Hawaiian Adventure

As you may have seen from my Facebook pics (sorry, I was "that" person taunting everyone with my status updates for awhile there)...we boycotted the cold and snow by escaping to Hawaii for a portion of our Christmas break.

Sun, sand, and traveling about 10,000 miles with a toddler and an infant. Sounds amazing, huh?

As plans came together for MNU to play in the Hoop'n'Surf Classic in Honolulu several of our extended family members jumped on board and decided to come "support the team." I was excited for the opportunity to travel...yet terrified of making the trip with the kids. I mean, come on, we were going to be "those people" on the plane with the screaming, pooping, tiny kids and all their crap that goes along with them. I was freaked. I read articles about traveling, downloaded recommended apps for kids, made DVDs of Cade's favorite TV shows, purchased new books, little toys and backpacks for the kids, very carefully packed our bags, and pretty much braced myself for the worst. I'm a realist (which Matt says is code for mean and negative) but I knew this wasn't going to just be fun at the beach. It was going to be a trip...not a vacation...a trip where I had to be the mom and be prepared to keep everyone entertained and happy...and in clean pants.

That being said, it actually was a mostly perfect trip! The kids traveled extremely well and we had a great time enjoying the sand and sun of Hawaii! I guess maybe bracing myself for the worst and then hoping for the best really worked.

We had more than enough things packed to keep everyone entertained and happy on the plane and we didn't run out of diapers or even need our extra outfits. Success! We used suckers for Cade during take off and landing and I fed Reese a pumped bottle to keep everyone's ears happy. Seemed to work well.

We flew from KC to Dallas and then after an hour and a half layover we tackled the long flight to Hawaii. (Cade was confused why we weren't at the beach after the first flight...)

After much deliberation, we opted to bring Cade's carseat onto the plane for the flight. We figured he'd be able to see out better, sleep better, and we could strap Reese into it when Cade was on a lap. It was annoying to lug on and off the plane but we did have plenty of extra hands (usually a basketball player) to help with that. We checked our double stroller and Reese's car seat at the gate each time. Also annoying, but I was very glad to have all of it along with us. I wasn't sure if we'd need the seats to ride on the bus or in rental cars in Hawaii and we did use Reese's seat for her to sleep in some since the sit'n'stand stroller isn't always conducive to that. I carried Reese around in my Beco carrier often. I just love that thing.

Shortly after arriving and checking into our hotel, we had to introduce Cade to the ocean!

It was fun having so many of our favorite people there with us! Matt's parents and sister, my parents and sisters, the Hepker's and the Lamar's.

Pearl Harbor on our first full day.

The reason for the trip...the games. Pioneers took on some tough opponents and went 1-1. They played Monday and Tuesday mornings leaving us with the rest of the time to just take it all in!

Sauder Family Luau action

Keeley Family Luau action

Pretty cool watching the sun set with the ocean view!

Some of the team enjoying the luau

Some beautifu Hawaiian Luau "Barbies"

Conner, a Pioneer, making his rather lengthy guest appearance on stage

Snorkel Fun at Hanauma Bay

We got huge snow cones pretty much every day and ate at some neat restaurants

Beach Bums

Reese was a great little traveler. She didn't love the beach her first day and timed her afternoon naps perfectly during beach time for the rest of the trip.

Cade, however, LOVED the beach and the waves. He could've stayed out there all day every day and is anxious to go back. Perhaps we could find a closer beach to visit next time?
The kids slept fairly well and adjusted to Hawaii time pretty easily. They went to bed at about 8:30-9pm Hawaii time but still seemed to wake up at about their normal time according to Kansas time. Helped us to make the most of our time there. They usually napped on the go or not at all (Cade). They were good and tired when we returned back to the mainland.

The trip home was even more smooth as we flew through the night and the kids slept pretty much the whole time. We returned to Kansas to find snow on the ground. I even missed a snow day from school while I was gone. Best way to spend a snow day EVER!

If there were any stressful parts of this trip I must have already blocked them out and look back on it as a great week of making fun memories with my kids. It was a wonderful time and helps put everything into perspective. It makes tackling trips to the grocery store or keeping everyone quiet during Christmas Eve service seem like nothing after conquering a trip to Hawaii!

*For more fun pics see Gentry's recap of the trip at good 'ol Journeys of Gentry.

