More on the Holidays!

Wow, two posts in as many days. I'm on a roll. I've decided today to post some pre-Christmas pictures. Yes, that is actually Jaden building a snowman back when we had some snow. He loved making the snowman, but was a little worried about whether or not a deer would come and eat the carrot. That snowman was melted by the next day, Jaden is still distraught over that.
Also, a couple of pictures of our Christmas tree. Tyson, Jaden and I all went out and cut the tree down. When it came time to decorate, Jaden was having a Superman evening and was using that towel as his cape. He had a blast decorating the tree, though if we let him have his way, all the decorations would have ended up on the bottom left of the tree.
And finally, Jaden helped me to bake Christmas cookies galore. He loves to bake, but probably even more so he enjoys cleaning off the beaters...

The Holidays

The holidays have come and gone, it's so hard to believe how quickly time can fly. I feel like just yesterday I was taking Jaden to see Santa in Winnipeg.
We officially kicked off the holidays with a visit to my sister, and went to get her Christmas tree. Getting to visit with family after being so secluded in Hawaii was so nice, although as most of you know it'll be awhile before I can cross the border again due to a slight hiccup with Border Patrol and Immigration....I guess someone was having a bad day.
At any rate, here's some pictures from our trip to get the Christmas tree with the Griffins. Notice the snow . . . it has been scarce this year.

Week One

Well, week one in Buffalo is well underway. In truth, we are in East Aurora, I'm not sure if people here really make the distinction? I think that's likely...kinda like "I'm from Lockport, not Winnipeg". East Aurora is a small village of 7000 people that is about 20 minutes away from Buffalo. I haven't explored too much yet since we only have the one car, but I can say it's a pretty town. People seem moderately friendly to maybe a bit unfriendly if you don't know them? Tyson's co-workers seem very nice, but the average person on the street is a bit...hmm, gruff maybe? Or maybe I just haven't met the right people yet.

Jaden likes his new home, but misses his friends in Hawaii, especially Haylie. I think he doesn't really understand what's happened with his toys yet - almost daily I am asked whether his toys are coming here or not. (Like he doesn't have enough with what he has here at the moment...)

Nothing too exciting to report right now really, except that we are here and settling in our new home. Jaden and I have been out walking/dawdling. It's one mile each way to the grocery store, but it's a pleasant walk and passes a lot of time (especially if Jaden walks himself).

More soon!

August through October . . . Yikes.

Alright, I'm officially bad at keeping up with this blog. Unreal how much time has passed. And so much has happened.

I'll start with the biggest news - we're leaving Hawaii. Due to circumstances beyond our control mostly, but also we had been thinking about leaving in the near-ish future. Tyson has a new job near Buffalo with Fisher Price. I don't know when we're moving yet, but it will be very soon! Yikes so much to do and so little time.

Hawaii has been a wonderful experience, and we've done so much since being here. We've been graced with so many visitors, and hopefully shown them all about where we live. Somehow I suspect we may have fewer visitors in Buffalo, especially in the winter months!
There will definitely be many things about Hawaii that I will miss - our new friends, snorkelling, good weather and wearing shorts year round (haven't lived here long enough to take that for granted yet), the beach and living so near the ocean. On the other hand, there are many things I just won't miss - earthquakes, traffic, how stinky it is often around our apartment, crowds.

Jaden seems excited, though he's wondering about Auntie Rosie a lot and how he's going to see her if we move. Thankfully, the current plan is for me to stay home for at least a few months until we get settled.

Now to think of a snappy new name for my blog.....

Halloween

Well, today we just returned from our three week vacation (two for Tyson). We had a wonderful trip, it was nice to see everyone again and of course, it was over far too quickly. It's always hard to come home again after seeing everyone . . . but once we're here, nice to get home and relax a bit.

At any rate, I just thought I'd post a quick note about a conversation I had with Jaden about a month ago now, but that we talked about today and I received the same response.

