Hawaii 2008

We returned to Hawaii with the same friends from last year to the same beautiful oasis in Kona. It was really great to get some sun on our skin after so many weeks of cold, windy, and rainy weather. This year proved more challenging with an active infant and twice as much luggage (why can't we be better packers?) but thankfully we had friends who were brave and kind enough to travel with us and give us an extra set of hands. Going there was pretty uneventful and with Sean and Elise sleeping most of the way, the long flight was a breeze. Coming back, with the exception of a harried connection in Honolulu, diahrrea (Sean's) on the tarmack, throwing up on the plane (Sean's), once the kids finally settled down and slept, all was good.

Elise getting refreshed after a swim in the pool

Peeking over Mom's shoulders

Like everything else he gets his hands on, a shovel finds its way into Sean's mouth

Officially 8 months old, Sean is now a bona fide crawler. He slithers around the house on his belly following a toy or our footsteps. It looks like we'll need to start child-proofing our house (something we didn't do with Elise) because it doesn't look like we'll get away with that again.

A little unsure about the waves but later he got over his apprehension and couldn't get enough of the water and sand, even some made its way into his mouth and nose after doing a face plant into the sand

Our little family of four

The Bui men

Elise enjoying her favorite snack, fruit crips, which she can eat all day

Both looking dazed and confused, maybe a little sun-drunk

Elise hanging out with Miya (center) and Zara

Sean crusing in a floaty toy

Elise and Sean cuddling

Elise Turns 3

Elise turned the corner into her 3rd birthday and she's finally getting what birthdays are all about. She LOVES to sing Happy Birthday to herself and blow out candles. When we had that major black out in January and we were without electricity for four days, Elise wanted to blow out every single candle in the house (we had over 20 of them!). The terrible twos are officially behind us and we have noticed a decline in tantrums. She still wants things her way but if we let her think it was her idea or maintain her independence, we can avoid a major meltdown. Her third birthday also marked her transition from Toddler Community to Children's House at Centennial where her official preshool training begins. In the Children's House, she interacts with kids as old as 6 years old. For her birthday, the school celebrated it with stories of her life and looked at photos of her growing up. She held a globe and circled a large sun three times to signify her years on earth. We managed to video tape it and now Elise wants to watch her Happy Birthday all the time.