Reesie Update

Our Christmas girl turns 9 months today! Unfortunately her 9-month well-baby check-up isn't until mid-January. (I had hoped to get it done before our deductible started over...but apparently everyone was thinking that way...)

No height and weight stats so I'll have to come up with some others to share. Still 6 teeth, 6-9 mo clothes, size 3 diapers and infinite smiles.

She's still a great sleeper and an amazing traveler! Several firsts this month! First trip to see Santa...which I just realized I'll have to post about after Christmas. Oops.

Reese went on her first plane ride (which was only an hour long to Dallas) and since she did so well we decided to take her on her second plane ride (from Dallas to Honolulu)...for over 8 hours! Seriously, she continues to be the best baby. Never even a poorly timed poop! (Now I'm just getting cocky with fate here).

She is standing freely some, but knows her fastest way to get around is her lightning-fast crawl.

She decided the beach was not all it was cracked up to be, so after day 1 she preferred to nap while on the beach...which worked out pretty perfectly.

She attracts attention wherever we go with her sweet, sweet smiles.

Looking forward to the rest of the firsts that December will bring for Reese as we celebrate the birth of Christ the King!!

Snow Family

Reese and I's view from inside. Sure looked like fun!

Cader Update

Thought I'd do an update on the Cader Tot to close out 2012 since he just doesn't get near the love on here like he used to...rriiiiight.

I just want to take some time to reflect on this phase of life for Cade...join me for a somewhat random look at the world of Cade as a 31-month-old.

Sleep:
Although he still sleeps in a crib at home, on our trip to Hawaii Cade did pretty well sleeping in a "big bed". We only woke up twice to him roaming the room in the middle of the night. Once he responded with, "Hey guys, I was just looking for you," and another night we awoke to him pulling the curtains open and announcing that it was still dark outside. So...the permanent switch to the big bed may still be a ways down the road.

He goes to bed at around 9pm on a regular weeknight and will sleep about 11 hours. He's trying to persuade us that he's ready to give up his nap...but come 6pm on a day without his nap his case is quite weak.

Size and Smarts:
According to MaKenzie's bathroom scale, Cade weighs in at a whopping 27 pounds. He wears 3T shirts, 24 month pants, and size 6 shoes. He is full of energy and on the move pretty much all the time. He's quite hilarious and smart as a whip (says his mom). He's known all letters and their sounds for quite some time and can recognize all single-digit numbers and count to 15ish. He can use his fingers to count and can count objects, not just saying the numbers aloud. He seems to have a large vocabulary and speaks in full sentences. Most of the time I feel like conversing with Cade is much like conversing with any other adult...but maybe that says more about me and who I hang out with?

Discipline:
We often have to remind him not to "talk grouchy" to us (or Reese when he wants her to back off). Our biggest battles involve whining and not obeying us the first time we ask him to do something. He's an active little guy who thinks outside the box...that's "mom code" for the fact that we gave our sitter a nice Christmas bonus (and I'm sure we'll need to give really nice teacher gifts) to stay in everyone's good graces.

Hobbies:
He enjoys watching TV, movies, and playing on the iPhone or iPad. He likes shows on PBS and Disney Jr. channel, as well as Disney movies. His favorites cycle. He'll ask for the same movie or show over and over and over and over...and then never again. He occasionally will smile for the camera, but usually it takes some bargaining.

He likes to take pictures with our camera and you can always tell which pics are his due to their randomness and the presence of at least two of his fingers. He also likes to look at pictures on our phones.

He had a blast on our Hawaii trip and was in love with the beach and the waves. Note to self: do not let him attend a college on a coastline.

He has quite the imagination and is very into little action figures which he refers to as his "guys." I made a cute little KSU drawstring bag for him to carry them all around in but now after Christmas I think he'll need a bigger bag to contain all the "guys!" He was all about Christmas this year and enjoyed driving around to look at lights, was insistant that Santa should bring him a castle (for his guys), and could sing several Christmas carols (his favorite being Deck the Halls, or "Fa-la la-la" as he called it). When opening presents he still didn't understand why he had to move on to opening the next present instead of getting adequate play time with the one he just opened. Goes to show we perhaps should have fewer presents for him to open!

He's getting more into being artsy and will paint, color, and play with playdough occasionally. However, he HATES to have dirty hands. The kid finger-paints with a brush!

