Maui with bebes!

Just posting a few pictures from our trip to Maui and the Big Island.... this one of Tabor is typical of the entire trip. Hanging out on the beach or at the pool with Tabor very seriously filling and refilling buckets of sand. Took major distractions to get him to shift to food or nap or anything beyond the sand/bucket/water combo.

Had lots of fun playing with Tabor, down the slide at the pool, digging in the sand.....especially when gramma could 'sneak' him away from his Mommy and Daddy! For some reason an 18 month old thinks his parents are the best and only ones that should spend time with him!!

Emma on the other hand didn't have a clue about the sand but she did like the pool and finally is warming up to the camera. Gramma had some great early morning stroller walk/rides with one or the other bebe while everyone else tried to sleep in. Walking along the beach in Maui as the sun comes up....with a grandbebe in a stroller... not sure it gets much better than that.

After a week of goofing off at the pool and beach on Maui we headed to the Big Island. Say, who booked this flight? No wonder we couldn't get seat assignments. Total of 9 passengers with the pilots doing triple-plus duty as ticket agents, security, flight attendants and pilots....

Had our doubts at first that all our luggage would fit. Yes, that is just ours. Gotta love traveling with babies! That is not including the strollers (wouldn't have survived without those) and the car seats.

Kevin had a front row seat to the cock-pit - that is one of the pilots right in front of him.

View from our bed at Volcano Village Lodge.

Didn't get down to the actual active eruption - would've meant a long drive and hike in the rain so we didn't try it. But we did see this same smoke flume at night - Kevin got a great picture showing the glow. We stood and watched it in the howling wind and rain and pitch black darkness of the southern most tip of the U.S. I chose not to mess with my camera for some reason.

Hiked into this smaller crater.... lots of steam vents... that is a rainbow from the trail as we hiked down in the crater.

Model Trains and more!

Just a quick snap shot to show you that fall is in the air. I've been worried that things weren't going to start dropping leaves - staying green so long. Not that I am looking forward to winter but after the early October snow storm several years ago, when we had trees full of leaves one day and a yard full of downed tree limbs the next, I would really like the leaves to be turning and starting to fall before the snow. Isn't that the way the seasons work most places??

Danica and Tabor came over to see us in Bend last weekend. Tabor played and played with this ancient Fisher-Price barn. Most of time he is very serious and intent....




Make sure your sound is on.... you gotta hear the dorky gramasan on this clip and the yawning grampasan......oh and a few 'boohs' and jabbers from Tabor. You may wonder why the big deal about the white cow with brown spots - it wasn't until this last weekend that Tabor realized that not all cows are black or dark brown. We'd show him a white cow in a book - no reaction - a black cow he would booh/moo.

I can't seem to upload videos to the blog so here's a link to picasa:

https://picasaweb.google.com/soomuch2see/TaborAndCows#5664286231466037634

Just happened to be the weekend of the model train club open house.... Tabor really, reaallllly wanted to get in there and play of course.We hung around outside for quite awhile waiting our turn to ride one of the outdoor model trains. Yes, Tabor is saying choo-choo in this picture.

Watch the video if you don't believe me.

https://picasaweb.google.com/soomuch2see/Choochoo#5664282525100649570

Finally - all aboard!!






That is a real working model steam engine.

Just crossed the trestle and now we are waiting our turn - once the other trained passed we had to wait like a real train for the track to switch.


We actually went to an open house for this train club - mid 1990's - when they only had the indoor set up in a storage unit. Can't really remember the size of the indoor layout at that time but I think it has probably doubled with tons of great detail. Will have to make this a regular fall event!

Bebes!!

As usual I am reminded why I don't blog very often..... it seems to take forever to get the pictures uploaded and then I inadvertently cut one here and there and then have to try to reconstruct what I just undid.

Also, it seems to be getting harder to get pictures of the grandbabies as I am just too busy playing or otherwise snuggling with little Tabor or Emma. I have been doing a few video snippets with my regular camera but so far I haven't learned how to edit or upload anywhere....

We spent the weekend in Portland for Corey's birthday - and alas I did not get a single photo!! I am really slipping! We went to a water park that weekend and should have taken the camera but I didn't think it would be a good place to have a camera. Turns out a camera would have been fine; and we all had a blast!

