Seth

I can't explain why this has been sitting in my draft folder so long.  Because I am so proud of Seth.  Just before he turned 10, (in February) I started thinking about the number of books he had read in the previous 12 months.  As I started to list them, I realized that if we were to stack the books up, they would probably be taller than Seth.  So we went to the biggest book store we could find.  Unfortunately, there were several tomes missing from the shelves, so this stack is only a partial collection of what Seth read as a nine-year-old.  If we had been able to gather the complete stack, it would easily have exceeded Seth's own height.

At ten and a half, Seth continues to be a voracious reader.  He loves fantasy books the most, especially dragon tales.  He is eager for Paolini's conclusion to the Inheritance series, which is supposed to come out this fall.  Other favorites have included Fablehaven, and the Evil Librarians, and of course, Harry Potter.  If you have recommendations, please pass them along.  We are always looking for more!

Double Birthday Boys

It's so hard to believe that a year could have already passed. But here is our little Mr. T on his first birthday. And of course the little one came into this world on his daddy's birthday. Poor Toby will never again have the spotlight all to himself on his special day. But he would tell you he doesn't mind. He is standing beside his best present ever.

But we made two cakes for the big day. Toby got to blow out the candles on the breakfast cake. I actually make the bear in the wagon cake for the YW cake auction fundraiser. But since it was only a few days earlier, Toby bid on it for Thomas. Seems kinda silly to pay $60 for a cake I made myself, but at least it went for a good cause.

Mr. T actually had a virus, and wasn't feeling like his happy self on his birthday, but we got a few good poses out of him. We sure have enjoyed this past year with our little guy.

Happy Birthday Boys!

Polynesian Cultural Center

Did you see "The Blind Side"? "Who is that big black guy in your family photo?"

We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center on our last day on Oahu. There was so much to see and do there, it was a shame we didn't have more time to spend. The PCC was so much bigger than I had imagined. The center celebrates the customs of six island cultures: Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and Aotearoa (aka New Zealand). I may have forgotten one.

There was a parade of nations, of sorts, where dancers from each of the island nations rode out on canoes to entertain. I think this one was Hawaii.

After the canoe parade, we went to the various villages to try spear throwing, and fire making, Oh yeah, and we had to get tattooed. That was MJ's favorite, I think. Dad really enjoyed the village of Aotearoa--reconnecting with the culture of his missionary days. We went to a Luau, and watched them pull the roasted pig out the ground. The pork was good, but the poi was pretty tasteless. They say it's an acquired taste.

The show after dinner was really spectacular. Even Little Mr. T clapped his hands and danced along. If this movie of the firedancers works, I will feel very proud.

Kona Temple

Did you see the article about the Kona Temple in the April Ensign? It was exciting for us to find that article, because we got to go there in person last month. At first we had hoped to go the temple in Laie. But it was closed for renovations. I think it is one of the oldest temples outside of Utah.

But then we discovered there is a small temple on the big island, where we spent most of our time. On Sunday when we flew into the Kona airport on the big island of Hawaii, we had barely enough time to get our rental cars and rush to attend Sacrament Meeting with the Kona Second Ward. The schedule was so tight, we felt it was a tender mercy that we arrived just as the opening hymn began. After an uplifting block of meetings, we got information about the temple schedule. But then we drove away from their church building without knowing exactly where the temple was. As it turned out, the temple is right behind the church, and we never realized it when we were there on Sunday.

We were glad to be able to come back later and do some sessions.

MJ enjoyed taking a lot of photos here.

Turtle Bay

We saw a turtle swimming out there, but didn't get a close look this day.

Poor Mr. T. He did not get to play in the sand very long. I figured he would try one mouthful of sand. I thought that would be enough for him to realize sand is not good to eat. But Mr. T wanted seconds. And he was mostly picking out the stones of perfect choking size. So soon we had to put him on a towel and keep him distracted with Ritz crackers. But those are his favorite.

Nobody got buried in the sand. But Schmoo at least got his legs covered.

Big Z liked exploring the rocky reef. Some parts were REALLY jagged. It made me nervous thinking about the number of stitches one fall could require. But both the boys were pretty fearless. And thankfully, except for some tiny scrapes, we all explored without injury.

The water was pretty cold, right MJ?

Cute Pics of Mom and Dad

We had a fabulous trip to Hawaii. It was so great that it has been hard for me to figure out how to adequately blog about it. I have not found the time to be a wonderfully descriptive writer at this point in my life. And while a picture may be worth a thousand words, even photos really can't do justice to the beauty of this part of our country. I highly recommend making the visit.

But anyway, I can say that one of the best parts about this trip was having Mom and Dad there with us. And I think my audience knows how cute Mom and Dad can be. So I'm guessing you will enjoy these pictures.

This is Mom and Dad exploring the reef/ lava flow on Turtle Bay. Ever the scientist, Dad hiked out there first, and made many neat discoveries. Several of us followed and became absorbed in observing the tiny fish, urchins, hermit crabs, and plant life that made there home there. Fun exploring. Dad, did you ever figure out why it was more jagged near the water? Would it have eroded that way if there were air pockets in the lava?

