On December 7th, we took the boys to Disneyland. Our plan was to arrive before the parade then stay for the evening, but it of course took us forever to get out of the house. We checked the traffic and thought we just might make it until we realized Hudson didn't have his shoes on and neither one of us had grabbed them (we each thought the other was getting them). Thankfully, we noticed before we got on the freeway so it was only about a 20 minute delay, but it still totally destroyed our plans. We made it to the park in record time, I threw Luc into the carrier, and we hustled to get to the park. We missed the start of the parade, but by some miracle managed to see most of it. Hudson was so excited. He kept gasping, pointing and telling us about each character as it was coming down the street. It was really fun to watch his excitement.
After the parade, we went on Pirates of the Caribbean then raced over to the Jingle Jangle Jamboree before it closed. Hudson got to color a Christmas card, meet all his favorite characters and play reindeer games. I think the reindeer games were his favorite part!
Then we grabbed dinner at Cafe Orleans. I had read a recommendation from one of the bloggers I follow about trying the fries with dipping sauce and the monte cristo sandwich, but we weren't overly impressed. After dinner we went on Haunted Mansion (we asked a cast member to take our picture with Jack and he only got his legs in the photo) . Then we took the boys on small world. The show they do outside is so awesome and both boys loved the ride too! Then Nic and Hudson had to go on Hud's favorite ride: teacups before we found a spot for the fireworks.
It was a bit windy while we were waiting and we heard an announcement that the fireworks may get cancelled. We were so bummed. When the fireworks started everyone was extra excited. We got to see about 5 minutes worth of the show before they officially cancelled it. Hudson was super bummed and let us know by doing his "angry face" They still did the snowfall though and we were thankful that we at least got to see some of the fireworks show. Plus, the snow is so magical all on its own. It makes me cry every single time. Even watching the video months later, I get all teary eyed. I just love the spirit of children especially around the holidays.
After the fireworks and snow we raced over to the Jingle Cruise to complete our holiday visit. It was pretty cute (and super cheesy) and Hudson really liked it. The boys seemed to be all smiles even in the trunk of the car while we changed them into their pjs, but a few minutes into the drive they were both dreaming of sugar plums and mickey mouse. ;) I love that this has become one of our family traditions. It is something I look forward to all year and a memory I will never forget.
As soon as we got home from our vacation we went into holiday prep mode. We spent December 5th and 6th decorating the house. Hudson followed Nic everywhere and helped with everything he possibly could. He was so excited about every single thing Christmas. He helped put up the tree, helped with the outside lights, helped with decorations inside and helped place ornaments on the tree. We were cracking up at his decorating because all the ornaments were bunched together on the bottom few branches! He was so proud of his decorating though and loved every second of holiday preparations! (Luc was pretty happy to just lounge on the couch both days and watch)
I am still not completely sold on this elf thing. I probably wouldn't have done it (I was leaning more towards an activity advent calendar) if my sister in law, Lauren, hadn't asked us to get Oliver one last year. Of course, we got Hudson one too, but then didn't do it as we figured he was too young. So this year, I began planning in November. I don't really like the idea of a mischievous elf who gets into trouble and makes messes watching if my children are behaving and reporting to Santa. It sounds a little hypocritical if you ask me. I also want to make the holidays about spending time together, giving back, and of course a little magic is good too. So I have gone more the route of our elf suggesting activities. Of course, I've thrown in some cute elf adventures as well, but nothing that is destructive or naughty. It has actually been better than the calendar because you can really go in any direction you want-activities, gifts, harmless mischief, etc. Our elf has been a lot of fun for the whole family and I'm sure it will become a beloved tradition in our home. Since we were out of town, our elf arrived on December 6th, 2014. He started things off with a bang. He hosted a North Pole Breakfast complete with Snowman donuts, strawberry/banana santa hats, banana/blueberry snowmen, and an apple candy cane. Our elf also brought Hud's favorite, balloons. The elf also wrote each of the boys a note. Hud was most excited about the balloons and snowman "cupcakes" (donuts), but he eventually calmed down enough to listen to the book and realize that his elf was sitting on the table. Did I mention the kid who is allergic to everything and never eats sweets got to eat powdered donuts?! :) We asked Hud what our elf should be called and he gave us his standard, "yeah" answer. So we started listing tons of options. Jingle Bells is Hudson's favorite Christmas song so as soon as I suggested that one his eyes lit up and he said Jingle Bell. I asked if we should call him Jingle, he sternly said no. Then I said what about Jingle Bells, again he said no, Jingle Bell. So Jingle Bell it is.
