Thank You, Huggies!

Not only do you keep our son's pants dry but your boxes also keep him occupied for minutes and minutes and minutes... which, to two tired parents, feels like hours and hours and hours. Seriously, this box is a life saver for about a week. Once said week is over and the box is either A) thoroughly beaten up and broken OR B) Ben is no longer excited to play with the box, his parents need to find other things to entertain this very active and inquisitive young man. Regardless, the week of the Huggies box is a real gem!

* Concaving of the box is the first sign that the Huggies box week is nearly at an end... sigh. By the looks of this box, we'll be lucky if we can squeek two more days out...

Sun & Sand

The begining of this week was sunny, warm and beyond gorgeous. Ben & Mom had a quick half hour so rather than doing chores or going to the grocery store (because who needs to eat, right?!), we decided to take a quick trip to the beach and take advantage of this amazing weather before winter comes to Monterey. Ben is a professional beach goer since Maui and new exactly what to do... run in the sand, put sand in his mouth, get sand in every possible pocket/nostril/ear duct etc. But we had fun and that's all that matters!

Saturday at The Farm

This Saturday was a harvest/Thanksgiving fiesta at The Farm. The Farm is this great organic farm in Salinas with a petting zoo area, pumpkin patches during Halloween, an organic market and lots of fun things to do through out the year. This past weekend was the Harvest festival and we all had a great day.

 Here Ben is getting excited to go pet the bunnies and play with the goats and chickens. We were able to get him to sit still for 30 seconds to get a pic with Mom.

 Boys and their toys... right? Jeff just HAD to have a pic with him and Ben by the big tractor. Why am I not surprised?

 Family hay ride... Ben loves hay rides apparently...

 Ben wishing the bunnies were a little friendlier...

One of the chickens got loose and Ben, being the active little man that he is, decided it was a good idea to chase the chicken. Until, of course, the chicken turned around and was very obviously NOT scared of a 24 pound boy...

Bye Bye Maui

We've been home since Thursday night but today is the first real work day back so vacation is officially over :( But... one more pic of Maui... Ben & Maxine became quite the little buddies and took a bath together on their last night. Ben was more interested in the bath appliances vs playing with Maxine but we think that's more appropriate at their age.

Nature Walk in Iao Valley

For our last full day in Maui, we went on a nature hike  in the Iao Valley and botanical gardens. So pretty and we felt like we were on the set of the Lord of the Rings movies. Almost time to go back to reality... Aloha!

Baby Beach in Lahina

We went to Baby Beach in Lahina where there is a protected cove with no waves. We had lunch on the beach and then just played in the water for an hour or so. Ben & Maxine had a great day in the mellow, shallow water.

 

Maui Wowie

The time has really been going by quickly and we've been exploring all sides of the island and testing out each and every beach. We've been having a great time with the Bussi family and Ben & Maxine get along famously. They actually have held hands a few times here and there. Of course the parents were squeeling and freaked out Ben & Maxine but they did hold hands and it was the cutest thing ever!

Below are just a few fun pics from the week...

 For Ben's 1st birthday, Maxine sent him a matching Hawaiian print shirt and shorts. Of course he busted them out and looked pretty cute but incredibly touristy.

 Ben & Maxine have been sharing snack and dinner time. Ben has taught Maxine how to eat and drink foods that she hasn't had before since she's 4 months younger than our little man.

 Future love birds, perhaps?

 Dads & babes pre-BBQ hanging out and enjoying the sunset.

Tonight at dinner, Maxine was as cute as could be and really had a lot to say. Here she is telling us a very intricate story about a fish she caught that was 'this big!'

Morning Hike in Makena

This morning we took a hike in Makena at La Paruze (sp?) beach over ancient lava fields. It was a pretty cool hike with amazing ocean and Haleakala views.

 

There were herds and herds of lava goats roaming all around the lava fields. Ben and Maxine were pretty interested in them but they wanted nothing to do with us.

Aloha!

Beach Day in Wailea

Yesterday was a fun beach afternoon in Wailea. The wind was making the waves bigger than Ben has ever seen but he looooved it! He swam with Dad and splashed with Mom and flirted all day with Maxine.

