Smashmouth

We decided kind of last minute to go see Smashmouth tonight. It was Howie's first concert, & he had a blast! And it was the first concert Nick & I have gone to since before I got pregnant with Howie. The music was pretty good & even had Howie dancing. But mostly he ran around & played with a ball, until he got so tired he could hardly walk. He fought it off though, & stayed awake the whole time. And best of all, it was free!

Howie dancing

More dancing . . .

and really getting into it!

Howie & Alex

Howie watching the concert

Playing with Daddy

Taking a break . . .

and having some water.

Getting so sleepy!

Our Sunday

We had another big day today. The biggest news is that Howie pee peed on the potty for the first time this morning! Woo hoo! We clapped & cheered & were all 3 very proud. He also went on the floor a couple of times, but that's ok because we just started potty training. We're just going to take it slow.

Then we went for our first visit to what will likely be our new church home with our neighbors, the Morrisons. Like most things here, it is best described as "island style." The service is really laid back, which is nice for an unpredictable 2 year old. There's a beautiful view of the Philippine Sea, and thankfully a nice breeze since it's outside (because of the frequent power outages). But we felt very comfortable there & look forward to our next visit. After church we went to eat & then to the aquarium, Underwater World. Howie was a little scared of some of the bigger fish & the eels, but he really liked the turtles. Then we went for ice cream at Haagen Dazs. I'm really only mentioning that because while we were there we felt a pretty big earthquake that lasted several seconds. I've felt a couple of small ones here before, but nothing like this one. We thought it was some huge truck or something outside. Apparently earthquakes are not uncommon here. Kinda freaky!

What a big boy!

Howie & Tyler dancing & spinning

Halloween

We took Farmer Howie trick or treating last night for Halloween. His love of tractors made his costume choice an easy one. And he even had his very own tractor & cow to drag along. He would only say "trick or treat" once in a while, but he did say thank you for the candy every time we reminded him. He was even able to stay out & walk around for almost an hour. I think the suckers helped keep him going.

Right before we went out trick or treating, we ran the Trick or Treat 5K here on base. It was my first one ever! I was able to run the first half, then after that I had to take a couple of walking breaks. Nick was pushing the jogging stroller, & I still held him up. But I'm working on it! We finished in 34 minutes, then rushed home to shower & change.

It was a busy day, but we had lots of fun!

Moo, moo Clarence!

Daddy's Home!

Nick's ship came home Tuesday (10/28) morning after being in Japan for 5 weeks. We made welcome home posters, but Howie would only hold it for a few minutes. When he finally figured out what was going on though, he was really excited to see his daddy. After the ship was moored, we went on for a tour, and even Clarence got to come. It was nice to get out of the blazing heat & humidity (and it was only 8:15 am!). The ship is really small, especially compared to his last one. But Nick loves it! We're all very happy that he's home again! Now we can really explore our lovely island home.

High five!

Clarence!

Howie & Ha'ani holding the welcome home signs

Coast Guard Cutter Washington

The pumpkin the guys carved for Halloween on the stern light.