March Birthdays

March is a time for birthdays in our family. First is my father. Then the next day is David. Four days later is my Aunty Prisca, Uncle Jack, Aunty Jill (all siblings of my father!) and me. Yes, it is kind of a weird coincidence even for a family of 12 kids like my Dad.

Well, the first celebration was for our boy David...



David selected a pie for his birthday - does no one eat cake anymore? What would Marie Antoinette think?

Among his presents were many an item celebrating the greatness of his favorite team...



Red Sox hat. Red Sox Watch. Red Sox T-Shirt.

And the kid has never even been to Boston.

Then came my birthday...



And no, I didn't have a cake either...



That's raw cookie dough.

Heavy on the walnuts, light on the chocolate chips. Baked just right and serve with milk that had been cooling in the freezer.

Mmmm, good.

The birthday present of the weekend was Guitar Hero III for the Wiii. Basically, you get to create your own band and then you rock on!

Kekoa and Bretty formed the band, "Tyler" - named after their cousin.

This is what they looked like in our living room...



This is what they looked like on the television screen...



Bretty was lead guitar and Kekoa played the base.

I don't know if it's just my son, or all base players, but this boy was incredibly stoic and serious while playing.

Here's Kekoa playing the opening riffs...



Then his face changes radically while laying down the baseline...



Then he really gets crazy doing a base solo...



And here's his expression heading into the big finale...



Must be something about playing the base.

Bretty, however, on lead guitar, was fully acting the part...



Ya gotta feel the music...



And get down and jam...



When the music moves you, ya better be ready to show off for the crowd...



Those are my two youngest boys - the guitar heroes!

Eggs of Color

These poor Easter eggs. When they came out of a hen they were brown. Then some farmer somewhere bleached them white. And then we dipped them in cups filled with food coloring.

After all they've been through, I figure the least we can do is to stop referring to them as "Colored Eggs" and use the more respectful "Eggs of Color."

And in our home, you're not just talking about an egg or two.

Try six dozen...



With all those eggs, I hope we don't suffer the same fate as the Poghril Tribe!

If you understand the joke behind that one, my compliments - you are a true science fiction fan!

Anyway, coloring the eggs brought out varying states of emotion among our children...



You'd be amazed at how quickly 6 dozen eggs turn from white into all sorts of colorful configurations...



Even Alyssa got in the act and Cari took a picture of her which she really likes...



Our nephew Tyler was hanging out with us. He decorated his very first Easter egg by drawing designs on it using a Q-Tip dipped in dye...



At our house, the Easter Bunny is kinda like Santa, but in a twisted sort of way.

Apparently, this demented creature enters our home in the middle of the night, fills the Easter baskets with candy, but then proceeds to hide the baskets so the kids have to search for them in the morning.

Here is everyone shortly after they found their baskets...



This little white furry animal then proceeds to open up our refrigerator. I think he probably takes a break from lugging all that candy by eating some of the carrots dipped in brie we had in the fridge. Plus I'm pretty sure that he enjoyed a glass of Cari's merlot.

It just goes to show you how uncouth this bunny really is. Everyone knows that you serve chardonnay with brie.

Anyway, we know the Easter Bunny went into the fridge because he took out all 6 dozen eggs and proceeded to hide them all over the house.

Imagine the frantic rush to find them all this morning!



Kids were running around everywhere...



Everyone got in the act...



There were eggs hidden in the strangest places...



Every single one of our kids got in on the act...



They searched high and low...



Nobody could sit still....



There were eggs everywhere...



And all of our kids joined in the mad dash to find them...



Under tables, under beds...



The excitement was incredible...



Finally, all the eggs were put back in the carton...



And the great Easter egg hunt of 2008 was complete.

Malia found one of the last eggs, and she had quite a grin on her face...



While Cari and I were looking through all the pictures we took in the last day or so, we confirmed what we always suspected.

Our middle daughter Nalani is an absolute ham.

Unlike her big sister who has a demonstrated aversion to cameras, when one is pointed at Nalani, she just has to pose...



Clearly, she is a Bicoy because she absolutely loves having her picture taken...



But unlike a Bicoy, she can wake up in the morning, with her hair flying in every direction, and she still is remarkably photogenic...



In that way, she is just like her mother!

Happy Easter.

Phoenix Fun

This post is supposed to be about a UWGB basketball game, but I just had to start with a picture of something that is rarely seen about these here parts...



Yep. That there's my daughter and my wife both wearing a skirt at the same time.

Kinda like our own version of the harmonic covergance.

Anyway, on to the real story.

Although the days of Dick Bennett are clearly long gone, a UWGB Phoenix basketball game can still be a fun night out for the family...



Cari nary missed a game during her childhood, and she thought it would be nice to introduce it to some of our children as well...



What excited Bretty and David the most, however, were the piles of nachos, pretzels and french fries...



Malia, in typical fashion, just made herself comfortable, crossed her legs, and enjoyed the popcorn...



For the most part, Nalani just sat back in her chair.

There was one thing, however, that got her to stand up on her feet to watch the action...



Nalani has decided she wants to be a cheerleader...



She liked the dance team, but she loved the cheerleaders.

She got so excited that she decided to dress herself up a bit in her scarf...



David spent much of the game drawing pictures and keeping to himself...



Bretty, on the other hand, couldn't keep anything to himself.

His great Uncle Dennis had to answer a thousand questions from Bretty...



Why do some baskets count for three point, but others are worth only two? What is a foul? Why did the referee hold his hands up like he's signalling for a touchdown? Why is that man in the front row saying such mean things to the man in the black and white striped shirt?

Bret also wanted to know if all those companies with their banners on the walls had to pay for them.

Our favorite sign at the arena was this one...



In Wisconsin, a Maui Wowi is a fruit smoothie drink.

To a guy from Hawaii, a Maui Wowie has a very different meaning. I didn't know they legalized that stuff in Wisconsin!