Morning Walk in Kihei

The Bussi's live near Wailea in Kihei. This morning they had to go take care of some quick business so us Bolgers went on a walk to the ocean. They live about 10 minutes from the beach and it was a gorgeous morning. So... we took full advantage. Aloha!

Day 1 in Maui

Ben & Jeff's 1st Breakfast in Maui watching the sunrise. Seriously... could this get any better?!

Ben love love loved the warm Hawaiian ocean and was constantly dragging his Dad back into the water.

Beach = Sand. Baby = Everything Goes in Mouth. Sand = Ben's New Favorite Snack.

This is what goes on for hour after house at Casa de Bussi... Ben & Maxine playing and playing and playing and playing. Fun but EXHAUSTING!

Ben stole Maxine's snack on day one. Way to start out our vaca, buddy.

Happy baby Ben loves Maui and so do Mom & Dad!

Stay tuned for more Maui posts...

Aloha from Maui

Our good college friends, The Bussi Family, moved to Maui and found an amazing house a mile from the beach in Kihei. So... we jumped at the chance to come visit them. Ben was a real trooper on Thursday when we woke him up at 4:30am to make an early morning, 5+ hour flight from San Jose to Maui. We were beyond lucky to have an empty seat in our row so that made Ben's life (and ours) a lot easier!



We literally bribed Ben with his favorite, most indulgent treats while on the plane so that he wouldn't scream and shout and make enemies on the plane and lucky for us... it worked!



Sleeping baby on the place = 45 minutes of peace for Mom & Dad.

The Great Stand Off

In one corner, we have Ben Bolger, 16 months old and weighing in at a whopping 23lbs, 9oz. In the other corner, we have Sophie Lou, 10 years old weighing in at 15lbs even. Tonight we have a stand off of monumental proportions. Sophie Lou and Ben both want to win the King of the Mountain but who will win this stand off is anyone's guess.

 The newcomer is thinking hard about what strategy will work best to de-throne the terrier. Will it work is the real question of the night.

 He decided to go with the trusty 'push' method. Sophie Lou is one tough pup and is holding her ground. The newcomer is making a big mistake of going into this competition with his eyes closed. Las Vegas odds favor the terrier but the newcomer has gumption and isn't afraid of her so it is anyone game right now.

 It's the terrier who is victorious tonight, folks! Sophie Lou thinks she was just the toughest pup around, little does she know that Ben's short attention span was the real reason this stand off has come to a close. Come again next week for an equally exciting stand off between the newcomer and the terrier.

Golfing must be in the genes...

How to play golf by Ben Bolger

1. Make the ball go however is easiest whether that be whacking it with that stick thing or kicking it... As grandpa Pat says, the object is just to get the ball in the hole...

 2. It doesn't matter if someone is in the way of you or your ball while on the putting green. If you have enough skill, your ball will go in

 3. If you don't like your lye, pick your ball up and put it wherever you want. Hint... the closer to the hole the better...

 4. Golf is like skiing... you may not be the best golfer on the course, but if you look good, no one will know you took 3 swings before you actually made contact. (Ben learned this tid bit from his Mama)

 5. When all else fails, get as many clubs as possible and just start swating at the ball... the more clubs you have, the more chances you have of actually hitting the ball.

 6. Last and most important, golf is a mental game. So before each shot, make sure to look deep in thought to psych out your opponent.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Halloween is one of the best days of the whole year in the Bolger house and this year, Ben got to celebrate with both sets of Grandparents... lucky guy! The little dragon had a great day roaring and stomping around!

 The party had a petting zoo and Ben loved the chickens and bunny rabbits. The pot belly pig and her wagging tail freaked him out a bit until he learned that she was trying to entice him into a game of chase the piggy tail.

 Being a little boy, Ben had just as much fun playing with the fence as he did with the animals...

 Finally free from the captivity of the fence, Ben ran and ran and ran. First to the cookie table, then to the pumpkin patch and then to his new friend, Savannah.

 Ben thought the costume parade was pretty cool until...

 ... he saw the fountain. All hope for the parade was lost because Ben has a one track mind... 'how do I get into the fountain and splash the water everywhere???'

 The last and most cool part of Halloween was the hay ride... what better way to wrap up the day then to sit with Dad on a pile of hay and drive around the golf course?!