Developing A Routine

Allen started work at Hilo Medical Center this past week and has been carpooling to work with Nana since they work at the same place.  This meant it was just mommy and the kiddos at home everyday and so we tried our best to develop a routine again.  Hilo has been really hot lately and the heat has gotten to both kids.  They both take 2 naps a day because they're so worn out.  Sometimes we just ran a quick errand to the grocery store to cool off.  Ha ha!  Chan has gotten used to only wearing a diaper around the house when we're home and luckily the mosquitos don't really like his skin like they do his sisters.  Esme's body's slowly adjusting though and she's not getting bit as often as when we first got here.  She's got Allen's skin for sure and Chan must have mines since mosquitos don't like me at all.

Chan loves chasing all the animals around Nana's house and he's starting to talk about them.  He can immitate "Jojo" which is the name of one of the cats here.  He tried to say "chicken" today and also learned "uh oh."  He really likes to make his presence known and he's always grunting or yelling when he approaches people.  The boy does not want to be ignored!  He's probably just trying to compete with Esme though :)

Allen's car arrived this weekend and our container should get here this week.  We've been on the look out for rental homes and are keeping our fingers that we find something soon.  I think both kids will be happy to be in their own space and have all their stuff back from our house in WA.  Esme keeps talking about our stuff and how it's on the boat.  She'll probably be pretty surprised to see it again.  She has a pre-school interview this week at the same school that cousins Tosh and Charlie go to. Slowly but surely our lives are getting back to a new normal...

Keeping cool with watermelon

Hanging out with cousin Tosh

Esme's favorite place for digging in the sand

Chan just likes to stomp all over the place

 

Enjoying The Sun

Where to start...the kids have had soooooooo many new experiences in the past week!  The other day while we were at the beach Esme said "mom, it's like summer here." I told her "in Hawaii it's like summer almost every day" and then she said "yeah, but Washington doesn't have summer."  Ha ha!  Esme continues to love the beach and digging in the sand.  She can't get enough of it and we usually have to peel her away.  Chan still isn't so sure about it so usually one of us ends up digging with Esme and the other walking around with Chan.  Both kids are tolerating all the sunscreen we're lathering on them but Chan has a bad habit of rubbing it in his eyes when he gets tired.  We try to get him to wear his hat to protect his little bald head but he really enjoys throwing it in the water so we can fetch it for him.  It's a fun game :)  I think he might actually be growing hair these days.  It must be the warm weather or something because all of a sudden the back of his head is getting darker and when he takes a bath his hair gets all fluffy and sticks up a little afterwards.  From afar though he still looks bald.

Esme has finally made friends with Nana's doggie Mailie

Esme's never spent so much time outside and she's loving it!

Just another day at the beach

Chan scoping out the sand

Esme getting use out of cousin Tosh's sunglasses

Chan's new birthday ride

 This past weekend we spent in Kapoho for Uncle Judd's birthday.  We had more sun and water time which everyone enjoyed.  With her puddle jumpers Esme is comfortable in the water by herself but Chan usually likes to be in someone's arms, especially his mama's.  After almost 2 weeks he's warming up to everyone but he still prefers me to everyone else.  I'm working on weaning him from nursing and it helps that he likes ALL kinds of big people food and milk.  This past week Chan started his first tantrums and they're always because he wants food that we have and are eating in from of him.  It's hilarious!  The kid loves to eat!
 

Kapoho!

Chan in his new wet suit

Too cool for school!

The underwear gang, Esme and Tosh

Playing in the coolers before packing up

Fishing with Uncle Judd and Hunter

Mommy and Chan time

Esme took a nap under a palm tree everyday 

Happy birthday Uncle Judd!

Siblings rock!

The Shih's Are In Hawaii!!!

