What A Summer!

Well summer is winding down over here as mommy headed back to work recently and Esme starts her new pre-K class at Keikiland this week (Hawaii is on a modified year-round school schedule).  We had a good trip to WA and OR right up till the very end.  Esme visited her old daycare for 2 days and then attended a children's Chinese camp for a week while we were there so that kept her busy.  She's such a shy kid so she wasn't too keen on being left alone at camp everyday but she got through it and seemed to pick up some more Mandarin which we were afraid she was losing.  We've also started "Chinese day" on Tuesdays where Allen picks her up from school and they have a sort of lesson in the afternoon and review Mandarin words and talk about stuff.

Back to our trip, we visited all our old friends, drove by our old house, and just did all the fun things we remember doing when we lived there.  It was a nice vacation but we were happy to get back to our island home at the end of the two weeks.  Plus we missed our guys!

While we were gone Allen and Chan spent a lot of time swimming, at the park and with cousins to keep themselves busy.  Apparently Chan regressed a little with his good sleeping habits but they seem to have gotten back to a good normal now.  Maybe he was just missing his mom and sister and the normal family routine.

We started our vist with the Mitchell girls who recently visited us in HI earlier this year.

We always wanted to ride the Great Wheel when we lived in WA but never got around to it.  So this trip we made it happen!  Esme loved being right over the water/pier.

We found her great grandpa Lindsey's tile at Pike Place Market.

We even sat on the pig!  Something we never did when we lived there.

Esme LOVES babies and we got to visit the latest baby Capri, Aunty Annie's new baby.

Faye-Faye was soooooooo happy to have Esme back.  So was Victor, her son.

We drove 6 hours to Bend, OR for a wedding.  Aunty B was in charge of hair and Esme got the royal treatment.  Congrats cousins Dustin and Josh!

Mommy-daughter shot with glasses on.

Esme got ahold of the fondant on the cake before we could stop her.

Esme and Nana at the end of the night.

Mommy and Aunty B goofing off in the flower fields.  

We got to stay with Micah and family.  It was just like having little brother Chan around since Micah is the same age.  

We helped to celebrate Micah's 2nd birthday while we were in town.  With the hot wave Seattle was having, the slip and slide was a lot of fun!

Esme took a little while to warm up to cousin Tabby but once she did they were so excited to see each other.  

Esme's one request for the trip was a visit to Molly Moon's ice cream.  

Esme in front of her Chinese school.

To celebrate the end of her Chinese school we went to a pottery studio and did some painting.

Face painting with Addy and Natalie, Esme's WA friends.

Covington Days! Watching a parade with all her friends!