Napping on the Sleeping Giant

More Hawaii pictures!! (aren't you excited?!)

Richard did actually attend the his conference.  The man has a work ethic like an elf on Chirstmas Eve.  So while he was a-working, I went a-hiking.

I climbed Mt. Nounou.

Here's what the guide has to say about the trail: 

There are three Nounou Mountain Trails. It is referred to as the "Sleeping Giant Trail" because you will be hiking right across the big guy's chest. The "giant's" profile is most easily seen from nearly anywhere in Kapa'a - it's easiest to spot his chin first.  The trail begins with several switchbacks through a shady forest of ironwood, guava, and silk oak to name a few. Along your path you are treated to stunning views of Kapa'a and Waipouli. You begin to gain elevation steadily past .75 miles. After a brief trek over a lava outcropping you will begin again switchbacking up the mountain as you get views of Kalepa Ridge, Wailua Bay and the Hoary Head Mountains. 

Right then.  For "switchbacking up the mountian" you can insert *gasp.  hate-hiking-stupid-trees- gasp* and for "stunning views" you can insert *sheer terror of heights* or *visions of tumbling to a bone-crushing doom*  but other than that it was a wonderful little afternoon jaunt.

Here's the view from the trailhead:

The giant's body was actually hidden behind someone's house, but you get a good look at the profile of his forehead and chin.  yup.  we're going all the way up to the chin.

At the one-mile marker I sat down and cried stopped to get a drink of water.  Looks like someone else felt the same as I did about that little marker.

These signs were posted at various spots with "stunning views" of the Wailua bay.

The sign actually reads "Hazardous Cliff!  The ground may break off without warning and you could be seriously injured or killed.  Stay back from the edge."  Right.  Not helping my fear of heights here, people.

But despite my epic wimpy-ness I did make it all the way to the top for my much deserved picnic lunch.  I then trekked further to the giant's chin, which may have been the stupidest thing that I have done since walking to the edge of the 250ft  Fall Creek Falls waterfall.  I could hear my mother yelling at me the whole way.

But the view from the top was worth it.  It was a clear day, and I could see the entire island.  I met God on the mountaintop.

Actually, yea, you should be jealous.

Because Richard and I just spent a week in Hawaii.  On Kaua'i.

Now let me explain.  I have never wanted to go to Hawaii, just because I figured that it was a vacation that would never ever ever neverNEVERnever never happen to me, and I shouldn't waste my time pining after it.  So when Richard came home one evening and said that there was an acoustics conference in Hawaii, I chuckled and said, okay, you should submit a paper.

So he did.

And got accepted.

And once the shock wore off, and the airplane tickets were purchased, I realized that this was really going to happen.  huh.  I needed someone to watch my kids:

So a BIG THANKS to Chief and Zannah (who are THE BEST) and Hannah Marshall (who is AWESOME) and Nick and Sweetie (who RULE THE WORLD)  for making this possible.

So here's how the first few days went down:

Our first night we spent at the Dilly Dally House Bed and Breakfast, and can I just say, that if you ever go to Kaua'i you should stay here because it was the best.  The owners were super nice, it was perfectly clean (even for a couple of allergy freaks) and the view from the balcony was incredible:

Did I mention the awesome breakfast?  *sigh*  I truly wish we could have stayed here the entire trip.  But Richard did technically come here for work, so we moved on and spent the rest of the trip at the Grand Hyatt Resort.  Also very posh, but cost an arm and two legs unless you're getting a major discount.  (which we were, nyah nyah)

Sunday we went to church and they really do say "aloha" when they greet the congregation.  I thought that was just something silly return missionaries made up.  We also drove around a bit and saw a few chickens.  And by a few, I mean about a bazillion.  Apparently the chickens all got loose in the great hurricane of '92 and since there aren't any natural predators, they've kinda taken over:

Oh, and Flat Hannah came with us as part of a school project. (she may or may not have been photo-shopped into that picture...)

There are so many beautiful flowers just everywhere.  We went to the botanical garden, but really, the whole island was in bloom.  amazing.

