Solace took a martial arts lesson and loved it. It was so much fun to watch. He didn't do more than this, but maybe in the future he will.
Hawken made dinner, crunch wrap supremes, like from Taco Bell, but they tasted even better. It was a lot of work and prep, but worth it!
Curiosity Kids classes.
Beach day at Hanalei, always beautiful. We all got sunburns though, and didn't feel it until a day or two later. Ouch. The kids cracked open a coconut to eat on the beach, and then out for ice cream on the way home.
Part of Matix's rash guard shirt had a printed on tag, and one little letter A rubbed off the shirt and onto his back. It was so funny.
Paul has been going through my dad's stories and notes and then I've been texting my sisters to get some more info. It's been a good group effort while we are still all mourning him being gone.
The noises here in the morning and at night especially, although you can hear wildlife all the time, are so lovely. I even love all the roosters in the morning.
Our kitchen cabinets, that we ordered in January, finally arrived! We were so excited!
We had kept the old kitchen sink to use, and Paul had hooked up the reverse osmosis for good drinking water, but then we got to taking it back out again, so we could put in the new cabinets.
The kids got back into Legos, and started building houses, swords, and mostly lock boxes and safes. So fun. They are SO creative.
Matix made a Lego safe too.
And a very silly video of how Legos scream...
Before I even got out of bed, Lullaby had made this enormous stack of waffles for breakfast for the family. Yum!
Even looking at one cabinet, we were so excited!
Beach day at Kealia. Lullaby made new little friends. She almost always has a group of little kids following her around at beaches and parks.
The boys used a half of a coconut as a mold to make these silly faces all over the place. Then they wouldn't pose except when making faces of their own.
We did a Relief Society activity and did some sewing and a service project for the homeless. Lullaby and the other Young Women got to join us.
Solace brought me a cookie from his activity at church, and ate all the sprinkles off of it, as well as all the edges of plain cookie on the car ride back home. He still wanted to share it with me, but the temptation was too strong not to at least nibble on it.
Sully playing piano, and Pumpkin laying on the speaker will always be funny. She lays there after he starts, then gets annoyed that he isn't petting her and meows at him until he stops playing.
Hawken got in on the Lego lockbox fun too. I'm so impressed with them!
Out for errands and a lunch date, yes please.
We borrowed a laser level from our neighbor Chris. It was SUPER helpful for leveling the cabinets. Very few things looked level to our eyes without it, because of all the different paint lines and things on the walls. Thank goodness for awesome neighbors.
We went on a field trip with Curiosity Kids and hiked up Kuilau Ridge Trail. We started at the river jump area and passed a million of the rainbow eucalyptus trees. I love them so much. How beautiful!
At the top, one of the parents taught the kids all about ferns. It was really interesting and we all learned a lot. I love homeschooling for things like this.
Then we hiked back down for a picnic lunch and played a little in the river.
Lullaby and her friend Roxi are now part of the Young Women program at church, and they got to teach the Sunday lesson together. Also, we dyed Lullaby's hair and this is the best picture I have of it. Cutie.
We got these really cool levelers for the base cabinets. It took some time to get them installed, but it made leveling super fast process. Woohoo! Paul and I did the first one together, then I did the rest while he was between patients and meetings so I wasn't too loud for him.
Dinner from Taco Bell on the beach after a long day of house renovations. Always a blast.
Our full day at Hanalei caught up with us and the sunburns came out. Paul had the worst of it. I greased him up and then needed to get a picture to document it. Poor thing.
Paul did a huge amount of the re-wiring we needed as we went along. Thank goodness he can do anything.
Growing pineapples and onions in jars on the front porch.
Bananas from the grove next door. They're not always that big, but it was and SO delicious!
A rainbow while I drove to Home Depot. When I got the plywood for the tops of the cabinets before we got the actual stone installed, it wouldn't fit in the car, so I had to saw it into two pieces in the parking lot. And I officially felt like a local. Ha ha ha.
Finished cabinets and plywood countertops! This is the best our kitchen had looked up until that time! It was awesome! We still had to install the sink while we waited for the stone counters. We needed the gaps filled, toe kicks installed, backsplash put in, and range hood installed still too, but my goodness we were thrilled with this!
And some before pictures to remember how far it had come...
Out for an evening beach walk, and stopped to I could peel Paul's itchy back. Poor thing.
