Showing posts with label Kale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kale. Show all posts

September 10, 2012

Mish Mash


Words don't come easily this evening, but it's been on my mind to update the blog, and so here I are. :)

Our time home on the Big Island was precious, and something I am still unable to write about.  We returned home to Washington at the end of July, and have enjoyed sweet days full of sunshine, friends and family, and for myself, a constant, aching awareness of having "one less"--miss you, Mom.

And, now, the easy part:


 Finn Turns 4

He happens to be one of our favorites. :)

We Go to the Blackberry Festival

Blackberry Festival on the Bremerton Boardwalk

(Need I mention Kiana took the following 4 awesome shots?  Nah-I didn't think so.)
Littlest.

Middlest.

Also the Littlest.
(Well, he used to be; then he turned 3.)

Bossy.  I mean, BossMan.

Heading home, waiting in the car for Daddy.
We Eat a Lot of Sweets,
and Hang Out with Uncle Kale

She's at it again--my baker extraordinaire.  She has gifted us with brownies,blackberry cobbler, cookie pies, and this "back-to-school!" cake; I assure you, it has all gone to waist. :-9

There are more fun shots from this day, but I am too lazy and/or law-abiding to hijack them from him.



The Girls Pick Blackberries
at Dorothy's Place

Our gracious hostess.

Miki eventually gave up being sneaky about
popping every other blackberry into her mouth.


Happy girl!

SweetTart.

Fresh air, fresh fruit, and a cool old barn--sweet. 
(Oh, and some silly geese. :D )
We Remember

♥ Days in the sunshine ♥
Down in the Valley.

All for now.
Happy Monday!

March 2, 2012

Work in Progress

Meh...this is what I get for logging on at bedtime--an ugly blog.  (And ugly frown lines, from glowering at an ugly blog.)  

Sorry. 

Come back in a few days; things may look better.  (I'm not making any promises, though.)  Before you leave, check out the Recaidos, over the years:

First, there was *me.*  And only *me.*  The whole world revolved around *me.* 
As you can imagine, this was a very dark and lonely period in my life;
having teddy bears with perpetually surprised looks on their faces
as your best friends ain't all it's cracked up to be.

I had to wait five years for this girl to show up. 
She then proceeded to show me up in, um, everything:
cuteness, intelligence, ambition, drive.
Love you, sis.

Along came Joshy the Wonder Boy, next great leader of the free world.
Keala looks less than thrilled; was it her newly-acquired sibling rivalry,
or the matching purple sailor dresses?

Oh, look--Kale showed up, and he's making denim overalls and an aloha shirt look good! 
This was only the beginning of a lifetime of being better than everybody
at everything; I think Josh was still trying to come to terms with that, at this point.


Apparently, it took us a few years to decide if we actually wanted a
family picture with Noah in it; I'm glad we decided to go ahead with it. :)
His arrival on this earth 15 years after my own spaceship landed was a welcome
surprise; he has kept us grounded through many experiences,
carrying a joy as infectious as his hilarious little girl giggles very deep, manly laugh.
Love you, baby brother! :D


::Made thankful again to have ended up in this bunch::


Remember to smile--it's Aloha Friday!

February 28, 2012

Bye, Bye, Bruddah

Here are some pics from Kale's last evening in Washington. 

As always, please accept apologies for my mediocre photography skills; unlike some overachievers I'm related to, I do not possess photographic genius that I keep well hidden.  Nuh-uh--I'm full of incompetence, and I let it all hang out. 

Now, on with the show:


The REAL reason everyone shows up to our parties.  Just joking. :D
This looks like Round 2 for the speedier eaters amongst us...
Kale has trained his friends well; note the quick drop of the shaka
when the cameras come out.  Chee! :D

Mr. & Mrs. Picha.

The teenagers....
The girls....
Wow...I just realized how closely they like to sit together.

Jamie, signing the banners the girls made for Uncle. 
I wonder what's going on with the phone.... :)

Kiana's perspective--generally, much more interesting than mine (and I'm
not just talking photography here...)

Group shot.  I had to laugh at this one; it looks like Mark is having a
hard time getting his shaka to work....

Ah--there it is! :-9
Mana and Noah wanted a shot of everyone Tebow-ing, but, hmm...yeah, it
didn't work out so well.  Still, a funny pic. :D

Time for us to go home: "Hurry up and take the picture before I start crying."

Still holding it together....
And he's done.
Love my family.

Miss you, Kale.


Thankful...

...to be part of such a loving family.

...for the examples of faith and willingness with which I'm surrounded.

