Adventure 17: A Month In Our New Life, (9 Adventures), and A BIG Picture Story

A lot can happen in a month and I could write a huge long story about all the fun, the firsts, and the insane amount of love I've been feeling, but then you would have a novel AND around 70 pictures to look at.  So how about around 70 pictures to look at made into a BIG picture story with photos taken from my iPhone, some Instagram-a-fied, and some, (GASP), from my REAL camera... About time, I know.  So lets carry on with an obnoxious amount of photos divided into chapters in chronological order as best as I can remember from this past month, shall we?  Reise grew so much over this month!

Adventure 1: Reise's First Swim in the Ocean

She's been in numerous times since this day, (including today), and

 completely loves the water.  We motorboat her around in circles now...

Daddy took her in and dunked her up
to just past her belly.

She cried a little at first because the coolness
 took her by surprise... but then she was
 happy again in his arms.

And of course I got my paddle on for a bit
to get some exercise...

After her swim, hanging out on the towel on the beach
chair... Just as happy as a clam.

And we saw our friends, Danell and her
adorable son Jaxon at the bay that day.

Cute, ain't he? :)

Adventure 2: Driving Backside; Kaupo to Redwood Forrest Hike

I did a little convincing for this day excursion, I wont lie.  

Although we both have been exhausted, I had 

been missing hiking miles in flip flops...

Kaupo road block.

I love spring because spring= BABIES!  (Us included).

You have to LOL a little to the one on the right...
They were so interested in us and their sweet little
personalities left me NEAR re-considering going
back to vegetarianism, (though I still eat
little beef as it is).

And this little one was my absolute favorite.  He or she
 took center stage, (or center road), in the road-
block and came right up to the front of the
truck smelling us out.  ADORABLE!

Passing this canyon had me wanting to
stop and hike into IT instead of our planned
hike upcountry.  It would not have been safe
for Reise however, (perhaps the only thing
stopping me), and likely not safe for us
either in our aforementioned foot attire. 

iPhone pic of our hike in the clouds up
Poli Poli.  See Jun?

The road to the hike is 4-wheel drive and DIRTY... and since
it was my idea to go, I packed Reise on my chest in her pack...

...And washed the truck the next day while Jun was at work
as a way of saying "Thanks"... (and maybe there was a
little bit of "When can we do it again?"
thrown in my gesture too).  =]

The real excitement of the trip though was when
Koa Bamboa ran off after, what we believe was,
a wild pig.  He didn't come back for a LONG
time and so we gave our # to the folks staying
at the cabin up there in hopes Koa would track
US back.  We thought we'd never see him again
but moments after we were pulling away after
giving up hope, Jun's cell phone rang and, sure
enough, this guy was hanging out at the
cabin, out of breath and waiting for us.

 I fitted him in my Maui Humane Society Volunteer
T-shirt as soon as we got home so he would be
fluorescent for future hikes.

Adventure 3: Jun Cooks and Some of Our Pottery

Unlike the college student staple food, I do love me
some REAL ramen.  Jun made this for me and it was
DELICIOUS.  Served in one of our completed pieces
of pottery from our ceramics class we took.

He also makes a killer breakfast from time to time...
This guy is really coming around in the kitchen
for someone who claims he can't cook. ;)

I made this dairy free, peanut butter chocolate ice cream
out of our over-ripening bunch of bananas.  So easy to
make and so good for you! (Again in one of our pieces).

This was yesterday's lunch, fresh caught by
Jun's fellow officers right in our front yard,
(well not yard, but ocean).  They were still alive
when they made it to our house. They were
delicious!  I pick on Jun constantly because
he cooks with chopsticks, (notice the spatula is
still clean?).  The other day I asked him to flip
the homemade croutons I was making in
the oven... He does it of course, (all 30
 plus of them), with chopsticks. ;)  I also
want to clarify that we have a stove... He
was just outside cooking the fish because
of the smell and grease. ;)  My family
might wonder since when Dad came we
we appeared to be primitive due to only
having a stove and french press.  We now
have a microwave and coffee maker.  Ha! :)

Adventure 4: The Taro Festival

Taro, a root plant that is a Hawaiian staple and most

commonly known in its mashed up state, known as "poi",

gets its own celebration here in our small town of Hana.  You

may have also seen it on TV's "Dirty Jobs" where the host is

taught how to harvest Taro from the lo'i, (taro ponds), which

is something I use to do when I lived and worked on Kauai.