And then back to the hotel to get lei'ed.  You know what I mean (wink wink).

Cry me a River

One of the many, many advantages of having NO GRASS in your backyard is that you have lots and lots of dirt.  er, clay.

And, as we all know, dirt (clay)+water= MUD!

So when Hannah and Sam ask to play in the hose, I know that this will turn into a orange-clay-mud spectaculo-rama.  I usually ask them to put on swimsuits first.  And take several deep breaths.

Because they will, eventually, want to come back inside the house.

Yesterday they made a complete replica of the mighty Mississippi in our backyard, delta and all:

Sam gave the the run-down, sprinting down the length of their home-made river and its many, many tributaries.

It took a lot of mud-scooping to get the water flowing in the right direction.

Josh was mostly interested in playing with the water hose itself, because...

...he slipped a lot when he walked.  (oooOOoooh, cute squishy muddy baby feet!)

Sam...

...and Hannah had a blast.

And we cleaned off all the mud before Dad got home.  (very, very important!)

Ummm....

So it's been a while since blogger and I had a nice evening together.
I'm blaming it on Hulu.
and World of Goo.

Oh, and Richard has been taking the camera up to work, so there's been a picture shortage.  And I prefer to let my pictures do the talking, since my talking usually sounds like wah waaa wah wha....

...like the teacher on Peanuts cartoons...

Anyway:

So we went backpacking.  Michelle, in one word, is: the-most-awesome-girl-in-the-universe-and-it-is-totally-worth-being-married-to-Richard-just-to-have-her-as-a-sister-and-where-has-she-been-my-whole-life.

We went up to Fall Creek Falls State Park and hiked 12 miles.  in two days.  with 25 lbs on our backs.  And once Michelle and I were exhausted, when we thought w could take no more, Richard convinced us to keep walking.  And then he did pull-ups on the nearest tree:

Show off.

This is also the only picture I took, since my phone batteries were dying and I decided not to haul a 5 lb camera in my pack.  silly me.

Also:

Josh learned to drive:

Cute, huh?

Lastly...

I don't have a good explanation for this one.  So if anyone knows, please explain:

What do hunting and the fleur-de-lis have in common?  I mean, this takes incongruous to a whole new level, no?

Look ma, no wheels!

A couple weekends ago Chief (that would be Hannah's grandpa) came to visit and together he and Richard taught Hannah to ride a two-wheeler bike!  No more training wheels!  Whee!

First off, Richard had to demonstrate:

*rolls eyes*  good job, honey

Then it was Hannah's turn.  Now, if you know Hannah, then you know that she doesn't like to do anything...anything... new until she already knows that she can do it right.  *rolls eyes again*  I don't know where she gets that from.

So it took all of Richard's patience (and he's got a lot of patience people:  married to me, remember?)

And all of my cheering,

And all of Chief's goading, 

But we got her on two wheels.  And she loves it.

ready?

get your balance on!

You're doing it!

And she's gone!

Lookie Lookie!

Look UP!


No no, not at the ceiling.  Silly.  Look up above this post!  See the new fan-tastic links!? (seriously- designing, slicing, and coding those blasted links took me a long time.  longer than it should have.  *hangs head*)  Now, whenever you check this blog (which I'm sure you do quite often, wink wink) you can quickly and easily check out Richard's AWESOME new music blog:

Yeee-ah!  I knew you'd be excited about that!  Even if you're not a "music person" you owe it to yourself to check it out at least once.  It's all music that Richard has written and recorded himself here at home, and he's even  rather witty, if I do say so myself.  And I do.  say so.

Oooooo, did you also see the Kid Art link?!  Exciting.....no?  Okay, this one is really just for grandparents.  Hannah and Sam and sometimes even Josh draw some of the cutest stuff, and even though it's all hanging on our fridge, the grandparents don't get here often enough to see it all.  So I'm scanning artwork and posting it.

There's also a home link.  y'know, in case you get lost.

