20080825

Five Years!




Happy Anniversary to us!!  We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary last night! We gave the little one a bath and put her to bed, then our first babysitter (ever!) came over to sit with her while we went out (thanks Kollette!) We went to Michel's.  A PHENOMENAL restaurant on Waikiki Beach (french cuisine.)  It was so beautiful...
It was the prefect evening, perfect temperature, perfect winds (open air restaurant), perfect wait staff, PERFECT FOOD. 
Oh my, let me tell you about the food!  Lobster Bisque (flamed in Cognac at the table) and Arthichoke soup for appetizers.  Kurobuto Pork marinated in homemade guava BBQ sauce, seafood risotto, lobster, steamed asparagus & broccoli blend in a pineapple salsa, fresh Mahi Mahi with sundried tomatoes and prawns for entrees.  And for dessert? Wine and fresh Bing cherries marinated in Cognac and Amaretto flambeed at your table over vanilla ice cream with white and dark chocolate shavings!! TO DIE FOR. For those of you on island, I HIGHLY recommend going to Michel's at least once while you are here. Fair warning, they are $$$$$ but it is worth it.  I didn't even flinch at the bill, it was money well spent. Indulging once in awhile is good for the soul. Happy, Happy 5th Year to US!!!

20080817

Marshmallow Mateys

Daddy tends to spoil his daughter (shocker) and he snuck her "two" dehydrated marshmallows (pink ones) from his bowl of Marshmallow Mateys (generic Lucky Charms) when Mommy wasn't looking. Yeah, she was flying HIGHHH. She wouldn't take her nap, she ran around like a freak of nature, snapping her fingers, walking on tip toes, rockin' out to the music in her head (apparently) and although it was funny once I figured out what her deal was, it was ugly trying to put her down for a nap that she just WAS NOT going to take.... just thought I'd share. THIS is why we don't feed her sugar!! 



20080807

Cora Meets Cohen



We managed to get to Arizona finally!! And I have to say, Cohen and Cora are the cutest little things ever!! Are they not?? We had such an amazing time with Jenn and Matt and I couldn't have needed it more. It has been almost six years since Jenn and I have got to spend more than a couple hours together and I realize now how I've missed her and how much I need her in my life!! 
Seeing our children play together (and fight with each other) was such an incredible blessing... we WILL NOT wait another six years to get together again!
Our vacation time there was wonderful I tell ya... 115 degree weather and all.  We laughed, we ate, we drank cosmo bitches! We swam at night in their private pool (with beautiful sunsets and amazing lightening in the distance) while watching Sideways on our own private drive-in theatre screen (aka a projector and a white sheet duct taped to the side of the house.) We drank wine and played cards. We met great people and played Bocce. Mel and Matt went to the Harrah's and blew some hard earned money. Jenn and I shopped our hearts out at Ikea. Cora and Cohen fought over who was going to ride which tricycle and shared wonderful hugs and slobbery kisses... really, it was fun had by all.  I am so so glad that we decided to go! I only wish we could have stayed longer *sigh*


(This was my attempt to get the AMAZING sunset and the pool, but my camera sucks and didn't cooperate and everything is muted and weird.)



(The guys, Bocce, and beer... they are in heaven)

20080806

July Is Gone


I haven't written in a minute so I thought I'd catch all my (imaginary) readers up. July just blew by. It was a month full of big deals. First of all, Mel was detached from the USS Olympia (thank God) which brought such an amazing sense of relief to our entire house. He is less stressed, which helps me be less stressed, which is always good because, as they say, "if Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" (they do say that, right?) So yeah, that was cool. Then Cora turned one, what a huge milestone! Then (dun dun dun!)  Cora started walking (less stress? Yeah, that was short lived) and the girl does not stop. She. Just. Does. Not. Stop. It has been mentioned that we should put a pedometer on her and see how many miles she goes in a day. I think everyone would be amazed. She doesn't even take the time to play with her toys anymore, she'd rather just walk laps around the house. She tires us out just watching her.  
Ok, so what else happened in July?.... Mel's friend, Scott, came to visit. He stayed ten days and we had a lot of fun hitting the beaches with him. And, uh, what else? We took a couple trips. We flew to Indiana for a few... saw the Grandparents and Cora's Mamaw, Papaw, Aunt Jennie, and cousins, Noah & Ali. That was nice. 



No one had any idea that we were flying in so it was a big shock to everyone and a fun surprise. I had never been to Indiana in the summer before; it was a big change from 15 degrees and snowing! Hot, humid, and lots and lots of corn and soy feilds! In some areas the smell of corn was so strong it almost made me queasy. But we all had a good time. Cora had a blast playing with her cousins even though she was teething and bit uncomfortable (she got her first molar.) She thinks she's so grown up now, with eight (almost nine) teeth. And I must say for the record, even though she was teething, she was a complete angel during our flights which was so so much appreciated (remind me to thank her someday when she's old enough to comprehend.) 
We went to the city park in Tipton and let Cora play in the grass (something she doesn't get to do in Hawaii because of the forsaken centipedes and roaches!)  Here's a photo:



She swang on the swings ("just a swangin'... SWANGIN'") and played with leaves (and ate rocks) and had a BIG nap afterwards. 



It was nice to see the family for a little bit. And it was good to get out of my house because I was feeling really, really cramped and edgy. I've returned home with a much renewed respect and a fresh outlook for which I am very grateful. Anyway, there is more July fun, but this post much be cut short, I need to eat before the Miss Lue and her Daddy wake up! Stay tuned....