Aloha Love

This is a rather delayed post from our summer trip to Maui. Yes, we're back to the island of beauty, love and heartaches. I feel as though this place grows with me, yet remains the same. This solidarity is comforting, because I am usually the one that has changed each time.

My first time to Maui was with my family when I was at the sweet age of sixteen. I clearly remember thinking, "this is what paradise must look like." Never had I seen clouds so fluffy white and meringue-like. The shadows they casted on the lush mountains as we were driving were stunning. The glassy ocean, with its jewel-like tones of blues, turquoise and aqua were the most breathtaking part of this island. My fondest memory was when my dad would make random stops and pull over to the side of the road for us to jump into the ocean and go snorkeling.

The second time was on our honeymoon as we dove into the depths of marriage full speed with excitement, anticipation, totally in love and with just a little bit of naiveté (okay, maybe a lot). During this trip, every song on the radio became "our" song. We didn't do much but lounge around as newlyweds do, sipping Blue Hawaiians and swinging the night away in hammocks.

The trip after was bittersweet. It was our fourth year of marriage, and the most difficult. Things unraveled while we were on this beautiful island, and I remember expressing to the Hubby at the top of The Road to Hana, the irony of the beauty around us versus what was going on within our souls. It pained me to think that the previous time we were in Maui was when we were hopelessly "in love." What a contrast that was to where we were at the time. We were fighting hard, but feeling as though we were losing. However, we tried to make the best of our time there, but it became the start of a challenging journey ahead.

With that said, our most recent trip was what the Hubby called a redemptive one. It was our first time with our little one, and being in a much better place than we were previously, we wanted to recreate new memories. Though we had painful memories to remember, they were important in shaping where our marriage is today. Marriage doesn't run on auto-pilot, and it constantly humbles us to think that we could always return to that state. But by God's grace and redemption, he has brought us out of the darkness and back into the light. Our journey back on this island was a reflection of just that. As imperfect as we still are, we are reminded of how blessed we are to have a God to walk with us and teach us how to love. And if it weren't for that, our precious little one wouldn't be here today (just a small perk).

Here we are as honeymooners, circa 2007. Oh to be young again. : )

Finding Autumn

 Autumn is my most favorite season. It always feels like a fresh start and prelude to all the holiday festivities that end the year. Living in sunny Southern California (aka: the desert), we don't get to experience it the way most people do. I'm always envious of New Yorkers during this season, and to quote my Hubby's favorite movie, You've Got Mail: 

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms." - Joe Fox 

 My remedy this year was to go find Autumn for ourselves by taking a family day trip to the Oak Glen apple orchards. This quaint little area full of Fall-worthy trees is tucked away in the hills, offering cooler weather and a slight countryside feel. Going apple picking is rather nostalgic for me. I had fond memories as a child, visiting the apple orchards in Northern California. I wanted our little family to share in a similar experience.

We packed our lunch and had a picnic on the benches near Riley's Apple Farm. The weather was beautiful - sunny, but with a cool breeze. It was nice to escape the October heat back home. Unfortunately, as much as we were looking forward to picking apples, apple season had ended early this year, and they told us there were no apples to "pick." So instead, we walked around some orchards we found across the parking lot, and even spotted several apples which I may or may not have picked...

Still drooling over the mini cider donuts found at Snow-Line apple orchards!

We also visited Oak Tree Village (their little downtown), where we were greeted by peacocks! By 5, most of the stores were already closed, especially for a weekday. The place was a bit of a ghost town by then, I guess we'll just have to come back and visit! 

On the way home, we stopped by my old college town for dinner at The Salted Pig. I was quite impressed with this gastropub (yes, we are unfit parents). Their filthy fries and jalapeno burger were pretty tasty, as well as their pork belly sandwich. If only this place existed when I was still attending college, it would've been a Freshmen 25 rather than 15.

The day ended much too quickly, but as always, we have photo memories to look back upon!

Ahoy mateys!

We threw a Sailor-themed 1st belated birthday party for the little guy, with a group of people who have played a special part in the early months of his life. How strange it is to think that over a couple years ago, he never existed in our lives. It almost feels as though he has been a part of our little family this whole entire time. Life felt tremendously different before him-- I was different, our lives were different. It's incredible to see how much a little person can change the way you live and view life in general.

Much of the decor used for his party were things I found lying around the house. I tried to be resourceful by tweaking old decorations in order to fit the theme. Simplicity seems to be of the theme of my life these days. Pinterest also sparked some ideas such as hanging baby's onesies on a clothing line to use as a banner across the room. My version involved hanging some of his sailor-inspired outfits from birth-now. The rest involved construction paper and good ole Elmer's glue!

Bebe J was such a trooper and partied until his eyes grew heavy as it was way past his bedtime. I'm sure he didn't know this was exactly a party for him, as he was overwhelmed with all the extra attention (which did involve a "minor" meltdown). I guess first birthday parties are more for the memories down the road, and we made sure to take a ton of photos for him to "remember," so that he can thank us later ; )

Happy 1st Birthday, Bebe!

This past Monday marked our little one's 1st official birthday. It really feels like a few months ago when we first laid eyes on him - since then our lives have been forever changed. Change never comes easy, and Motherhood has been the most challenging life experience for me thus far. There are days when I end my day staring at the computer screen in exhaustion, too tired (or lazy) to head to bed early. When bebe is sleeping, I rejoice in my freedom, but at the same time I have this crazy urge that misses him. Most of the time, I put it upon myself to try and be an idealistic Mother and Housewife while I am given this "luxury" to stay at home. Society tends to frown upon moms that stay at home, expecting them to be watching dramas all day. If only that was my life, but I've never enjoyed watching dramas anyhow. 

Between running errands, cleaning, cooking and feeding my three babies (Bebe, Daddy and Dogie), the days go by surprisingly quickly. It reminds me that though the day may seem mundane at the moment, it's the mundane that we tend to forget. And one day, our little one won't be so little anymore, nor will he want me to hold him closely to sleep. As I look back on how quickly the year has gone by, the Lord reminds me to be thankful for all the little things that may seem insignificant: teething, outgrown clothing, dirty diapers, food stuck in the high chair - these are all reminders that our little one is growing heathily. It's so easy for me to overlook these things and focus on the challenges at hand. How often do I forget that there was a time when we thought we would never be able to have any children. For this, I need to remember to count my blessings daily...

But of course there are also many rewards that come with being a Mommy, little signs of grace that remind me I'm doing something right: The first time he cried Mum-Mum, or when he plants lip smacks (he doesn't quite know how to actually kiss just yet) on my face when I lay on the ground next to him, or claps his hands in the silly way that he does when I sing him a song. These are the moments I hope to never forget and sometimes wish I could hit a pause button.

I've also come to notice that the world tends to open up around children. Strangers will often stop and smile or make friendly conversation. It's truly amazing how opportunities to connect with others arise when you have a child in tote. It has been our prayer that our little one would be a light onto this dark world, and it brings me so much joy to see that happen even in his young age.

So to celebrate our gappy-toothed bugger, we kept the day relatively low-key by sharing in a meal at home. I found a healthy (minus the frosting) "smash cake" recipe online for Bebe to devour (more like pick at). Though the Hubby cringed at its appearance, our Bebe enjoyed every bit, cooing and kicking his little feet happily as he munched away.

To this day, he still despises hats- it'll be a work in progress.

Every baby is an angel whilst sleeping...