Gotta Get Away

Since it was Mom's last weekend here and the weather was supposed to be nice, we thought it would be fun to take an overnight trip to the beach.  Alan had been anxiously awaiting this trip all week.  Not because he was excited about the beach - rather, he was interested in seeing how much crap necessary stuff we would have to take.  Well, to begin with, we had to take two cars.  The stroller alone takes up the entire cargo area of my car, so we would need the back of his car for everything else.  Plus any free spot in either car.  So we had two vehicles filled to the brim.  For one night.  I'm sure that's the new norm for us.  I have to give Alan props, though, because he didn't complain.  In the past he would have, but this time he didn't.  Anyway, there's a Navy port with a beach nearby called White Beach that has cabins, campers and camp spots you can rent.  We opted for a log cabin and it was fantastic.  This was our cabin and our views:

We even got a little chance to relax:

Here's us getting mad at Adam for almost ruining that relaxation by rocking the chair so hard that it hit the cabin and possibly woke up the babies:

It didn't, so he got to hit the playground:

Our first day there was cloudy and a little windy, therefore chilly.  We walked down to the beach to hunt for shells and Mom took our picture from the cabin, which sat up on a bluff.  See us?:

We stopped along the way and snapped this one of us in front of the ship that was at port:

The next day was a beautiful, warm, clear, sunny day so we all hit the beach.  Anaya made the most of the beach tent:

Alan and I took the Monster for a walk in the ocean (the reef goes out pretty far so we can take a pretty good walk).  Here are some fun things we saw on our walk (we also saw two fish eggs, but failed to take pictures):

A sea cucumber

A bunch of starfish that looked like this:

 

and this puffer fish:

All in all, it was a great little getaway.  Maybe just what we needed.  Never mind that Anaya cried pretty much the entire time we were at dinner.  The restaurant wasn't crowded.  And never mind that Audie coughed/cried during breakfast the next day.  It's not like he coughed on the buffet.  We all survived our first overnight trip and that's what really matters.  And we actually had fun!  Maybe this won't be so tough, after all.   

Strawberry and a Barrel

This one's a little hodge-podge.  Since it's AdaMonday:  Here's Adam showcasing his bloody lip from a spill he took on the playground at White Beach.  While we were there this weekend, we went to a restaurant and for dessert, Adam ordered strawberry ice cream.  We got it to go because we knew we were on borrowed time with the babies.  Adam ate his share and then offered the rest to Grandma.  When Grandma said, "It's good!  It's very strawberry-y,"  Adam quickly replied, "Well, it has strawberries in it, Grandma."  Duh.

On another note - last weekend for our anniversary, we went to dinner at a cool restaurant we had heard about called Tonneau - or, as we Americans call it - The Barrel - here's why:

Here's a pic of our shrimp sashimi.  They were watching us closely.

More on our White Beach trip soon... Happy Monday!

Get 'em

A couple of nights ago - or mornings, rather - I finished feeding Audie at about 4:30.  I went to the bathroom, turned on the light, and was fixin' to pee when I saw a huge spider on the wall.  Eeewww.  I.  Hate.  Spiders.  Hate 'em.  They're my kryptonite.  I'm totally convinced that any spider, no matter what size or color, can bite and kill me.  Hate them!  So I walked out very slowly - just in case it was one of those flying, aggressive spiders that bites anything it sees.  Just in case.  I woke Alan up and told him there was a really big spider in the bathroom.  He got out of bed to take care of it, because that's what he does.  Well, 30 minutes later our bathroom looked like this:

For the record, it was pretty much the fastest spider to ever walk the Earth.  We did not defeat it that early morning.  We climbed back into bed at 5 a.m. wondering how in the world it escaped.  I spent the next day living in fear in my own bathroom.  I knew that sucker was probably watching me from his awesome hiding spot.  And there was nothing I could do about it.  But, alas, being the super-tough spider that he was, he returned for Round 2.  When Alan and Adam walked into the bathroom to dry Adam's hair, there sat our nemesis right in the middle of the counter.  He stared Alan down, as if to say, "That's right.  I'm back and I've been working out.  Now let's finish this."  Alan backed out of the room with Adam, sent him to his room to play and returned, closing the door behind him.  Just him and the gargantuan spider.  Mano a mano.  It was a battle for the ages, but Alan emerged victorious.  For that, I am grateful.  Killing spiders - that's another reason I married him. 

Where was I?

Some of you were there - windy, cloudy, cold, waves crashing instead of rolling in, will it rain?  will it not?  Backup room prepared, extra hairspray added, guests seated at the absolute last minute so as not to freeze... you might remember all of this.  And somewhere amidst it all, a marriage began, which is really the part I remember.  I can't remember how cold it felt or how windy it was (although I do remember my vail blowing straight over my head as my Dad walked me down the aisle), but I do remember that I walked away a "wife."  And it was lovely.  A few days ago, we celebrated our five year anniversary and we decided Adam might like to see our wedding video, so we dusted it off.  We were right, he did like to see it...for about 5 minutes.  As we were showing him everyone he knew as they were being seated, he asked, "Where was I sittin'?"  Once we explained to him that he wasn't there because he wasn't born yet, he completely lost interest.  Three-year-olds are quite selfish like that.  Later, however, we contemplated that honest little question he asked.  He just couldn't comprehend a world that we were in without him.  And now, five years from that day, we can't comprehend that world either.

