ThanksgivingWeek

PB210001  Mom and Richard kept the boys for naps a few days the week before Doug and Mary arrived - our master bath finally died and we had to do an emergency remodel... PB210002  They had a blast! PB220006  Welcome, Tito Pig! (Uncle Doug) PB220007  Reading Babar!
PB220010 PB220011 PB230015  And now Tita Bear is here! Thanksgiving Opening Ceremonies  Opening ceremonies! We had so much fun...
PB230029  Doug and Mary have joined us for a nice extended visit over Thanksgiving - Doug is my brother and Mary is his fiancee. We are so happy to see them and wanted to throw a big party to celebrate their arrival, and kick off the holiday season with our family and friends. 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (2)  Gathered with our friends for a bonfire, pupus and s'mores at Bellows. PB230016  Breaking up wood for the bonfire. This is Spencer taking a big swing while David looks on. Brian and Dave are attacking the pallet. PB230017  And the pirates have sword fights!
PB230018  Lots of fun for all the menfolk! PB230021  Liisa and Angel with Ben. PB230022 PB230023  Hi Brian! Welcome home from deployment! (This is Liisa's husband.)
PB230026 PB230028 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (5)  A beautiful place to gather. PB230046  Let the ceremonies begin! We'll start with fire-starting the ancient Hawaiian way...
PB230047  Go Kathy - good form! PB230048 PB230049  Jon at the ready with the coconut fibers! 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (6)  Can two do it any better?
2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (7)  Yikes this is hard work! 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (8)  Switching "guns" :) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (14)  Then we got Don in on the action - he says he did this as a kid, and promises to work on technique for a rematch next year :) He was such a good sport to try it for us! We all made smoke and Don really truly almost had it going. I think I saw an ember... 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (15)  Aaaargh!
2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (9) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (16)  Lots of discussion about technique :) Then more beer... 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (18)  Go Daddy, go! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (17)  And Dave gave it a go...
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (21)  Now Doug is working it! Like his man lei? 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (22)  Maybe that's the tradition - whoever comes the furthest to celebrate Thanksgiving gets to start the fire? I'm blocking the wind now. 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (10) 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (11)
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (20)  See the black? We were close! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (24)  Mom wanted a try, too! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (23)  Oh yeah! Almost! This was the start of a a major upper body workout during the coming week...good thing Doug is so fit - he did a ton of surfing, kayaking, paddle boarding... 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (18)  Whew! Can I relax now?
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (25)  She finally got it going, see!? ha! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (26)  LOVE the smell of a good bonfire. 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (27)  Now for the coconut cracking portion of the ceremonies. Jon is very good at this. PB230061
2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (12) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (29)  Yum! PB230063  Angel shows Doug how to crack a coconut with a machete next... PB230065
PB230068 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (13)  Right here? 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (30)  We always bring machetes to parties. You just never know. And headlamps. 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (14)
PB230069 PB230070 PB230071 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (16)  Sam watching Uncle Doug with the machete...totally fascinated. He kept inching closer and closer to see
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (32)  Mom capturing all the craziness. Thanks to Mom and Richard, we have lots of great photos documenting the festivites for generations to come :) Doug has been with us for FIVE Thanksgivings now! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (33)  Liisa's husband Brian is finally home from deployment - yay!!! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (34)  You would never know, but Melisa is 9 months pregnant!!!!! She found a good firewood supply and brought her famous artichoke dip :) My true hero! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (36)  Ben is a messy eater...
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (37)  Sam finally sat down for some food - he loves edamame. He was way to busy running wild being a "bad pirate" to eat...but edamame got his interest. 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (38)  I'm telling something funny...wish I could remember! But look at Dave's face... PB230038  The pirate wars continue! The kids just ran and ran! PB230035  And the grownups got to relax a bit.
PB230032 PB230033 PB230034 PB230041  Finally stopping long enough for some water :)
2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (3)  Discussing the benefits of a rapid delivery! 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (5) PB230051 PB230056
PB230058  This is the coconut tree climbing event! PB230059  Sam giving it a try! 2008-11-23PreHolidayAtBellowsOliPics (19) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (42)
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (41)  The ladies were telling me "Headlamps are not an accessory!" PB230075  A great time! Thanks for coming everyone! PB230079 PB230082
PB230090  Soccer by headlamp :) PB230094 PB230099 (2) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (39)  Anneliese :)
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (40)  And Caleigh! Little cuties!!! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (43) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (44) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (45)  Nice fire!
