Day Trippin

I took a couple of days off work last week.  The weather was beautiful in town so we decided to make the most of it.  We rented a car and went on a few day trips.  One day we went to Seaside, but I don't have pictures of that because it was cold, gray, and rainy.  It was 90 degrees in town!  It should have been more like 75 at the beach, but it wasn't.  We made a short trip of it.  Walked around the boardwalk, checked out some shops, had an early dinner.  It was disappointing, to say the least.  So the next day, we decided to drive up the gorge instead, knowing we'd have much better weather closer to home. 

 We went to the Vista House lookout.  It was beautiful up there!  Kawika was his usual charming self, making friends with strangers and smiling at everyone who walked by.

 

Wonton the adventure doggie!

 Then we drove to Multnomah Falls.  It was very, very crowded and despite driving around for about 10 minutes there was NO parking to be found.  They'd closed the overflow parking lot for some reason, so everyone was creeping around the tiny lot directly in front of the falls, stalking people who miiiight have been walking to their cars.  We decided it wasn't worth the aggravation and drove a little further to the smaller, much less crowded Horsetail Falls.

About 28 weeks pregnant here

 Bonus, you can actually walk down to the foot of the falls and feel the spray off the rocks if you want. Or, you know, if the person holding your leash forces you to.

He was more a reluctant adventurer here

  Poor spoiled doggie doesn't like to get his toes wet.

Aloha!

It was a good trip.  We definitely got the most out of our rental car and enjoyed its far superior (to my car) gas mileage.  Man, I need a new car!

Poor, poor, spoiled little doggie.  =)

My waterbaby

Because I know that all one of you was waiting anxiously for a "Kawika in the bath tub" post, here it is. 

He's almost as good as a trained monkey!  Look at this trick!

But it's not just the bath that's great, it's ALL water that is apparently amazing.

Who needs "toys" when you can play in the sink?

And if THAT wasn't enough "baby in the water" fun for you, stay tuned for next time when I share the ridiculous number of photos we took when Kawika got into his own personal swimming pool for the first time.  Woo!

July 4th

For the 4th we went to Jason and Mahina's house, and lots of other family came over too.  Kalae and Corinna came with Kanoa and Auntie Puni, Makana was there, and Uncle Wayne brought Grandmama.  It's a rare treat to have Auntie Puni, Uncle Wayne, and Grandmama all together, considering Uncle lives in Seattle and the women live in Hawaii.  I was really glad to spend some good time with Auntie, Uncle, and Grandmama.  I'm even happier because Kawika warmed up to them right away. 

Kawika with his great grandma Edie

A proud moment for me as a mom was when Uncle Wayne got out of his truck and Kawika walked right up to him, put his arms out, and said "Up!"  He'd never met Uncle before.  I would think that it would be intimidating for a toddler to see a huge man he'd never seen before (Uncle is a Kapua in every sense of the word) but it was like he knew he was family.  When Uncle picked him up, Kawika even gave him a kiss.  Mahina, who was watching from the end of the driveway with me, elbowed me excitedly and said "You're raising him right, girl!"  I'm not sure how much credit I can take for that, but it made me proud nonetheless.

Uncle Wayne, Auntie Puni, and Grandmama Edie

We had lots of fun bbq'ing and just hanging out.  Kawika ran around all OVER the place.  You'd think he'd had more than an hour nap that day! 

"Playing football" with daddy

Goofing

Rocking the KARMMA gear and enjoying a little snuggle

 But he really only had an hour nap that day.  I ended up taking him home a little before 9 pm.  The fireworks were just getting started but he was exhausted and I had to work in the morning, so we left.  I shouldn't have bothered; he napped on the 15 minute car ride home and was suddenly raring to go again when we got home.  He didn't go to sleep until closer to 11:30, though I also blame the neighbors and their M-80's. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for celebrating on the Fourth of July.  Team America and all that.  But does it have to be so damn LOUD, like, right outside my baby's bedroom window?  I would totally let it slide if it was JUST that night, but the 5 nights of explosions prior and the 3 afterward really got on my nerves.  Not gonna lie.

All in all though, it was a great day and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I love Chris's family like my own and feel very loved in return when we spend time together.  I'm really, really, REALLY looking forward to visiting them all when we go back to the islands in April of next year.