(I'm also thankful that there are no pictures of me on this night; I take "the ugly cry" to a whole new level, and, trust me--nobody needs that memorialized.)



Now I have to go console a few little girls who were reminded again of how much they miss their uncles.  Which reminds them of how they constantly miss their cousins.  Thanks, Kale.  And you started this round, Josh, so a great big fat thanks to you, too. ;-9  Noah, come eat. (Bring Dad and Mana, too.) ;-9

Happy Tuesday!

February 25, 2012

The Post with Lots of "Quotation" Marks

This is another "small stuff" post.  I missed opportunities to write about a few "big" things; they seem kind of "old-newsish" now, despite the impact they continue to have on our little family.  I thought I'd wait for the next big thing before posting again, but I think this really is a "little moments" kind of a blog, and those moments are happening as I write, so let's begin:

Kale's Gone:

Not to be dramatic or anything, but...Kale has abandoned this Pacific northwest ship, in favor of a canoe.  (That's my very indirect, don't-really-want-to-think-about-it kind of way of saying Kale has returned home to the Big Island.)  He, too, is a half-and-half boy: love Hawaii, love Washington, happy to be here, while wishing to be there, yada yada.  But, as most grown-ups know, he needs to go where the work is, and right now, the work is in a warm and sunny tropical paradise, near 2 of 5 of the most precious girls in the world (love you, Cali and Benz <3). I can hardly hold it against him, eh? ;-D


Mission: Accomplished:

Kohala wrapped up its very first tour of the Pacific Northwest last week; thanks so much to all who came out to see them!  "Dad" has finally arrived, and we are glad to help him settle in as he revels in the post-tour afterglow. :)  The band was thrilled with both the turnout and response, which went far beyond expectation (thanks to all, again and again! :D).   They have already secured performance dates for June, with more to be added soon; I'll keep ya posted. ;-) 

(For some great pictures of the Bainbridge concert, take a look at Bethany's post.)


Goodnight, Moon:

On our way home tonight, we spotted the moon: a tiny sliver, hanging low in the sky, surrounded by glittering stars.  It seems that we go months around here without seeing stars, and I had to wonder: is it because we always have a good little cloud-cover, or is it because I just forget to look up and enjoy?  A little bit of both, I think.  My thoughts turned toward one of our recent trips home, and driving up the mountain to watch the moon rise on Mauna Kea; just the memory of it still takes my breath away.  Brandon shared at Olympia this past year about how God didn't just make this earth habitable for us, but he went so far as to make it beautiful, a place we could enjoy; it is so true, and I don't appreciate this enough.  It was amazing, being up on that mountain in the cool, crisp air (cold enough that Malia thought we'd been magically transported back to Washington! :D), the moon looking close enough to reach out and touch, and getting a very clear picture of the tinyness of humanity.  We have so much to be thankful for. 

20 Years:

Today marks either the passing of or funeral day of my grandmother 20 years ago; I'm embarrassed that I don't remember exactly. I also can't believe it's been 20 years. I'm grateful for time spent and memories made with her, and love seeing the best of her live on in my dad and his siblings. Love you, Grandma.

(Here's a funny little aside:  While trying to figure out how long it's been since Grandma's passing, I discovered I'm actually a year older than I keep claiming to be.  Simple math, DoRe'--simple math. :D)


Wow...that took up more brain power than it should have; can I blame it on the fact that it's bedtime?  I was hoping if I dragged out the writing, my computer would start cooperating and let me upload some pics, but no dice.  Oh, well.  Time to ho'i i ka hiamoe. :)  Good night!

{ Happy Saturday! }




October 26, 2011

Deflector

This is classic Kale: I try to show him kindness to make up for the fact that we forgot! to sing Happy Birthday to him on his birthday (October 17th), and all he can do is complain that his birthday was LAST week, and try to insist that we should be singing to me, since my birthday is technically closer. 

Whatevs. Big sisters always win. Even when they're little like me. (And rock the double-chins like me. Ugh.) :)


Happy Wednesday!

May 6, 2011

Meandering...



Malia in her Happy Place
 (it usually involves fruit and fresh air).


Not much to say this morning; we're looking forward to
a busy weekend of slumber parties and birthday cake x 2--
I guess I should get my workout on. 


Birthday girl, and one of Miki's "BFFs." :D

Birthday twins. :)
aka, some of the cutest 3-year-olds we know.


Also looking forward to a trip home next week;
my brother Kale is graduating from college--so proud of him.


He's a little taller now.

Happy Friday!