Catching Up

I know.  I completely missed the month of November.  And most of December at this point.  I just don't know where the time went.  Well, actually it went the way of busy days filled with preschool drop offs, dance classes, play dates, messy lunches, naps, no naps, watching Curious George over and over again, spontaneous dancing in the kitchen, refereeing play time between a toddler and an active infant, climbing stairs, pushing strollers on walks through the neighborhoods, and swinging at the park.  Throw in there Halloween and the attempts to go trick-or-treating with a two year old and a then nine month old, a family trip to our cabin for Thanksgiving, and all the preparations and celebrations of the holiday season, and I still can't believe I haven't quite passed out yet.  There were bridal showers and bachelorette parties, and watching our wedding video for the first time with our kids in honor of our six year anniversary.  Time flies, and I can't believe how much our cup continues to overflow.  

So instead of a million catch up posts (because who has time for that?), here are some snapshots of what's been happening in our little world.

Ella really got into the spirit of Halloween this year.  When I asked what she wanted to be, she immediately replied with "orca!"  And since it was pretty tough to find an orca costume for such a small person, I decided to make it, instead, with the help of Pinterest and some sewing by Mimi.  It only seemed appropriate that we kept Gavin at the top of the food chain, too, so we thought he'd make a cute shark.

She tried on her costume many times before the big day.  She was so excited to wear her costume to preschool.

Definitely the one that is not like the others.

Trick or treating at Mimi's house.

My good friend, Kathy, is getting married later this month, so we celebrated with a glitter-themed bachelorette party in Vegas, followed by a "Love is Sweet" themed bridal shower.  By the end of the two events, I definitely had my glitter fix, and Adam was ready for all the stray flecks of glitter to leave our house.

Ella is the flower girl for Kathy's wedding.  While she was trying on her dress, she broke out in interpretive dance (because that's what you do).

I love cold weather, and the drop in temperature (finally!) meant more opportunities to go to the park and not feel completely depleted by the heat.  Gavin got to swing for the first time during this visit, and he's been a convert since.  Ella showed him the ropes.

We spent our Thanksgiving at our cabin, which was Gavin's first time to the lake.  He LOVED it.  He is definitely a nature-lover.  We found a great hike (perfect for the little ones) and he couldn't stop shouting at the trees. 

The weekend after Thanksgiving we went Christmas tree shopping and Ella got to help decorate (and dictate).  It was a festive time and I love that our kids are just as excited about the holidays as I am.

Celebrating St. Nicholas Day, the kids checked their shoes for special treats.

Wednesdays have become Mommy-Gavin days and I have been loving my alone time with this little fella.  He loves having lunch outdoors and people watching.  I love watching him grow and mature right before my eyes.

 Rainy days and cold weather means camping indoors.  Ella loves "sleeping" in her tent.

Gavin being the lookout.

 We do family strolls around the neighborhood whenever possible.  Ella has taken to pushing her baby doll around in her stroller.  Just like Dad.

These two are everywhere these days.  Keeping up with them can prove to be exhausting.  Their newest idea of fun is climbing stairs (with Ella speeding to the top and cheering Gavin on), and then chasing each other through our bedroom.  

Ella had her buddy Caiden over to decorate gingerbread houses.  She snuck in some licks of frosting here and there, but I'm relieved that not too much candy was consumed.

Aloha

Our computer went wonky so it's taken me a while to finally upload pictures of our recent trip to Hawaii.  It feels like it took just as much time for the kids to adjust back to "normal" life and our regular routine.  I have to say, traveling with Ella at nine months old was a great deal easier than traveling with both kids.  Thankfully, we had help from Grandma, Ashley and the kids' godparents, as we attended my good friend's wedding, survived a tropical storm, and validated Adam's fear of shark attacks.

Our first leg of the trip was mainly for Denise's wedding, which was beautiful!  I attended to bridesmaid's duties, while everyone got to do some activities like ATV riding and kayaking.  Ella was a flower girl for the first time, and while I was nervous she would be nervous with all the attention, loved every minute of the festivities.

Buckled in and ready for take off!

Our journey begins with G's first play ride (LAX --> Honolulu).  He did great!  Slept a lot, and woke up to play a little, shout to make his presence known, and ate to fall asleep again.

While I had packed a kid-sized suitcase full of toys, books and activities to occupy her for the 5.5 hr. flight, E mostly slept, ate and watch videos on my iPad.

We stayed near the wedding site, which was on a more secluded side of the island.  So we got a lovely, lush view of Chinaman's Hat.

I love Hawaiian food and was happy to find a shrimp truck very close to our hotel.

Going for a stroll outside our hotel.

This girl loves her accessories.

Taking a tour of the hotel grounds. 

While everyone went ATV riding, Donna and I took the kids to a local beach.  It was a perfect afternoon on a secluded little strip of sand.  The waves were gentle and E LOVED splashing in the water.

She thought it was hilarious that the waves were tickling her toes.  She kept asking for "more waves!" and I was happy to oblige.

We saw people land on the beach.

My kids LOVE their Mimi.

I woke up to this face every morning.

Denise & Tristan had their rehearsal dinner on the beach.  It was a picturesque backdrop evening.

E in her flower girl outfit.  She ended up walking down the aisle with a cone of popcorn (while I held her flowers).  Go figure.

A quick family picture before the wedding began.

One of the best parts of the trip was spending time with our friends.

Two of the handsomest men I know!

E exploring the wedding site with her Lala.

 After the wedding we flew to Maui for a family vacation.  We loved having our friends and the kids' godparents along for the ride.  Many hands made light work, but toddler meltdowns definitely made traveling a little tougher this time around.

On the shuttle to the airport.  I didn't realize how much luggage and stuff came with two kids.

E has developed a love of planes.  She also made sure to do some yoga in the airport to help with the flight.

We had a VERY lovely welcome gift waiting for us when we arrived at the hotel.  The kids were thrilled to open up their goodies!

Last year, it was just Ella's name in sponges.  Hard to believe we have another name in our group.

Traveling is exhausting.

Making prints in the sand.

Beach bum.

No trip to Hawaii is complete without a fruity cocktail served in a pineapple.

So blessed to be able to still vacation with my oldest friend. 

Heading out for a shopping excursion.

It was really hot during our trip, so we made sure to stay hydrated.

We were going for "Lion King" but got "Totem Pole" instead.

G and his Mimi waiting for the sunset.

"Where's the sun going?"

We braved the heat to make a trip to Lahaina for shaved ice.  It was delicious.

Ella loves her breakfast buffets.

Our favorite memory from the trip ended up being a visit to the Maui aquarium with just the four of us.

While in Maui we were hit by a tropical storm and alerted of two shark attacks (!), affirming Adam's long-seated fear.

Learning about the marine life in Hawaii.

Upside down jellyfish.  I have a strange love for them.

Being the neat-freak that she is, E was fascinated by the scuba diver cleaning the tank.

Stingray encounter.

We think this fish looks like G when he was first born.  It's all in the puckered mouth.

Maybe it was the heat or the exhaustion of traveling, but E spiked a fever the last night we were there.  Fancy sorbet was what the doctor ordered.

Getting ready to head home.

A successful and memorable family trip.

Airport bound.

Aloha, Hawaii!  'Til we meet again!