After looking at the website, it seemed like a really fun thing to do. They encourage you to count the birds and keep track of what types you are seeing, then return to their website and record all your info. Then at the end of the weekend you can look at the map and see what types of birds {and how many} people were seeing all over the U.S. and Canada. Sounded pretty cool to us, so we decided to give it a try...
Looking and looking with pencil and paper in mittened hands...not seeing too much of anything...
This was about as close to a bird siting as we had all weekend. We could hear some chirping, so we knew they were somewhere nearby, but they were all in a shy mood. My dad even filled their bird feeder, and all we saw was a tiny little brown bird who stopped by for a quick snack and was soon scared away by some greedy squirrels. Well, we are going to try again one weekend soon {maybe if the weather warms up a tad the birds will be a bit more cheerful}, and while our results won't count for the "Great Backyard Bird Count" hopefully we'll have better luck on our next go round.
Anyway, this is what bird watching turned into:
Running full speed ahead towards an icy, slippery slide.
Great intensity with her approach.
Reaching, reaching.
Hanging on for dear life as she starts to slip backwards.
A tiny smile as she realizes she just can't make it to the top.
Laughing harder now as resisting the backwards slide becomes futile, it was kind of like watching the Olympic event of Skeleton in reverse.
The agony {through her laughter} of defeat.
She tried a few more times, and finally did make it to the top.
The Winter Olympics are inspiring to us all.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Belly Flops
Last Friday since the girls didn't have school, I took them to the Jelly Belly Factory tour so we could see how these yummy Jelly Beans are made. We had been there before, but it had been a while, so it was extra fun.
While we were there we learned that any Jelly Belly that isn't the perfect shape and size won't be given the Jelly Belly seal of approval. It will be marked a "Belly Flop," and it will be set aside. Let's just say most of our pictures from today are Belly Flops! A little cute, but belly flops for sure.
Rebekah walking out of the first of many photos.
No one except Ka'iulani looking quite the right way.
The tour mandates that because they are a facility where candy is produced, everyone who goes on the tour must have their hair covered. True to form, Kamele would not leave her hat on. But she'll climb on the train engine any day!
Funny faces as the tour is about to begin.
A quick exit out of another photo.
But we did get a few good ones...
A fun day, even if they weren't up for all the pictures. A sweet place to take my sweeties!!
While we were there we learned that any Jelly Belly that isn't the perfect shape and size won't be given the Jelly Belly seal of approval. It will be marked a "Belly Flop," and it will be set aside. Let's just say most of our pictures from today are Belly Flops! A little cute, but belly flops for sure.
Rebekah walking out of the first of many photos.
No one except Ka'iulani looking quite the right way.
The tour mandates that because they are a facility where candy is produced, everyone who goes on the tour must have their hair covered. True to form, Kamele would not leave her hat on. But she'll climb on the train engine any day!
Funny faces as the tour is about to begin.
A quick exit out of another photo.
But we did get a few good ones...
A fun day, even if they weren't up for all the pictures. A sweet place to take my sweeties!!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
We {Heart} Valentines Day
For the last several weeks as all the stores have been wall to wall hearts and flowers, I have felt like buying up all the cutesy Valentine decor! I love all the cute heart, stripes, and polka dot prints in every shade of pink, red, and chocolate. Cute little hand towels and oven mitts decorated with coffee cups whose steam billows up in the shape of hearts. Everything I see is really pretty, and I find myself wanting it all :-)
The funny thing is that I'm not usually all that caught up in Valentines. In fact, as the countdown to Valentines parties begins at school, Ka'eo is always the one who buys the girls their valentines. Yes, he really picks them out himself! And he always does a great job! I think my favorite thing about Valentines Day when I was growing up was that my dad would always buy me some candies and a card. So I am thankful that Ka'eo indulges our girls in the same way.
The shopping was certainly in order this year. Each of the girls needed about 25 for both school and church (with Kamele needing fewer, however not including their "besties" who required more than one valentine!), so we had well over 100 Valentines to make. Making the valentines was fun, and almost all of them were handmade which added to the work, but the girls loved it.
I had the best intentions this year of getting the girls all dressed up in pink and red and trying to get some really girly pics, but poor little Rebekah was feeling sick with a runny nose and cough. For her sake, we had to postpone the photos, but who knows, maybe I'll still get it done?
Alyssa during her class V Party.
Emma and her friend, Bella showing me their cute tie-dyed valentines. Emma said hers was a Hawkeye Valentine.
Grandpa giving heart shaped marshmallow lollipops to the girls. YUM!
From our little valentines...
