Fun with Daddy!

Daniel and Daddy have had a great time getting reacquainted! After letting him get back on a normal sleep schedule for a couple of days, we had an activity-filled weekend of fun. On Saturday morning, we headed over to the Kapiolani Community College farmer's market where we filled up on delicious treats, like beignets and paniolo popcorn and coffee. Poor Dan was stuck with Cheerios.



Today, we had a great brunch at Haleiwa Joe's, right across the street from our house. We're definitely going to miss having such a great restaurant so close by. This afternoon, we headed to Kailua Beach for a dip in the ocean. It wasn't too sunny, but we had a great time. Dan loves the water and Zach had a great time splashing around with his boy.

Daddy's Home!

I will put pictures on, I promise, but we've been too busy having fun with Zach to organize photos! He arrived home safe and sound last night around 6 pm and Daniel and I were very happy to see him. Twelve other Marines came home with him so it was a small group at the hangar, which was kind of nice. We were in and out of there very quickly. Daniel was a very well behaved little boy, especially considering it was past his bedtime and lots of things were going on. He hung in there at the hangar and then promptly fell asleep as soon as we started driving home.

Thank you so much for all your prayers during this deployment. I am so grateful to have Zach home and I'm looking forward to the next few years of no deployments!

Hawaii State Farm Fair

Yesterday, Daniel and I went to the Hawaii State Farm Fair at the Bishop Museum with my friend Kim and her son Richie. (Kim's husband is coming home with Zach, so we were looking for something to fill the time while we wait for them!) We went to the Fair not really knowing what to expect but it was a great time! There were tons of booths with fresh fruit and vegetables and prepared food--many of the same ones that are at the Saturday morning farmer's market that we love to go to.

In addition to the regular farmer's market stuff, there were booths with samples of local agriculture: milk, butter, eggs, beef, coffee, etc. Kim and I waited patiently in line for samples at every place that would hand them out! Dan and Richie loved the petting zoo where they got up close and personal with goats, sheep, a little pig, a very patient dog, and a bunny. Another tent had 4-H animals that had been shown and judged and auctioned (I feel bad for the pig that was bought by Alan Wong--I'm sure it'll be on the menu soon).

We had a fantastic time and the boys were very patient on a hot day. It's things like this that I'm going to miss most about Hawaii. Oh, I'm sure North Carolina will have farmer's markets, but probably not with pineapple, mochi, sushi, and lilikoi butter!

Good buddies:




No animals were hurt in the shooting of these pictures:


Dan would much rather hug the pig than hug his mommy:

(Many thanks to Kim for taking the pictures; I managed to delete mine off my new phone before downloading them. Oooops!)

Apples-to-Apples

I am a competitive person. Okay, that might be a bit of an understatement since I have been known to cheat at Scrabble when the opposition is my own grandma (hey, she's pretty good, so you gotta do what you gotta do). Zach has pretty much stopped playing board games with me because I'm not a very good loser and I hold a grudge. It's a good thing that I beat him most of the time then! Having admitted all that, I was thrilled that Zach's family held an Apples-to-Apples tournament when I was there because I was pretty sure that I could win the big cash payout even though I had never even heard of the game. Well, I came close to winning but Rob (of Jack Attack) took the grand prize, but I managed to not pout too much. I guess having a baby has mellowed me out a little bit! But Dan better not think that I'll let him win just because he's a kid--that's asking too much. Baby steps, baby steps.

The tournament was a week ago (that's how far behind I am) at Jean and Bob's house, coordinated by Uncle John. A fantastic time was had by all--awesome food, hilarious prizes, great weather. Just a perfect night overall! I tried to get Daniel to sleep in his pack-and-play but that plan was foiled when Gus decided to blow a whistle and then Jean blew the shofar to start the festivities. So Dan joined the fun and had a great time playing on the floor and getting carried around by everyone. He's such an easygoing little guy; he just goes with the flow.

We can't wait for the next tournament! Zach and I better not be at the same table, though, for the sake of our marriage.

Leah at the registration table:

Poor Dan had to eat cauliflower mush instead of delicious party food:

Check out school principal Maggie, not putting her hand over her heart for the national anthem:

So many wheels!

The championship round:

"Ron" receiving his prize money ($13.13) from the Tournament Co-Creator and Coordinator, John:

I guess if I couldn't win money, a wooden reindeer is a pretty great consolation prize (hopefully this guy will stay in Buffalo and we'll visit him at Christmas):

John and Dan:

Just Plain Cute

Well, we made it back to Hawaii and apparently I need to stop being such a blogging slacker. Thank you to everyone for the not-so-subtle reminders that I haven't posted in awhile! I've been a little busy with the unexpected overnight layover in Phoenix, the lost luggage, the unpacking, the getting the house back in order, and, something else, what am I forgetting--oh, yeah, chasing around a 10 1/2 month old who is obsessed with trying to go down the stairs! So here are a few random pictures of the little man to tide you over until I can do a proper post (and I have a lot of catching up to do from our last few days in Buffalo, so be patient).

