The Pups: A Day in the Life

I waited for ages for the bus yesterday so I passed some time looking through the photos on my phone. I have all of these photos of the pups that make me smile. They are so nutty and I just love them. Indulge me... :)

What happens when you leave the dogs in the car and run errands:

Mela will find any comfy spot and make herself at home:

As I said... even the laptop case qualifies I guess:

Cuddling:

Ikaika falling off the couch (but still got his pillow):

Mela scratching her belly:

Mela helping with laundry:

The pups helping Ray work:

Must have been a rough day:

Brother-pillow:

Naptime for all:

Mela the pillow hog:Ikaika making room for himself (under my desk as I work):

Weddings!

In the last few weeks we have attended a couple of very special weddings.


Alex & Mia

Mia has been BFFs with Ray's sister Lisa since high school and I also work with Alex at one of my clients, so we were very happy to share in their special day. They hired Ray as their photographer (which is why the photos are so amazing!) Here are a few of my personal favorites - check out Ray's smugmug for more.



Chris & Maria
Chris has been Ray's BFF since the age of 9 (some of you may recall the stand-up comedy routine, er, I mean best man speech he gave at our wedding!) He and Maria are good friends of ours and it was a very special weekend for us. Since the photographer was otherwise occupied, we have no pictures from their wedding, but here is a photo of the newlyweds on their honeymoon in Italy!

Just a Normal Weekend...

It is such a relief after 2 months of travel and weddings and packed weekends to have one relatively normal one to look forward to. This weekend we are attending a Care of Mother & Child class through our birth center, going to pick out and order a chair for the baby's room, going to the bank to (finally!) change my name on my accounts and consolidate our bank accounts and going to a play at Intersection - one of my art space clients. Oh, and probably going to pick out tile for the kitchen (my home reno moratorium didn't last very long).

A glimpse into the monotony these days: I have been sick - cold or flu, I guess. Not ridiculously sick, but when you are 31+ weeks pregnant and already not sleeping or breathing easy, adding a stuffy nose and achiness and sore throat and nausea and all of that can really take a lot out of you. I am hanging on and trying to take it easier than normal so this can pass quickly. Ray has been very busy at work for the last month or so - lots of deadlines and lots of working late. On a more fun note, he is also getting a new rear bumper for Fiona (the FJ), which he has been looking forward to for quite awhile (and saving his fun money for!) :) Ikaika has been a pain in the butt throwing up and peeing and pooing all over. I don't know if he is some kind of sick or in a wretched state because one of the neighborhood bitches is in heat... either way, we are both very very very sick of cleaning up after him. (And some first time parents dread diaper changes... I think we won't be fazed!) Mela is the same ever-hungry chunky monkey cuddlebug as always.

Our families have been having some big changes lately, too.

Basi had his first day of Kindergarten: and Joel & Karen bought (and moved) into a new house: Congrats all around!

Hawaii!

Late is better than never, right? :)

Our trip to Hawaii was amazing, of course, and I really enjoyed meeting more of Ray's family and hanging out with the ones I already knew. For those that don't know, most of Ray's mom's (known to me as Lala) family lives in Hawaii. Her sister, Auntie Fely, just retired after 38 YEARS of working as a housekeeper for the Sheraton Waikiki! It was like a big family reunion for that side and they definitely know how to throw a party (and feed a pregnant woman). Holy crap, I have never tasted such good mangos in my life - and I love mangos. I would eat so many mangoes and papayas and chicos (from trees in their yard, as it happens!) that I actually felt sick. I ate a lot of home-cooked, traditional Filipino food, which made Ray's dad very happy so that our son will know good food. :) Auntie Fely is an amazing cook and she spent a good amount of time telling me to eat or lie down. How can you complain about a vacation like that? Auntie Fely got us a room at her hotel for most of the trip - with a balcony overlooking the ocean and Waikiki Beach. Amazing. Uncie & Patty were also vacationing in Hawaii (with Patty's sister) and we got to overlap for a couple of days and hang out with them. Patty was about 3.5 months pregnant at the time and we got to compare notes which was fun. I will attach a bunch of pics - you know Ray took the good ones. :)

Sunset on the ocean (Ray was in the ocean when taken...):

Surfboards on Waikiki Beach:

Another rocky beach we came across driving around the island:

View from our hotel at night:

Strangers on a pier:

Roadside as we drive:

Surfers at the famous Pipeline surf spot:Shaved ice from Matsumoto's (no, they are not both for me):A rocky beach we found:

Prepping greens for dinner:
Auntie Fely's retirement party
The woman of the hour! Uncle Julio and Auntie Fely:
Ray's cousin's kids Kristen (Lani's daughter) and Sasha (Rachelle's daughter):Ray's cousin May (Fely's daughter) and Nathan (Lani's son):A hula performance:

An Argentine Tango performance by my in-laws:

The rest of the pics are on Ray's smugmug page.

Baby Halo-Halo's Crib

I have been meaning to post these pics for ages... the baby's crib is done! My dad did a beautiful job and I am looking forward to Baby Halo being the first of many to use our newest family heirloom. Check it out:The last picture shows the hope chest my dad made me 10 years ago, as well as the window seat he just made us a few months ago. He will be making a trip out here to bring all of our goodies probably once the baby is born. Yay!