I was noticing how quickly time was flying by and thought it would be nice to get Halloween costumes ready early, so one day I asked Jaden what he thought we should all be. When I asked Jaden what he should be for Halloween, he said "a spider" - okay, a spider works for me and I thought up a few ideas how to make that work while he was thinking about what daddy should be. The final decision for Tyson, according to Jaden, was that daddy should be a pirate. In the spirit of Halloween, I'm sure Tyson would be more than happy to dress up as a pirate. Silly me, I asked Jaden next what I should be for Halloween . . . his response? "A water faucet." . . . A water faucet?!? How the heck am I going to do that?

I thought we could try again this week and maybe come up with something different . . . but nope. Jaden wants to be a spider, his dad should be a pirate and his mom....a water faucet.

Any ideas?

My Favourite Sign Ever

This was taken in a washroom on the top of Haleakala. It's a bit blurry, but definitely a keeper regardless. I couldn't resist going back in the washroom to take this picture - and believe me, going into the ladies room with a camera I got a few odd looks, but it was worth it.

Maui Pictures

Our trip to Maui at the end of May was great. We had a good time, and did as much as humanly possible in just four days.
Our highlights were snorkelling in Molokini (an old crater, loaded with fish and great visibility) - a trip to the top of Haleakala - Jaden's first boat ride on the "Reefdancer" - and an afternoon sail (which I've never done before ).
Here are some pictures (finally!)

These pictures are mostly from the top of Haleakala - a 10 000 foot elevation mountain on Maui where you literally drive through the clouds. They warned up to take a lot of warm clouds - clearly "they" were not from Canada, it wasn't so bad.
The sunset was taken at Whaler's Village just after dinner. Jaden was playing in the sand, charming all the young ladies and admiring dogs having a shower. I don't think he enjoyed the sunset nearly as much as Tyson, Linda, Don and myself.
Jaden in a towel was taken on our last day, after his first water slide. He accidently went under for a moment after a trip down, came up sputtering and exclaiming "more slide now". His expression on the way down the slide was truly a mix of sheer terror and pure pleasure. Clearly he is a water child!

Want My Monster Truck

Well, I can scarecely believe two months have passed since my last update. My how time flies. A quick update and then some pictures soon, I promise.

The highlight of the last couple of months has definitely been Linda and Don's visit - a stay with us and then a big trip to Maui. Jaden had a blast with "Nana and Papa Don". The Maui trip will have a post of its own (I promise!!)

In other news, we had Jaden's hearing tested in April, followed up by a speech evaluataion in late May. We were getting concerned with his speech development, and so the doctor recommended this course of action. Needless to say, the minute we started making appointments Jaden's speech became clearer and clearer. The trouble was never a lack for words, only difficulty in understanding him. Now he's a little chatterbox, constantly saying "I don't want to", or "want some milk...now". Oh well, manners next I guess (though he does say please and thank you, I guess he's found 'now' much more effective).

Caramel Apples and Rain

Well, it seems as though my blog has gone from weekly updates to monthly. Not sure how that happened except to say that everything seems really busy over the last few months. I'm not sure how I was fitting it all in before, but I'm sure it's just re-establishing a routine.

At any rate, the last month has not really marked anything new in our family. The highlights of the month, at least in my mind are in the title.
Yesterday and today marked the first sunny days we've had in nearly a month and a half (oh wait, it did rain today). I'm starting to wonder where the arc is and if there's room for me, Tyson and Jaden. We got to the park yesterday for the first time in over a month.

The other highlight mentioned is caramel apples - we made some over this past weekend and it was hilarious. I have a picture I'll post that I'm sure everyone will enjoy. Jaden loved the apples, and we were all a mess by the time it was all said and done. Thankfully it was right before Jaden's bath time.

Some More Pictures

Well, the pictures are not as easy to get up in the order I'd like....but I'm sure you can figure out what's what. At any rate, here are some more.

Birthday Pictures

It's going to take a couple of postings to get all these pictures in, but here are some from Jaden's birthday at Build-A-Bear, and the zoo.

Winnipeg Pictures

There are so many to choose from I don't know where to start. Five per posting is the limit, so here's a few on this one. While looking through his birthday pictures, I realized I needed to thank "Uncle Nut" for teaching Jaden "Birthday Cake Now". He uses that often. . . that and "banana cream pie" - I guess that thanks goes to my mom.

