Hawaii!!

We have been talking about a 10 year anniversary trip since…maybe year one. So about two weeks ago, we booked a trip to Hawaii! The boys went to stay with Don and Dottie and we got to relax, sleep, eat, eat some more, and read. It was wonderful.

 We had a direct flight out-but it was 10.5 hours. Chris and I both read a book on the flight.

 Look at this cute little bottle of dressing that came with my overpriced salad on the plane. It was so cute I wanted to save it!

 Almost there!!

We got in at 1130 pm NY time. By the time we got our rental and drove up to the North Shore, it was 2am. I was dead.

 The beautiful view from our room!

Our resort was Turtle Bay on the North Shore and there were turtles EVERYWHERE. It was really cool, and they were HUGE!

The cottages from 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

Our Ride for the week-

We drove around in circles looking for this restaurant on yelp the morning we drove into Honolulu. We finally got there and there was a line out the door. Chris was hangry (hungry+angry) and didn't want to stay but I insisted. These waffles and omelet (eggplant parmesan) were delicious!

I vaguely remembered hiking up Diamond Head when we visited when I was 13. I could do it everyday for these views though.

These 99 steps were then followed by a winding staircase. This would be an awesome leg day workout!

We drove home up the east side of the coast and saw some beautiful sites. This is China Mans hat. Or as Chris said, a big pile of poo in the middle of the ocean.

This is what happens if you don't wash your hand after sunless tanner sunscreen.

These were, as Chris said, "Some of the best short ribs I have ever had." He got them once more on the trip.

We were up (well, I was) so early everyday that we got to get out and see the sunrise

And then we headed back out for sunset

We drove down to Wimea Falls for a hike. Chris got to enjoy  beautiful freezing waterfall swimming. 

                                                                       That is Chris waving-

 For some reason, I can't upload more pictures. I'll have to finish with Hawaii II.

Just being them

Anytime we walk out of the apartment, it is important to always look cool. Andrew's new obsession has been this string tied around his head like a true hippy. It has to be over his hair and not look like a girl. And Ryan needs his sunglasses even in the rain. His light eyes must take after mine-it is even bright in the rain!

 Ryan has just started the goggle obsession like Andrew-on his terms of course. Today was a searching for treasures in the bathtub type of day.

We have spent lots of time watching the Olympics. Such an amazing thing to watch their excitement!

                                             Just reading at Barnes and Noble

 I HAD to paint my toes for vacation. So Ryan insisted his get painted too. Then Andrew (because some boy friends had theirs done too.) Ryan had his removed about 5 minutes later.

We SURVIVED!!

It has officially been 13 months since we moved! I honestly don't know how we survived some days (or weeks/months for that matter), but a year has passed. There are some AMAZING things about living in the city. Some things that I will actually miss when we move home. Like Sunday, I drove up to Target to get a few things (and have a wee bit of alone time) and got home and realized I forgot ONE thing to make a dessert for dinner at a friends. ONE thing. At home, I would have called a neighbor or five before I left. But here, well, is here. So I grabbed some cash and walked a block to the grocery to pick up my one turned to five things.
Some other things like 'let's go to the playground' and you get your choice of a bizillion or so in walking distance. This can also be a con though, because if the boys are at a playground, so am I. No sending them outside so I can cook, clean, use the facilities, blog…all those important things.
The boys definitely know how to clean up. They don't do it on a regular basis, but they know. I do a lot of threatening to actually get it done, but nevertheless.  Andrew will on occasion tell me he is doing a surprise for me and he will close his door and "clean" his room. Not that they wouldn't have learned this at home, but they don't have a choice here. Two toys out are two toys too many.
We have gotten really creative.  Small spaces=big imaginations. I LOVE it. Andrew is definitely wearing off on Ryan too. He makes up stories and imaginative play all the time.
Walking=instant lazy person cardio. Some days I like to think if I didn't workout enough, that its okay, because I'll walk later pushing the boys. Chris loves it too, because he walks both ways to work and combined with my excellent cooking and nutrition plan (wink, wink) he has lost about 30 pounds.
No need for ANYTHING new!! There isn't any room!
There really isn't anything like Central Park. I hope the boys always cherish this amazing place and things to do.
Eating out is AMAZiNG. Enough said.
I can do 5 loads of laundry at a time. Bad part #1-taking it to the basement, bad part #2 is I have to fold and put away right away.
We have made some amazing new friends we will always be friends with, even though some have moved on already. I truly believe God puts you were you need to be and puts certain people in your life at the times you need them.
There are some cons too. I will NEVER get used to the price of groceries. It is just outrageous. Completely and utterly outrageous. I mean, we have to eat, and eat healthy (which even unhealthy is crazy-I bought the boys a box of angry bird teddy grahams-regular size box for $6!!)
The city is uber kid friendly, but wasn't built for kids. You can't get a stroller ANYWHERE. Even a single. Forget the double. I think I have shopped for something besides food with the kids twice. HATE IT. (May be a pro for Chris:)
Rain+city+kids+stroller+sidewalk=miserable.  I love the rain. Love to let the boys out with their umbrellas and rain boots to splash. But pushing a stroller in the pouring rain while trying to hold an umbrella and people NOT moving over (HELLO?!? Don't you see me pushing two kids on a stroller with one hand and holding the umbrella under my chin?!) is probably on my list of least favorite things in the world. No lie.
Not getting to train hands on with my clients. Miss it terribly.
I don't bake as much as I used to. Weird that it is a con, but I can't bake as much because I don't have people I see everyday that I can feed it to. I miss it.
Paying to park my car. So crazy. And calling to get it 90 minutes before I need it. Even crazier. Its MY CAR!! And, being expected to tip people-for EVERYTHING!
Missing our friends and family back home. There are stories and milestones we have missed and will continue to miss. Makes my heart sad.
No room. For anything. Ever. I constantly fight with an inanimate object. It has gotten better over the year, but it is still weekly, if not daily.  I have tried to clean out and purge about a million times and I still feel like we have TOO.MUCH.STUFF.


I am sure there a ton of other things I love and hate. These top my list right now. I can't imagine not doing this rotation, and I know it will be an even crazier two years left, but I am ready. BRING.IT.ON.

Jones Beach, NY

We packed up and headed to the beach for the day! Our friend Jessica and Mary invited us along and we had such a fun time. One of the funniest comments Andrew made was on our way there, I was telling him what town we were in as we drove through. When we got to Long Island, I said, we are in Long Island. Andrew said, "hey, our couch is here!" I said ,you are absolutely right. How he remembered this, I have no idea. If you don't remember, our love seat wouldn't fit into the elevator and they put it in storage somewhere in LI.  This was the first time this year the boys got to see the ocean and I forgot how much they LOVE it. Andrew ran right in as soon as we dropped our stuff even though it was overcast and FREEZING.  

LOVE!!!

Ry was too sure at the beginning. It took him a good 15 minutes to remember he liked it.

It's 'told mom, tover me up' Ryan told me

                                   The boys digging with Mikey. I couldn't get a picture of Mikey alone-he was too busy enjoying himself!

                                      Little Quinn

Mom, not me. Ryan hates pictures lately and you have to lie to tell him you aren't getting one of him.

 Mary and Quinn-

 Little Katie-

 Jess and the kids digging a hole that Andrew was 'directing,' since no one could get in it until he said so. Of course I didn't get any pictures of Jess and her two or me with the boys-next time maybe!!

 We had so much fun and can't wait to head back. It is only about an hour away so we will definitely make the trip again.