A Day in Waikiki

Today we decided to take Mr. Bill to the tourist hot spot, Waikiki. We started the day by walking around all the nice, fancy and expensive shops. We strolled in to Tiffany's to take a look at all the jewelry that I'll never own! We came across the most beautiful 4 carat engagement ring. It was to die for! The sparkle of the ring was nearly blinding. I asked the super nice sales associate if I could try it on for fun, and she said of course! Ironically the ring was my size...perfect fit! Too bad the ring retailed for $313,000. I almost fell over when I heard that price. I told Trey that I'd rather have a house any day over the ring. I'm 100% satisfied with my 1 carat!

After our window shopping we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the lagoon. When Justin, Sara, and Addie were here the lagoon was Addie's favorite! Riley is now old enough to actually have fun in the water and boy did she ever. Trey and I sat her in the lagoon and she had a blast splashing around in the water. I think we could have kept Riley there all day long and she would have been satisfied. We did move to the regular beach area and rented an umbrella and chairs. Thank goodness for a military discount...it would have been $50 to rent the umbrella and chairs, but with the discount it was only $20! We hung out all day at the beach. Riley played in the sand and also played in the ocean where the water comes sweeping over your feet. We definitely have a beach baby on our hands.

Dole Plantation

While we were in the North Shore we stopped through the Dole Plantation. It was actually a lot of fun. First, we all got a pineapple ice cream cone....mmm mmm good! Then we went on the Pineapple Express. The Pineapple Express was a short 2 mile train ride that took you through the plantation. It was a very educational ride on how the plantation came about and how it's maintained. Afterwards I wanted to go through the maze but Trey said he hates mazes. The maze was 2008's world's largest maze. Once I found out it takes about 1 hour to walk through I decided we could pass this time because Riley was ready to go. But next time I'm making Trey go through the maze. I did Koko Head, Trey can do a maze!

Gloomy Day

Today we decided to show Mr. Bill the North Shore. Unfortunately we weren't able to go to the beach because it was a rather gloomy day. Instead we just drove all around the North Shore and gave Mr. Bill a marvelous tour. The picture above and below were taken at K-point which is where everyone likes to go 4-wheeling. Since we no longer have either of our jeeps we just stopped to take advantage of some good photo opportunities.

We had lunch at our favorite Mexican joint, Cholo's. Afterwards we walked around the North Shore Marketplace and took Mr. Bill into the cool local shops. There are some really neat art galleries there and if Trey and I were millionaires we might own some of the art work! Then we drove further through the North Shore and stopped to watch a little surfing. It might have not been a beach day for us, but the surfer boys love the weather we were having today. The swells weren't as huge as they have been, but they were around 3-5 feet.

I could have sat there all day and watched these guys surf. I think it's awesome!

(Mr. Kev- I know you've been asking for these pics...so here you go!! Sorry the surf pics took so long to get!)

Beach Day

We took Mr. Bill to the Bellows for his first Hawaiian beach experience. It's our favorite so we figured we'd share our love for the Bellows with Mr. Bill. I asked Trey to go out and buy an umbrella for Riley so that we'd be able to stay out in the sun longer. Take a look to the left...this is what Trey came back from the store with. He definitely exceeded my expectations of an umbrella. We looked like we were ready to have a barbecue under the canopy he bought!

It turned out to be a pretty windy day. The boys did attempt to boogie board for a little while, but they were not very successful. However, they were successful in digging a hole in the sand. There were a couple of kids a little down the beach from us who had dug a really deep hole. This sparked the interest of Trey and Mr. Bill. So they decided they could dig a hole just as deep. I think they gave up after awhile!

Above is a nice shot...I caught Trey staring at the girl walking down the beach in her little bikini. She didn't make it in the picture. But you can totally tell he's staring!

Trey wanted to bury Riley in the sand but she'd only stand in the little hole. She didn't want any part of being buried. I'm pretty sure she gets that from me! Even though it was windy and a tad on the chilly side, we had a nice afternoon at the Bellows.

Kona Brewing Company

After a long day of hiking we went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Kona Brewing Company. I definitely owe thanks to Justin for this discovery. If he didn't want to eat at one of Kona's restaurants while he was here visiting, I don't know that we would have ever discovered this fab place! Anyway, we wanted to take Mr. Bill here so that he could get a scrumptious meal. He ate some mahi mahi, or as he liked to call it maui maui. I got my regular, pepper steak. And Trey got the special which was chicken and alfredo or some concoction like that. It was a fun evening and very deserving after the exhausting day we had! I can't wait for more family to visit so we can take them to Kona!

