Saturday, June 30, 2007

Just Another Day at the Beach

Well, we went back to the beach today and had a blast! Austin is still getting in the water, as you can see, and all three kids had fun. We didn't stay for the sunset because the kids were getting hungry, but it was still a really good trip. I have to say, this IS the best part about being in Hawaii and we definately haven't taken advantage of it as much as we should have. I hope that changes because I don't want to regret not doing something while we are here.











Saturday, June 23, 2007

Sharks Cove

Well, we went to the beach yet again!!! This time it was to Sharks Cove...no there weren't any sharks! Part of it is basically one big tidal pool, but there's another part that you can snorkel. There aren't any waves and you can walk around in the water or on the rocks and find all sorts of marine life. The first picture shows what part of it looks like. There are a lot of shallow parts and some deeper parts, but all of it is fun! Austin got in the water AGAIN today and had a blast. In fact, I had to drag him out of the water kicking and screaming (LITERALLY) when we had to go home. Let's hope he continues having fun, since it's almost a sin to live here and NOT like the water!!!






Playing in the Water...

Here's the link to a video I took this evening at the very beginning of Austin playing in the water....he's still a little hesitant, but he's enjoying the water!!! A HUGE step up from not getting anywhere near it. And I mean ANYWHERE NEAR it....as in 10 feet was too close! :-)

http://video.google.com/videouploadfinished?docid=7912440530561019513&cid=5680cd10e3d8ded6

A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT!

For those who don't know it, our son was terrified of the ocean. Yes, I know that we live in Hawaii and that you're not supposed to be afraid of the water when you live here, but he was! We have lived here for about a year and a half and with the exception of TWO trips to the beach, he has been TERRIFIED of the water and waves....that is, UNTIL TODAY!!!

Austin and I were going to go and meet Paula and the crew up at North Shore for Shaved Ice (they don't call them snow cones here!). I didn't think it was worth it to go up there for JUST the shaved ice, but if they were going to the beach, we would go as well. Austin must have heard me talk on the phone cause when I got off, he said, "I wanna go to the beach!" Well, Paula and the group had said that they weren't going, but I made a decision that Austin and I would just go alone then. I wasn't passing up this opportunity to take him to the beach when he clearly wanted to go!

Off to North Shore we went. We got our Shaved Ice and then took the teenagers (Paula's niece, Britni, and her boyfriend, Max) to the beach since they wanted to go as well. We get there and Austin starts playing in the sand and then starts to walk towards some rocks down the beach. I grab my purse and camera and follow. We find this little pool of water that was FREEZING. I'm thinking it was some kind of fresh water spring since it was a LOT colder than the ocean water. You could see where there was a current as well and that it was coming out from underneath a rock. Anyway, Austin starts playing in that water and jumping off the rock into the puddle. He then looks over to the ocean and says, "I wanna go in THAT water!" So, I tell him to go ahead and get it. He looks at me for a bit and then runs over there and that was it. He's hooked! We played for another hour and a half in the water. It was so much fun! I had put his new swimming trunks on him that his Yaya and Bobo sent to him so that he could play in the sand, but they actually got used to play in the water!!! We didn't stay for the entire sunset since it was going to be a cold ride back to the house in wet clothes, but we had a blast!!!

Here are some pictures...I took a TON, so it was hard to decide which 5 to put on here. I may end up putting more on here later, but this will do for now!!!






Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park

Well, no photos for this post! I didn't want to take my camera with me to the water park....it was too expensive to get wet! :-) Anyway, we had a great day at the park after all was said and done. However, I wasn't so sure it would end up that way when we first got there and started getting into the water!!!

Austin is normally terrified of the ocean. He LOVES his bathtime, but large bodies of water are out and he actually says, "I scared of da water!" I tried to take him to the pool about 2 or 3 weeks ago, but he refused to get in the water. I didn't push it, but it makes it a little hard when he WANTS to play in the water and bends over to put his hands in....therefore putting himself in the position to go head first into the pool!

Last year, we went to the water park before Brian deployed and Austin had a BLAST! So, I thought maybe he would remember that time and would go right in. Plus, there were two really great pools that you could just walk in like a river, lake or ocean instead of just jumping in or going down a ladder. Well, no such luck! Austin refused to get in. He would only sit on some stairs in one of the pools. Seriously, the baby pool was a FOOT deep! So, I had Paula watch him while Brenda (Paula's sister) and I went on a few slides. We got back and low and behold, he was in the water with Aunt Paula and his Dee. Yes, his blanket was in the water with him...I swear, I'm not going to get that thing away from him for YEARS! Anyway, she had gotten him to "wash" Dee and then they slowly inched in.

So, basically, he was screaming about getting in the pool when we got there, but when we were leaving, he was screaming to stay IN!

I really wish I had gotten some pictures, but maybe next time! Paula and I are thinking of getting season passes and just going once a week until the guys get back. Maybe after all that exposure, Austin will actually get into the OCEAN!!! What a wonderful day that will be! :-)

Monday, June 18, 2007

The Dog Park

So, Austin talks about "da dog park" all the time. We will be driving somewhere and he'll say, "We go to da dog park?" Even when we don't have Abby! So, I tell him that no, we are going to x place and he'll go "OH!"


