2011-05 MAY

beach morning

41 images

Ben's bday

18 images

Mariner's Ridge

20 images

  
IMAG0369  Cell phone shot of my beach run with Ben after dropping Sam off. We continue on by stroller and foot to a beach access just a block away from Sam's school and head down the beach 2 1/2 miles to meet up with mom. IMAG0370  Sometimes we see cool structures along the way ;) IMAG0377  Playground time - cell phone shot sent to Daddy at work. photo 1  Another interesting sand sculpture! I'm repairing the "pedicure".
photo 2  Ooops! photo 3  Peeling his own egg now. photo 4  Kind-of a messy affair. IMGP3308  After-school beach time.
IMGP3315  Trying to get two boys in one shot so Dave can have an updated picture on his Blackberry. IMGP3322  He liked this one :) IMGP3333 IMGP3337
IMGP3341  This is at the beach access by mom's cottage. IMGP3342  Oops! Beach biscuits showing! IMGP3343  Lilke how the water drop is covering it up for him? IMGP3344
IMGP3349  Scanning the horizon for a good one. IMGP3351  Got it! Mom and Richard standing watch in background. IMGP3356 IMGP3365
IMGP3371 IMGP3376 IMGP3378 IMGP3380
IMAG0378  Words to one of our favorite Eddie Kamae songs. IMAG0379  Ben LOVES haircuts. IMAG0380  On a hike at Koko Crater Botanical Garden. Ben and Cam had such active imaginations this particular day. They were fascinated with the plumerias in bloom, climbing trees and boulders, and then collecting strange sausage fruits which they called their "babies" - they were so cute! IMAG0381  Start of a sneeze caught on film!
photo 13  Giving mommy a flower! IMAG0382 IMAG0383  Sniffing and sniffing and more sniffing while the mommies look for a bathroom opportunity. photo 23
photo 33  Decorating Gramma's crocs :) photo 43 photo 12 IMAG0386  Doing a sword fight with "cactopus"! Looks like a cactus octopus, doesn't it? Or was my imagination on overdrive, too?
photo 22  Get it! photo 32  Yeah. Got it, mom! photo 42  Oh no! Another one got Ben! photo 11  All better now. Taking care of the "babies".
IMAG0387  Carrying them another mile around the rest of the loop. Each one weighed about 3 lbs! IMAG0388  They were soooo cute caring for these little ones. Even if they tripped and fell they protected the babies. Ben's baby was named "HE" but "He" was a she, actually. Cam's was "Fifi" I think. photo 21  The hike is inside the crater. IMAG0391  Giving the babies a rest. Camden has an interesting way of rocking his baby.
IMAG0392  I like that! photo 31  Such cute boys. Camden is four so Ben is lucky to have an older friend. photo 41 IMAG0393  Another baby rest break.
IMAG0394 the babies May Day kupuna  After the May Day Celebration at Sam's school - these are the kumus who put it all together. Such beautiful decorating and programming. May Day lunch  And lunch with Sam afterwards.
IMAG0403  Blaik and Ben gardening. I have an army of menehunes who are helping me get the house ready to show, finishing up projects which were compressed or undone due to Dave's travel to the east coast and Japan this spring. Blaik is an island guy who has returned to care for his mom and build a landscaping business. He was caretaker for a golf course in Virginia Beach previously. His dad was an Admiral in charge of Pearl Harbor, and he's the 4th generation descendant of the Wurlitzer organ family! He has quite a few stories! As with many of the people who I've come to rely on to care for our community association and our home, he is unique character and a wonderful connection. Harrison1  Here is another unique and wonderful character - Harrison. He is a Kailua fixture, riding around Kailua picking up recyclables to supplement his income. He puts out my green and blue bins on the right days, keeping me straight. Funny how mom caught us both going through the trash! Harrison2  Big sweaty hugs! Harrison3  And off he goes!
Ben faces1  Ben making funny faces with Gramma, like the trains in his stories. Ben faces2  Sad face. Ben faces3  Happy face. IMAG0404  My beach run again :) Can you tell I'll miss it? So glad Ben and I have had this time together exploring, picking up trash (which turns into a preschool lesson on shapes, letters, colors, etc.), doing yoga, playing, and chatting with Gramma. No gym or preschool for us with all this beauty all around. We are lucky to have these memories.
trapped in a tumble  Ben playing mini-golf for the first time yesterday. We hadn't given him a club before because he would use it as a weapon on Sam instead of playing. He was so funny marching around with his club, hitting the ball at random, picking it up, carrying it to the hole, yelling. Ben does everything in LARGE style. He struts. In this shot he tipped over into the rough in his exuberance while taking a shot and couldn't get back up! Mom and I were real peanut gallery watchers - walking behind and cracking up at him while Dave was working with Sam, and trying to teach Ben a few tricks. dessert  Dessert for boys afterwards! helmet  "What's that!? I want to wear one! I want a HELMET!" IMAG0405  A Roosevelt-era make-work project, perfect for boys. Moving extra building materials around.
Sammy last day of school  Getting bike after last day of school! IMAG0411