Hawaiian Bliss

Somebody picked the right house

The turtle man (a.k.a. my dad). My dad went in search of the turtles every day. Oh, and for you astute breastfeeding moms out there, yes, my dad is wearing my "hooter hider" on his head! Apparently they are also functional to shade you from the sun.

Jeff and Val with their nephew!
(Won't they have cute kids?)

"Can I ride him?"

More of the LOST set.
(Although at first Jeff thought we were taking photos of a homeless camp.)

The LOST set (notice the fuselage from the plane).
I tried to find the DARMA Initiative's VW Van, but all I spotted was the security guard's SUV!

Daniel with my mom.

Here are some shots from our first afternoon of exploring. The house was just about 100 yards away from where they shoot the beach camp scenes for LOST. Better yet, the house was on a beach inhabited by huge sea turtles!

More Aloha

Our little ohana.

The mischief makers.

The Dachenhaus Duo at Haleiwa Joe's enjoying a petite drink.

The amazing view from our room!
(For full effect, add the sound of pounding waves and tropical birds.)

"Sheesh, how many uncles do I have on this island?"
Daniel meeting Uncle Mark for the first time.

My sweet boys!

"I love this sand, Mommy!"

Aloha!

Helping Daddy remove the old wax.
Don't worry, Daniel, you'll be out there with him soon enough!

Daniel helping his daddy get his board ready.

The house we stayed in even had toys for Daniel to play with. Here he is with his cousins Taylor and Dani- too bad they don't live on the mainland, Daniel had so much fun playing with them!

The boys ready to catch some surf.

Matt, Linda, Bri, Me, Hilary, Estevan

My parents rented a beautiful beach house on the North Shore which was conveniently located just down the beach from Brian's favorite surf spot. Our first stop from the airport was to Costco where we loaded up on delicious puupuus. The rest of the weekend was spent catching up with friends and family- We were excited to get to see our friends Matt and Linda, who are living on Oahu for work through spring, and Hilary and Estevan who flew in for the weekend from Guam (where Estevan is stationed with the Coast Guard) to meet us. The next day we got to introduce Daniel to over 15 of his aunties, uncles and cousins!

Hawaii, here we come!

"High five Daddy, we're in Hawaii!"

We had so much fun in Hawaii last winter for my cousin's wedding that the whole family decided to go again. With no impending Hawaiian nuptials, we went in celebration of my dad's 65th birthday (which was in November!) It was Daniel's first trip on a plane and he traveled like a pro. He even conveniently slept during the in-flight movie so I could view it!

Food Coma

I was washing dishes after dinner and I realized that it had gotten unusually quiet. I peeked to check in on Brian and Daniel and found both had fallen asleep! The poor boys have been fighting colds and the flu all month and just crashed.

*Note for those grammar aficionados reading this post: After writing about myself in the third person for the past year, yes, I have finally decided to switch to writing in the first person.

Hanging Out

Brian has been super sick this past week. Daniel has also been sick with a couple colds and as soon as he gets rid of one, another one knocks him down. (Although you definitely can't tell Daniel isn't feeling well from the photos.) So we've been stuck inside which has been kinda cozy since it's been raining.

Good Times with Grandpa!

These two guys love spending time together: snuggling, rocking in their chairs, playing and making mischief!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Daniel celebrated the Chinese New Year with a special dinner at his grandparents. He received his first lee see (red envelopes) from Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Randy and Auntie Mary.

Babies for Obama!

YES WE CAN! Ashley and Daniel watched the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama with Grandma and Grandpa with a celebration breakfast of omelettes and mimosas/breastmilk. Only 17 1/2 more years until Daniel can vote!

Beach Day

Yesterday Daniel and Ashley spent a beautiful winter day at Goleta Beach with their mommy and baby friends. How blessed we are to live in this town where we can soak up the sunshine in January!

Swim Lesson

Daniel had his first baby swim lesson (a Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa) last Wednesday evening. Brian was excited for Daniel to wear his first of what is bound to be many wetsuits. It's not clear who had more fun in the water- Daniel or Brian! Another added bonus to the evening swim class- Daniel slept like a log that night!

Butterflies, butterflies, everywhere!

Today we went out to Ellwood to see the monarch butterflies. They were so beautiful hanging from the trees in giant clusters and floating peacefully. We are so thankful that Ellwood Mesa was saved from being developed and hopefully Daniel will be able to enjoy coming out here for years to come.