Christmas Joy

Kainoa certainly got the hang of packages, ripping the bows and wrapping paper, opening the boxes, playing with the new toy or book and then quickly moving on to the next one! We had two very fun days full of family, yummy food, delicious drink and of course, many, many packages.

We pray your holidays are full of many blessings and tremendous joy!

December....In Review

What a glorious month! We have had so many blessings and excitement this month....with, of course, Kainoa front and center.

Kainoa performed in his first Christmas pagent

and sang for a packed house!

After the Christmas show, Grandma and Paka came over and

showed Kainoa the joy of whipping cream in a can...what fun!

One Saturday, we decided to avoid the task of cleaning house and took "the boys" (all of them, Kainoa, Timi and cousins Todd and Ryan) to The Nut Tree for a morning of playing, riding rides, eating ice cream and having a blast! Kainoa loves his cousins so much...he copies their every move.

Now...in the category "Who's the Bigger Kid?"

Cooking with Kainoa

I have so many wonderful memories of cooking with my parents and grandparents. We were always encouraged to help in the kitchens of our youth. Everyone in our family cooks....some great memories include Grandpa George cracking walnuts with a very dangerous looking nutcracking contraption (not the cute Nutcracker from the ballet), making pasties with Gramma Uren and Grandma Ruth, my dad making pancakes with the grandkids, my mom teaching us about measuring and sharing favorite recipes, even the smell of my Grandpa Ed's liver and onions....yes, cooking and baking are definitely in my roots and am I glad about that!

Last week, I got the deep craving for an apple pie (not a regular craving for me...mine usually revolve something chocolate and gooey). I also wanted to make the pie...just a simple pie. So, I thought...it's time Kainoa gets his hands dirty and hopefully, begin to develop an appreciation for fresh from our kitchen goodness and take pride in his contribution to it. And, if I may say so myself, we all enjoyed the results!

So much to be grateful for....

We are so thankful for the many, many blessings in our lives. especially....

* little sticky hands that reach up for a hug,

* a little boy that knows your name so well that it's the first word out of his mouth when he wakes up,

* a warm home full of love and kisses

* naps (even cat naps)

* grandmas and grandpas and all the goodness and love they share with us

* cousins that love to play and rough house

* aunts and uncles that lovvvvvvve our little boy

* so many more things....

Hunting for a Christmas Tree....We embarked on a new tradition today. We went hunting for the perfect tree. We heard about this wonderful small family run Christmas Tree Farm about 45 minutes from our home and went exploring. We found a wonderful tree and didn't have to sludge through a bit of snow! We'll go back in a couple weeks to cut it down, hopefully it will be a little colder....it's a bit hard to get in the Christmas spirit in 70 degree weather and lots of sun. I'm certainly not complaining, but it seems a bit warm for late November and there's something contradictory about not needed a jacket while finding a Christmas Tree.
The picture below was our attempt at trying to get Kainoa to pose in front of "our" tree. But, he's just toooo busy these days. Any "still" shot is truly accidental.

I had to toss this one in because, to tell you the truth, I've been waiting so long for this to happen....probably as long as the big boys have. Kainoa has had the great pleasure of spending some wonderful afternoons with his two older cousins and he's really beginning to enjoy being with them. He copies everything they do...it's really, really funny! He's getting the hang of rough housing (his cousins are masters) and below, I caught them in the act!

Playing, Playing and more Playing....

Last weekend we headed up to Grandma and Paka's to celebrate Uncle Geoff's birthday. We got there extra early so we could go to the park with Grandma and cousins Todd and Ryan.

Halloween

Kainoa's first Halloween! We had so much fun tonight...we just stayed home and answered the door, but Kainoa did a great job of showing off his best monkey face and handing treats to the children. He really did a wonderful job of sharing the candy and the children were very patient when he picked a special candy for them and placed it in their bag. He even gave some of our neighbors many treats!

We practiced wearing the monkey costume on Monday......it didn't go so well!

A couple more practice runs....

Success!!

We hope you had a wonderfully fun Halloween and can't wait to see your pictures!

More Autumn Fun....

Apples, Pumpkins and Parent's Night...Oh My!!

What a wonderful time of year! I got out of the car yesterday and the first thing I smelled was freshly raked leaves and a burning fireplace. Two undeniably "fall" smells. Two smells that bring instant comfort and a desire to wrap up in the softest afgan we have. The smells of fall are, for me, second only to the distinctive smells of late summer in Colusa County...part tomato harvest, part hot sun and part drying prunes.


October is a very emotional month for us....highs and lows. But, having Kainoa with us has made the highs even higher and the lows seem not so low. We're having the most fun exploring pumpkin patches, cider mills, petting zoos and our very first Parent's Night!

Fall ... Our favorite season

Boo'ing!

Have you been "Boo'ed" yet? It's a really fun tradition in our neighborhood. I look forward to it each year. To start "Boo'ing" in your neighborhood....check this out!

Farmer's Market Fun

Davis has one of the best local farmer's market. Not just because the produce (and pastries, and honey and kettle korn) is fresh, usually organic and always beautiful...but because there is so much to see and do that a whole morning slips away and everyone has a good time.

They have this fabulous merry go 'round that is pedal-powered. Grandma and Paka took Kainoa on his first ride a couple weeks ago and when we went to the market this morning, Kainoa remembered and led us straight to it. We watched for awhile, then he got in line, paid his dollar and picked out the frog. He rode it all by himself....I was amazed as I watched him hold on tight with both hands. He's grown up so much.

The "Peddler"

Timi and I must use incredible self-control when we approach the Lab Rescue booth. They always have such sweet Labs and that's how we found Sheba. Kainoa doesn't help much either...he loves them so much!

Another 'Trick' Wouldn't you love to be this flexible???

Toot Toot

Kainoa has taken to trains and trucks....every time we see or hear a train or a truck he exclaims "Toot Toot" and does the appropriate sign for whichever is near (Train) or (Truck). So, when we went to Fairy Tale Town this morning, he was most interested in the huge train. He's never shown much interest in any of the climbing structures (except the playground) so we were very excited when he climbed aboard and took his turn "driving" the train.

Just being silly....

The silly bug caught Kainoa and Daddy this weekend: