Kauai, Hawaii

Moon-set and Sunrise on the same morning.  So cool!

 We took our first family vacation with Landon to Hawaii...and we survived!  We had an incredible time.  We were in Kauai for a week with Shani's family and it was beautiful.  This was our first time to this island and the first time on a long vacation since before Shani was pregnant.  It was a much needed and wanted time away from the real world.  Did we really have to come back?  Enjoy all the pictures!   

Landon did great on the plane flight.  We were very anxious about this because it was a long flight, we had no distractions (Nonni, Poppa, Uncle Chris, Auntie Kat were flying in the next day), and there wasn't much space to move around.  There was one point about half way through the flight that we gave each other the "are we going to make it" face, but Shani took Landon on a "walk" and he calmed down...we survived 5+ hours on a plane with a 7 month old! Overall, Landon had a couple fussy moments, but no cries or screams.  Everyone around us thought he did terrific (thank goodness) and we were glad they thought it went better than we did. He was definitely the center of attention with his constant full-face smiles.  Everyone just loved him.  He only took 2, half hour naps (we were hoping for much longer).  If there is one thing from the trip we are glad to be through with, it is the plane flights. At the same time we couldn't be happier on how well they went (in hindsight).

We went on a couple of hikes while on the trip.  We wish we had time to do more, but were happy to see some of the island.  The first was a hike to Hanakapi'ai beach along the Na Pali coast that we did with Nonni and Poppa. It kicked our butts!  It was a beautiful hike, but it was a little tough on us.  We also hiked in Waimea Canyon to look for some native birds.  John got two new birds ('Elapaio and Anianau) and another that was new for Kauai ('Apapane) but not to his life list (both spotted by Shani).  We (mostly John) wish we had more time to spend on that side hiking and birding.  We guess we'll have to go back sometime to do that.

Hanakapi'ai beach along the Na Pali coast

Waimea Canyon

Kauai was also Landon's first time to the beach and swimming in the ocean.  The sand was quite fascinating and also very difficult to wipe off.  Someone mentioned the baby powder trick, but we don't have any and we didn't remember to pick any up.  It ended up not going too bad though.  No sand in the eyes...that bothered him at least.  Landon didn't really like the waves much.  He loves the water, but having the waves splash on him was a different story.  He didn't cry, but he definitely held us tighter and he didn't smile at all.  We then went to Queens Bath which is almost like a pool made by the rock formation and Landon loved it.  He also loved the salty taste of the water. We tried very hard to keep him from purposely drinking it.  Landon also had "Shave Ice" for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We didn't add any syrup, but it was still a treat for him.

Barking Sands

John also took us on quite an adventurous drive.  He heard about a good sea-birding spot (turns out not that great for the time we were there) near a lighthouse that we decided to check out.  We entered the destination in good ole Garmin....oops. We later learned from his book that there used to be two different entrances but now the road "doesn't connect."  It turns out the road does connect...but no one in their right mind would ever try.  Well Garmin took us on the road less traveled and it completely tested Shani's patience.  Thank God (no seriously, Praise the Lord) we made it safely and that Landon slept through it.  The road was a dirt road that was so uneven Shani had to hold Landon's head so it wouldn't bobble off!  The sugar cane (or whatever the plant was) literally lined the road to the point that it was constantly hitting both sides of the car at the same time--sometimes it almost went across the road completely. If we got a flat there would be no space to change it and there was no place to turn around. Oh yeah, did we mention this road was about 2.5 miles long? We drove 5 mph in the heat (jeep no top) and no air flow because of the sugar cane being so thick and high.  Yes, it was miserable.  We did see some guy fishing with an ol' school net, which was cool and the lighthouse was really neat.  Oh and the "real" road was a normal paved road that connected to a golf course immediately.  Yes, definitely an adventure. 

We were very fortunate that Shani's parents gifted us a helicopter ride to view Kauai.  It was so amazing!  The view from above was breathtaking.  We could not take enough pictures while up there.  We wish it could have lasted longer because it was the most beautiful way to see the island.  This by far was definitely worth it and we recommend that everyone try it out sometime. 

Here are some other pictures from our stay.

Landon trying pineapple, toasting Uncle Chris, and smiles with Nonni

Landon turned 7 months while we were there.  Pretty crazy.  He now has 2 teeth which we are reminded of every night.  Yep, every night.  Since about a week before his first tooth he has gone completely downhill when it comes to sleep.  His only getting up once a night has gone to getting up every 1-3 hours with maybe one 3 hour stretch...if we are lucky.  So much for a vacation to sleep in and relax.  Thankfully he seemed well rested because he did fantastic during the day.  Just mommy and daddy were extremely exhausted.  We do hope this time will pass soon, but until then we look like zombies.  We thought he would be moving forward a little more with the crawling, but he's kind of slowed down in that department.  He does get up on all fours and goes backwards.  Sometimes he'll go about an inch up, but mainly back.  He seems to have grown so much.  We thought for sure he put on a ton of weight but when we got back and weighed him he was 19lbs 6oz.  Yes, that's big but we figured he was over 20 lbs because it sure felt like it.  He does look like he's stretching out some so we'll have to see what his length is.  Otherwise our big boy is doing very well and as happy as can be--during the day!

1st Tooth

Landon has his first tooth popping through!  It showed its sharp little edge on Sunday.  Thankfully he isn't  biting yet and Shani hopes it stays that way.  Wishful thinking, we know.  Now that he has his first tooth, we'll be starting solids.  We are going to wait until after we get back from our trip to make things easier on ourselves.  Food will be a fun (but somewhat anxiety provoking for Shani) adventure!   We are having trouble getting a picture of this ever-so-slightly-popping-through tooth so until then enjoy some other pictures!

