Hiking Sticks and Sunsets by the Fire

We bought a step stool to use in our new house.  Many of the cupboards are too high for me, and Brady was sick of seeing me stand on the counter tops to reach things.  Kate has claimed the stool as her own, and stands by me to cook every day.  (And yes, I am wearing an APRON.  The ultimate sign of domesticity, I suppose.)

It feels like our pictures are few and far between the last couple months.  Kate was missing a ton of teeth a couple months ago, and now she's got a mouthful of them.  This picture is most notable because it does not also include a runny nose.  The poor lady has been sick for 8 weeks of the last 10.

 I hope her deep blue eyes never change.

 Kauai's "trade winds" have felt more like mini-tornadoes lately, so we passed a couple weekends doing hikes.  Kate joins in the fun now for at least a mile of the hiking--slow going but completely worth seeing her learn to love the outdoors.

 A subcontractor made Brady this hiking pole a few years ago.  We truck it along with us on every hike, and our kids now think you have to hold sticks to walk in dirt.

Not only used for balance, but also for "horsey rides."

  (Yes, it took us almost an hour to reach the trail head from this dirt road.)

  We love this hike, and we've never done it in the late afternoon.  We went later because I was in charge of a primary activity that morning, and while I prefer the canyon in the morning, it was stunning with the light shining the opposite direction.

 I love the painful expression in this picture--trying to look cool and confident in front of the "waterfall" while saying, "CHEESE."

We try to go camping every six weeks or so, but with our move, the holidays, and the windy, cold weather, it's been a while.  Brady and Lance picked a day and we all headed to Polihale.  We worried about wind (Polihale with strong winds=sand in the eyes and miserable conditions), but it was perfect.  Everything was perfect.  The Chadderdons, Atkins, Petersons, Israelsons and Smiths all showed up for a gorgeous sunset.  Chad got stuck making everyone's foil dinners, which turned out delicious, and we talked and laughed, played in the water, ate smore's, and watched the kids zoom around with glow sticks late into the night.

 This is Max's first time back at Polihale camping since the burn accident.  Sweet little kiddo.

 Polihale is not just my happy place.  My kids love it here, and so does Brady (although I don't have a picture of him rolling around in the sand).

Two weeks ago, Mary and Chad delivered some very sad news:  they are moving in three months.  Chad is Zachary's favorite adult, and Mary is my surf buddy and dear friend.  We love them both.  I've cried and cried over this, but I'm happy for them, and hope things work well in Canada!

 Melissa and Lance decided to join in the fun and announce they are moving to Oahu before the end of the year, too.  Seriously?!?  Oh, it is hard to be left behind!  We're glad we have a little more time with them!

 Saturday morning, we made blueberry pancakes and watched Karl stoke the coals from the fire.  We packed up early because Brady had to be to work by lunchtime.  We hurried to play in the waves for a while, then started to leave.  We noticed a text saying Brady's subs had gone home already so we stayed for hours at the beach.  The kids sledded down the sand on their boogie boards, jumped around in the water, and made sand castles.  Kate took a nap in my arms while Brady boogie boarded in the crazy current and played football with Lance.  Karl made my month by loaning me his surf board, and I rode whitewater dozens of times.  So.  Fun.  We came home happy and finished off the night trying out a new (to us), delicious Thai restaurant.

The only downers of the weekend:  1) Brady lost his wedding ring (#4!), 2) I lost my sunglasses, and 3) We found out we didn't get the lot we bid on.

Our friends are leaving, and we are heartbroken about it, but we are so grateful for the memories!