Halloween

Reid was super excited about Halloween this year.  He went round and round about what to be for the holiday.  When I saw how excited he was about dressing up (finally...after years of not wanting to), I introduced him to some of the goodies in our dress up closet.  His first outfit was, um, interesting.  Quite a colorful fellow.  And this was after he'd removed a furry women's top and belt with gun holsters.

Thankfully, he fell in love with a blue ninja costume at Wal-Mart!  Cheap, perfect, and he looooved it.  Unlike other dress up outfits, he actually got to wear it three times, too!  We had storybook dress up day at school, the church Fall festival, and then trick-or-treating.  And perfectly enough, there was a baby ninja outfit he found for Carter.  Perfect!  Aunt Kristen stayed with us the evening of the Fall Festival at Stonebriar.  We met up at Macaroni Grill for dinner before braving the crowded church.  It was raining, so everything had been moved indoors.  The lines were so long that we didn't get to do a whole lot (plus it was past bedtime), but it was fun nonetheless.

The next day, this little guy was in on the action this year.  He rode a lotof the way in the stroller, but also enjoyed getting out to walk and run with big bro.

Blue Ninja and Baby Ninja were ready for showtime!

Squirrel...  Someone got sidetracked with mini pumpkins...

...and then this was probably the last time Reid actually held his ninja swords, which became Carter's favorite thing to drag around.  We enjoyed trick-or-treating so much that I never took anymore pictures!  Jason and I met several new families who either lived here currently or are building.  We met so many people, and everyone was friendly, nice, and normal.  Total opposite of last year!  It was this very weekend last year, when we turned back into Craig Ranch (our old neighborhood...the one that made national news for the racial issues at a pool party) and decided we needed to move our family. 

They made quite a haul and excitedly played with it for days.

A day or two later, this little candy monster got very quiet in the pantry, his favorite place to play and rearrange.  He had been sorting the candy, inspecting each piece, and babbling about them.  I was cooking dinner and suddenly noticed it was awfully quiet.  Little stinker had found a chocolate eyeball and was chewing it, aluminum wrapper and all!  I went through all the candy and picked out anything that could be a temptation or choking hazard...but then I looked up a few minutes later and he'd found another!!  After that, the candy stayed on a high shelf and he would just scream for it, "THIS!!  THIS!!"

Carter had been our healthy eater, but once he discovered candy, he's been hooked.  When asked if he would like a piece of candy, he'll even do a dance.  We were laughing so hard the first time that I didn't get to my phone in time, but this one gives you the gist of it.

Back to School

It was official (and a wee bit eerie) in May...  I was going to have a Bennett kindergartener for the 2015-2016 school year!!  We giggled one morning after I'd turned in the paperwork and walked out of the office in a daze.  So my AP and Nurse Sherri insisted we take a picture, compliments of our Principal.

It was a crazy, busy, fun summer that absolutely flew by.  I still don't have any idea where it went!!  But it is what it is...and August arrived all too soon.  Reid enjoyed two weeks at Holli's while I was in staff development, playing with Carter and all the kids.  She got a fabulous picture of them one day.

 

Jason brought Reid to Kindergarten Screener one day...and that was the first official "oh-my-goodness-my-kid-is-going-to-be-with-me-this-year!!" moment.  It has been strange and fun being teacher and Mommy simultaneously.  One thing we do every year during staff development is a huge teacher pep rally, for lack of anything else better to compare it with.  Convocation is off campus at Prestonwood, a huge Baptist church far away from our school in Plano.  We have to carpool there and it's quite a beating because it's on a Friday afternoon, with terrible traffic on the way back.  But this year, I was so refreshed after hearing our speaker. 

 

 Um, yeah.  That was really him.  And he was hilarious!  But the best thing was that Dr. Adolph Brown is an amazing, faith-driven man with quite a story.  He dares to put little snippets in here and there about his faith.  I noticed Bible verses woven in here and there, which I'm sure went over the majority of the audience's heads, but how refreshing!!  Check him out if you have a chance. 

 

 Jason flew to New Orleans that day for his friends' annual fantasy football draft, so it was just the boys and me for the weekend.  Reid had been begging for someone to sleep with him, so I promised him I would.  Reality hit me that I really didn't want to sleep in his bed and get kicked in the face or back all night, so I let him sleep in our bed.  Ahhh...temprapedic king sized mattress--THE way to do it!  Reid did great and seeing this face made it all worth it for sure.  Notice all his friends...T, caterpillar, new caterpillar, lil' turty (turtle)...

