Alligator Pond and Sea Lions

This morning Seth read part of the blog. I think he said that according to our blog we live a really cool life. Ha! He said it looks like we live this exotic lifestyle but wondered if people recognized that we're still just us. We look like this when we wake up (below). Some of us look worse. He wondered if people worried that we were just suffering through each day with the weight of "the project" on our shoulders, or that we were just in denial of it escaping to Hawaii to drowned out the heart ache. I would say we fit right in the middle of that analysis. We live a really cool life that we've chosen to live with the project being a part of it. Like I told a friend, Hawaii neutralizes the stress. Still there, just given a chance to be apart of a different experience. :)

I love Monday's because the kids have a chance to go to an art class. They love it and they get to join their friends, Charles and Jones Hughes. The Hughes family were our friends in Oregon and then they moved here without us knowing. When our mutual friend, Angela W., found that we were coming to Hawaii, she called to tell me that the Hughes were here too. I was so excited. Our kids have become friends and because the boys are in home school, we get to join them for some awesome adventures. Alligator Pond was one of the these. After art, we picked up the kids and went to Alligator pond. It is a rock that lies on the beaches edge and it looks like an alligator laying in the water. It is volcanic rock that makes for excellent tide pools and makes some kid safe ponds behind it. It was great fun. The best creature found was a sea slug. Sam and Jones spent a good amount of time with their heads in the water and their feet in the air as they tries to catch lobsters (probably crawdads) on the bottom of the ponds. Jake loved swimming in the ponds and Jayne loved warming in the little tide pools she called hot tubs. Aunt Nancy and I were fully entertained by the busy little people enjoying the sunshine and water.

Jake(Little Jones) and Jones(Big Jones) playing ball in the pond by the alligators mount(the rock). Jake says that Big Jones is a "best friend." I think that he just likes that they have the same names (even though Jake's is just his nickname). But also, Jones is so sweet with Jake and when ever he sees him says,"Hey Best Friend."

Ellie and Sam standing out on the reef.

Hot Tubbing together.

Its an Ellie.

 It just looks like fun. 

On Monday, we were invited to the Olson's house for dinner and FHE. Brother Olson is a volunteer missionary here at BYU H. It was his Book of Mormon class that Seth substitute taught for the last 3 weeks. The Olson's are very kind and along with another missionary couple, the Lee's, have become our friends. The kids love them because whenever they visit their offices at BYU H, they give them candy. On the way to their house Ellie questioned whether or not their pockets will be full of candy. They were. We had a great evening at their house which is on the Point. The Point is a small peninsula off of Laie. It sits up high which allows for some incredible views. We had a lovely dinner and visit with them. We appreciate their love and concern for our family. 

Ellie trying to get noise out of the conch shell. Great view.

Aunt Nancy enjoying the view. 

On Tuesday morning Seth and I left Sam in charge and we went on a walk on the beach, where we met up with Aunt Nancy. Another beach walker said if we went down to the end of the beach we could see a sea lion. We walked do and sure enough, sun bathing, a giant sea lion.

We went and got the kids so they could see it as well. And at 8 a.m. it was already quite warm. So we told the kids to put on their suits because we were all going to jump in the water- and we did, all before 8:30 a.m. I had to laugh that we'd already been to the beach for a swim before 9. After watching the sea lion take off for a more private place, we swam, and went out for breakfast at Papa Ole's for some Hawaiian sweet bread french toast! So yummy.

 Lookin' Good.