Hawai'i: A Photo Synopsis

Tyrel listed the following as his favorite things about our Hawaii trip:

1. Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri (aka Mighty Mo).
2. Polynesian Cultural Center (he got to drink coconut juice and loved the fire dancer).
3. The Dole Pineapple Plantation (the world’s biggest maze in 2001).
4. USS Bowfin (aka the Pearl Harbor Avenger).
5. Beach Activities (Snorkeling, Body Boarding, Catching crabs).
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Erin rattled off her own top five list too:

   1. Swimming in the ocean.
   2. Airplane Ride (she slept nearly the entire flight to Hawaii. Amy and I weren’t so lucky on our return trip).
   3. Tending Cache and Clay.
   4. Learning the Hula at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
   5. The baby pineapples growing at the Dole Pineapple Plantation.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Amy gave her fave's about our trip too:

   1. Without question she loved the WEATHER.
   2. Being with family and close friends (nothing more HAD to be done).
   3. All the different beaches on O'Ahu.
   4. Laie (Polynesian Cultural Center & the Hawai'i Temple).
   5. The great food on the island (Dole Plantation, luau at the PCC, and the Hukilau.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Finally, I’ll list my favorites:

   1. Snorkeling (sea turtles, squid, myriad of colorful fish).
   2. I loved getting away from work and spending time with my family.
   3. It was good to catch up with Jarod and Stacy, and their boys.
   4. The Polynesian Cultural Center was fascinating.
   5. The tours and museums in Pearl Harbor (USS Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri, USS Bowfin).
   
   

   P.S. Amy and I learned a couple of interesting things about our kids too. For instance, I didn’t know that the Tomahawk Missile was Tyrel’s “…second most favorite missile.”; Erin’s bum grumbles when it is hungry; Tyrel tried every food and fruit (e.g. mango, raw coconut, poi, coconut pudding, pineapple ice cream) he could find and still couldn’t find a single thing he hated.

SO FAR

Tyrel attempting to surf.
Erin easing into surfing. First time I have known her to be cautious.
Tyrel getting the hang of surfing.

Apparently sitting on the board wasn't enough of a challenge for Erin.

The inevitable. "This water tastes like salt."

The taste of salty water did not keep Erin at bay long.

In the museum near the USS Arizona Memorial.

Touring the "Mighty Mo."

Near the USS Arizona Memorial.

Never.. was so much owed by so many to so few- Winston Churchill

It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died, they gave up two lives — the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their county, for us. All we can do is remember.

— Ronald Wilson Reagan, President of the USARemarks at Veteran's Day Ceremony

Arlington National Cemetery ArlingtonVirginia, 11 November 1985

I BET LIVING IN A NUDIST COLONY TAKES ALL THE FUN OUT OF HALLOWEEN

Halloween found our house with much fanfare. For Erin Christmas is the only other holiday to truly rival the last day of October. In the end, either one of these holidays involves lots of candy of which Erin is a radical connoisseur.

Erin recounted to me how she hooked up with her friends and then extorted candy from the neighbors. Her rendition made it sound as though this whole ordeal was old hat. Apparently, I missed the obvious and had to ask Amy who Erin’s “friends” were. It was admirable for the 10-11 year-old girls on our street to include Erin in their group. I don’t know exactly what they did or how Erin behaved, but I would guess the Snow White in this group had little in common with the Disney fair tale princess we all know; these girls took it all in stride.

Nobody is more proud of their Halloween loot than Erin. By the time I was able to quiz her about trick-o-treating most of her spoils had been reduced to a myriad of wrappers. Just so you know she has extensive dental work as a testament to her affinity for anything sweet- up to and including spoonfuls of straight sugar out of the family sugar bowl. The faint of heart cower at this exercise.

Tyrel has come into his own for this accepted time of tomfoolery and he is the perfect age for this holiday. He was eager to dress up as something other than what his mother thinks would be “cute” opting instead for the ghoulish and slightly warped.

Tyrel teamed up with friends and worked the neighborhood more akin to how I could imagine the mafia working over Hell’s Kitchen. His spoils were nearly a half a pillowcase worth measured is pounds and, unlike Erin, he rations this sustenance over time. It is likely he will still be dipping into the Halloween candy at Christmas, if Erin doesn’t reconnoiter and liberate it for herself.

As parents we had fun watching the enthusiasm of our kids as they dressed up and were allowed to openly pretend in front of our neighbors.

With this event written in the books, Hawaii is next!

FRIENDS & GUITAR HERO

This week the Brown’s stopped by for a while during their hiatus from Hawaii. As always, we were ecstatic to have them over and loved getting caught up.

