Traditions

I like to think we are a tradition-based family, but I am always running at max capacity that I'm not always consistent in the way we do things, especially around the holidays. There are, however, a handful of things that we absolutely do not miss. I want to write those down here for posterity's sake.

Birthday Traditions

• The birthday boy gets to choose what he wants for dinner
• If their birthday happens to fall on the weekend, they typically get to choose what they want for breakfast as well
• They only get a birthday party every four years: ages 4, 8, 12, 16
• They typically only get one gift from their parents but sometimes they'll get lucky and get two
• They don't have to do chores on this day, but they do still have to go to school.
• They get to make their own cake. I'll buy whatever box and frosting or raw ingredients that they want, then they get to make, bake, and frost their own cake. Licking the beaters is the best part! 

Christmas Traditions

• Everyone gets new pajamas Christmas Eve 
• Everyone gets their favorite kind of cold cereal in their stocking
• One of the kids gets to play "Santa." On Christmas morning they get to wear the Santa hat and pass out the presents, one at a time, to the family. Last year was Asher, and I think we are going to let Mavi do it this year. 

I like to think we have more Christmas traditions than this, but I'm realizing that in our 12 years of marriage, we have never had a Christmas on our own. We are either at the Harston's or the Janeway's, and do traditions as each family does them, alternating each year. Brad and Lorraine were here our first Christmas in Hawaii and we kind of mixed everything up, and the second Christmas, Natalie was here and we didn't do anything extra special. This will be our first Christmas where it is literally just our family! I'm excited to kind of start figuring out what other traditions we want to adopt/introduce into our family. It's never too late to start, right? 

October 2017

October was a really fun month. The weather was beautiful and we got out in it quite often. With just Maverick at home, we have quite a bit of time to spend with him and I absolutely love it. It makes my heart sad thinking that he'll be in kindergarten next year and I won't have a little buddy to go on adventures with! On one of Sean's lighter studying days, he took Mavi surfing. He hated it. Sean only took him out on a couple small waves, but he cried the whole time. He finally took compassion on him and let him come sit on the beach with me. A few days later, I took Mavi on a hike into Onamea Bay with some girlfriends. It was such a beautiful day we had to get out! 

One of Asher's school projects was to make a diorama of an osprey. He got on YouTube and figured out how to make one out of origami. I was so proud of him and his creativity with this project. Well, the bird aspect of it anyway!

I absolutely love this big tree on the soccer fields. We have practice on Friday evening's at 5 and the lighting then is absolutely beautiful.  

We had a Saturday with nothing planned, and the weather was BEAUTIFUL. So we loaded up the kids and headed down to Carlsmith. Radio is the resident turtle that is always hanging out in the swimming area, and he joined us today! It is strongly recommended to not get within 10 feet of a turtle, but when you are swimming around and they come up to you, you can't really do anything about it. Well, Radio kept trying to nudge up against us and we had to move out of the way. He hung out with us for at least an hour. We got so many pictures with him, but we really didn't ever touch him unless he touched us :) 

After we got done in the water, we climbed coconut trees and played on the slackline for awhile. The kids are getting better and better!

We had planned a Saturday to head to Kona, but when we woke up that morning, we realized it was the day of the Kona Ironman. We didn't want to fight the traffic or crowds, so we decided to stay in Hilo. The problem was, it was DUMPING. We brainstormed to try to figure out what we could do with our free day and we came up with a brilliant plan. It would be a cooking day! We have been wanting to teach our kids for a while how to navigate the kitchen, but hadn't really dedicated time to it. Well, that was going to change today.

We got on Pinterest and each kid picked a recipe. Brayden wanted to learn how to make bread, Asher chose snickers caramel popcorn, Everett chose Mexican hot chocolate, and I chose a chicken tortilla soup in the Instant Pot. We all wrote up our ingredients lists and hit the grocery store. After getting everything we needed, teaching them about how to compare prices etc. when shopping, we headed home and made a mess of the kitchen. Brayden did about 80% of the work on the bread and made eight loaves! They were BEAUTIFUL and so so yummy. I rolled one of them, and he did the other seven! I was so proud of him, and he keeps asking when he can do it again. I just need to let him!

Asher had a lot of fun making his dessert. He enjoyed cutting up the mini snickers and melting everything together. He had a blast air popping the popcorn and didn't even mind cleaning up the mess afterward! What was cool about all of this was the excitement in the kids about cooking. The next day Asher got on Pinterest again and found another recipe. Chicken noodle soup. It was amazing! The next day he made mini chicken pot pies.

We decided to start paying them for every meal they cooked. Starting at $1 per meal, but as they get more independent and doing more and more on their own, we would pay them more accordingly. Hey, if I can encourage my kids to learn a skill that benefits me and saves me time, I'll take it!

We have had the sister missionaries over to our house more and more and we absolutely love it. It is so fun getting to know these girls as they are dedicating their lives to serving the Lord. We absolutely love having their sweet spirits in our home, but it sure does make us sad when they leave! This is Sister Downs. She is one of our favorites...can ya tell?