The following Friday was Bennett Blastoff, our version of Meet the Teacher night.  The families come and bring students and their supplies to meet their teacher, see the classroom, etc.  I knew it would be absolute chaos and Jason would have Carter with him, too, so they came early.  I had to take advantage of the photo op, even if my new kindergartener wasn't too excited about pictures.

He was all goofy smiles meeting Mrs. Ray, who teaches across the hall from me.  Notice the shoe?  I'm not even sure how he managed to do that.  And yes, this was the best pic I could get.

I also have Stacey Ray's daughter, Hailey, in my class this year.  It has worked out perfectly because Stacey and I have compared them for years with "does Hailey do this??" and "glad Reid isn't the only one" stories.  We teachers had to create a Twitter account and tweet things this year, so what cuter kids than our own??  :)

Day one arrived.  Jason dropped off Carter at Holli's, then brought Reid to school so I would have time to get my room just right and breathe before the masses descended on the kinder pod.  My little kindergartener looked pretty darn adorable, if I do say so myself!

Still couldn't get a very good picture with them, but it's a memory.  That first day was really odd, almost like a dream.  I'd be in total teacher mode and look across the hall and there was Reid!  I can't imagine it any other way.  Don't get me wrong--Reid is still the immature follower who karate chopped Mrs. Douglas in the hall when he was aiming for his friend (because apparently, planning to karate chopping a friend in the hall isn't nearly as bad as a teacher?!) and I'm ready to wring his neck, but how fun it is to see kindergarten from your own child's point of view!  It's fun and trying to be a teacher mommy, but I would have it no other way.  I'm thankful Reid is a Bennett Bear this year!

To celebrate a successful first week (or in my case, surviving the first week!), we made a slush run to Sonic.  I nearly didn't get my mint slush back from this little sweet tooth.  Apparently we have another Sonic lover in the family.

Summer Cousin Fun

What fun would summer be if you didn't get to hang out with your cousins??  Laura and the boys got to come see our house before school started back up and we had to take full advantage of our new community's amenities.  The boys loved the playground (which I always thought was ridiculous and weird because it's very odd and quirky...and not at all friendly for little ones, but the big boys thought it was great)!  We enjoyed a couple of hikes before it was too blisteringly hot.  They even found a tree to climb.  We chased frogs, caught minnows, hunted grasshoppers, and picked sunflowers.

Everyone would have a little quiet time with movies, devices, or naps.  Then it was round two!  It was so hot that we had to nix any additional outdoor activities except for the pool.  It was hard to get a picture, but Laura managed to snap a super cute one...and everyone was actually looking!  Reid is such a follower that we'd had a long talk before getting in the water about how he can't swim independently quite yet (although he insisted he could) and since I have to be right next to Carter, Reid had to stay on the steps or wear the puddle jumper.  In one ear and out the other, I guess, because it wasn't five minutes before he took off after Alex (who can swim independently) and scared himself to death.  Needless to say, he had to wear the hated puddle jumper the rest of our time at the pool, no matter how much he complained.

We somehow managed to squish everyone into the car for trips to other places.  I loved this picture of all of them!

Evenings were full of playing outside, scarfing down some dinner (Carter loved eating with all the big boys), showers/baths, and storytime.  Then we adults looked forward to some yummy meals or take out, since Papa John's is still the only place that delivers here.  In usual sleepover fashion, it takes some separating and warnings of "go to sleep!" before any boys would snooze.  It was wonderful and a teensy bit sad that Ben shared Laura's room.  It means he's getting older, but how wonderful that he wanted to read for hours before going to sleep.  And let's face it...he'd never be able to read with Reid and Alex ganging up on him, lol!!

We snuck in a very quick trip down to Laura's house, too, or Reid wouldn't have ever let me hear the end of it.  He got to join them on their last day of VBS at their church.  I was a little bit surprised that he was so timid about going into the classroom and hope he hasn't inherited my social anxiety!  He ended up loving it, of course.  That day allowed Laura, Carter, and me to make my first trip to Torchy's Tacos...mmm!  Oddly enough, we ran into a friend's wife who had just returned from living in France for several years.  Her son and Carter are just a few days apart.  Small world!

