The Carner Bunch Goes to Hawaii

Finding Mah-Mah
So we decided to go big for our 5th anniversary and go to Hawaii and since Luc is free, we took him too. We were a little nervous about the combination of a one year old and a five and a half hour plane ride, but we took our chances. We packed up every snack imaginable, some books and Anita’s portable DVD player and hit the road. Luc was fantastic on the plane. He charmed the flight attendants and scored a whole can of apple juice. He even managed to charm the extremely nervous priest sitting next to us. Luc took a nap, watched some “Mah-Mah” (Finding Nemo) and played with the seat back tray the whole way. We landed in beautiful Oahu and instantly relaxed in to our vacation.

Hawaii Time and Our Actual Anniversary
There is a three hour time difference between the Pacific Coast mainland and the Islands. That means that Luc was wide awake and raring to go at 3 am Friday morning. Happy Anniversary!!! Daddy managed to entertain him with DVDs and oatmeal until the more reasonable hour of 5:30 am. We ventured out, had an island breakfast, and visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial. We were glad for Luc’s early morning antics as it meant we only had an hour wait for our tour. We peeked through the museum (Shawn looked, Luc and I chased birds on the lanai), watched the tour boats make their way to and from the memorial, and listened to a park ranger talk about the memorial. Luc was very excited to take the boat ride, but fell asleep during the 20 minute historical film. He slept the whole time we were on the boat, the whole time we were on the memorial and the whole way back to the hotel. He woke up in time to pack up the beach toys and head out again.

I’m Gonna Wash That Sand Right Outta His Hair
We picked a nice, but off-the-beaten-path beach, ate lunch at a local deli on the way and had what was quite possibly the perfect afternoon. The beach was in a residential area with little sand alleys leading down to the beach every so often. After several false starts (high tides turning shallow beaches in to temporary coves), we burst out of our alley way in to a postcard. The sand was as fine and soft as flour, the water warm as bath water and bluer than blue. Luc was in heaven. Daddy bought him a bucket and shovel back in town, so they immediately set to work. They made numerous trips down to the water to get water in the bucket. The beach was a giant lagoon, so tiny waves lapped the shore, just big enough to make Luc feel like a hero standing in them. We went swimming a few times and just generally enjoyed the day. Luc rolled around in the sand like a puppy dog, grinning from ear to ear. When the sun started heading down behind the mountains, we packed up a very sandy Luc and cruised back toward Waikiki. Luc crashed out for a nap and Shawn and I enjoyed the beautiful coast drive.

Luc speaks Hawaiian
After a day or two of trying to read street signs in Hawaiian, it finally dawned on us that Luc might actually speak Hawaiian. His penchant for repeating syllables is very Hawaiian. Think about it… Luc likes to say “cupcup”, “carcar”, “gogo”, “nono”, and “meme”. Some words we saw in Hawaii were “mahi mahi”, “Likelike”, “opakapaka”, “Kahmehameha”. Coincidence??? We started calling him "Luki-Luki" and since his syllabic repetion sounded like a bird chirping, he was our Luki-Luki bird. The different variations on the name depended on the word he was chirping at the moment. We had a NoNo bird, a CupCup bird, and an UhUh bird at any given time.

The North Shore
Once again, Luc roused us early, so Mommy dragged out the guide book and found a surf joint on the North Shore to have breakfast. It was very down home, friendly enough that the waitress wrapped my plate in tin foil when I stepped away to change Luc. After eating breakfast with the locals, we went for a walk through Wiamea Audubon Park. We enjoyed looking at the flora and fauna while Luc was too young to protest such a boring activity. Shawn took some lovely pictures of the hibiscus and vanilla orchids. The walk ends at Waimea Falls and you can swim out to them if you can brave the 30 foot deep pool. Luc and I stayed in the shallows, but Shawn swam out beneath the falls themselves. After lunch at another local spot, we hit a beach recommended for snorkeling. Luc crashed out, so he and I settled under a tree while Shawn went to scope out the scene. One of those great island rain storms woke Luc up and once he caught sight of the water, there was no getting him back to sleep. I changed him in to his beach attire and the playing commenced. This beach had sand almost like tiny pebbles, so Luc had to taste some of that to compare it to the beach the day before. Apparently, it goes well with his granola bars. Shawn and I took turns snorkeling and playing with Luc before finally getting chased off the beach by a particularly persistent rain squall.