On Day 2 (12/7), Hudson immediately asked about the tree. He is super excited about it and that was definitely his focus that morning. When we mentioned his elf, he ran straight to the kitchen table to look for his elf. We explained to him that each night he moves, but Hudson still expected him to be in the same place. When he spotted JB hanging from the tree he got excited. JB had hidden 10 candy canes in the room for Hudson to find. Hudson loved looking for the candy canes!
On Day 3 (12/8), Jingle Bell brought Elf diapers for the boys. He let Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore each have a diaper and they all rode on our sled. Hudson first went to the table this morning, then the tree to look for his elf, haha. When he spotted him he got very excited and thought the elf diapers were pretty awesome. When I put him and Luc in them later in the day, he was giddy about them.
On Day 4 (12/9), Jingle Bell made snowflakes out of q-tips on the stairs. Hudson is really obsessed with q-tips at the moment so he thought this was really neat. This was the day that I really had to emphasize that Hudson could look at Jingle Bell, but he wasn't allowed to touch him. I could tell it was tempting every time Hud walked by, especially not to grab the q-tips, but Hudson followed by directions.
On Day 5 (12/10), Hudson immediately spotted Jingle Bell sledding down our stairs. Hudson seems to be getting more excited about JB each day he is here. Hudson walked up and down the stairs so many times that day saying, "no touching, on watch Jingle bell sledding down stairs"
On Day 6 (12/11), JB put on some goggles and an aviator jacket and took to the skies. He decided to fly Hudson's plane.
On Day 7 (12/12), Jingle Bell colored a picture and left one for Hudson to color as well. Hudson was very excited to color his elf and send it back to Santa with JB.
On Day 8 (12/13), JB was hanging from our snowflake decorations. He brought two jingle bells to play music with. Hudson loved shaking them and singing his favorite Christmas song, Jungle Bells.
On Day 9 (12/14), we found Jingle Bell ice skating or ice slipping as Hud calls it! Hud was very excited about it!!
On Day 10 (12/15), Jingle Bell brought a can of instant snow. Hudson of course wanted to play with it right away so I put him in his high chair and we made it. Hudson thought it was really cool, but boy was it messy!
On Day 11 (12/16), JB brought some decorations so Hudson could spruce up the tree had made the day before.He loves crafts and had lots of fun gluing the ornaments on his Christmas tree.
On Day 12 (12/17), JB was hanging out in Hudson's basketball hoop.
On Day 13 (12/18), JB built a snowman out of toilet paper.
On Day 14 (12/19), JB brought the boys each a personalized Christmas book. Hudson received the Night Before Christmas and Luc got a book titled, Luc's Very Merry First Christmas.
On Day 15 (12/20), Jingle Bell brought us the hit of the holiday season. Each of the boys got a bucket full of snowballs for indoor snowball fights. Hudson, dada and Luc immediately had a snowball fight. It was hilarious and everyone loved it. These were played with over and over again the rest of the month! Thanks for an awesome gift JB!
On Day 16 (12/21), Jingle Bell set out stuff for us to make sugar cookies for Santa. Hudson loves making sugar cookies. He helped cut out all the shapes, then decorated them the next day with lots of frosting and sprinkles.
On Day 17 (12/22), Jingle Bell brought the boys pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve.
