Feeing the aloha spirit

I got the chance to spend some quality time with some quality people before Christmas. My last girls’ trip for 2019 just wrapped up, and it was a winner! I mean, look at the setting:

Hanauma Bay

Waikiki Sunset

Parasailing, snorkeling, swimming in a waterfall, relaxing, açaí bowls, burgers, noodles, conversation, picture taking, laughing, and enjoying it all. These women I know from marrying into Jess’s fam are top-notch. We missed those who couldn’t make it. I guess that means there must be a next time :). 

Maka’puku Lighthouse

This time around I got to see whales swimming beyond the island (something I’ve long awaited for), a turtle bobbing its head up, iridescent fish, and lots of birds. But the most important thing was spending time together and enjoying these people, most of whom I don’t get to see regularly. 

Where we saw the whales up on Maka’puku. 

Along the Waimea trail. Those trees! Those moss-covered rocks!

And the final sunset along Kaneohe on our last day there. 

Until next time Hawai’i. Mahalo! A huge thank you to my mother-in-law who planned the whole thing and brought us together for a smashing good time. 

Things Ian says

This morning we were putting the organs of a body together in a puzzle. Ian held up the bladder and stomach. He was doing a great job. Then he lifted the intestine and said, “Mom, is this the poo-stine?” I could hardly stop laughing. 

A few weeks again he got a haircut and liked to feel the prickly nature of his closely shorn hair. However, this morning he felt for those short hairs and said in surprise, “My haircut is gone!?!”

He, like Ansel a couple of years ago, was watching a magic show and when the magician asked what the magic word was, Ian shouted from the audience, “Please!”

Sometimes I have to ask Ian not to do things. He responds in the affirmative with, “Mom, I willn’t!”

Being three and all that comes with it is a good time. 

A Place for Us and some other comments

This isn't necessarily a book review, but I do want to say that this book is an excellent read. It speaks of family ties, loss of culture, and most importantly, mercy. I recommend it.

Also, a while ago I read The Art of Racing in the Rain and posted about it. In that post, I mentioned that the book was sure to become a movie. And indeed it has.

Jess came home with the DVD last weekend (we're old school like that sometimes, thanks Redbox!), and I told him it was a sad story. We both cried! And we both want a golden retriever now, no joke. Maybe in a few years. Who knows?

And then, this movie, Ford v Ferrari.

Have you heard of it? My brother sent me the early trailer many months ago and it's finally in theaters. Apparently, it's a story about friendship with car racing included. What's rare is that's its a true car story with real driving craziness instead of a made up one with crazy car antics (I'm looking at you Fast & Furious). Maybe after I see this one, I'll want a Ford GT40.

How I love them so

Happy Halloween!

From the Swedish chef, a bat, and “baggy” skeleton. 

This year, Ollie is off with his buddies, Ansel wants to conquer trick-or-treating at a scary house, and Ian wants all of the candy. 

Girl to come March 2020

Let’s add to this family chaos! Woot woot!

We are all looking forward to having a sister. Truth is, I can’t believe it!

Fall break, short but sweet

We kept it simple for fall break this year. 

We did a quick staycation at a local hotel, which served us well this time around. It began with a luxury robe and slipper combo. These are the boys’ best “this is the life” faces. Ansel kept this stuff on while sleeping. Ha!

We enjoyed the pool...

...and relaxed poolside. 

Then we took to the streets...

...and the hills. Look at these colors. Ian exclaimed that he loved this tree because he loves red!

The view of the city from the “U” was fun. 

The water if city creek was chilly but it was a perfect fall day

Fall break was a success! Now if every school and work week could be this short.

Scavenger Hunt

Ansel’s scavenger hunt. 

My favorite part, paper no. 1: “Yay! You found clue 1.”

T-shirt design

Last year, Oliver’s school had a competition to design the graphic for next year’s t-shirts. All fourth graders were included in the competition and five favorites were chosen. Oliver’s design was included and I remember him coming home letting me know. He said something like, “My design was chosen and now we’ll wait to see who wins. It’d be cool if mine won, but you never know.” Later in the week, those five favorites were voted on by the PTA board and Oliver’s design won! He was so excited! They’ve now been made into t-shirts for this year. 

My favorite: “Be Strong • Try Hard.” It’s fun to see his name on the back as the designer. 

My friend who prepares the shirts for the school said so many people are digging the design that they’ve asked to buy one for themselves! 

Comments from Ansel

This 6-yr-old is a delight to have around.

This kid says some great stuff. I love the way his mind thinks. Here’s a sampling of his observations.

- “Mom, you know what? You would die if you didn’t pick your nose, because then you couldn’t breathe”...pause... “But I guess you could open your mouth and breathe.”

- “I wish we still had three hour church. Home church is so boring!” This is when Jess and I realize that our lessons at home need to be spiced up a bit. 

- “Did you know that Alexa is smarter than Siri?”

