Regatta

Saturday was our first Regatta race for the Waikoloa Canoe Club that I have joined. We practice 3 morning a week at 6am! Yikes! I never thought I would volunteer to wake up so early... let alone get in the water at that time of day. But, it is absolutely beautiful out on the ocean in the morning!!! I just love the workout and it is really getting my abs in shape! After I had been at the regatta for a couple of hours on Saturday I found out that I had some paper work missing and was not able to race :( BUMMER!! The volcano has been wreaking havoc on the air quality out here. The skies have been so full of vog (volcanic ash/fog) that the sun is sometimes not been visible. Saturday was like that.... really weird!

The water is so clear and blue... even when the sky is grey.
Rhett was a busy busy body and made Mike chase him around everywhere. There is so much going on, tons of people and of coarse water everywhere. I think next race I will leave him with a sitter.... less stress!
Look at that Hawaii sky... not typical for sure!

Pool Time

We finally decided to blow up the kiddy pool that Rhett got for Christmas from his Oma and Opa! Rhett has recently become VERY brave at the pool and loves to jump in off the side and swim back to the side (with a little help!). Since he couldn't jump off the side of his 'blow-up' pool, he just kep plopping down on his bottom... sooo funny (watch video)

Mowing with Daddy

Rhett always gets so excited when Mike mows the lawn. He wants to be outside watching everytime, but I think it is too dangerous for him to be out there, so he watches from the playroom window. Last week watching from the window was not enough for him, so I put him outside in his stroller to watch. Mike couldn't stand it and go the great idea to hold him in this carrier..... JACKPOT! Now Mike will have to do this every time he mows, or mow when Rhett is not home!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!!! I had such a wonderful day... Mike made me breakfast this morning. He made yummy pancakes and even Rhett ate them (he is being picky about what he eats lately) After breakfast we went to church and Mike"s mom and dad joined us! My wish for mother"s day was to hike down to a black sand beach that is north of us past Hawi town> we recently bought a backpack to carry Rhett and I Was anxious to try it out!!!! I just absolutely love these guys! Aren't they handsome!!!
Here we go...
I thought these warning signs were funny :)
My precious boy!
Top of the trail... yup, we are hiking down to that beach waaaay down there!

We made it all the way down to the beach :)
Rhett can finally escape from the pack.
Awe-inspiring! This is absolutely gorgeous!
There I am... all I had to carry down was the camera :)
Ceasear was on our heels the whole way, so Mike carried him for a bit to keep from stepping on him.

We turned this corner and found some bulls hanging out. Isn't that a beautiful view?!
I love this picture. He looks so independent giong down the path by himself.
Rhett and Ceasar had blast running all over the place exploring.
So many places to explore... where do I start?!

We made it back up to the top!! Whew! That was a great hike!
I carried Rhett for the hike back up. It was my idea... I wanted some excercise. Ummm... I definitely got it! Mike was embarassed when we passed people on the trail, since I was holding the pack and it was Mother's day. He kept telling people, "She wants to hold it!"
Rhett loves rocks.... there were millions of them down on this black sand beach!

Daddy's Motorcycle Goggles

Rhett is always trying to be like his daddy. Yesterday he got a hold of Mike's motorcycle goggles (I guess that is what they are called??) He kept trying to put them on but they would not stay and he got frustrated. I finally tightened them up to fit his head and he wore them for atleast 20 minutes... all around the house, playing, 'mowing' the living room with his new lawn mower, etc. He really thought he was so cool! Oh, and the only reason his lawn mower is in the house is because it was the only way I could get him to come inside yesterday.

Bare Bottom!

We went to visit Oma and Opa with the hopes of going swimming in thier pool. Too bad it was overcast and chilly..... and even though mommy had no desire to get in that cold water, Rhett was ready to go! Oma let him stand on the steps with his feet in the water but he got his diaper wet. I was being too lazy to get him another one, so he got to run around with a bare bottom :) It was so cute to watch him run around the yard with his bare little butt cheeks hanging out from his t-shirt!! Someday he will be so embarassed to see these pics!! ;)

Where's Everette?

Tata gave Rhett these camo Pjs last time we were in Florida. Of coarse most everything camo comes from Tata Grassman!! Can you spot him??? ;)

Puppy Love

Rhett hangin' out with his Kaiser!
Rhett feeding Coco girl.
Taking turns...
Both at once... good job!

Lately we have started to let Rhett feed the dogs. I give him the scooper half full of dog food and he puts it in their bowls. He always wants to give them more and more that is why I only give him a half a scoop... that way he can do it 2 times for each dog. If any of the dog food falls out onto the ground, Everette is quick to pick it up and put in in their bowls or feed it to them from his hand. The dogs are so gentle and Rhett gets a kick out of them licking his hands! Kaiser is the most gentle and lets Rhett sit in his bed with him (although mommy has to give Rhett a bath immediately afterwards!). Unfortunately, we had a big thunderstorm yesterday (we only get them a couple times a year) and Kaiser ran away. He is terrified of thunder (any loud noises for that matter) and tries to get in the house when he hears it. Yesterday, Rhett and I were down at the community pool for a friend's going away party when the thunder started. I knew that Kaiser would be gone by the time I got home and sure enough, he was :( It has been nearly 24 hours and no Kaiser. The last time he ran away because of thunder the humane society picked him up. I hope that he is safe somewhere and not lost. Of all the dogs, he is the only one that I feel could find his way home from anywhere, but the longer he is gone, the more I worry!!! Coco seems pretty lonely without him :(

Helping Daddy

A while back my dad (Tata Grassman) gave Rhett his very own rubber mallet. Yes, he most definitely did. Who else would think to give an 18 month old his own full size REAL hammer. Well, he has finally figured out how it work and needless to say it is an "outside toy" now! Mike was assembling some shelving for Arby's and needed a rubber mallet. I said, "just get Rhett's out of his toy bin". Mike let Rhett help him..... and the rest is history. Thanks dad! ;)

Hilton Lagoon

Our friend Michela invited us to enjoy a Hilton Pool pass on Saturday. It was a bit overcast (extremely rare here) so the air was kinda chilly. We ended up spending the whole time at the lagoon.... the water was a bit warmer and the kids enjoyed it just the same!
Slowly Rhett is getting braver when it comes to the water!
Michela and baby Liam.... sooo cute in his little beach outfit!
We could barely get Eva to stop for this picture!
Fun time!