We are on Obama Watch

You may have already heard that Obama is in Hawaii for a vacation with the family but did you know he is our neighbor. Well kinda kitty-corner to us. He is staying at this 10 room mansion on the beach next to the mansion at the end of our street. That one is full of secret service and local police. Our street is crawling with fuzz and Finn couldn't be happier. "That's a Police Cruiser Daddy!" "And that's another one!" "AND ANOTHER ONE!!!!" Yes Finn, there are lots of police cruisers, I see them. THis past weekend I mostly bed bound with a nasty little flu like issue so I haven't been to the beach much but today Finn and I went down there to "Build Sand Castles" and by that I mean try and see and talk to Barack Obama. I was thinking of inviting him over to watch the US men's team playing China since I know he loves the basketball but I chickened out. THe picture above is Finn playing on the beach and the house where the man is staying. You can see the police presence by the trees but no Obama. Maybe tomorrow!

Elmo really tickles him

Baking with the babies

Yesterday Kate made some cookies with the help of Finn and Jake. Finn helped a little and Jake mostly chewed up the box that the Vanilla extract bottle was in but everyone has their role to play. We had the iPod going through the home stereo system and with a number of 80's dance tunes, some butterscotch chips, and a lot of flour we all had a pretty great time. Henry slept through the whole thing in his baby cage oblivious to the dancing, baking, all around mess making. It was one of those times when the iPod is on shuffle and it keeps finding the right songs to keep the party going. Finn was up on a stool "shimming like his momma Kate" and Jake was bouncing to the beat on the floor. things have been a lot easier around here lately. Jake is finding his rhythm going from the only child to the middle child in a matter of days. Those are powerful family dynamics at work and he is adjusting well. He was a little spoiled by his two Grammy's but that is what Grammy's are for right. It is a tough adjustment going from the center of the universe to one of three. We have been giving Jake a lot of one on one time with both Kate and I so that he still gets to be the center for a bit each day. His laugh is infectious and rewarding and he holds on to you like a spider monkey. After his nap yesterday we layed on the couch and he just layed his head on my chest for a couple of minutes as he was waking up and scrunched his fingers on my arm. Henry did this too when i got him up a couple minutes later and I was acutely aware of how lucky i was to get to be here with these boys. We are doing well, having fun and learning each day how to manage the inevitable melt downs. I say we but it is really Kate, she is amazing with the boys. You read her rants on her blog and that is all true and part of it, but it is only part. It's the funnier parts that make for easy writing, but there are parts where she is Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. Moving deftly between the hungry boys knowing who needs what and how to give it to them without the mess that Scott or I make. Or she is Hestia, Goddess of the hearth and home managing 3 baby boys, 2 bigger boys, and 2 boy cats with grace. She is good at this domestic stuff even though she would say it is not for her. I think that is the great thing about this time here so far, when we switch again and I come home with the boys and she goes in the work force it won't be because it is too hard for her or because I could do this any better (I couldn't by the way, not by a long shot). It will be because that is the choice we make, that is the way we want it to be.

Songs in the key of Finn

Catching up

It has been great being back with the boys and Kate. It is more difficult then you think being away while someone you love is having a trying time. I flew back Sunday night after exhausting myself working for my mom at a wedding the night before. Sleeping on the plane was a good chance to get a little rest before starting work again at the pre-dawn hour. It took me until Thursday until I got back into the time zone again but I feel good now. On Wednesday Night we went to the other side of the Island and picked up a bike trailer that we got of Craigslist and Kate and the boys have been getting a lot of play out of that. Work was crazy busy this week with too many people on vacation at one time but it made it go a bit quicker. Throwing up some pictures and videos so click on the tabs to see what is new.

Breakfast babies

We like Hawaii a lot!

Let's get Physical

In the ongoing effort to lead by example I went and got a physical yesterday. Honestly if it was just me I would never go in there but it's not just me and I want to be healthy as can be for as long as I can. The exam was pretty good, I didn't get the champagne room version, but the blood drawing was a bit tough. They took the tiniest amount of blood in a manner of 15 seconds but I sat in the truck afterwards for 20 minutes while I stopped sweating before driving back to work. I really though I wight pass out at the wheel if I left right away. Kate reminded me how many times in the course of two pregnancies that she gave blood and I reminded her that she is infinitely tougher then I am and I have no problem admitting that. Back at work I couldn't even move my arm with the tape on it because it reminded me that blood was taken and made me woozy. I really am ridiculous I know. Still waiting on the blood work but everything else checks out good. My stats are nice and with a lose of 20 pounds the Dr. would be extremely happy. That's what he said, extremely happy. I thought that was sweet of him to have that much invested emotionally, but 20 is a bit low, come on Dr. give it to me straight. I think 50 is more like it but I will work on the 20 to make him extremely happy and then leave the last 30 just for me. The other great thing he said was I'm good for another 3-4 years before the next physical. I kinda like this guy, for a Dr. he's not bad at all.

