Here is Sam this afternoon – he’d fallen asleep with all his “friends” then fell off the couch, slept for a minute on his knees with his head on the couch still, then somehow got most of the way back up. This is how Dave found him when he got home from work. I’d done the Swamp Romp this morning with 5 girlfriends and mom as our team mom and photographer. I was really wiped this afternoon and took a nap as well. The only guy who didn’t sleep much was Ben! More fun pictures in the album – click on photo above to visit. We had a blast!

 

I just asked Sam how many Hershey kisses our friend Holly could have – he couldn’t see how many I had in my hand. He said “Two?” Then paused and considered. Then “Do we have FOOUUUR?” with a look of real interest. It reminded me of a time when he was about 2 1/2 and was having an ice cream sandwich. I was trying to get him to give it back so he wouldn’t wolf the whole thing down. It was a huge HUGE cookie sandwich so I said “how about 2 more bites since you’re TWO?” and he said very quickly – “how about 3 more since I’m almost THREE?” Good negotiator, particularly when treats are involved!

Click on the picture above for the video and more photos!!! Such a huge day – Dave and I were just so ecstatic for him. He rode off like it was no big deal! Thanks to Richard for scooting right over and taking pictures when mom got the call – they were on the beach while we were in the park. I couldn’t have planned it better if I’d thought it through 🙂 ha ha!

Here’s a snapshot of Tuesday’s gathering at Ho’omaluhia for their monthly preschooler nature hour. We had a great time – there were probably two dozen kids and half as many moms, at least. See the ducks in the lower right? We had to feed them first, of course. Here’s my friend Laura – she’s actually Kathy’s friend first, but I’m claiming her as well. (Kathy picks good friends 🙂 ) She actually went to UVa as well! And she spoke Russian with my other friend Michelle! That was really cool.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Dave gave me the gift of a holo holo day in an area of my choosing – the North Shore. We scoped out a couple short hikes to remote beaches. Sam and Dave are carrying driftwood back to the car in this picture. We always have to get large sticks when we’re at the beach. 🙂 We had breakfast at Moke’s (remember the pancakes, Pop Pop?), then lunch ended up being at Turtle Bay, and dinner was at Zia’s, a family favorite. Ben was really tired by then and he was w-i-l-d – squirming all over, dropping everything we gave him so the staff would pick them up to his amusement. The owners are so awesome, though, and we got a chance to chat with them a bit. Mom and Richard enjoyed the dinner despite all the antics. Nice of them to share Valentine’s Dinner with us – not so romantic!!! Thank you, Dave, for the wonderful day despite how tired you were from taking a few calls last night. You are awesome! I love you!

Sam and I hiked his bike into the woods on a mountain biking trail (Ben was in my pack) to take training wheels off and coast back down the trail. It was pretty muddy, and the further we got the more ravenous the mosquitoes were! Sam and I have been talking about mountain biking like the big boys and even found a new trail really close to us with jumps and stuff. We got to see some big boys do the jumps the other day. Sam is so jazzed to learn how to ride without training wheels just like the big guys. So I figured, why not on a mountain bike trail, where wiping out is part of the thrill!? I packed in a wrench today and Sam said, ok let’s do it! So we did.

Mom picked up a pineapple crown (the top portion you cut off before eating) two and a half years ago at the Dole plantation. The idea is you bring it home, plant it, and grow a new pineapple. Well, we did, but the plant grew and grew and didn’t seem to generate a baby. We knew it would take about 18 months, but still…nothing. So I transplanted it to our front garden where the soil is more red and clay-like, similar to what the soil is like in the central plains where the Dole plantation is. I thought maybe the soil would be better and the baby would finally emerge. About two months later I detected the tiniest of pineapple buds growing at the top! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Finally! I kept an eye on it over the last two weeks – it’s growing fast now! It is now about the size of an egg pictured above (a chicken egg, that is). It’s always fun to see something grow in the garden. Plants are blooming all around and enjoying the damp, warm spring.

   

Here’s what I’ve been up to lately for work…About two years ago I met a very talented designer (Alfredo Garma) through a friend and colleague, Wes (who owns Formaggio Grill here in Kailua, as well as four other restaurants). A long time ago Alfredo and I talked about swapping skills – I needed a logo and he needed a website. Then I traveled to the northeast for six weeks, had Ben, etc. We accomplished both in December and we’re both thrilled!

My friend Christina and her daughter, Sarah, took the adventurers to Kukaniloko today – the “Birthing Stones” where ali’i were born. Some of the rocks had petroglyphs visible on them, and one or two were obviously used to mark the passage of time with grooves worn around the edges to cast shadows into a concentric circle. It’s a beautiful place high on the plains of central O’ahu, between the Wainae and Ko’olau ranges (ancient volcanic rims). The soil is red and fertile, a good place to grow coffee and pineapples. And apparently a good place to be born. The spirit of youth continues to hold a strong presence here – our children felt at home here immediately and enjoyed a spirited game of hide-n-seek, as well as “treetertotter” – a tree they turned into a horse for a time, then a natural teeter totter. Thank you for a lovely morning, Christina!!!