Joyful Moments

Here's a pic with the girls and their good, good friends who are moving to Italy. What's up with kids and noses?!?

Some really enjoyable moments this summer:

-- Going to the zoo as a family. Anytime we can do something as a family, it is so great. So many times Nate has to work, so when he can be with us, it is so fun and relaxing (especially because I'm not the only adult!) Last time we were there the gibbons were making a lot of raucous. Here is a video I took because I thought kids would enjoy it.






--Going to Sunset Beach last weekend. While Nate was meeting with someone for business, the girls and I played in the water and had so much fun. We were giggling and chasing each other and getting pushed and pulled by the shore break. I felt pure joy playing with my daughters.

--The last two nights. For the first time since who knows when, I went to sleep in the evening and didn't wake up til the morning. And for those who have been tracking Elysse, that means she didn't either.

--Making bread with a biga. I have always loved baking bread. Lately I have been experimenting making bread with a sponge starter. The loaves have tasted really good -- kind of like French bread.

--Watching my seedlings grow. I planted tons of seeds in our garden: broccoli, tomato, pepper, spices, onion, lettuce, beets, and peas. I love watching them grow, and at the same time I wonder when I will actually replant them so they can survive, and I hope they will actually produce for us.

--Slowing down. I have been working on living life a lot slower since Elysse was born and I have loved the results. I enjoy life more, enjoy my children and my husband more, and don't worry (too much) about certain things anymore.

--Teaching swim lessons. I LOVE teaching swimming. I think it's the same reason I love to teach people to surf. I am teaching people to love the medium I love most in life: Water. So I have been teaching Kezia and Ivy's age group to swim. We have been having swim lessons at our friend's building, which has a much nicer pool than ours, complete with bathrooms and shade (yeah, ours doesn't have those "luxuries") and a HOT TUB! Lovin' it.

I love watching the kids learn and gain confidence. Yesterday the kids were so anxious to show me the cool things they learned to do in the water since the last class. And they say and do such funny things, like when I asked a girl to make big arm circles, and she put her pointer fingers and thumbs together to make the biggest circle she could. I have been impressed with the kids' willpower to make goals and reach them. I thought making goals would help them with learning to swim and I bribe them with their choice of treats from a treasure box that they can pick from after they reach their goal. They all choose lofty goals, and reach them!

Surfing magazine

Nate has been putting a lot of work into www.supsurfmag.com lately. It is exciting to watch this brain baby of his (really, a better term is heart-baby because he loves it so much) grow and expand in the direction we want it to go.

Nate amazes me. He has always had a gift for learning skills super quickly. Beginning with no experience with web design (ok, I take that back: very, very little), and just a deep love for stand up paddle surfing, he has built this magazine single-handedly. There have been so many times when he doesn't know how to get something to work the way he wants. He'd be all frustrated and out of ideas. Then the next day he has it all figured out and working smooth as butter. The trend has become so common now that when he tells me of a problem he's having, I tell him it'll be solved by lunchtime the next day, and usually I am right.


A week ago a surfboard company asked Nate to sell their boards through his site. Thus began a week with little sleep and countless hours and tons of brainwork poured into putting together a shopping cart on his website. He finished just yesterday. Big breath. Ahhhhhhh. They now have asked him to help with the R&D of their boards, which means they will send him a few boards to ride and test out. So now he'll have to surf for work.

The other day Nate met with Kahuna Creations during a demo day when they were demonstrating their skateboards with a paddle. We had our doubts; it sounded hokey. But we LOVED it! If anyone is into board sports, we highly recommend it. To us, it was just like stand up paddle surfing on land. Kezia took to it right away. I rode it with her, and she kept saying, "I want to do it by myself!" So I let her and she did really well!! After going back and forth on the sidewalk, she said, "Mommy, I am getting better because I am practicing a lot!" Nate and I think she will be a great surfer some day. She wants to surf and has been asking for months to enter a keiki surf contest in the fall. (I remind her she has to learn to swim first). When she was young, she spent a lot of time standing on her rocking chair and ever since she has had amazing balance.

Sesame Street ROCKS da HOUSE!!

Today was so much fun. We got to go to Sesame Street Live. If it ever comes to your town and you have little ones, it's a must see.

We were so fortunate to go. I saw the ad in the paper and really wanted to go. I entered the contest the ad was promoting, and like everyone but one person, I lost. Still, I really wanted to take our girls. They love playing the Sesame Street games and watching their videos on www.sesameworkshop.org. So I put an ad on Craigslist. Since our budget is really tight right now, I stated in my ad that we can't pay a lot for tickets right now, and guess what, someone responded!! It was a magazine, Island Life, and they had vouchers for $15 each. I thanked them, but said that would still be too much. I thought that would be the end. But she emailed me back and asked what we would pay and they would consider it. I told her $5/ticket. She gave them to us for that much!! I was so grateful to her and for her generosity.

Days were counted down with much anticipation, especially by Ivy, who, upon hearing how many more days until the Sesame Street show, would clench her fists near her cheeks, pop open her eyes, and through a teethy grin would exclaim, "I'm so excited!"


Kezia and Ivy had so much fun (it put Elysse to sleep). It was so worth it to see their eyes light up when their favorite characters danced across the stage. Here are some pics and video.