Now, the dog park is nothing special. It is a big field that is fenced in and you can let your dog off leash to get some exercise and if there are other dogs there, they can socialize. It's not like he gets to play on some really cool equipment or anything! I have no idea why he likes it so much!


So today, I gave him the choice to either go to the dog park with Abby or go to the playground. He said dog park and off we went. Here are some pictures of the two of them!








Thursday, June 7, 2007

New Bed!

Austin got a new bed yesterday!!! We went down to the Navy Exchange furniture store last Friday and picked it out. It was supposed to be delivered on Thursday, but the store made a mistake and scheduled it for Tuesday. No problems there since I wasn't doing anything and could plan around that. We were also really excited about getting it, so getting it earlier was even better!


Austin fell asleep in the car on the way back home from being out, so I just put him in my bed to take his nap while I took the old bed frame out of the room and made room for the new bed. The delivery guys called to say they were ahead of schedule and would be here within the next hour.


When they got here, they brought the pieces into the bedroom and then left so I could put it together (it was an extra $50 for them to put it together, so I said I'd just do it myself!). Paula and the kids came over to see the new bed and help me put it together. We were just about done when Austin woke up and came into the room. He loved it!


There's a little cubby hole underneath where it's SUPPOSED to be storage, but I doubt anything will be under there for a while since he LOVES going under there with his cousins! Here are a couple of pictures from this morning when he woke up. Usually, he hops right out of bed and comes to get me, but he likes his new bed so much he wanted to stay in there!



Monday, June 4, 2007

just a little bit of news...

Not much has been going on as far as pictures go....we have just been doing things at home for the most part and when we do go out, it's not really picture-worthy!

A little news about me...I am now officially the HHC Brigade FRG leader. For those who don't know what that means, is that I am now in charge of making sure that all the spouses of the soldiers in our unit has all kinds of information. We have montly meetings, social get togethers, and "call-downs" to make sure everyone's information is correct and to see how people are doing during the deployment. It's a time consuming job, but well worth it. This will be the second time in a row that I have taken on this position!

Brian is doing fine "over there." He has made friends and is starting to run with a guy in the mornings and work out with him at the gym at night. He's getting settled into his new job and surroundings.

Some of you may have heard about a fatal Kiowa crash that happend about a week ago. Unfortunately, the Kiowa was from 2-6 CAV; the same squadron that we just left and is still part of the same Brigade we are in. Please keep the families of CW2 Tuc Church and 1LT Keith Heidtman in your prayers as they deal with their loses. As always, please continue to pray for our soldiers and their safety.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Honolulu Zoo

The Honolulu Zoo had a Military Appreciation Day where all the military members and their families could get into the zoo for FREE. The USO also donated lunch and ice cream sandwiches to the first 8000 military people that came in. Let's just say the place was PACKED! They even hightened security for that day....I'm guessing so that people followed the rules, but it was still funny to me: let's heighten security for the military!


Anyway, Austin and I went down there with Paula, Nathan and Anna. It took us a full hour anda half to get there because of traffic, so the kids were beyond ready to be there!


Finally, we were there and got everyone ready to walk over from the parking lot to the zoo. Austin was in the stroller, then decided he didn't want to be in there. So, Anna decided she would ride. As soon as we got in the zoo and got our meal tickets, Austin decided he didn't like the fact that Anna was in his stroller, so he started to throw a fit. Well, Anna decided to be a GREAT big cousin and let him have his way. That was fit number one. Anna wasn't happy about the decision she made, so Paula went to rent a double stroller for her and probably Nathan. Well, when she got back, Austin decided that stroller was so much more cool, so he kicked Nathan out of there and sat with Anna. Nathan did excellent with that and just rolled with it!


We were walking around the various booths and games they had set up for this day and they were all having fun. We ate lunch (hot dogs, chips, and water) and then got our dessert. We made our way over to the Childrens Zoo and they enjoyed petting the goats, seeing the cows and the fish, etc.


As we left there, we went to another part of the zoo where they have the chimps. There's a little part where you can buy Italian Ice and Lemonade if you have cash. Well, we didn't...Paula and I just had our debit cards. This was the beginning of the downward slide of fits. Anna wasn't happy about not getting Italian Ice and reluctantly got in the single stroller after a little bit of whining. We saw the monkeys and then Austin decided that he REALLY didn't like that Anna was in that stroller. He threw the fit of all fits and I had to take him to the bathroom to calm him down. He ended up hitting his eye with the camera because of his fit and had a cut above his eye. I even had a mom say, "Let me guess....he's two!" Yeah, really? How could you tell?!?! :-) Anyway, he eventually calmed down and by the time we got back out to the group, Anna had moved to the other stroller and Austin got in his stroller. We walked around for a little bit and Austin was refusing to get out of the stroller. He'd had enough. Both the other kids were cranky as well, so we just called it a day and made our way to the exit.


It was a pretty good day....just hot and tiring! We had fun most of the time....the tantrums just kind of stood out and showed you that a day at the zoo is really just that.... a ZOO!!! :-)


Musical Stollers...where will they end up next?

Look Mom! An elephant!

All three cousins petting the goats!

Coming out of the goat pen

In the middle of a Koi pond!