Aloha
We packed our last day in Hawaii chock full of adventure, so we got an early start. We headed up the trail at Diamond Head early to beat the heat. Luc fell asleep on the way up and didn’t wake up until we were heading back down. After Diamond Head, we went to the Big Kahuna of snorkeling, Hanauma Bay. Luc was happy because there was sand, and Shawn and I had lots of fish to look at while snorkeling. I took Luc in to the water to see the fish swimming right around my ankles, but he was way more interested in splashing around. We made it back to the hotel with just enough time to rinse off the sand (Luc crashed out once again and came home sandy), pack up and head out for home. He'll never know how close we was to finding his own Nemo.

The One Where the Grandparents Visit, Mommy Turns 29 (again), and Luc Learns Table Manners

Avi and Mica Come to Town
Shawn’s parents (that’s Avi and Mica to you) came to visit their favorite grandson for two weeks. Fun, hilarity and just about anything Luc wanted ensued. Luc wowed them with his finely honed walking and pointing skills; they were helpless against his charm. He would merely point at the door to the back yard and say “Cah!” (How he says “car.” He sounds like he’s been spending time in Bahston… he wants to pahk the cah in Havahd yahd.) and his Avi or Mica would put on their shoes and take him outside to play. Luc had a complete entertainment ensemble every time we got in the car. Mica would provide a musical revue while Avi specialized in slapstick humor. Luc was thoroughly delighted with his new entourage.

We kept everyone pretty busy during the visit, in spite of very un-San Diego like weather. We went to the zoo where we saw hippos tip toeing through their pond and polar bears gamboling about and splashing in their pool. We went to the beach at Wind ‘N Sea where Luc smashed all of Avi’s sand castles, eyeballed the pretty girls, and ate sand (of course). We went to the aquarium to see the “shishs” (fishes to those of us with a good grasp of English) and of course spent lots of time playing at home with all the toys.



Mommy Turns 29 (again)
What is a birthday but another excuse to have a party? We decked out the back yard in Island Fiesta, cranked up the Jimmy Buffet tunes and had ourselves a luau. There were babies in grass skirts, (almost) flaming bocce balls, and the now-infamous fish boobs incident. We partied long in to the night (or at least as late as people with small children do) and had a great time. All in all, starting my third decade of life was pretty painless (and that wasn’t the watermelon mojitos talking!).


Chewing With Your Mouth Open
As Luc reminds me every day, he is a big boy now. That means he can walk by himself (he doesn’t need no stinkin stroller… but he’s happy to push it for me) and lately, feed himself. This works OK if we are eating something that will stick to a spoon and hang on through many attempts to fling said sustenance on to the floor (guacamole and oatmeal are so far the best) as he likes to turn the spoon upside down before putting it in his mouth. This is funny to watch if we are eating something decidedly not sticky, like chicken. He grasps the spoon in one hand, using the other hand to carefully load a piece of chicken on to the spoon. Half way to his mouth, he turns the spoon over and down falls the chicken. The whole routine starts over again until he gets tired of it. If no one is looking, he picks up the chicken with his fingers and pops it in his mouth. He then begins with another piece. We have become rather heavy tippers in restaurants due to the amount of food on the floor around the high chair. But Luc is so happy when he gets the food in to his mouth on his own, what’s a few extra dollars in tips? And his concentration on his tasks during dinner all but guarantees us a few minutes of quiet.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye
Mica and Avi left to visit Uncle Deric in northern California and we are getting settled back in to our daily routine. Luc still looks around for his playmates, especially in the car when he has to sit by himself, but he is slowing getting used to playing with boring old Mommy and Daddy again.

