Belated Birthday

Alright, I couldn't stand it any longer, I had to get caught up on the blog before I got so far behind that I wouldn't be able to catch up. So, I won't bore you with too many details, but instead will provide you with lots of pictures, which are always way more fun to look at anyway.

Here's a quick rundown of things lately . . . my mom arrived on August 20th, and we pretty much spent the next few days after that getting ready for Zander's big birthday party. For months he has been telling me that he wanted a shark birthday, so that is what he got. It was actually very difficult to find shark party stuff, so a lot of our decorations and ideas were homemade (yes, I tapped into my barely-there Martha Stewart talents). I actually found clip art of sharks on the computer, and made wall art out of these images. I bought plain plates, balloons, etc. in various shades of blue, and I covered as much stuff with shark stickers as I could. Charley and Zander already had a ton of plastic sea animals, so I used these animals to accessorize the party table. I was also able to find a shark pinata, so in the end, it all looked very cute . . . and more importantly, I think Zander was happy.

Here is Zander on the morning of his party, getting his first glimpse of a new basketball hoop he got from his Grammy Bev and Papa Dick for his birthday.

Getting the hang of it . . .
It was finally party time.

This year my mom and I made cupcakes, some with gummy fish, some with a gummy octopus, and some with what looks like a life preserver with a shark bite out of it. We tried to make shark cupcakes from a recipe I found in a magazine, but that didn't go so well, so this is what we ended up with.

Pinata time!
Collecting the goods . . .
Present time!
Shortly after everyone left . . .

So that was the party. Everyone had a fun time and everything went well. The next day we spent the day at the Hale Koa pool, just relaxing after so many days of busy party prep. On Monday, my mom and I took the kids on a drive over the Kolekole Pass, where Charley took her first poop in the woods. She is now officially ready for camping. I know she is going to kill me someday for sharing this, but it's an important milestone, right? :)

On Wednesday, Brian had a work morale day up at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore. He spent the morning golfing, while we enjoyed their complimentary lunch and headed down to the beach. He later joined us, so I snuck off for a horseback ride that the resort was offering, with my friend Kathy. It was so awesome . . .

On Thursday, Charley was back at school, so we took Zander to a play group that I found, which just happens to be at the same time she's at school. Here is he outside playgroup, acting like one cool dude.

Yesterday was another busy day, as we spent all morning at the lagoons, where we hung out on the beach, went swimming, and snuck over to the hotel to look at their array of sharks, sting rays, and beautiful fish. During the afternoon I found out that one of my very good friends here, Andre, had her third child, a little boy who has yet to be named. Then last night, Brian and I went out to dinner to celebrate our fifth anniversary. The big day is actually not for another week, but Brian is leaving for a two-week deployment on Monday, so he will miss it. :(

I guess that about covers the past week or so. We are really enjoying having my mom here, and I'm so glad that she gets to be with us another few weeks. Thank goodness for mommies!!