The funny thing is that I'm not usually all that caught up in Valentines. In fact, as the countdown to Valentines parties begins at school, Ka'eo is always the one who buys the girls their valentines. Yes, he really picks them out himself! And he always does a great job! I think my favorite thing about Valentines Day when I was growing up was that my dad would always buy me some candies and a card. So I am thankful that Ka'eo indulges our girls in the same way.
The shopping was certainly in order this year. Each of the girls needed about 25 for both school and church (with Kamele needing fewer, however not including their "besties" who required more than one valentine!), so we had well over 100 Valentines to make. Making the valentines was fun, and almost all of them were handmade which added to the work, but the girls loved it.
I had the best intentions this year of getting the girls all dressed up in pink and red and trying to get some really girly pics, but poor little Rebekah was feeling sick with a runny nose and cough. For her sake, we had to postpone the photos, but who knows, maybe I'll still get it done?
Alyssa during her class V Party.
Emma and her friend, Bella showing me their cute tie-dyed valentines. Emma said hers was a Hawkeye Valentine.
Grandpa giving heart shaped marshmallow lollipops to the girls. YUM!
From our little valentines...
Friday, February 12, 2010
These Funny Girls
I'm not sure if it's the cold weather freezing my brain, or if it's just these girls finding humor in the smallest things, but we had a few good laughs today.
It all started when Kamele and I were looking through a deck of brain quest cards and as I asked her the question on this card (What is this man doing?) She very confidently told me he was brushing his teeth.
I told her to look closer, so she did, then I asked her if she lathers her entire face up like this when she brushes her teeth. She laughed at me like the suggestion was silly, and told me she wasn't "messy like that." Maybe Dave should let her watch him shave sometime, because she clearly had no idea what he was doing.
Alyssa had library at school yesterday, and some of her most favorite books to check out are the various editions of The World Record Book that their library has. This in itself is a little amusing to me because she could pour over these books for days, just soaking up all the very interesting {!?} records. I think that secretly, she may hope to hold a record of her own one day :-)
Well, Alyssa brought home the 2009 edition, and just look what Emma stumbled upon. She didn't even ask any of the seemingly obvious questions that might come as a result from seeing the lady in blue. In whole-hearted disbelief she shook her head and asked me where I thought the lady might be able to buy any clothes that would fit her. Thanks, little Em! I needed a good laugh.
In addition to the book of World Records, Alyssa thought of me on her trip to the library. She was so proud to show me her selection of a book she wanted me to read: 101 Secrets A Cool Mom Knows.
She flipped right open to #89 which is How to Jump Start a Car. She pointed this out because a few weeks ago my car battery died while at school {at a very inopportune time, I should add. I was less than a half hour away from coaching my first gymnastics class in over 15 years, and my stomach was full of butterflies as it was} and I had to ask a friend for help. Thankfully, I was able to look at #89 and tell her that was one I don't need to worry about. We have Ms. Melissa to help us with that one!
Well, I better go, I have a lot of recommended reading to catch up on. Alyssa's sweet gesture to keep me in the ranks of "cool moms."
It all started when Kamele and I were looking through a deck of brain quest cards and as I asked her the question on this card (What is this man doing?) She very confidently told me he was brushing his teeth.
I told her to look closer, so she did, then I asked her if she lathers her entire face up like this when she brushes her teeth. She laughed at me like the suggestion was silly, and told me she wasn't "messy like that." Maybe Dave should let her watch him shave sometime, because she clearly had no idea what he was doing.
Alyssa had library at school yesterday, and some of her most favorite books to check out are the various editions of The World Record Book that their library has. This in itself is a little amusing to me because she could pour over these books for days, just soaking up all the very interesting {!?} records. I think that secretly, she may hope to hold a record of her own one day :-)
Well, Alyssa brought home the 2009 edition, and just look what Emma stumbled upon. She didn't even ask any of the seemingly obvious questions that might come as a result from seeing the lady in blue. In whole-hearted disbelief she shook her head and asked me where I thought the lady might be able to buy any clothes that would fit her. Thanks, little Em! I needed a good laugh.
In addition to the book of World Records, Alyssa thought of me on her trip to the library. She was so proud to show me her selection of a book she wanted me to read: 101 Secrets A Cool Mom Knows.
She flipped right open to #89 which is How to Jump Start a Car. She pointed this out because a few weeks ago my car battery died while at school {at a very inopportune time, I should add. I was less than a half hour away from coaching my first gymnastics class in over 15 years, and my stomach was full of butterflies as it was} and I had to ask a friend for help. Thankfully, I was able to look at #89 and tell her that was one I don't need to worry about. We have Ms. Melissa to help us with that one!
