Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Gabriel Goes Camping
We decided to go camping this weekend. We went to the beach on the northernmost tip of the island, called Hedo Point. Our friends Kay and Chad joined us. Kiyomasa, Nana and their baby, Nobu also met us up there but didn't spend the night. We got our little camp set up and Chad and Joe immediately hopped in the water to go spear fishing. The rest of us chilled out in our little shade tent. And it soon got hot. Veerrryyy hot. I felt so bad for my little one and made a little icepack for his back to cool him off. Nobu didn't seem to be too bothered by the heat. I wish I had a picture of him. He's just a few months older than Gabe and all hair and chubbiness. If Kiyo and Nana send us some photos, I'll post them up here. Meanwhile, here's some images of our adventure. In the evening, by the way, it was much more pleasant. Chad and Joe caught a bunch of lobster. And the next day, we changed our camp location to a shady beach under a bridge, of all places. Kay and I snorkeled and found a really cool shipwreck not far from shore. We saw some enormous lionfish, a bunch of puffers and all kinds of other stuff. Chad and Joe then went out and came back with another lobster and about 3 other fish. We cooked them up the next day and Joe made a delicious lobster bisque.
Okay, here are those pictures.
Gabe prepares for his first "swim".
And...he doesn't like it.
Kay tossing a horseshoe.
Joe and Chad watch from the sidelines before getting in on the horseshoe action.
Check out the concentration there.
More pictures to come...
Okay, here are those pictures.
Gabe prepares for his first "swim".
And...he doesn't like it.
Kay tossing a horseshoe.
Joe and Chad watch from the sidelines before getting in on the horseshoe action.
Check out the concentration there.
More pictures to come...
Friday, May 23, 2008
More pics from last week (Gabe Week 7)
These were taken by Aviva last week at Kaho's house. Cool, huh? I love the last one of Gabe with his little buddies! That's Liam on the left, then Gabe, then Yuenna. Yuenna is moving with her mom, Kaho and fam. to DC soon.
Pictures from Last Week
Meredith took these pics last week. He's already grown up so much since then. He had his first shots and rolled over three times! Tomorrow we're going camping in our new used van, so we'll put more pictures up here for ya soon.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Stroller Strides and Container Gardens
It's been awhile since writing. My mornings have actually been busy since starting Stroller Strides a week ago. It's kind of a "mommy and me" workout program, where you are doing ladder runs, squats, crunches and the like while hanging onto your stroller and singing nursery rhymes. It's a surprisingly good workout, plus I get to re-learn childrens songs that I haven't heard for a good 25 years ("the bear goes over the mountain", et al). I also get to eye other peoples stollers and develop a covetousness that I didn't know existed a mere three or for months ago. There are double decker strollers, side-by-side strollers, strollers in which the kids sit high up on their seat like a mack truck driver. Plus all manner of toys hanging from the strollers. My stroller is the sole non-jogging stroller in the group. Gabe just sits in his little carseat which I then plop in a stroller frame. He sits facing me and has an exciting view of mommy's flabby abdomen, while all the other kids get to face outwards watching the world go by. Not that Gabe minds. He's asleep the whole time. That carseat is like a baby sleeping pill for him.
This weekend we went on a little family expedition to get some gardening pots. Joe and I saw this guy on the news who gets all of his family's food from his yard. Everything in it is edible. So we were inspired and decided to start ourselves a little container garden. The first step was to get containers. We packed up the baby in the car and headed north about an hour to this place that sells pots from Thailand. There were pots of every size. Then to one side was a gorgeous little garden, and in the garden a pond dotted with clay pots in various levels of submergence. These were filled with water lilies and lotus flowers. I was even more inspired, despite my poor gardening history. The last time I started a gardening project I was probably 12 years old. I hoed up the back yard and ... that's about as far as I got. I grew some pretty impressive weeds though. But anyway this is a new dawn, a new day. I'm an adult now. A mom. I can do this! I think.
We chose three pots and a clay fish for a mere $35. On for vegetables. One for decorative plants and one for a little water garden. Here they are:
The fishy
Our pretty pots
A before shot of our little garden. Wish us luck!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Crocodile Tears
Today the baby was very VERY clingy. Mommy, don't put me down clingy. Mommy, if you put me down I will cry and cry and cry crocodile tears clingy. So, I held him tight and hugged him and the tears would stop. And part of me would feel kind of good that I held such powers. And I'd look down at him amazed that this little guy was my little guy. So, it really wasn't all that bad.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Gabe Cheese