Nobody was more excited for this visit than Erin. With Cache and Clay in the house I don’t think Erin was any further than 2-3” from their faces. Honestly, I have never seen any one thing hold Erin’s complete attention for so long. She was eager to help Stacy feed them (sitting between them with a bottle in each hand), right in the middle of things when they needed to be changed, and then we couldn’t beat her away when it was bath time. Amy and I are glad they twins survived their first Erin experience.
During the Brown’s sojourn with us the kids broke out the Guitar Hero. Tyrel fancies himself quite the manipulator of the battle axe. He didn’t even pause while I took pictures of him playing in his underwear. Even funnier is he was playing songs from when I was in high school and told me several times which songs he thought were cool. How weird is it when your 9-year-old shares some of the same music favorites that you had in high school. I know this wasn’t the case for me when I was growing up.
It is easy to conclude that this game commands the player’s undivided attention. I took several photos of the kids but none of them were able to pry themselves from the game long enough to put their tongues back in their mouths or even look at me.
I noted that even when I played I was unable to answer Amy’s questions. The best thing about being the camera operator and the blog editor is no embarrassing photos of you will be published.

I’m still trying to talk Amy into being my groupie.

EMERALD POOLS WITH A CLOWN

We could not pass the UEA break without doing something more than the everyday. We decided the weather and time of year would be perfect for a short hike. After assessing the readiness of the troops, it was quickly decided the Emerald Pools hike in Zion’s National Park was the best trek for us.

Tyrel cornered a friend and convinced Dillon it would be a fun hike. We were off for a great adventure.

It was a perfect day for this short hike. The sun had already passed over that part of the canyon so this entire adventure was in the shade. We made it to all three pools and finished by evening without being rushed. Without exception, each group that passed by our little caravan commented on the “vigor” of the 3 lead hikers; they ran the Emerald Pools loop!

Despite reminders, Erin failed to grasp the concept that the tranquility of the stunning surroundings accompanied by the soothing sounds of the waterfalls are best savored WITHOUT YELLING every time there was something to say. Passersby were more amused than I was.

The highlight of the hike for Clubber Clyde were the pseudo deer that live in the park. From the zeal she displayed, I am convinced now more than ever that Erin will be my best hunting partner. These deer were good sports to play in Erin’s world. Her inability to contain her yells and big movements hardly stopped their routines.

I should have known better than to think we would escape this outing without drawing the attention of everyone. Erin committed the unpardonable in the national park world when she bellowed that I “needed to go get my gun and shoot that buck!” I think the world stopped; birds quit singing, foreigners scrambled for cover, the tour busses went silent, photographers dropped their cameras, park rangers cast scorned looks our direction, and infants and toddlers pointed fingers. With some applied skill, our clan made it out alive.

If you are wondering why we didn’t attempt a more challenging hike, take notice of Clubber Clyde in theSE photos. She gets that serious face from her mother!

SO CLOSE!

Tyrel and the Crocodile’s soccer season is now history. Their final game ended with the Crocodiles short by a single goal. The memories, lessons, and experience are priceless.

In the days leading up to this game it was evident by Tyrel’s action that this championship game was on his 9-year-old mind. Since birth, Tyrel has not been much of a morning person. It takes him a while to get warmed up and get the cob webs out of thi shead. The days before this game were different. From the instant his feet hit the floor in the morning he was elaborating on how he thought the soccer game would go.

The big day came and the Crocodiles played tough and executed their game as well as they had at any other time during the season. These two teams were nearly identical in both athletic ability and skills; the ball was back and forth constantly with teams getting only 1 shot at a goal before the ball was kicked out to mid-field. You got the feeling from the opening kick-off that this would be a dead heat.

Parents, friends, and family packed the sidelines. From the size of the crowd you could have easily mistaken this event for a high school state championship game. Everyone was cheering for their team and player. Although we spectators brought chairs nobody ever used them to actually sit down. There were even a couple of dads who nearly marched a trench the entire length of the field. Vince Lombardi could not have been able to bring more focus to us parents.

I had to laugh at myself when I realized I was leaning, ducking, twisting, and hoping on one foot all in an effort to give that soccer ball more of that last needed bend or English. I quickly recognized I was in good company as most parents were in various steps of this same odd rhumba. At games end I may have expended as much energy as the players.

After the game it was evident Tyrel was disappointed. I attempted to help him realize there is no shame in being bested when you played your best. After my rambling, Tyrel elaborated by telling me he scored the winning goal for the other team. Apparently, his team lined up to defend against a corner kick. Despite their extensive practice the day before for this exact scenario, the Crocodiles treated the soccer ball like a dodge ball- except for Tyrel. With his line of sight blocked by his teammates he was hit by the ball without ever really knowing where it was. The ball caromed into the goal.

This problem was a “father test” I had not yet studied for. I stumbled through trying to help Tyrel realize that no amount of preparation or athletic ability will ever be able to fully counter pure luck. This is the lot to which all athletes are born.

A short talk steered Tyrel back to the easy-going, carefree personality...and the sun came up the next day.