Happy Summer! I am excited to be writing this from Colorado. It seems like no matter how hard I tried to get this done in HI, life just stayed too busy for me to find the time. It is always good to return to Carbondale, a place that will always be a soul/ heart recharge place for us to come.
Isaac-this blue eyed cutie is a lover. He loves to snug his mama and papa. His favorite ways to pass the time, are playing any kind of ball game and knitting. He was really into 2-finger knitting for a while and knit bracelets for everyone. Then he discovered 4-finger knitting and started making jump ropes and purse handles. Yards and yards of finger knitting can be found all over the house and we had to create a huge finger knitted yarn ball to keep it all together. He is now very into knitting with knitting needles. He has made 3 purses/wallets- a wallet for Papa and himself and a purse for Unchi (his grandma), and he is currently making a pair of red, white and blue leg warmers for the 4th of July. In First Grade this year, he knit a flute case, a chicken, a rainbow ball, a duck and a pig.
Isaac also loves any game or sport that involves a ball. He loves kicking, tossing, bouncing and catching footballs, basketballs, baseballs, or his knitted rainbow ball. He still loves fast running shoes and sports clothes. He likes to see how high he can jump. He started Paddling with the Hawaiian Canoe Club on Sunday Mornings and has his own paddle now. The first Sunday he paddled, we saw a school of Manta Ray and breaching whales. When it came time to decide on a design for his paddle, Isaac was very clear about what he wanted. You'll have to see it below. He got a manta ray, a shark and seaweed on his paddle and was very specific that he wanted his name to be written in cursive. Isaac loves school. His favorite classes are Games class (PE), handwork (learning to knit) and Japanese. He is excited about what he will learn in 2nd Grade.
Kai- is a curious explorer of things. He loves the outdoors and thrives in an outside environment-working and exploring the land. Even though the academics of school can be challenging for Kai, he loves the curriculum and is always excited about what he is learning. This year Kai and his class learned about Hawaiian geography and culture, the animal kingdom, and Norse Mythology. Kai did his animal report on the Tardigrade, also known as the water bear. Such a fascinating creature. Be sure to read his report below. This year I helped bring Brother Noland over from Oahu to do a two day Hawaiian Survival Skills camp with the entire 4th grade class. It was a huge success. For his birthday Kai's uncle, parents and grandparents all contributed to send him to Molokai for Brother Noland's 5 day Hawaiian Survival Skills Camp, where they learned nature awareness, animal tracking, cultural appreciation and so much more. Here is the link to check it out. http://hoeainitiative.net
Such a gift for Kai to have this experience. We hope to send him every summer. He loved every minute of it.
Hannah- I finished my 3rd year at Haleakala Waldorf School and will return next year. In March I began training for outrigger canoe regattas (sprints). I love it and paddled for the Hawaiian Canoe Club. Unfortunately the races are all throughout the summer, so I only made two races before we left for CO. I got to race in Novice B women's boat and Novice B mixed boat. I had an amazing team and we placed 1st both weeks I raced in the mixed race and 2nd and 3rd in the women's. When I return in August, I will begin long distance paddling, which I am super psyched about.
Jeff just wrapped up his semester of teaching creative writing and composition at the University of Hawaii on Maui. He continues finding tons of new climbing on Maui and has been surfing a bunch. He is still writing screenplays for Hollywood, freelancing and writing journalism. He is currently working on a novel. At the beginning of this month Jeff received the Ad Carter Literary Award from the American Alpine Club for his contributions to his climbing literature. He was surprised when they announced that he had written over 500 articles over the course of his career.
This boy turned 11 on May 31st. Thank you to Auntie Li for the awesome keyboard.
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| May 29th, Anniversary Hike |
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| Olowalu Petroglyphs |
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| We celebrated Kai's birthday by going to an escape room. We had to solve the mystery of the missing chef at the Ramen Shop. We had a blast and solved the mystery with 8 seconds to go. Whew! |
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| The different environments the Tardigrade lives in |
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| What are the chances that both boys lose a tooth on the same day. They were so excited to get a visit from the tooth fairy at the same time too. |
We were blessed to have many guests this spring. Pasha and his girlfriend Elaine and my dear sister Jenny and her sweet man Bernie, all came to visit for two weeks.
