Summer Fun 2014- Hawaii Part III

Destiny, Wayne, and I have been friends since high school.  It's so difficult to believe that we are in our mid-thirties, with our own careers, interests, goals, and families.  I would have never thought that I would have ended up where I have.  There are so many things that are so beyond the scope of teenaged understanding that it's frightening to think that young adults of this age are making decisions that will impact the rest of their lives.  We do the best we can, however, and live with the lasting results.  Sometimes we're unable to lift ourselves out of regret over what could have been, and other times, we're able to see that life has its own design and although we while the years away planning, we eventually yield to our fate.

For a while, it was just the two of us- Wayne and Tiffany.  We welcomed Destiny into our circle when we realized how awesome she was our senior year, then Taryn in college when her awesomeness presented itself while hanging out at marching band practice and games.  We had sleepovers, practiced our instruments incessantly, dreamed about the future, took the bus everywhere, attended music camps, planned outfits, and just hung out.

I grew up on Waiola Street in Moili`ili so I didn't realize how special their shave ice was until I moved to Washington state and have been barely surviving its absence on blistering hot summer days.  We went to Ward Warehouse to check out the H-Zone (to get my hands on University of Hawaii apparel) and have the boys try Waiola Shave Ice.  Joseph didn't want to eat one all by himself (because he wasn't sure if he was going to like it) so he shared one with Aunty Taryn.  They got a rainbow bowl with ice cream on the bottom.  I ordered a strawberry bowl with mocha balls and ice cream.  Jacob enjoyed sipping the syrup through the straw, but didn't care for the mounding scoops I offered when he came up for breath.

Taryn said that Wayne was confident at first about his role as care-taker, but that eventually waned (pun intended) when Jacob kept asking for me.  Eventually, he mastered the art of nurturing a 3-year old and they played together without another mention of mommy.

Summer Fun 2014- Hawaii Part IV

Smooshy Confusion

I found these two gems while looking through my "drafts" tab.  I can't believe my babies were ever this small.  Check out that rope of drool dangling from his padded chin!  While they're so cute and small, I'm relieved that they're past this stage.  Caring for infants is tough work and I understand why many people have children in their early 20s.  It requires a lot of stamina and physical resilience- two things that are in short supply in my mid-thirties. 

Summer Fun 2013- Hawaii Part II

Everyone saying "cheese" for the camera while enjoying their cheese pizza.

Uncle Wayne showing the kiddies how to take a 'selfie.'

Mmmm!  Cake donuts from Regal Bakery were a hit with the whole crowd! 

With Noa having been born in October 2010 and Jacob having been born in June 2011, these two are 8 months apart.  You wouldn't know it by the similarities in interests, speech, stature, and heft, however, their dispositions couldn't be more different.  While Noa is circumspect and tentative, Jacob is unguarded- freely and indiscriminately giving of his friendship and affection.  Noa is pensive and contemplative while Jacob fearless and sprightly.  It will be so interesting to see how their current temperaments mold and build their personalities as adults.  Also, how living in different cultural realms will impact their perceptions and ideas about the world.

Here we're enjoying the fireworks at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  Jacob was surprisingly unaffected by the loud booming of the festivities.  I wasn't certain if the whole ordeal would be over-stimulating considering he is operating on a significant sleep deficit.

Summer Fun 2014- Hawaii Part I

The plane ride from Seattle to Honolulu was... interesting. All I know is that I'll likely never fly with two young children without Joe ever again.  

Here the boys are playing with the Lego sets I got for the boys. Those were a hit, for sure!

I thought I brought enough snacks, but I absolutely didn't. More snacks, next time.  

Summer Fun 2014- Ocean Shores

Before Joe went on his next patrol, he wanted to make sure we used our new camper at least a couple of times. This weekend, we invited Joseph's best friend and his dad to go camping with us. 

We packed our bikes, kites, games, and food and headed 4 hours away to Ocean Shores.  Beside the fantastic and incredible mosquito population (it's biblical, really) we had an amazingly wonderful time!

There was a sand building contest and this was one of the displays that Joseph liked the most. 

When Jacob's friend Leyna was at the beach, she asked her mom and dad to write Jacob's name in the sand and she took a picture next to it. Joe had the idea of reciprocating the gesture. :-)