Well, I better go, I have a lot of recommended reading to catch up on. Alyssa's sweet gesture to keep me in the ranks of "cool moms."
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A Day of Play with Rebekah
It's been really cold and snowy here for the last couple of days, so Rebekah and I haven't gotten out too much, except when it was time to go pick up the big girls from school. Lately I find myself cracking up at every other word out of her mouth, it's just such a fun age. And I'm not the only one, she often has her sisters and Daddy amused too :-)
Rebekah got this cute teddybear, TJ Beary Tales for Christmas from Great Grandmommy and Great Granddaddy when she was one. The teddy bear reads storybooks, and when she first got it, she was just amazed that this little guy could talk. She constantly tried sticking her fingers in his mouth to figure out how it worked, and she loved him!
Now this is her playing with TJ earlier today. Now that she is older, she's a lot more inquisitive about his voice, pushing all the buttons on his backpack, and she's very matter of fact about describing him, telling me, "He's a robot, Mom! I really mean it, he's a robot!!"
She also listens to TJ's stories a lot more carefully now.
I bet Great Mommy and Great Daddy didn't realize they were getting her a toy she'd still be playing with two years later ;-) She loves him!
It's hard to tell in these pictures, but Kamele has not been feeling that well, she's had a bad runny nose for over a week. Later this same day, she had to stay home from church with Dad and she was sleeping by 7pm. But after listening to stories, we still had fun earlier in the day building a railroad with the girls' Geo Tracks set.
She loved putting the track together, and telling me the jobs that each of the pieces had.
I enjoyed some of her choices for the things that would ride on the train cars.
"I'll stop you on the bridge..."
"Okay, go through now!"
Lately whenever she does something by accident {like spilling something, or causing a train crash like in this pic} she'll dramatically say, "Phew, that was a close one!" No, that really was a crash {or a huge puddle of chocolate milk to mop up}.
Once after breaking a beaded necklace of Kahiwa's, she handed it to her big sister and said, "I'm sorry I broke this. It was really close!" Emma responded with the comment that has often been my first reaction as well, "My necklace is broken, how could that have been close?"
I don't remember A or E going through a phase like this where they thought a cute little response or flashing a cheesy smile could negate whatever naughty thing they just did. Leave it to the baby...
I loved this photo. She was getting frustrated because a gate she had set up on the track was not stopping the train from moving through. I think that was actually what started her using her hands to stop the train. I loved her little look of disapproval at the train and her hand on her hip ~ as if a little attitude might get the job done.
Hmmmm, that's not quite what I wanted either.
Got it! I'm so thankful for this little smile, even when she is feeling under the weather!
Rebekah got this cute teddybear, TJ Beary Tales for Christmas from Great Grandmommy and Great Granddaddy when she was one. The teddy bear reads storybooks, and when she first got it, she was just amazed that this little guy could talk. She constantly tried sticking her fingers in his mouth to figure out how it worked, and she loved him!
Now this is her playing with TJ earlier today. Now that she is older, she's a lot more inquisitive about his voice, pushing all the buttons on his backpack, and she's very matter of fact about describing him, telling me, "He's a robot, Mom! I really mean it, he's a robot!!"
She also listens to TJ's stories a lot more carefully now.
I bet Great Mommy and Great Daddy didn't realize they were getting her a toy she'd still be playing with two years later ;-) She loves him!
It's hard to tell in these pictures, but Kamele has not been feeling that well, she's had a bad runny nose for over a week. Later this same day, she had to stay home from church with Dad and she was sleeping by 7pm. But after listening to stories, we still had fun earlier in the day building a railroad with the girls' Geo Tracks set.
She loved putting the track together, and telling me the jobs that each of the pieces had.
I enjoyed some of her choices for the things that would ride on the train cars.
"I'll stop you on the bridge..."
"Okay, go through now!"
Lately whenever she does something by accident {like spilling something, or causing a train crash like in this pic} she'll dramatically say, "Phew, that was a close one!" No, that really was a crash {or a huge puddle of chocolate milk to mop up}.
Once after breaking a beaded necklace of Kahiwa's, she handed it to her big sister and said, "I'm sorry I broke this. It was really close!" Emma responded with the comment that has often been my first reaction as well, "My necklace is broken, how could that have been close?"
I don't remember A or E going through a phase like this where they thought a cute little response or flashing a cheesy smile could negate whatever naughty thing they just did. Leave it to the baby...
I loved this photo. She was getting frustrated because a gate she had set up on the track was not stopping the train from moving through. I think that was actually what started her using her hands to stop the train. I loved her little look of disapproval at the train and her hand on her hip ~ as if a little attitude might get the job done.
