Kauai, Hawaii

We went to Kauai, HI for a week to celebrate Brett's 30th Birthday! It was so much fun! We left Weston with Randy & Jamie and I think he had a blast with his cousins! We're so greatful for them that they could watch him because the 12 hrs travel time was barely bearable to us!

In fact, I was throwing up on the overnight plane ride home, suffering motion sickness and lack of sleep. We got home and Brett got sick too, so maybe we also picked up a bug from the plane. It's good to be back with Weston again! He isn't mad at us like I thought he would be, he just doesn't want us to leave his sight.

Lots of pics below: mostly in most recent order

underground oven & the delicious feast it bore!

So, we went to LDS church at the Lihue ward the first day we were in Hawaii and they were SO nice and welcoming! They made yarn leis and gave them to us while singing that 'Aloha Way' song. They also invited us to their ward campout/dinner at Anini Beach which was the night before we were leaving so we went and had dinner and had a blast. They did a talent show and it was such a blast. We met some of the most wonderful people from all over the world. It was really such an awesome, memorable night. Hawaii's diversity is just so cool. There really is no majority- a true melting pot! Mahalo to our ohana away from home who showed us such kindness and love!

My 1st Beach Fire

Brett digging a hold until he reached water- we were really missing Weston.

Me holding the freaky octopus!

Freaky octopus one of the local guys from church caught. He said he made it ink already.

Bird Watching. There were literally hundreds of birds.

Lighthouse

He's so cute.

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO BRETT!

I love you for the adventures we've had and the journey to come!

You are the best husband and Father that Weston and I could ask for and

we love you with alllll of our hearts!

Thank You for working so hard for our family and making life such a joy!

You totally deserved this week in Paradise because just having you in my life is like Paradise.

ALOHA & MAHALO!
XOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOOOOXOXOXOXOXOXXXXXO

Chocolate Lava Cake made fromHawaiian grown Cocoa & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Sooo Good!

Our friends Dustin & Brittany we met from Washington State.

They came to Brett's Birthday dinner with us. =)

Mac Nut Seared Chicken in yellow curry sauce- YUM!

Best Filet Mignon Ever!

Creepy tree & vine that looked like a snake.

Kayak Day hike. Lush, green & jungley.

We even did some barefoot hiking in the mud to get the full experience. Inspired by the local guides that we saw doing it. It actually felt really awesome on our feet!

The big rope swing we played on. Dustin jumping in.

Our Kayak we rented

Unreal beauty!

Brett & Nicky jumping off a small cliff into the swimming hole

Falls (We kayaked then hiked to falls, below pic & Fern Gratto.)

King/Queen's Bath on Falls Hike

Kokee State Park Hike

Napali Coast view from Swamp hike.

One of the two sunsets we caught. (I guess the mountains usually blocked the sunset?)

Heart Shaped Beach Glass Nicky found (Background is the view from our room!)

Palms & Moon @ Salt Pond Beach

Endangered Monk Seal

Summer So Far 2010

We've done some fun hikes this year!

Something about nature that just breathes new life into you.

I love Families Supporting Adoption Confrence! R (Brett's bro) & J's cute backyard wedding!

Below: Pic of Weston at the wedding BEFORE he jumped into the coi pond and got covered in green algea.

Weston went pee pee in the potty!!!! (Once and hasn't done it since =) But it's so cool he's getting interested in it!!

The pool- where we spend a lot of time! We all love to cool off and play in the water!

The Park

"Was it meant to be their family?"

Go to
www.therhouse.blogspot.com
July 30, 2010 post, Ask a Birthmom post #12 "Was it meant to be their family?"
Beautiful post, read it!

haircut

Before Haircut (Below) After haircut (Above) but it's already starting to grow back!

Date Night and the Tale of (A More Real) Love Story

So, last week on Sunday, Brett told me, "We are going on a date on Friday, it's going to be a surprise and I'm going to plan it!" Thursday night rolled around and he hadn't found a babysitter yet. Friday afternoon I found a sitter. He invited our friends Troy & Katie over for BBQ dinner (that he cooked)and the surprise was that we went dancing at "The MAC" which is sort of a dive of a place where one side has an older crowd and ballroom dancing, and the other side has DJ with younger music and swing/chacha/latin/etc. We hadn't been there for years and it ended up being so much fun! We had a great time! Thanks, Honey for the date night! I saw this video on a blog I follow and it cracked me up. Watch it 'til the end, it's pretty funny!

