Happy Halloween!

Winnie the Pooh & Elmo, Colin with his friend at school.

Front Page News!

Colin made front page news in our local newspaper, the Sun Press. This photo was taken at the Fall Fest ("Fun Fall Weekend" post). Call us if you'd like an autographed copy. =)

Family Fun in Hawaii

We spent an amazing two week vacation on O'ahu with our close family and friends...
Left-Right:

Ryan & Lori, Mike & Dee, Dad & Mom, Jack, Grandma, Jamie, Colin, Joel

(Brian & Dana aren't in this photo, but see them below on the mopeds.)

What did you guys do in Hawaii?

• snorkle, eat, hike, play gin rummy, swim, body surf, ride a catamoran, eat, nap, kayak, talk, touristy stuff, play poker (and I won!), eat, eat and eat!!
• We hiked Koko Head, Makapu'u, and the ~1000 steps up Koko Crater,
• We enjoyed fine dining at Alan Wong's Restaurant and Roy's Restaurant. We are also lucky enough to have amazing cooks in our family/friends. We ate like royalty at home. The non-cookers did the dishes...Jack and I did dishes.
• We snorkeled at Hanauma Bay 4 times, and I saw a sea turtle each time. What a way to start off my days!
• We saw the Society of Seven at the Outrigger Waikiki, where Lori was pulled on stage to impersonate Elvis!!! See pic below.
• Most of all, we enjoyed good family time with family and friends we don't get to see too often.
  

Where did you stay? We rented a house (Waterfront Oasis.) It was four bedrooms, four bathrooms, with a grand kitchen/living area. We also had our own pool and boat dock with a kayak. What a way to live for 2 weeks.

What did Colin do? He did everything we did! My mom and sister were especially amazing with Colin...teaching him new things, and waking up in the early morning hours to play with him, allowing Jack and I to sleep in a bit longer. A couple new tricks: walking holding one hand, finding his (or your) nose, raising his arms for a touchdown, waving, clapping, finding his duckie (and other favorite toys), and surviving crashing waves! We're not positive, but we think he says "mama" for food.

How was travelling with Colin?

• Door to door, it was approximately 12 hours. 1 hour to Chicago, 1-2 layover, 8-9 hours to O'ahu.
• He's more mobile now, so we had to take many laps up/down the aisles, and used the food area for him to play while the flight attendants were serving.
• I'm sure you can imagine how much we had to pack for Colin, but hands down, we used this travel placemat the most! We highly recommend it for families on the go.

Jamie's top three:
Spending time with family/friends; watching Colin play with family; enjoying barefeet and swimwear everyday.

Fun Fall Weekend

Fall is here (my favorite season)! We went to a neighborhood Fall Festival to celebrate...

Colin loved the petting zoo! He had a moody morning until we sat him down with the sheep and goats. I have a new appreciation for these animals now.


The pumpkin patch at Whole Foods!
Cousin Sam celebrated his 2nd birthday at a bouncy house party place, Pump It Up. Colin wouldn't leave Grandma's side the whole night. Colin's favorite was the bouncy slide..smiles everytime.

I've been trying to think of things to do during winter this year. I get a bit bored with cabin fever myself, and I surely don't want to be bored sitting at home with Colin all winter. But after seeing Colin climb, tumble and roll through this gymboree play area at the Fall Fest, I've found my new winter hang out spot! I'll be checking into classes soon.

happy birthday...