Posts in Category: events
Holiday greetings to all!
Merry Christmas from our living room to yours!
This slide show captures all the special moments from our year and is complemented by a great soundtrack which includes Sam playing ukulele and a Jingle Bells medley featuring Earl Skruggs and Duke Ellington. As I went through each photo (there were 3,626 pictures in 143 folders!) I was smiling and laughing, feeling very blessed. I am thankful for a great camera that takes a real beating while snapping away on adventures. I am thankful for two little boys who are my best buddies game for just about anything (although Sam is starting to get that pesky good judgment of his father). Thankful for a hubby who loves spending his down time with us instead of the golf course (although we do try to get him out there). Thankful for family near and far who stay in touch through technology of all sorts and make special efforts to get to holiday gatherings. And very thankful for friends who continue to love me despite all my wacky ideas, and especially those friends who are willing to be rousted for such endeavors… If you have 14 minutes with a cup of tea (or a wee dram) in hand, I think you will enjoy the show, too. Please know that lots of time was invested in curating and preparing this in the interest of sharing our lives with you because the return on that investment is great – staying connected to your lives despite the miles. It’s the only way I know how to teleport ourselves into your living room this holiday 🙂 And thank you for the cards with pictures and greetings! Aloha 🙂
First day of break…
It's still raining out! So we had fun at a playground with some school friends, then hunkered down. Sam polished off his vacation homework in one sitting, and did some more math with me. Now we are playing board games and getting into mischief while sorting letters and numbers. Ben is packaging himself in this box saying "Ok go to bed! No thumping tonight!"
3″ an hour of rain!
It’s been raining 3″ an hour and everything is literally swamped. But that makes for interesting puddling opportunities! We took the trucks, our boys, helmets, Lego bin tops and garbage-bag knickers (and rain jackets) over to base to “clean” the trucks by…well…you can guess…then off to the playground for sledding! Enjoy!
My buddy Tamara - game for just about anything!
Where is it safest to walk if hiking along a cliff with falling rock hazard?
To avoid a conk to the head, Uncle Tom says to hug the cliff edge if the face is nearly vertical. If the cliff face is sloping, rock will most likely bounce and roll, ultimately landing toward the edge of the road nearest the cliff face, then bounce into the middle of the road. The above drawing is Dave's opinion - "It's a crapshoot," he says. Google wasn't helpful. When I was hiking earlier this year, we actually saw a rock fall from a vertical cliff face - it landed about 10 ft into the middle of the road. This seems to validate Uncle Tom's guidance. Isn't there a mathematical model to quantify risk? Anyone?
Holiday hikers
Old Pali Road trail crew...what a great time! Click on picture for the rest of the story!
We had a great time on the trail today with friends from school. Sam invited Keani and her family and luckily Tamera and her boys decided to come as well! So there were 5 kids age 2 1/2 to 7. Despite some early misgivings about actually going all the way up (any time in the woods is a good time, so we weren’t being goal-oriented about it), the kids all made it to the top of the Lookout! We had a great time and found lots of fun diversions along the way, as if hiking 5 miles roundtrip over 900 ft elevation weren’t adventure enough. I am wondering if the vigilance that I maintain for those 4.5 hours is about like being a cardiac surgeon – do they feel the same sense of profound relief and compelling desire for “fortress of solitude” time that I do after a hike like this? It is a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. I am so glad they all had a great time! You know what is really nuts about me? Should I even share this? I found it relaxing to remind myself about how the Krebs cycle works in my new Biology book that I bought from the thrift store. Sam and I are really excited to dig into the 1200 page book…ok. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared that…
A “Ha-wise-man” :)
A "Ha-wise-man"! And J is for Jesus 🙂 (In case you're wondering, I didn't cut any of the plastic or alter it in any way. Just cool finds out on the beach while jogging with Ben.)
Ben and I enjoyed making some ornaments this morning with my dear friend Angie and her little girl Rachel. In other random notes (this site is really my digital journal so I can search out funny or interesting things about the boys when my memory fails – hopefully some of it is interesting to family reading along as well!)…the other day Sam was asking how high the clouds are here in Hawaii. I responded that some are low, about 2,000 ft, and some are high, about 30,000 ft. I then asked how many miles up that would be if each mile is about 5,000 ft? I had barely finished the question when he responded with confidence “Six!” Wow – great math exercise! On the way home from the playground he was explaining in great detail to Gramma and me about photons being packets of energy released by the sun during nuclear fusion. He used the word “emerge” regarding photons “emerging from the solar surface.” Gramma and I were impressed. But I wondered if he really knew what “emerge” meant so I asked and he said “to arise”…wow! Not exactly what I had in mind but I can definitely see the connection. All the while Ben is sitting in his car seat singing (loudly) and periodically going “Oh! Oh yeaaah…yeaaaahh. Photons. Yeah!” We hid the “J” ornament above in the tree for Ben so he can learn that letter by finding it…Sam rehides it each night. He’s got “T” down (T was the first plastic trash I found and he held onto that little black plastic T for a long time). Now he also has S and often A (even a small “a” found in “Santa” the other night – I don’t remember teaching him that at all). S is for Sam, of course 🙂
Christmas Elves
The elves like to feed on "candy-cane-dees" (as Ben calls them) while crafting!