Now are you ready for the really, really awesome part?  scroll down.  Wow-za!  did you see the background change?!  I was inspired by ThinkGeek.com  (Oh thinkgeek, how do I love thee?) and decided I was up for a challenge.  When I first saw that bit of background magic I called Richard over:

Sarah: Looookie!  how did they do that?
Richard: well, you see, there's a gradi-
Sarah: But how does it work?!?!?
Richard: and a transparent overl-
Sarah: Tell me! I need to know!
Richard:  The tricky part is-
Sarah: Oh, it's like magic!

Three late nights later and here you have it.  My own html magic.  enjoy!

FHE Chronicles

The scene:Family Home Evening, explaining the Fourth Article of Faith.  Hannah's sitting on the floor.  Sam is sprawled upside down in the rocking chair, his feet on the headrest and his head dangling mere inches from the floor.  Somehow, he has got the chair rocking back and forth.

Sarah: blah blah blah...so the Holy Ghost helps us to know what's right when we are confused.

Hannah: okay.

Sam: I'm aaaaalways confused.

True that, son.  True that.

Sunny day, water hose and...shaving cream. (of course!)

In my parents house there is a closet.  And in this closet there is a box, and in this box there are stacks and stacks of photos.  And among the piles of heart-warming family-fun memories, there are three photos that show my brother Tim and I standing outside in our bathing suits schmeared in shaving cream.

This, I decided, needs to become a family tradition. So....

And...

Josh wanted to try the slide...

...but only after Sam had gone down first!

And when it comes time to clean-up, nothing is better than the old hose-in-face:

This post is dedicated the the most awesomest brother in the whole world: Tim!

Chalk days...

A driveway and a bucketful of chalk...can life get any better?  I submit that it can not!

It's just a flesh wound...

Family scripture study tonight was the story of Ammon and King Lamoni.  As Richard is reading the story, Hannah and Sam are acting it out (yes, they've heard it before):

Hannah: *defending the hapless sheep*
Sam: *punching the air with his fists*  Hi-yaa Hi-Yaa!!
Hannah: Chop Chop Chop!
Sam: Hey! My arms!!
Hannah: *giggles*
Sam: Ha Haaa!  I can still kick!  *starts kicking Hannah in the shins*

It's all fun and games "till someone gets poo-ed on

Daddy found a caterpillar outside this morning!  glee!

We loved it, and hugged it, and petted it, and called it George until...

IT POO-ED ON ME!!!

I know. It can be confusing.

We're all in the van driving to the grocery store when Sam asks:

Sam: Mom, is nineteen a different number?
Sarah: ummmmm....y-es...?
Sam: Oh.  okay.
Josh: AaaaaaaAAAA.
Hannah: Sam, I'm confused.  What do you mean?!
Sam:  I mean, is nineteen a different number!  *patronizing tone* Like, is it odd, or something.
Sarah: *laughing* Okay, yeah, then nineteen is definitely odd.  And I love you.
Hannah: I can count by two's all the way to 100!

And just to prove Hannah can be funny, too:

At the dinner table:
Sam: Mom, can I play Lego Star Wars, pleeeeease?
Hannah: *prophetically* For boys, Star Wars is their destiny.

School days, Drool days...dum dee dum dee doo Days...

MY BABY WENT TO KINDERGARTEN THIS MORNING AND LEFT ME CRYING!!

BWAAA HAA HAAAAA!

But enough about me.

Sam is so excited to be an official "big boy" and go to school with his sister.  They are best buddies:

Hannah made me so proud. She is taking care to explain all the rules to Sam, telling him all the things that might happen and how to best cope, and where the restrooms are, and how to check books out of the library, and everything about the lunchroom and the particulars of nap-time,(you sleep on the floor, not on your desk like you might expect). Sam listens patiently for about...25 seconds before his eyes glaze over. But today, Hannah told Sam he could sit next to her on the bus, just in case he didn't know anybody there.

To celebrate the first day of school, I made a cake for my kids! *beaming* Aren't I just the best mom ever?!