**The editor regrets the late posting of this blog. She was trying to add more pictures, but the photo tool was being persnickety. Alas, you will miss the photo exhibition of Luc trying to feed himself.

Take me out to the "ball" game

Ball, Dog, and NOOOOOOOOOOO

What do these simple words have in common? Why, these would be Luc’s first attempts at verbal communication. While “no” is standard toddler speak (he hears it pretty often, bound to sink in eventually), ball and dog pay homage to his two most favorite things in life. He loves them so much that they are often blurred in to one word, “dal”. That he is usually pointing at the object of his affection at the time helps clear up the confusion; however he nearly came unglued the day he saw a dog playing with a ball at the dog park. Luc was fairly certain he had entered Nirvana, dogs and balls together! While he reserves “dog” for man’s best friend, the word ball is liberally applied to anything round. Balloons and watermelons come to mind. Grocery shopping has become particularly difficult this watermelon season. He spies the display of watermelons from the parking lot. He inhales sharply, points and says, “Ooooooooooo, ball.” Having thus notified me, if I attempt to pass up the “balls” without picking one, I risk inciting the wrath of Booger Gigglebuns. If I pick a watermelon and put in on the seat next to him, we have a fairly peaceful shopping experience. He sits in the cart happily thumping his “ball.” Needless to say, we are eating a lot of watermelon this summer. I’ve given up explaining that watermelons aren’t, in fact, balls. I am just grateful that he hasn’t tried to throw one yet.

Making Friends and Influencing People

People, especially older people, love Luc. We can’t leave the house without someone tweaking his toes and trying to cajole a smile out of him. Luc seems to sense kindred spirits and flirts like mad with the little old ladies. Sometimes I think playing with Luc must be the highlight of their days. Luc recently took his first trolley ride and made instant friends will a little old man who knew everyone on the trolley. Luc and his trolley friend entertained each other the entire way to our destination. Luc’s new friend delighted in Luc’s fascination with the trolley and pointed out new sights for him to enjoy. As we said goodbye, Luc waved to his new friend and blew him a kiss. I’d like to think that 20 minute ride brightened the day of a little old man who spends his days riding trolleys and I hope that one day my son eventually realizes what a profound effect he can have on people around him.

Play Ball!

Shawn works for a really great company, Genentech. Aside from the fantastic cancer fighting drugs they produce, they also take excellent care of their employees. Genentech sponsored the “Strike Out Cancer” game at Petco Park and tied the event to their company picnic. We were invited to attend a pre-game barbecue at the Park at the Park and then stay for the Padres game. Luc loved the barbeque, especially the watermelon and the cookies. We climbed what seemed to be a vertical mile to our seats and settled in for the first pitch. Luc was fascinated by the giant flag that was stretched out for the national anthem and joined right in the clapping afterward. The excitement went downhill after that. Luc settled in for a nap and when he woke up, we decided it was too hot to stay any longer. We hopped back on the trolley and headed for home.

Danger Will Robinson, Danger!
Luc has learned how to walk! Shawn dropped Luc off at my office last Friday. As Luc was making the rounds, visiting the ladies of the office, Richelle decided that it was about time he learned how to walk. She took him for a little while and gave him some pointers. When she returned Luc to me, she set him on his feet a few feet in front of me and told him to walk toward me. He got his balance, looked up and me and took five steps toward me. He was extremely please with himself, as were we. This week, we praise Richelle’s name. Next week, we will be cursing it, I am sure. Nothing is safe…

Who is Booger Gigglebuns?

