Hawaii Vogelzangs

For a while now, we’ve talked about doing special one-on-one trips when our kids hit 13. Eden had been planning her trip for a while, and chose to go to LA! So mom and E went from Kauai to LA while Dad and the others flew back to Oahu.

We packed a lot in our 4 days:

• Warner Bros Studio tour
• Phillies vs. Dodgers game at Dodgers stadium (unfortunately game 5, not game 4)
• Universal Studios Hollywood
• Academy of Motion Pictures museum
• Santa Monica Pier
• Mountain and coast drive to see rodeo drive, Hollywood sign, Pepperdine and the remains of the Malibu fires

A packed full trip and lots of fun and special time with my not so little girl (she’s now taller than me)!

Exploring new things on the island

• Old Pali Road hike
• West coast beaches
• Kane’ohe Bay sandbar
• Evenings at Castles

A whirlwind weekend trip to celebrate one very special lady turning 90 – our Grammy Balmer! the entire family made the trip to Maryland for a fun weekend of games, memories and family time. We are so thankful to have friends for family and a Grammy who has been an encourager and supporter for our entire family. She’s generous, selfless, funny and never stops giving her time and energy for those she loves. The fact that my kids get to be loved so well by her is such a gift. What a blessing to call her Grammy!

Meet Nani 😻

We adopted Nani (“Nah-nee”) from the Hawaii Humane Society. Olivia very quickly picked her up and said “we need to get her!!”

Can you tell everyone loves her and she’s very helpful when trying to get work done?!

Aaron’s sister and family visited before dropping Isaac at college in CA! Packed a lot in before and after their trip to Kauai and the kids had SO MUCH FUN hanging with their cousins!

• Hanauma Bay snorkel day complete with monk seals and the humuhumunukunukuapuapa (Hawaiian star fish)
• Hike up to a WWII pillbox to look out on Kane’ohe Bay
• Beach time for surfing, boogie boarding and swimming
• Kizuna hibachi dinner for uncle Dave’s bday 🥳
• Luau, birds and dolphins at Sea Life Park

• Arrived back on July 29 to a tsunami warning – had a hard time getting home – roads were backed up and cars were all over the shoulders along roads and highways. Our neighborhood had evacuated so pulled up, got in our truck and drove inland to a park where we sat and waited for a couple of hours to ultimately realize nothing was happening here. We were exhausted but thankful to be safe and back in our house after the long day of travel.
• Hit some of our favorite spots and surfed Waikiki in the final days of summer
• School started on August 5 (younger 3) & 6 (Eden) – Eden is at Kailua Intermediate School this year, excited for her band and broadcasting electives. It’s a change: 800+ kids across 7th & 8th grade 😳
• Kane’ohe Bay Air Show was in town August 8-10. Got to see (and hear!) from our yard and roof the blue angels and F-22 Raptor as they practiced and performed Thursday – Sunday. We went on base different times to watch (Graham and Oliv had a field trip there with school too) – incredible to see it up close!

After school was out, we spent a week and half here before heading back for the east coast for a packed summer visit!

• LOTS of coursing time!
• Weeks at the lake with friends and family
• LOTS of pool time!
• Brooks turns 7 (and got up on the wakeboard!)
• Bergey mountains
• Friend reunions in PA and MA
• Roadtrip to New England
• 4th of July in Maine at Grandpa and Marthe’s with cousins
• Got to visit Buddy (briefly)
• Visited our house before new tenants moved in
• Birthday dates with uncle Josh and Poppop
• Play dates with friends (not all pictured!)
• Phillies game (kids got a ball from Rojas!)
• Eden went to camp conquest for a week

We crammed A LOT in and it was exhausting but so great to see and spend time with so many people we love in places we love 💕

Photos in order from June & July! Flew back July 29 for the start of school on August 5.

Baseball ends…

Graham’s team won the championship! Brooks’s did not win the championship but they won their final game with Brooks getting the winning run, which was a big deal for them after a rough season!

End of year assembly…

Olivia helped lead it as student council rep and the crew took home some awards 🥳

Visiting the coast guard base…

Got to check out our friend’s life on base and go inside the C130 he flies!

Eden got her second elementary school graduation in May, as well as her second presidential ed award!! She was one of the kids chosen to share a bit from her essay about her Aikahi experience and it was neat to see the Hawaiian traditions incorporated into the event. Proud of her and her classmates!! On to intermediate school!!

I have several overdue posts to get us caught back up!

May Day was a highlight of the year here for me (and the kids I think!). Each year (traditionally on the first of May but celebrated throughout the month to scatter school performances!), Hawaiians wear and gift leis and share in the spirit of aloha with hula performances and traditional celebrations.

The elementary school celebrates with different hula performances from each grade (as well as teachers!) and the presentation of the royal court. 6th graders all audition for their parts: princes, princesses of all the Hawaiian islands, gift bearers, conch shell blowers, and the coveted King and Queen roles. Eden was very excited to get her part as 1 of the 2 narrators!

We made leis in preparation and all of the kids did great and had fun with their songs and hulas. It was a really special celebration of the year as well as the Hawaiian culture we’ve learned to love and appreciate!

Olivia’s 5th grade class field trip was a sleepover on the USS Missouri, a battleship docked in Pearl Harbor and the site of the site where the Japanese signed their surrender treaty to end WWII. They learned how the ship operated, heard stories from the boat and the treaty signing, ate dinner and breakfast in the mess hall, and slept in the bunks! Aaron joined and enjoyed the close look into some life and stories from WWII.