A Whale of a Time

We got up early and went out whale watching one morning. Robyn and I packed snacks and diapers and jackets and bottles and -of course- the kids and headed out on the first whale watch of the morning. Brian met us at the dock to send us off and then we boarded the boat.

As it turns out, it's actually pretty hard to watch whales when you're watching a toddler. The boat that we were on didn't have low railings at the bottom so we had to hold on to the kids the whole time. We took over a small section at the back of the boat where the kids could stand and look off the back. Each time the whales would pop up the captain would position the boat so that the front of the boat could see them. We didn't mind, but were joking that the whales would have to come up right underneath us for us to be able to see them. Luckily they did just that. Three whales came up right under us and we got to see them up close and personal. It was a great trip!

Beckett had more fun watching the wake than the whales.

Maui Ocean Center

One of the many fun activities we've done out here is visit the Maui Ocean Center. Robyn and I got up early (we do every day anyway) to make the 8am whale watch (blog to come) and then headed over the the aquarium to show the kids the fish. They had so much fun watching the fish swim around in the tank. Bex and I have visited a few aquariums and he always has a great time. It's the perfect entertainment for a small child. Lots of vibrant, moving colors to entertain them...and when they get tired they can fall asleep to soothing music in a dimly lit building. Perfect!
Sister and I are very excited to see the shark....the kids don't seem to recognize the impending danger.
Beckett and Elle were talking and squealing with glee and drawing a big crowd. It was all good and we were enjoying ourselves until Beckett came over to me and I saw that he was wearing his "concentration" face. He is such a loud grunter when he does his "business" that there is no mistaking what is happening. The crowd cleared pretty quickly once the stank started to spread.
Beckett having a moment with a sand shark.

Ahhh....

Beach Baby in Waikiki

We had a lot of fun playing at the beach while we were in Waikiki last week. Each day we would wake up eat some breakfast and then take a long stroll along the ocean. Once we were both tuckered out we'd head back to the hotel for a little nap and then spend the afternoon at the beach. It was a great routine and I wish I could do it every day!

Happy Flappy Waving Walker

A couple of weeks ago Beckett took his first couple of steps. It was only a few steps in a row and he was careful to stay close to the couch-just in case he lost his balance. Since then he has proceeded to improve each day, going a little further, getting a little braver. When we arrived in Hawaii he started to make quantum leaps, going from a couple of steps at a time one day to walking across the room the next day. Its been so fun to watch him master this new trick. He is so proud of himself! You can see him beaming with pride as he walks up hist first little hill in the first video and he's completely beside himself with enthusiasm when he discovers that he can flap his hands WHILE walking (second video)!

Pigeon Key

I had a work trip in Florida and my sister Nickole came with me to help out with Beckett. She has a little son who's about 6 months older than Bex. We stayed on a little tiny island off the old keys highway. It's a great place to visit if anyone ever wanted a fun family vacation. We went to the beach in Miami and let the kids frolic in the sand. Both Bex and M had a great time!
We have firmly established that Bex loves the water. We did some swimming off the little pier at the island.
Me and my sister Nic with our babes at the beach in Miami.
These are my work peeps. This picture was taken after the retreat before we left the island.
We saw a couple of very curious manatees in the little harbor down in the keys. This is the first time I've ever seen manatees in the wild and I was so excited. I took a million photos. They were very cooperative and came right up to the camera. Yay!!

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