settled into a groove

We have successfully acclimatized ourselves to an easier, slower way of life. It's too bad this can't last forever. The days have all been roughly the same: beach, pool time, lunch, shuffleboard, nap time, all the while chronicling all of the above with various electronic devices. We usually add one small excursion into the mix somewhere, and try to add a night time swim if we can. The kids are fascinated that they don't have to wear "sunscream" when we go swimming at night.

Yesterday we took the kids to the Maui Ocean Center, the nicest acquarium I have been to. They had an amazing shark exhibit, with hammer heads, nurse sharks, stingrays and manta rays. The kids had a great time, and really enjoyed spending more of their allowance in the gift shop. Jackson got a windup scuba diver ("scooper diver" according to both kids) andKenzie got a stuffed sea turtle. Jackson was excited she got the turtle, because "now I don't have to share Myrtle the Turtle with my sister anymore!"

Poor little Kenzie lives in perennial fear of losing pool priveleges. Everytime she gets in trouble she gets a panicked look in her face and asks "do I still get to go swimming in the swimming pool?" I think we need to come up with some new consequences...

Kenzie continues to keep the grounds clear of any fallen flowers, most of which end up in our condo. Jackson is the master swimmer now, able to swim a good 20 feet by himself, and was very excited to have defeated a 6 year old kid in a find-the-rockets pool game.

Another highlight for the kids has been feeding their leftover toast in the mornings to the songbirds that invariably flutter up to the lanai while I'm having my morning coffee.

Steph and I have both gone snorkling out in front of our condo... this is a huge bonus of our location, and enjoyed seeing a wide variety of tropical fish and coloful coral.

Anyhoo, we're all having a great time. It is incredibly gratifying watching our small children having so much fun. They are so incredibly happy here. There are a million small joys here that you just don't notice if you don't have kids with you (like the sound of the SugarCane Train whistle that elicits such excitement from our kids 20 times a day). Tonight is the luau, and thank goodness I cancelled our reservations to the 6 time best-of-maui awarded Old Lahaina Luau (it doesn't feature a fire dance), and switched to the widely panned Royal Lahaina Luau. The other night at Whaler's Village their was a free hula show, and the only comment Jackson had afterwards was "why didn't they have a fire eater?"

Cooper

island time

We are enjoying the slow pace of Maui, although from the duration since my last post, you would think I've been on island time for all of May! I've been out almost every week of May, and the few days I've been in town have been devoted to catching up on life's chores, and spending good time with the kids and Steph.

There's lots to talk about, and plenty of pictures and clips to share, but I'll save that for a later post.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring a card reader to Hawaii, so I can't give any "live look-ins" but rest assured, I am doing my usual overkill of photos and video. Life's special moments aren't official unless they include me annoying all the participants by taking pictures and video. I'm sure I'll be thanked for it in 50 years.

So on to the update... we arrived in Maui on Sunday and are here for 9 days, 8 nights. The travel day was exhausting for the kids, and as typical, brought out different sides of the kids' personalities. When Jackson is sleep deprived, he gets sloppy and punchy. He says all kinds of funny things and his comedic timing is hilarious. Poor Kenzie on the other hand, gets incredibly cranky, everything upsets her, and she gets frustrated by anything.

So after getting them up 2 hours early, flying them 6 hours across the ocean, then dragging them to Costco and Safeway before getting to the condo, these kids were cooked. We allowed them the reward of going swimming before dinner and bedtime, however, which bought us a lot of goodwill.

Yesterday was day 2, and after our long travel day, the 200 yard rule was strictly enforced. This is my rule that we don't venture more than 200 yards from our front door, and it facilitates slowing things down from rat race to island time. This rule allowed us to get in 2 beach sessions, 2 pool sessions, shuffleboard, a viewing of Cars in the condo, plus a very much needed 3 hour nap for the kids.

After the nap, the kids were like new little people. The whining and crying are quickly turning into distant memories, and it officially feels like vacation now.

As one could probably guess, the kids' favorite activity seems to be pool time, although they love beach time as well. Jackson's swimming lessons this year are paying dividends. Whereas last year he wouldn't even put his head under water, this year he spends hours diving for these little rockets we bought, swimming on his own for 10 foot stretches, and "scooper-diving" (I think he means scuba diving). Kenzie loves pretending that she is putting Mom to bed in the pool, including singing songs, putting Vaseline on her lips, tucking her in, and shutting the door. Both kids love their water wings, and like swimming under the waterfalls.

In addition to enjoying the little smiles we continuously see on our kids faces, Mom and Dad are enjoying the warm weather and the tasty treats that I have been preparing. Never one to be too humble, I can sincerely say that I have mastered the perfect Mai Tai, the perfect Pina Colada, and last night I made some ridiculously tasty seared Ahi Tuna Steaks for dinner.

Today we're taking the Sugar Cane Train into town after we go for a morning swim, and the kids are excited to spend some of their allowance savings at the Sugar Cane Train gift shop. Tonight we'll eat at the Castaway Cafe at our condo, and play catch and watch the sunset.

that's my update... I'll look to post again on Saturday, with a report on the luau we are going to Friday night.

oh, and to answer the question I'm sure the grandparents have... yes we are religiously applying sunscreen to the kids (or sun-scream, as they like to call it), having them wear swimshirts, and keeping them from getting any sunburns :)

aloha,
Cooper

flower & suds

While Smokey relaxed on Jackson's couch with a friend, the rest of us enjoyed some family time in the back yard last weekend!!

We had a great time with the kids, just hanging around the house, enjoying the weather. I got the kids to help plant flowers and plants in all of our planters in the back yard, the latest win in my battle with the yard. We are getting closer and closer to having a yard that's nice to hang out in! Both kids liked getting their hands dirty and helping to plant everything. Jackson was the expert, explaining how to plant things to Mackenzie. Kenzie, meanwhile, insisted on washing her hands every 5 minutes!