It was a short, but fun trip.  I happened to check on the boys one night and managed to snap a picture of this cuteness...Alex was reading to Reid.  It's amazing that they're all growing up so much.

But the funniest thing?  Carter couldn't get enough of Casey's cage.  I literally couldn't keep him out of it!  Poor Casey was probably super excited to get rid of us so she could have it all to herself again.

I'm so glad my sister is state side and that we can enjoy time with our boys.  There's never a dull moment with four of them!  And how wonderful to spend time with her.  God knew what He was doing when he created the sibling bond :)

Maui

We had planned to take a ten year anniversary trip to Hawaii for some time.  It finally came around to that time and Jason and I decided to pick the islands, the time frame, and booked our vacation house after much deliberating.  Then, God laughed and we became pregnant with Carter after three long years of trying.  After all, He does indeed know the best timing ;)   I didn't feel comfortable leaving a four month old for the amount of time we were planning to stay on the islands (after all, for most folks it's a once in a lifetime trip, so you want to make sure you're there long enough!), so Jason talked with the house owner and we were able to procure the same amazing place for the same week the following year for the current market price.

Couldn't have asked for better timing...  We closed on the old house, lived in the hotel, moved into the new house, finished the school year, and BAM!  Time for a very much needed vacation!  I drove the kids down to Conroe so the grandparents would have a car (carseats already installed) and see the routine, then I had planned on flying back the next day.  What we didn't plan on was Tropical Storm Bill.  Unlucky me, they canceled my flight, delayed the next flight (then canceled, after I'd run across several terminals at IAH), and about then we gave up.  Plan B.  Big kisses to my dad for coming back to the airport to get me.  I felt horrible that it basically took up his entire day, but it was fun to have some treasured Dad time in the car as he drove me more than halfway back to Dallas.  In the meantime, to add to our fantastic "luck," Jason blew out a tire before even leaving Prosper/Frisco and had to get that replaced before meeting us to get me.

BUT we made it...  I managed to pack and make it to bed around midnight.  Steven was sweet enough to pick us up (we joked that he was our Uber driver) and drop us at the airport early the next morning and TS Bill didn't delay anything at DFW this time.  Happy couple, on the plane and ready to celebrate 11 years of marriage!!

The flight was wonderful and we ate, drank, watched movies, and napped.  Times like this seriously make me wonder what on Earth I did with all that time before we had kids and had to be "on" 24/7.  We arrived in Maui with no issues, shockingly not even a lost bag.  We grabbed our rental convertible and headed down the Hana Road.  Waterfall #1!  You definitely don't see these in Texas!!

We enjoyed the sights and continued on.  The timing was actually really great and we missed the early morning rush and the afternoon rush of folks headed back toward the airport area.

We'd eaten well on the plane and the time difference probably confused our tummies anyway, but from the guide book and reviews we'd read, it sounded like things close on 'Hawaii time' (translation: whenever they feel like it).  We began to worry that we may not end up eating dinner because we'd passed most of the places that might have meals, yet wouldn't reach Hana until places might be closed for the evening.  But we happened upon a little hippie grotto with several food trucks/impromptu restaurants that have seemingly been there for years.  It was hard to decide what to eat because it all sounded good... Thai, seafood, fruit...  A delicious, unexpected stop!

At the end of the day's journey, we were disappointed to find that our rental was pretty much a dump.  They were renovating the downstairs unit and we were staying in the upstairs.  Good enough for two nights, even w/o air conditioning (once it cooled down a bit).  The view was great and we enjoyed a rocky walk out on the "beach" our first night.

The condo/house had tons of potential and I'm sure it will fetch top dollar for its location once it's updated.  We had interesting chats with the two construction guys, one Lithuanian and one from the state of Georgia.  The Georgian gave us some lilikoi (passion fruit) off of a tree in the back...one of the weirdest fruits I've tasted in my life. I have to say...this place has a nice view!

We woke up early to try and catch a sunrise.  Even though we couldn't see the actual sun, it was an adventurous little hike and still beautiful.

Off to hike to the Haleakala Falls and the Seven Sacred Pools.  I couldn't resist climbing a huge banyan tree to get a picture for Reid.

 Bridge over the river, in the middle of the bamboo forest

The falls were breathtaking!  Amazingly, because it was so early, we didn't pass a single hiker until we were more than halfway back down the trail (and it was a long trail!!).  That made it all the more majestic.

