Right now, I am…

Crossing my fingers that this little guy sleeps well tonight

Looking forward to a week full of south swell

Exhausted and sore from a crazy and windy paddle out in Maunalua Bay this morning

Amazed at all the racers who competed and completed the Molokai Paddle today- you guys are nuts and it was so fun watching you come in!

Amazed once again at how fast my little man is growing

Scrambling to “baby proof” my house now that little man is days away from crawling and terrorizing our condo

Feeling lucky to have family on island to relax with and enjoy a lazy weekend with

Anyone else notice that I posted Friday’s “This Moment” on Thursday? Thanks for pointing that one out Kendra…and the fact that I can’t keep track of the days any better than my car keys….or whether or not I actually ate breakfast…brushed my teeth or showered.

One thing I can remember to do is feed the baby. Feeding Mr. Harper has become my new favorite time with him as we have begun our experimenting with solid foods. So far the purees haven’t gone over to well but after doing a little research into Baby Led Weaning we’ve decided to try offering “normal” food. Normal food as in food that we also happen to be eating and offering it at times that we are eating.

So far Harper is in love with Bananas, Broccoli and Sweet Potato. Check out the mess, I mean FUN we’ve been having!

This Moment- A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Snorkeling is a huge part of our trips to the BVIs. We set sail, moor up for an hour or two and jump into the water only to be greeted by a myriad of colorful fish, turtles, rays, squid and sometimes even a lurking (ok more like hiding under a rock) shark or two. The variety of fish and sea life is always stunning and we find ourselves losing track of time and certainly our worries as we join these beauties deep below.

Want to know what else is great about snorkeling?

Snorkel face.

It’s even better when it’s a 6 month old staring at you from behind a goofy masks:

Are you as anxious to hear about our trip to the Caribbean as I am to share all of these crazy pictures, stories and videos with you? Well get ready because I’m about to share the journey of a lifetime over the next few days and hopefully bring a little of that Caribbean flavor to you wherever you may be.

When we found out we would be joining our awesome family in the Caribbean for a 1o day sailing trip we pretty much freaked out (in a good way). We’ve been out to the British Virgin Islands a few times before and the weather, the water and the Caribbean vibe always provide a good time. Even better we would be bringing Mr. Harper along for his first off island adventure.

The only thing standing in our way of casting off, sipping rum and sporting non-stop snorkel face was some 10,000+ miles of flying. Yeah…Hawaii is a long way from the Caribbean. A long way as in 4 planes, 5 time zones and about 13 hours of flying away. Amazingly Harper did great with all of the flights. We scored with an almost empty flight to California, he slept through our red eye to Florida, through Puerto Rico and giggled as we finally landed in Tortola.

We were exhausted by the time we checked into our hotel at Sopher’s Hole and delighted by the welcome breeze of an air conditioned room, black out curtains and comfy oversized bed to plop our jet lagged bodies into. Even Harper cooperated with us for the most part, passing out in his pirate gear and allowing mommy and daddy to score some much needed zzz’s.

Right now, I am…

Cozying up on the couch, dangling sand covered feet and relaxing after a fun filled day in the sun

Laughing at my one painted toe nail (what was I thinking attempting such a time consuming and girly primping?)

Enjoying the breeze from our brand new ceiling fan, something I’ve dreamed of since we moved into this place 4 years ago

Relieved to hear my little monsters laughter after a rough two days of fever and sickies

About to kick my hubby’s butt at our Gin Rummy rematch

Harper here with the weekend report:

Rumor had it mommy and daddy were trying to have some what of a home date night yesterday evening. There was wine, some gin rummy, music…oh and me crying from my crib with an unexpected fever of 101.9 I like to keep them on their toes and most of all make sure I won’t be having a little brother or sister anytime soon if you know what I mean.

Date night was quickly abandoned and I received all the snuggles and kisses a baby could ever ask for. Mommy and daddy even let me cozy up between them in bed so they could keep an eye on me and my temp. All that love seemed to do the trick because this morning I’m up and at ‘em. I still have a little of the ickies and have decided to voice my discomfort through a series of long groans and grunts but I’m pretty sure they get the point.

Daddy isn’t feeling so hot either so mama has her hands full. It looks like all attempts to surf/sail are off until both of us boys are feeling a bit better. Daddy swears a good ass kicking in the water will clear out whatever sickies he has so we might try our hand at Makapu’u this afternoon.

Other then feeling under the weather I’ve got to admit this extra spoiling is pretty nice. Think I can keep up these demands even after the fever has passed?

We’ve been back in Hawaii for a little over a week now and finally feeling settled in. I’ve been missing this space and have so much to share over the next few days that I can hardly contain my excitement! Being away makes me realize how important this ritual of writing and memory keeping is and as promised I have a better late than never Right Now post:

Right Now I am…

Up way past my bed time and debating whether or not I should even hit the sheets seeing as how Harper will be up to nurse any minute now

Loving the ease in which my boys laugh and play together

Learning life lessons about failure and disappointment that I trust in the end will lead me right where I need to be

Staring at an unfinished lanai and reminding myself to breathe deep and be patient

(hubs hangs over the railing to finish some stucco work)

In disbelief that my baby is 6 months old, sitting up on his own and eating solids for the very first time this week

(Daddy and Harper’s beach gear hang to dry)