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.

Dole Plantation has some great spots for photo ops!

Adventures with Aunt E!

We had a great visit with Aunt E! We even got to keep her for two weeks, so we were able to check off the "touristing in Hawaii" boxes and still spend plenty of time lazing around the house, playing games, completing puzzles, reading books, etc.

Waimea Falls Our first touristy outing with E was a 1-mile walk through a garden that featured local plants and recreations of traditional Hawaiian buildings and led to a swimming hole with a waterfall. We learned a bit about ancient Hawaiian culture and nearly froze our toes off having fun in the waterfall! On our way out we chatted with a staff member demonstrating a few Hawaiian games and toys and with a visiting artisan/fisherman about ancient fishing methods and the uses of local plants.

Cold but happy!

On our way back from the falls, the girls received tops made from
kukui nuts and palm frond crowns.

Ford Island You can't visit Oahu without taking in some World War II history. For E's visit, we opted for a low-key stroll along the shore of Ford Island, which features a great paved trail punctuated with informational signs about both the local Hawaiian history and culture and about the U.S. Navy history in the area. Our walk also featured a stop at the memorial at the wreck of the U.S.S. Utah.

Kailua Beach This is our favorite gorgeous Hawaii beach--long stretches of white sand, gorgeous blue water with just enough waves for boogie boarding, palm trees along the coast and mountains within sight (also a parking lot and bathrooms, that's a big deal here). E and I took a long walk, then enjoyed just sitting back watching the girls and enjoying the view. They got some great rides!

Diamond Head We took E on this iconic Honolulu hike up Diamond Head Crater. It's a lot of steps, but the views are amazing!

Kayaking E requested a kayaking outing, and we were happy to oblige! There's a great beach with cheap kayak rentals a mere 15 minutes away. We rented three kayaks and took them down the shore a bit to a secluded beach. Good times!

 Dole Plantation I'll admit, this is mostly an over-priced tourist trap. However, the Dole Whip (pineapple soft serve) is amazing and was a must-stop for E's visit. We also took a leisurely stroll through the pineapple garden, read some signage about the life cycle of pineapple plants and their history on the island, and took a turn through the gift shop.

Dog Beach For E's last day on the island we grabbed a picnic lunch (musubi and poke bowls...mmmm....), and headed to our favorite easy access, not-too-crowded beach. There are no waves, but there's plenty of shade for a picnic and the water's super shallow for a long way out--great for exploring! On this visit we spotted two eels, lots of tiny fish, several crabs, a few sea urchin shells, and two submarines.

Introducing Pidge! While this has nothing to do with Aunt E really, it did happen while she was here--we adopted a cat! Well, first he adopted us. He's an extremely friendly Siamese mix who showed up on our lanai a couple weeks before Christmas and never left. At some point we started feeding him and got him to the vet to see if he'd been microchipped (he was clearly someone's pet not too long ago). While he was microchipped, his previous owners apparently moved off-island and left him behind! The Humane Society happily transferred his microchip info to us, the vet gave him a few shots and a clean bill of health, and we brought him inside. He quickly settled in and hasn't asked once to go back outside! It was meant to be, and we're all happy to have a pet in the house again.

Mmm...gingerbread cookies!

Merry Christmas!     The Advent festivities continued with good times for all! Daddy even had several weeks off from work. We baked lots of cookies, participated in our street's December potluck/cookie exchange, took a walk around the neighborhood to admire Christmas lights and catch the Jeep Parade of Lights (30 jeeps all decked out!), went to the zoo with home school friends, celebrated Lion's birthday with chocolate cupcakes and new Wii games (Mario Kart is highly popular), conquered a 5-mile hike, and lit the third Advent candle at church followed by the girl's playing their Silent Night trio at church. So much fun!

A few shots from our hike of Aiea Loop Trail:

This was a rare Christmas when we didn't visit both extended families. We did, however, have the joy of hosting Aunt E and picking her up from the airport Christmas morning! Our Christmas celebrations were a combination of traditions from both sides of the family. On Christmas Eve, we made and ate tamales along with a smorgasbord of homemade cookies when we returned from our church's Christmas Eve service. Christmas morning began with sweet rolls and stockings from "Nana Claus," then a video chat with Nana herself while I picked up Aunt E. Once we returned, we had another round of stockings the way my family does them (each person sneaks a small gift into everyone's else's stockings), then enjoyed my family's Christmas morning foods (coffee cake, breakfast casserole, and citrus) for brunch. We spent the afternoon opening presents, video chatting with the other side of the family, and enjoying our gifts. Dinner was the next evolution of my family's seafood-in-liquid tradition: here in the tropics I went with moqueca, a coconut milk-based seafood stew. 

