Leading up to Christmas

December is intense.  Zachary experienced his first round of finals at Island School, and it was a good learning experience for him.  It is easy to take study skills for granted but they are definitely something you learn.  Zac is smart and school has been a breeze for him since Kindergarten, so sitting on two bubble grades at finals was stressful for him.  I was so proud of the way he stepped up.  I spent at least 8 hours overall several days helping him study math, and the other days, he diligently reviewed Spanish phrases, lines to his 20 minute play for Theater Arts, and science terms.  He ended the semester with A's in every class.  What an accomplishment!  We do not currently pay for grades or emphasize the need to get straight As but we have strongly encourage the work required to get the good grades and mastery of subject matter.  Zachary is thrilled and the one who has decided straight A's are important to him.

There have been 100 moments in December when I sigh with love for my dog and this is one of them.

Preschool fun.  It requires 40 minutes of driving just to get him there but I think it is worth it.  He is so happy there.

Bath time: when Roxy stinks to 1/3 of her size.

We noticed most elves went into quarantine for 14 days but our elves showed up with negative COVID tests with unrestricted magic.  

December 1st brought a lego elf house.

Sunday night walks into the sunset with parakeets squawking overhead.

Making Grandma and Grandpa their 12 Days Christmas present.

Tantrums.  A lot of tantrums.

More moments of loving my dog and my kiddos together.

First candy cane of the season for the win!

Christmas music played by my kids is my favorite part of December.

We had unusually warm December temperatures and no tourists to speak of because of the reinstating of quarantine on our island.

Owen decided to catch a bird for his next pet.  He put goldfish in this bucket and kept trying to lure them for days.

Waves, then football, then "all it" tag.

Another trip to Aunty Carol's farm, this time to pick macadamia nuts and tangerines, and arrange Christmas flowers.

Kate counted down the days for this visit and Carol was so generous and gentle with her, guiding her in flower selection, teaching her how to manipulate the flowers, and helping her create a giant bow.

Shelling macadamia nuts.  You have to work for these things.

Gingerbread house night.  We picked a time Brady would be home.  We are more experienced with the houses, but they seem to look worse every year.  Ha!  Nothing about this project looks edible but the kids disagree and nibble off the house for a week until it has melted into something unrecognizable with the humidity and heat.

Roxy loves Brady and begs to lay next to him, belly up.

Making tangerine juice from Carol's farm.  Whew!  It was mouthwateringly tart and made me cry just a little.

When the birds did not work out, Owen went back to pet geckos.  This one survived for about two weeks and was given a whole lot too much love.  Owen figured the gecko liked pomegranates and fed him every day, assuming the shriveled fruit meant the gecko was getting adequate food.  Geckos were not quite enough for him, though, and Owen asked the elves most days if they would please bring him a bunny.

Kate told me about her friend's elf who does glitter bombs.  Our elves would never be invited back if they tried something like that, but this year they were gutsy and decorated the tree with undies.

December playdates.

My favorite December tradition: bike rides with lights.  Kate, Owen and I did this at least 6 times.

These lucky kids received 12 Days from Grandma and Grandpa Edwards.  One of their favorite gifts was a large bag of tic tacks.

Reindeer Games at the Grinch Night hosted by Nicole and Tony.  

More beach nights and finally winter break!

Spectacular sunsets that never look as good on a phone as they do in real life.

More preschool fun with Maddie.

His preschool is like a farm with bunnies, chickens, brand new kitties, and sometimes dogs.

My Santa baby this year.

Businesses and restaurants are dropping out all over Kauai and this will surely continue as tourism is restricted, but we are trying to keep our favorites alive.  I support the measures to keep our community safe but it is definitely not without consequence.  We're afraid our Indian restaurant will be gone soon.  After our dinner, a naturopathic doctor came up to our friends, claiming he "overheard" our conversation about their son with epilepsy and could cure him.  Nice.

Sigh.  Another dog moment.  My friend calls Roxy our "starter dog."

Brady played Christmas music a handful of times.  It takes deliberate effort to play music as an adult and I love the holidays for bringing out that desire in us.

He is a/the fun parent.  After church activity last week included a detailed Nerf Gun war involving shooting elves out of the elf house with point systems associated with each elf/position on the house.

Wrapping gifts.  Kate considered it a good wrapping job only if it had a ribbon.  Owen considered it a good wrapping job only if it used the entire roll of tape.

Going to see Santa, a hilarious diversion to fill time between a doctor appointment and piano lessons.  

COVID Santa, who likely said: "What do you want for Christmas?"

Kids:  "What?"

COVID Santa: "Mrfphsakdis for Christmas?"

(Mom interpretation and whispering through mask.)

Owen: "An Odysea 54 Special Surfboard!"

Kate: "An American Girl Doll Surfboard."

COVID Santa: "Gmakefualaka."  

Santa Helper Elf: Okay, turn and take a picture now, and then you can take one of the canes spaced out every 2 feet.

Roxy's happy place.

Boys and sand sliding.

Girls and baking contests.

Our vacation-renter neighbors had twins that lived in our house for 2 weeks before I set some boundaries to create a quieter atmosphere for school.  They loved our dog, Owen, and Kate, and came over about 5 times a day (for 6 weeks) to see if it was a good time to play.  

I worked with Kate to be patient with them (with boundaries, of course) even though they drove her nuts.  The last day, she let Victoria do her hair and played with her for an hour.  

Love these surfer/water girls.

 Countdown to Christmas!