 

Party of Five

The other day, while at the beach, we thought it would be nice to get a family picture.  Easier said than done.  The twins were the ones we thought may not cooperate, but that wasn't the case at all.  Here's the progression:

Me, smiling, completely unaware that Adam isn't facing the camera and Alan is looking at Adam

Adam turns around at the last minute and Mom, who never counts down, snaps it before we look

My grin tightens, as I'm getting slightly irritated

Pissed Mom: "I think I got a couple of good ones." Me: "Really? Of who?"

 

Mom: "There! That's a good one." Alan: "I wasn't looking." I figured out now that she couldn't see her screen because it was so bright (and she's half-blind anyway), hence the clicking away when we weren't ready.

 

Mom: "Oops. I cut off Alan's head. Just the top part." Alan: "Well, that part's not important."

"Adam, smile."

 "That'll have to do."

Such is the life of a family of five.  I have a feeling it will be a while before we get a really good one.  Oh, well!

Some Help From Big Brother

A few weeks ago, while the babies were having a particularly fussy moment, Adam started playing the harmonica.  "Great!"  I thought.  "What else could add to this chaos?"  Then, lo and behold, the babies stopped crying!  Add "harmonica" to the list of things to keep in the diaper bag.

Daytons Do the Beach

Yesterday was a beeeeeautiful day here so we decided we would take Mom to a local beach and let her stick her feet in the East China Sea.  We decided on the beach at Torii Station because a) It would be open since it's on an Army post and it's spring break for our schools (lots of beaches here are closed until later in the spring) b) There is a little playground and c) It would be stroller-friendly.  It was a good choice.  There is a huge coral reef here and the water doesn't get really deep until about 200m out so you can walk out quite a ways.  Here are some pictures of Adam, Daddy and me playing in the water:

Adam had just fallen and gotten all wet - suddenly not so fun :)

Some people walking in the water were lucky enough to spot a baby octopus (or squid of some sort - I'm pretty sure they weren't experts).  By the time we got there, it had taken off.  We did see this, which isn't that cool, but (thank God) was cool enough for Adam:

I'm pretty sure the babies enjoyed it (at least their view) and Adam had some fun - and Grandma enjoyed some time with them:

We found beautiful shells, tons of sea glass (even some blue - my favorite!), got a little color and had a nice picnic.  We did attempt a family picture, but that's for another time.  Since Adam was the highlight, maybe tomorrow, on Adamonday.  We were a little worried when we left the house, not knowing what the babies were going to have in store, but all-in-all, it was a successful day at the beach.  You gotta love a good day at the beach. 

Happy Spring!

Really, Day-to-Day

That's how we live around here.  It's the only way we can ensure everyone's survival.  That's why you can't judge me or blame me for this (notice the tag):

This, however, I will take credit for:

Makes the sleepless nights worthwhile.

Better Than Naked Ones

The best ones always seem to come at the dinner table.  Tonight I had a salad with baby carrots and Adam sporadically tries carrots.

Adam:  "Mommy, can I have one of your carrots?"

Me:  "Sure.  But it has dressing on it."

Adam:  "Well, are dressed carrots good?"

Me:  "Yes.  Dressed is always better than naked."

It's a Process

Anaya and Audie are two months old!  We all survived another month!  Without a doubt, this month was crazier than the last.  I'm not sure what's in store...

The babies are growing and changing so much right now.  We haven't had their two month appointment yet, but I would venture to guess that Audie weighs over 10 lbs and Anaya is maybe pushing 8.  She's petite and he's a linebacker.  They really are totally different babies than the ones we brought home two months ago.  Their little personalities are starting to come alive, too.  Anaya is really a little princess.  She's a pretty easy baby most of the time, but when we don't read her mind while she's asleep so that she may get whatever she wants immediately upon waking, we had better have the earplugs ready.  The girl can break some glass.  Grandma Sissy says she's going to be an opera singer.  But she smiles too - especially for patty-cake, and sometimes the hokey pokey.  Today she smiled while I was blowing her hair dry after bath.  She's right, the blow dryer does feel nice.  Audie is a little more challenging.  He seems to have a hard time with anything so he's a bit more of a struggle.  He has happy eyes and we've seen a few little grins, but we're working hard to make him a happier baby.  One thing you can count on Audie for, though, is a good nap.  He's a little teddy bear and loves to snuggle.

Adam is doing an awesome job as a big brother.  He is my constant helper and loves to do everything for the babies.  And they love to watch and listen to him.  The other day he got them both to stop crying by playing the harmonica :)  He kisses and hugs them every morning and night and when he leaves and gets home from preschool.  What a little sweetie.

This weekend is Easter and we had our squadron Easter picnic.  Adam found two of the super-special eggs that won huge, filled Easter baskets, but being the sweetheart he is, he gave one of the eggs to his friend, Ollie, so they could each win one.  The kiddos were dressed up so we attempted a photo of them.  Anaya showcased her temper.  Apparently the light wasn't flattering her and we weren't photographing her good side.  Here's the process:

      

Overall, we got some keepers.  Kids and photos. ;-)

Happy Easter!