Age is just a number...

I'm not one to give away my age but if my birthday were one day earlier, then today would be my golden birthday. Yikes!

It's a great day

The sun is shining, the weather is warm, I see tulips, and the air smells like cut grass. A perfect start to the weekend.

Oh, and did I mention that I cut the grass? I did. It ain't pretty, and at some places it looks more like I vacuumed the lawn than mowed it, but it's done. Which means extra time that we can spend together as a family this weekend. Double perfect.

Animal Farm

Mice are taking over our house--kitchen, actually. Our official count is up to 8 (trapped and killed). They live under the broiler of our stove (a very safe place for them because I don't cook). But tonight I plan to stage a massacre with a dozen or so traps (maybe a slight exaggeration) to get to the bottom of this invasion. I have no use for these mice, unless they eat rabbits...
*Picture of Jacob hunting for mice. He suggested we put a kitty cat in the oven to catch the mice. That might be my next line of defense.

Way Overdue

A weekend getaway to Des Moines. Drinks. Food. Laughter. A fantastic musical. Staying up late because we wanted to. Sleeping in because we could. No kids. No baby monitors. No worries. This was my heaven.
It was so nice--so needed--to hang out with my husband, and not Jacob and Mason's dad. Is it too soon to plan the next trip?!

Oh brother.

Overheard: Mason, I got Woody in my underwears.

I will assume Jacob was referencing the Toy Story illustrations.

A Stranger's Perspective

I must have looked pretty desperate as I was juggling the boys, a shopping cart, and our bags on the way into the grocery store tonight because the woman walking in next to me piped right up with: You are proving my theory that God is not a woman because if he were, us women would grow an extra arm with each child.
Amen, lady! Only I would rather grow an extra housekeeper or personal shopper. Just sayin'...

Uninterrupted and Neverending

One Mom job I could do without: Letting him cry it out in the crib.
We are at minute 65 right now and there is no sign of this charade ever stopping. Exhausting (for me, obviously not him).

Baby Steps

It's been four whole weeks since I last logged on to Facebook to read status updates for no reason other than to snoop on the goings on of hundreds of people I really don't care all that much about. Happy to say that I think I have kicked this habit. Do I miss creeping around and getting gossip straight from the source? Absolutely. But I think I'll manage. Next step: Weeding out a hundred (or so) Facebook friends...

Change in Plans

With Caleb gone tonight (Blackhawks game), I had my sights set on a bubble bath and a glass of wine once the kiddos were in bed. But a poorly timed thunderstorm and a very scared two-year-old put a quick kink in my plans. So instead of water and wine, it was an impromptu cuddle party on the couch. And you know what, I wouldn't have traded that for the world!

Four Eyes

I'm wearing my glasses today for no reason other than to cover up the humungo zit smack dab between my eyes. Lame? Yes. But it was the best cover up I could find!

Toofers

Somewhere between noon and one today Mason got his two top front teeth. Busy guy!

FYI

Skinny jeans are NOT for everyone.

See Jacob in the background? I totally plopped him in front of that toy so that I would have an excuse to capture this horrific site. Justifiable?

LOL!

Jacob seemed a bit unsure of the mini-vac I was using, so I asked if it scared him. He said: No it makes me nervous.

Nervous? This kid makes me laugh!

Looking the Part

I would really like a cute, frilly apron. I think it will make me want to bake, and by bake I mean whip up a batch of boxed brownies...

Hodge Podge

On Jacob's lunch plate today: Spaghetti, cheeseburger, salmon, raspberries and zucchini. Can you tell we are running out of leftovers?

Mine, mine, MINE!

Don’t be fooled by this picture, Jacob tends not to share well with others right now. We are trying desperately to break him of this habit, but we are a far cry from success. It’s getting bad. The other day Mason was flailing his arms and knocked Jacob in the mouth, to which Jacob replied, “No, Mase, that’s my teeth.” I’m sure if Jacob knew that he breathed air, he would stake claims to that too. Ugh.

Deductive Reasoning

Do you suppose that the fact that Jacob skipped his nap and ran circles (literally) around the house for several hours straight this afternoon is directly proportional to the whole pez dispenser of candy he downed in five minutes flat after school today? I vote yes.

Welcome, spring!

What better way to spend the weekend than outside in 85 degree weather? Bliss.

Best Dressed?

Jacob insisted on wearing this get-up to the park, even when given several alternative options. So we brought a little bit of Hawaii with us to the park…

But the look lasted only until his flower-print button-up soaked up the majority of his ice cream cone…

Then it was back to mainland attire. Phew!

