2010-12 DEC

Christmas 94 images · 1 video	Hogmanay 64 images	Koko Crater 17 images
New Year's Day 37 images	snorkeling 14 images	Old Pali Rd 33 images

1 We ran into our appraiser and her son out on the beach! SMALL WORLD here! We had a great time watching the boys (who are the same age) romp around being silly silly silly! We joined in the fun, too.	2 They were moving so fast my smartphone shutterspeed could NOT keep up!	3 Firing our fish that we created four weeks ago. They were glazed and ready for us to put in the kiln along with our medallions. In the meantime, we made...	4 Oh - here we are glazing the medallions first.
5 Even little Ben concentrates so well despite being a high-energy dude.	6 Now we are making...GINGERBREAD houses! This is not good for the male ego, though. They are really really pesky to put together! Dave was not the only alpha male a bit testy with the whole thing :) Poor guy! He finally got it, though.	7 Look at all those man hands working hard together. Sam didn't even taste the frosting he was working so hard.	8 Can you believe that? A tube of frosting in Krug boy hands and it all went into the piece?
9 But the decorating grew a little sparse due to some - ah hem - quality control officials.	10 All done with the firing! The teachers were great explaining about how clay has such fantastic insulating properties that it lines the kiln. It is also on the bottom of the space shuttle (ceramic tiles), and is in Tylenol to bind the medicine together. Interesting...	11 Little elves helping with decorating! Can you guess what is on this elf's mouth?	12 Showing Baby Jesus the fire truck (Jesus in Ben's right hand). He was very bossy to Baby Jesus. "No! You don't get in there! You get in HERE!"
13 Dave's birthday breakfast at Boots and Kimos! This place usually has a line around the block, but very strangely this particular morning the waters parted and we were seated IMMEDIATELY. Crazy!	14 See the line now?	15 A little movie of decorating time with the boys.	16 Out on the beach for a glorious morning with my little friend after dropping Sam off. Our routine on M W and F is to drop Sam off via bike/stroller and run down the beach to the Kalapawai end where I do some yoga (with Ben flopping around and ON me), then to Kalapawai for coffee and muffin and Ben holding court with his peeps. Then a jog home running errands along the way, such as library, screen door shop, bike shop (to repair my bearings after salt water and sand exposure), Salvation Army, etc. That pretty much kills the morning.
17 At the Hawaii Youth Symphony concert with a group of military homeschoolers! I dismissed Sam early for this awesome event. We had a great time and went for smoothies afterwards. That's our old-time musical instruments book (the kind with the transparent pages?) which has a great layout of the orchestra.	18 That orchestra layout page I mentioned. The lady next to us was referring to it as well.	19 Smoothie boys!	20 Yum! Three Japanese ladies were totally oogling them and Ben was eating it all up :)
21 Giving you a feel for the concert hall and how big an event it was. This was the third performance this morning and I think they do it for three days! Literally dozens of school buses lining the streets all around the block. I wish I had caught the orchestra doing the wave by section with their instruments up in the air. They were fun and the whole thing was just amazing!	22 Christmas Elves working on ornament presents for friends and family near and far. Powered by "candy cane-dees" per Ben.	23 Mommy powered by Jubelale (it's after 4pm).	24 P for Peace!
25 Do you recognize your treat? Leslie - so fun to know yours made it in time to hang on the tree!	26 Sam made the one in the middle - the holes in the coral look like bubbles from a snorkel.	27 Finally - a year of no tears upon meeting Santa!	28 Loved this truck! It's the Hawaii Food Bank truck.
29 Making ornaments with my friend :)	30 Angie decorated her sand dollar with glitter glue...and she got to keep the one I made in the foreground.	31 My "Ha-wise-man" :) Hey, at least Tamara thinks it was funny :)	32 Sam's class for their Christmas performance.
33	34 Jaden!	35 And Sam...	36
37 Can you believe this? Hey, whatever works during potty training time.	38 Here's the song that comes with that previous picture :)	39 Uncle Tom says safest to walk close to cliff edge if cliff face is nearly vertical. Uncle Tom says safest to walk close to cliff edge if cliff face is nearly vertical.	40 Out for some fun in the rain...
41 And I have a friend willing to come along! With her two boys, too!	42 Lots and lots of water!	43 This is why we needed the helmets!	44 Ben snuggling up on a rainy day Ben snuggling up on a rainy day
45 Buying Daddy his Christmas present...Sam gets his hands on a 12 string...	46 Unfortunately, he likes it! Dad says he needs to wait a few more years. The tiny store is the size of a carport. This aisle is the width of the guitar. Can you picture me in here with running stroller, two boys, both with instruments, and Ben wanting to march around and play his uke? Good times...	47 At Mass with the whole family. Wouldn't you know our family was selected to carry the host forward (wine and wafers). Sam was given the wine to carry down in a glass vase. You can imagine how nervous I was. Dave reminded me later that while it would be a disaster if something happened, they are not the blood or body of Christ until consecrated.	48 After Mass - a big rain storm going through O'ahu. Sam thinks this is great fun, but Uncle Doug is in front of him with white pants on. Somehow Doug gets a real hosing whenever we go to church. One other time he was in linen pants for church and O Club brunch when I took him on a beach walk. A rogue wave got those pants.
49 This time he was sandwiched between a pickup full of surfers who didn't slow down, and Sam running up from behind, jumping, laughing and splashing... oh boy!	50 The Segway tour goes on! (Not our group...just thought it was funny.)	51 To the Kaniakapupu ruins with the whole gang. I think 11 of us?	52 We warned them all it would be a bit muddy...
53 Nicki has a constant, beautiful smile. She is one of Ben's best buddies. Nickie and Jesus that is!	54 Roma enjoying herself - Lelu not so sure about the mud! And Mama Cari outfitted in the right shoes for this.	55 Mom has it all - Crocs and trekking pole! Go mom! I think Richard has a life raft and flare. ;0	56 These shots are blurry do to my aversion to flash, but you get the idea of the fun and squeals!
57 Must have tall sticks. Ben uses his like a javelin!	58 There he goes!	59 Daddy is tall enough to avoid most of the danger...but the rest of us have to keep the 10 ft pole in mind. It's like bringing four preschoolers instead of two!	60 The gang at King Kamehameha III's summer palace.
61 I suggested a jump - so here's #1 of 3 :)	62 Roma got some good air :)	63 Nice Cari and Lelu!	64
65 The javelin king arrives!	66 Comparing sticks...	67 Two warriors...	68
69 Such a good time with everyone!	70 The ruins at peace once again.	71	72 A visit to the waterfall...very swollen stream with all the rain. Dave, Richard and I were all the watchful ones, reminding everyone there is a flash flood watch...
73 But in they all went...	74 Adios!	75 Lelu wondering if her toes will ever be clean again. We didn't tell them this mud doesn't come off easily.	76
77 Richard standing guard!	78	79	80 Look at those legs! Tita Bear is Ben's Godmother!
81 Love this one!	82 Hi Nicki! Can you do this? (Make a face!)	83 At lunch - just had to get this shot of Doug, aka the Pig.	84 Smoothie boys at Sweet Home Waimanalo!
85 Doug takes after Dad in the hot sauce arena!	86	87	88 Going to see Eddie Kamae and the Sons of Hawaii!
89	90 There's the man!	91	92 Yoga on the beach!
93 Getting ready! Mats or no mats? They decided no mats.	94	95 A honu (turtle) was visible in the water the entire time!