Date Morning at Lanikai pillboxes

On my mom and Mia' s last morning here, Scott and I took advantage of the free babysitting, and decided to hike up to the Lanikai pillboxes at sunrise, something we had wanted to do for a while. We slightly overestimated how early we needed to go (and how fast the sun rises), and hiked the steep hike to the top in the woods in the pitch black dark. It was a little freaky - I felt like we were at the beginning of a Hawaii Five-O episode, and we were certain to find a dead body along the trail. 

(Picture me screaming and falling off the steep ridge - then cut to the theme music). 

We made finally made it to the top (beating other hikers by a good half hour). We hunkered down and waited for the sun to slowly appear over the horizon. It was beautiful, as I knew it would be. In my opinion, Lanikai is one the most beautiful places on this whole island. Seeing it from this vantage point at sunrise was even more amazing! 

Spring Break Part 4

We spent the rest of Spring Break playing around at the pool...

Visiting the Hale Koa Luau...

Visiting the Dole Pineapple Plantation...

Eating at our favorite restaurants... 

Plenty more shave ice... 

Whew! It was a busy week, but so much fun! 

We miss this girl so much already! Thanks for coming to visit us, Mia! 

Spring Break Part 3: Ko'Olina Lagoons

We spent not one but two whole days of Mia's spring break at the lagoons at Ko'olina. 

The kids had so much fun swimming with the sea turtles, exploring on the rocks and playing in the sand. 

Mark was no so sure about the turtles!  

One of the turtles was missing his front fin. Mia named him "Finn." This turtle followed her around all day!  

Mia and Grandma

Gorgeous girl!  

We even spotted a monk seal lounging on the rocks. 

Spring Break Part 2: Whale Watching

Bright and early on Saturday morning, we boarded the Star of Honolulu for a breakfast whale-watching cruise. I have to admit, I was more than a little skeptical that we would actually see whales. 

Us and the whales have a history, if you recall.

 

We were all very pleasantly surprised! About 15 minutes in, a mom and baby whale appeared beside our boat and swam beside us for most of the cruise. The baby whale was particularly active. He showed off the whole time by jumping out of the water numerous times! It was amazing! 

We also had some pretty amazing views of Honolulu and Diamondhead from the boat. 

Keaton was more than ready to get back on land after 2 hours - poor little man definitely inherited his daddy's sea legs (or lack therof). After our cruise, we walked around the Aloha Tower marketplace and had lunch on the pier. 

Then we headed back to Waikiki for some real beach time! 

Buried!

Mia had so much fun swimming in the ocean even though it was pretty cold water! 

Shave ice on the beach in Hawaii- doesn't get much better than that! 

And that was just Saturday! 

Spring Break Part 1

My mom and my niece Mia came to visit us for Spring Break this year!

They arrived very late on Thursday night after a almost 20 hour trip that was supposed to be 10 hours! Needless to say, they were exhausted when they got here. Keaton and Mark were so excited to wake up to Mia and Brumbra on Friday morning! 

We decided to head down to Waikiki for a zoo visit on Friday morning while we waited on their luggage (which did not make the night before). 

Keaton has become the unofficial "map keeper" at the zoo!

After the zoo, we took a walk through Waikiki and Mia finally got to see the ocean! 

In front of the famous Duke Kahanamoku statue in Waikiki! 

Of course,  lunch at Dukes was a must! 

On Friday after dinner, we drove over to the Marine base to walk on the beach. It was windy and cold, and way to rough to get in the water, but the kids still had fun running around in the sand. 

Crazy hair! 

We had to top off the day with some fro-yo at Orange Grove - yum!

And that's just what we did Friday!!

18 months!

How is he 18 months already? 

Mark is 100% BOY: he yells, he climbs, he explores, he gets dirty, and thinks that farts and burps are the funniest thing EVER. He is also as tough as they come. Frequently, new booboos appear, and I have no idea how he got them.  At the playground, Mark will take a huge spill down the slide or off a swing, and every other mom there will gasp and wait for him to start crying. Most of the time, he just gets right back up and starts playing again without so much as a whimper.

His favorite things: trains, cars, books. 

He loves the beach. 

Bath time is his favorite time of day! 

I don't think he uses quite as many words as Keaton did at 18 months, but that doesn't mean he's not equally LOUD! 

He is still my good eater (crossing my fingers). He eats just about anything I put in front of him and usually asks for "MO!" I'd say he's mildly obsessed with bananas and asparagus.

 Despite being a stinkerpot boy and tough as nails, he is still so loveable. He loves hugs and kisses and being held (especially by his mama). He waits for Daddy at the door in the evenings, and says, "Dere Dada!" when he sees him. He follows Keaton around like a puppy, and copies every move (kinda scary). 

We love this boy!