Captions, please.

I’ll start: Caleb, I had no idea you could balance a broomstick on your head. You make it look so easy.

Little Swimmer

And because I am such a proud momma, another video of Jacob swimming...

Me, Me, Me

Jacob speaks "me," as in "me want a drink," "me watch a movie," "me play with that." So I have been working with him to correct his English. This is the conversation we had last night right before bed: Jacob: Me want some juice. Me: Say "I," please. Jacob: I want some juice, please. Me: Nope, it's bedtime. I'm a ruthless mother!

A couple of my faves.

I love these photos. So simple, so peaceful. I just wish this was what my life felt like more often!

A picture of Jacob and Joe Pa walking down to the beach.

Jacob digging away in the sand.

Our final sunset

Like all good things, this too had to come to an end. I must say that traveling with two tots is hardly a vacation, and at times it was more tiring than we had bargained for. But it was worth it (right, Caleb?!).

Luau

The food, the drinks, the pig in the pit, and the open pasture for Jacob to run around in were all perks to the luau, but nothing beat watching Jacob hula on stage with the other kids. He refused to take off his luau wristband for the majority of the next day—and told everyone (maid included) that he went to a “hula.” Jacob’s attention span is terrible, but the show captivated him. Can we get a copy of the show for home use?

The whole family. And my parents made sure that the boys were dressed for the occasion!

Our little hula-er. I was surprised he stayed on stage for the whole song, and even more surprised that he actually shook his groove thing!

Mason was there, too.

When you are seven months old, there is not much you can do.

But Mason did manage to make a mess of himself at nearly every meal.

He dipped his toes in the ocean.

He played in the sand with his brother.

He dressed for and attended his first luau (more pictures to follow).

He took his first official big boy bath sans small bath chair to sit in.

He napped for several hours in his stroller in the shade of a palm tree.

And he went swimming in the pool, though I think he is more of a beach bum than a water rat (just like his momma!).

Mai Tai, anyone?

Contrary to the look on his face, I can assure you that Jacob did not partake on the Mai Tais at sunset tradition! But he did eat several Pu Pus (appetizers), and had no problem spitting out the reject food on top of the rest of the community platter. Good thing you are cute, kid!

And speaking of swimming...

Jacob went from being a clingy 2-year-old kid with arm floaties and a noodle to an independent swimmer. "No, back up. Me go under water all by self," Jacob would say. And he meant it. Swim lessons are in order!

Outdoor Activities

Jacob liked building sand castles.

He gave boogie boarding a shot.

But all Jacob really wanted to do was swim, swim, swim in the pool. He woke up every morning by asking “Go in water?” (And even asked that when he woke up this morning!) He is a water rat, so it’s a good thing Mimi and Joe Pa have a pool that he can invade this summer!

Day Trip

My parents watched the boys one morning so that Caleb and I could take a boat ride out to snorkel at Molokini. Bonus: We spotted tons of whales—the closest one was within 50 yards of our boat!

The water is much colder than I remember it being when I was younger, hence the wet suit. Hot stuff!

Funny story: The waves were a bit choppy on the way out, so there were some pukers on our boat. And as I was climbing the ladder to get back on board after we were done snorkeling, the lady ahead of me started to chuck. I threw my flippers back on and hauled ass as far away from the scene as I could. Caleb looked at the guy next to him and said, “I’ve never seen my wife swim so fast.”  Totally agree!

Turtle! The captain of the boat said if we see what looks like a garbage bag with a head, it’s probably a turtle. We even saw a few swimming in and out of the coral right by us!

Aloha!

Some background information: My family grew up taking vacations to Maui, so it was the perfect surprise when my parents planned to take us all back to the Maui condo we call home. This is the view from our room. Though it has undergone extensive remodeling since I was last there, it was just as familiar and comfortable as I remember it. And it was so great to be able to experience Maui for the first time again through Caleb, Jacob, and Mason. Thanks, Mom and Dad. When are we going to do this again?!

My family, all growed up!

Where on Earth?

The difference between these two pictures is 3 hours, 10,000 feet, and 45 degrees. Only on Maui.

We tried to blog using Caleb’s Ipad, but no go. So a quick sum up in the following posts…

On our first morning on Maui Caleb, Mason, and I zipped up to the top of the volcano Haleakala. No lava, but spectacular views. The weather was cold and it was super windy, so we didn’t stay too long.

This is the highest point in Maui, and you can see the entire island below the clouds. Amazing!