A week in Honolulu

We have returned from our week in Honolulu, Hawaii with a few more long flights with a 15 month old under our belt. We're a bit jet legged and tired but it was one of those great vacations that makes all the tiredness, dirty laundry, and post-vacation blues worth it.

Lucky for us Justin had a conference in Honolulu which just happens to be where my sister-in-law, Rachel; her husband, Trey; and their daughter, Riley live. We'd been planning to go as a family for months and were excited when the week finally arrived. The visit was even better because we convinced my mother-in-law (also known as Kiki) to come for the week too.

All week we played at the beach, ate good American food (some home cooked and some not), visited with family, and just relaxed. Justin had to work during the weekdays but on more than one occasion the conference let out early and we got to spend the afternoon as a family.

After only spending 4 months in Manila I am surprised by how glorious it felt to be back in the States. The air was clean, we blended in, used our debit cards, and there was a Nordstrom! It felt like coming home, and this is only after 4 months. Maybe the honeymoon is over now.

It will take me a few posts to get all the great pictures up so you might be in for some reading.

new games

I was messing around with the settings on my camera while Addie played with Lucy yesterday afternoon. She put Lucy's ball in her purse and then ran to get Lucy to chase her. She ran in and out of the kitchen and around the sofas with Lucy in trail. Eventually Lucy would forget that her ball was in Addie's bag so once in a while I'd open Addie's bag to remind Lucy where the ball was. This went on for a good 20-30 minutes. Finally Lucy got clever and pawed at the bag until she got her nose inside. This resulted in the purse getting stuck on Lucy's head which produced fits and fits of giggles from Addie. The rest of the pictures are just for fun. Addie is so conditioned to the camera that she blinks whenever she sees it, before I even take the picture.

scary jobs

Window washing has got to be one of the scariest jobs in the world. Being a window washer in the Philippines is way worse. Get a load of the scafolding and ropes these guys are using! We are on the 17th floor. It gives me the heebie geebies.

dinner party

We hosted a kid friendly Mexican feast on Monday. A new couple and their daughter who is Addie's age came over and then our friends with the boys from upstairs were invited as well. We devoured a batch of my chicken enchiladas and all the fixing's. Yum! The kids played really well together. There were only a few punching matches over toys. Addie was a bit more reserved than usual. She took comfort with her finger and her lovey when things got really crazy and noisy. By 6:30 PM the kids were still going strong but the parents were tired. I think everyone slept well last night! It was a great evening.

Heroes Day

We had a long weekend with Justin at home because it was the Filipino's Heroes Day Holiday Monday. We relaxed, took a few walks around town, and enjoyed the sunshine in the swimming pool. Addie has a strange obsession with collecting all the leaves that fall into the pool. She and Justin swim around gathering them all up.

San Mig and bubble wrap

There is only one person for whom this post will be significant. I am hoping to score some points with this aforementioned unnamed father-in-law. Please note the glass bottled San Miguel Pale Pilsen (complete with Manila dust and grime) and the loads of bubble wrap. Each bottle is being carefully wrapped and taped for packing and shipping. Also note that your son cannot take any of the credit for this. Should be delivered to you for chilling in the refrigerator and drinking as fast as the U.S. Post Office can manage.

New York Academy of Art here she comes!

Addie's first official work of art. It's proudly hanging on the refrigerator door!