Everybody loves brunch!

We helped Lion solve her Christmassy Star Wars puzzle,
then E and Bug battled it out with Battleship.

 Happy Advent!
December 2 found us following our family tradition--we turned up the Christmas tunes, pulled out all the decorations, and enjoyed the first Christmas treats of the season! Usually that Christmas treat is hot chocolate and a batch of cookies, but when you live in the tropics and it's in the mid-80s on the first Sunday of Advent, you skip the cocoa and serve up homemade candy cane ice cream instead! Yummm!

The girls' tree (yes, we have two; the second is a Chrismon tree) and the play-friendly nativity sets ended up in the study this year. The girls had a blast putting up their tree--they even assembled it and put on the lights--and they've added new handmade ornaments every day. Lion's are scherenschnitted and involve copious amounts of glitter, and Bug's are origami. Monkey hasn't contributed any yet, but she's been busy with other projects. The nativity sets have gotten lots of use too, as the girls have done dramatic reenactments of Christmas stories (not just the story, the girls like to change around the PlayMobil parts and play out other Christmassy tales.

This is why we ditch formal lessons during Advent. It gives us a chance to slow down, work on craft projects, write Christmas cards, spend more time reading (including my personal favorite--Dicken's A Christmas Carol), make cookies, play games, sing Christmas carols along with our daily Advent devotional, and make or buy thoughtful gifts for each other.

We have decorations outside too! There's also a wreath on the door
and candles in the upstairs windows. Those little lanterns each feature
a silhouetted nativity scene.

For their school's Christmas recital, the girls decided to form a trio and play "Silent Night." This was their first time playing together (or with any other musicians at all). They were also the only group in their school to perform without a teacher on stage with them. We're so proud! (Hopefully, the video below loaded properly and you can watch too.)

African collar necklaces

Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa!

Our local library sponsored a holiday storytime about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. We attended with some homeschool friends, and learned the origins of each holiday, listened to some fun stories, ate snacks, and completed several crafts. 

Paper & pipe cleaner menorahs 

Byodo-in Temple

We decided to be touristy one weekend and visit the Byodo-in Temple, a scaled down replica of a 1,000-year-old Buddhist temple in Japan. The replica here is open to visitors of all faiths. The girls and I had just finished learning about the origins of Buddhism in history, so they were very curious to see what an actual Buddhist Temple looked like. The temple and the grounds were beautiful! The temple is surrounded by streams, a tiny waterfall, and a massive koi pond that's also home to a family of gorgeous black swans. When we first entered, we walked by a small pagoda that houses a huge bell. Visitors are invited to ring the bell as a way of dispelling negative thoughts before entering the temple. (Let's be honest though, mostly it was rung by kids who thought it was great fun to make such a loud noise!)

One of our neighbors provided the perfect kid-sized banquet table.

Happy Thanksgiving!
We are thankful for awesome neighbors! Monthly potlucks have become the norm since we moved in this past summer, and we stepped it up to join forces to create a Thanksgiving feast. We had all the traditional fixings (including 4 kinds of pie) for a crowd of about 25 people. We ate lots of good food, followed by hours of kids playing and grown ups chatting in the shade of our climbing tree.

Beach Schooling!

Perks of homeschooling in Hawaii: when it's a nice day with no planned outings, we can pack a bag of books and do lessons at the beach! We went back to Dog Beach and spread a blanket under a tree for lessons (yes, shady trees on the beach; it's a game changer). After completing Bible, history, reading, and writing, we declared the last couple hours of the morning science lesson: we went exploring further out into the water, waded to a small island, and walked down the beach for a bit. Along the way, we spotted several schools of fish, a bonded snake eel, a couple sea urchin shells, a sea cucumber, several ghost crabs, a pair of cloudless sulphur butterflies, many bits of coral, and a submarine!

Makerspace

Our local library recently started a monthly Makerspace for elementary-aged kids! Makerspace is a gathering for hands-on STEM learning.) This month's event featured Squishy Circuits. The girls got to learn about electricity and circuits by completing a series of projects using LEDs, a battery pack, insulating dough, and conducting dough. The librarian walked them through the outlined steps, but let them do a lot of experimenting off-script. They were thrilled! In honor of Veteran's Day weekend, their final project was a dough American flag lit up with LEDs.

Long weekends mean epic board game battles! Daddy and the girls took over the kitchen table with a massive Magic: The Gathering board game, and pulled out some new pieces they hadn't played with yet. So much fun!