ohana beach pictures

last weekend we had professional pictures taken at our favorite beach with

kahuku photography it was a great time, and i looooove the pics. aloha!

happy happy easter

"put on your easter bonnet with all the ribbons on it,

it's time to get ready for the easter parade!"

wait, parade? bonnet? ribbons? for some reason, every easter i get that tune stuck in my head. when i was a wee little girl someone (i think my gramma) gave me a chick that played that song. it's quite catchy. if only i knew the rest of it.

happy easter! what a fun day to celebrate Him! i like to think of all the novelties that go along with easter as the party favors/games. and if you know me, i don't cut corners in the party planning department. it is hard to believe but this was coen's 3rd easter...geesh. let's take a look back.

easter #1 (2009)

easter #2 (2010)

this was our first holiday on the island. it was great to wear a dress and not be freezing. but it was also pretty sad to not have family to share it with. we missed everyone like crazy, especially bella and gianna...no matching outfits this year.

coen had a very handsome easter outfit this year. but i didn't get ONE picture of him in it. luckily we had professional pics taken on the beach the day before and he wore the same outfit. so don't fret, you will see him all dressed up and spiffy soon enough.

on easter eve we dyed a few eggs. less is more at this age. 3 colors, 9 eggs (we had 10, but coen had to eat one while we were waiting). he was totally into it, and satisfied with the simplicity. one of my favorite things he does right now is, his thinking face. when he is really concentrating on something he sticks out his tongue. egg dying is serious business.

that night before he went to bed he left his basket out on the front porch. wes woke up bright and early worrying about how to make the bunny prints. so we got up and got to work. then we got ready for church, and waited for the little bit to wake up.

he had totally forgotten about the basket when he woke up. but it only took a gentle reminder and he was running to the front door yelling, "let's see it! let's see it!"

wes and i had so much fun just watching him navigate through his basket. he carried it into the living room and pulled everything out one by one. i'll tell you, watching the wheels spin in his head is pure joy for me. it was so much fun.

we tried out a new church that morning. i ended up in the nursery with coen, but wes enjoyed himself. someday, this kid will run to his classroom and i will have to remind him to tell me goodbye. however, that's not going to happen any time soon...mama's boy.

after church we went out to lunch, and came home for a nice nap. that evening we had a couple people over (our neighbors, and a co-worker from wes' office). coen had a blast playing with the older kids. i think the only time i actually saw him that night was while we were eating dinner, and he wouldn't even let me sit by him. big kids rock.

what a fun and busy day to celebrate Jesus! i love the simplicity of the easter story when put into the context of a children's book. for weeks we have been reading an easter book to coen, and every time i am reminded at how simple it really is;

"He is risen, He is alive today!"

life's a beach

it's 8 am saturday morning and coen just woke up. the sun is shining (which makes it kinda bright for morning cartoons).

despite what you may think, we do not wake up each day on the beach with a frozen drink in hand. i can't tell you how good that sounds though. however, life is pretty much as usual. our environment is a little (okay, a lot) different, but our routine is pretty much the same. we get a lot of rain, just like back home. but it's 80 degrees, and i can't remember the last time i didn't wear sandals. in fact, come to think of it i don't think coen has worn pants since we have been on the island....that would explain the bruised and scraped knees i guess.

a typical week for coen and i = play group/music class/fruit market/laundry. for wes = lava chasing. when the weekend arrives we do our best to get out and explore. this might mean exploring our new property, heading into town, or if we are really lucky hitting the beach (or should i say lava rocks).

we are still in the search for the "perfect" local beach. don't worry, we will have that figured out before your visit.

happy weekend!

hello, monday.

on monday mornings coen and i head up the hill to volcano to meet with a play/mom's group. today was our 4th time going. not bad, considering we are just starting our 5th week on the island. even though we aren't living up in the town of volcano, we are eager to be a part of the community there. it is a small town with a great spirit about it. at this point we are planning to have coen attend the volcano charter school of arts and sciences (k-8). yes i know, school days are still a ways off, but he will probably be going to school with the kiddos from play group someday. and who knows, there may be some life long buddies in the group.

each week miss anne has different activities planned for us. it is geared for birth-age 5, and she dose a wonderful job at planning activities that are interesting for the little guys, and the big ones too! last week, we traced their little bodies on kraft paper, (took some MAJOR negotiating to get coen to actually cooperate) and then they painted the tracing...with their FEET! coen had purple toes the rest of the week. we had to leave our art to dry, and we picked it up today and took it to daddy's office. it is sure to add some color to his workspace.

today we went outside and played with bubble wands. of course coen just kept saying, "i can do it. i can do it. i can do it." he is soooo independent these days. it was fun to watch the wonder of bubbles consume him.

after all the bubble fun was over, (or should i say all over the kiddos), we headed inside and coen tried out the water colors. this is the first experience he has had with using a paint brush to paint. he was totally mesmerized by the water when he rinsed his brush. he liked the way the paint swirled in the water.

sweet coen's finished water color sea turtle!

after our great play date, we always head into the national park to have lunch with daddy. when we drive past the steam vents coen yells, "it's the volcano!" how cool is it that we get to eat lunch on a volcano every monday? pretty darn cool.

biggest birthday gift....ever.

this year for coen's birthday we wanted to get him something really special. turning TWO, that's a milestone to never be forgotten. after debating back and forth we finally settled on the perfect thing. a new house.

okay okay, it just so happened to be that we got the keys to the new house on his birthday. it is sure to be a birthday gift we can never-ever top. i will add, he is such a handsome 2 year old.

we finally got our internet working, and i wanted to post some pics i have taken on my phone the past couple weeks.

it rains a lot here. anybody who knows me, will know that this is probably a good thing. if you are going to stick me on an island in the middle of the pacific, it best be the rainiest island you can find. it's still really warm, like a perfect 80. rain. sundresses. iced coffee. sunbreaks. i'm pretty much okay with all of those.

our new house has amazing views, and a large lanai that wraps around the house. one morning i found coen sitting out on the step watching it rain. he is sure to report the weather to me all day long. it's nice to have a live in weather man (boy).

we can't stay inside all day. so when the rain breaks, we head out for some puddle jumping. this is a toddler on a mission...puddles!

my little dish washer. he is so so so helpful, you should all wish for a coen to come help you do the dishes (i kid, i kid).

pants are now optional. well, for the 2 year old :) we had a beautiful and warm sunny day last weekend and we spent all morning in the "yard" (we have 2 acres, so yard is kinda an understatement). again, he is so helpful.

in case any of you were wondering, our new furniture has been tested (and tested, and tested) to be toddler approved. coen thinks this ottoman is the coolest jungle gym toy we have ever bought him.

every morning through the sliding glass door in our bedroom, we watch the sun rise over the ocean. it is breathtaking, and perfect.