Pre-Vacay Summer: Christina Visits....

 Summer!  The summer was filled with mediocre waves this year--no big swells!  We made the best of it swimming instead of surfing most days.

Christina's family came into town.  I ran with this girl from 7th grade through high school, and seen her only a handful of times since.  Her family was locked out of their condo the first night, and they stayed with us.  Griffin and Owen couldn't have been more excited about that situation and made fast friends.  It was lovely catching up with her and getting to know her kids a bit.

The next morning, we went to the west side to hike.

Given more time, I think these two girls would hit it off but it is a little awkward getting thrown together for a weekend when you are in middle school.  

I love it when the island shows off in the canyon.  It looks so fake.

My family didn't recognize Christina at first and thought we looked like twins.

That evening, Zac joined "the bros" for a Poke festival at Koloa Landing.  I thought it might be a waste of money for Jim to invite Zac since his tastes are so exclusive, but he told me he ate from every single dish but one.

Speaking of trying new things...Brady put Zachary on his gym membership per Zac's request. After a day of surfing twice and being outside much of the day, he caught up with Brady to go lift weights for the first time at this gym.  Throughout the workout, he was so thirsty.  He kept asking Brady if there was a water fountain anywhere, and the only way to get fresh water was if you had your own water bottle.  As Brady completed his last set, Zachary came running in, spitting in the grass.  

"Dad! I thought it was water!" he exclaimed after spraying cleaning products in his mouth.

At home, we use these bottles but they have water in them for ironing, hair, etc.

Kate and Owen had their year-end recital the same night as Poke Fest.  They played two guild pieces beautifully and confidently.  

We met up with Christina's family for dinner at Duke's that night.  Walking through the Marriott's gardens to get there surprises me every time--the tropical flowers work magic.

Fancy drinks to celebrate friends and recitals. That night, Christina and I took the kids to see the nesting turtles while Brady and Ryan hunted for their condo key, which we later found had broken off the supplied key chain.  That place was rough luck for them!  

Summer meant friends and so much surf for Zachary.  I loved having David around a few times.  He is so kind to Owen and Kate, so interactive with adults, and honestly focused on making the world a better place.  I'm so glad he and Zachary are friends.

This summer was all about the Math Praxis for me.  Without a math major, Hawaii required I pass it within 3 years of teaching.  I had one more year but didn't want to chance it, and wanted it all over with anyway.  I studied daily for a little over a year for 15-20 min intervals, but the summer meant 1-2 hours a day of focused commitment.  Summer is my favorite season to spend with kids and I had some mom guilt at times, but I was creative and studied at the beach, studied in the morning, studied on the Peloton, etc. The hardest part was studying on vacation.

 

A few trips to the club with school friends:

...and with Dad on early mornings.  Owen practiced yoyo tricks in PJs while Brady lifted.

Roxy would never let anyone but Zachary do this...

Found this on Brady's camera roll and it screamed "Not My Job Award."  It also screamed Kauai.

A brothers trip to Brenneckes.  Brenneckes was our go-to beach of the summer.  

Happy Father's Day to his patient and happy papa.

Brady's high school friend, Richie, came to visit with his family that evening.  We talked late into the evening and enjoyed reuniting. 

Guild was delayed by a full month at the last minute.  It was so brutal for the kids, practicing their same 10 songs to perfection for those extra weeks.  They both finished off their performances strong and scored high.  So proud of Owen for making it through his first guild experience, and for Kate challenging herself with longer, more elaborate songs.  We celebrated with McFlurries.

Owen and Ace really mesh well together, especially at the beach.

Kelsey was with us most days, too.  This girl is a gem, and one of my favorite parts about her (aside from her drama-free personality and optimism) is how kind she is to Owen.

Another day, another tower and beach outing.

So fun to see Owen and these boys skimming lineups now.

Kate, Kels, and Violet swam that day for 3 hours without coming in.

Irresistible...?

Last day of summer before our trip called for Shave Ice.

Zachary made it to youth conference on Oahu.  The girls pranked them in the middle of the night, all of it condoned by their host families.  These kids are pretty fun together.

VACAY time!