The Mokes

The Mokuluas (the "mokes") offshore Lanikai beach is one of the most beautiful and memorable sights in Oahu, and one of our most favorite places to go!

Last week, we got the boys up early earlier to watch the sunrise at Lanikai. Never a bad idea! 

 

Then on Saturday, Keaton and Scott took their first father/son hike up to the pillboxes which overlook Lanikai and the Mokes. This is a pretty intense hike, and I was very skeptical if Keaton could make it to the top without complaining or giving up. But, Scott said he did great, and the view was totally worth it! 

 At the end of this hike are two World War II era bunkers (pillboxes) used for observation of the Windward coastline front against possible Japanese invasion. It's a great place to explore or just sit and admire the view!

 

As much as Keaton loves his brother, we are realizing how much he really craves 1:1 time with Scott and me. He was in such a great mood when he got home!

"Let's do this again, Dad! Without Mark, ok?"

Punkins

It's that time of year again! This past Saturday, made our annual trip to Waimanalo Country Farms for the Pumpkin Patch.

My boys on the hay ride, which ironically involves no hay a at all. 

Serious face. Serious freckles.

Keaton with his prize pumpkin!

 Since we cannot carve our pumpkin until the day before Halloween without it rotting,
we let the boys paint them instead when we got home!

The boys are getting their costumes together, and are looking forward to Halloween in 2 weeks!
I bet you can't guess what they plan to be.
Hint: it involves light sabers!!
Stay tuned.

Morning on the Bay

Last Saturday, we spent the morning out on our neighbor Chris's boat. 

It ended up being too cold and overcast to spend much time on the sandbar.

 We took the boat a little bit north to look for turtles, but instead we stumbled upon a school of Manta Rays!

It was so cool seeing them in the wild.

We were so close!

Beautiful Kaneohe Bay

Good morning God from Batman!!

Translation: Good morning, God. This is your day! I am your child. Show me your way!

Responsibility

At Keaton's elementary school, they have established the 5 "R" project to help promote  character development and positive learning environments. There are 5 "Rs" that each student is encouraged to strive towards.

 

Every quarter, 5 students from each class are chosen that best exhibit the "R" that they are focusing on that quarter. We were so proud that Keaton was chosen to receive the character award for "Responsibility" for his class.

RESPONSIBILITY (KULEANA) means to take ownership of your actions, obligations, and commitments.

I can show the value of responsibility (kuleana) by taking ownership of my own and my group’s behavior, keeping my word, being on time, being truthful, returning items on time and to the proper place, keeping the area clean and organized, following all rules and procedures, reporting safety concerns, and practicing safety.

We were so excited to attend the awards ceremony and watch Keaton receive his certificate. Thanks to the government shutdown, Daddy could also be there to cheer him on!

 So thankful for my friend Shannon who clued me in (10 minutes before the ceremony) that the Hawaiian tradition was to give your child a candy lei when they receive an award at school! Thankfully, she ran to Longs for me and picked one up so Keaton wasn't left out. ha!

So proud of this boy!