We threw Natalie a bridal shower at Aunty Bev's. It was so well done and so much fun! Fun games, delicious food, and so much fun socializing!

In the middle of set up in the morning, Everett had a soccer game so I had to leave for a bit. I sure do love watching this kid play. He is such a joy to watch! Mavi was exhausted so decided to take a little rest on the grass. He cracks me up.

Natalie and Kia watched the kids one night so Sean and I could go on a date. It was such a treat! We went to Jackie Reyes for dessert and man was it delicious. We got this brownie ice cream sandwhich roll with raspberry sauce drizzled over it and it didn't disappoint. I need to go back someday!

Halloween this year was so much fun. This is the third year in a row that we've gone trick or treating with the Adams. I think that officially makes it a tradition. We have so much fun with them and are so grateful for such great friends! We are totally spoiled with our trick or treating here in Hawaii. We can go out in shorts and short sleeve shirts, and the boys get sweaty in their full costumes as they go from house to house. I sure will miss this when, inevitably, the next place we live won't have the luxury of a tropical "winter."

Asher Turned Nine!

Asher turned 9...and he got a Ripstik! He played on one at his cousin's house while we were visiting this summer, and spent an entire week learning how to do it. He finally figured it out and was unstoppable! He was overjoyed when he got one of his very own. He is really good on that thing! Natalie and Kia got him a paint-by-number style picture book but instead of painting, you use numbered stickers. It was really intricate and so fun. He loved it! We didn't really do anything super special for his birthday this year. We celebrated as a family, ate Kalua pork and rice for dinner, and had cake and ice cream for dessert.

Asher is witty, creative, physically adept, and intelligent. He gets bored at school and would rather not be bothered with math, but he is bright and quick when he actually applies himself :) Asher is still going to gymnastics and although he lost his enthusiasm for it for awhile, he has rediscovered his vigor and is determined to keep excelling at it.

Asher and Maverick have a very special relationship. I wish Asher could be as kind and forgiving to his other brothers and friends as he is to Mavi, but it is fun to see their tender relationship.

Asher loves to read and is devouring books as fast as Brayden at this point. He loves anything by Brandon Sanderson.

Tangent away from Asher but while I'm thinking about it...One of my favorite things about this phase of life is that Sean reads to the boys almost every single night. He misses nights that he is studying for a test or finals, but other than that, without fail, Sean will spend at least a half an hour reading to the four boys. They all go to bed about the same time, then read for about 20 minutes on their own. After they are settled a little, Sean goes in there and reads to them. Maverick usually falls asleep first, then Everett, then if he reads long enough, Asher. But that's rare. Asher and Brayden are always so intrigued with what's happening in the story that they stay awake until he's done. They have read dozens and dozens of books together...anything from Rangers Apprentice to The Giver series, to Ender's Game, to Little House on the Prairie.

Sean has been doing this for over a year, and this has instilled in the kids a love of reading even more so than ever before. Oh, on the nights Sean isn't here, I'll read to them for a bit, or I'll turn on a podcast or an audiobook to let them listen to that in Sean's place. They sure do miss it when he isn't there to do it though!

Anyway, back to Asher. He has taken an interest in cooking/baking! He often will make German Pancakes, Egg McMuffins, or cookies all on his own. He is getting better at reading recipes, and offers to help in the kitchen often.

Asher, I feel like you have done a lot of growing up this year, and all in a good way. You have more control over your temper, you are better at seeing things from other people's perspectives, you are more willing to help out around the house, and you are finding his own independence in his opinions. I am so proud of the growth and maturity that you have exhibited this year, but also am so grateful that you are a kid. You are living up your childhood, and are exploring and adventuring, always finding new ways to be creative. You are a great example to your brothers and I'm so grateful that you are our son!

Love you so so much, Briggs.

Love, Mom

The "wrapping" paper on his box.

Asher made me this origami elephant during church one Sunday...from memory! 

A mask he made, just for funsies. 

Crossbow and sword that Asher made. The crossbow had arrows as well. This kid and his creativity! I love it! 

September 2017

Hopefully someday I'll get back to posting events in individual posts instead of month summaries but this is keeping me sane for now so I'm just gonna roll with it!

I wanted to take William and Kristen to Lucy's before they left and I'm glad I did. They loved it and the mondo burrito really never disappoints!

We took them to Rainbow Falls to show them around. They loved the Banyan trees, but they especially loved the Falls!

Can you see them to the left of the falls? The tiny flesh colored specks out on the ledge? Yup. They loved it up there.

We got to go to the temple!! I don't get here nearly often enough so I'll take every opportunity I can get. It was actually ward temple day so it was so great to be able to be in a session with so many people I love and admire. The spirit was so strong!

