Slides

10 Busy Days in California

After surviving our roughest flight across the Pacific (Lance declared an hour in that... "mommy! Lance wants to be a RASCAL!!"), we enjoyed 10 wonderful and extremely action packed days in the Bay Area. As always, there wasn't nearly enough time to spend with everyone we wanted to see and those who we were lucky enough to get time with only left me wanting, more, more more!!!
Kate greeted us on our first morning and was coincidentally coordinated with little KK! That and many minutes on the trampoline with Lance were about all I needed in a visit from my dear friend!
We started the trip out strong with a trip to Snip'Its for Lance's first haircut!! I kept my chin up and didn't shed a tear as the hair that our little man was born with fell to the floor!! My heart was beating like crazy, though! I was so nervous!! Lance's favorite part was being able to watch Thomas on TV, his dragon prizey and the lollypop that took him all week to finish.
One of the highlights of the trip was being able to go to amazing parks and playgrounds that are nothing like the offerings in ol' Hilo town. Lance and Henry bonded at this fabulous park and Katy and Kiran got pretty lovey too...

We also spent a morning at the Discovery Museum with Millie and Tera and Pops and Elisi. Woah. I would like to take my kids here every week of the year please. Lance had the time of his life!!!!! and I loved it too. Even Kiran found a spot just for guys his size!!

Stef joined us half way through and we spent two exciting nights on the 26th floor of a hotel downtown. While trying to sleep and nap two kids in the same room was pretty much a nightmare, the views and the excitement of being in the city were totally worth it. We were able to take in all of the Christmas sights, go down some CRAZY slides at the nearby park, ride the carrousel, and eat out at restaurants (something we actually never do at home!)

Of course the grand finale was a birthday party for Les (30!) at Nini's house where all of the cousins were able to get together and have a blast. Trampoline, fake snow, grandparents, lots of aunties and uncles, and balloons made the party a total hit.

We even stayed out past curfew for one last hurrah- a trainride through a Los Gatos park to enjoy the Christmas lights with Katy, Danny, and the boys. Wooo!!
It was a whirlwind and we all came home a little worse for wear (I think I've finally recovered two weeks later) but, of course, it was worth it. Next time, I think I'll hire a personal assistant to work out all of the logistics for me so that I can ensure that we can fit in seeing each and every one of you who live there, naps, meals, and maybe even some shopping time for moi. Sadly, this trip it didn't all happen but hopefully next trip it will!!

Thanksgiving With Nini and Great Friends

So much good food. So many good friends. Lots of cooking. Lots of cuties, and an all around excellent holiday.

Six Months Old!

Kiran celebrated his half birthday on November 25 and was lucky enough to share it with Nini and a few bites of solid foods. At six months old, Kiran is: sitting up, rolling back to front (but still not front to back!), transitioning to two solid naps a day, becoming closer with Moses and Koko, giggling and finding things funny, smiling at anyone lucky enough to meet his eye, loving his big brother, falling asleep well but still waking twice at night for unnecessary feedings, babbling, traveling like a champ, still loving bath time, grabbing at whatever he can get his hands on, soaking through shirt after shirt with drool but not popping out any teeth yet, putting anything and everything in his mouth, making adorable and hilarious tongue sounds, sitting up all by himself, and melting the hearts of everyone who gets to cuddle with him.
Happy Half Birthday, Sweet Boy!!! We LOVE you!

Two of our Favorite Things

Good friends and our favorite beach made for a good escape from the Hilo rain.

Brothers and Brothers

The fact that Christmas music is playing while I write this post about Danny's visit back in October means absolutely nothing about how special it was having him here. Seeing Stef and Danny together has always made me feel a certain type of happy and full of love that is very hard to describe. Seeing Stef and Danny together now that I have two boys (brothers) of my own has taken this feeling to a whole new level. Add that to getting to see Danny and the boys bond made for one of the best long weekends in quite some time. We love you, Uncle Danny. Please, please, please come back soon. And I mean soon. Please?

Happy Halloween!

It was an amazing Halloween weekend made complete by the company of Uncle Danny, a party with good friends, and Lance's first very successful trick-or-treating expedition where after every house he would exclaim "No go home yet, Mommy!" Lots of arts and crafts, lots of sweet treats, and lots of time with "Daddy's brother" made this week the most special and exciting one we've had in quite some time.

Five Months Old!

Five months old, and Kiran couldn't be more lovable!! He is a smiley, chunky, easy going, tolerant, curious, and social little guy. He is proving to be a pretty decent sleeper and tolerated the transition to putting himself to sleep on his own remarkably well!

Kiran's favorite pastimes at five months old include: rolling from back to front and getting stuck there but happily keeping his head up to watch what everyone else is doing, sucking on anything and everything he can get his hands on (especially his left, big toe), becoming more aware of Moses and Koko, giggling and babbling, splashing like a complete maniac in the bathtub and getting water in his eyes, mouth and nose and not minding a bit, fielding comments about his rapidly growing "fro-hawk" and assuring people that it is all natural, waking up 30 minutes into his nap and spending at least ten minutes crying himself back to sleep, participating in infant massage class with a room full of babes his size, cuddling with his big brother and trying to grab that incredible mane of hair at every opportunity, riding in the ergo (still a favorite spot to steal some zzz's when I let him), and sitting on top of the table in the bumbo at meal time shouting out his disapproval about not yet being included in the joys of solid food.
I feel like our little family of four (plus two, of course) could not be more fortunate. It's looking like we are over the hump of adjusting to life with two little guys and Kiran's lovable personality has a lot to do with it!
Lance agrees... Kiran at five months old is awesome!

Tools

Lance continues to love working with tools. When he's not working with Daddy using the real thing, he's happy banging away with his plastic and wooden versions on his workbench (or the bookshelf in this case...)
He has made it clear over the last several months that he does NOT like loud, noisy machines at all. Lawn mowers, electric saws, vacuum cleaners, magic bullets...etc. are not this little guys' favorites. Lucky for him, Stef hooked him up with some bright orange ear muffs which he is happy to don whenever necessary!