Anyway this leaky hose a Boring was two weeks earlier.... Tabor definitely likes water, especially on a hot day! He loved the water park - needs swimming lessons though. Had no fear of stepping off into the pool.

When Tabor was not playing in the "sprinkler" at Boring we hung out in the sandbox..... So many trucks to choose from.....it was hard to sneak Tabor past the sand box between meetings at convention.

Serious business

Come on Dad, the trucks are just up the hill from here.

Last week made a quick run to Burley, Idaho to see Emma (and her Mommy and Daddy)
Unlike her cousin Tabor, the only way to get a smile or other decent look for the camera is to sneak up on her. The minute she sees the camera she looks away or frowns. Snuck this shot while she's sitting on my lap.

Bathing beauty..... she loves the water as well as Tabor. Which is good thing. Feeding her rice cereal is a very messy job and baths are very necessary - for the feeder sometimes as well as the feedee!

Hurry up gramasan, I know you want a good shot of this dress but I can't sit up any longer.

Way past everyone's bedtime but Emma was still awake (barely) when Daddy got home around 10 pm. and last chance for a family picture.....

REAALLY , REEAALYY looking forward to our family trip in December when we will be able to spend time with both grandbebes and their parents all at the same time. Just hope I get a few more pictures but who knows I just might be too busy playing in the kiddy pool.

Two Grandbabies in Two Weeks

Great fun! Two weekends ago we went camping with Tabor - his first! His mommy and daddy and friend Greg and Laura came along!
Tabor really likes hiking - usually had a stick in his hand to make his daddy go faster.

Took a short hike through old growth fir trees.

Our campsite was (almost) surrounded by rhododendrons
And, oh yes it rained. Quite a lot actually. As Danica put it - it was insane.....

Tabor loved playing in the tent, especially when we all piled in during the rain.

Some relatively dry moments, playing with logs and sticks and rocks.

So helpful that he was walking...... kept a bit dryer that way and could get from one fascinating log to another.

Even with all the things to see and do Tabor did stop once in awhile to let gramma and grampa get some snuggles in.

Two weeks after camping we had Shauna and Emma here - for a total of 5 nights!! Really missed having Kevin here but someone's gotta harvest the barley.

Great front pack - Emma spends a lot of time in it as she loves to stay close.

All that wanting to be held came in real handy for gramma and grampa - not sure we'd ever get tired of holding her.

Not sure what caught her eye here but in a daze.

Looking like a porcelain doll

And just hanging out looking cute!

Never too much of a good thing!

Is there such a thing as too many birthday parties for a sweet, adorable one year old boy?

Corey and Danice brought Tabor to see us this last weekend so Tabor could have one more birthday party (it was his third). He knew the drill and seemed to have fun!

Think he did have too much of a good thing - shortly after everyone left he got fussy and threw up his cake!! So much for gramasan's baking eh? Poor guy.

Fortunately he recovered quickly so he could get back to playing with his favorite - the old Fisher-Price farmer & tractor!

And patting (lightly pounding) on the glass coffee table that Danica had just demonstrated her great cleaning cloths on for me.

Last but not least 3 generations of Wilson boys celebrated Father's Day!

OK, OK, alright already! I know theses photos are long over-due, after all little Emma is 3+ weeks old now. If I had really been organized I would've made sure I had my blog access info packed with all the rest of the stuff we took to Idaho.

Even if I had my password, etc. not so sure I would've found the time to blog anyway - what with all the cooking and holding Emma and laundry and rocking Emma and grocery shopping and snuggling Emma and helping with the irrigation and kissing Emma.... did I mention changing diapers and cooing at Emma......

Needless to say this little lady is quite a sweety and it was quite the privilege to hang out with her (and her mommy and daddy) for two weeks.

Don't worry Tabor - you are the cutest grandson ever and I can't wait to see you!! You will feel so grown up after your little cousin!

A little less than a day old.

First evening home... before we returned to the hospital for more bili-lights.

Snug little bug in her hand-me-down basket. Her daddy (and her uncle Corey) slept in this basket.

If you haven't had enough of Emma then there are a few more pictures on my picasa site....

https://picasaweb.google.com/soomuch2see/Emma#