Birthdays

I have been known in the past to go slightly overboard when it comes to my children's birthdays. I actually like to start celebrating about a week in advance, and in our house, there IS such a thing as a 'birthday eve present'. So, as it is only three weeks until Mason turns the BIG ONE, I have already given some serious thought to his birthday festivities. I went overboard for Colton's b-day this year, Jaxon's was a little too easy, and Ella's was simple yet perfect. So, I am going to try to find a happy medium with Mason's festivities and have a good time. I have to post some pictures from the other kids' big days because they bring back some good memories. For Colton, we had a pirate themed party at a cool park nearby with activities like "Walk the Plank", "Dig for Buried Treasure", and "The Black Pearl vs. The Flying Dutchman". Do you have any idea how much Pirates of the Caribbean birthday stuff there is out there? I do, because I bought it all. Sorry, Sean. It was a great day though and Colton had a blast with all his friends. Even Mason got into the mood with some facial hair, compliments of a Sharpie.

Colton did great 'swabbing the poop deck' at his party, but still feigns difficulty sweeping the kitchen floor...

Trying hard to bust open the pinata in hopes of releasing the motherload of all candy.

Hungry pirates and deck hands ready for some pizza and cake.

Ella's birthday was fun. To sum it up in one word: PINK. She helped decorate her pink cake, got some pink clothes and dolls, played with pink balloons, had a pink pinata, and painted her nails, pink. We took her to a cool place called the Children's Discovery Center, then off to the Disney Store for some princess accessories, then a small party with her best friends.

Ella was so happy to be surrounded by princess stuff in the Disney store, she didn't even care that this princess had obviously been beheaded by an evil witch or at least a wicked spell.

Ella and Lily bouncing on our trampoline.

Jaxon turned double digits in April and we celebrated by having a birthday party for him at a water park nearby, Hawaiian Waters. Sean took him and five of his friends to the park for the day. They had a ton of fun riding all the rides and built up an appetite for some serious cake afterwards.

Our amazing kids

Jaxon has been taking piano lessons for a little over a year. And, as a completely unbiased parent, I can honestly say, he is awesome! He blows away kids that have been taking lessons for years. This is a picture from his first piano recital. He did great. I will give some credit to his incredible teacher, Sister Elkholm. She rocks.


This picture is 100% Colton. He can't just go outside to play. He has to prepare for battle, and a big battle nonetheless. He can always be found with a stick or sword in hand, and usually a cape or shield for that extra pizzazz. He is Nephite warrior meets The Dark Knight.


This is the first time Mason stood up on his own from being seated. Of course, he had to do it while holding a sword. He is a true boy. The happy grunts that he emitted upon completing this feat were worthy of a knight ready for a fight. Luckily, he has three siblings ready for any type of action.


I guess we've been reading a bit too much Captain Underpants lately. Ella has taken the underwear superhero thing a little too literally. She is also a big Star Wars fan; no idea where she got that from, with two older brothers each counting down the hours til the release of the new Clone Wars movie and lightsabers to be found in every room of the house. My money's on her in the event of a battle breaking out between the Jedi's and the Clones.

Kauai Vacation

So, I tried to surprise Sean for his birthday by planning a family vacation to Kauai. Note to self: Don't include a 10 year old in planning a secret trip! Secrets don't stay secret for very long. That's ok; we still had a wonderful time and loved spending a few days away with Shar and Jer, Sean's parents. We saw some amazing sights, like the waterfalls in this picture. Does anyone besides me remember Fantasy Island? These are the waterfalls from the opening scene of that show. No Mister Rorke or Tattoo sightings. Darn.


We drove all around the island one day and found some cool rocks to climb. The boys raced to the top with Ella not far behind.


Shar, Jer and I escaped for an afternoon and took a helicopter ride around the island. To say it was incredible is a huge understatement. Gorgeous.



Here the kids are striking some poses at a luau we went to one night.


Sean, Jaxon and his dad went on ziplining on his birthday. They had a blast and did some awesome Tarzan imitations swinging through the trees. Jaxon, though the youngest in the group, showed no fear as he casually walked off the high plank and swung down over the forest. They even got to see a waterfall that is in an Indiana Jones movie. Jaxon, future archeologist, thought that was cool.




No trip to Kauai would be complete without some time at a beautiful beach. Luckily, our cottage was right on the beach. Jaxon, Colton and Ella loved playing in the water and had a blast. Mason, the only truly kama'ina kid we have, actually BORN in Hawaii, did not like the beach. In fact, he hated it, and everything that had to do with it: the water, sand, wind, etc. He did look adorable in his swimsuit, so that has got to count for something. The water could be a bit rough, too, as you can see Colton's bathsuit had a hard time staying in place with the rough waves.




On our last day we found a cool rope swing right on the beach. The kids had so much fun swinging that it was hard to drag them away. After swinging, Ella and her best friend, Sharshe, went for one last stroll along the beach.