Flash Update on House!

So folks the latest news is that if things go according to schedule (normally this would make me laugh as we are already 5 months OFF schedule....but there really isn't that much work left!) we will be home owners on the first of July!
Yippadee do dah I say!
Poor Brent has been working such long hours out there that he has not seen the boys awake for two whole days now :( I am totally looking forward to being able to function as a FAMILY again!
The thought of being able to travel to Canada together has me almost giddy :D That will still be a while off though. Of course owning a home as most of you know has its own trials (please don't shoot me for thinking ahead, somebody has to do it!) so I have been thinking of where to get a lawn mower, what kind of water filter, vacuum, window covers to buy/find, how to lower bills, etc.... not all of it is stressful though, I have also been planning with much excitement our yard and garden.
I have great expectations (but actually very little experience :s) in our yards ability to produce food for us, I am hoping to plant a cherry tree or two, maybe an apricot, and a plum. I already have 3 blueberry plants (a b-day present from Ma and Pa Pearson :D), and wads of kale starts from an old plant I was growing here, they are growing like weeds!
So I will leave you with that, oh and my angst that they are planning to HYDROSEED our yard!!!!! I will phone tomorrow and see if I can save at least the back yard from this fate!
*** for those of you who don't know, I am into organics in a big way and not keen on chemicals, hydroseeding is a chemical cocktail!***


Here is a sweet picture that was missed when I posted Jon and Michelle's visit, a Caleb smile for Nanny too!

The Farm on Kauai

The shared driveway or "alley" leading to our cabin. These palm trees are ornamental. (yes I had to ask, everything edible was at risk of being eaten by me ;D)

The boys posing in front of our ride which we switched the next day for a navy one with better brakes!!

The dinning table with crayons, papaya, and an avocado tree out the window.... Paradise!! :D

Explorers

Hahahahahahaha, funny faces :D

Greeting the local Ladies


More Orchids

A ginger plant

An orange tree, or at least a relative of the same, there were a few here that I had never even heard of before! :)

In this pic we have the nearest papaya tree there on the top left, and it's trunk is disappearing behind the out door shower. That was an adventure in itself although the ladies were silly and didn't try it, that was nearly all the men folk used! It came with bath buddies like jumbo snails, spiders, and sometimes geckos :D

More Oahu Adventures

Happy papaya eater ;D

I am sure you want to see a picture of me stuffing my face but you get to anyway cause it is on the BEACH :D and it was an all-you-can-eater with a fruit buffet!!!

Ha! Look! It is Brent again! And another littler cutie chowing at the beach buffet :)

Sorry for the bad color, this was at night, that parrot was so cool, it just lay perfectly calm on it's back, Derek was fascinated, and so happy to get to hold it! :D

This was so awesome, Caleb went from frightened to giggling at the bird laying on his lap, while Derek went through a similar transformation with the bird on his shoulder, it even nibbled his ear teehehehe, it was an unique experience. Little children don't often get to touch such fragile and appealing animals let alone hold them and interact so much :)

This is the Hawaiian fish, the Humuhumu Nukunuku Apoa'a, a store clerk was very impressed when Brent just read it off a t-shirt and said it correctly. I had fun teaching it's name to Derek too, he did very well and could say it before long :) This was taken at the Honolulu Aquarium

One of the many wild lizards we saw while at the Aquarium, there were quite a few!

A really striking bird that was common in the area as well, don't remember its name though.

Teehehehehehe, sorry but I love this cause it reminds me of what he was doing at the time, just walking with a bouncy gait and swinging his cradled arms in a very lively fashion, made us all laugh to watch :D Just kinda boppin along to his own tune :D
This is a large park next to the Aquarium, more amazing trees to be seen here.

At some point the boppin along broke into a bouncy gleeful run across to Derek :)

Hawaii Arrival at Oahu

Flight's over and he's ready to go! But I think that is Nanny's luggage.... Uh Oh! :D

The view from our deck, you can barely see the ocean it is so shining white, but that pink hotel looks neat :)
Aaahhhh, we've finally landed, look Mama, solid ground! ;p

#3 Pearson Clan
Ha! Look, it is BRENT! Right there, in Hawaii!
(there was some confusion earlier ;p)

One and only Tobie Clan leaders ;p

This is right down town Honolulu, you can see that pink hotel behind the tree. The landscaping here was really beautiful so we just wandered through for a while, it was surprising to see such huge trees right in the busiest part of the city.

Beautiful and bizarre
The Grande Finale of the day was an amazing sunset, here are our cavorting (or frolicking?) boys with Nanny.
Wheeee, Look Mom we found the sea!!!! :D:D (splash, splash)

A Friendly Visit ;)

On Monday our friends Jon and Michelle McLernon came for a visit. I first met Jon when I moved to Victoria (2001/2?), my brother was sharing an apartment with Jon and his brother Tim. Later we were joined by Dave Chee from Singapore and all shared a Duplex together in Victoria, those were some fun times! Anyway, long story short, Jon introduced Brent and I, and we introduced Jon and Michelle. Considering that Jon and I are the only two from the same country, that was quite a feat! ;p Michelle is Australian, and of course Brent is American.
We went to Capitol Lake in Olympia, there is a really nice walk way all around the lake.


There were lots of tiny silver fish jumping out of the water all around the lake that was visible to us, they were about an inch long, and jumping 1-2 inches out sometimes, quite a sight!

We met quite a collection of dogs, there was this chocolate lab puppy, a black lab pup about the same age, a pair of huge bull mastif's, and a tiny terrier puppy. The boys loved them all :D

Hahahaha, this was so funny, the more the puppy licked, the more Caleb laughed and laughed :D
He was so happy to see them all, walking around them patting very nicely, getting licked, and saying, "duog, duog" the whole time :D

Brent and Michelle in front of the Capitol building, we are so silly, we didn't take any pics of Jon and Michelle together with OUR camera! Yeesh, (eyes rolling at our sillyness..)

The Pearson Family :)

Love this picture, so sweet! The boys didn't play strange at all even though we haven't seen Jon and Michelle for almost 3 years!! But then Jon and Michelle are like family ;)

The Boys... all four ;p

Ducks! Nearly joined in the water by Caleb, but all impromptu swimming was nipped in the bud by Dad :) (thank goodness!)

Heading home :)

Cuties

Nanny made a request for pictures of Caleb smiling so here is our first offering :D Actually Caleb has been making lots of new faces lately, but this one is pretty unique ;p

Teehehehe, this is just too cute, add a hair pin from Hawaii and I don't need a daughter to dress up any more! (Brent doesn't know I wrote that, so don't tell him k? ;D)

Too bad Caleb's eyes were shut, but the amount of sailing and fishing that goes on in this house is worth recording :D