Ka'iwi Scenic Shoreline

After our exhausting hike on Koko Head mountain all I wanted was some gatorade and to go home and eat some lunch. Well I got my gatorade but instead of lunch I got to hike up another mountain. I asked Trey if he was out of his mind but he seemed to think hiking 2 trails, one right after the other, was just fine. However, this trail was much better because it had a paved path instead of old railroad tracks. Not to mention this mountain hike wasn't straight up, the path curved around the mountain which made it much better! The views we saw as we hiked up were beautiful. I'd hike this trail any day of the week! I made it to the top of this baby no problem!

Koko Head

So the big mountain you see to the left is called Koko Head mountain. Trey decided we were going to take Mr. Bill here to hike to the top to see a spectacular view. I almost shat my pants when I saw what he wanted me to climb. I'm not what you would call "in shape" if you know what I mean! As we walk to the trail we all see that in order to hike up this mountain you have to climb up old railroad tracks. They were old, rotted wood pieces. I wanted to die after about climbing up 10 of them. Mr. Bill was encouraging me all during our hike unlike my husband who would just yell "let's go."

Above is a shot of Trey and Riley about a quarter of the way up Koko Head. I took this picture during my first rest period. Looking behind Trey you can see how much further we had to hike. I just wanted to turn around but I kept on trudging!

Above and below are some of the great views we got to see on this hike. As you can probably guess I took these during my second, third or fourth rest period. I really can't remember which! I though we were high enough at this point, but I didn't want to disappoint the boys so I caught my breath and kept on climbing.

Oh yes, here is the happy hiking family now. I look like I'm about ready to pass out. Perhaps next time I attempt this hike I'll bring lots of water and not have my monthly friend visiting me!

Please notice the difference between Mr. Bill and myself. He's looking to be in much better shape than me. Those boys were putting me to shame! How embarrassing!

After making it three quarters of the way to the top my foot slipped off one of the tracks and I thought I was going to lose it. I started to have a panic attack, at least I'm guessing that's what it was. I couldn't breathe or catch my breathe. After a few minutes when I got myself back together I yelled up to the guys that I couldn't do it anymore. It reminded me of when I was hiking with Mr. Kev, mom, Uncle Mark and Aunt Judy and she sat down and was crying because she was having a panic attack. Of course this time I was literally hiking straight up a mountain on old wooden train tracks, so it was a bit more scary. Needless to say we didn't make it to the top of Koko Head. But I was proud of myself for pushing my fears to the limit and making it as high as I did. Trey wasn't happy that I didn't go to the top, but oh well. Now I have a goal for the next time we have visitors!

Climbing down the mountain was worse for me I think. It was straight down and I felt like I was going to fall flat on my face. Not to mention my legs felt like jelly! So who wants to come conquer Koko Head with me. Lord knows I need someone other than my husband with me to encourage me up that damn thing!

Happy Birthday Trey

We celebrated Trey's 25th birthday today. Our day started off by taking Mr. Bill to Kaneohe Bay so he could see where Trey worked. Then we drove him around the island some more and stopped in Kailua to eat lunch at Teddy's Bigger Burger. This is the greatest burger joint! (Yes, Mr. Kevin it's better than Five Guys.) Then we drove through Hawaii Kai and back to our house. It was a fun afternoon exploring the island a little bit.

Once we got home I made Trey his favorite dish, baked ziti! Afterwards we sang Trey happy birthday and ate the delicious birthday cake I made. Trey spoiled Riley with a few tastes of cake and she was loving every minute! Happy Birthday Trey!!

Welcome Mr. Bill!

Mr. Bill(aka Grandpa Prewitt) arrived on Thursday evening to the wonderful island of O'ahu! We are super excited to have family visiting again. The last visit we had with family was back in August. We are looking forward to showing Mr. Bill around the island, especially since we have found new and exciting spots to take our guests!!

Thank You Vincent!!!

I've lived in Hawai'i for about 8 months now and only had 3 haircuts. Each time the hairstylist totally screwed up my hair. I guess they had no idea what I was asking for. So I tried a new salon this time and another new hair stylist, Vincent. I explained to him how I wanted my hair to be. He asked what the last person did to my hair because it was so messed up! After that I was confident that he would do a good job. I must say I'm totally satisfied. I waited 3 months to even attempt to get my haircut again because I was so scared that it would be messed up again.

Finally I've found my hair stylist!

