19 Jun - Makapu'u Lighthouse

A leisurely Saturday afternoon stroll up the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail on eastern Oahu.

On the way up with the Koko Head crater in the distance

Andy with the next island over, Molokai, visible in the background

The boys at the top

Summertime!

10 Jun - Visit to Kualoa Ranch

Out with good bud Connor again for a trip to the Kualoa Ranch on the North Shore.

Lots of scenes from Jurassic Park and Lost were shot here. Incredible views and some fun activities.

04 Jun - Back to Dole Plantation

Back out to Dole Plantation with good buddy Connor. More things to do than can be done on a school field trip - like play in the maze, ride the train and eat boatloads of pineapple ice cream.

Summertime!

21-28 May - Last Week of School!

Last week of school included some fun days for the boys and Andy's graduation.

This is Zach on Crazy Hair Day

And this is Andy on Crazy Hair Day. They are born like this, there is nothing you can do.

Jammie Day. Andy in Curious George and Zach in Night Fury PJs.

Andy's class graduated a few days before the last day of school. Before the ceremony his class performed a few songs for all the parents.

Andy with his best bud Arden. In a small world coincidence Arden's Mom went to elementary and middle school with Andy's Daddy. Unfortunately, Arden moved to Georgia after graduation. Maybe Andy and Arden will meet again as well.

Alright here we go. This is going to be so tough!

Here he is receiving his diploma from Ms. Hohnstein....

and now all graduated and off to Kindergarten! Sniff. Where does the time go?

Off for their true last day

Bye to Ms. Hohnstein

Bye to Ms. McKean. A great year for both boys.

19 May - Andy's Field Trip to Dole Plantation

James Dole arrived in Honolulu in 1899 and began to grow pineapples on a 60 acre homestead in Oahu's central plain. At one point his farming and cannery business produced 75% of the world's pineapple crop and made the fruit as popular as it is today.

Nowadays the downtown Honolulu cannery is a shopping mall and the plantation in central Oahu still produces pineapple while doubling as a museum/tourist attraction.

Most pineapple we see in the commissary says "Produced in Mexico". Don't know the economics on that one, but the plantation makes a nice spot for a school field trip.

15 May - Fun in the Water

Is it obnoxious to make a video of yourself getting in a surf and scuba dive before noon on a Saturday? Yeah, but it's highly recommended.

This was the first test run of our new GoPro HD camera. The GoPro is a bite-sized camera made for action sports. Perfect for little kids and all their activities. Or maybe just for all the fun stuff you want to go do.

The surf was ok. I didn't think I needed to scuba dive here because the snorkeling is so good. I finally went due to the constant badgering from a friend. Turns out I do have to scuba dive here because it's awesome. This is bad for my small free time allotment and wallet.

14 May - Navy Hale Keiki Lei Day Program

During the last week of school the Navy Hale Keiki student body put on a Lei Day program. Lei Day in Hawaii was traditionally held on May Day to honor the spirit of Aloha and the giving of leis. Now it is a cultural history celebration. The 2nd and 3rd graders took us through the history of the Hawaiian Kings, Queens and Princesses. Each Princess and her escort represented a Hawaiian Island. At the end a King and Queen of the Court were presented.

The Royal Court - you can see the King and Queen front and center - he's the one in the flamboyant hat

Each class then performed a song

Zach rocked The Ukulele Song
See the Video - hilarious

Andy's class performed The Rainbow Song
You can see the Video

Proud parents with their performers

13 May - Zach leads the Pledge

Zach leads the Hale Keiki student body in the Pledge of Allegiance during the morning flag ceremony.

Click here to see the video
That's his 3rd grade reading buddy, Nicholas, jumping in to coach

Grandmother and Grandfather Visit #2

Grandmother and Grandmother came out for their second visit - from April 29th to May 9th.

Zach is getting a gentle reminder from Mommy about who gets the lei.

Happy reunion and Zach migrates the attention towards him.

Andy had his first piano recital at his teacher's house.
He played The Bell Tower and received a medal.

Good job Andy!

The view from his teacher's Lanai where Kim and Zach get to hang out while Andy practices

Zach is in full flung How to Train Your Dragon mode during this visit. Granddaddy gets drawn in for some quality Dragon discussions. Maybe they are checking out the How to Train Your Dragon Forums.

An afternoon at the Hale Koa pool.

The last day of the visit was Mother's Day. We went to Church and out to a Mother's Day brunch at the Hickam Officer's Club before the farewell at the airport.

Grandparents and the Grandsons in their Aloha best

Brunch on the Officer's Club Lanai

Happy Mother's Day