S and H on a horse at Kualoa Ranch

A neighbor had informed us that Kualoa Ranch had a free petting zoo so we stopped on the way to town to let the boys pet the animals. When we got there we found two tortoises and some feral chickens. It was kind of a bust, but at least the boys got to “ride” this horse before we got back into the car.

H enjoying the pool.

Another hot Hawaiian summer day at the pool.

S as Batman

Batman is a frequent visitor to our home.

The boys in a rare moment of stillness.

On one of our Sunday walks to the temple grounds, S sat down on a bench and encouraged H to join him, then he suggested we take a picture and so we did.

Bumper Car “Cakes”

With S’s birthday so close to Christmas, we decided that our family would celebrate half-birthdays. It gives us double the opportunity to attempt decorated cakes. These bumper car “cakes” are inspired by the book Cupcakes, Cookies, and Pie, Oh My! We used homemade donut halves in place of the storebought shortcake cups, so our cars ended up shorter. We might do it differently in the future. Also, we did fill the cars with ice cream, but owing to our tropical climate, we did not fill them until just before eating. As a result, we cannot share with you the full effect.

H on the playset

This is a common wildlife sighting in our back yard.

S at the Wahiawa Botanical Garden

We had a busy day on June 19, but one of our many stops was a picnic lunch at the Wahiawa Botanical Garden. The garden was much smaller than the other botanical garden that we’ve visited on the island, but S felt like an explorer in the jungle, so it was worth the trip, at least once.

Sunset in our town

This is a common sight on our walks home, at least when we walk in the evening.

S and Beary-Bear

When we go on our family walks, S tends to be our most reluctant participant. He probably suspects, correctly, that we are trying to get him to take a nap. Sometimes we let him bring a friend so that he’s willing to come along.

S making a “pirate face”

S was making a series of pirate faces and this is one that I caught with the camera.