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (46)  Paparazzi photos...of the visiting dignitaries :) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (47)  Tomorrow Mary and Doug will be Ben's Godparents at his baptism. Thanks for coming all this way to celebrate with us! We love you! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (49) 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (50)  Ah yes!
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (51)  Not sure what happened here. A bonking of some kind - oh I think it was standing up under the picnic table after retrieving the soccer ball. Poor guy. 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (52)  Mommy helps Sammy recover. IMG 0074  What is Liisa telling me?! She is plotting and scheming no doubt! 2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots (53)  Ooooh! Night assault on Bellows by climbing up and over the pillbox trail? or a beach assualt by kayak? sounds great!
2008-11-23PreHolidayBellowsRichardCameraMostlyOliShots IMG 0077  Liisa's son Mikko-Dakota. Such a cutie! He is Sam's partner in all pirate crimes :) P1010308  We went surfing in Waikiki - what a blast! Having a lesson really helped. P1010286  Here is Dave showing great form on his way up.
P1010306  And finding time to do a shaka! P1010319  That's Doug in the background. He already knew how to surf, but this is Dave's first time on a board! P1010322  I had so much fun! P1010323  Yay!!! I'm up!
P1010327  Check out my crazy wardrobe choice, though! I loaned out my only rashguard... P1010331  And Mary was a real pro! Look at her go! P1010332  No hands! P1010334
PICT0012  There's Mary! PICT0014  Nice ride, Mary! PICT0015  That's me and Diamond Head in the distance. Doug took these pictures from his board. PICT0016
PICT0011  Mom took care of the boys in the tent on the beach. Thanks mom! PICT0019 PICT0020  Totally "pearling" - the nose of the board is sinking into the water (and I'm about to wipe, and I know it!) because I'm too far up to the front of the board. PICT0021  Go Mary!
PICT0022  She hates this photo because it looks so phony, but isn't it a great shot that Doug took?! PB250099  So fun getting a chance to share this experience with my BIG little brother. A highlight of my life! No kidding :) PB250007 PB250013  After-surfing pull-ups :)
PB250014 PB250024  Out to dinner at Zia's, where it turns out Sean knows a lot of the people Mary works with in the fashion industry! He used to work in NYC in a former life... PB250015 PB250020
PB250023 PB260045  Mary loved Lanikai Beach! PB260033  Yes - the colors are for real! PB260038
PB260040 IMG 0017  A day at Lanikai Beach - very very windy, but fun to play around in the water. I'm having to really dig into the water to paddle anywhere against the wind. Doug made it out to those breaks to see if they were good for surfing. This was the beginning of his upper body workout! He joked at the end of the week that he'd need a joint replacement after this Thanksgiving fest :) IMG 0018  I don't think I moved at all! IMG 0021  Maybe a little!
IMG 0022  Diving into pizza that mom brought back. Mom and Richard were an awesome support crew for the adventurers! They kept us fed and helped haul our gear all over the place, chasing waves and sun :) PB260042 PB260044 PB260054  Waving to uncle Doug coming back from the breaks.
PB260055 PB260058 PB260026  Then home for a quick wardrobe change and back out again for family photos with my friend Liisa. PB260029
PB260063  This is the madness in our bedroom during the bathroom remodel. How we managed being down a bathroom with company all week I don't know...but it all worked out ok. We realized we had actually lived for years with only one bathroom somehow! PB260064  New vanity. PB260066  What a mess! IMG00021  Poor Dave - he had put the paddleboard away, then I asked him to put it back on the truck for a prop for the photos :) I am so glad we did. I can't wait to see Liisa's photos. These are from Richard's blackberry.
IMG00022  Liisa and MD helping :) IMG00023  Sam messing around at the front :) IMG00025 IMG00030  Can Mary be any more beautiful?
IMG00033 IMG00034  Liisa working hard to put us all together in a neat panorama. IMG00035  Look at that sky! IMG00040
IMG00042 IMG00043  Mom found this muumuu on Ebay! IMG00044 PB260067  Dave took it out for a spin - very very shallow so I actually ran aground and got dumped entirely into the water in my dress!
PB260069  Dave picking his way around the coral. PB260076 PB260080  The boys were so cute trying these one. Look at Doug's hands...that's what Sam does when he smiles really big. PB260081
PB260082 PB260083 PB260086  Load it one more time! PB260094  Sam came out in one of his "dress-up" shirts and this wreath saying "I'm wearing something special for you!" He loves wearing button-down shirts now.
PB260095  He enjoys choosing and buttoning his own dress-up shirts for going out to dinner or other events. He knows casual vs dress-up. Very cute. PB260097  Ben in a cute shirt from Aunt Kate. PB260101  Whew! What a day! PB260002  A nice dinner that Dave made after the boys went to bed.