Aubree was over helping that day and I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I walked in the room to check on Hudson and he was sitting on the couch watching tv with Jingle Bell in his lap! I immediately reminded him that he couldn't touch Jingle Bell and he gave me a grumpy face. I'm thinking poor Aubree didn't know the rule and told him it was ok? Or maybe he just forgot and grabbed him all on his own. Either way, we said a little apology and did a little magical dance and thankfully, JB didn't lose his magic.
On Day 18 (12/23), Jingle Bell took photos in our photo booth! He had his own props and everything! Hudson thought it was hilarious!!
On Day 19 (12/24), we got a goodbye letter from our elf. He had to head back to the North Pole, but he promises to be back next year.
On December 2nd. Luc turned 12 weeks old. He weighs 14 pounds and 5 ounces. Luc laughed for the fist time this week!! Uncle Ty made him laugh on the drive to the outlets in Maui. It was so cute! Luc had his first trip to the beach this week and even put his feet in the waves. He had a few rough nights of sleep this week, but ended the week with one 6 hour stretch and one night he even did a 7 hour stretch!!
On November 25th, Luc turned 11 weeks old. We missed his weekly photo because we were on vacation in Maui. Luc's biggest accomplishment this week was sleeping a 5 1/2 hour stretch followed by an almost four hour stretch one night! Luc had a lot of firsts this week: He went on his first flight, had his first swim, and is on his first vacation. He also met his grandpa, Auntie Lauren and cousin Oliver for the first time!
On November 20th, we left for Maui. My dad, Sabrina, Justin and Aubree were on the flight with us. Luc did pretty well for his first flight. He did not do as well as Hudson on his first flight and he was not a fan of his carseat. He cried during take off because he was hungry and I wanted him in his seat (they had made an announcement about turbulence and I prefer to have the boys in their seats during take off and landing when they have their own seat). Once I was safely able to take Luc out and feed him he was fine, except he just wanted to be held the whole time. I ended up putting him in the baby carrier for most of the flight. I knew that would happen though just because that is how Luc is at home too. Hudson and Nic took a nice nap together. Overall, the flight went pretty well and it is always the best feeling when you step off the plane into that tropical, warm Hawaiian air. *On a side note-look how much crap we had! It is amazing how much more you need to bring when you travel with young kids.
On November 21st, we spent most of the day getting settled in and unpacking. We did squeeze in a little pool break while the boys napped, which was nice. Nic's parents, sister and Oliver arrived that afternoon. It was their first time meeting Luc!
That night we went to dinner at Hula Grill. Hudson sat at the opposite end of the table with Auntie Beena and Nonna. It is hard for me to let go, but I have my hands full with Luc and it was nice to only have to worry about one kid for the evening. I did still order his meal for him because of his allergies. We were all having such a nice evening, but towards the end of the meal I noticed my mom and sister acting funny. I asked why and could tell they were hiding something from me. It turned out that the kitchen had made a mistake and Hudson's fish was sitting in a butter sauce. I checked my diaper bag and to my horror realized that my benadryl and epi pen weren't with me (of course the one time I might actually need it it was in another bag from traveling the day before). I started to panic and decided we needed to leave immediately. The waitress came over and apologized and started crying, which made me start to cry. Thankfully nothing happened with Hud and the restaurant gave us a card with the manager's info on it and a note for $100 off our next meal. What a way to start off the trip!
On November 22nd, Susan, Lauren and Oliver stayed back at the house with Luc, while the rest of us went out on the BRB. We had the best time! We went snorkeling, saw turtles, took Hud for a swim and the highlight: we saw bottlenose dolphins! It was so magical. They were all around the boat and riding the waves. I was loving the experience, but even better for me was that Hud got to experience it too! He loved it!!!
That afternoon, Hud wanted to swim in the pool. He was jumping in and swimming under water-having the absolute best time! Luc enjoyed spending some time outside too!