- “Mom, I like to wake up slow.”

- “Can we get pho tonight?” This kid loves a bowl of Pho. 

And just like that, he’s 3!

Three years ago, Ian joined our family. 

He is such a joy to have around. He’s inquisitive, busy, fun, and funny. He loves a good joke (even if he doesn’t get it but other people are laughing so it must be funny!). He likes to wrestle with his Dad. He knows the snacks that he likes (string cheese, berries, granola bars, and marshmallows - which I feel are somehow better than candy because they are puffy...). He lets us know when it’s time to get dressed or when he’d like to nap on the couch rather than his bed or what kind of cake he wants “with lots of frosting.” He has mastered using the toilet. He’s three and he’s the best. 

15 years

This summer, while vacationing in CA, I watched Jess capture Ian on his camera at beach, give Ansel pointers on how to boogie board, and cheer Oliver on as he caught waves. "How'd I get so lucky to find Jess?" I thought to myself. I don't know how, but I do know I am beyond grateful for him and all his goodness. Happy 15th to us!

Dinkelsbuhl, Germany, 2019

Vielen Dank Deutschland

Back in July, we spent a little over a week in Germany with some of Jess’s family. It was a beautiful trip full of many different experiences. I’ve been waiting to get Jess’s photos from his phone, but we’ve never been able to get to it, so photos from my collection will have to suffice. Here we go!

After a 12 hour trip, we arrived in Germany and waited for our rental car. The kids were in good spirits even after the long day and a bit of a delay when we found out our luggage had been misplaced. 

Our first stop was Bad Kissingen. Jess and his family lived in this spot when he was a kid. He has such fond memories of the place. From what I can gather, it’s a town based around the healing elements of the mineral waters. Many people are prescribed a visit to the town when they are in need of restorative health. We tried the water. Here are the kids’ reactions. Mine was the same :)

Jess has so many good photos of this stop, but alas, we are left with Ashley’s collection. 

Between this stop and the next we went on the Zugsptiz and rode a gondola to the top of the Alps. Wow! We then visited King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle. Another wow! Photos on Jess’s camera. I better come back and add them. 

Then we were off to Berchestgaden. This town is beautiful. Right at the border of Germany and Austria. During the Third Reich, it housed Hitler’s administration (very comfortably). We took a ride up to the Eagle’s Nest, walked through the corridor and went up the elevator.  Jess went with his family on a special four hour tour of the place and learned a lot. The kids were eager to see it, so I took them. 

This place was Hitler’s spot high in the mountains. He only visited a handful of times. It was a feat of engineering and man power to complete. 

The views were breathtaking and thankfully it was a clear day. We could see over to Austria!

The next day we visited Salzburg and the Hellbrun Castle and Fountains. 

This place was such a riot. Lots of fun and we all got wet. 

Here’s Ian doing his best, “I’m two, but I totally get how this audio tour guide works. And NBD, there’s a unicorn behind me.”

We then went to Delbrunn and rode on what felt like the longest Alpine Slide. The views! I never tired of the views.  Photos on Jess’s phone...

Back in Berchestgaden, we visited Konigsee. The water was beautiful. 

Ian fell asleep surrounded by the quiet of the forest. If gnomes live anywhere, this is the place. The forest floor was soft and ferns were everywhere. 

We walked around town and fed the birds. 

We visited the Salt Mines here which was a favorite activity of mine. The slides were awesome. Here’s part of our group enjoying the thrill!

The adults then went to Dachau to visit the vestiges of history and a past concentration camp. Driving by the place was somber. I dropped Jess off and the kids and I played in a nearby park. 

Afterward we drove to Dinkelsbuhl to stay the night. We walked the streets and found a stork nest. See up on the orange roof? 

The next day was spent in Rothenberg, a centuries-old, walled city. 

We visited the Medieval Crime Museum, basically a Torture Museum. The huge necklace in the display on the right was used for people who weren’t reverent at church. “Hey you there, wake up and listen!! Oh yeah, and wear this necklace for the rest of the service!”

Neat views. 

Earlier in the week, Ansel was playing near some huge tires (we were at a restaurant and the little kids needed a break, so being the good mom that I am, I let them play in the huge tires across the street). Unbeknownst to us, wasps had made there home on said tires and Ansel was attacked and bit 4-5 times. His face was swollen for three days. He was a trooper and by this day was back to 100%. 

We finished off our trip by heading back to Badkissingen. Our last activity was a swim in the pool that tops all pools. 

The water slide was awesome and self directed. See how Jess is coming down after Ansel? I kind of loved how Germany assumed we all know how to take care of ourselves so endless warnings and excessive rules were unnecessary. (Can you tell I have some opinions about some of the rules at our neighborhood pool? 😆)   

And here we are, bound for home. It was such a great trip. The kids were such good travelers. I’d take them again in a heartbeat! And thank goodness for screens during the long plane ride. Made the experience so much better for all!