We have now been in Hawaii for over 2 weeks. It's been fun so far and the kids have taken to the beach and outdoors just fine. We have played with Nona and the Fenner clan and have now said "goodbye" to Nona and the Fenner clan - Hadden constantly asks when he can go over to Denver to visit Cousin Cole. Glad they had so much fun together.
Bye-bye Fenners and Nona
The Fenners were in Waikiki the first week we were here and we had the good fortune of seeing them on a number of occasions. Hopefully we were the draw and not just Lanikai Beach. ;-) Hadden, in particular, had so much fun with Cousin Cole (CC) at the beach. Clara, of course, adores Madeleine. Actually, Hadden was the one following her all over the house making sure she was okay. Very sweet. That said, here's one of my favorite Nona pictures of Madeleine. Cute Fenner. Fennerific. Fentastic. Fennerlicious. Take your pick. We have evidence that everyone made it back to the mainland just fine - we have talked to Nona and the Denver Fenners since.
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| Madeleine Fenner poses for the camera in Lanikai. |
We had a small combined birthday celebration for Cole (March 8th) and Hadden (Aptil 12th) while everyone was in town. We even threw in a birthday present for Nona (February 7th) that was purchased in Rome. Actually, that one was added a couple of days later. It was a warm scarf so we were not offended that she didn't wear it the next day. So, Cole is 4 and Hadden is almost 5. They are growing up! Not that this is a surprise...it's just that sometimes our perception of time is not calibrated to our kids. Birthdays serve as sort of a recalibration moment.
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| Cole and Hadden blow out the candles on their combined carrot cake birthday cake on the deck at the Lanikai House. |
Summit
On Nona's last day she summitted the Lanikai Pillboxes hike. Not sure what the summit name is there but it has to be at least 500 ft. Anyway, the view from up there is spectacular. It also offers a great perspective on our rental house and its proximity to the beach.
Easter
Easter is an official "big deal" now. Not because of anything Christ did. More because of the Easter Bunny and his tradition of hiding eggs with candy and toys in the yard. Also, we get to dye eggs, which the kids did in preschool and at home this year. So, early Sunday morning (7am about) we got up with the neighbors and their kids (Noe and Lina) to hunt for easter eggs in our yard. There was a lot of frenzied running around and bunches were found. I'm sure there a several that were not. I suppose those are left to the gardeners.
Bunny Cake
It's kind of a tradition at the Muench home for Grandma to make a bunny-shaped cake for Easter. This year it was a carrot cake and was delicious. The kids got to help decorate it (and eat a few of the decorations). Too much fun. That's freshly grated coconut used for the "fur" and a collection of gummy candies used for facial features.
Happy Easter all,
Steve
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| Nona at the summit. |
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| This is a picture of Yvonne and the kids on Lanikai Beach taken from pillbox number 2. I THINK I see them. Maybe not. |
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| "Da Mokes" from the pillbox. Mokulua and Mokumanu are twin islands (old cinder cones from eons ago) that are now bird sanctuaries. They are 7/8 of a mile offshore and are often reached by the multitude of kayak renters these days. Back in the day one had to swim, sail or paddle out and could achieve relative isolation out there. |
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| Our rental house in the foreground, left side (it's the pink one behind the tall coconut trees). You can see the beach too. Not too shabby. Turns out my dad knows the owners from high school and I know one of their kids from high school. Small world. The neighbor graduated from my high school one year before me. Again, small world. |
Easter
Easter is an official "big deal" now. Not because of anything Christ did. More because of the Easter Bunny and his tradition of hiding eggs with candy and toys in the yard. Also, we get to dye eggs, which the kids did in preschool and at home this year. So, early Sunday morning (7am about) we got up with the neighbors and their kids (Noe and Lina) to hunt for easter eggs in our yard. There was a lot of frenzied running around and bunches were found. I'm sure there a several that were not. I suppose those are left to the gardeners.
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| Clara finds and egg on a plumeria tree. |
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| The kids pose with their booty. That's Lina (3rd grade) top-left, Noe (Kindergarten) bottom-left, and of course Hadden in the middle and Clara on the right. |
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| Everyone gets back to checking out their eggs after the picture. |
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| Steve, Clara and Hadden went to Easter services at Christ Church. Was good to see the old church. Here are the kids in their "Sunday best" (Hawaiian style) posing with Grandma. |
Slip-n-slide!
We have been having LOTS of fun with a slip-n-slide set lent to us by the rental owners. They have a fabulous yard in which to play too. On Easter Hadden, Clara, Noe and Lina played for a couple of hours. Here are some action shots of the day. Last week Hadden figured out how to slide head-first properly and today Clara figured it out too! "Daddy, I got the hang of it!" she kept yelling.
Bunny Cake
It's kind of a tradition at the Muench home for Grandma to make a bunny-shaped cake for Easter. This year it was a carrot cake and was delicious. The kids got to help decorate it (and eat a few of the decorations). Too much fun. That's freshly grated coconut used for the "fur" and a collection of gummy candies used for facial features.
Happy Easter all,
Steve
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