The summer that couldn't get better

We are busy hiking, swimming, BBQing, going to the park, playing, dancing, watching fireworks, cleaning (quite the task with a busy todler), going for walks, spending time with Brett (Now that Brett has a M- Fri position at work, and doesn't have school, we get to have family dinner every night for the first time in our entire 6.5 year marriage!) and tonight, we are going to the rodeo! Yeeha!
Ah.... I have to say, Life is good. The best it's ever been.....And that says a lot!
I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have Brett for my husband and Weston for my son! I love them so much and they mean everything to me.
Now if only I could go to Kauai, HI to spend a fun and relaxing week in paradise to celebrate my sweetheart's 30th Birthday, now that would be absolutely perfect. Wait a minute, that's what I'm doing next month... =) Honestly, could life get any better?
Well, we have some goals in mind for the future like getting a house and growing our family that will take who knows how long to achieve, and Brett is planning on starting courses this Fall to get his CFP and maybe even his Masters after that- so I know it won't always be such smooth sailing, but for now I'm just enjoying this wonderful time for all it's worth!
I'm not sure if anyone even looks at this blog anymore and I wouldn't blame them because lately it's been a lousy family update. I often abandon it and never know when I will be back....but i will, and I hope to post some pictures to match, including pictures of Weston's new big boy haircut!

Visiting Daddy's Work

On the June 24th, my work had an openhouse for family. Nicky and Weston got to walk through our building. Weston played around on my computer and got to see the view from my 5th floor cubical. They books and prizes. Weston got to spin the wheel and took home a ball. It was a short excursion, but was fun to show off my workspace.

Afterward, we went to our favorite Thai food restaurant, Thaifoon and ate our favorite dish, "Evil Jungle Princess". Weston got a bento box with teryaki noodles.

Brett's Graduation

On May 7, 2010 Brett graduated from the UofU College of Science with a Major in Math and Minor in business!!! WOHOOOOO BRETT!!! I am so proud of you!!! Way to go!!! He does still need to take his Math GRE test because it is not offered until October, unfortunately, so he'll have to keep studying for that until he can finally take it!

We only found out the details of graduation and that he could graduate on Tuesday and graduation was on Friday, so it was stressfull getting him there- but we made it! I went early with Brett and took pictures and saved seats. My parents (THANK GOODNESS) took Weston with them later so he was able to see Brett walk and everything but I wasn't trying to keep him occupied the whole entire time! It was cute, when the graduates were seated and he saw his dad he kept calling for Daddy and pointing to him because he wanted to go sit by Daddy. Below is a little clip of when he walked. Excuse the bouncing around like crazy, but Weston was trying to steal the camera from me so it was hard to hold it steady!

My baby

Today Weston let me hold him and rock him in the big stuffed chair in his room as he drifted off to sleep. It's so difficult for him to sit still for a moment, so the occasion is rare and much loved by his Mommy that he 1) lets me hold or cuddle him for a length of time 2) he would fall asleep in my arms! For a minute my toddler could be my little baby again. =) He's just growing SO FAST!! He felt so big in my arms, I wondered how much longer until he'll be bigger than me.

Day with Dad

Today is Mother's Day and I'm at work. Not really the best way to say, "I love you Mom," or "Thanks for being the mother to my child." So we tried to celebrate yesterday. My mom decided she would take all the mothers of her grandchildren out to see the movie Babies and I got to take care of Weston, so we went to the zoo with his cousins.
To be honest, we weren't gone long. It was only about four hours. At the zoo, we rode the train and looked at the elephants before we decided to go to the bird show. After riding the merry-go-round, we still had enough time to walk through, what my nephew Zeke would refer to as, the Reptile Building (I think that is what it's called even though it has a myriad of other animals).
The show was cool. One of the birds of prey got confused and stopped responding to their commands. It perched itself in two different trees before they were finally able to coax it down and back into the safety of its cage.
After the show, we went to the playground where Weston and another boy were throwing dirt and woodchips at eachother. He really was able to maintain a fairly clean appearance, even through snacks and drinks, for most of the day, until this point. I brushed the dirt and woodchips out of his hair as we were leaving.
If you've been to the zoo recently (like in the past five years or more) you would notice that there is a huge marble (or granite or other rock material) ball that is supported by a pressurized flow of water. Kids love to touch it and push it and basically play in the water around it. We didn't make it out the gate before Weston insisted on joining the other kids in their fun. He loves bigger kids. But he doesn't always fit in because he is either too small or in his own little world. Well, he got knocked down and dirty water soaked into the white of his shirt and splashed about every where else.
Weston has a little snack cup that I gave him when we got in the car. He immediately pulled out a cookie and started chomping on it. When we got to my mom's house, the partially chewed-up cookie was resting on his chest as he slept peacefully in his car seat. I hate to wake him up, he is just such an adorable sleeper.
We left Weston at my parent's house and ran to Costco. I love their smoothies and so does Weston. He couldn't devoure it fast enough so he took the lid off and started chugging (giving him the lovely moustache).
The picture above is what he looked like in the end. Be advised, Nicky, dressed him that morning in a brand new t-shirt that was purchased for the summer. Now, after soaking and scrubbing, the shirt looks second hand, thanks to Weston's day with Dad.

Happy Mother's Day

By Brett