Ants on a log

I recently rediscovered a yummy and healthy snack I used to have as a child that I've been making with my kids.  I thought some of you might like to rediscover it as well.  It is fun to make, healthy, and tasty!  Although peanut butter is traditional, try using other nut butters like almond butter (my fave) or cashew butter.  

Tiny Dancer

My sister nicknamed Veda "Tiny Dancer" when she was a baby because she was constantly kicking and moving and we would sing the Elton John song to her.  Now she is a "real ballerina" as she puts it.  She started ballet lessons about a month ago and loves it.  Although I may be biased, she is the cutest ballerina in the class.  ;)

Itty Bitty Bananas

We grew these tiny bananas on our property.  The tree has never produced anything since we've lived here...and then...these little treasures appeared!  They are a type of banana called Apple Bananas.  They are small and very sweet and tasty.  The girls had so much fun eating them.  I had to eat about 4 to equal a normal banana, but they were just the right size for the girls' little hands.  They were only about 3 inches long and so cute!  

It never gets old

forever friends

My dear dear friend from college, Nate, visited us this weekend.  We studied music together at University of Colorado at Boulder and were roommates for a year.  He is an amazing pianist and we used to play together a lot, so the night he flew in Travis and I went and bought an electric piano so he and I could play together.   We had decided on a few pieces to learn before he got here so we could just put them together.  The night he got here we stayed up late into the night playing.  We played until we got tired and sore and relished every single moment of it!   We played Meditation from "Thais" in church (the song you're listening to) and later that day we played Czardas by Monti in a recital.  

The last time Nate visited us when in Albany when Veda was a couple months old.  He loved seeing the girls and they LOVED him.  
Travis took Nate on a hike overlooking the Napali Coast.   He lives in a metropolitan city so he wanted as much nature as he could get.  He got up every morning to watch the sunrise on the beach and watched it set every night as well.  He even managed to get me up to watch a sunrise with him!!  

Since I knew Nate was coming, I decided to schedule a Suzuki violin recital while he was here so he could accompany the kids.  It worked out perfect and he said it was one of the highlights of his life.  Here he is playing with Veda at our performance class.  
We squeezed more fun into 4 days then I thought was possible.   It was so good to reconnect with him and reminisce and build new memories all at the same time.   

Announcing...

Dr. Parker is now the new Medical Director of Emergency Medicine for 2 hospitals here on Kauai.  He is an amazing doctor, a natural leader and after months of them asking him to do the job, he decided to accept.  He has always been the guy that can do all things well.  He seems to have a good balance of work, family, and fun.  I hope the balance can continue!  I am super proud of him.  

Kissing Cousins

This is my adorable and lovable nephew Liam.  Eve is in LOVE with him.  When we are all together she follows him around, sits as close to him as she can, and doesn't hide her affection in any way.  He handles it all like the man he is.  He is so cute with her and doesn't act annoyed or bothered.  

The other day in the car Veda was asking how old me and Travis were when we got married.  Before I could answer, Eve piped up and said "When I marry Liam, I am going to have babies crawling all up me!"  

She gets so upset if any of us tell her she can't marry her cousin that now we just smile and nod.  :)