John got his official start day for work...the day before his start date!  He was told it was going to be October 1st, but on August 31st they called to say come to work on September 1st.  This was great news, but also a bummer too as he was planning on spending that time to study for his licensing test.  Somehow we'll have to find a way to give him time to study.

Grandma Mac had to leave over the weekend.  A big bummer as Landon had a great time with her (as did the rest of us).  She'll be back in a month so we are very excited for that.  

Labor Day weekend was pretty uneventful for us...which was wonderful!  We got to relax and keep things pretty mellow.  We had our good friends over for dinner which was a lot of fun.  We also had a yummy breakfast with John's family and we BBQ'd with Shani's family.  It's always nice to have a fun and relaxing weekend with family and friends.

Rock 'n Roll

That's what Landon has been up to lately.  He's rolling back and forth like crazy.  He's also been getting onto all fours and rocking.  He's been staying up on all fours for about 10 seconds before flopping back down.  He is purposefully moving a little more but doesn't have the strength to do much of anything else while he's up.  He's 18lbs 13.5oz now, maybe slowing down??  Landon has been recognizing the whole eating thing.  Just today John took a swig out of the milk container and Landon grabbed it and tried putting it to his mouth.  We've let him suck on some fruit occasionally, but we are in no rush to start him on solids.  He's obviously thriving very well the way things are now!

Great Grandpa Mac and Granny came to visit last weekend.  They came into town for cousin Morgan's 6th birthday and to see Landon.  He was a couple weeks old since they've seen him last.  Landon would give the funniest (cautious) looks to Great Grandpa but he loved giving him smiles as well.  We had a great time hanging out with them!  Morgan turning 6 is crazy.  She had a Barbie-themed party and Shani made a Barbie dress cake for her.  It turned out pretty good, but cake decorating is definitely not her thing!

Landon having fun with Great Grandpa Mac

Granny and Landon

Landon giving Great Grandpa Mac a cautious look

Balloons are so fun!

Cousin Morgan's 6th Birthday

We also met up to BBQ at a park with friends from Cal Poly.  We haven't all been able to get together since before Landon was born.  Liz and Josh have Sophia, who is a couple months older than Landon, and Michelle and Peter have Claire, who is 3 weeks younger and Lucas who is 2.5 years old.  Kallie and Zach have an almost 3 year old and another one on the way.  The older boys had a blast playing together on the park and Landon and the girls had fun rolling around on the ground.  It will be fun to have all the Cal Poly kids growing up together and maybe heading there in the future??  While at the park, Landon sat in a swing for the first time.

Just hanging around

1st time in a swing

Sophia and Landon swinging for the 1st time

Claire and Landon

Sophia and Landon

Colton (almost 3), Landon (6 mo), Sophia (8 mo), Claire (5 mo), Lucas (2.5)

6 Months

Landon turned 6 months over the weekend!  How crazy is that?  He's weighing in now at 18lbs 6.5oz and is 27.25in long.  It seems like he's always doing something new or improving on something he just started. He's now sitting really well, but occasionally gets off balance and face plants.  He's rolling constantly from his back to his tummy and he pulls his legs up in a crawl position.  Since he still doesn't quite have the arm and core strength, this causes him to go backwards...but he's moving!  He's also rotating some while on his belly. We think he might be crawling by the time he's 7 months.  This frightens us as our house is definitely NOT baby-proof.  We might have a lot of work to do here soon!  Still no teeth, but he constantly is gnawing on those little fingers and everything else he can get his hands on.  He found his feet and has started putting those in his mouth as well.  He continues to smile tons and giggle too.  What a fun age!

Grandma Mac recently came into town.  Landon has missed her dearly and is enjoying all the time he gets with her.  Nonni has needed to be working in the front office more and can't watch Landon as much at the office. Thankfully Grandma Mac is here to be with Landon. We don't think either one minds :-)  Shani misses him at work, but is also glad that Landon gets to have that time with his Grandma.  

Landon had his first plane flight and did pretty well.  He started getting a little fussy in the middle of the flight because he was bored.  We had different toys for him but they only held his attention for 5 minutes (if we're lucky) before he was done with it.  We'll have to figure out something else for Hawaii or else we might go nuts.  Our flight was down to SoCal for one of Shani's chiro-friend's wedding.  This also made for a great opportunity to visit with Great Grandma Hori, Uncle Bry, and Auntie Tak.  They generously watched Lando for us while we went to the wedding.  It sounded like he had a great time with them and we got to enjoy ourselves as well.  It was so great for Landon to have special time with them.  We are fortunate to have such great family.  The wedding was absolutely beautiful and it was great to catch up with friends we hadn't seen since she graduated.  We also got to see and say goodbye to our best friends before they left for Michigan.  Landon got to play with Auntie Elaine, Eli, and Jacob.  Unfortunately Uncle Kev had already left.  We will miss them dearly and are so sad that they will be so far away for the next few years, but we are also very excited for the journey God has in store for them.  We will definitely see them soon!

Great Grandma Hori, Auntie Tak, and Kobe

Beautiful Mrs. Davis and chiro friends

Date night in Palos Verdes for Erica's wedding

Travel car seat with a perfect armrest for Landon

Cold water on a spoon...so yummy!

Lots of love from Uncle Bry

 

Face plant! He'll get his balance down soon.

Cousin Morgan entertaining Landon with an owl puppet