Who Is Booger Gigglebuns?
Booger Gigglebuns, alter ego of the mild mannered toddler Luc Bennett Carner, crawls with lightening fast speed, eats dirt by the fistfuls and reigns imperiously from his highchair throne. Watermelon on the floor to be stepped on by an unsuspecting mommy or daddy? Binkies flung to the unreachable depths of the back seat of the car? Shoes mysteriously scattered around the house? All the work of Booger Gigglebuns!

Why the name Booger Gigglebuns?
The children’s book series “Captain Underpants” features a little boy whose superhero alter ego is Captain Underpants. In the book “Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants” the professor uses his Name Change-o Chart 2000 to calculate everyone’s silly names. By Professor Poopypants’ calculations, Luc’s silly name is Booger Gigglebuns. Click here to calculate your silly name. http://www.scholastic.com/captainunderpants/namechanger.htm

Thanks to Auntie Bubba for introducing us to Captain Underpants!

Booger Gigglebuns and the Flinging Binkies

Road Trip!
In the great tradition of American families, we set off on June 15 for our summer vacation road trip to northern California. We were invited to attend a wedding of a close friend and took the opportunity to do a little sight seeing along the way. Have you ever spent several days in the car with a one year old? Let’s just say we took a lot of breaks. I owe a large tip to the waiter at the Johnny Rockets in Encino for the balloon he gave to Luc during lunch. That entertained him all the way to Santa Barbara and even in the hotel room later that night. I was initially irritated with the guy because I didn’t want the balloon bobbing around in the rear view mirror while I was driving, but the giggles from the back seat that afternoon were worth it. At least he wasn’t crying.




The Sound of a Binkey Being Flung
Luc still uses a pacifier. He sucks on it, he plays with it and yes, he flings it. It is not a toss, a throw or a lob, but a purposeful fling. Sometimes he is genuinely tired of using it, but most of the time it is a simple game of fetch in which he expects his parents to retrieve his most prized possession. We became overly familiar with the sound of a binkey being flung in to the unreachable spaces of the back seat on this road trip. It makes a certain clattering noise as it comes to rest just out of reach of those questing parental fingers. After a moment of silence comes a questioning “Wah?” as the littlest dictator lets it be known that he expects his binkey to be recovered. If the parents do not immediately spring in to full Search and Rescue mode, the wrath of Booger Gigglebuns is unleashed in the form of fire engine decibel wails of distress. After the retrieval of said binkey, if you listen closely, you can hear a small chortle of glee as if he is thinking, “Fools, I have them right where I want them!”

Nakey on the Beach
In another great tradition of babies everywhere, Luc got naked on the beach in Santa Barbara. He didn’t start out that way, but after a little while of playing in the water, the poor kid’s diaper was so full of sea water that it was sagging below his knees and his tee shirt was soaked. Luc, sand connoisseur that he is, tested the Santa Barbara sand and can recommend it for its grit, mineral content and overall sandiness.

The Best Wedding Luc’s Ever Been To
Luc’s been to three weddings so far, so he knows what he is talking about. Shawn’s college friend Leni got married in Santa Cruz on June 17 and had her wedding reception in a park. Not only were there pretty girls to blow kisses to, there was a big field with soccer balls to chase. Despite the delicious barbecue dinner served, Luc ate dirt and two pieces of cake. He was as happy as a clam at high tide and played so hard that he was asleep before we hit the freeway back to our hotel in San Jose.

San Francisco or Bust
Our last stop on our road trip was San Francisco to visit Uncle Deric. We surprised him by showing up an hour or two before we said we would be there. Fortunately, Uncle D was already awake and mostly ready to hang out with us (after a cup of coffee, anyway). After we had coffee and breakfast (second breakfast for those of us who had been awake since 6 AM…) we took a hike out at Land’s End. The weather was beautiful and we got a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge. We tried to have lunch down at the pier, but it was so crowded that we gave up and went back to Deric’s neighborhood where we feasted on great Mexican food at a local spot. We said goodbye to Uncle Deric after lunch and headed back down south.