That night we were spoiled by a beautiful sunset, then our friend, Brianna Rubin, who lives on the island came over to babysit. Hudson and Oliver watched movies (aren't they so cute holding hands?) and Luc did a lot of crying apparently. Brianna was cracking us up with stories when we got home from dinner. Hudson was oblivious to Luc's crying, but Oliver kept politely asking Bri to keep him quiet. haha.
We went to Lahaina Grill for dinner, one of my all time favorite restaurants. The bread and butter are the best I've ever had. In fact, they brought us out an extra large serving of it because we were all eating so much of it. I also always get the cake walk as an appetizer-its a trio of "cakes" crab, tuna and lobster. For dinner, I always pick something different, usually the special, and it is always amazing. It was so nice to have a relaxing meal without the kids.
On November 23rd, we visited the turtles. The boys loved them!
Then we took Luc for his first swim. He was a little unsure, but he seemed to like it. He was pretty calm and relaxed. Experiencing firsts with your kids never gets old.
Hudson and Oliver spent the afternoon pretending to be pirates, playing sword fights and playing with play doh. I have loved watching the two of them together and in my mind keep envisioning Hudson and Luc acting the same way together in a few years. Hudson followed Oliver around and wanted to do everything just like him. They played so nicely together this trip.
That afternoon, we went back in the pool for a bit. Hudson didn't want to get out, but he was getting cold, so Sabrina suggested they go in the jacuzzi for a few minutes. I know kids aren't supposed to go in jacuzzis so I said no, but she promised it would just be for a few minutes. Hud of course had a blast in the jacuzzi and didn't want to get out and my family kept telling me I was being over paranoid so he stayed in much longer than I was comfortable with.
After Hud had dinner and got ready for bed he was extra cuddly. Nic knew something was up right away. He was holding Hud and mentioned he felt hot. A few seconds later Hud threw up. Nic raced to get outside and Hud threw up again. Not to overshare, but I have never seen so much vomit in my entire life. We spent a good two hours that night on the tile floor with Hud in my arms because my mom was freaked out about getting more throw up on the carpet or her furniture. Poor little Hud was really not feeling well and it was his first time throwing up so it totally freaked him out. I felt awful for him. Hud threw up two more times over night (I slept in a towel covered bed with him and somehow managed to get the bowl to his mouth in time to catch everything).
On November 24th, Hudson went through phases of seeming normal and phases of being sick. He went the entire day without throwing up. I felt so guilty for allowing him to go in the jacuzzi and was convinced that is partly what contributed to him not feeling well. (I also had a brief thought that it could have been the butter, but that would have been a really delayed reaction). We spent most of the day on the couch, watching tv and trying to keep Hud hydrated.
After going over 24 hours without throwing up, on November 25th, Hud woke up in the morning and vomited 3 more times. We decided it was time to visit a doctor. The doctor said the jacuzzi probably wasn't to blame (or the butter) and that is was more likely that Hud caught some strange bug. He prescribed zofran and sent us on our way. That night everyone went to Roys for dinner. We decided it was best to stay home with the boys. We were getting a bit stir crazy, so we took the boys down to see the turtles and the sunset. It was a beautiful night and felt great to get out and get some fresh air.
Everyone had fun at dinner and they brought us home food so we got to enjoy the food in the comfort of my parent's house. (Poor Luc-he was so helpful through all this-sleeping better than normal and allowing me to focus most of my attention on Hudson-such a sweet boy.
On November 26th, Hudson seemed to be feeling better, but we still had a pretty low key day just to be safe.
We went to Sansei for dinner that night. Hudson and Oliver had the best time playing and making faces together. Hudson seemed to be feeling much better, which was a relief.
November 27th was Thanksgiving. We started off the day with Starbucks (thanks Aubree and Justin) and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Then we took the boys to the park. They had so much fun. Hudson was zipping around on the tricycle and bouncing around on all the equipment trying to keep up with Oliver. It was nice to see him back to his old self.