That was not what I had envisioned.  The cake in my head was just a little less, well...lame. (CakeWrecks, anyone?)  But the kids loved it anyway.  Yum!

It could be worse. Perhaps. We can only hope not.

For a handful of Family Nights now we have been learning the Articles of Faith.  This is because Sarah is awesome doesn't know them all herself even though she is now serving in the Primary.

Ready now?  Okay:

Sarah: Sam do you remember how the second Article of Faith goes?
Sam: Yeah!  (in a solemn voice) "We believe ...  Man will be punished."
*pause*
Sam:  That's it!
Richard: Ummm....
Sarah: Oh dear.  Let's review.

For reference, the entire Second Artice of Faith goes:  We believe man will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression

You want cute? I'll give you cute...

Being the last week of summer vacation, the kids have been able to get me to allow all sorts of crazy shenanigans.  Like...moving the couches around and building a fort big enough to take up the entire den:

And then that night they got to sleep together in the fort:

I just love them.

From chimp to orangutan.

Josh is a walking baby now. So, (sniff, sniff) we may never see the chimpanzee scoot-crawl again. But at least we can comfort ourselves by knowing that, as Chief said, he walks like an orangutan.

We are a Hap-py Family

A couple weeks ago we (the moores) had the BEST VACATION EVER and yes, I do tend to say that after every vacation.  But this one was truly exceptionally great in that there was:
1.  no bickering
2. minimal napping, but I think the adults napped more than the kids did.
3. plenty of geocaching
4. lots of waterfalls
5. no permanent injuries, although Sam did almost pull a George Weasley and lose an ear.
6.a good dinner and uplifting devotional every night, it was like a FHE marathon!
7. and plenty of family togetherness.  ah, family togetherness, what could be better?

We did take a family photo, and since it is apparently against the laws of physics that all of us smile and look at the camera at the same time, I had to copy and paste heads from other takes to make the perfect family picture:

Okay, no, this is actually how it turned out:

And since, like Julia, I realize that most of you don't know my extended family (gasp!) I am going to copy her short but accurate description of all of us here for you.  This is called blog-plagiarism, or bloggurism.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I realize that many people who read this blog do not know my family. This, in a general sense, is completely unacceptable. To right this wrong, I will devote a post to providing family information, so that in the future, you will at least have enough knowledge about my family to know which ones are still young enough to poop their pants.

Dad: Good ole southern boy with a quick wit and a decent jump shot. Dentist.

Mom: Tender-hearted nurturer with nice teeth and a penchant for napping.

Richard (brother): Odd, but lovable electrical engineer. Borderline-obsessed with math and synthesizers.

Sarah (Richard's wife): Down-to-earth optimist who reads, probably too much. Likes to hug and give sincere compliments.

Hannah: Oldest grandchild. 7(!) years old. Maternal, bright, in control. Has luscious hair.

Sam: 5 years old. Sweet, dim-witted. Hears, on average, about 30% of what you say to him. Likes to cuddle, scratch his "wink", and have emotional meltdowns.

Josh: 1 year old. Adorable, smiley, heavy. Grunts about once every 30 seconds. Loves watches and being held by men more than women. This is incredibly frustrating.

Jason (Laura's husband): Jovial, patient. The adventurer. Going to school at Virginia Tech for Industrial Technology Cybernetics Planning Models or something like that.

Laura (sister): Loving, accepting. Resident joke-laugher-atter. Can sew an evening gown out of Kool-Aid packets and banana peels.

Avery: 2.5 years old. Dainty, flirtatious. Has the delicate voice of an angel, rendering all of her utterances heart-melting.

Carter: 0.8 years old. Content, observant. Has a gigantic head which makes dressing/undressing a traumatic experience for him every time. Resembles Charlie Brown.

Sloan (Julia's husband): Tall, manly, stoic. Eats too many hot dogs. Has alarmingly large hands.

Julia (me): Sexy, talented, and mind-bendingly intelligent. Has nicely shaped feet.

Michelle (sister): Outdoorsy, tolerant, loving. Has consistently loved the wilderness and hated make-up for her entire life.