Golfing at Mauna Kea (beach course!)

Yesterday my friend Becky treated me to a day on the links!  It was so fun - a foursome of just us gals, some Miller Lite, and the beautiful scenery of the Mauna Kea beach course.  Throw in some great shots on my part and, all in all, I would say it was a perfect Friday afternoon.

 The weather was amazing, but my camera is not.

Teeing off over hole #3.  Its 145yds and I initially used a 7 iron.  My ball bounced off the front of that slope and went straight into the water.  Plunk!  I switched to a 6 iron and landed just short of the green.  Nice.  When I used to work at Monettes (in Mauna Kea), I would always look at this hole as I drove to the parking lot.  It was a dream come true to have the opportunity to play on it!

Here's hole #6 where both Becky and I got birdies!!!  I'm a decent golfer but I'm not frequently scoring under par - so this was quite the birthday present!  Par for the course is 36 and, with only a few minor exaggerations, I shot a 49 for the day. 

Ruffle Bustle Skirt

This is an upcycled skirt I made for a friend's daughter using Lil Blue Boo's free pattern.  Frankly, with the state of my morning (screaming, fussy baby - touching everything toddler - overflowing washing machine) its a miracle I've gotten anything done, let alone a sewing project.  It's 11am and I already ready for a drink...

This was made in 18-24M size, but as you can see, the fabric is super stretchy.  I'm not 100% satisfied with this - I cut the back piece above the bustle too short.  But I was rushed and my mind was elsewhere so all things considered, it's a cute skirt.
I wasn't able to get any good pictures because Ikaika basically sobbed the entire time I forced him to wear it (with promises of delicious snacks as motivation/bribe).  I guess he's not into wearing girl clothes, which should make his father happy.

Kekoa being adorable

This afternoon Mr A and I were enjoying lunch together and I noticed Kekoa just being adorable.  Enjoy.

Those eyes kill me.  I can't nail down what color they are. Definitely not blue or brown.  Green?  Grey?

 Less "adorable" more "hilarious".  All four teeth are clearly visible in this picture.  Soon, he'll be chewing food with the big dogs.

 Preeesssssshhhhhh!  Everyone says this about their own children (hell, I even said it about Ikaika when he was a baby) but, isn't he the cutest?! 

 Deeply thinking about who-knows-what.

That little cleft in his chin is 100% my family!  Do I see a thin upper lip, too?  He's practically my clone <3

Blast from the Past

Last September, my grandparents came to Hawaii for a visit.  Granny recently sent me some pictures from their trip and I wanted to share this one from Honaunau because it's one of my favorites.

And I look so good!  I need to figure out how to gain some weight without it all going to my thighs and stomach - aesthetically, I am much better off as a size 6. 

 

Here's a picture of me standing in front of our place in Kohala.  We lived in this "ohana" (small attached living space) in the Yamamoto's house when we first came to Hawaii.  I just thank God for the Yamamoto family everyday.  There is no way this move would have been possible without them and looking at this picture makes me smile because we were so lucky to have a place to stay.  I'm constantly in awe of how things always seem to "work out" and how what seems like a challenge one moment becomes a blessing the next.

Presenting the MOPS Quilts for NHCH

Uggh, Jill, why don't you hold this one so I don't have to explain the terrible puckering...

Yesterday I took Koa up to North Hawaii Community Hospital (where we was born) and presented the MOPS baby quilts to the Family Birthing Unit.

Most MOPS moms have delivered at NHCH and we thought this was a great way to give back to a place that has given us so much.  We collected baby clothes from the moms last year and then pieced them together to create baby-sized quilts for the newborns at the Birthing Center.

The staff was so kind and patient with our flock of small children.  They were very appreciative for the blankets and listened to our feedback on the care we received while there.  Personally, after delivering at Adventist in Portland, Oregon and then coming here, I was grateful that the staff respected our desire for privacy and that they were so accommodating to my birthing plan (which I kept changing anyway).

World Botanical Gardens

 

So long sweet summer.  

School starts early here in Hawaii (but summer weather is year-round, so its a good trade) and Mr A wants to milk every drop out of his last week of freedom.  We decided to go on some adventures and explorations this week and started with the World Botanical Gardens and Waterfalls in Umauma, just north of Hilo.  

There were so many amazing plants and they were all clearly marked (agricultural dopes such as myself appreciate those kinds of details).  There was a garden maze, an orchid wall, a three-tiered waterfall, and the nicest port-a-potties I've ever been to!

This is a torch ginger, and it's at least 4 ft taller than me.
Mr A couldn't get over the giant poisonous tree.  It was marked with a sign that said "Do not touch: plant is poisonous" and, of course, we obeyed - but Mr A is still talking about that thing today: what would have happened if we touched it?  What if you ran full blast into it?  Why does it have such appealing looking fruit if it's poisonous?