The elves made these ornaments yesterday. We used an epoxy we learned about at the hardware store last night. The helpful guy we spoke to actually makes jewelry!
And one for "PEACE" for ladies at a shelter.
Hawaii Youth Symphony field trip
Attending the Hawaii Youth Symphony concert with a military homeschool group. A really fantastic experience! I am so thankful we managed to fill a cancellation at the last minute.
Here we are with our little musical instruments book so we could refer to the orchestra map while waiting for the music to start. The orchestra is comprised entirely of kids ages 8-17. The youth symphony we saw perform was all high schoolers. They really hammed it up while the audience was taking their seats – they were doing the wave by section – it was so fun to see these kids have a great time together, then undertake a serious endeavor like playing orchestral pieces. Dave’s buddy from high school, Joe, is now a high school music teacher. I thought of him while I was watching the kids. What a great job to have!
Happy Birthday, Dave!
Yesterday was Dave's birthday, so we went out for breakfast to kick off the birthday week 🙂 Instead of a card, we have a week of festivities and being extra thoughtful to the birthday person. Takes more effort but is well worth it 🙂 Here we are at Boots and Kimos' new location. We've NEVER been in here because it is ALWAYS swamped with a line around the block. On Dave's birthday morning the line was short so I raced in to see what the wait would be. The guy seated us immediately! I was floored! It was like the waters parted specifically for Dave because when we came out the door after eating, the line was back around the block! whoa...
Bucket heads!
Ben and I bumped into our appraiser and her son on the beach today! The boys had a lot of fun messing around with buckets on their heads - putting them on like hats, chasing, taking them off and tossing them to the ground, then giggling. I couldn't get them both in a decent shot on my new little phone (slooooow shutter) but did get this cute one of Ben 🙂
Back to school for Sam, morning adventure time with Ben
So Sam is back in school – a few minutes late this morning because both boys slept in until 7:30! (My “policy” is not to wake sleeping children until they are in 3rd grade.) We enjoyed bike/running over listening to Beethoven and talking about what life was like 200 years ago. Sam was very intrigued by how long people tended to live, how they had to heat their homes with coal, no bathrooms or phones, etc. Life was a lot harder in some ways, but in other ways they were slowed down enough to appreciate beauty all around them, much as we were during our “grounding” for Thanksgiving. Beethoven started writing music about the age Sam is now, and found his inspiration during long walks in the woods.(This is from memory reading a great biography about him 6 years ago, so hopefully I’ve retained these tidbits correctly ;0 ) Â Music is a really important part of life for us, and I am so grateful every time Sam picks up his uke to play.
I’ve been meaning to jot some notes down about two books, one of which I recently finished and the other is on my bed stand.
The Hurried Child: Growing Up Too Fast, Too Soon (Elkind) This book struck a chord with me when I stumbled across it – our family was in a phase where the calendar had booked up quickly, we were double-booked often and having to choose between equally good opportunities, and it seemed like I was saying “hurry” from 7:07am straight through for 12 hours. When I noticed this book was in its 25th year of print, I had to pick it up – how could things have been so crazy even 25 years ago? Â Elkind observes that dual income families have placed a special burden on children – not just the mad dash out the door to daycare, but the multiple transitions we ask of children throughout a day, from home to preschool/daycare, from daycare to after-school care with a neighbor or friend, and back home for an hour before bed. He notes that the meltdowns upon returning home are likely due to the release of tension built up during the day – the child manages his or her feelings and “adjusts” but the fallout happens when the child can finally relax at home. While I think much of it could have been stated more concisely, it is a good read and helps parents reprioritize so that these very brief early years are healthy and nurturing for the whole family. It doesn’t have to be a period of life we “survive” until the kids are old enough to be more self-sufficient. This should be a time to embrace their dependency, create special bonds, and not hurry up all those developmental milestones to suit our own needs.
Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Kids in a Mixed-Up, Muddled-Up, Shook-Up World (Esquith) This book was sent to me by a friend (also a client) and I am grateful for it. The author is a teacher and parent with profound dedication to helping kids develop into extraordinary beings. He infuses his teaching with life lessons (about being on time, about valuing time and managing it so that it isn’t lost or squandered), and taking them on adventures such as a ball game for his fifth graders. I find that much of his philosophy is like mine – that important life lessons are all around us and certainly not confined to the mastery of sight words or basic arithmetic. While all that academic stuff is vital, it’s not what makes us extraordinary. Using our minds to think creatively about the world around us, to perceive the nuances of life and people, to have the freedom of time to dream about goals and pursue them…all that is important. It is part of why I am waiting for home school and public school to join forces for those of us who want the best of both: three months of school, one month of holo holo time with the kids. I think elementary school could be completely overhauled for the good of families and kids. So if I don’t head out this week, we’ll stay put for the month (Dave isn’t home to nay-say my ideas!) then go holo holo in March when we’re not competing with so many people.
the virtual vacation
Admiring the stream trickling down the Waimano Valley. Here it seems to have taken a pause for a bit before continuing on its journey.
