In preparation for baby E's arrival we have been doing some projects around here.  Addison helped me distress some charts last week.  It was a great messy project for a two year old to help with!

My Mom arrived this last Wednesday and Friday we took her to the Hale Koa, the military hotel on Waikiki.  We swam, ate on the balcony at Koko Cafe and then watched the fireworks and played in the sand.  Do you know how much better building a sandcastle is at night?

Addison had fun even out of the pool.

Saturday we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, out on the North Shore, to celebrate Mom's birthday.

Mom was excited to go!

Yes, six days until Easton arrives and I am as uncomfortable as I look. And the looks from strangers are getting a little ridiculous!

The PCC has amazing scenery!  They have the park set up in little villages, Tonga, Fiji, Hawaii, etc.

Each village has a presentation about the culture and then hands-on activities you can do from that culture.  In this village we watched them weave baskets & climb a coconut tree.

We learned how to weave palm fronds into fish toys.

We got to try out hand at making fire, Ryan was the only one to make it smoke.

Even Addison gave it a shot.

She had her first Shave Ice.

And we fished at the canal.

We ended the day with a buffet and then watched the new Ha: Breath of Life at the show.  The show was amazing!  I think I would recommend it over any lua we have been too.

Here in Hawaii

Yipee we have finally landed and are mostly settled into our new home here in Hawaii.  We got internet last week and my fabulous husband, yes, going for the brownie points, got me a new computer this week.  So now that I can upload pictures in a flash get ready!  Addison, has been doing  a lot of self entertainment latley as I have been crawling my way out of boxes.  She came downstairs the other morning with this outfit.  She shimmed into a pair of Ryan's shorts and told me she was a monster.  Too funny!

We have been enjoying lots of nice weather and warm breezes.  We took advantage the other night and had a picnic at Alamoana Park.  Ryan showed Addison how to take a stick and pick up leaves.

And that quickly turned into dancing with her "fairy wand."

We have been having some success with potty training.  Those cupcakes sure do help!  We are on our second package.  After downing the first package I asked her what I should buy from the grocery store.  She contemplated for about 2.5sec and said, "tup takes."  Oh, man I am in trouble now that she knows we no longer have to just run out of things, we can go get more at the store.  Everytime she wants something I don't have now, food, toys, etc. she says we should go to the store and get them.

We went to the Hawaiian 50th State Fair where Adddison went turtle "fishing," and was so proud when she caught one.

This was the first time she really got into rides. Most of them intimdated her but she kept trying them.

This on was hilarious, it whipped them around the corners really fast.  Addison would cover her ears and then hang onto the handle bars for dear life.

Our favorite fair food, corn on the cob!

We opted to live in housing this go-around and the base has a pool and splash pad.  Addison has been the popular kid at the pad because we always bring her sand pails along to play with.  She has no shortage of kids to play with on those days.

On Father's Day we started the morning off by giving Ryan his Father's Day present Addison picked out...pink cupcakes.  She was very happy!

Moving boxes provided an hour of free entertaimnet!

We stayed in a hotel in downtown Waikkiki just short of three weeks before we got our house.  While there we visited the Teddy Bear World.  They have lots of animitronic bears in various scenes.  Addison requested I take her picture next the this bear and held her hand un prompted.

A bear that looks like Dad!  Not the one escaping from Alcatraz, the other one.

One of her favorite scenes was the panda bears.

We have also been enjoying a lot of this.  Turtle Bay beach.

Waikkiki Beach.

The view from our hotel suite.

We went to one of the free cultural classes held during the week, lai making.  Addison was very patient waiting for us to get all of our supplies.

Our completed Lei which our instructure, a master lei maker, said was very good lei!

Getting a flower in her hair.

While staying in the hotel Addison didn't need to be prompted to relax.

More pictures to come as we discover all about our new home!