Slip and Slide

September is the hottest month of the year here so the neighborhood kids are always looking for creative ways to stay cool. Alma was invited to take part in the most recent slip and slide - as you will see she is spoiled rotten by all of the neighbors.

Hoku and Alma

Alyssa poking fun of Alma.

The ever faithful, Lili.

She never really slid she just wanted to hang out by the water fountain. 

Cutting up with baby Maya. 

Look at that smile ; )

See what I mean, she's got it made. 

September..came and went

Its almost impossible to believe that a month has gone by since we said goodbye to Martin. We have been so overwhelmed with balancing both of us being new assistant professors and being parents we haven't had much time for anything extra, including writing a blog post. I will spare you the gory details.

Alma is growing leaps and bounds. She has a mouth full of teeth and curls to die for. I suppose not having hair for over a year has paid off. Her receptive language amazes us and she is trying so hard to get those words out. She has also picked up some signs but we aren't exactly sure from where. Alma is an extremely sweet, affectionate and loving little girl. I wish you all were closer so I wouldn't have the need to tell you these things, you would just know by being around her...... Here are some pictures of the lovely lady.

Always willing to "help".

Especially when it involves getting messy.

Already getting into my closet. 

The best little momma to all her babies. 

Taking the cushions off the couch is a favorite game of hers...maybe its the food she tucks away in there for later ; )

This little device has brought much joy, and many meltdowns in
our house (we have to limit her access to the iPad). Its amazing how our  1 yr old is a pro at this.  

Goodbye Martin

August has brought a lot of changes for us. Matt and I both started new semesters, Alma went full time in daycare, and unfortunately we said good-bye to Martin. We are over joyed that we got to have him with us for almost a month. We will miss you like crazy, "German Dude". 

But of everyone, I think Alma will miss him the most.

"Wo ist die Maus"

Come back soon Martin!

Hanging Out with Martin

We are having so much fun hosting one of our very dear, very old friends, Martin from Germany. He is staying with us for a month so we have lots of time to show him around and introduce him to island life. He is fitting in quite nicely and Alma is loving having him around. Here are some pictures of what we have been up to.

We went on a beautiful hike up to Diamond Head. We had wonderful weather and Alma was quite a trooper.

  

Our neighbors invited us to go camping on the beach with them. We all had an amazing time. Lots of fun, food, and beautiful water.

Alma loved going in the tents. Keeping her out of other people's tents was a full time job. Thanks Martin for all the help!

She also thought that she could put anything that she found on the ground in her mouth. Who knew how many dangerous objects are just lying around a camp site!

She particularly loved our new kayak ( I have to admit it is pretty fun).

And Matt and Martin finally conquered the paddle board - this is not as easy as it looks!

But we mostly just hung out and spent time with friends and neighbors. What a great time!

Hope all is well with you wherever you are....and here's a little aloha for you:

My Little Apron Girl

Alma has started walking around the house draping herself with whatever clothes she can find. But Mommy's kitchen aprons are among her favorites. I love it that she likes to "help" in the kitchen. I'm definitely looking forward to baking and cooking together as she gets older.

 

4H Fair at Koolau Ranch

We were all excited for the 4H Fair. Alma loves animals and Matt and I were looking forward to hanging out with our neighbors, Kim, Ben and their baby Maya. Maya is a few months younger than Alma and for sure a future playmate.

Alma was a but unsure of the animals but she like the calf a lot.

The bigger cows however were a bit too intimidating for her.

 

 

 

But she finally warmed up a bit.

The goats were more approachable and a lot more entertaining.

But these guys might have been her favorite. So sweet.

There was also a beautiful plant sale. I'm still amazed at the beauty that surrounds us here. I really think almost anything could thrive here.

We even took home a basil plant that even had a special friend for free.