Getting to put away some of our dishes, finally! So exciting to be able to do these simple things.
It took many many tries to get this big sink installed, but we did it. Yay!
Last minute trip to Kona to go to the temple for the first time for Lullaby to do baptisms for the dead, and to visit friends. It was so much fun. We packed a lot into a short time.
The night before our trip, Solace tossed a hang weight from his bed into Hawken's. He was just trying to get it out of his way while he slept, but it hit Hawk in the face and gave him a black eye. We took pictures nearly every day while it healed.
Trying to get a straight-faced picture was hard to do.
We ran into old friends at Kona Costco.
More black eye pictures.
Lullaby was SO excited for the temple. We waited outside and met up with friends while we waited for our turn.
Black eye pictures after the temple... He had to explain the story over and over again.
To the beach for a few hours. Yes please.
The twins, Hawken and Hazel.
Out to eat with the Andersons and they brought their own kombucha, which is the most Pahoa thing they could have done. We love them.
The view from our lanai. So pretty.
The black eye got pretty bad, poor thing.
Pool time with the Andersons at our hotel.
We went to a close dive spot and found some bright red pencil urchins right away. The kids paddled around in Theo's little boat or on the paddle board. Eric got some great pictures underwater too. He's so talented!
Paul, Lullaby and Erik went out for a little while, and Erik got some great pictures of them. He should be doing this as a full time career, but he doesn't. So talented.
We attempted to go out to eat with them once more before getting on the plane, but the find didn't come in time, so they got double lunch and we ate when we got home to Kauai.
My view through the seats, and Matix's view.
We got a St. Patrick's Day card and treats from Grandma Kim and Grandpa Louie. Thanks!
I face-timed with Jolie and texted her the pictures of Paul's burns. Her reaction was so good I took a screen shot.
Solace completed his "kindness challenge" from his teacher at church. He was so proud of himself.
Beautiful coconut coast in Kapaa town.
Sound proofing Paul's office took SO much effort. I had to wait to do it until he was on a trip to Oahu for his job as CMO of Wahiawa. First we painted the walls, then we installed thick black rubber panels, then drywall, mud and tape and more paint. Phew!
The black eye started getting better. Finally.
The kids found a Pokemon shop called Bubbah's Toy Box in Lihue where the owner will trade Pokemon cards with you! The kids love going there. SO much fun.
Almost totally healed.
Taking a peek at the tiles for the laundry room and bathrooms. So pretty! I love them!
Date night, dessert first. as always.
Snuggles with these cuties of mine. I love them so much.
Curiosity Kids classes included a baking class this time. They loved it!
Installing the dishwasher after not having one for 3 months was the happiest day!
Snow kitty loves to sleep and loves her belly rubbed. So happy I got a little video of her getting a belly rub. Sweet kitty.
We went to Moloa'a for the afternoon and the kids had a blast playing in the baby waves, snorkeling, hunting for treasures, and hopping from rock to rock.
Solace made a huge Lego sword, and it was retractable. He's so creative.
With the cabinets done, we moved lots of the things in our pantry around and made me think of painting in there. So I pulled everything out and painted it purple. I love it. Some day, I may add doors, but for now, this is all need.
Storm warning at 11:38, of course.
Paul got a job with Teledoc and they sent him tons of swag! How exciting! Paul loves a good job change. I think the challenges invigorate him. He gets bored easily and a new job is just what the doctor ordered... pun intended.
Juice date with my favorite girl.
Field trip to Na Aina Kai to learn about several different cultures from the mainland without ever leaving the island. They went inside a Navaho hogan, saw a depiction of the original Polynesian Islanders, sat in a covered wagon and learned about the First Nations People, and many other things. Really really fun and educational. After our tour, we picnicked and played in the splash pad and on the playground. What a great day!
Home Depot date for the win! Getting the last things for the shower, woohoo! It was a LONG time coming.
Painting the skinny wall behind the toilet. It's hard to get a picture true to life, but it's a pale peachy color, with little sunshine prints all over.
We had to reframe the shower, and move the drain pipe. It took a lot of prep work before it was ready for tiling. Plus a video with clips from the month of renovations. Phew!
We listed our Prius on Turo for the kids to learn more about business and taxes and get a little money on the way. It's turned out to be a big headache for me, but they are learning a lot, and earning money for the things they want, so it's worth it I guess.
