Auf weidersehen, January. Jeesh.

It's simply not possible that my baby boy is going to be eight months old tomorrow and that February is here. But alas, it seems that it is and here are a few memories from the month that has passed in a blink's time.

Sweet Elena

Michael mesmerized by his 'puppy feet'

The plane that stood still

Tool girl.

Aloha, 214

Our short trip to paradise was one for the memory books (or in this case, memory blog). We flew standby and is the case with that, there was risk. We checked and re-checked the flight availability and there were indeed, plenty of seats... even with the prior flight cancellation, we had plenty of open seats and we were thrilled to find ourselves in a row of our own with room to move. Two hours later, we were less thrilled when we still sat on the runway and learned the plane was 'broken,' the crew had gone 'illegal' (aka a new flight crew had to be called and had three hours to report to duty), and the new plane had 40 fewer seats. So we were bumped and bumped AND bumped. We finally arrived 22.5 hours after we left the house. We almost called it quits, but the allure of Maui and sheer will kept us going. Boy, are we glad it did. We arrived to 80-degree weather, beaches and a pool with a slide that kept all our boys (and Elena) happy for the better part of the trip. Though Elena never did venture down the slide on her own, she enjoyed lap trips with Papa and Daddy. Michael wasn't as impressed, but did enjoy the water and the 'kicking' (that happen to be nothing more than awkward hip thrusts). Elena found a dozen playmates at least, but couldn't be bothered to remember their names. She simply called the girls, 'friend,' the boys, 'boy' and my personal favorite was her reference to one girl in particular. She liked her a lot, but only remembered her room number. She became '214.'

We drove the Highway to Hana part of the way (beautiful), ate at the well known, Mama's Fish House and Cheeseburger in Paradise, made pina coladas in the room, snorkled (though I didn't this time), walked in Wailea and Lahaina and really just relaxed. There was a lot of sitting, sipping and eating. That's the beauty of Hawaii.

We returned this morning after very uneventful, almost enjoyable flights. We had six seats to ourselves and we all slept the whole flight from OGG to LAX. Michael continued his rest for most of the day and we are home, slightly tanned and very happy to have had the wonderful memories from the trip. I am proud of us for doing something so spontaneous and out of character. We are better for it and have created another great experience for this kids. Aloha and Mahalo, Maui. Thanks for having us, Dad.

Snow go.

We joined our friends, the Cavners, in their mountain cabin last weekend and found ourselves ridden with a congested little Bug. Though we enjoyed the relaxation and conversation, Daddy didn't get the chance to take Elena skiing for the first time because we went home a day early for Michael's sake. I'd forgotten the camera, so maybe it worked out for the best. And since we're so fancy, we're on our way to Maui tomorrow, so I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures to accompany that trip. We did manage to nab a few from our friend's camera. These adventures aren't for everyone though, so please excuse for the extreme nature of them.

Just an ordinary day

It was just a nice evening at home with Michael assuming the 'Coug' role and Papa and Elena having themselves a read after a game of "Blind Monster." I remember this game fondly and watch young Elena behaving very similarly to the way I did during the game. Her strategy? Go nowhere near the "monster," taunt him and when you think he's lost his game, poke him. It's then that he attacks with tickles that induce hiccups. I actually get a little teary watching this because I do remember it so well. Ah, the time....

It was just a nice evening without much to tell, but one that I'd like to remember.

Yo, yo, yo

M-Dawg is hangin' with M-O-M today while D-Dawg and the big LA are chilaxin at gymnastix. Peace OUT.

Puttin' on the Ritz

Michael had his six-month appointment yesterday, just days after he turned seven months and he's on his usual upward climb, weighing in at 20.2 lbs (90th percentile), measuring 29 inches long (over 100 percent and as she said, WAY over) and claiming a head size in the 85th percentile. He endured four shots with the expected amount of crying. He's right on target with everything and Dr. Lloren agreed that he is indeed the world's sweetest baby boy. He's also been given the green light to start eating some crackers, cheerios, etc. Below is his first attempt with a Ritz cracker (excuse the Blackberry photos).

Elena followed today with a flu shot and cried for more an hour and a half in advance, only to deem the shot 'pretty easy' following.