A glimpse into Kate's Day

Missing the lady bug man

I am back in Portland for some training at work. I flew in early Monday morning and will be here until next Sunday leaving Kate to face the boys alone. If you haven't read how that is going please click here and read away, she is a much better writer and her story is much more interesting then mine right now. It is nice to sleep through the whole night, talk with adults, and need a blanket at night because it has cooled down but I would rather be there with her and then boys. Right when I got into training I put this picture up on my screen. I can't look at it and not smile, his look is perfect. That picture, skype, and a number of phone calls throughout the day help me pass the time until I get back on the island with them while also trying to enjoy my time here.

One Thing

One of the things that I really love about being here is being able to head to the beach for a swim and a sit and then walking back home. I can head down there and swim for 10 minutes and be back without having to make a big effort or even take much with me. I am pale and rotund so I make quite a striking spectacle amongst the tan fit soldiers but I don't care. I have my sun screen caked on so I don't burn and I am slowly dropping some pounds, 4 since we got here, and I feel really comfortable out there. I don't feel fat like I do at work or every where else I am and it's odd because I got nothing on but my boardies. I guess there is a comfortableness here that I have and I like that, it's one of the things that I really like about being here.

Day 7

So far we have been to the beach everyday since we have been here and our mid-westerner farmer tans are turning into slightly less pale versions. There is a salt water pool at the house as well that we have been dipping in, Henry loves it, Finn not so much. I am on Day 4 of working at home and my first official day with everything working as it should. The first couple of days the phone was not working and since that is the bulk of my duties I did a lot of sitting around responding to emails in a lightening fast manor that would imply i was on top of it. I want to show that despite not being in the office I am on top of my game. Work starts at 5 AM and ends at 2 PM leaving a lot of time for fun in the sun. We have ventured into Kailua to walk around and yesterday on our walk saw Hurly from Lost. Having lived in Santa Barbara and run into our fair share of celebs we knew the drill. But it was oddly fitting to be in Hawaii for a couple of days and already run into a Lost cast member. of course I would have preferred Evangeline Lilly but you take what you get.

The boy have been sleeping a little later each day so that they now get up closer to 6:30 AM instead of 4:30. We are all in bed by 9 around here so the early hour isn't so bad. Mandy is here for a couple more days before heading back to Texas and then on to Afganistan. It has been a nice transition to see how she handles Jake so that we can keep things as routine as possible. There are a few pictures on Flickr and more coming.

I get Wet

THe swimming pool had too much salt in it so it needed to be drained. This is the end of the hose that is draining the pool, or as Finn calls it "The greatest toy ever!"

Laughing Cousins

We made it

We are here in Hawaii and for the most part settled in. The flight over was great, the boy each had a long nap and were wonderful as usual. There was a couple next to us that groaned when they saw that they were going to be sitting next to a baby and a toddler but they told me how great my boys were when they were getting off the plane. I think it was about hour 3 in the flight when they still had not made a peep and Henry was in my lap staring over at them and smiling and giggling. They broke under the assault of cuteness and were gracious enough to admit their defeat. The morning was a little tough as Hawaiian Airlines wouldn't let us take our stroller to the gate like every other airline does because it was a three wheel job and one time one person fell while trying to get it up the gang plank. Awesome. We had to marshal the boys and bags through security. When we got to the gate we weren't able to take our car seat on the plane because it did not have a sticker on it that says it is OK for planes. It had been torn off at some point so we had to check it there. SO our plan to have Finn confined to his car seat where he would be much more likely to sleep were dashed. The lady was half way into a lecture/explanation on why when I walked away to get on the plane. She was one of the flight attendants and came by mid flight to resume her spiel seemingly unaware that I had no interest at all. Kate being an infinitely better person then I listened and nodded in all the right places. Again the flight was great, the boys did really well despite being confined to a small space for a five hour flight. Pictures and more to come soon. We are here though, we made it.