Basketball season

Will's second basketball season has come to an end.  For the most part he has had a great time playing and only the last 2 weeks has he complained about going to practice.  I can't blame him, practices started in January and the past 8 Saturdays he's had a game!!  LONG seasons around here and then no rest for the weary (parents) as baseball practice starts this week.
His team was pretty good, a 6-2 record.  Most games were very lopsided victories.

Will showed improvement over the season too, finally scoring a basket in the final game!!  He didn't realize he had scored either.  He was knocked to the ground as he shot and didn't see it go in.  He was so excited after the game when I told him.  He was a rockstar on defense routinely causing problems for the other team, stealing balls, and causing turnovers.

WIll is in the burgundy jersery with the white t-shirt under.

There was another Will on his team and his coaches would call him 'Red".

Getting his trophy and certificate that named him toughest player on the team!

Team party at the bowling alley!

Families taking pictures

Great job Will!

4th and 8th

It's been a big week for my oldest.  Last Friday she had an abscessed tooth pulled.  The dentist let me know it was infected when we took her for her cleaning.  The tooth wasn't bothering her.  It was a baby molar that had a cavity that was filled when she was 3.  The filling was too close to the nerve and over time had damaged the nerve and had gotten infected.  So out it came!  She came home from the dentist and never even went inside just joined her friends in playing outside until dinner time.  Saturday morning she went to swim practice and then Sunday she had a swim meet!!  Tough girl.
This was her 3rd meet (i think) and she had her best times and no disqualifications!!

She got her first ever ribbons for swimming!! 4th in the 50 breaststroke and 8th in 50 backstroke in the 10 and under age group.

So proud of your improvements Caroline!!  We are so glad you love swimming.

*The shirt is one of Aunt Susan's that her best friend Jodie sent to her as a joke.  Caroline wears it to sleep in.

Taking a walk

Saturday afternoon I took Miles for a walk.  9 kids (Ages 3-10) joined me!  They all listened well and only Eric got run into and got another road rash boo-boo!

Only 8 kids are shown. one more was getting his shoes on!

They are all in this picture.  I had trouble keeping up with them, but they stopped at every crossing and waited for me to tell them they could cross.

Just a Thursday

Just a photo/video recap of my day yesterday.

While vacuuming the house I got LOTS of fishing line sucked up and wrapped in the beater bar.   Oops!

Spring break Lego fun for the kids.  I love these sweet peaceful moments!

The 2 month old, Leilani, that I've started watching during the day.  Eric was keeping her company while I vacuumed.  He decided she needed a car!  (See the blue car in the bottom of the picture?)

We harvested some carrots from our garden!

The video is of Miles taking a treat from Eric.  I have the baby in my arms so it's a little shaky.  This was the 3rd treat for the dog and he takes it ever so gently.  I was trying to capture what the dog did the first time he took it from Eric because it seemed like he took it in slow motion.  

Later the big kids went to a homeschool music class with the neighbor while the 2 littles slept.  Then I took Caroline to swim practice, Leilani's mom came to get her, I picked up Caroline, Justin came home to take Will to basketball practice, and Caroline and I went to the commissary.  It turned out to be a pretty good day!!

PCC

Monday a week ago we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center again.  It is such a great place.  We saw different shows this time in the villages and still went to a Luau and the HA! Breath of Life show.  Another great day!

Representing Samoa, this guy was hilarious!  Great show

He was demonstrating how to make fire by rubbing 2 pieces of wood together.

There was also a guy that climbed the coconut tree.

Then over at Aoterioa (New Zealand) the boys got to participate in the show!

Will got on stage at the luau

1 weekend, 2 hikes

This was 2 weekends ago now.  I'm a little behind in my blogging.  The first weekend Mom and Pete were here we went on a hike to the lighthouse on Saturday to see if we could see any whales.  We did!!

Do you see the big yellow spider in the middle?

Will found this big slug and carried it around for a while.  He would approach other hikers asking them if they wanted to take a picture!  They of course would.

He loves climbing everything and then jumping off.

The lighthouse is off his left shoulder.

