You might wonder why Toby is wearing working man’s clothes while we are here enjoying paradise and that would be because Toby is actually here to work. The perks of being a photographer who takes pictures of luxury homes is that you get to work in all the best places. This week he’s shooting a resort home just around the bend from where we are staying in Kona.

I can’t really blog about the house itself because it is owned by someone very very wealthy and privacy is part of the package deal. But I can say this: it’s pretty amazing. The people who are building the house let us take a sneak peek while Toby scouted out the views.

This was a nightmare for me because as everyone knows two-year-olds want to climb up on and touch everything. The whole place looked like it needed a giant “Don’t Touch” sign to me. I about died when she clambered up on the very staged and very exotic bed that was about as high as something right out of The Princess and the Pea story.

Thankfully the “stagers” (people who set up the furniture etc.) were very nice and didn’t seem to mind a bit. I’m so glad too because it was hard enough keeping her out of the wine cellar that had just been varnished and smelled like cancer. They suggested I let her play in the shallow end of the vanishing pool in the back yard.

Gulp. Yeah, that would be my heart in my throat. Do you see that seam between the pretty flagstone and something dark and blue? That’s the deep end. Let’s just say I was working just as hard as Toby keeping Baby Bug from learning how to swim the hard way.

After Toby put in a couple hours of “work” he took us to a nearby cove in Kukio. It is the most perfect beach ever. It was overcast and the sun was setting so the light didn’t really do it justice but the temperature was perfect. That’s the strangest thing around here. Usually when the shadows start turning purple I start looking for my sweater but around here night can come and go and you can wear no sleeves without even the slightest shiver.

There are two resorts on both sides of this little beach but right in the middle is a public walkway for the rest of us humans. Before I knew the name of this little cove I called it Turtle Beach because this is where we saw real sea turtles!

They crawl up on the sand here and take a rest from swimming. It’s very strange to be so close to them. I assume they are protected so we tried to give them a wide berth (thank you zoom lens). Of course Baby Bug wanted to go take a ride on “Crush” because she is such a fan of the movie Finding Nemo. I had to explain that these turtles were sleepy and Crush was somewhere out in the EAC. Maybe some other time Bug.

That was okay because there was plenty of sand to play in and she could do what she always does which is throw rocks in the water. Too bad I didn’t bring a “shubble” though. I don’t think this sand is very good for making sand castles with anyway. It is very coarse because it is made of volcanic rock and coral. It can be a little “ouchie” on the feet if you are not careful.

That pretty much sums up our day in Kukio. I can’t wait to go back when there isn’t so much “vog” in the air. Vog! Isn’t that a funny word? That’s what they call the smog around here because it is pollution coming from the volcano instead of cars and factories. It can be worse than breathing the air in LA, they say. Imagine that, 100% natural organic pollution. And guess what? It’s just as cancer-causing as the man-made stuff.

More photos here again!

The Valentine Fairy was a hit. Even if her basket was green and just happened to be last year’s Easter basket. What’s not to love? Cookies, hearts, some tulle and a bashful smile…I think she did pretty good. I think Valentine’s Day is my new favorite holiday, next to Christmas and Halloween. Shoot. I think every holiday is my new favorite holiday now that I have a kid.

Bug’s had a shy streak lately. Just in the last two days. I’ll ask her to smile at the camera and she looks away. I think she’s finally made the connection between me telling her to smile or act goofy and the many many images she sees on my laptop. Making the Two movie has sort of been a turning point for her. She wants to watch it over and over but then tries to act out each part as it’s happening, which is pretty hilarious because it involves climbing up and down from my chair to act out the dancing parts and then climbing back up to see what is happening next.

She’s such a nut.

Today was super fun because Toby started a NEW tradition! I’m sure it was because Valentine’s Day snuck up on him and he completely forgot to get us something but what happened instead was ten million times better than any gigantic bouquet of roses or chocolate or jewelry he could have gotten. He decided to take us both to the flower stand and let us pick out our own flowers! Hot Dog!