Their favorite part of the activity was watering the plants afterwards.

Jackson, sensibly making sure each planter got sufficient water.

Kenzie makes sure every single individual flower gets several ounces of water, while Jackson frets about over-watering.

Afterwards, the kids were rewarded for their hard work with some well earned root beer floats.

Apparently Dad made the root beer floats "too spicy" for this little girl!

And, finally, I have some footage of Jackson batting during his second tee-ball game. He plays for the "Rock Monsters," which is the kind of team name you get when you let the kids decide. He predictably is loving tee-ball, and he especially likes the games, because they get to play "other teams with different uniforms".

quick, no frills, front-yard-baseball note

Just a quick note on some amusing events from my baseball session in the front yard with Jackson on Saturday:

1) Jackson reluctantly was ok with wearing jeans instead of his baseball pants (which were dirty)... "I guess jeans are ok, because they are blue". translation: jeans will work as part of a Mariners uniform this time.

2) He wanted to work on his bunting. The Mariners lead the league in sacrifice bunts this year, by the way.

3) Jackson refused to be Johjima for one of his batters, because Johjima is injured in real life.

4) He now "digs in" before each at bat. Not good for the long term prospects of the lawn.

We'll try to get some pics and videos posted soon from today's upcoming tee ball game.

Opening Day

Just a quick post on our fun on Tuesday at Opening Day for the Mariners. I took the day off and brough Jackson to the game while Mackenzie and Steph had a shopping day and visited friends in Seattle.


This was a very special day, for many reasons. First, any day where a parent gets to spend the whole day one on one with one of their kids is priceless. There was just something so intimate about getting to spend the day with Jackson, each of us getting each other's undivided attention for the whole day.


Secondly, for both of us baseball is a favorite interest, especially the Mariners. For me personally, I am incredibly excited that Ken Griffey Jr is back with the Mariners, as it is a great shared connection between us, as my favorite baseball memories are of the glory years in the 90's watching Griffey's sweet swing with the M's. Now Jackson gets to experience it first hand, instead of just hearing his dad talking about it. So Tuesday was especially cool, getting to see Griffey back in a Mariners uniform for the first time together.

Lastly, Jackson's passion for baseball has become nearly fanatical. He has always had a strong love for the game, to the extent that we have never left a game early, and we've been going to games since he was 2 months old. But this year he has really gained an understanding of the game that I think is pretty amazing for a 4 year old. He recognizes every regular Mariners player, even the new ones. He intently watches EVERY pitch, not only saying whether it is a ball or strike, but if it's a ball he'll say "outside" or "low", etc. Yesterday he recognized and was ecstatic over a well executed bunt that moved the players from 1st and 2nd base to 2nd and 3rd. He got no help from dad. Anyway, it is very fun to watch, and a constant source of entertainment for us.

The game itself was a blast... the roof was open, Ichiro got his gold glove from last season, Griffey made his debut, and the Mariners won in extra innings. Just a perfect day for father and son!

Some more images of our day...

Jackson getting a quick study in Mariners history

All bundled up in his Mariners blanket

Enjoying the game from our seats

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter everybody!!!



We had our most successful Easter yet! The weekend started on Saturday morning, as the kids got to experience their first legitimate Easter egg hunt, thanks to our neighbors, who invited us to join them on a big Easter egg hunt they were organizing at their friends' house a couple of miles away. It was the perfect setup... plenty of acreage and a couple of thousand eggs, with a pancake breakfast beforehand, and pleny of treats afterwards!




On Easter morning, the kids awoke to the discovery that the Easter bunny brought them baskets full of sugar and other assorted loot. The haul included plenty of chocolate eggs, some fun small toys, a set of Wedgits for Jackson and a play-dough ice cream maker for Mackenzie!








Kazoo's in the Easter basket? The Easter bunny has a dry sense of humor. If you think the below video clip is cute and fun, try replaying it for 2 straight hours with full volume to get the full effect that we were blessed to experience Sunday night!




After the initial burst of excitement, we had our own fun, getting the kids dressed up in their fine Easter outfits that Steph procured weeks earlier, and headed out to church to celebrate Easter wih our neighbors. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and hanging together as a family.


We hope everyone had a great Easter!

All dressed up and excited about Easter!

It's always really about the shoes!

Less work, more play

With the return to longer days and a couple rare appearances by the sun, we have been doing all kinds of fun activities with the kids. We are spending more time at the elementary school up the street from our house, letting the kids play on the playground equipment, riding their bikes, and just letting them explore outside.




Jackson started tee-ball practice last week, and we are very excited for him to get his first taste of competition in his favorite sport. He certainly has gotten plenty of practice time in with Dad in the back yard over the past 3 years. I think he is ready to show his stuff! He had a blast at his first practice last Wednesday, despite a steady downpour of rain. He got to bat 5 times, practiced running the bases in the mud, and worked on his footwork in the field.

This weekend, I took him back out to the school for some catch (he caught the ball in his mitt 4 times yesterday, producing 4 giant, ear to ear smiles), some grounders, and his favorite, batting practice. Also note the sweet batting gloves I bought for him. Doesn't he look great?

The kids were also quite excited to see their cousin Gracie again. She is all smiles now and is a super cute little girl. The kids just love her to pieces and can't wait to teach her all their little tricks to get mom and dad to do what they want :)
One final picture from a typical Saturday morning... Jackson working on his reading skills by taking in the sports page after dad is done with it. That's my boy! Now that baseball season is starting again, I'll have to teach him how to read box scores.