Back at the bottom, a lot more folks were milling around the pools.  The parking lot was now pretty full (unlike when we'd arrived...first ones!) and it was nice to have a mid morning snack as we admired the view.  I even found and cracked open my own coconut, which was quite delish!

It was great to stay in Hana because we could drive up and down the coast as we pleased, without having to worry about the rush of getting back before it was dark on that crazy road.  Some other sights we enjoyed...  A red sand beach, where we noticed a little food place we'd seen signs for that is only open on Thursdays.  Boy, were we glad we stopped for lunch--delicious and reasonable Thai-type food!  Apparently it's very popular and once he runs out of something, that's it. 

We hiked several other places and saw more beautiful sights.  There wasn't much down time because we wanted to see everything!

At the black sand beaches, there are also sea caves.  We weren't brave enough to swim in them, but it was fun to watch others jump in.

On our last evening, we went in search of a very elusive red sand beach.  The trail head to get there was hard to find, but we finally managed to make it there.  This was a steep, trecherous, gravelly trail and we saw several groups turn back. 

 It was well worth it... gorgeous!  There were only a few people there, including a nude hippie couple with their baby.  Interesting.  Amazingly, of all the places on Maui, this remote spot was the one place we could get a cell phone signal, so we called to chat with my folks and Reid as waves crashed in the background.  It was good fish watching, too.  I'm not sure how those little guys don't get crushed with the waves and rocks, but God takes care of even them.

On our final morning in Hana, we tried to watch the sunrise back at the Seven Sacred Pools.  The cliffs kind of blocked it, but it was amazing being the only people there.

Instead of backtracking to the other side of Maui, we decided to take the Hana Road all the way around the island.  Not for the faint of heart!

But despite the sheer cliffs (with broken guard rails), unpaved portions, and dangerous blind curves, it was well worth it.  This beautiful little church was amazing.  Our car (a convertible Camaro) very nearly didn't make it down the rocky, pothole ridden "road" and we were quite scared that we'd ripped open the bottom of the car, but it was too late to go back.  We were also very concerned we wouldn't get back up the road since it was semi slick with morning dew.  But Someone was watching out for us!

We saw all sorts of wildlife on the arid side of the island.  These cows refused to move off of the road.  The main bull stared us down as we inched forward and we were a bit afraid he might ram the car...

It was amazing to see how different one island can be... From rainforest on one side to near desert conditions on the other.

 Back into some more tropical area, then into the uplands as we drove into a cloud.  It was very chilly!  We explored the beautiful Ali'i Kula lavender farm (more like a botanical garden, almost) and as the clouds down below began to burn off, the view became even more spectacular.

I have never, ever seen some of the trees and plants we looked at, like this crazy upside-down looking tree!

We also stopped at a tiny winery, Ulupalakua Vineyards, along the way. We did a small tasting and nearly missed the most notable wine...their pineapple wine.  Sounds gross, right?  Wrong!  It was the most delicious of the group (and their most popular) and we bought a bottle to enjoy on our last night in Hawaii.

 Back to Paia, where we'd begun our journey a few days before.  Several people had raved about Mama's Fish House as being the best meal of their life, and we found out they had a little inn on site, too.  We literally booked our reservations for the meal an entire year in advance!  I wasn't expecting too much of the inn, but it was perfect.  Clean, beautiful, within walking distance...complete with a set of happy anniversary swans.

We enjoyed the air conditioning, then headed out to explore the little town.  It was a quaint, quirky place.  Lots of hippies and tourists.  We did have our first sea turtle sighting.

But we were most excited to get back to our little bungalow to freshen up and enjoy our 10th anniversary (a year late!) dinner at Mama's Fish House.

We had a huge, circular booth all to ourselves.  It was a nice view...we'd just hoped for a spot near the edge so we could see the sunset.  But the booth was nice and the atmosphere great.  Too bad we couldn't say the same for our very lazy server.  Not sure how she'd made it at this top notch place because all the other servers were fabulous.

We had to enjoy the iconic mai tai.  Yum!

Dinner was scrumptious and they even had a personalized card to wish us a happy 10th anniversary, complete with yummy dessert.  We enjoyed walking around the grounds afterward, barefoot in the sand and enjoying the view via torch light and moon.

 The next morning, it was time to island hop to our main destination of Kauai.  Goodbye, Maui!  God outdid himself with your beauty and we hope to return someday.