This is great for so many reasons. I don’t even know where to start really. I think first of all it was something we did together as a family. I often stare out my kitchen window and watch the families walking by on their way to the coffee shop near our house. I’m so jealous of them as they meander lazily sipping their coffee and pushing their double stroller with their 1.5 kids. Bug and I walk every where together so it’s not the walking I’m jealous of. It’s the Dad time.

I’m not knocking Toby’s time management skills, far from it. He is a very very very good father and spends plenty of quality time with me and Bug. But he also works a LOT. He hardly ever goes anywhere with us. If I want to have a fun adventure, it’s usually just Bug and me. I’ve come to accept this as part of the breaks of being a one income family. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything. But I can’t say I don’t often stare wistfully at those kids walking by with both parents in tow.

The other great thing about our little venture to the flower shop is that I LOVE FLOWERS!!!! I love them so much I used to work at the exact shop we visited today. It was a great job. Talk about low stress. It’s the cutest little out door stand with all the best selection. The prices are not Conroys, for sure, but the atmosphere makes you feel like you’re walking along the Seine. And I should know. I’ve been to Paris to compare.

Toby has bought me flowers here before and they are very very sweet. Toby has excellent taste but between you and me it’s so much more fun to pick them out yourself! I love making bouquets so much sometimes I just want to hang around and work there again. So letting Baby Bug participate in that fun was just a whole other level of loveliness!

Of course Baby Bug LOVES flowers too. Hello, one hour walks examining every single flower in a one block radius. We’ve often looked at the flowers in the flower shop on our walks but I’ve always had her tightly strapped into the stroller for fear she might pull a Tasmanian devil child maneuver on me and I’d end up buying flowers I didn’t really have the money for. So this time letting her go free was an adventure in itself. And let me just say I’m glad Toby was there. It took two of us to reign her in. She had a blast.

I have to say she has pretty good taste too. She picked a lovely bouquet of pinks and purples and GREEEEEEEEEENs! I didn’t know there were so many green flowers but Baby Bug found them. Never underestimate the power of a color selective child! She’s so funny.

I think we both came away with beautiful bouquets and they cost a fourth of what Toby thought he was gong to spend on us. I say that’s a win win because I really don’t like those long stemmed expensive red roses anyway! I think we’ll do this again next year.

Since I haven’t had any birthday parties to put all my energy into, I’ve funneled some of my excess brain snappage into some packaging for a Gumball Takes Over the World Kit. Now everyone can play along! Put away your iron and heat-transfer paper, I’ve done it for you!

I think my next project will be ordering some Gumball t-shirts. I haven’t come up with a Secret Agent Josephine design that I can stick with longer than a month so I think when I make the big jump into screen printing (read: pay someone to screen print for me) it will be with Gumball. The front will be his cute little mug and the back will be his butt and the daring “kiss my asterisk” slogan. I know some of my relatives will raise their eyebrows and shake their head that I’ve slipped over to the dark side but I can’t help it. I think it’s funny and I’m keeping it real.

Which by the way is totally Toby’s fault. He’s the one who told me to put an asterisk on Gumball’s butt. Brilliant, no? This also comes from the guy who photoshopped my butt into an animated giff one day to shut me up when I was complaining that I needed to lose some weight. (Read this post to get the whole story). I’m going to start a category called “Toby humor” just so you can see why I keep him around…

That and the fact that he gave my little girl the prettiest eyes in the whole wide world. She may have gotten my color but the shape and the wide-set-ness is all him. From her nose up she looks like Toby. From the nose down she’s me. Poor kid. She’s got my round face and chin and will probably grow up to have my jowls and a double chin too.

Anyway, this post is not about genetics, it’s about GUMBALL!!! I took the photo above so you can see that Gumball has been kid tested and approved! I don’t know if the heat-transfer paper is safe for teething on but Gumball as a toy, is safe and great for throwing.

As far sewing goes, these may not be seamstress approved. He is a “lumpy pillow” after all. So he’s not perfect. I just thought I’d warn you before you rushed off to my Etsy Shop to buy yourself one. If you want a perfect Gumball you’re probably better off downloading your own pdf and making your own.

ALSO! One more thing: I’ve got some valentines up my sleeve that I’m printing for my Etsy Shop. So if you’re thinking of shopping, you might want to hold off until next week.