How has Labor Day already come and gone? Summer is over! Of course, that means something different here. In Kauai, you know it's fall when the trade winds stop and you sweat more--lots more. If I could have A/C for only 2 months of the year, it would be September and October.
End of summer means the start of Co-op Preschool for Zachary. Here he is on Day 1 at our house with his four preschool buddies.
Kate is 6 months old in about a week. I can't believe it. Zac's friend Will (see picture above) told me that she "still doesn't look like a girl," so I have amp-ted up the bows. She is getting great at grabbing items, definitely knows her mommy and daddy (and big brother), and is officially sleep trained.
This picture was cuter in my head, but I still like it. I wanted to get her toes a little more clear in the background.
Brady's work hosted a camp-out this year in Koke'e (the "mountains" here). It was nice to have chilly weather for a camp-out, and the scenery was gorgeous. It did put me over the edge with Kate and camp-outs, though. We've been camping 4 times since she was born, and all with the same no-sleep result. We're done for a few months!
"Hi, I had a GREAT time getting rocked and cuddled by Mommy and Daddy all night long."
We had to convince Zachary to take a hike with us and leave his friends behind for a little while. He was not happy about it. After we got started, he loved it. As soon as we were finished he asked to go again.
This was the greatest weekend for Zachary. He played non-stop, enjoyed creating this cereal necklace, and played in mounds of dirt for hours.
There were quite a few games planned. I got called to do the Vaseline/cotton ball game, and this is me realizing that Genevieve creamed me.
Jeff took pics of the event, and I don't see one of Brady in his game.
Zac in the kid relay:
The end of summer also ushered in a big swell. I love the south swells because it sounds like the ocean is just outside our windows at night.
Kate officially eats better than her older brother. All of her food with no battles!
She's also ready for sleeping by 6:30pm every night. It's weird to have my nights back.
This is proof that I also take pictures of my son. Most of the pics, however, look like this:
Although occasionally he doesn't pull a face.
Uncle Doug, Aunt Teresa, and their daughter Holly came out to visit this past weekend. We had a few beautiful beach days with them. Holly will be attending BYU-H, so we hope to see her again soon. We forgot our camera, but Doug snagged a couple shots of us boogie boarding at Kealia.
Look close: this has to be one of the silliest pics of us together.
Zac fell in love with our visitors as he always does! Holly was awesome to play with him in the sand.
We also enjoyed a gorgeous day at Polihale on Labor Day, a few surf outings, and plenty of trips to the pool. Our big news is that Zachary is officially swimming in the ocean now! He's been nervous since about age 2, and stayed mostly away from ocean water (but not sand!). He's suddenly jumping through waves and dipping his head under like it's no biggie. A little peer pressure goes a long with this kiddo!
Enjoy your fall leaves and crisp temps. This is the season I miss the most.
Kevin and Kristen "hopped" on an Air Force charter plane and came to see us last week with baby Allison. I say this with slight sarcasm because the trip was definitely not without it's challenges--driving to San Fran for the best flight options to Oahu, waiting for days on end, finally getting here after another delay, and then trouble getting back to San Fran. We were glad to have him for the week, and hope they will forget their frustration and do it again!
It's becoming a habit for Zachary to fall in love with visitors and get a little heartbroken when they leave. Zac loved Kristen and Kevin, and completely ignored Kate for the week Allison was here. 
We paddle boarded at Kalipaki one of the first nights they were here. Above is Kristen braving the scary waters at twilight.
We spent a great Saturday afternoon up at Hanalei boogie boarding and surfing.
Just when I thought babies were tons of fun to photograph and 3-year-olds brought nothing but frustration with a camera, Zac pops out one of these "I LOVE MY LIFE" pictures. He's suddenly brave in the ocean and loves jumping over waves. He did this for at least an hour.
Kate is following in her brother's footsteps and eating sand like a champion.
Binkey-dipped-in-sand:
Sunday we took a walk at Maha'lepu and caught the sunset leftovers. Beautiful!
I love this Daddy/Daughter shot.
The cheesy in me couldn't help but buy matching outfits for our babies and take pictures. In my head, the girls will cherish these pictures as they grow up and look back. We'll see! They both wanted to hold hands and grab each other.
Toothy grin from Allie:
Kate's new smile:
The best picture!
Before they left, we had to hit Horseshoe beach. It was a short trip while Zac was at preschool, but we did get a chance to dip in our feet before someone tried to kick us out of the "private beach" (no such thing on Kauai).
Kevin and Kristen did plenty of other things while they were here--a little snorkeling, a trip to the north shore, Poipu Beach, boogie boarding at Brennecke's, and even a night babysitting our children. We miss you guys!
