4th of July Week

 I love holidays that fall mid-week.  It makes the entire week feel like vacation.  We started by paddle-boarding at Kalipaki.  This day was noteworthy because Zachary let Brady take him far out into the bay.  Zachary is still a bit terrified of deep water, and yes, we did bribe him to do this.  He said it was "Fun," but when asked if he'd like to go again, said, "No, thanks."

 He's much happier to mess around on his boogie board.

 Kate loves dogs.  She screams and squeals when there is one anywhere in her sight line, and rushes to pet them.

 July 3rd was the annual PMRF fireworks.  10,000 people showed up, so it was nuts in the traffic and crowds, but fun with friends and the fireworks were a ton better than I remember from last year. 

 Kate was excited by the explosions at first, then settled in on Daddy's lap.

 July 4th:  Kalipaki Trip #2 in one week, but this time to surf.  Brady caught a good shot of Zac actually on a wave and not just whitewater.

 Kate is suddenly a Daddy's girl. 

 We hosted a July 4th BBQ.  I love hosting things.  I love the cheesy decor and the planning and prep involved, and I love having kids running around the house and tearing through the yard.

 We bought cheap, last minute outfits for our kids this year, but didn't get many cute pics of them.  I love Kate's festive little dress.

 Kate went from 2 teeth this month to 8, so this is her month's permanent expression.

 Watching the kids outside made me want to buy our house so badly, despite the intensive makeover it needs (along with the ridiculous HOAs).

 Brady, out playing with the kids.

We ended the night at Todd and Megan's for Costco fireworks, which the kids loved.  I've never been one for lighting up our own tiny fireworks, but this experience made me a believer.  

July 5th was Brady's 33rd birthday.  I feel bad that I wrote an entire post on my birthday, and he gets a tiny mention in the middle of our week.  It was half the reason the week was fun, though!  We went to Roy's for some yummy fish and the kids opened presents with him after work.  The kids loved helping me wrap things up, color cards, and bake a cake.  Zac kept saying, "Can you not BELIEVE it?" every time Brady opened a gift.

 His big surprise was a spear fishing pole.

 Friday night, we hung out with the ward at Mahalepu.  We were supposed to camp, but it was gnarly outside with crazy wind and frequent rain.  We live three miles away, so we hung out at the campfire, slept in our own beds, and then went back in the morning.  Everyone left early because of the lousy conditions, but when we got there with the Hadleys, we were in for a beautiful day. 

 We hung out at a rope swing and took the kids on a little hike.

 Love Tanner's face in this one:

 The kids' loved the "dragon"--a blow hole that makes a growl/roar with the waves.  They were intrigued and freaked out.  They were especially concerned when Todd put his hand in and told them what the dragon felt like.

 Making the dragon mad by throwing in dust/rocks:

Another beautiful week and good times with our kids and friends.  Holidays are not complete without friends and family, and I'm starting to believe they also require sand.

100 Times and Counting

 June 1, 2012:  The day we received Candyland in the mail.  It was toward the end of our free Amazon Prime membership, so of course I'd overspent the budget, but hey, a kid's gotta have Candyland, right?

I don't regret it.  I love the way he lights up when we pull it out after scriptures and prayer.  I love that he is such a good sport: "Dad, I am so happy you won, and I still had fun even though I lose," and "Mom, it's okay, try again next time."  I love how I can get him to move at the speed of light at the mere suggestion of a round later that day.  It's the first thing he asks about when he wakes up in the morning and from his naps.  He wants to play it with every single one of his friends, and has conned quite a few adults into game after game.

I promise I do not exaggerate when I say I've played it with him 100 times.  I actually think that's a conservative estimate.  The impressive number?  I've only rigged it 3 times.

We've done more than board games this month.  We've spent many hours checking out houses.  Dream houses come with in-your-dreams prices.  That's okay.  We've rented for 11 years, what's another year (or 10)?  It has to be a pretty great house to drag us away from our Poipu home, so close to the ocean, on the greenbelt,

...and with a pool.  Here's Brady teaching Zac to swim on his back.  Zachary's favorite thing to do in the water is stand up on that boogie board and "surf."

 Kate likes the water okay, but begs to be in the hot tub.  She loves to carry her green inner tube around the house all day long.

 You know those toys you figured were a waste of money?  This Little Tykes car was in that category for me.  Zac did not care about it as a toddler.  Now that he's 4 1/2 and there is demand from baby sister, he thinks it is the greatest toy we own.  They each get timed intervals in it every single morning.

 Two weekends ago, we camped at Polihale again.  It was perfect weather, again.  Polihale is the reason I will not be able to leave this island and be happy about it. 

 The only pictures we took were of the boys racing.  Zac and Drake have their tongues wagging in every one of them.

 Zac biffed it:

 ...but came up smiling.

 I told Brady a few weeks ago that I was surprised he hasn't gotten into spear fishing.  This involves free diving (not scuba), and seems like something he'd love.  Saturday, we headed up to the north shore and met up with friends, who took him out for a couple hours.  It was a cold day on the north shore, and it took us 2 hours to get there, but we had a great time anyway. 

 Haena Beach (the last beach before Ke'e):

 Derek can hold his breath underwater for 4:30.  Amazing.  He caught the fish.  (Brady shot a fish on his first dive down but the fish got away.)

 As soon as Zachary heard there was a fish, he got his bucket ready with water.  He was not going to touch it, but he definitely wanted a picture with it in his bucket.  (Derek, on the other hand, had no qualms about kissing the thing.)

 A couple days ago, Kate could not be consoled.  She cried and cried, leading me by the hand to her bedroom and pounding on her dresser.  It took me the better part of all morning to figure out that the poor girl just wanted some SHOES.  This little diva loves her shoes, and would wear them to bed if I let her.

 Kate is at such a fun stage.  It's like everything is clicking at once.  Suddenly, she can do a dozen signs, point to body parts, and get around independently.  She went from hobbling steps to fast walking in a week.  (Thank heavens, because she is now 15 months old!)  She reads books with me, does the actions to "5 Little Ducks" and "5 Little Monkeys," and sings into a microphone.  She races to the door anytime the garage opens, hoping to see her daddy.  She bobs her head and shakes her shoulders to "I'm Sexy and I Know It." She wrestles with Zachary, makes play food for her doll, and pushes her little doll stroller around the house.  She is suddenly a terror with cabinets, toilet paper, and anything in her reach.

I LOVE this stage.  

If I had to freeze an age for my children, I'd be hard pressed to decide between 15 months and 4 1/2 years.

Lazy Sunday

 Every Sunday, we eat dinner and then head out for a walk behind our house.  Sometimes we throw rocks, other times Zachary rides his bike, and almost always we see our kids roll down grassy hills.  This time, we snapped a few shots.  The one above and below fit Zachary's personality so well right now:  he is inquisitive, thoughtful, energetic, and so, so cute.

 Zachary put on his "sunglasses" for this one:

We can't remember the last time we were at Shipwreck's without seeing a bride and groom.  There were at least three out there with us last night.  They always take pictures inside this heart-shaped collection of rocks.

 The kids decided we were done at this point.  It took the promise of chocolate chip cookies to change their tune.

 Cheese (COOKIES):

 This little picture makes my day.  Little Kate is such a darling.  She loves to give kisses.

 We have this picture in our half bath that includes the footprints from me, Brady, and Zachary, but it's about 3 years old.  We thought about trying again, but failed.  Below, you identify feet as follows:  Hairy (Brady), Veiny (Karen), Perfect (Zac), Non-participating, and actually stomping in protest (Kate).

 Love this picture. I love that Shipwrecks rock is lit up perfectly behind my two handsome boys.