February - A Recap

So much has happened in February, I suppose a recap is in order.

The biggest news of February would have to be our trip to Winnipeg. Jaden and I went to visit for two very short weeks in early to mid-February. Some may consider us crazy for travelling from Hawaii to Winnipeg in the middle of a Canadian winter . . . I like to think we live dangerously. Jaden did very well on the flights, especially considering he sat on my lap the whole way home. Really he was only upset when his sleep was disturbed (and who wouldn't be upset?).

Our arrival in Winnipeg was on a relatively warm afternoon (for Winnipeg). I was amazed how little I actually felt the cold, considering where we were travelling from.
We did so much in Winnipeg, it's hard to remember it all. Shelley arrived a few days after Jaden and I and it was so great to see her. We went skating, shopping, had birthday party for Jaden, my mom and me. I visited with as many of my friends as I could possibly see. Of course, I didn't have nearly enough time and left wishing for one more week, but I probably could have stayed for months and felt the same way.

The week we arrived home, Jaden celebrated his second birthday. We celebrated that in Winnipeg with a Gilchrist-style family bash, but here in Honolulu it was slightly more low key. On the day proper, Tyson took off early from work and the three of us went to Ala Moana Shopping Center to the Build a Bear Workshop. Jaden chose to make a giraffe that we named "Bartleby". We went to a restaurant called Ruby Tuesday's for dinner, came home and had a homemade birthday cake and opened up some presents. On Saturday we gave Jaden a choice, to go to the zoo or aquarium. For the next hour and a half all we heard was "mamumahs...mamumahs...". It was like some kind of mantra that peaked in intensity in the car on the way to the zoo. Maybe we shouldn't have given him the choice until we were closer to either destination? He definitely loved the zoo. For dinner we went to Chuck E Cheese's - my first experience there. It was bedlam - Jaden grew to love it. He especially loved the singing stuffed animals and the car slide that was too old for him. We didn't last too long there, far too crazy. So really, Jaden got to celebrate his birthday three times. Not too shabby.

Tyson this weekend is in Florida for his cousin Ryan's wedding. I just talked with him, he had a great time and the wedding was beautiful. I can't wait to see the pictures. I also can't wait to have him home so I can take a break! But I'll write more about that in a different post. I'll also post some pictures from Winnipeg and Jaden's birthday.

Stay Tuned!!!

January Over?!?

Jaden and I just got in from a tricycle ride...I wonder who got more exercise - me pushing or Jaden pretending to pedal? Either way it was a lot of fun and now Jaden is tired out.
The month has breezed by, a few trips to the beach, the mall and the grocery store are the highlights of January....
Jaden is doing very well in daycare, he seems to like "Auntie Rosie" and Haylie. He doesn't cry anymore and apparently is very happy during his day. He runs to meet me when I go to pick him up, but always seems content. What a relief.
The latest craze in the McCann household is Thomas the Tank Engine, although the garbage truck is still very much a contender.

I'll try to post a few more pictures this weekend.

Cheers!

In Loving Memory

Christmas this year was bittersweet. With the passing of Tyson's dad on the 22nd of December, we decided to celebrate the day anyway knowing that is what he would have wanted. It was a nice day all things considered, and having Jaden was a blessing. Here are some pictures of our day together. Jaden really got the hang of Santa Claus and opening gifts, though it did take several hours (with a breakfast break in the middle) to get it all opened up.

More Pictures

To put you in the festive mood . . .

Jaden seems to LOVE hamming it up. At the "community Christmas party" he really enjoyed wearing his Elmo hat, in fact he wore it for the next few days after.

Tick Tock . . . The Countdown Begins

Aloha! I know I haven't updated in a long while, it seems as though the closer one gets to Christmas, the shorter the days become. I've had so many pictures to put up, from Maui, from the community Christmas party and day to day Jaden stuff and haven't done any of it in a long while. Well, tonight is the night. :)

First of all, we're almost ready for Christmas, just a couple of last minute items to get. It's going to be strange to be away from snow, and it scarcely feels like December. Living here can be very deceptive time-wise, it always feels like summer so it's hard to notice time passing.