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| Pasha, Unchi and the boys dressed and ready for May/Lei Day |
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| Kai and the Fourth Grade class danced for the island of Molokai |
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| Isaac and his first grade class danced for the Island of Kahoolawe |
These are all pictures of Brother Noland's 2 Day Intensive Hawaiian Survival Camp with Kai's Fourth Grade Class
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| Brother Noland and Uncle Polikiko |
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| Kai in meditation |
Spring Break was busy this year. It started off with me helping my dear friend/Isaac's teacher welcome in her new baby boy. Two days later, the boys, Auntie Li and I all hiked into the crater. While we were there, my dad and his wife from Guatemala flew in. We had a great time showing them our island home. We showed Abuelo and Cate the entire island of Maui, from top to bottom, from one side to the other. If you ever need a tour guide, you know who to call.
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| Cate and Badger on Easter |
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| Easter Egg Hunt |
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| Shadow cast in the center of circular rainbow |
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| On the top of Haleakala Crater |
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| Red Sands Beach, Hana |
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| Hippies on the beach. Such perfect posture. |
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| Ian Valley, Maui |
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| Nakalele Blowhole |
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| Willie and Kris Kristofferson |
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| Rainbow Eucalyptus |
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| Sea Turtles Galore, Ho'okipa |
Spring Break was busy this year. It started off with me helping my dear friend/Isaac's teacher welcome in her new baby boy. Two days later, the boys, Auntie Li and I all hiked into the crater. While we were there, my dad and his wife from Guatemala flew in. We had a great time showing them our island home.
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| Blessing way I hosted for Ms. Aria Thomases. Isaac's teacher |
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| I feel very blessed to have been able to witness the birth of this sweet soul. Jedidiah Wolf Thomases Focht |
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| Isaac and his class knit their teacher a baby blanket. |
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| Each child gave Ms. Thomases a copy of their favorite children's book for baby |
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| Kai dressing up as a hippie and playing the harmonica. |
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| Our tenant took this amazing photo! |
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| Our sweet Isaac got Chicken Pox. Luckily it wasn't too bad of a case. We tried and tried to get Kai to get them, but no luck. |
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| While at a conference on Oahu, we visited our dear Ms. Skinner. The best violin teacher ever. She had to get major surgery on her hip and missed her Maui family. |
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| In February, our whole school went over to Honolulu to the Waldorf School there for our Professional Development Conference. We had fun seeing the sites of Oahu. |
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| pufferfish light |
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| Just one free shoe? |
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| Fukin Tofu- not so sure I want to try that. |
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| Valentine Time. Unfortunately I didn't have a heart cookie cutter, but I got creative and made one out of an old pie tin. Crafty, huh? |
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| Sadly Kai's favorite hen - Little Red died of unknown reasons. This is the grave he made for her. |
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| Hawaiian red peppers from our tree |
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| Kai's class trip whale watching |
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| Jeff traveled to Potrero Chico in January to take part in a documentary about climbing mentors. Thanks to Osprey packs for footing the bill. |
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| Kai's favorite chicken - Little Red |
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| The boys and my mom joined me for recreational paddling this year. So fun! |
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| Full Moon over Haleakala |
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| My Birthday Ganesha with volunteer flowers growing around him. |
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| Kai's 4th Grade Play-Thor's Hammer |
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| Kai was a Jotun Giant that stole Thor's hammer |
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| Badger. Have you ever seen such a cute dog? |
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| Gratitude tree in a Boulder neighborhood. |
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| Lucky me. I took the California Zephyr from Glenwood Springs to Denver . Highly recommended. |
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| New Year's Day ski into Ashcroft. My favorite!!!! What a way to bring in the new year! |
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| My favorite thing to do on Jan 1st. Painting by candlelight with Helena Hurrell. I feel lucky to have done it for 4 or 5 years in a row now. I'm not going to let a big ass ocean get in my way. |
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| Flying in to Aspen |
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| Leaving ice cold Dallas for the warmer climate of Colorado. You can see the cloud that is lingering over TX. |
We spent a VERY cold Christmas in Dallas, TX with Nana, Grandaddy, Uncle E and Javier. It is always a treat for us to have that time in the house Jeff and his brother grew up. The boys love playing with all the toys Nana saved from when Jeff and his brother were young boys.
