Children's Museum

Christmas Morning

We had quite a Christmas morning here in Hawaii. The boys could not wait to come downstairs! They ran down wide-eyed to spy that Santa had indeed found our house. The morning was filled with squeals and smiles and lots of train whistles from the new train that Santa set up around the tree. I was so wrapped up in the fun that I didn't catch too many moment on camera, but here are a few for you to enjoy :) We all really missed being with family this year!




Let the building begin :) Colin was quick to begin construction of the legos that he got for Christmas! He loves the X-Wing fighter! 2 more boxes to go ;)

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve was wonderfully busy. We started the festivities with a great lunch at The Barkers. Matt and Amy outdid themselves as usual-yummy, yummy! It was awesome to spend some time together with all the kids and no schedules taking one of more of us this way or that. We are blessed to have such great friends here!

From there we went to church for the Christmas Eve service and annual pageant. Colin was one of the shepherds following the Star and Ryan was a cow that lived in the barn where Jesus was born. The kids were absolutely adorable and watching them relive that magical night is one of my favorite things in the world. That being said, it might have been the most comical and chaotic church services I have ever been to in my life. We all gathered after for a pot-luck Christmas Eve dinner. A wonderful time with great food and fellowship.

When we got home there was lots to be done :) We sprinkled magic snow and reindeer food on the lawn to ensure that Santa and his reindeer could find their way. Made sure that Santa's cookies and milk were ready, along with some carrots for his hoofed friends. Then off to bed to read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' and say sweet dreams to Colin and Ryan!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Christmas Cookies

We had a great time decorating sugar cookies for Santa, I just wish I had taken a picture of the finished project. What artists :)

Merry Christmas McGrew!

Santa came to visit McGrew Point tonight and he came in style :) He read Twas the Night Before Christmas and had presents for each child. We all enjoyed yummy hot cocoa, cookies and caroling with our wonderful neighbors.

Ryan has already asked how Santa has the same wrapping paper that we have... guess his elves shop at Target too!

An Adventurous Day!!

We are lovin' Christmas break!!

The boys and I started our day at the zoo. When we checked in we found out the chimps were getting their Christmas presents today- what a riot! Seems their favorite things are Gatorade and watermelon :)


Then we walked down to The Princess Kaiulani Hotel to see the gingerbread village. As you can see, it was unbelievable! The sign said that it took the chef and his crew 660 hours to construct everything. It was made from gingerbread, dark chocolate and white chocolate. The boys had some rumbly tummies. The first picture is Iolani Palace, the only palace in the the US. 81 columns of white chocolate.

To add to the excitement, when Dave got home from work we headed back downtown for dinner and to see The Honolulu City Lights at Honolulu Hale (City Hall). There were rides, music and light everywhere. It was a late night but we had a great, great time!! (note-Mommy doesn't ride the spinning rides...)

Baseball Clinic

Colin signed up for a baseball clinic sponsored by Friends of Hickam for the morning. The clinic was run by some local coaches and players from University of Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific University. It was awesome! The coaches, players and kids all had a blast! Colin learned a ton! Ryan and I hung out around the fields and played in the dirt while poor Daddy had to work away his Saturday.

Lights on the Harbor

Last night we made our way down to the USS Arizona Memorial for a boat ride out into the Harbor to see all of the Ships and Submarines decked out for the holidays. They had Christmas music playing on the boat which made for a very festive evening with good friends! As you can see Colin and his friends had a blast! Ryan fell asleep in Dave's arms at 6:30pm and slept until 8am this morning-yeah for sleep!

Santa in a Red Canoe

Colin had his Christmas performance at school. The K-1 class joined the 1st graders to sing 'Santa in a Red Canoe' by The Surfers (how fitting). It was a great show!

Montessori Train Ride

Ryan's preschool class took a field trip to The Santa Train at the mall. The kids were so excited to see all of the decorations and to ride the train. But, truth be told, I think that they all liked the school bus ride the best :) I got to buddy with Ryan and Dax, they were a riot, as usual!

O Christmas Tree

We were all very excited to head up toward that North Shore to pick out our 'Hawaiian' Christmas Tree again this year. You can't beat getting to cut down your own tree in shorts :) After searching the rows we finally found The 2010 Baird Family Tree. Our own local surfer cut down the tree and was great with the kids. The boys loved helping him out! The spirit of Christmas is abound, even if it is still 80 and sunny everyday.

Ferrari's next big star!

There is a super cool Ferrari store in Waikiki. Colin and I (and a sleeping Ryan) just had to check it out! Colin was definitely in a racing mood and would have gladly tore down the street in this awesome car. That's his racing face by the way :) Intense!

Go Daddy Go!!

What a great weekend! We spent the weekend in Waikiki with some wonderful friends so that we could wake up bright and early on Sunday morning for the big race! Dave ran The Honolulu Marathon in a personal best time of 3:43! He was very dedicated to his training this time around and it paid off :) As for the boys and I, we had a great time cheering Dave and the other daddy's along! We also enjoyed the pool, the beach, a big of the luau and some great fireworks while we were downtown.

A Two Man Band

Who says pots and pans are just for cooking? The boys started with cymbals and invented their own drum set. It truly made the banging enjoyable :)

Ryan on Two Wheels

Look out world, Ryan is officially on 2 wheels! Dave took him down to the basketball court yesterday, at Ryan's request, to try riding without his training wheels. He took to it very fast! Today we were out of the street where he could ride a greater distance without having to turn. He's still a little anxious (thank goodness) but so, so excited and proud of himself. I cannot believe that my baby is riding a 2-wheeler though... Where has the time gone?

Go Geckos!

We finished up our last soccer season here in Hawaii today. What a great time Colin has had playing ball with AYSO. Coach Darren and Coach Dave did a great job and all 6 Geckos had a blast this fall. GO GECKOS!!

Here are some great pictures from the season: