Easter and Master Chefs

April showers brought us more staph opportunities....err...skimboarding...next to a rock wall...in the muddy water.

Owen loves his mani/pedis from Kate.

This is overkill: all these pictures of virtual class.  It is so new, even a month in.  The kids are getting better with logging into zoom calls, checking Google Classroom, and managing online learning.  They are both are motivated and get started before 8am, taking fun breaks with Owen.  Zac does PE with Owen every day and it is the loudest it has ever been inside my house for a solid 15 minutes.  So much laughter, though.  Owen is thriving as the tag-a-long with the virtual lessons and art classes and his own preschool.  Having Kate and Zac around all day is the best scenario he could possibly imagine.  When we go on bike rides without the older two who are plugging along at school, he says things like, "I really wish Zac could join us right now."

Nap on the way to the doctor for well checks.  I was surprised they still do those, but happy to see the safeguards in place.

Kate prides herself in making breakfast at least three times a week.

Aloha--not something you can find on our island right now.  There is a lot of hostility toward any visitors still here.  People are angry and not friendly.  There is no blame here for those sentiments: 37% of our island is currently unemployed.  It is a time of tension and anxiety.  Aloha will come back.  In the meantime, Brady and I have joined the crowd of irritated islanders with our vacation renting neighbors next door who keep having parties.  It is unbelievable the disregard and disrespect they have toward our island and people.

Zac's pretend school position.  This would never fly in reality, and his real position is alert and focused.

Mommy and Owen time for books and preschool.  I love his long locks growing out.

He is getting much better at coloring--although usually holding his crayon correctly.

Still my veggie boy.  He also snacks incessantly.  He starts eating snacks around 8am and does not stop until lunch.  I do not think he will stay in the 10th percentile BMI for long.  Ha!

Zachary's April "yeast project": breadsticks.  Yum.

On Good Friday, I came upstairs where the kids had been playing for an hour.  No school meant plenty of playtime.  They were reenacting Master Chef Junior, their favorite show.

Kate's private dance lesson that day.  So sweet when Owen does the moves with her.

We went to the beach early that morning, since our church was participating in a global fast which of course meant headaches and dizziness by about 1pm.  When we got home, my kids decided they were ready for a real Master Chef Jr competition--no more toys.  They searched up recipes and cooked for about 3 hours.  I am going to note here that we are generous parents for helping them with them on a day we were fasting.  

Nurturing new interests is so satisfying.

I played cleanup crew and chef consultant throughout the afternoon and I think every pot and pan in our kitchen was used.

Some of Kate's creations: marinated and fried shrimp, sautéed veggies, and reheated corn all spritzed with fresh lime and salt/pepper.

She also made a fried egg with corn and raisins.

Owen also participating, making a spice rub with every single spice we own and insisting he wanted a turkey sandwich with his spice concoction.  I do not remember, but he could not possibly eat that, right?  After he yelled at me the fifth time, I took him on a walk.  Owen gave up naps about a year ago, taking one in the car periodically but never transferring.  Since the kids have been home and we've been putting them to bed just after 9pm, he cannot make it without a nap.  We tell him every day that if he wants to stay up, he has to sleep, and he agrees, grabs his blanket or squish-able, and tucks in for a drive or walk.  He also transfers and sleeps a solid 90 minutes every day.

Kate also made carmelized bananas and could not believe they were something I had never tried.

One proud competitor.

Zachary made lime garlic chicken with a pepper, corn, and cilantro relish.

Owen also made sugar cookies, and we finished off the night with them after filling up on Zachary and Kate's ono grinds.

The Easter-colored icing was unnatural and, in my opinion, inedible, further solidifying my dislike for sugar cookies.

Saturday, we did our Easter egg decorating around the house, and finally did the eggs.  We tried this Egg-mazing egg spinner and it was 10 times more enjoyable than dying the eggs.

Easter Morning started with the candy egg hunt.  Owen is much better at it this year and held his own.

What's up, PEEPS?

Brady's current after-hours project (among 100 other house projects) is photo storage.  The kids laughed and laughed at Easter photos from previous years.

Our neighbor took an Easter picture from 6' away for us and AirDropped it.  Perfect!  We stayed in these clothes exactly 45 minutes--long enough for an Easter lesson.  Hooray for cozy Sundays.

Giddy-up.

COVID didn't stop our annual Egg Derby.  Zachary was determined to take the title for the third year in a row.

It was fierce, but Owen came up with the win this year!

Kate wanted to make an extra-special dessert for Easter so she picked molten chocolate lava cakes.  They were amazing.

More virtual art classes.  I'm so impressed with the pictures my kids produce from these short classes.

Master Chef Jr continues...  The kids gave themselves 45 minutes to make a creative lunch.  Kate has tuna on crackers topped with banana, mango, and blueberry and sushi surrounded by BBQ sauce.  She also included tiny samples of four types of cheese.

Zac artistically arranged his tuna and cheese topped with strawberry and surrounded by sushi, apples, and tiny carrots.

Bon appetit!

Had to capture this image--we get creative with live lessons.  Lois has to see their hands and this is only one of our funny configurations to make that happen.

Brady and I are both loving the new Peloton.  I'm still so embarrassed that we own such a silly toy, but wow, it gives me a "runner's high" that I have missed for years.

Owen's Squishamal ride and my audiobook time.

Challenged by Kate's lava cakes, Zac decided to try something I have done exactly one time ever: a bundt cake.  He was meticulous following the recipe and it turned out perfectly.  His goal was to make something I thought would be hard.

The cake was moist and perfect with a little scoop of vanilla.

If chocolate bundt cake wasn't enough, our FedEx driver, Ross, brought us by a slab of freshly caught Ahi--our favorite fish.  I mixed up a quick rub and Brady grilled it, and we combined it all into the most fresh fish taco we've ever made.

More daily grind.  I think the kids are so fortunate to have (some) teachers posting lessons, doing FaceTime lessons, and willing to communicate online so regularly.  There is a whole lot of mom supplementation, because their online schooling would take a max of 90 minutes.

Brady holding us to our Friday night hike.  On this little venture, we "discovered" tortoises that have lived there and been open to the public for years, yet somehow we only just found out about them.

Three ants on a log.

We played a game that entertained us for 30 minutes: tossing driftwood at a specific rock.  Wildly entertaining and all of us were into it.

Owen joined Brady and I on our now weekly Saturday night bike date.  We brought his child seat for the front of my bike if he pooped out but instead, he chugged along and biked 8 miles all by his little-legged self.  It was red-faced impressive.

Koala Challenge: our friends challenged us all to the Koala Challenge.  I turned it down flat initially but I'm a sucker for peer pressure so of course we caved.  The kids saw the video of us and each took turns participating, too.  I love the pictures of Brady giving birth to each child.

Owen really is a Koala.

Next Master Chef Jr Sugar Challenge: Zachary picked Magnificent Marbled Cake.

So pretty!

Sugar. Coma.

I liked how Zac was critical of it after making and eating it.  He was so happy about the finished product and how it looked, but felt like the icing could have tasted "like something more than just sugar."

Koala is a daily thing now:

We are still beaching every single afternoon and the kids are carving down the face of waves like the groms they are.  I have exactly no pictures since we have to be in the water at all times or the National Guard will tell us to go home.  Even Owen is getting in on the action, boogie board floating "on top of the reef!"  Lucky we live Kauai.