I realized I have updates other than the big adventures! Here's what else we've been up to:

Lion and Monkey participated in their music school's Valentine's recital. This was Monkey's first time on stage without her sisters! She played the drum part for "Linus and Lucy" using brushes. She did a great job! (Her drum teacher is excited to have a student interested in jazz and playing with brushes.) Lion's piece was last minute decision with her teacher. She performed beautifully, but says she wants more time and a more challenging song for next time.

The girls have started studying Spanish in earnest. We've dabbled in it before with some pre-writing resources, but now we're using Rosetta Stone. Everybody is loving this program! Even Daddy and I are going through to brush up our skills (It's been way too long!). The girls and have also been using this as an excuse to go back and watch episodes of their favorite preschool show: Pocoyo, this time in it's original Spanish.

Daddy's playing in a work-related soccer league, so this weekend we got to head to the field to watch Daddy play. Admittedly, the girls didn't actually watch much of the game. However, the did a great job toddler herding so another mom could watch her husband play. They also discovered a nearby climbing tree with a great swing. Fun times!

Lion started participating in a kids running club last week. She's very excited! During their first practice, they had the kids run a mile. Lion left her peers in the dust and finished fourth behind a trio of 12-year-old boys.

Everybody loves science! Here the girls are experimenting
with levers and the laws of gravity. Wonder Woman and a
Play-mobile lady were happy to help.

Daddy had a long weekend for President's Day, so we decided to do more exploring. Our initial plans to go snorkeling had to be postponed--the girls woke up with nasty colds, and the weather was bit chilly for snorkeling (in the 60s! People are pulling out their winter coats! I had to laugh.) We did some other land-based things instead.

Punchbowl Memorial Cemetery
This national cemetery commemorates the dead and missing from WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In addition to the graves and the memorial walls, it also featured a wall of mosaic maps illustrating U.S. naval operations in the Pacific. The cemetery's use of the Gettysburg Address and another Lincoln quote meant we also ended up discussing the Civil War.

Overlooking the 112 acre cemetery, we talked about how freedom isn't free
and our responsibility to use that freedom wisely.

Ka'ena Point Hike
This was a fantastic 6-mile hike for a relatively cool day. It's a coastal trail, so there's barely a scrap of shade, but the views are fantastic for the entire length. For better or worse, it had rained quite a bit this weekend and massive puddles had overtaken the trail in many areas, which meant we did a lot of rock scrambling and side stepping in our attempts not to get too muddy (Monkey and Lion were thrilled with this added layer of challenge; Bug, however, was not pleased to be in constant imminent danger of getting muddy.) The real payoff was the wildlife sightings and she was definitely the most excited about those! We saw numerous humpback whales spouting off the coast, three monk seals lounging on a rocky beach, and a bunch of nesting Laysan albatrosses (such amazing birds--up to 10-foot wingspans!) We even got to see two albatross chicks! So cute!

This rock formation made the perfect bench for three little hikers!

Standing on the westernmost point of Oahu! (They didn't stand
there long--turns out we were within yards of a seal and hadn't noticed him!)

Granddad caught it on camera--Grandma's in the tree too!

Grandma & Granddad Come to Visit!
They were only here for five full days, but we packed in a lot of fun! In addition to all the touristy things, the girls and grandparents enjoyed just hanging around the house, going on walks through the neighborhood, putting on a mini recital, climbing trees, and playing games on the Wii.

One of the first touristy outings was a Pearl Harbor Memorial Tour hosted by the Navy. It started with a brief talk about the boathouse where we began and the boat we'd be touring in, moved on to a photo gallery and a video presentation about the events at Pearl Harbor in WWII, then we boarded the boat and were taken around to various noteworthy sites. (Sadly, the Arizona Memorial is still undergoing repairs.)

The most iconic sight of the tour: The wreck of the USS Arizona, where it all began, on the right
and the USS Missouri, where the treaty was signed at the end, on the left.

Next up, the Polynesian Culture Center, comprised of six "villages" that featured demonstrations of art, music, clothing, games, and traditional skills from six different Polynesian islands. We also took advantage of the marketplace outside the center and wandered through a few shops and enjoyed Dole Whip--one of our favorite Hawaii treats! We stayed for dinner, and "Ha: Breath of Life," a major theatrical production that involved 100 actors/dancers/singers showcasing the various island cultures while telling the story of one man's life.

The canoe parade featured costumes, music, and dancing
from various Polynesian cultures.

Bug decided to try out a New Zealand weaving technique.

We decided to take the grandparents on a trail Daddy hadn't been on yet either--the Moanalua Valley Road Trail. It's a four-mile round trip on an old carriage road that crosses seven little bridges, has an offshoot trail to the ruins of a mansion from the early 1900s, and ends at a large boulder with a bunch of ancient petroglyphs.

Lion atop the remains of the mansion's lanai

We also spent a morning at Wahiawa Botanical Center, reportedly the best garden on the island. It did not disappoint--lots of trails with some very impressive plants. Here's just a few of the things we found:

Look at this massive seed pod!

Lion was very excited about these umbrella-sized leaves.

This rainbow eucalyptus tree was amazing! 

You can't visit Hawaii without visiting a beach! We decided to spend a morning at Bellows Beach this time. Even on a holiday weekend there was plenty of room for boogie boarding, sand castle building, and going for walks.