Ryan and Heather couldn't spend all their time entertaining their niece and nephew. It was nice to see them get a break from it all (when Ryan wasn't tied to his laptop/work). But I think they got to know what Tommy's all about pretty quick. He's easy to please, happy and sweet. He especially loved Auntie Heather's big smiles and he giggled when he was caught off guard by his nutty Uncle Ryan's dancing. Surely they won't forget the boy with the loudest, most aggressive cry/yell on earth. No one really believes me on this until they hear it for themselves...am I right Heath?

The Happy One-year-old

i found a note to Santa on Em's bed prior to Christmas: "Dear Santa, I would like a lizard for Christmas, From Emily" He brought her many geckos in Maui, and even threw in a moody old crab for good measure.

Yummy yummy Siamin Soup....
I usually tag along when Steve and Em bloat up on this fish broth with raimen noodle soup, famed mostly among the locals. We used to have to go to a real dive to get it. The House of Siamin, where you knew that you had to check your soup for cockroaches before partaking. But the elderly couple running it were so eccentric and grumpy, the decor so tasteless, that going for Siamin easily became a favorite Maui tradition. These past few years we've been staying at another end of the island and we get to go to a brand new Siamin restaurant-that's actually open when it says it's going to be open. Unfortunately, I've never really been into the taste of the broth (or lack thereof). Steve's always quietly shuddered at my lack of respect for the soup of ancient Hawaii. But this year I did right by him. It took me this long to discover that they actually offer little sides to throw into the soup to give it some zip. Now I can't get enough of it, as long as there's a bottle of tabasco or some Kim Chee (Bok Choy sitting in a bowl of hot sauce) to zap it with. We kept returning to the funny little cafe for more of the delicious bloatation device.
Steve was one of the first customers to beautify the walls with his dollar when they opened a few years ago.

You never know how Blogger is going to arrange your photos for you. I kind of like how this worked out, beginning with my 2 fave beach shots of the entire lot.

Happy Birthday Hotstuff!

Have a great day Mom

We'll see you and Ruben on our doorstep in 10 weeks!

Love Ang, Steve, Emily, and Thomas

Ugh, I've been sick almost all week. I rarely get sick. I've never had this kind of sick before. Shortness of breath, paaain in my chest when I cough, persistent sweats/shakes, everything tastes like metal. Apparantly not uncommon, but it's all new to me. Doc says it's going around, and the cough will last for quite a while. Emily got it right before our trip and now there's barely a quiet moment in our coughy, sneezy, snotty house. Except for now. Tommy's asleep. Em's at school. Steve's out. It's just me, my 738 trip pictures, my laundry, and my dirty kitchen floor. If only we would have brought the thingy to Maui that gets the photos out of the camera and into the computer, then I would'nt have to back-track like this. But on the other hand, it was a much needed break from all things that characterize my homelife, and now I get to have a little something, other than home hygenics, and, oh yeah, caring for 2 kids, to preoccupy me as I get a little healthier. We'll see if I can sum up our version of Maui 05-06 in about a week (or maybe two, because I'm starting to feel queasy again and have yet to get to that floor). More later!