What Exactly Are We Looking For...

So Katie and I have been talking about getting some family hobbies.

Our criteria were:
It needed to be something we could do together.
It would be nice if it counted as exercise
It needed to be cheap (or free!)

With these things in mind Katie happened to catch a show on the Travel Channel that mentioned Geocaching. It met all of our criteria so we decided to give it a try. Katie found us some good starter caches and we set off with our GPS. We explained it to Liam by telling him we were on a treasure hunt...which is really what geocaching is.

We followed the coordinates to the first location and looked....and looked....and looked.

Geocaching is dumb.

We decided to try another location with some doubt as to the accuracy of our GPS and/or the coordinates we were using. At location #2 we found the cache at the exact coordinates so we knew that our GPS was accurate.

Geocaching is fun!

We went back to location #1 with a better idea of what we were looking for. Low and behold there it was. Full of confidence and new found excitement for wondering around in the toolie-wahs, we headed to location three which was billed as "Jacki's Toy Box." Sure enough this one was a box loaded with toys for the taking. We let Liam choose one and left one behind in trade.

All in all, it was a fun start to what could become a longtime family hobby.

These smiles are totally natural and not at all forced.

Grace is about to 'recalibrate' the GPS.

Idle Hands...

Katie and I have been working pretty much non-stop on the house here lately. Mostly painting, but we have also replaced all the interior doors and hardware. Lots of little projects so far, but now we have moved on to installing new countertops and backsplash in the kitchen. I never really thought about how vital the kitchen sink is until I could not use it. So now we are relegated to using the bathroom sinks for the immediate future.

What a hassle.

I just hope it all pays off come resale time.

Grace is an open mouth kisser...usually with tongue.

Grrr! That is olive oil on her head (to help with the cradle cap.)

Just resting his eyes.

Long Time No See...

Okay, it has been one year since I last updated this sad excuse for a blog. It started out that I was just really busy with the transition out of the Army, but the subsequent events and our proximity to the people who most often read the blog led to further procrastination. At one point I sat down to try and resurrect the blog but was at a loss. I decided that since I had waited this long, why not make it an even year?

So here, in brief, is the last year in review.

Katie’s birthday
Got out of the Army
Moved to Texas
Grace is born
Bought a house
5 year anniversary
Liam’s 2nd birthday
Started a new job
My birthday
Started a new business on the side
New side business becomes fulltime job
Various home remodeling projects…

I am sure there are things I forgot, but even so we have had quite the busy year. Katie has taken on a blog of her own,so the likelihood of quasi regular posting is much higher these days.

With that, I bid you welcome (if anyone actually comes to read it) and look forward to getting back in to the swing of things.

Here is the first video of Grace crawling.

Busy, busy, busy...

Since my last post we have had quite a month.

We spent three days, two nights on the Big Island checking out the rainforest, black sand beaches, and the volcano. We rented a house in the town of Volcano, HI. I must say that is the way to go. With six adults and a toddler it was much nicer and much cheaper than going for three hotel rooms. If any of you are planning a trip to the Big Island this is the place for you; Hawaii Volcano Vacations.

After our return to Oahu, we spent two nights in a Waikiki hotel; The Ilikai. It was very nice. Right on the edge of downtown, close to shopping and the beach. While there, Reese and I took a surfing lesson and were naturals. We will both be featured on the pro circuit in the very near future.

When we returned to the relative quiet of the North Shore, we continued our relentless sightseeing pace. Reese, James and I went on a shark dive. Pictures and video of the surfing and shark diving will be up in the next few days. We spent most of a day at one of the prettiest places on Oahu; The Waimea Valley Audubon Center. It is conservation site that is full of beautiful plants and is capped off with a waterfall fed pool that you can actually swim in.

We wrapped up the visit with a group trip to Pigtails and Crewcuts for Liam’s first real haircut. As the name implies, it is a barbershop set up for kids and really childish adults…I made a regular appointment for myself.

The various Campbells left and were replaced by Katie’s friend Shannon. This led to even more sightseeing for us. It turned out to be no big deal, as Shannon was quite independent. Since I had to return to work, she rented a car and set off on her own most days. Katie really enjoyed having her friend around and I know that Liam enjoyed the extra attention.

With about two weeks before my dad and step mom arrive we decided to take it easy and recover from all the going and going.

Nothing says restful like getting your wisdom teeth out…which is what I did no Monday. Good times.

My favorite picture.

Best shave ice on the island.

Shannon has a crush on Liam...can you tell?

Too cool for school.

First "real" haircut.

So grownup.

The endangered Hawaiian Sea Turtle.

Waimea Bay.

Waimea Falls.

We have him surrounded!

Good times at Waimea Valley.

Waikiki Beach.

This is the "Romanian orphanage" crib the hotel put in the room for Liam.

The Ala Wai harbor just outside our hotel room.

Honolulu as viewed from Diamond Head.

"Is this sand black?"

I am so white.

Puuloa black sand beach.

The Kilauea caldera.

Off to see the volcano.