I am so bummed we don't have videos of the boys together from this trip. Apparently they were hysterical in the car together (Hudson would say Oliver, Oliver, Oliver over and over again and Oliver would ask Hudson very politely to be quiet, but Hudson would just keep saying it) and it would have been awesome to capture their interactions.
When we got home from the park, we quickly went in the pool, while the boys went boogie boarding. The waves were huge though so the trip didn't last too long.
My little turkeys! (We took these photos a few days later as we had a very busy Thanksgiving Day)
We took family photos as the sun was setting. Luc decided it would be the perfect time to have an explosive diaper all over himself and me! Yuck! At least we got the photos done before I had to rush in and change us into new outfits.
We had a wonderful meal and a great time eating together. I feel so very blessed and thankful beyond words for this wonderful life I have.
On November 28th, we did some lounging by the pool and played some croquet.
That night, we left the boys at the house and escaped for our anniversary dinner. We were supposed to go earlier in the week, but because of Hudson being sick we had to re-schedule. We missed Australia night, one of our favorites (Susan and Lauren make amazing Pavlovas and Chicken Burgers), but it was so nice to have some time just the two of us. Kimos has become our tradition and we just love it. We both get the parmesan crusted white fish (whichever fresh fish is recommended for the night) and share a hula pie for dessert. We were treated to one of the most stunning sunsets that night! It made the wait well worth it.
On November 29th we went to Black Rock beach. It was fun to get the boys to the beach. Hudson loved playing in the sand and Luc was pretty casual about the whole thing. We got to see a portion of an Indian wedding take place too, which was pretty cool. Music was blasting and everyone was dressed in gorgeous outfits and dancing down the beach. Luc and I were dancing and clapping and we got invited to join the festivities. My mom and the rest of our group got an invite as well. I think they were genuine too-the group of people were super friendly and welcoming. If I hadn't of had Luc with me I probably would have taken them up on the offer, lol.
We couldn't come to the beach and not stick Luc's feet in the water. What a lucky little boy to have his first beach water experience somewhere so beautiful!
After the beach, we met up with everyone else at this delicious food truck called the Shark Pit.
On November 29th, we woke up to a beautiful double rainbow. The boys spent a good chunk of the morning in Grandma and Grandpa's room jumping on the bed, cuddling and throwing a ball back and forth. It is so fun to see Oliver and Hudson playing together, but it also makes me a bit sad.I so wish we lived near each other so they could be together way more often.
That afternoon, the boys played croquet again. This time, Hudson even got in on the action.
We spent the rest of the day lounging in the pool, visiting the turtles and eating Ron's delicious sushi!
On November 30th we went to Kapalua Beach. This is definitely one of my favorite places, especially with kids.
We decided it was the perfect spot to test out the raft we bought with the view window. So after the Hud and Oliver played in the sand for a bit, we passed Luc off to Susan and headed out. Kapalua is great because it is nice and shallow and quite calm and protected. Hudson loved it. He got to see a turtle swim right under him. I was focusing on Hudson and the raft and ended up accidentally bumping right into the turtle! (We technically were just floating so the turtle actually bumped into me) Hudson also got to see a bunch of fish and seemed to really like it!
That night we went back to Hula Grill to use our credit. It was so cold and windy that night! None of us were prepared, but we still had a great time.
On December 1st, sadly we had to say our goodbyes to Nic's family. It is always so hard to say goodbye, but seeing the friendship between Hudson and Oliver made it even more difficult this time. We are going to miss everyone so much, but we are so thankful we got to have this time together.
We made one last quick trip down to see the turtles and threw flowers in the water as a tribute to Nic's grandma.
That night, we went out to dinner with my parents to a really delicious Italian restaurant.
On December 2nd, we squeezed in one last dip in the pool before we packed up to head to the airport. It is always so hard to leave paradise. We will be counting down the days until we get to come back!
We are so lucky to be able to spend time in such a magical place every year for Thanksgiving. Thanks so much to my parents for making this annual trip possible. We love you both!!
