Almost Birthday Boy

I had a cute idea for some photos using decorations I got for Declan's first birthday party so we tired to get little monkey to sit still.  He was semi-cooperative, although he needed some props to keep him entertained.  Luckily he loves the little cymbals from the band-in-a-box that Teagan got for Christmas.  They could probably use some touch-ups in editing but I don't have time at the moment so here they are in all of their mediocre glory.  I can't believe this little guy turns ONE in just over two weeks, where has the time gone?  We have a busy schedule in the coming weeks - an overnight trip for Mom and Dad, Easter weekend, and the little man's big day and party day.  So much fun!

10 and 11 Months

I am a little behind in posting Declan's monthly update photos.  I cannot express how excited I am to only have one month to go because capturing the same photo in these final months is proving very difficult.  I thought the eleven month shot was very telling of a little boy who does not want to sit still so I ran with it even though he isn't sitting nicely!!!  There is a look of mischief in his eyes because he knows we were trying EVERYTHING to get him to sit still for just one shot.  

Of course there was massive amounts of bribery involved because Declan wasn't his usual happy self to begin with, and not letting him down to cause trouble was causing a lot of crying and flopping in the chair.  Little man loves to sneak licks of sister's lollipops so we thought that might buy us a photo - and it did!  The 10 month shot "winner" above was the photo immediately after the lolly bribery below.  And since I'm being honest, we took both the 10 and 11 month shots today, at 11.5 months.  Parenting fail.  

Oahu, Hawaii Trip - Days 13 & 14: Goodbye Hawaii, Hello New York

It's hard to say goodbye!  But we had an awesome vacation and on Day 13 it was time to get back to reality.  We left the house around 10:45am to head to the airport.  Chris and Naomi and the girls drove their car as well, to see us off and help us drag all of our luggage to the airport.  We said our goodbyes at the Honolulu airport departures drop off zone.  Teagan jumped in the car and gave her buddy Greta one final kiss.  We finished our goodbyes and moved our luggage into the airport.  Matt took the rental car back while I waited with the kids.  We had to go through agriculture inspection and then check in at the airline counter.  The security line wasn't too bad and we made it through fairly quickly.  We needed some lunch so with limited options and patience we stopped at Burger King (even though its one of my least favorite fast foods).  After eating we headed to our gate and tried to keep the kids entertained while waiting.  

cousin goodbye kisses

Waiting to board

Studying her flight plans in a BK crown

We had an amazing view out the window on take off (and by 'we' I mean Matt and Teagan - I was across the aisle and didn't get to enjoy it until I looked at the photos).  You could see downtown Honolulu, Waikiki, and Diamond Head.  Within a few minutes you could see Hanauma Bay and the edge of the Koko crater.  

Stunning views from the air

Honolulu

Waikiki to the left, and Diamond Head in the middle

The distinct U-shaped bay is Hanauma bay, and just to 

the top/right of it you can see Koko crater

The flights home weren't particularly eventful.  The first leg was Honolulu to LAX which was manageable.  Declan was asleep before take-off but after about that first hour nap he didn't sleep.  I gave up trying since he was playing well and happy to flirt with the girl sitting next to us.  We had dinner at LAX and after a short wait we were taking off again.  The LAX to Chicago red-eye (12am PST to 4:30am CST) was not as much fun.  Declan fell asleep but it was so warm he struggled to stay asleep and kept waking up and fussing.  He was overtired and well past his bedtime and he had been an angel up until that point but it finally caught up with him.  Part way into the flight I finally got him into a deeper sleep and it went smoothly for him from that point.  Teagan did fine in the beginning and fell asleep quickly but did cry for a few minutes at the end when she was woken up.  She was also just very tired and out of sorts.  I think Matt might have dozed, but I was only able to rest my eyes at best and didn't get any actual sleep.  Our Chicago layover went well.  Although the kids were tired, they were well behaved.  I think they got just enough sleep on the previous flight to keep them going.  Once we got to our gate I got Declan to sleep in my arms which was what he needed.  He briefly woke up from the quick shot of frigid air when we walked out to our plane and was back asleep before we taxied.  Actually, Declan was successful on all five flights in sleeping through taxi and take-off.  We got into Rochester around 9:30am EST on Day 14 (Tuesday).  The rest of the day was spent getting ourselves and our luggage home, taking a 5 hour nap, eating the wonderful home-cooked meal that Mame left in our fridge along with lots of fresh groceries, and starting the unpacking and laundry process, then it was back to work/daycare for all on Wednesday morning.

So long Hawaii.....

...hello snowy New York

While we had a blast on vacation, there was something comforting about being back to normal life and back to routines.  The kids were up hours early each day and that wore on everyone over time - no one was sleeping enough.  We were so active many of the days that we just longed to get back the normal pace of life.  We are so grateful for the amazing hospitality that Chris, Naomi, Greta, and Abbie showed us - they were wonderful hosts and great tour guides.  We had so much fun with them and we are so grateful for the time we got to spend with them and the memories we created.

Oahu, Hawaii Trip - Day 12: North and East shore drive

Day 12 was our last full day on the island.  We were looking for an activity that wasn't too crazy - I think we were all worn down from a long vacation and so much activity.  We decided to take a drive along the North and East shores of the island, stopping at a restaurant on the North shore for a plate lunch and stopping in Kailua on the East shore for a shave ice treat.  It was an overcast day but that didn't spoil the fun.  Our first stop was a quick one - we wanted one more try at getting a few family photos.  We jumped out quick and Chris snapped a few for us.  Teagan wasn't especially cooperative and the wind was blowing our hair around, but at least we did get a few keepers.