I hacked into my mom’s Facebook account so I could see pictures of everyone in San Diego 🙂  Looks like a great time was had by all! Congrats Mike on pulling together a great Bird on the Beach!
We hope our far-flung family and friends have had a relaxing and rejuvenating Thanksgiving holiday. We were thinking of everyone from WA to MA. Despite the roller coaster of going/not going, we found a way to enjoy a virtual vacation, doing things we hadn’t done in a while, run out of diapers and milk, get overly tired staying up late, exploring new sights every day… With some work, we were able to get ourselves to a spot where we could really appreciate the beauty immediately around us, take the time for explorations into forests and valleys, botanical gardens and nearby parks. The boys had a great time with their dad with this week off. They are really starting to identify strongly with him, Sam especially, through sports, checkers, mutual interests (such as astronomy, music). Even Ben is not a little guy anymore, and snagging these guys for a snuggle is proving increasingly difficult. So I am thankful that, in the end, I didn’t opt to take the boys to San Diego without their Dad. I certainly missed making new memories with the boys on a trip (we really bond as a unit, create new “inside jokes” and learn lots of new things about each other), but I think I made the right decision on balance. Thankfully, Thanksgiving rolls around yearly! Only one more here for us…
Oh, and I’m down to only checking the flight listings 2-3 times a day. That is down from 4 times a day yesterday. And hourly for 10 days before that. I’m weaning myself off the travel addiction. Today, while the boys and I made a sundial with our neighbors’ kids, the breeze was cool and the sun had a warm, dry feel to it alot like a fall day in any of the five states we’ve lived. So we were transported to each of you in a way. :0
(I’m on the phone with mom now…she is laughing at me about my addiction to checking flights. I even talked to Dave tonight about going to Kansas because it’s only 12 hours from Durango where Steve and Tim are!)
Oh – other big news – I just bought my first smartphone. An HTC Aria! (Android OS). It is pretty cool I must admit. But I was funny in the phone store – feeling like a total dunce – and I wish my iPhone-loving mom was there to watch (she has been there for the milestone events, like first contact lenses, etc. She says I’m funny to watch when evaluating these things.) I currently have a GO phone that was $30 because I managed to kill my previous phone with water or sand or something. The rep was showing me all the 7 screens you can personalize when I asked if you could drop-kick it. Because that happens on the way to the truck with two kids, three water bottles, a bike, sunscreen, etc. My old phone could be kicked to the truck and work just fine. But the screen was so scratched up I couldn’t see who was calling! So I have to say that while my phone is sleek and smart, we’ll have to see just how workable it is. I can hook it up to my portable speakers so I can play music for the boys while we run/bike to school/errands, etc. So the two apps I’ve downloaded – a tide table, and Google maps. I told Dave I just had to travel now to test out my new app! It will talk to me while driving, and I don’t even need to buy a new Garmin Nuvi! woo hoo! Kansas, here we come! It’s in the middle of the country, guys. Come on! All options are open from there ;0
“footwick, it’s a game.”
Just one of those funny things we want to remember and obviously forgot to make note of it! This game is when the boys jump from a chair to a bed or something else. Sam said about a year ago “This is ‘footwick’ – it’s a game.” He was very serious about the rules: “It’s when you jump, like this, with one foot here and the next foot hops to something else.” Ben loved footwick, too, of course. Thanks to Dave for remembering the name of the game tonight! He was spinning in his computer chair for Ben’s amusement and realized he felt sick from spinning – he was about to see Thanksgiving dinner again!
Happy holo holo Thanksgiving
- Happy Thanksgiving with the Taylors!
We are very thankful for good friends, and we are fortunate that paths keep crossing to bring them here to Hawaii! Now four As are here (Angel, April, Angela and me) within just a few miles of each other. That is trouble!
Here we are “warming” Josh and Angela’s new home in Kailua, just a 15 minute walk from us! Angie’s mom (Peggy) is on the left – she is visiting for two weeks. They are still unpacking (they just moved in less than a week ago!). Ben really enjoys little Rachel (sitting to Angie’s right) – this is the little baby for whom a surprise shower was thrown last year when Sam, Ben and I scooted up to WA in October.
Holo holo in Honolulu
Some incredibly large trees captivated us, as did the simple but beautiful butterfly garden. This is right in the middle of Honolulu - almost surreal being in Jurassic-size tree land amidst the hustle and bustle. Foster Botanical Gardens during holo holo time...still waiting for a flight!
Foster Botanical Gardens during holo holo time...still waiting for a flight!