Look who's Walking!

Look who's walking!  Soul has been taking steps for about a month, and now decided walking is the way to go.  I have video, but I'm having trouble loading.  I'll post it when I can!

Taking the plunge

Fun in the Mud

Our family Circus

To most onlookers, it may look like another beautiful, calm day at the beach...

But take another look and you'll find the

 Bodacious Burgoynes 

pulling tricks that will blow your mind!!

 The Amazing Elysse Defies gravity and floats ABOVE water!

Supernatural Soul catches satellite reception -- through his HAIR!!!

 Zooming Kezia ZIPS at 75mph-ish down a plastic tarp straight into the salty water! 

Indomitable Ivy tackles WILD 100lb logs -- and lives to tell the tale!

Happy Unbirthday, Elysse!

The last thing Elysse said before she went to bed last night was, "I wish my birthday was tomorrow." 

I decided to let her dream come true.  She woke up to streamers, a cake made of haupia, strawberries, and blueberries, and stickers and a lollipop as a gift.  It was fun to make the wish every kid wishes for true.

What's going on with Soul

 Two new teeth!  They sprouted around August 11.  What a man!  Luckily, I have not been bitten yet.  Thank you, Soul.  But there has been a whole lot of other stuff going in his mouth!

 

Soul's already taken by the ladies --- he doesn't know what to do with so much female attention!

At last, Kezia has the cat she's always dreamed about!

Kezia's 9th birthday

 We celebrated Kezia's 9th birthday yesterday!!

Kezia planned a simple party this year, and it was LOADS of fun!  All she wanted was a pinata, cake and ice cream, and go to the beach to play.  We added in one relay as kids were arriving.  The weather mostly held up, and with 15 good friends including siblings and friends' siblings, we were all in for a good time.  Kezia reeallly wanted a sea horse pinata.  With only 1 1/2 hours before the party started, we finally had time to go buy one.  We were both so happy when we saw a sea horse pinata hanging on the wall, just as she wanted.  Such a blessing!

Kezia has great friends.  I

 Elysse and Ivy decorated a sign for Kezia's party

 We played a relay as we waited for guests to arrive.

 Pinata time!

 Look at the anxiety of the kids waiting for the pinata to be smashed!  These kids are ready for candy!

 Go get em, tigers!

                                            Kay made a sea life cake, as requested by Kezia!

 Kezia and her wonderful friends

                                       I love the friend support in blowing out the candles!!

When we got the beach, there was hardly anyone out.  See all the kids in the water?  Those are all the partyers.  So fun to have friends who enjoy the water as well!  The kids were surfing, boogie boarding, or just playing in the surf break.  The conditions were perfect for the kids.  Super calm, but a bit of a bump to make things fun.

 

 

A few days later we went on a family (+friend, Kala) to the Fun Factory and to get Frozen Yogurt.  We usually only do a friend or a family party.  As we were driving up to the Fun Factory, I was wondering how Kezia weaseled two parties... oh well, the more fun the better!

 I love Kezia.  She is such a great girl and we are so lucky to have her in our family.  Here are 9 things about Kezia that make her terrific:

1.  She is self-motivated.
2.  She loves her friends and family members.
3.  She is compassionate and quick to help others.
4.  She loves to learn and read.
5.  She enjoys being around adults and joining in adult conversations.
6.  She is very pensive and has great ideas about different subjects.
7.  She has a strong testimony of the Gospel.
8.  She is a great example to her younger siblings and brings peace in the home.
9.  She is very unselfish.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEZIA!!

Ivy's a Paddler!

Guess what?  Ivy's paddling!!!

If you know Ivy, you know that she does things at her own time.  She is not one to be pressured into doing something, but will do it when she is ready.  And when she does finally do something, she does it really well.  Well, today she figured she was finally ready to paddle on her own, and she was super super great!  She and grandma even paddled longer than everyone else! 

 

 

 Kezia was taking it nice and easy...

 Soul was taking it even easier.

Jr. Lifeguard Race

Nate and I both competed in the Jr. Lifeguard race -- the same race that Nate raced last year with all the girls on his board and made onto the cover of North Shore News.  It was a fun 4.5 mile race from Waimea Bay to Ali'i Beach.  Nate got 3rd for males and I got 1st for females.  Here we are getting our awards.  I was super stoked because part of my award was a beautiful sunrise shell pendant -- the rarest shell in the world, only found here  on the North Shore (and really, only on this beach).

Nate's awesome cousin Chris was visiting this week and somehow got convinced he could learn to stand up paddle on Wednesday and compete in a SUP race on Saturday.  However, he did AWESOME!  Just finishing the race with no training (and a backward blade ;) is a huge accomplishment -- and he didn't even come in last!  Do you see the turtle?

 There is a woman named Sandy who comes to the races to cheer her husband on.  She happens to have a dog, which, of course, means that the girls are first to meet her.  She is super nice and once helped watch our kids at the beach at another race because Nate and I had to get something.  Here is Kezia going on a snorkel with her.

Painting the Bridge to Grandma's House

The girls have been decorating the bridge that connects our yard to grandma's.  Kezia painted the large section and Ivy and Elysse each painted a step.  Here are some pics.

And uh, Soul wanted to help with the "Sun" paint.  You know the song, "There is Sunshine in My Soul Today"?  Well, today, there literally was sunshine in my soul. ;)