Naoto

Posted on by • Posted in Family, Photos •

We had an exchange student this summer.  We had taken a few years off from that practice, but we thought the boys would be ready to learn from this experience.  Naoto came from Japan.  As with many other Japanese boys, he loves baseball as much as Daniel and David love soccer.  At 13, he was our youngest exchange student ever.  He did not have a lot of experience with English before his arrival, and it caused him to have to work very hard to communicate.  While he was here, we visited Joe & Karla, had the Edgewood Reunion, went to a Mariners game, and generally lived life in our normal way.  We’re glad he stayed with us, and I’m sure we’ll host more students in the future.

Click the photo to see more.

Vacation – Day 8

Posted on by • Posted in Photos, Vacation •

We started the day by taking Ryan and Janel to the airport (sad), and then spent the rest of the day in Waikiki before catching our own flight home late at night.  The boys wanted to surf again so we rented boards.  Unfortunately, the waves were not particularly cooperative and they did not spend much time actually surfing.  Still, it’s tough to complain when you’re hanging out in Waikiki on a beautiful day.  What a vacation!

We hope to return again next year and maybe all the “kids” will be able to join us!

Vacation – Day 7

Posted on by • Posted in Photos, Vacation •

The highlight of this day was getting to spend a fair amount of time with Chase and his parents.  Bryan and Dina were Daniel’s first soccer coaches (Dina led the team until Bryan returned from deployment).  Last year Bryan was transferred to Oahu and we are so glad we were able to hang out with them for a while.  We hope we can connect again next year!

Vacation – Day 6

Posted on by • Posted in Photos, Vacation, Video •

Ryan and Daniel

We went on a little drive… we headed up to North Shore to take in some of the variety that Oahu offers.  We also hoped to find some sea turtles on Waianae Beach – we were not disappointed!  We saw over a dozen turtles hanging out in the shallow water and on the beach.  They were all over and easy to get close to.  Volunteers were there to answer questions and to ensure that people didn’t get too close.  We took a bunch of pictures and video.

Ryan used his smartphone to guide us to some amazing shrimp!  Shaved Ice too.

We also took a bunch of pictures around the resort – just us hanging out and looking good!  Click the picture to see more, and watch the brief turtle video.

Vacation – Day 5

Posted on by • Posted in Photos, Vacation •

The highlight of the day was snorkeling.  Janel & Ryan took Daniel and David out to see the fish, dolphins and turtles.  They got up close and PERSONAL!!!  Later in the day, we hung out in the hot tub and watched the sunset.  Beautiful day.

Vacation – Day 4

Posted on by • Posted in Photos, Vacation, Video •

Top of the Diamond Head hike

What a day!  We took off early to hike Diamond Head.  Sary-Jo and I have talked about this hike since we first starting going to Oahu and now we’ve finally done it.  It was a very windy, but beautiful, day.  There were quite a few people but we found parking right away and headed up the trail.  Naturally, Daniel & David wanted to press a little harder than the old folks so we sent them on ahead.  Once they reached the top, they (mainly Daniel) decided to just run up and down the stairs while we made our way up there.  Janel and Ryan also went ahead of us a bit, but we enjoyed the scenery all the way.  After the hike, the boys found some great trees to climb.

After the hike (and breakfast), we went to Kailua Beach, which Ryan knew of.  It was beautiful (we’ve yet to find an ugly Hawaiian beach but I suppose it’s theoretically possible) and the kids (all four of them) had a great time in the water.

Great day and great pictures.  Enjoy the pictures and video.

Vacation – Day 3

Posted on by • Posted in Photos, Vacation •

We spent the day within walking distance of our resort, enjoying the water and shaved ice.  We walked up the boardwalk to the Marriott hotel and looked at the aquatic life – notably the sting rays.  We took our time coming back and enjoyed watching the boys climb trees.  Daniel proved especially adept at climbing palm trees.  Enjoy the pictures – you get the sense the weather was perfect (and indeed it was!).

Vacation – Day 2

Posted on by • Posted in Photos, Vacation •

We spent most of the day at our resort, but went to Germaine’s Luau that evening.  The entire day was fantastic as we settled into our home for the week, spent time at the pools and lagoons, and very much enjoyed the family fellowship.

Vacation – Day 1

Posted on by • Posted in Photos, Vacation, Video •

We’ll post our summer vacation photos (& video?) in a series of updates.  Once again, we went to Oahu, but this time Janel & Ryan were able to join us!  We had an incredible time with them.  The boys love spending time with their sisters and brothers-in-law.  And, of course, it was Hawaii so the weather was perfect and the surroundings beautiful.

This year, we tacked an extra day at the beginning of the vacation before we went to the condo.  We spent that first day in Waikiki and all four of the “kids” took a surfing lesson from Big Wave Dave’s Surf Shop.  All four of them got up on their boards and managed to look rather proficient out there.  They also got to go in an outrigger canoe.

After surfing, we spent some more time in Honolulu and Waikiki before heading out to Ko Olina.

We’ve got a bunch of great pictures out there – click the one shown to see the rest. And enjoy this short video.

Fourth of July

Posted on by • Posted in Family, Photos •

We have some awesome friends!  One such couple is Don and Kathleen, who open their beautiful lakefront home to a large group every July 4th.  They send out an email invitation that includes, “friends we haven’t met yet” in those who are invited.  This year Randy’s parents joined us at the lake.  It was a great day so the boys spent some time in the water, we played various games, and then enjoyed a spectacular fireworks show.