FestPac

Every 4 years, since 1972 islands in the Pacific have had a festival called "FestPac" for a two week festival that highlights the different island cultures and artists.  The location changes so we were lucky enough to get to experience it here in Guam.  There were delegates and people from:  American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfold Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanatu, Wallis, and Futuna.

We decided to check it out as a family, and unfortunately missed a lot of the cultural dancing which we were hoping to see, but we got to see a drumming demonstration and walk through all of the artisan tents which highlighted many different handmade items from fans, clothing, jewelry, etc...we also got to see some animals, and witness men carving trees with saws.

 It was pretty warm on the day that we went, and Woodrow was acting pretty lethargic.  We thought he was just sleepy, but by the time we went to a restaurant for lunch Woodrow had a fever and threw up a little.  So we decided to skip the dancing shows in the afternoon and cut our losses while we were ahead with the little man.

A week later, Theo had the same 24 hour bug, so Mason and Woodrow had a special date night to go to the closing ceremony of Fest Pac.  I'm so glad they had the special time together.  The ceremony was long, and Theo and I were able to catch parts of it on TV.  It was a lot like an Olympic Ceremony where there were a lot of presenting of gifts, speeches, and clapping, but there were a few performances.

     

Shenanignas of a two and four year old

I think moving out of CST caused myself and the kiddos to temporarily lose our minds.  Thankfully Mason was the stable one.  I was preparing myself for the kids to be upset about leaving friends, and having an adjustment to leaving our house in Minot.  It's really the first house they both remember living in, well for Woodrow it's the only house he's lived in.  Moving across an ocean definitely provided many challenges. The thing is, we may have still had these issues if we hadn't moved, but it was an added stressor. 

When the movers took the majority of our household items in the beginning of March, is when Woodrow learned how to escape from his crib.  This was NOT fun for me.  I really like the bedrooms being a safe place for me to put the kiddos when I go to sleep and I don't have to worry about them wandering around the house.  It freaks me out, especially when Mason is gone.  Woodrow is definitely not going to let anything sand in his way, so of course once he figured out how to escape his crib, he also figured out how to open his bedroom door, which we had already changed to a knob handle when he was younger.  After a few nap times and bedtimes of wandering around, we put the door knob cover on the inside of the room which helped a bit.  But, from March until recently this began a bad sleeping routine for Woodrow.  He would sleep on the floor in his room, or in hotels, or here (sometimes he didn't have a bed which wasn't his fault).  He would wake in the middle of the night, he wanted us to stay with him in his room.  It was bad. 

We were in lots of hotels, grandparents' houses, more hotels, a new house, and it was a lot of change.  And like I said, this is not that unusual for a 2.5 year old, but it was stressful to not get good sleep, for anyone in the house.  Woodrow got a new bunk bed when we got to Guam, and that's provided much entertainment for the boys.  Theo has the bed Mason made for him setup, and right now the top bunk is empty, but we plan for it's use in future years. 

Having Woodrow and Theo in the same room has been a new experience, and whew, just about took it out of us.  They very rarely nap any more.  Which is a major bummer to me, especially being pregnant.  They still have to have rest time, and thanks to Mason who was able to switch the door handle so the lock is on the outside, the mostly remain in their room (although Theo ALWAYS has to poop during nap time, and ALWAYS right as I seem to doze off).  But, it works.  It gives me a little bit of time to rest and regroup.  I've discovered that if I want them to sleep at nap time they have to be separated.  It's been a struggle because they both show signs of still needing a nap come 5pm, but if they do sleep, then they are still bouncing off the walls at 9/10pm. 

Anyways, here are some photos of the shenanigans that ensued in the past few months during this transition time...

I'm hungry.  We're going to breakfast.  I'm not going. 

Crying because he's hungry (we're walking to breakfast)

Oooh, electronics mom and dad said not to touch

They went to bed on separate sides of the room with no books out.

Coloring my brothers face isn't appropriate?

Mom and dad said not to jump on this display

One of our first trips to the library with a stop at the BX afterwards

"Don't climb on the top bunk" "We're driving our car" (and opened the window shade they weren't supposed to play with)

Middle of the night.  He was frisked before bedtime

Bring the laundry to the laundry room = Theo under all the clothes

Just going for a spin...

Woodrow decided this is where the Parmesan Cheese belonged at night time. 

He snuck the yogurt smoothie in his room

Okay, here Theo was helpful

Act cute, she won't suspect we're plotting

He was jumping on top of the bed shelf

If we hid in the closet, maybe she'll think we're napping.

Puntan Dos Amantes

On one of our outings last week I decided to check out Puntan Dos Amantes, or, Two Lovers Point.  This location is not to far from where we live ("close" = about 20 minutes these days).  We grabbed a fancy lunch from Wendy's which the boys ate in the car and when we arrived we were lucky enough to find a parking spot in the actual lot.  This is definitely a top tourist spot and even though it was lunchtime on a weekday, there were still a decent amount of people there. Several Japanese tourist buses passed through.  There were some cars parked along the side of the road leading up to the parking lot, so I imagine it does get pretty crowded at times. 

I had wanted Mason to come on this outing, but figured I'd take the kids, and Mason and I would head back at sunset on a date night at some point in our time here on Guam.  The weather was pretty hot the day we went, but we were able to find a shaded area to enjoy our chocolate frostys.  They were melting quicker than the boys could consume them.  Theo says he saw "30 lizards" while I went to go throw away our trash, but I'm guessing it was more like 1.  The area at Two Lovers Point isn't huge, but was perfect for these guys. 

You could purchase little foam hearts for $6 and lock them to the gates, trees, or walls nearby.  We decided to skip this, but it reminded me very much of something we witnessed when Mason and I went to Japan.  Most people wrote love messages on their hearts, and locked them with heart shape locks which were also for sale.  They looked very pretty in contrast to the flowers and ocean backdrop. 

The water from this vantage point was pristine.  It was so many colors of teal and blue.  We did pay $3 to go to the observation tower (kids were free) and I could have used the pass to return at sunset, but we didn't.  The view was amazing.  Sometimes looking out into the ocean really reminds you that your on an island in the middle of the ocean.  We also had a good view of Tumon Bay.  There was a jet ski class that we oversaw which the kids thought was cool. 

The boys really liked to see the statue of the two lovers when we came down from the observation area, and they got to ring the bell of love which was a huge hit.  Woodrow made a friend with an elderly Japanese man who Woodrow allowed to hold his hand down a flight of stairs.  I was shocked. 

This was a nice, quick adventure with the two little guys and I was glad to check the site off of my bucket list. 

The story of Two Lovers Point:   http://www.twoloverspoint.com/legend.htm