Almost April

Strangely, when we moved to the small island of Hawaii we never imagined we'd be as busy as we are all the time!  We enjoyed spring break in Kapoho however we're still dealing with getting Chan back on a normal sleeping schedule.  He got used to falling asleep with someone there and having mommy right next to him all night.  It's been almost 2 weeks now and he's still fussing when we put him to bed in his crib/room solo.  Maybe the paci would have helped but it's long gone.

During Kapoho we celebrated Malia's birthday and then the following Kapoho we had a birthday party for Makena.  There were a few cousin sleepovers inbetween and then we had a week long visit with the Mitchell's from WA.  Esme was sooooooooooooo happy to see her friend Natalie again and they picked up right where they left off. We had a full house with 4 adults, 2 four year olds and 2 toddlers but we made it work just fine :)

Esme and Capri watching feeding the fish.

Happy 8th birthday Malia!

We love this place!

Chan trying to cool off :)

Esme testing out her new umbrella.

Hard to believe they're the same age!

Cowboy themed birthday party for Makena.

Yee-haw Hina-Girl!

Outfit #2 for Mimi.

Chan participated in the festivities too.

Happy 6th birthday Makena!

Party fun!

Natalie and Esme reunited!

Dolphin watching at the Hilton.

Akaka Falls.

The girls walked the whole trail to the falls!

Great shot!

Whale watching at Honolii.

Cheers!  The kids table is full tonight.

Evening lava viewing at the Halemaumau Crater.

Nat & Jordyn checking out the gecko.

Jordyn & Chan enjoying a little break. 

Cheers again for horchata!

An evening stroll before dinner.

Spring Break, Here We Come!

This weekend we started off our spring break, well at least for Chan and mommy :)  I decided this was the best time to purge the papi (Chan's word for his pacifier) so we got right to it after work on Friday.  I came home and pulled out the trash can and told Chan to say bye-bye to his papi's.  He sort of laughed and threw them all in there.  Allen and I thought he'd have a hard time sleeping and be up all night but amazingly he didn't even make a peep that night.  And he asked about his papi's maybe once or twice this weekend but that's it.  Esme and Chan have pleasantly surprised us with how easy it was to stop the thumb and papi!

We've had some cooler weather here in Hilo lately which has left our mountain covered in majestic looking snow.  I managed to get a quick shot while driving home from the beach the other day.  It's a lot clearer in person but here's an idea...  

Snow on Mauna Kea

One the way to swim lessons

The kids experienced their first slip and slide this weekend.

Esme loved it but Chan not so much.

Too cool Esme, ready for a birthday party today.

Trying on life jackets in preparation for our beach house trip to Kapoho this week.

Love this shot!

Chan, Chan, Chan!!!

Earlier this week I got a call at 10:30am and it was Chan's sitter.  She wanted to know if everything was okay with him cause he'd been in time-out five times already that day.  Sheesh!  Apparently he was terrorizing the other kids by pulling hair and hitting which is exactly what he does to Esme when he's frustrated or upset.  Anyways, we have no idea if it was a growth spurt, need for more sleep, his 2 year molars or what but thankfully he turned his act around.  And then the next day he went peepee in the toilet to make up for it all!  He's such a silly guy!  He LOVES his trucks and throwing balls all over the place.  He would run around playing with those things all day if he could.  Esme could take it or leave it.  She's gotten more into playing with her dolls lately.  When one of her cousins comes over she likes to go into her room where the dollhouse is and shut the door so Chan can't bother them.

Yah I peed in the potty today!

Esme got to experience a Girls Day Festival at the Japanese Cultural Center this past weekend.  

She got treated like a little model and all "dolled" up in her kimono

She got to do it all with cousin Malia

To-da!  The finished result!

Thanks Aunty LeAnne for the hair clips with bunny ears attached! Esme placed them herself.

Uncle Sterling teaching Chan how to use his little backhoe.

This kid LOVES to drink!

 

Where Has The Time Gone!

It's hard to believe it's March already!  Esme loves telling people that she's four now and she really does seem so much more grown up.  Cousin Hunter also turned 4 the day after Esme and we celebrated his birthday at Kalopa last weekend.  The kids got to run around the park and play in the cabins and mess hall.  Esme made sure to sit right next to Hunter when it came time to cut the cake.  We were so busy with face painting, the balloon guy, and the magic show before that that we totally forgot to help Esme with lunch but she wasn't complaining.  She was happy to have cake instead.  Ha ha!

Chan has found his temper and loves to throw fits if we don't let him do what he wants.  Oh boy!  A lot of times it has to do with him wanting to be more independant (holding the open water cup and walking around) or because he wants what Esme might have (cake, juice, toys).  And he lets us know if he's upset.  He either starts screaming and making himself all rigid or he whops Esme on the head with something.  He's really good at talking so it has nothing to do with not being able to communicate with us.  Lately he's added songs to his list of things he can say/sing.  He's got Twinkle, Twinkle, ABCs, Apples and Bananas. and EIEIO down.  He's also good at imitating Esme when she's practicing her Mandarin.  

Mimi, the goofball.

Chan loves fig bars while on walks with mama.

Happy 4th birthday Hunter!

Of course Chan loves the motorized truck.

The girl cousins minus Mahina.

Too cool Chan in Nana's car.

Teacher appreciation day at Keikiland.

Chan loved sitting in the pre-school kids chairs.