Labor Day

What a nice holiday it was! Actually the entire weekend has been very relaxing, but today was an especially laid back day and we took advantage of having no obligations. We met Darin, Melissa and Alden at Kono's for breakfast and ate our meal on the secret deck right over the water (behind the windchime shop on the boardwalk).


Alden and Connor were perfect little gentlemen, nibbling on melon and muffins and stacking tupperware and sippy cups while we ate our breakfast. Both are on the brink of walking, holding on with one hand, but mostly just for balance.


After breakfast we moved down to the sand and ended up there for several hours playing with the kids, chatting and losing track of time because everyone was so happy. There were kites flying all around us, which kept the kids interested. Alden says "kiyyyte" and Connor says "ta".

Anpanman is still a fixture in our lives, six months after Japan:


Connor loves to share his toys:


Hello little beach kiddos!


The grown-ups had fun in the sand too:


The afternoon was just as relaxed with some fish burritos, time swinging and practicing walking at the park, and then picking up our CSA box of produce. It was so nice to be together with both my boys for the day, just enjoying time as a family.

Connor & Addie (and Lucy)

We spent this afternoon at the Dawson's, swimming, bbqing and eating slow cooked tri-tip sandwiches. Connor and Addie (12 months) had fun clowning around together, and as usual Connor was mesmerized with Lucy the beagle.


Leaning in to give Addie a kiss:


Kissing Lucy:

Connor's new "thing" is getting and giving kisses. If you ask for a kiss, he gets a very sweet look on his face, leans in and purses his lips, sometimes making contact with your cheek or lips, other times just getting very close. If I ask for a kiss and Dylan is nearby, he says "da" after he kisses me, because he wants to give Dylan one too. He makes sure to be fair and that everyone present gets one. He also started to walk holding just one of our hands, a major step in the process of learning to walk independently. At 17.5 months and pushing 30 lb, we think he will probably let go sometime soon!

Double Stout Float

When Dylan and I were in Oregon for our honeymoon in May 2006, we went to a bar in Portland at the end of the night on our last night there and saw a Guiness Float on the dessert menu. We were tempted to order, but after a nice dinner and several Portland micro brews, we were filled to capacity. The memory stuck with me, and I have always wondered what it would have been like to taste a Guiness Float.

Recently we discovered Green Flash Double Stout, and after a one taste we were hooked. Normally I'm more of a brown fan, and Dylan an IPA fan, but this stout is so tasty and rich with coffee and dark chocolate notes, we both think it's amazing. We tasted it first at dessert when Chelsea and Anthony were visiting, and we toyed with the idea then of adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but we were too full from the pork chop dinner. Several days later after a lighter dinner, we had our chance and made our first stout float. I thought it was a perfect marriage of bitter and sweet, but Dylan liked it less and ended up trading his in for a Coke float. At least we have finally satisfied our curiosity!