Our visit from Linda and Skip was great, and I think everyone had a good time. Maui was excellent, nice to get away for a few days, and it was beautiful. I think we've told everyone by now about our trip, so I won't elaborate. Sufficed to say, it was a break much needed.

Enjoy the pictures!

Love,
Melissa

Ahhh, a Thunderstorm - In December??

Jaden is napping at the moment, and I am getting things ready for dinner, but had to update that right at this moment there is a thunderstorm. (Naturally while Jaden is asleep.) Kind of weird there's thunder in December instead of a blizzard, but even more I didn't know they even had thunder here. Best kept secret of Hawai??

Speaking of snow, yesterday we took Jaden to a free kids' Christmas event, and they had "real" snow in the parking lot for kids to play in. People waited in line for a chance to play in snow for five minutes. Strange indeed. I couldn't help but think of everyone who at this time of year might wait in line a lot longer to be rid of snow for five minutes. :)

November Pictures - A Catch Up Session

Aloha! Just a few pictures of Jaden, Tyson and I taken in November. Lots to catch up on of course, but thought these would be a nice way to start.

Family Portrait

Here's a picture of us from Halloween I forgot to put in. In case you didn't recognize him, Jaden's the one with the moustache and beard!!

Diamond Head

The weekend overall was somewhat uneventful, though relaxing and enjoyable. We did however have a great trek on Sunday and hiked Diamond Head - a large volcanic crater. The hike is a perpertual incline to the top where there is an amazing lookout worthy of all the hard work to get up there (which really wasn't all that bad). Except for the crowds, this was a great hike.

Tyson had many sympathetic looks since he was carrying Jaden in our new baby backpack (not an easy task, I agree!). We all three of us made it, though Jaden perhaps had it best. I wonder if they make those backpacks wife-sized? Hmm, worth looking into.

There were so many people at the top that is was crowded and felt very cramped. Everyone was snapping pictures and we were constantly in the way. The plus side however was that there were plenty of people who were willing to take our pictures together - a rare treat for us. One Japanese woman even asked to have her picture taken with Jaden despite the fact that Jaden wanted no part of that.

The last picture I've included this week was Jaden eating a peanut butter cup shortly after Halloween. Pure contentment and a whole lotta mess. He hasn't had another one since, I think he likes them a bit too much!!

Christmas Shopping and Surfing Don't Mix...

I cannot believe it. Christmas shopping season is upon us again! How did this happen? Only this morning, I was watching the surfers at the beach and this afternoon I'm in a panic about getting shopping done in time to send off to everyone. Weird.

I've realized in the last week or two that living in Hawaii is really like living in a foreign land. I work with people from all over the US and other countries - most have been in Hawaii for a couple years or more and they all have the lingo downpat. In a typical day, I have to ask what something is at LEAST two or three times. For instance, Veronica was talking with someone about going out for Puupuu's. In fact, for ono puupuus. What is that I asked? Puupuus are appetizers, and ono means delicious. Now, keep in mind Veronica is from Texas. Very strange indeed. A couple days later, Marvin (from Napa, California) was talking about menehunes with Sharmaine ( a Hawaiian). What's that I asked? Menehunes are spirits, like leprechauns maybe. It's not that the language is strange, it's that it becomes a part of your daily vocabulary, very insidious indeed. I look forward to the day Tyson and I decide to go out for some ono puupuus.

I've recently joined a French club. More for the social aspect, but also because I've spent so many years learning French, I'd hate to forget it all. I've been to two meetings, it's quite the cross-section of people and I really enjoy it. In the next couple of weeks we are getting together to watch a French film.

In still other news, Jaden is taking an interest in his numbers and letters. He especially loves the number 5 and the letter W. We have fridge magnets that we use to make words and Jaden plays with them every day. He's also really into storybooks. We have a whole bunch of Mercer Mayer books (I remembered reading those to my oldest neice when she was young), and Jaden loves them all. I can hardly wait until he's old enough for Robert Munsch and one of my absolute favourite storybooks "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No Good Very Bad Day" (my favourite being The Three Billy Goats Gruff, that I still have a copy of).

Well, I'll try to get some more pictures up, I have some really cute ones!