Valentines Weekend

Happy belated Valentines!! We enjoyed a nice, fun Valentines weekend. Saturday morning when Trey woke up Riley and I each gave him a card and instead of chocolate he got car wash towels! I figured he could use those more than chocolate. Then mid afternoon Trey snuck out to go get me a dozen red roses and Lindt chocolate truffles....yummy! It was a nice surprise, but I knew what he was doing when he left the house. We relaxed at home for

most of the day and then went out to dinner. Trey said we were going to CPK(California Pizza Kitchen) but took me to a place called Sea Breeze that's on Hickam AFB. The atmosphere was great because it was outdoors and right on the water. The food on the other hand was not so good. However, while we were there we found out about another restaurant called La Mariana. So on Sunday we went with our friends to La Mariana for lunch. The ambiance of this place was awesome. It was also on the water, but you couldn't really see it from inside. But the food was delicious! And the best part is it's a "locals only" place. So when we get some visitors again it's definitely a place we will take them to. Our lunch definitely made up for the crappy Valentines dinner. It was an absolutely gorgeous day on Sunday so after lunch we spent the rest of the day outside. That consisted of me chasing after Riley who is now all over the place. That girl has some quick little feet!

Riley the Explorer

I'm beginning to think I let Riley watch too much of Dora the Explorer. I tell you, Riley is into everything now. Once she mastered her walking skill, Riley discovered that she can now open cabinets and drawers. Riley likes to take everything out of the drawers and then she'll put some of the things back into the drawer. She also enjoys taking all of the clothes(whether clean and folded or just plain dirty) out of the laundry baskets. Her latest and greatest discovery is the fact that she can flush the toilet! I try to always close the bathroom door, but sometimes I just forget. Of course that's not as bad as Trey leaving the toilet seat up and Riley wandering into the bathroom and putting her hand in the toilet! Oh the joys of having a toddler! Riley cracks me up with all that she's into now. I keep a watchful eye on her, but I also let her explore her surroundings.

And if your wondering why Riley doesn't have a shirt on- it's because she won't keep a bib on anymore and she makes a mess of herself, so I just take her shirt off. Then to top that off, Riley HATES to get dressed. Hence the reason she's topless!

9 Month Well Baby Check

Riley had her 9 month well baby check today. Our big girl is now 29in long and weighs 22lbs 4oz. She is in the 90-95% for both her height and weight. We definitely have a healthy girl on our hands! Her doctor was asking development questions and wanted to know if Riley was holding onto furniture and trying to move around on her feet. I chuckled a little! I told the doctor that Riley was walking on her own now. The doctor looked at me like I had 2 heads and said, "Ok, well show me that." Riley isn't a performer on demand. She likes to do things on her own terms, so I was praying she wouldn't make me look like an idiot! So I stood her on the floor and I went on the other side of the room. I was calling Riley over to me and she just stood there looking at me like I was crazy! After about 30 seconds Riley decided to come and get me, thank God! Her doctor was amazed and said that she is ahead of the game because walking is a 12 month milestone. So I was a pretty proud mom! After Riley showed off her walking skills the doctor informed me that I have to start weaning Riley off of her binky. The doc said by the time Riley is 1 she should no longer be using a binky. Yeah right! I think that's a bit rushed. We'll see. After Riley's exam she had to get her second dose of the flu shot and a finger stick. She wasn't fond of either needle stick. But I'm happy to report that Riley is a healthy girl!

Practice Makes Perfect

It was just a week ago that Riley took her first steps. The farthest she would walk was about 5 steps. Then for a couple of days she wanted nothing to do with walking. Even if I would hold her hands she would just drop to her knees and crawl. A couple of days ago I was letting Riley play with my Coach clutch. She's such a girl when it comes to playing with her mommy's stuff. As she was holding my clutch she would walk about 10 or 15 steps. But if she didn't have the clutch in her hand she wouldn't walk. I think it was a balancing issue with her. She felt more comfortable walking with something in her hands. Today, Riley was walking all over the place. It was ignited by Trey chasing her and then her running to get her mommy! It's so special to watch Riley and see how much she's grown. I'm in complete amazement at how well Riley is getting around now. I tried my best to capture some action shots. Riley kept chasing me to get the camera!!

Riley also does a great job at regaining her balance when she gets a little wobbly!!

Superbowl Sunday

Most people were probably watching the Steelers and the Cardinals try to win the Superbowl today. While you all were enjoying the sight of your tv, me and my family were enjoying the view you see on your left!! Due to the fact that Trey hates football we decided to head to the beach for the day.

It was a beautiful day when we first arrived at the beach. However, after about an hour the clouds were covering the sun and the wind started to pick up. It was rather chilly!! We didn't even make our way into the water today because we were too cold to even test out the ocean. I know what you are thinking...I don't know what cold is!! Honestly though, if you were with us you wouldn't have gotten in the water either. So instead of swimming we just hung out and let Riley play in the sand and took some pictures.

This bottom picture reminds me of Ocean City and how the "scopes" guy would come around and take pics and pose you. We didn't pose Riley at all. She did this all on her own!!

I was luck enough to make it home for the 4th quarter of the game. I'm pretty sure that it was the most exciting part seeing how when I turned on the tv it was 20-7 and the Cardinals came back to end with 23. I'm just bummed I missed the commercials!!