39 Times Around The Sun

Yesterday was my birthday. For the most part I took it easy. Tom got the boys ready for school, drove them to school, and helped with Stella. Then we set to work on our his "experience projects" that we need to submit for our his contractor licenses. I feel so much apart of the company that it's hard for me not to claim fame to it. We work together. We are a partnership. We'd also be nowhere if not for the wonderful customers we've been so fortunate to have. It's times like these, when we are forced to go over our business with a fine tooth comb, that we are constantly reminded of how lucky we have been. Thanks to all that helped out in filling out the experience certs. That touched us deeply.
By the afternoon I decided I wanted to go to the ocean for my birthday. I had started to feel achy and ill and I thought the fresh ocean air, salt water, and warm sun would do me some good. It did. As soon as I stepped out of the vehicle I was feeling rejuvenated. We went to Pohoiki Boat Ramp...no it doesn't sound like fun, but believe me it is fun! There are not many boats using the ramp, but there are a lot of people swimming in the geothermally heated (aka volcano heated) ocean water...its a pleasant mixture of super warm water and cooler ocean water. The entry is a concrete washboard boat ramp, so little Stella can walk right in and have fun in a shallow area. There is also a fun little pool of ocean water next to the boat ramp that is super warm for Stella to swim safely. Tom brought his surfboard (at my insistence) and he caught a wave. We saw many surfers there, one of whom was the founder of Reeve and Kyle's school! Reeve and Kyle brought their boogie boards and Kyle was brave enough to paddle out into the surf...wish we had known where he went! Tom would have liked to have helped guide him through the reef! We left before dark, and as soon as I got home I was feeling achy again. I went to bed in my comfy hammock immediately and Tom took care of feeding the kids and getting them ready for bed.
Today I'm taking it easy. Tom and Kyle went out on a sales call, and I've been working away at the experience project reports. I thought I'd take a little "me" break to blog.

We caught a beautiful rainbow the day before my birthday. We love our rainbows!

On Sundays Tom has been taking his laundry to a local farmer's-type market. We're selling hand washers and wringers and of course batteries, solar panels, and solar accessories. He came home and rinsed them out and hung them out on the line to dry.

We have lots of electricity now. It has been very sunny since Christmas, but we still like to conserve it. Reeve has become our resident guacamole maker. It was his idea to use an egg beater. It tastes so yummy that I cannot tell that it was not made in a food processor!

Once his desk was built in his room, Reeve's first project was to move his lego collection on top of it. Note the winter calendar in the background...a sure sign that this is Reeve's room! He so misses all that snow and freezing wind!

During our little dry spell Tom has been hacking away at the lava to make some drainage runs where the water pools and is a mud puddle when it rains.

Below: The kids playing for hours outside. Stella loves it when Reeve and Kyle are home. She loves to play with the ducks, play hide and seek, and just "hang" with them.

Reeve and Kyle have been practicing their jolly stix. I got some pictures of Kyle focusing and playing with them. I love to watch the intense concentration and they can practice for hours.

Below Reeve is shaking the strawberry guava tree for the ducks. They love those seedy guavas!

Here they come, running to the next tree!

Below: Front and Center is Roosevelt, then going from left to right is pretty white Jemima, Alice, and Megatron...you can barely see Mr./Mrs. Drake on the right edge.

Reeve is turning into a teenager right before our eyes! In less than 3 months he will actually be one! We've noticed the changes already. Below is him being slightly moody. He usually snaps out of it within a day.