Oh The Tsunami

We had a beautiful hotel while in Oahu. Stephen and I decided that we had enough ocean in Kodiak and we would like to be closer to the mountains, so we found the Makaha Resort. It was off the beaten path, but beautiful. We were next door to a retired couple that we enjoyed talking with and getting to know. Well as many heard there was a Tsunami that hit Hawaii and yes, we were there. After a day at the North Shore we were so tired and headed to bed early. We were awoken by a loud knock and the retired couple at our door. As we opened the door we heard the loud siren and knew something was going on. While the man filled Stephen in Greyson started throwing up, needless to say, it was a crazy night filled with hourly sirens and a sick boy.
We ended up not having to leave the hotel, and many people were evacuated to where we were at. We were not however able to leave the hotel until around noon the next day. Which, wasn't the biggest deal since we had a sick little boy. We also didn't notice much damage until we arrive on the Big Island, but that's another story

Our First BIG family Vacation

Christmas was the first time I heard the song, "A Baby Changes Everything" (thanks Mr. Peterson) anyway, it really is so true. Stephen and I were extremely excited to take Greyson to one of our favorite places, HAWAII!! Our excitement overshadowed the long plane ride there and we soon found ourselves on the warm, sandy beach with our 12 month old. Greyson was not very excited about the sand or the water. In Kodiak, while we have spent a lot of time walking the beaches, he has always been bundled in the backpack. For Greyson getting used to the sand was something he almost did on this trip.
Our first day was spent on the North Shore of Oahu. Stephen loves the big, strong waves and had a great time getting thrown upside down and everywhere.
Heading back to our hotel for the night, we were all tired and ready for an early bedtime. Little did we know that it would be our most unrestful night of the entire trip.

Stephen's Trip to Ouzinkie

Stephen has spent quite a lot of time in the village of Ouzinkie, but it has mostly been for summer camp. This time the school district asked him to go out and do some work in the schools. So in 24 hours Stephen worked his magic and put together a video for the kids. He also got to stay out at Bakers Cottage with the YWAM team from Homer. They are still out there doing some work on the house.
Of course the trip to Ouzinkie and back was in a small plane and they even made a stop out at Port Lions. Another village near Ouzinkie.

Happy Birthday Greyson!

It's hard to believe it has already been an entire year. While Greyson has changed every part of our life he has also made it so, so, so much better. Stephen and I both cannot imagine life without our "littliest man". Greyson had his one year appointment and while he's not the heaviest guy, he is pretty tall. So, maybe he'll be tall and skinny:) We didn't have a big party for Greyson on the 1st, but instead waited until the weekend. I made my first big cake and we had great friends to help us celebrate!
It was a snowy/rainy day and so our entry way was filled with the most worn shoe in Kodiak, the Xtra Tuff!
We were also able to call both sets of grandparents on Skype and have them be part of the cake and birthday singing moment, it was pretty amazing.
Greyson wasn't a big fan of the cake or ice cream, but when I finally pulled out an avocado, he really ate up,

Greyson Loves the Vacuum!

February Fun

Here are a few things from February. We kept up the Wellensiek tradition of having a big Super Bowl Party. The hat you see in the picture was worn by the person who had the number of the last person to turnover the ball. We had fun playing lots of little games and eating a large amount of food.
The video is Greyson in my office. Everyday he makes a huge mess and finds something to tear apart.
Roscoe has also started to take more to Greyson, mostly because he has realized Greyson has food he'd like to eat.

Gus and Greyson

Every morning Greyson is so excited to play with Gus. Lately I have been conducting a lot of phone interviews and doing numerous reference checks for summer staff. Gus has been the perfect distraction for Greyson. One day I ended up being on the phone for 40 minutes. During that time they chased each other around the house, Greyson laid next to Gus and they rolled back and forth and of course at least 10 minutes was filled with Greyson crawling all over him.
It is priceless to watch!