He's a very good big brother. He's very, very sweet to Reese (unless she's touching his stuff). He often tries to make her smile by tickling her and talking baby talk to her saying "don't you smile Reesie, don't smile" or "got your nose" just as people have done to him.

He's not a great sharer and plays better with kids who are older than him since they let it slide when he hogs their stuff.

He loves being at the gym whether it's for a Pioneer volleyball game, basketball game, or practice. Even though he doesn't watch the game very intently, he loves to just be there. He enjoys "his turn" to run around on the court during half-time and after the game. He knows when he sees the "big guys" coming out of the locker room he has to head back to his seat and his turn is over. It's pretty cute. He considers many of the players on Matt's team to be his friends and talks often about Conner's defense and that Jacob is really tall.

Milestones:
Potty-training. Oh, potty-training. He's in denial, and therefore I'm in denial, that this needs to happen. He has just started to show signs of interest and will potty on the potty occasionally. Today he wore big-boy underwear for a portion of the day and we sat on the potty every ten minutes. Yes, I set the timer and every ten minutes we would go try. He pottied several times on the potty but also had THREE accidents. Like every TEN minutes wasn't enough?! So...we're still quite a ways off on this one. Reese will potty train Cade at this point. Or perhaps there's some sort of potty-training camp I can send them both to? Let me know.

He still drinks from a sippy cup 98.7% of the time. Maybe come summer we'll tackle drinking from a cup more outside?

He's very coordinated and can run, jump, skip, gallop, and march. We think he's pretty tough also. He must have a high pain tolerance (although this doesn't make a great case for his coordination) because he didn't cry too much when he recently fell and split his chin open. This led to 5 stitches in his chin...immediately following our family pictures that occurred just after the fall and prior to being stitched.

Eating:
Still not a huge eater. Probably never going to be a huge eater. He hates to try new things as he's really only into ideas that are suggested by him. He likes basic "kid food" like chicken nuggets, french fries, pizza, and spaghetti. He eats fruit and breakfast foods well and LOVES fruit snacks.

This turned out to be a crazy-long post but was very fun to write. I'm always telling Cade just how special he is to us...he is the one that made us parents after all! Cade truly is a gift from God and raising him is a journey that I'm very, very thankful for. I love being his mom and learning the ins-and-outs of his growing personality!

Cade The Gymnast...

...Or maybe not.

You may remember a few months back when I was oh-so-excited about a Groupon I purchased for Cade to take 1/2 price Parent/Tot gymnastics lessons. Now that's the thing about me and Groupon...they put a time limit on the deal so you must "act now" and that usually gets me into trouble. I can't say that I've ever purchased a Groupon without experiencing at least the teensiest bit of buyer's remorse. You know? It's like once you have time to think it through you're like, wait a minute, I don't need this...

But to gymnastics lesson we went. For TWELVE WEEKS. Which in toddler-world equates to FOREVER. KGDC is a very well-run gym and we enjoyed our (1/2 price) experience with them. Cade just wasn't "into it" enough to warrant going forward with lessons once our TWELVE WEEKS were up.

It was a 30-minute class which was pushing it for Cade's attention span. His favorite parts were free time on the trampoline and watching from the balcony to see the big kids doing their gymnastics, or "looking at the girls," as he called it. The class was set up into rotating stations that worked on various coordination and "pre-gymnastics skills." Cade was probably the oldest boy in the class and it did not always tickle his fancy to wait for the fat, slow kids in front of us to make their way through the rotations. No idea where he gets this impatience from. Hardy, har, har.

It took some poking, prodding, begging, and bribing to keep him on his best behavior through the rotations usually. And he NEVER talked about gymnastics throughout the week or acted excited to go. Their classes were well-planned and age appropriate (minus the waiting in lines at times) but just not Cade's cup of tea, which is totally fine. I think Matt breathed a sigh of relief.

It's not time for the tunnel rotation...but guess where Cade is...

Yep...the teacher prying Cade from said tunnel.

"Looking at the girls" from the balcony. Seemed like 100s of kids doing gymnastics down on the main floor. I was entertained watching them as well!

Waiting our turn...

Reesie was always so patient at gymnastics. Most lessons she was strapped to me in the carrier, herself being contorted around as we kept up with Cade.

So mark "gymnast" off of the list for Cade. There's still hope for Reesie though...assuming another impulse-buy from Groupon comes along!