New Friends

Last Saturday, Alex and Dan and I went to a little potluck playgroup at the apartment complex of a family we met here in Hawaii. Their condo is really neat, in that it has a beautiful park area 4 floors up, right in the middle of downtown Honolulu. So this is where the party was. And Alex had a great time. The kids there ranged from just a few months old to about 3. There were quite a few little kids toddling around, which Alex found really amusing and fun to watch. I set him up on a blanket on the edge of the action, and he just stared, vocalizing his enjoyment of all the chaos, probably just talking about how he wished he could play, too.

These new friends of ours are a couple and their little boy: Dahni, Dominic, and little Elijah. Elijah just turned two, and we went to his birthday party a few weeks ago. Dominic has taken Dan spear fishing, and they plan to go again next weekend. (Dan's mother's comment last time was, "They're not going with Dick Cheney, are they?") Here in Hawaii, any adult that comes into contact with a kid on any regular basis is an "Auntie" or an "Uncle," I guess this keeps kids from having to remember too many names :-) But it's also endearing, and makes us all part of this big island family. A friend of Cate's told me that it really comes in handy at Christmas and birthdays! So, we are now Auntie Laura and Uncle Dan to Elijah.

Other news...Grandma Bette is visiting us next week! This is great incentive for us to finish unpacking. Also, we finally made a dent on the furniture search and got two bookcases, a dresser and a bed! That means we actually have places to unpack stuff into, and a place to sleep that doesn't have to be pumped up before we sleep on it!

Also, Alex and I have joined a little play group. We met last week at a park and just hung out. A couple of the kids were big enough to toddle around and enjoy the grass and slides, but most of the kiddos weren't mobile yet. We are going to the beach as a group this week. I bought a beach ball today for Alex to play with there. He's finally getting interested in stuff around him enough that I think he might enjoy sticking his hands and feet in the sand, playing with a ball, etc.

Here is Alex at Elijah's birthday party a few weeks ago. Elijah is a big Thomas the Tank Engine fan, as you can see from the little party hats.

Here is Alex with Elijah. Poor Elijah. Alex decided that he didn't feel like sitting up, and he flopped back into Elijah's lap. Elijah responded by trying to give him his pacifier.