Here are Mom and Dad in the Thurston Lava tube. We took this short hike as a part of our visit to the Volcanoes National Park. Dad was the only one prepared enough with a flashlight, until we bought some little ones at the gift shop. They were necessary for anyone who wanted to explore the whole cave, because only half of it is lit. Mom chose not to walk in darkness. The rest of us tried hiking the dark side with our meager pen lights. But most of us turned back before going very far. The children agreed with Grandma in the end. It is best to walk in the light.

Here's Daddy chillin' by the pool. His shirt says "Stone Cold Sober."

Pearl Harbor

We had a great trip to Hawaii with Mom and Dad. We met up with them in the Atlanta airport, and soon boarded the plane for a ten hour flight to Honolulu. I was a bit nervous about taking such a long flight with a nine month old. But Mr. T did great. He is not the best of travelers in the car, but I think the plane was easier because he wasn't confined to a carseat. We could pass him around and play with him, so he really didn't complain much at all. All of the kids did well, really. Of course it helped that we were on a large plane with a little extra leg and elbow room. Plus the children loved the fact that every seat had its own screen with free movies and games to play on demand. Most of us agreed that the ten hours passed faster than expected.

There were birds in the Honolulu airport. Open air walkways and courtyards let in the refreshing breeze. The weather was gorgeous in my estimation. So I was surprised when a Hawaiin resident complained about it being cold and blustery. Nothing like the winter we left back on the mainland! There were a couple of extra windy days while we were there, but all in all the weather was just delightful.

The jet lag left me beat the first night. But I woke up before 5am the next morning and couldn't get back to sleep! Very uncharacteristic for me. So we had breakfast and drove back down to Honolulu to see Pearl Harbor. The boys and I had been studying WW II, so we had been looking forward to this visit for months. We watched a really good film, then got on the ferry which took us over to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. Parts of the sunken battleship are still visible near the surface of the water. It was moving to see the names of the more than 1100 servicemen who died--many entombed inside the sunken Arizona. I was also touched that several of the survivors felt such loyatly to their shipmates, that they have chosen the Arizona as their final resting place decades later.

We took a tour of the USS Missouri. This battleship was still under construction on Dec. 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. But years later, leaders and emissaries gathered on the deck of the Missouri to sign the treaty ending WWII. We enjoyed wandering the decks of this huge battleship. We also visited the Aviation Museum.

Ten for Tuesday

Here's the news from Tennessee.

1. We got snowed in! Well, it wouldn't be a big deal for most of you, but 6 inches of the white stuff fell at our house on Friday and Saturday. It was enough to cancel basketball games and church over the weekend. We all enjoyed some sledding. And Big Z got the opportunity to earn some money on a chore he'd never done before: shoveling snow.



2. Big Z is getting another big opportunity on Feb. 27. He'll be going to the Southern Appalachian Regional Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. The winner of this bee will go to Washington D.C. for the National Spelling Bee. Big Z is hoping to be the one this year.



3. At the last pack meeting, Schmoo received his Wolf badge. He really enjoys going to the pack activities on Wednesdays. And we are already at count down proximity to his Valentine's Day birthday. Almost nine years old?! How did that happen?



4. A package arrived in the mail yesterday. It generated a lot of excitement. For a long time the big brothers have been planning and saving to buy a Nintendo DS. They had done their homework on the retail price, so when they found a new one online for less, they were glad to save some money--the more to buy games with, you know.



5. MJ recently began a class in baton twirling, and is learning very quickly. She has spent an impressive amount of time practicing, twirling and dancing all over the house. When she is not twirling, you might find MJ giving someone a "style" with hair gel or makeup. Usually I am her guinea pig, but Daddy had his turn in the stylist chair the other day, too.



6. Toby has been working really hard both at work and at the gym. He just had his best sales month ever at EDJ. And he has lost 17 lbs. by working out every day--sometimes twice a day. Way to go, Hon!



7. Basketball season is coming to a close. Probably this Saturday, unless they decide to play make-up games for the snowday cancellations. Three children have enjoyed playing on their teams, but that is a lot for one dad to coach. Toby, for one, will be glad to spend a little less time at the Y on Saturdays.



8. I took the advice of some of my siblings and started watching Lost. I am glad I don't have to wait a whole week between episodes, but being able to watch them in close succession may have its downside. I'm afraid I am addicted. I am about half way through season three at this point. And I've set my DVR for tonight's season premiere.



9. Little Mr. T is now mobile. He has spent the last couple of weeks rocking back and forth on his hands and knees, lifting up on to his toes in the cutest little downward facing dog, and then scooting forward to his belly. Last night he began using a more traditional crawling style, and he's picking up speed too. So look out world, here he comes!







We may also have heard Mr.s T's first word: "Piggy". When Daddy holds up a pig puppet, Mr. T says, "ge-ge" (with a hard g sound.) Of course gaga-gege syllables are pretty common ones for him. So I'm not entirely sure we can count it as his first word. But it is still really fun to hear. We all enjoy seeing him learn and grow.