Those poi balls were DANGEROUSLY deep fried and
OH SO GOOD! 

An "only in Hawaii" type menu at the vendor we chose to eat at...

Jun got the Fried Opelu with a watermelon lemonade...

And I opted for the Turkey Tail Lau Lau wrapped in Taro leaf.

Reise got lots of lovin' from Aunties at
the Taro Festival. :)

And a festival is not a festival here without some hula.

Plenty guys hula too.

Adventure 5: Hana Bay Evening Walks

About a quarter of a mile away from our home, (also
where Reise took her first swim), is Hana Bay.  It is a
less touristy attraction due to the sands "dirtier" color,
(which isn't dirty at all... it just has lava rock sand mixed
in).  It's one of my favorite places and being that it is so close
to our house, we take the boys here to exercise them in the water
on evening walks.  We also paddle here for exercise quite a bit
and we like to bring Reise here to just hang out on the beach.
The views aren't bad either... and if you look towards the
top center part of this picture, you will see the cross, (which
is the next adventure, and will give you a perspective
of our small towns layout). You can click on it to enlarge.

Brothers fetchin' sticks and doin' the doggy paddle.

Adventure 6: Hana Cross Hike

This day that I brought my camera is actually not one

of the prettier days... but hey, you win some, you lose some...

Beginning our hike up to the cross.  We do this a couple
times a week.  It's a great uphill walk for us and the dogs to
tire ourselves out on, (not like Reise doesn't help us out with
 that already).  She just sleeps the whole time in her pack and
her extra 12+ pounds of weight becomes noticeable towards
the end when you reach a steep incline.  This day
Jun was packing her and I got to take it easy. :)

Part of the gang halfway up.

We made it!

The view from here is INCREDIBLE.

Lono's on the lookout... Guardian of Hana town.  ;)

This is literally our entire town.  You are looking down
at the bay where the picture of the cross was taken from
the previous adventure.  I believe Hana to be one of
the most beautiful places on earth that I have yet to
see... right up there with Machu Picchu, it gives me
a feeling of serenity and overwhelming beauty.

Daddy and his girl.

The whole cross area is enclosed with lava rock and
gardenia bushes.  The smell is heavenly.

A perfect gardenia with lava rock as it's backdrop.

This is another picture I took from the bay of the cross
with my iPhone on one of our evening walks.  The cross
is on this hill to the left in the picture.

Adventure 8: Adventures Around the House

Everyday is an adventure for us... around the

house there is gardens, music, baths, breath-

taking sunrises, and a ton of love.

Reise diggin' me playing her the guitar.

Text messages with your significant other are
no longer normal, (they are truly far
from it), once you have a child.

Me and two of the crew checking on the gardens.

She likes looking up at the banyan tree that grows
above the garden in our back yard.

Our gardens gave us some of the ingredients for
this delicious quinoa tabbouleh. WooHoo!

Sunrise view from our house two mornings ago.  I see
a lot of these now with Reise in our lives... Which is not
a complaint at all as they go great with a cup of coffee.
My only complaint is that the U.S. is one of the
 last places to put power lines underground.

Awesome onesie is from my cousin Laurie. :)

Lono and Reise like to share the futon.  I have to give
Lono his own pillow or else...

They share her boppy pillow too.

Doing the reusable diaper thing when Daddy's not home. :)

I'm a little obsessed with our munchkin.  I know this because
peaceful moments like this when she is asleep, I will
look at pictures of her awake because I miss
her.  That's borderline crazy, right?

Adventure 9: Adventures in Bath Time

I am completely obsessed with bath time with baby

Reise.  She loves it so much and after she gets out of

the tub, we have our own little ritual which is

best explained in these pictures...

Bath Time.

This cool towel is from Uncle Chris and Aunt Kristina.

Smirky Smirkersen

And this is our routine.  She gives me her full
undivided attention...

...And then her eyes get even BIGGER when
 I say, "I'm gonna wrap you up like a BURRRRRITO!!!"
(You HAVE to roll the R's!)

And she gets SO EXCITED!

=)

And then it happens...

My happy little burrito. :)

The End.

XOXO from me and my little munchkin. ;-)

Let us know... What was your favorite adventure?