Pool-Warming Party at Judy's

On Sunday (yes, I know this post is four days late), we headed out to Springville to Judy and Jerry's house for a pool party. They just put in the pool so this is the first chance that the family has had to break it in. Dan loved the water, as usual, but he also loved the remote-control, beverage delivery ATV, that Judy received as a pool-warming present. Dan tried to roll it into the water on several occasions but he had plenty of watchers, so there was really no danger.

He also found many things to entertain him in the house--the stairs, the fireplace equipment, the dog bowl. Lots of new toys to play with! We had a great time out in the country and we'll definitely have to go back in cooler weather for the hot tub!

Happy (belated) Fourth of July!

Yesterday was tons of fun as we packed up our stuff and headed to the beach! Dan's been to the beach before, of course, but this one was a little bit different--lake instead of ocean, wind instead of calm, chilly instead of balmy. We didn't get in the water (you can see from the pictures that it was a little choppy and probably very cold), but we had a great time just hanging on the sand with the family. Dan and I met a lot of relatives and I still don't have completely have all the relationships straightened out, but I'm working on it.

The beach house is owned by Zach's great-aunt, Auntie Bear, his mother's father's sister. That's the one relationship that I do have figured out! So there were many great aunts (great-great-aunts to Dan) and second and third and probably even fourth cousins there, in addition to the normal crew of Mary Ellen's siblings and their families. Lots of people to squeeze Dan's cheeks and tons of great food made for a very pleasant Fourth of July!

We headed back into Buffalo before the fireworks and bonfire, which might not even have gone off because of the wind. There were a few people with fireworks in the city, but they didn't seem to keep Daniel up. He was so tired out that he probably didn't hear a thing!

Dorothy, Gus, and little Deirdre, enjoying the not-so-balmy July beach weather:

Dan, having fun in the sand:



With his old pal, Jean, then with Big Deirdre, then with Andrew:



And one last one of the patriotic pals, Dan and Jack (you have no idea the jumping around I was doing to get them both to sit still and laugh, but it paid off):

Lazy Mommy

If you just have to have your Dan fix for the day, check him out over on Jack Attack (link on the right). He makes a cameo appearance in a couple of cousin Sally's posts. We had a great day at the beach for the Fourth and I promise to post tomorrow on our latest adventures in Buffalo....

The Land of the Seven Grannies (Dan edition)

We arrived safe and sound in Buffalo on Monday night (yes, I know that it's Friday already, but everyone is keeping us very busy here!). The flights weren't too bad and we even got a complimentary upgrade on the leg from Chicago to Buffalo! I guess United thought that Dan's cheeks needed more room than coach could provide so they moved us to first class.

We have be on the go, go, go, which has been great. Let's see--Tuesday we had a great dinner out with the whole family, minus a few people here and there. I'll see if I can remember everyone who was there: Mary Ellen, Charles, Amy, Gus, Sally, Rob, Jack, John Z, Big Deirdre, Little Deirdre, Lucas, Joshua, Dan, me, and Jean. And if I forgot anyone, I'm sorry! On Wednesday morning, Mary Ellen, Dan, and I had breakfast with a dear family friend, who confirmed that Dan is a mini-Zach. On Wednesday night, we headed over to Jean's house for a delicious steak (and portobello mushroom for me) dinner where Dan got to meet John D, Bob, and Anna. We were going to get a head start on Apples-to-Apples, but the little man needed to come back and get some rest, so that'll have to wait. Yesterday, Mary Ellen, Dorothy, Dan, and I walked along Elmwood and did just a little shopping. Last night, we went out to dinner with a smaller crowd: Jean, John D, Amy, Andrew, Andrew's girlfriend Lana, and Big Deirdre. And this morning, Dan and I had a great walk down to the lake with Amy. He's currently resting up for our big weekend ahead.

So that's a quick rundown of what we've been up to! Lots to see and do here, which I love because it keeps the little man occupied in between naps. He's been sleeping great at night and even taking some really nice naps, so I think he's adjusting just fine to the new environment.

Playtime with Jack (of Jack Attack fame). Dan managed to steal Jack's sippy, but Jack won the wrestling match to get it back:




Playtime and dinner at Jean's:


Meeting Mary Ellen's dogs for the first time. Henry and Norman had to give Dan a sniff and I think he passed the test:


With Dorothy:

And, finally, here is my special boy, showing Mommy how much he misses going to the swimming pool every day: