Back from Maui

We just got back from a week-long vacation to Maui earlier this week. It was a completely different experience from the last time that Lloyd and I went to Maui back in 2005 (pre-kids). This time, we didn't go on any hikes, didn't swim in any waterfalls, didn't drive around the island in search of adventure. Instead, we spent the entire week camped in front of our resort, either at the beach or at the swimming pool. And it was FANTASTIC! It wasn't exactly relaxing, but the kids had so much fun and it was great to spend a whole week with them. Tristan was a little afraid of the ocean at first, but by the end of the week he was begging to go in with Dad and play in the waves. We tried building sand castles too, but he was more interested in destroying them and swan-diving into soft sand. The swimming pools at the Marriott were amazing too. The kiddie pool area had a sandy wading area with a big pirate ship and waterslides. The big pools were beautifully landscaped with waterfalls and natural rock. Austin was such a good traveler too. We are blessed that this 2nd child will actually nap, unlike his older brother at this age! We actually got Austin to sleep on the beach each morning so that we could all be outside together. The kids were actually doing so well that we decided to take them to a luau show. It turned out to be a great experience for Tristan -- I will never forget his look of amazement when the performers started on stage. If you ask him how he liked the luau, you might get to see him do the 'boom-boom-boom' dance :) Overall, a wonderful experience for all of us. I hope that we will be able to go back soon!

Sunset in Kaanapali

Jumping off the 'volcano'...part 1 of 3

Jumping off the 'volcano'...part 2 of 3

Jumping off the 'volcano'...part 3 of 3

Tristan and Austin playing 'choo-choo train'

The pirate ship at the pool

Tristan swimming with his new floatie

Cool shades!

November Update

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Tristan turned 2-1/2 yesterday, and Austin is now 8 months old! Tristan is now officially potty trained during the day -- YIPPEE! He pretty much did it himself, so we were really lucky it was so easy. Austin is scooting around a bit, and can almost pull up to a stand by himself! We hit a few bumps in the road the past few weeks with a few minor colds, and Austin catching a more severe virus last week. Hopefully we can all remain healthy for a while now. We are busy getting ready for our big vacation to Maui on Tuesday. Looking forward to a week of doing absolutely nothing!

Halloween

Tristan got the whole Halloween thing this year...everything from carving pumpkins, wearing costumes, trick-or-treating, handing out candy. It is so fun to see him enjoying the entire experience! Austin was a good sport too, and wore his Nemo costume without any complaints. We went with an Under-the-Sea theme this year -- check out our jellyfish costumes below! We also had a few friends over. All the kiddos were so cute, even the 2 that were still in their mama's bellies! Just think, by this time next year our group will probably be 50/50 kids to adults!

Austin 7 months old

I'm a few weeks behind, but here are some pics from when Austin turned 7 months old on October 23. Tristan and Austin are such good buddies already. Tristan loves to bring toys to his little brother and also gives him big hugs and kisses. We've even seen Tristan change Austin's bib when it was all wet, and they were playing by themselves in the family room!

Austin has made a lot of progress in the last few weeks as well. He can now flip over from his back to stomach, is pushing up to his hands and knees, can scoot backwards, and has his first 2 teeth. Whew, that's a lot in one month!

Another day at the zoo

It started off a bit chilly in the morning. The boys were a little grumpy as we bundled them up in the stroller, but soon became much happier as we met up with our friends Zach (and David), Skylar (and Steve), Jasmine and Jordan (and Laurie and Juan)! Of course we had to visit the baby elephant again. His name is Samundra, or Sam for short, and is over 400 pounds already! At the end of the day, we got a great photo op with all the kids...check out the cheesy grins!

Lunch at the AfriCafe!

Goldwyn boys

My sweet boys

The best part of my day is coming home to my 2 sweet little boys. I love how Tristan runs to us as fast as he can, calling out "mommy" and "daddy", and how Austin's eyes light up and he starts kicking his legs excitedly in anticipation of being picked up. Seeing their faces is what I miss the most while I am at work each day. I can't help it...aren't they the cutest kids ever?

Clambake Adventure

On the rainiest day of the month, we ventured out to our friends Liz and JD's house for their annual clambake. They live out in the beautiful Mt Hood wilderness area, surrounded by privacy we can only dream of here in the Camas 'burbs. While the weather wasn't entirely cooperative, it turned out to be a lot of fun anyway... and there were lots of kids there this year for a change :)

food's still in the pit

Tristan visiting the chicken coop

The boys and Maddie

what a feast!