9 Year Old Birthday Pancakes

And then he was 9. :( I'm still in denial. School was canceled the Friday before his birthday, so he was pretty bummed about not getting to celebrate at school, but we had fun on Saturday, his actual birthday. We started with chocolate chip pancakes, a birthday staple. 

Hibachi for the Birthday Boy!

We went out to dinner to celebrate Ben's birthday on his birthday-eve. He wanted hibachi at Nagoya, and with it being a snow storm and a Friday night, we thought our odds of getting seated quickly were better than trying to go on Saturday. Ben had swordfish hibachi and ate it like a champ. He and Nick loved our hibachi chef, so played it up for the boys! Unfortunately, I came down with a stomach bug that day, so I didn't get to enjoy it in it's full glory, but it really did smell good!

King Cake in Perrysburg!

Churchill's for the win! King cake on Epiphany! 

Breaking In Some Christmas Presents

New year, new toys to break in. Nick and Austin played a game of cards at the new game table. And Adam set up the [outdoor] movie projector in the basement, because Star Wars Battlefront is made to play on a 90" screen, duh. 

2018 - A New Year

I'm a little behind on 2017, so we'll just start fresh in 2018. Only 1.5 months behind, but it's been a quiet start to the year, so we can catch up quickly.

2018 started off with a great Tricia Ct NYE celebration! 

Hawaii '17: A Hawaiian Sunset Send Off

Our Hawaiian send off with a beautiful sunset! Sad to go!!

Hawaii '17: The Kona Coast

We checked out several beaches along the road as we drove north through Kona. 

Hawaii '17: The Waves Were Bigger Than They Looked

Pu'uhonua has a picnic area on the ocean (versus the bay where the snorkeling is). We drove around to check it out. I got out to walk on the lava while Adam stayed in the car (it was kind of hot). I went to check out the surf and the crabs, and well, a wave that was bigger than it looked came up. And I got wet. Adam thought it was hilarious. 

Hawaii '17: The Place of Refuge

Friday we packed up and headed out to check out the Kona coast. We started by going back to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau. No snorkeling this time, we walked around and saw the rest of the park, which is a national park. 

A sea turtle!

Hawaii '17: An Anniversary Sunset

Thursday was our actual anniversary. We headed to Kona for dinner at Sam Choy's. It was on open air restaurant, and we had a perfect water view that came with a perfect sunset view! And dinner was really good, too. 

One last shot of the milky way from our house, after dinner