Just down the beach were the sea turtles I had seen before so we 

stopped again quick so Matt, T, and Chris could see

Dec and Uncle Chris

Such gentle giants

Our next stop was for plate lunches.  We loved Rainbow Drive-in so much we just had to have another plate lunch before we left.  The place Chris found online was Ted's Bakery.  We ordered our food and although we had to wait a bit, there was a nice picnic area in the shade where the girls could run around while we waited.  I randomly picked off the menu - shoyu chicken (plus rice and mac salad).  Chris told me it was like a soy sauce based marinade.  My plate came and I was surprised to see three chicken pieces with bones.  I was expecting boneless - getting chicken off the bone while holding a 10m old and trying to feed him is a little more than I wanted.  But my disappointment was short lived because the chicken was so tender it practically fell off the bone.  It was so delicious and after trying it I didn't regret it for one minute.  That is, until I tried Chris's teri beef (teriyaki) - wow - it was so delicious.  I should have gotten a combo plate of shoyu chicken and teri beef!

Waiting for lunch

Shoyu chicken plates for Matt and I (burger and fries for Teagan)

After our bellies were full of plate lunch we got back in the car and continued along the North coast.  It was nice to see a part of the island we hadn't yet explored.  Teagan and Declan fell asleep so we enjoyed a quiet ride just taking in the scenery.  I was able to call my best friend Kristen for a few minutes as we drove and congratulate her on the birth of her second daughter just that morning.  We stopped quickly for a view of Chinaman's Hat, which is just a rock formation off the coast.  It was very overcast at this point, and we saw the lush, green mountains towering up into the low clouds and fog.  

Chinaman's Hat beneath dark skies

Can you spot the cell phone tower?

The next stop was our last and a nice treat after our drive.  We stopped at Island Snow in Kailua for shave ice.  Teagan had awoken from her nap and Declan was awake as well.  We thought all was well.  But Teagan had a major meltdown in line.  First it started that she didn't want the "juice" on hers (even though it was the cotton candy flavor she had asked for).  The tantrum led to her dropping her shave ice on the floor and spilling some of it.  Then she cried because she wanted a new one, although she still had plenty of the original left.  We finally got her outside and she just wasn't happy - I guess that's what we get for treating her to shave ice?  Eventually she got over it and both kids enjoyed some shave ice.  I got two flavors - pineapple and raspberry.  Matt wanted root beer flavor.  Fun fact - President Obama even took his girls to Island Snow on one of his visits to Oahu.  

Lots of flavors to choose from

Epic meltdown

Declan sharing my shave ice

mmm, he likes root beer flavor too

Finally, a happy girl

We all loaded back in the cars for the drive home across the island.  The mountains were stunning.

Next up - the last update!  Days 13 and 14 - the trip home (insert sad face here).

Oahu, Hawaii Trip - Day 11: Pearl Harbor and Chinatown

On Day 11 we took the kids to Pearl Harbor in the morning.  The day didn't go exactly as planned but we made the best of it and still enjoyed it.  We got to the Pearl Harbor site and were able to get tickets to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial which has set time slots and set numbers of people who can view it.  We wandered around a bit and looked at the harbor and looked at the U.S.S. Bowfin submarine from the outside.  It was really neat to be in a place that has so much history.

U.S.S. Bowfin submarine

Teagan on the big map

At the start of your Arizona timeslot, you watch a 30 minute movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor.  I guess I wasn't fully prepared to be closed into an auditorium with two young kids and no escape!  Luckily Teagan did really well and even though the video was a little much for a three year old (a lot to comprehend and a little too much violence although I know it was part of our nation's history).  I had Declan in the carrier and luckily with a little bouncing I got him to sleep through the entire movie.  After that you are loaded on a boat and shuttled across the harbor to the Arizona.  About 15 minutes later you are shuttled back on the next boat after its occupants unload.  Teagan asked a lot of questions while we were there, about the things she saw in the water and what everything was.  She enjoyed the boat rides as did Declan.

U.S.S. Missouri - this is the same size ship as the Arizona (which is now on the harbor floor)

U.S.S. Arizona memorial

Memorial wall at the back side

Sweaty boy

The Mighty Mo'

The Navy shuttle boat to and from the memorial

It was very overcast when we got back from seeing the Arizona and we were debating what to do about the U.S.S. Missouri.  We hadn't gotten tickets to that yet and in the end we decided not to go.  There were several reasons - a) Teagan was pretty tired and cranky, b) I had a bad headache starting and Matt still wasn't feeling 100%, c) it was very overcast and looked as if it would rain any minute, and d) it would cost almost $50.  Normally I wouldn't have minded paying, but to pay $50 only to have a cranky child, be stuck in the rain (and waiting for a shuttle bus back) and not feel well just didn't seem worth it.  Although we were a little bummed we wouldn't be able to see it, the decision was smart - within minutes of being in the car it had started to rain and Teagan fell fast asleep.

We decided to take advantage of her car nap and drive to Target.  The only Target we knew of on the island was a 20 minute drive.  When I googled it to find directions I discovered that the only other Target on the island was about 3 minutes from us - perfect!  So I ran in quick to get what I was looking for.  I snapped this phone shot - I loved how there was a palm tree in the shot.  When I posted on instagram I captioned it "paradise in paradise" or something like that.

After meeting back up with C&N we got ready to run a few errands and go to dinner.  C&N treated us to their favorite Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.  It was worth the stop - delicious meals served family style so we had lots of dishes to try and most were a big hit.  

Next up, Day 12: North & East shore drives and a stop for shave ice