Ashley's 15th Birthday

Ashley and friends on Waikiki Beach

Suzanne and Jason kayaking

Jason's trying to learn to stand up paddle board...not quite getting the hang of it yet.

Hunter and friends having a blast!

Hunter, the lone stand up paddle boarder...ahh Waikiki at sunset, what could be better

Jason and the little crew pedal boating

The gang's all here!

Ashley on the phone during her surprise call with Grandma and Grandpa

Ashley's birthday was a lot of fun this year...new bedroom set from Grandma and Grandpa, dad came home from Iraq, an afternoon playing with water toys on Waikiki Beach, evening cookout on the beach and lots of friends and family to celebrate with..a great time was had by all and Ashley LOVES her new room- THANK YOU Grandma and Grandpa!!

Jason's homecoming 2009

We opted for the homemade sign!
We were tired, hungry, hot and sweaty, but it was ALL worth it to have Jason back in our arms... Yeah!!!! Home at last!!!
The video goes in and out of focus because of my nervous hands and the lighting, but I thought you might like to see the beginning of the homecoming ceremony. Jason is in the last row through the doors, about the third guy from the front.

Manoa Cliff to Kalawahine trail loop

Manoa Cliff to Kalawahine trail loop...jungle and cliffs, what could be better??
Check out the cool way the tree grew...like a little forest roller coaster

Me on the cliff edge

Beautiful mountain and valley views

We stopped for a minute to enjoy the scenery and found a geo cache at this point...pretty cool

There's Hunter and those trees again :)

It was a little voggy today, the views were still amazing

Cool trees were everywhere to be found

The ferns growning on the side of the cliff had tiny leaves shaped like hearts

Today we hiked in the Makiki Forest Reserve. There is a large trail system here, 18 trails in all. We explored two today and will definitely be back to check out many more. Pictures can't show the beauty we saw. We had snacks of strawberry guava, took home some avocado and enjoyed the sweet fragrance of white jasmine along the way. We had a picnic overlooking diamond head and all of Waikiki...a perfect day!

Bellows beach day

Tuten pyramid...Ashley wouldn't let Hunter stand on her shoulder
Fun in the sun!!

A different side of Hunter

Talk about erosion! Cool place to play now...Hunter couldn't resist climbing

My sweeties

Ashley made a sand turtle

Bellows is one of our favorite beaches...sand like sugar, and yes, the water is really that blue!

Ashley and Lindsey practicing with their water polo ball, sure beats the pool

Go Hunter!

Watch out dude!

We headed to Bellows this morning and spent the whole day riding the waves, playing in the water, on the sand and in the trees. It was another gorgeous day in Hawaii and a great way to spend a day on fall break...only a few more days until we can bring Jason too!

Outrigger Canoeing in Pearl Harbor

Ashley and Kendyll taking a break
Hunter was having a good time, but not everyone was loving the workout

Red was the color of the day! We had a great time out on the water

The USS Bowfin and Ford Island Bridge in the background

Aloha Stadium seen from Pearl Harbor

I was up front, setting the pace...working up a sweat!

Views of Pearl City from Pearl Harbor

Ford Island...the water was like glass!

I took the kids and a few of their friends out to try outrigger canoe paddling in Pearl Harbor. We used the double rigged canoes- 12 people in two boats with a goal of stroking in sync. We paddled for a little over 3 miles. I really enjoy this activity- it is a great core workout, the views are amazing, it is relaxing and peaceful out on the water and it only costs $1!! The kids had a fun time and asked if we can go again. There was no wind the day we went, so we were frying out in the boats. I wish I could have stopped paddling and taken some pictures of them working- they did a great job and learned something new. This is a big sport in Hawaii with a 42 mile race in the Molkai channel, in open ocean with sometimes 20 ft. waves....I think we'll stick to Pearl Harbor :)

Kayaking in Mamala Bay

Ahhh.....I love it when they get along!
Ashley not so gracefully tipping the kayak her first time in today; it was a great shot by Hunter

easy paddling

We met a friend and her children out at Hickam Harbor today. She and I are taking a sailing class together so we got in a little practice rigging sails before we headed over to the beach area for some kayaking. It was a beautiful sunny day and the water was great. The kids had a nice time and booted me out of the kayak pretty quickly...they are just growing up so much and don't even need mom to help them with the paddling anymore. We are SO looking forward to Jason coming home and being able to enjoy these days with him too!

Likeke Falls hike

White jasmine was everywhere, amazing fragrance!
We made it to the top!

view from old Pali road

We're going up! This is where Ashley started to complain :)

Have tree, kids will climb. They were swinging from the vines like Tarzan and Jane

Hunter can't resist a good limb to climb

Likeke Falls, a great hike and terrific time with the kids

Ashley needed a hand up with that thumb spike hindering her climb

My hiking buddies!

This hike had plenty to offer- an old historic cobblestone path, a large variety of different foliage and sweet smelling flowers. We had nice snacks along the way-guava, strawberry guava, mountain apples, and avodcados to take home. We saw mountain, valley and ocean views, and a waterfall. It wasn't even too long, only about 3 miles. A great day of hiking...we'll be taking Dad here soon!