PB260006  Salmon, asparagus, rice... BOB3  And now it's time for Thanksgiving!!! PB270104  Mom arriving with the VIP bird! PB270105  Liz, Mike and Angel.
PB270106  Trying to capture moments in between feeding boys, setting up the table, getting drinks... PB270107  Dave carving up the bird. It came out so well! PB270021 PB270108  We had a potluck - didn't specify what sides to bring. It all worked out really well and was delicious!
PB270109  I also had this compelling desire to use my paddleboard as a table, so I sneaked it onto some chairs and gathered around :) PB270022 PB270110 PB270023  Sam and Ben's sitter, Roni!
PB270024 PB270025 PB270026 Bird on Beach 2008 (4)
Bird on Beach 2008 (5) Bird on Beach 2008 (6) Bird on Beach 2008 (7)  Liz and her friend (John? sorry I can't remember) who was visiting and helping a woman row from CA to HI. Bird on Beach 2008 (8)
Bird on Beach 2008 (9) Bird on Beach 2008 (10) Bird on Beach 2008 (11) Bird on Beach 2008 (12)
PB270029  Some party crashers who know the lady in black - Cynthia. She produces a reality tv show - heartofparadise.tv. It's premiering on FOX in mid-December. Keep an eye out for it :) PB270030 PB270033 PB270034
PB270035 PB270036  Nice place to chill after feasting! PB270038  Look at this dessert tray! It's from a Samoan family in the next pavilion over. They were so nice! We pounced on it! PB270040
PB270041  There's Picka - not sure how to spell it, sorry! So nice to meet you! PB270045 PB270047 PB270050
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Bird on Beach 2008 (20) Bird on Beach 2008 (25)  Cynthia and her girls, Alyssa and Alana. Bird on Beach 2008 (17)  Come on, honey! Just a little nose nibble?! Bird on Beach 2008 (31)  Angel was my co-conspirator - how can we get tons of food, have tons of friends and family around, but not spend all day in the kitchen???
Bird on Beach 2008 (35)  More after dinner games :) Bird on Beach 2008 (36) Bird on Beach 2008 (38)  Poor Brian got dragged in, too! Bird on Beach 2008 (44)
PB270060  Doug and Mary taking the kayak out! PB270111 PB270114a  They're off to Flat Island. PB270118b
PB270119  Nice landing! PB270062  Dave out on the paddleboard in fierce winds. PB270063  Whoa!!! PB270064
PB270065  Downward dog on the beach! PB270066  Liisa watching Dave :) PB270068 PB270072
PB270075  More spectators :) PB270120  Another sport, Doug?! PB280077  Time for the "Sam show" - playing the piano while stomping and shaking his head like a real rocker :) PB280078  Ben was playing the flute, too!
PB280081  At Castles for some surfing! PB280083  I asked this guy if he would take us tandem surfing, then thew poor Mary on the board first! He was like, "OK, I'm going to have to lie down on your butt, are you ok with that?" PB280105  I let him use my board for a while as a thank - you, even though I was DYING to get on it to try some waves! PB280108  More beach naps!
PB280128 PB280129  Sam got the chair out and set up all by himself! PB280131 PB280132
PB280140  Dave arriving with the beach mai tai bar :) PB280142 PB280143  Nice! PB280144
PB280145 PB280149  Peekaboo! PB280150 PB280152  Dave out paddleboarding.
PB280156  Sam gathering coconuts for a new game... PB280157  Coconut surfing! IMG00008  Out to Zia's - for brunch this time! Bread pudding pancakes!!!! PICT0023  Doug and I kayaked out to the Mokes and hiked around to the cove at the back side. Very cool!
PICT0029 PICT0033  Jumping into Queen's Bath around to the other side of Moku Nui. PICT0034  Climbing out is tricky with sea urchins all around! PICT0035  Yeah - that guy!
PICT0037  And I'm jumping, too! PB290003  Doug likes to act out children's stories. Here he is the big bad wolf! PB300011  Checking out Pyramid Beach for surfing potential. It was really big - too big. 10'12' faces that day! But beautiful. Look at Capt. Hook :) PB300016
PB300023  So back to Castles we went...and Doug got some really good rides in. PB300024 PB300027 PB300029
PB300040  Love this series of Ben playing :) PB300043 PB300045  Sandy buddies! PB300047
PB300050 PB300051  Gathering coconuts again! SurfinSafari  This is a good wrap-up of the week :) We had such a blast!!!!! PB300003
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