Then Sunday after naps we went up to Dillingham to do the hike behind the airport that overlooks the runway and has great views of the ocean.  We even saw whales on this hike!  The last time we did this hike we saw a base jumper  jump not too far from where we were hiking.  And this time we did too.  This time was different in that we started hearing lots of rescue vehicles in the distance and then they parked near the trail head.
Then a guy comes running past and Justin asked if everything was ok.  He replied that his friend was hurt really bad.  Justin took off with that guy.  A minute or 2 later another guy comes running by and asks if we have any water.  He grabs Wills water bottle and keeps running.  I noticed he dropped something so I grab it and it's Quick Clot.  Not sure what type of injuries the guy has and thinking he just might need the clotting stuff, I take off up the trail.  Not the make-your-own path that Justin and the other guys had taken.  I get to the top and try and call and find the guys.  I hike down to the base jumping spot and still can't find them.  I didn't want to risk getting hurt or lost, so I just returned back to the top where Nana, Papa, and the kids were.  Justin came back saying a chopper was coming to get the injured guy.  The helicopter got REALLY close to us and it was fascinating to see how he flew the guy down off the mountain in the rescue basket.  He was so close that we gave him a thumbs up and we could see his in return.  The guy made it to the hospital and was supposed to make it but not sure of his injuries.  Justin said there wasn't any external bleeding but the way he was sitting it looked like he broke his back.

Beautiful view

The excitement happened shortly after this.  

After our hike and excitement we got burgers and ice cream.  Will really loves this ice cream place because they have a non-dairy option and play the old Three Stooges videos.

Nothing like taking up 2 stools, sitting in the middle of the store watching TV and eating dessert!  He's a little dirty too.

My Super Eagle

Friday morning was the quarterly Super Eagle ceremony at Hale Kula Elementary.  A Super Eagle is a student that has the highest GPA for the quarter and exemplifies the General Learner Outcomes (GLOs) that the school has (I don't know them all but they are things like; self-directed learner, right to participate, right to pass).  Caroline was the Super Eagle for her class this time!!  So we all went to support our girl!

Caroline's in the pink and purple.

Standing with the other 4th grade Super Eagles

So very proud of you my dear Caroline!  Keep up the good work!

Dog Beach

This morning we went down to Hickam Air Force base to a beach that allows dogs.  It's also just a really neat place to go.  Lots to watch and do there.  All the planes landing at the Honolulu airport fly right overhead with their landing gear down and if you are luck then tug boats and barges or big ships and fighter jets also come by.  Then there are lots of well behaved (seriously) dogs and shallow water everywhere to play in.  The tide was out when we were there and it's just a giant sandbar and you can walk way out and it is never more than knee deep.

a boy, his dog, blue sky, and the water.  Nothing better to change his cranky mood around!!

Got to see a big ship and a tug boat and barge.

We also saw lots of fighter jets in formation and coming in to land.  It was loud!

A boo-boo kinda day

Yesterday was not the best of days for Eric.  He fell on his bike and scraped his elbow.  Then on a walk back home from the playground he and Will got tangled and he fell and hit his lip and knee!  All in all he handled it well, not much crying.  That is until he got in the bathtub!  The water made them all burn and he was not a fan of me washing them out.  He had a cut on his finger that was hurting too.  He didn't want any bandaids.  He enjoys showing people his boo-boos!

A lot and a little

Can there be a lot going on but very little actually happening?  That's the way it has felt the past week.  Justin super busy at work, the kids busy doing kid things (playing outside, sports, school), and me busy with house stuff and even more busy with Girl Scout cookie stuff.  We didn't make it to the beach last weekend or on a hike.  It rained, again, all weekend.  But yesterday afternoon we picked up Nana and Papa from the airport!!  So now we really get to have fun and DO things away from the house!

fancy hair

He was cold so he wanted, socks, a sweatshirt, and a hat!

Eric made me breakfast!

Sunset last Thursday

It was beautiful.

The kids saw very little of their dad last week.  Maybe an hour each day.  Eric was THRILLED to spent a huge chunk of Saturday with dad.  Caroline and I were at a cookie booth from 9-1.  He didn't leave Justin's side all day!

Just a picture Eric asked me to take.  I was doing dishes and he set himself up like this and told me to take a picture.

A boy and his dog

I was vacuuming today and when I turned around this is what I saw. 

Nothing better!!!