Since we did the 7:30 session, we were hungry by the time we were done. We stopped at this place we had never been to and man oh man was it good. I don't even remember what it was called. 808 Cafe maybe? Anyway, there were so many delicious options, incredible service, huge serving sizes and really decently priced. We will definitely be going back there if we are even needing breakfast in Kona!

We got to take the missionaries (4 companionships) to Volcano! We hiked Kilauea Iki (and attempted, unsuccessfully, to fly a kite), went through Thurston Lava Tube, drove down to Chain of Craters and the sea arch, went to the Jagger Museum and we saw lava splashing in Halema'uma'u! It was incredible.

 

It was Maverick's turn to start preschool! He is doing a little preschool with Felicia and five other kids (Sariah Adams isn't in the picture as she joined a couple weeks later) and is absolutely thriving. He has learned so much since he started, and absolutely loves doing his homework, and looks forward to going every Tuesday and Thursday! This is such a blessing for us that he has this opportunity.

Pi'i turned 40 and there was this huge surprise party for her. It was a Broadway theme and it was so much fun! I am seriously so blessed with the best of friends here on the island. And having Natalie here has been so great! I'm definitely going to be really sad when Natalie moves back to the mainland in a couple weeks!

Uncle Phil Clemmer lives out in Fern Forest and has quite the homestead. He has done incredible things with his property, including build this giant tilapia pond. He has an entire aquaculture/hydroponics system set up and it's pretty sweet! Our friend Sean took the boys out for a ride in the little boat on the pond. They thought it was so fun!

For Brigham's birthday the Adams invited us to go hike the Kau Desert trail with them. Our families have so much fun together. It's always a blast regardless of what we do! Jamee is such a kindred spirit, and I'm so blessed to have her in my life!

Mavi being studious. He has really just blossomed so much already academically and it's only October!

This is Sister Topp. She's from England and served in our ward for several months. We were sad when we had to say goodbye to her as she transferred to Oahu!

One Sunday we had a little time before leaving for church so Sean sat down with the boys and showed them what a Rube Goldberg machine was. They were fascinated and had their eyes glued to the screen for a long time watching those contraptions!

He didn't even tell me he was hungry. He just went and got himself all taken care of. It was adorable.

I had the incredible opportunity of being able to go on a quick business trip to Washington. We have a contract with the City of McCleary and it worked out that I was able to go participate and be on the ground. I have been with Building Communities for 3.5 years and am very familiar with what we do from the office and administrative stand point. But I haven't ever experienced what we do live and being really involved with the communities. Being able to experience what we do first hand, and see the change in a community in 1.5 days was awe-inspiring. I was reminded why we do what we do and recognized that it's all worth it, even through the difficult days! I also was able to see it from a way that allowed me to not only understand what we do on a deeper level, but be inspired as to ways that we can change our process to streamline it and make it better.

Tangent: I never wanted to be a working mom. I have always just wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom. However, with a husband in Pharmacy school in Hawaii and raising four boys, that just isn't feasible. But, I have the absolute most incredible job. It has flexible hours, I can work from home, I am valued and appreciated, and I'm really good at what I do. It feels so good and I feel so blessed to be able to do something that I love that provides for our family. 

I flew in late Wednesday, had business meetings all day Thursday and half of Friday, then drove 4 hours (with a pit stop in Lynnwood with Kyle for dinner) to Camano where I got to stay until Sunday afternoon before flying back home. It was a quick trip but an incredible recharge that I'm so grateful I got! I got to watch conference with my parents, Scott, and Kayla (I actually heard a lot of it without the kids there to distract me ;) ) and felt so rejuvenated and ready to come home and attack motherhood with a new vigor. It was awesome.

After our long work day on Thursday, my boss took us to this nice restaurant. He ordered oysters, his favorite, and I had mentioned I had never had them. So he let me try one. I normally wouldn't have eaten it I don't think, but I'm getting braver in my adventures and am embracing the "you only live life once" mindset a little more so thought "what the heck" and went with it. And you know what? I absolutely loved it. He let me have a second one and I still just really loved it. They were surprisingly so good! Then, as a test, they ordered me two different types of raw oysters. I tried them both, and despite absolutely not enjoying them even a little bit, I got them down and didn't gag and don't even think  I made a nasty face. But man. Those were gross. It tasted like a sack of salt water bursting in my mouth and nothing else. Yuck. I'll definitely stick with the cooked ones next time!

Anyway, I was so grateful to come home to my family but am also really grateful for this opportunity and experience that I had in the business world.

I still just absolutely love that Scott is home! It was fun seeing him again so soon after he got off his mission! And I'll get to see him (and everyone!) again next month when Natalie and Kia get married. I'm so lucky!

Shortly before I came to visit, Lisa and Quinn bought a couple horses! Only one of them is currently rideable as the other is a baby still, but I got to ride and it was sooo cool. We got to go through the woods, then I ran her around the arena a bit. It felt so good to be back on a horse! I am not an animal lover in the slightest for any animal, except horses. They have all of the animal love in my heart! :)