Hoppy Christmas!

Shhhhh.... After the kids go to bed, I get Brynnie's Christmas presents out and play with them.

They are hidden away in the the locked guest room with all the other gifts.  Little Lionhead bunnies - almost 7 weeks old.  The only thing Bryn asked for this Christmas was a fuzzy little baby bunny.  Check that one off the list!  Twice! And Merry, early Christmas to me.

Easter Blooms

Look what sprouted in the front yard!

She may grow like a weed but she's as sweet as honey and pretty as a tulip.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

It was a beautiful day on the coast so we headed out to join some friends for some sun, sand, surf, and kite flying.

Also, since it is Easter weekend we hunted for Easter eggs.

Finally, we capped the day off with a campfire on the beach. We roasted seaweed (which we didn't eat),

hotdogs (which we did eat),

watched the tide roll out (nothing to eat here),

and yes, s'mores were involved (we ate them).

Erin Go Bragh

Forgot to wear green? Here's a quick alteration to your attire that can help you avoid some pinches.

You might still find yourself on the receiving end of ridicule...

My Favorite Christmas Card

Bryn came to me today and handed me this Post-It note.

Then she read it for me.

Dear Dad,
Merry Christmas.
I love you very much.

Ho! Ho! Ho-bbit.

Santa Elrond

I recently started reading The Hobbit with the boys and tonight I read the part where Bilbo and the dwarves arrive at the valley of Rivendell and meet the elves. Grant asked, "What are elves?" I told him they are a type of people but they're not real. Cole was quick to point out, "But Santa's elves are real."

I stand corrected. This is certainly not the season to cast doubts at the jolly old elf and his elvish assistants.

The Big 4 (and 40)

This was a big year for both Bryn and Mom.  She turned 4 (which was HUGE in her eyes) and I turned 40 - exactly one week from each other.  We each got to have a date with dad, although one of us dressed herself to the nines and even brought her purse.  I'm not even sure if I have a purse.  Well, that is one happy little girl, and one really cool dad.

Hawaiian Odyssey Part V - Let Them Eat Cake

Throughout the day of March 2nd, Grant expressed his discontent at having no cake yet. We finally came through after dark when we headed up to the roof. The view was pretty great.

And there was cake! Two cakes, actually, with six candles each, and ice cream.

Bryn was pretty excited about it, too.

After the cake we headed down to the beach for the fireworks.

I'm pretty sure most people don't get fireworks on their birthday.

Of course, we did make them pose for a family photo.

But I think Grant came away satisfied that his birthday was a success.

Hawaiian Odyssey Part III - Gotta Boogie

We started the boys' birthday celebrations off with presents: underwater cameras from their cousins...

... and boogie boards from their parents.

Their cousins were suitably impressed.

We walked down to our local ABC store and let the kids choose their own beach towel. Bryn clutched her pink choice as we walked back home.

Our beach of choice this day was Sans Souci Beach, at the east end of Waikiki, where we were told we could snorkel and boogie board. They were right, and we did. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Some of us were content to just lounge in the water and enjoy the sun.

Hawaiian Odyssey Part II - "This is the Way We Waikiki"

We left the airport via the deluxe Dollar car rental shuttle. While we were on the shuttle tsunami warning sirens started blaring across the city. Not to worry, apparently, they test the warning system on the first day of every month.

After getting our rental car and arguing with our GPS, we finally found ourselves greeted by... COUSINS! They live in posh tropical surroundings with a koi pond and everything.

Before we could head to the beach, we gave the boys an early birthday present: their own matching snorkel and fin set. Cole was wearing his old mask while opening his new one, just in case a sneaker wave found us on the 31st floor.

Finally, we hit the beach and the kids began a game they call "Kingdom", which mostly involved building a house upon the sand and then acting alarmed when the rain came down and the flood came up and the house on the sand washed away.

Meanwhile, Bryn tried her hand at boogie boarding.

The photo is deceptive because it makes it look like she enjoyed it. In truth, she had brief moments of joy interrupted by long stretches of terror and frantic clinging.

Cole, on the other hand, was born to boogie.

Now let me close this beach episode with a couple photos of Bryn playing in the Kingdom ...

... and dancing in the surf.

Aloha!