birthday, beaching & butter-cream

it was extra special to have everyone visiting because wednesday was my 30th birthday! {holy moly!} wes actually got called to a fancy pants meeting in denver and wasn't here for my big 3-0. i forgave him because my friends were here, and also because he took us to a resort in kona when he got back. we spent my birthday is hilo and it was a perfect and chill way to celebrate my day. 

we started off by having lunch at short n sweet bakery. they have a cute patio with a little table for the littlest costumers. the boys munched on grilled cheese sandwiches and played with their cars and planes. such boys. 

side note: aunty shellie and uncle bubs scored big with this travel road (or runway) and car (or plane) carrying case they gave c for christmas.

after lunch we loaded up the double stroller (thank you sigls!) and took a walk through the hilo farmers market and then headed to the mokupapapa marine discovery center. 

then is was beaching time. we headed to onekahakaha beach park. this isn't our favorite beach in hilo, but it is good for the kiddos. they have put a breaker wall in so there aren't any big waves, just small kieki pools. coen is right at home on the beach and in the water, but it was so fun to watch beckett experience these things...i think it blew his little mind. 

                                          

                                          

after a full day out we headed home to cook up some dinner and put the boys to bed early. i whipped up this super easy dinner. i think everyone like it, but beckett was in love with it. like, lick the bowl and rub it all over his body in love with it. mmmmmmm gooooood.


gnocchi bake 


Ingredients

• 1 (18 ounce) package frozen or fresh gnocchi
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi, and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, crumble the sausage into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Drain grease, and stir in the spaghetti sauce. Remove from heat, and carefully mix in the cooked gnocchi and half of the mozzarella cheese. Transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.

we got the boys bathed and in bed while the pastry chef (lauren) was down in the kitchen whipping up cupcakes with italian butter cream frosting and a caramel drizzle. i ate two. then we curled up on the couch and watched breaking dawn. perfect ending to my dirty thirty...which wasn't dirty at all...except for all the sand we brought home from the beach. 

surfers beach

on sunday we set out for a sun filled day at honoli'i beach park. this spot is known for it's great surf, and it just so happens that the last storm brought in a little sand too! the rumor is that the next storm could take it away, so we wanted to get some play time in while it lasted. nature is crazy. 

coen found an actual shark's tooth. scary. 

 this man was surfing with his dog. no joke. they would paddle out, then catch a wave. 

coen worked some ladies with his charm and they let him try out their boogie board and surf board. their dog, maka, wanted to surf with him too! maybe we need to teach lily a new trick!?

coffee and beach

last weekend we headed out to punalu'u for the day. on our way we stopped by the ka'u coffee farm for a fresh cup of joe and some fresh cracked mac nuts. i love this place. it is pretty amazing to look around and think, we get to live here. 

coffee and beaches. i am so getting used to this. 

a new beach

 we have been working very hard in our yard the past couple of weeks. those of you who have visited us know how insane and overwhelming our yard is. i kind of wanted to post some pictures of what we have done, but unless you have been here it wouldn't look like much. so i am going to save the pictures for when we have made a little more progress. this way my feelings don't get hurt. 


coen is usually a trooper in the yard. we set up some toys and snacks and he kind of just rolls with it. usually. this weekend when he saw us getting our gloves on he said, "ahhhh i don't want to move more rocks." that should have been my warning that he was spent. should. have. been. after a couple hours of trying to keep him happy/entertained/stable we decided to call it quits. we headed out to a new little beach in hilo for an evening picnic and swim. 

 coen is getting more and more interested in playing in the ocean. 

this is a big step from just playing in the sand next to the ocean. 

it also means we have get off our booty's and play in the ocean too. 

speaking of, he got a little boogie board lesson from wes. 

it was so so cute to watch them ride the waves. 

i was trying to capture the cuteness, and i captured a full water submersion! 

coen shook it off pretty good, he said he was "like a real surfer." 

after a good swim we enjoyed a delicious quinoa salad picnic, even coen loved it. 

we also enjoyed this rainbow.

hey, new beach that i can't remember your actual name, we'll be back!