'm curious...
This isn't so bad.
Something happened to my hair, but I think I like it!