From Hawaii to Texas

So I didn't get a chance to wrap up our time in Hawaii and now we have been in Texas for 11 days! Whew, how time flies. So Hawaii was WONDERFUL! What an amazing experience. Any of you USUHS spouses who have a chance....GO!! The housing is old and run down and TINY, but it was wonderful. Tom was on Psychiatry and had more free time than he has had in a LONG TIME! I feel like it was a wonderful time of renewal for us. I feel like I got to know my husband all over again...and man I have a BIG CRUSH on him!!! He is a pretty great man. Nate also had a wonderful time with his Daddy and playing on the beach!

Tom, Nate & I at the Arizona Memorial. Nate playing dress up in Daddy's shoes and hat.


So far Texas has been GREAT!! We have had so much fun in just a week and a half. Tom and I watched "Man vs Food" on the travel channel in Hawaii at night. So we wanted to go to two places he featured in Austin our first weekend here. The Salt Lick BBQ was great, but we missed breakfast at Juan in a Million. We'll go another time. We have mostly spent time with my extended family. My Aunt, Uncle and cousins live here. We have had a blast playing with them. Nate LOVES my cousin's kids!

Nate is proud of his new big boy shoes. And here he is riding a horse at the fair!

Sunsets on the Island

Sunrise on the east side of Oahu. Something about the ocean just makes them so much more beautiful. Also makes me stop and think abot why the heck we even appreciate them in the first place. Must be something about being made in the image of the one who thought the whole thing up.

Trina and Nate in the foreground as the sun begins to head down on the north shore, Waimaea Bay. Surf wasn't huge that day but it's much bigger than in the pics from the eastern shore.

There's a post below with Nate. Trina wanted me to let you know since these are far less fun pictures I guess. What can I say I'm not nearly as exciting as him.

Hawaii - weeks 2 & 3

I didn't get a post done last week, so here are the last two weeks in Hawaii. We start with the recent pictures here on top and go back in time. Yesterday we went to the beach. Daddy was surfing, while Mommy & Nate hung out on the beach. After getting wet in the ocean Nate decided to lay out on the sand. He was SO sandy. He had it in his ears and eyes and every crease and crevice.

For breakfast yesterday we had "malasadas" which are a Portuguese doughnut...yummy.

Some pictures of Daddy and Nate hanging out. Nate loves stuffed animals, like the penguin he got from Grandma & Grandpa for Christmas.

Nate is suddenly very interested in driving. Anything with a steering wheel is a favorite toy. Here he is playing at the playground, driving the playground equipment and hanging out with a swim diaper on his head.

The second week we were here some of Mommy's dear friends from her Utah days were here on vacation too. This is a day at the beach with Mommy's friends and a picture of the sleepy boy in the car heading home.

Nate and I have gone to the Honolulu Zoo a couple of times now. He likes the "Keiki" (kid) Zoo the best. They have small petting zoo where you can go in to pet the goats. He LOVES that. Here is a video of him running between two goats and kissing them both on their sides.

Also below is a picture of Nate playing with Daddy on our bed. He loves it when you try to steal his pacifier or when you pretend to suck on it. He frequently tries to put it in your mouth!

The Beach

Playing on the beach - weekend #1

Bellows Beach

Big boy getting into things :)

My little boy is getting so big.  Doesn't he look so old here?  Just some hanging out pictures.

Nate was playing with keys for like 45 minutes, first trying to unlock the leg of the coffee table and then the doggy door.  Here is a picture and a video of that, as well as a video of him singing "Old MacDonald" with Pappy.  He has started saying something that sounds like "duck" in the middle of the song.  He is so cute!!

Christmas at Nana & Pappy's

We had a fun Christmas in Colorado.  Nana gave Nate his first whole apple.  He LOVED it and wants one every time he sees one.

Nate got several trucks and a soft fuzzy doggy...that he LOVES.

Mama, Dada and Nate went to the mall on Christmas eve and Nate picked out a hat at the hat store.  He picked it off the shelf so Dada thought he needed it.  He has been wearing it ever since.

Nate and Dada in their hats & Nate loving on Maddy the dog!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.

To Grandmother's house we go...

What a fun weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's house. It was cold outside, but warmed our hearts. Ahh, mama's being corny. Anyway, Nate and Grandma did some reading together.


Nate LOVED his Christmas presents, especially the penguin!!

Three movies below...the first one is SO FUNNY!! Nate was watching his great Uncle Phil tell a story yesterday and he was talking with his hands. A couple hours later this was Nate's story. All we can figure is that he liked the way Uncle Phil talks with his hands.

Uncle Phil also shared his pancakes and Maple syrup.



Uncle Phil is just SO fun. He chased me around the living room.