Birthday Celebrations

In addition to my own birthday, we celebrated two other friends' birthdays this month.

Last weekend we went to Kyla's 2nd birthday party. I ate an obscene amount of veggie straws and pizza. Then, we helped her break in her new sand and water table. What started out as two separate compartments of water and sand quickly became a giant container of wet sand. Good messy fun.

We also went to Caitlyn's 2nd birthday party at Gymboree. I had lots of fun going through the obstacle courses and riding the choo choo train log and again, eating pizza!

I'm TWO!

Happy 2nd Birthday to me!

On my birthday, we had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Urban Bistro. I ate lots of yummy mac n' cheese.

Then we went home and had some birthday cake!

We FaceTime'd with Grandma, Grandpa, and the Tans while I opened their gifts. I got Elmo books, Dora and Boots stuffed toys, a Dora soccer ball, and a Dora feeding set. They know what I like!

Thank you Tans for the great gifts!

Daddy's Day

Father's Day weekend was nice and relaxing. We had just come back from Hawaii and were still in vacation mode. There was also a heat wave going on in the bay area so on Saturday, we drove to nearby Pacifica to cool off by the beach. And also to eat at a very special Taco Bell.

The beach definitely did not compare to the ones in Maui, but we had fun with the rocks.

On Father's Day, we had a yummy brunch at Crepevine, and later that afternoon went over to the Chiu's to barbeque. We stayed cool playing on the Slip n' Slide and running though the sprinklers.

I love you Daddy!

Maui Wowee! The Food

We couldn't write about our Maui vacation without talking about all the food! It was so good, it deserved a post all its own.

I'm normally a very picky eater, so Mommy was hoping we wouldn't have to hunt for pizza or mac n' cheese during the entire vacation. Luckily, I ate very well in Hawaii.  Rice and gravy, saimin, and pineapple were my staples for the week (I practically ate an entire pineapple in one week)!  I also ate my first spam musubi. Yum!

Spam musubi from a Japanese deli in town.

Speaking of spam musubi, Da Kitchen Cafe is a definite must-visit any time Mommy and Daddy are in Maui. Not only is the food delicious, but the portions are ridiculous. We were eating leftovers for days!

Deep-fried spam musubi. Yes, it tasted as good as it looked!

Da Kitchen takes Loco Moco to a whole other level. This was a Katsu Moco - a hamburger patty topped with chicken katsu, gravy, two eggs, onions and mushrooms, all over fried rice!

The portion size was literally bigger than my head.

I loved the saimin. By the way, the "kids" saimin was probably the same size as Mommy's Katsu Moco. 

Another favorite Hawaiian joint was Aloha Mixed Plate. With yummy lau lau plate lunches, loco moco, outdoor patio dining, and an ocean view, we couldn't ask for more. We ended up coming here twice.

The view from our table

One of the best meals of our vacation was at Mama's Fish House.

Clockwise from top left: Tahitian ceviche served in a coconut shell; Fresh ahi sashimi; Grilled ono; Crab stuffed mahimahi with a macadamia nut crust (topped with a lobster tail)

Check out their signature dessert - the Black Pearl! 

Lilikoi mousse coated with chocolate ganache, inside a homemade pastry shell. It was almost too pretty to eat!

After lunch, we walked the restaurant's grounds and enjoyed the view.

Last but not least, no trip to Hawaii is complete without shave ice! We went to the popular Ululani's in downtown Lahaina and I loved every bite of it, especially with the condensed milk drizzled on top and the bonus scoop of ice cream at the bottom. Seriously, what's not to like? We all ate way too much though - even I eventually had to stop and Mommy and Daddy were so full that they practically skipped dinner that night. 

We definitely didn't go hungry in Hawaii!

Maui Wowee! Aquarium Visit

While we were in Maui, we took a break from the sun and visited the Maui Ocean Center to see some fishies up close.

I got to touch some starfish.

As well as a sea turtle!

Just when we thought we had walked through the whole aquarium, there was a surprise on the way out. A massive shark, ray, and tuna tank! 

Even better, we got to walk through a shark tunnel.

If you're ever in Maui, the aquarium is definitely worth a visit!

Maui Wowee!

We are back from a week long vacation in Maui. I had the best time! We spent seven straight days playing in the pool, going to the beach, eating lots of yummy food, and relaxing.

SFO to OGG! I behaved very well during the entire flight, thanks to five hours of Elmo and Dora videos. After we landed people were complimenting us on what a good flyer I was. 

We rented a one-bedroom condo at the awesome Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas. The last time we stayed here, I was inside Mommy's tummy. 

Enjoying the sunset from our balcony.

Our first morning. Yay! I'm in HAWAII!

At the playground. This resort had everything!

I loved watching the koi fishies. I named one of them "Mommy fish" and another one "Daddy fish."

We spent lots of time at the resort's many swimming pools. I got excited every time I changed into my bathing suit. There was even a kids' pirate pool, complete with a water slide! 

I was still too little to do the waterslide on my own, but I had fun going down with Mommy a couple of times.

And of course there was the beach!

I didn't like the feeling of sand beneath my feet, but was perfectly content sitting in the sand and playing with my bucket and shovels.

Here I am trying to figure out how to use the snorkel after watching Daddy.

While on vacation, we were lucky enough to witness a very historical event:

Can you guess what Daddy's watching?

We had to take a picture of the TV to capture the momentous occasion.

Shortly afterward, I recreated the same scene.

We also caught some beautiful sunsets.

What a wonderful time! Can we say annual trip?

To be continued...