I love how they used coconuts to make this plant (in a plastic pot) look cute.  Simple - just the way I need it.

I don't know what this is but I like it.  If I made inspiration boards, I would put this image on it.  I like everything about it - the shapes, the colors, etc.

Then we went on a river walk.  Ikaika hiked down and back up with only a few tears.  Hiking like this, hearing the water rushing and smelling all the plants, reminds me of going to SnoWater (NW Washington) when I was young.  We used to hike near the Snoqualmie River and then climb up on the boulders, etc.  I liked to sit on the balcony of the condo and read books while listening to the water.  Next time we take a trip to the northwest (preferably during the summer) I am putting hiking on our to-do list.

Koa was sleeping/sweating in the Ergo.  It was so hot, when we got back to the car it looked like a giant slug had crawled up my back.

Pool Partay!!!

Today was the final pool party in what seems like a marathon of kids' parties (seriously, was everyone born in the summer?).  Ikaika has been doing well with waterwings in the pool (open ocean, not so much - he doesn't seem to like getting his head/face wet).  The following video is of him swimming - nothing exciting, if you aren't my mother you should probably skip watching it.

Koa's only there for the food.

This last party was a double feature (girl turning 1, boy turning 3).  I know my friends are crafty but this goes above and beyond!  It was a mermaid/shark theme and everything...I mean EVERYTHING from the decorations to the food was in step with the theme.  Incredible.  I really appreciated the attention to detail and especially laughed at this fruit bowl aka "shark barf".    

This blue frosting was the craziest stuff.  After cake, every kid looked like a smurf.  Luckily, none of the parents were wearing white pants ;) 
I wish I had gotten a picture of the squid hot dogs they were serving: hot dogs half wrapped in a crescent roll then the end was cut to look like tentacles.  Too cute.

Boys Night in Kona

Despite the awful picture (I blame the photographer), the boys had a great time in Kona yesterday.  Mr A took Ikaika to see his first movie in the theater - Cars 2!  Mr A complained it was boring, but after reminding him that the movie is intended for children and the "point" was for Ikaika to do some 'big boy' activity with Dad, he agreed it was fun.
Afterward, we picked up Uncle Stevie and enjoyed a breathtaking sunset while they planned for the upcoming football season (introducing the new offensive and defensive coordinator for the Waimea Cowboys!).  I was hardly paying attention: that sunset was killer!  Honestly, I had a spiritual experience on the upper balcony of Humpy's Alehouse.

This picture makes me laugh.  Koa is clearly trying to steal his brother's sandwich but his face is so calm.  Ikaika might be kolohe but Koa seems to be sneaky.  I haven't decided yet which is worse.

MOPS Steering Team Retreat

 We had a retreat this weekend in Waikoloa so we could plan next years activities for Mothers of Preschoolers.  It was so fun and we got a lot done - including taking some pictures!

 Starting in the back - left to right: Karyn & Tiffiny (hospitality), Jill (creative activities), Kim & Heather (publicity), Becky (coordinator), Pastor  Lani (mentor), me (finances).

 Lani got us these great shirts from the upcoming conference on Oahu "Women Inspiring Women"!  I also found out that Lani is a fan of stevia - my new secret weapon in the kitchen!

It was a lot of work (and we didn't get around to hammering out the budget so I'm a little lost on my end), but its totally worth it because this upcoming semester is going to be great!

Hippy Dippy Trippy

Mr A, Ikaika, and I had fun tie dyeing the other week and I wanted to get a picture of Koa in this onesie we made before he took a nap today. 

In his delirium, I guess this was considered "smile".  Gaaahhh!  That's scary!

This is slightly better but you can't see the outfit as well.  Sigh...it's hard to get a quality picture when the baby is trying to scale your leg.

4th of July, 2011

Since I'm sure my family will be curious...

Yesterday we went to a BBQ at our friends' house.  Mr A works with the father and son.  The son has been babysitting the boys recently but I had never met his family until yesterday.  Such a nice family!  Their grandson is Ikaika's age and the boys got along very well, which was a huge relief.  We had a great time eating, chatting and playing music for the entire afternoon.

By the time we left it was already 7pm.  We were planning to go to the Queens Shops in Waikoloa to watch fireworks at 8.  But as we left I noticed that Koa hadn't napped - past the point of crazy tired - and Ikaika was also pushing the envelope since we had a late one the previous evening at a friend's housewarming fiesta.  I reasoned at the point that a large fireworks display was going to be both overwhelming and scary (ie. no fun for the parents) so we decided to call it a night. 

Luckily, our neighbors were setting off fireworks in their driveway.  So Koa went to bed while Ikaika and I cozied up to the festivities out front.  He got to hold sparklers and throw pop-its and we watched a few loud, bright ones and bottle rockets.  I sang God Bless America twice.

I didn't take any pictures.  Sorry :(