The Dark Knight starring Collin

Here he comes from the shadows









What kind of crimes will I fight today?






I couldn't go anywhere without my cool boots


Better hurry down the pole



Just another day in the life of Batman...

Collinisms

Four-year-olds are funny, sweet, little people with absolutely no filter. I'm trying to remember to write down some of his gems before it becomes a distant memory and conversations consist of grunts and one word answers.

1. "Do you know how to say butt in French? Le butt!"
   
2. "Milo is made of wiggles"
   
3. Mike had to go to Trenton, NJ for five days for work (a real exciting town). Collin to me: "Someday when I'm older you'll be alone with Milo and I'll go to New Jersey with dad. I love him."
   
4. Upon walking into a Mexican restaurant with a strong seafood aroma. Collin very loudly, "Ew it smells so stinky. It smells like butts. Gross." Mike and I quickly tried to quiet him, luckily he was happy with his quesadilla and the waiter didn't seem like he spit in his food.
   
5. Collin: "I don't like you mom. Fuck!"
   Me: "Collin do not say that."
   Collin: "I said puck. Puck."
   
6. "Can I marry you mama?"
   
7. "Can we do love?" (aka cuddles)
   
8. Collin:"He's on the list."
   Me: "What list?"
   Collin: "My birthday party. If you're mean to me you're off the list. You're on the list too mom."
   And so it begins...
   
9. On talking about our best and worst parts of the day:
   
   "My best part was playing Candy Land with mom and dad and dad won and I didn't get upset. My worse part was not watching 100 tv's."
   
   "The best part of my day was cuddling with you, the worst part is dad smells like throw-up." (After which Mike took a shower)

11 months!

Only one more month until Milo is an official toddler!

He started taking a few steps by himself a few weeks ago and I imagine will be full on walking by his birthday.






He loves to jabber, bath time, and push the little wagon that he inherited from Collin. (He also has a huge smile on his face when Collin pushes him in the wagon). He is still a happy little trouble maker. His new goal is to infiltrate the wine fridge and the cabinet that holds the wine glasses. The kitchen is probably his favorite place where he can pull everything out of the recycling bin and reach into drawers and play with tupperware.

Poor guy has not had a break with sickness. We're on our third back-to-back ear infection while just getting over pink eye (on top of a cough and endless runny nose). Next step is a visit to the ENT to evaluate whether or not he'll need tubes. We never experienced this with Collin luckily (for him it would've been extra scary because of his hearing loss). I feel bad for my poor miserable baby. It feels like newborn zombie land these last few nights with Milo waking up every few hours, hopefully the new dose of antibiotics helps clear things up.

Meanwhile I have to actually start thinking about his birthday. I envision his own mini cake that he sticks his face in and photo happy mama snapping away.

Mele Kalikimaka

We spent 11 days soaking up the sun in Kauai to escape the cold Oregon grey.

 This was Milo's first real plan trip (I'm not counting the 60 minute ride to central California).  I forget how far Hawaii is. Six long hours. Collin is fine as long as he has the iPad (and yes it's the only time I don't care that he watches four straight hours of screen time) plus some coloring and books to keep him busy. Milo on the other hand is now a squirmy baby. We had quite a few walks down the aisle and also visited it with grandma, grandpa and Uncle Devin all on the same flight. Milo managed to sleep about an hour in our laps. Then there was a two hour layover in Honolulu. Clearly the state of Hawaii does not feel the need to update any of their airports which feel like straight our of the 1960's with some fast food offerings and touristy shops.

It was basically 12 hours of travel before we made it to our condo steps from the beach in the eastern side (Coconut coast) of the island.Big sigh of relief when I sat outside and could hear the soothing waves and feel that light breeze without needing a jacket.





This was our first time to Kauai and I could immediately see why it's the "Garden Isle." Maui is beautiful and one of my favorite places in the world with the beaches you envision on postcards--white sand, swaying palm trees, plus it has Haleakala and Hana. The Big Island has the volcanoes and also some nice beaches though a lot of it resembles a desert. I've only seen the airport in Oahu so can't really compare much to that island. But Kauai was like stepping into another country all together. Lush with canopies of trees that look like they belonged in the Serengeti. So much green and all the tropical flowers I love--Hibiscus, Birds of Paradise, with a scent of Plumeria in the air.



I had been fighting a cold that was struck down by the heat and sunshine. We tasted fresh fish, the best banana bread ever, surprisingly great Mexican food, shave ice and fruity cocktails. Everywhere we went, we seemed to run into people connected to Oregon. This includes a guy who owned some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted at Tropical Dreams. He was proud to show me his Linfield shirt for his son's first college year. He offered me tastes of fresh flavors like guava, coconut almond fudge and lemon gelato. I brought back five half pints for New Year's Eve and it was devoured. The owner just bought a house in McMinville and plan to move in the fall (of course they have to keep a condo in Hawaii). He plans to offer his ice cream at PSU and Linfield (lucky college students).



Collin loved going back and forth between our condo, my parents and Devin's, and Sherry and Olivia's. He spent half his day battling the waves and laughing as his skin darkened to a nice tan. Milo wasn't too keen on the ocean but did like touching the sand (and trying to eat it). We went on a couple hikes while my parents watched the kids. One was called "Sleeping Giant" and had a tough climb with a great view from the top and tropical birds giving us beautiful melodies. The other one was awesome the whole way with panoramic canyon views.












The beach by our condo was fun and perfect for Collin. I still haven't found a beach that rivals the ones in Maui where I feel like I could just lie down all day but they certainly didn't disappoint. We explored Hanelei which was beautiful but the waves were way too rough for any swimming. Waimea Canyon was awe striking, though the drive there could practically rival Hana in Maui (twisty corkscrew turns equal nausea for me)! Everyone says the helicopter tours are amazing but I couldn't swallow the price. Maybe next time.



It was hard to leave the tropical sunshine for the inevitable cold and rain. Collin said it best, "I want to go to the beach everyday and live here."

In the meantime, perhaps our next tropical vacation will be without kids. The flight back felt like it was eternal. Collin napped (mostly because he was exhausted from the sun) but Milo slept for a total of ten minutes and proceeded to squirm the whole flight back while we switched turns entertaining him.

Mike and I still fantasize about buying a place in Hawaii later in life and spending the cold season there (and the rest of the time in Oregon and traveling around the world). I read an article that said Hawaiians are the happiest in the country and who could blame them. Get up, play in the beach, relax in the tropical sun, hike in a rain forest...Someday.