The past week has been a complete blur but the good news is that we made it to Hilo in one piece!  Our house got all packed and shipped last week while the kids were in school.  It all fit into a 40 foot long Matson container with room to spare.  We shipped my car awhile ago so that it arrived when we did and then held onto Allen's car until the last day.  Esme had no problems adjusting to having a rental car and actually enjoyed riding in it to school.  Randomly on our first moving day we were called from Faye to pick Esme up because she had a fever of 101.3 degrees.  Allen and I were shocked since we've never been called to pick her up in the 3 years that she's been there and it was on the busiest day ever.  Oh well, that's life with kids.  And luckily it didn't turn out to be anything and she was fine for the rest of the week at school.  It was hard to say goodbye to Faye, the kids classmates and the other teachers.  Faye's daycare had been their home away from home since birth and an amazing place at that!

The kids were in school till the day before we left so that Allen and I could tie up all our loose ends.  And we're very thankful that our trip was only a one way because it was a very long day on the airplanes.  The kids took turns napping on the little bed we made for them on the floor of the plane.  However Chan was very squirmy and just wanted to get down and walk around.  At least Esme we could distract with puzzles, games, books, etc.

We made it to Hilo just in time for family dinner night at Nana's house.  After a long day of flying, this made it all worth it.  We were so happy to be around family again.  Chan was beat though and fell asleep immediately so we knew he'd be up early in the morning due to the 3 hour time difference.  It's taken both kids at least 3 days to adjust and we still think they're not quite on HST.  The heat has also been a challenge as they adjust to it.

Esme excited to ride in the rental car

Our entire house fit into this container

EVERY single thing in our house was wrapped in paper before getting packed in the container

Esme wanted to bring a lot of stuff on the plane

We had an impressive 4 carseats, 3 suitcases, 2 boxes, 2 strollers, and 1 duffel to get through the airport. 

Chan was the first one to nap on the plane

Esme was next

Playing at the courtyard inside the Honolulu Airport

Family dinner night at Nana's house

As soon as we landed in Hawaii Esme said "we found the palm trees!!!"  She's been obsessed with finding palm trees every day and wanted to go to the beach the day after we got here.  She was excited to fill her bucket with sand.  Chan was a little more hesitant in the water and sand.  Luckily he didn't eat any of the sand.  

We also celebrated Chan's first birthday just 2 days after we arrived.  It's hard to believe that a year has gone by already!  The best part was being able to celebrate in Hawaii with most of our family.  We had a nice picnic at Liliuokalani Park for the birthday twins - Aunty Amy and Chan.  The only one missing was Uncle Josh who also shares their birthday.  Chan wasn't all that impressed with the banana cake that I made him.  He's enjoyed apple bananas and papaya more than anything since we got here.  He's also transitioned well to whole milk.  And I was very relieved to see that he doesn't have an allergy to eggs and peanut butter which we've recently tried.  

Esme enjoying filling her bucket with sand.  

Chan's still not sure what he thinks of the water

Our little birthday boy

The birthday celebration with aunties, uncles, and cousins

The day after Chan's birthday was Mother's Day and we had a nice and leisurely day at home.  Nana wanted to wash the dog and clean out the fish pond so that's what we did.  Esme and Chan enjoyed seeing the fish up close and getting their hands dirty with the dog cleaning.  It was more time spent with family too.  When we asked Esme if she wants to go back to Washington she said no, she's having too much fun here :)

Esme loves making fresh squeezed juice every morning with papa

Both kids have opted for no clothing as they adjust to the heat

Esme also likes hanging laundry with Nana and making "houses" in the bedding

Family pond cleaning

Washing Maile

Four Day Left

We're definitely on the home stretch now.  The movers come to our house tomorrow to pack us up and then they load the shipping container on Tuesday.  We're keeping the kids in school the entire time so that Allen and I can get last minute stuff done.  We've been talking Esme through all the changes because she's so used to her routine and this move has really thrown her off.  She's waking up at night and still wetting the bed at naptime at school only.  Chan is doing okay but he's teething so he's not sleeping either and he's been real fussy lately.  If it's not one thing it's another!  So we just need to get through the next 4 days and then we'll be in Hawaii!!!  Luckily I brought the papasan chair home from my office because it's everyone's favorite place to sleep.  When the kids won't sleep at night it works like a charm if we put them in there.  Sometimes we even have to take turns.