Hmmmm, that's not quite what I wanted either.
Got it! I'm so thankful for this little smile, even when she is feeling under the weather!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Emma's Day With Daddy
While my mom, Rebekah, and I took Alyssa to her Junior Bible Quiz meet on Saturday, Dave kept Emma busy on one of their "special days." Every so often Dave tries to take the girls somewhere by themselves, so he can have some individual time with just them. Even if it's just something small, I can always tell the girls love this time with him! They sometimes argue about who's turn it is next to have a day with Dad :-)
They got this cute picture together in the photo booth at Chuck E. Cheese. I just loved seeing it when they brought it home. She had such a fun day, and was eager to share her prizes with Alyssa and Rebekah.
Alyssa's team had a pretty rough day though. I don't think I have ever seen them lose a match and they lost four on this day, narrowing their commanding lead in the league. It's okay, I know they'll bounce back. Sometimes a little adversity is a good learning experience. {and Grandma took us to get hot ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch afterwards, which always makes things better!}
They got this cute picture together in the photo booth at Chuck E. Cheese. I just loved seeing it when they brought it home. She had such a fun day, and was eager to share her prizes with Alyssa and Rebekah.
Alyssa's team had a pretty rough day though. I don't think I have ever seen them lose a match and they lost four on this day, narrowing their commanding lead in the league. It's okay, I know they'll bounce back. Sometimes a little adversity is a good learning experience. {and Grandma took us to get hot ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch afterwards, which always makes things better!}
Opa Goes to School!
Emma's class has been doing a construction unit in school. They started out by talking about why people need to live in homes, along with the different rooms found in each home and what kind of items are usually in each room. They went on to talk about the work involved in builing homes and larger buildings. Emma's teacher, Herr Haase emailed me one afternoon saying that as they were talking about construction, Emma was SO EXCITED to tell them that this kind of work is what her Grandpa does. Herr Haase invited my dad to come talk to the class about his work, and Emma was SO PROUD to have her Opa visit school!
My dad brought in a few tools to show the kids. One of my favorite tools that he showed them was a level that was made in Germany. They tested out the floor, a desk, and the chalkboard to see if all these things were level {they weren't :-) }. A huge hit with the boys was when he brought out the power drill and showed the kids how it worked. He showed them how to take the two boards apart that he had just screwed together, and even made a "T" out of the two boards at the request of a boy named Tommy.
Emma and Rebekah watching Grandpa. As I saw them sitting there watching, I was very thankful that my dad had this opportunity to be a part of Emma's class, and that the girls were able to see that visiting their school was important to Grandpa too!
This is not pictured here, but as we left the classroom Emma's teacher grabbed his guitar from behind his desk and started singing with the kids. It stood out to me that this was such a cool transition to a new activity, and for the kids it just seemed second nature, nothing out of the ordinary. Another thing to add to my list of the many reasons I love their school {Parents and Grandparents welcome in the classroom anytime, and cool guitar jam sessions}.
Herr Haase thanked us for coming in, and was surprised how long my dad was able to keep the attention of all the kids :-) I could tell he genuinely appreciated my dad's visit. Grandpa did do a really good job!! Thank you, Dad, for rearranging your schedule so you could make the trip up here to visit Emma's class! It made Emma's day!!!
My dad brought in a few tools to show the kids. One of my favorite tools that he showed them was a level that was made in Germany. They tested out the floor, a desk, and the chalkboard to see if all these things were level {they weren't :-) }. A huge hit with the boys was when he brought out the power drill and showed the kids how it worked. He showed them how to take the two boards apart that he had just screwed together, and even made a "T" out of the two boards at the request of a boy named Tommy.
Emma and Rebekah watching Grandpa. As I saw them sitting there watching, I was very thankful that my dad had this opportunity to be a part of Emma's class, and that the girls were able to see that visiting their school was important to Grandpa too!
This is not pictured here, but as we left the classroom Emma's teacher grabbed his guitar from behind his desk and started singing with the kids. It stood out to me that this was such a cool transition to a new activity, and for the kids it just seemed second nature, nothing out of the ordinary. Another thing to add to my list of the many reasons I love their school {Parents and Grandparents welcome in the classroom anytime, and cool guitar jam sessions}.
Herr Haase thanked us for coming in, and was surprised how long my dad was able to keep the attention of all the kids :-) I could tell he genuinely appreciated my dad's visit. Grandpa did do a really good job!! Thank you, Dad, for rearranging your schedule so you could make the trip up here to visit Emma's class! It made Emma's day!!!
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