The Bennett Family

The Grand Tetons

2011-08-16T20:23:00.012-06:00

One day we decided to take a long weekend and go to Grand Teton National Park just outside of Jackson, WY. It is only a 3 hour drive from Pocatello so we loaded the kids up early one morning and took off on a beautiful drive. Most of the family had never been to the Tetons and the boys had never seen four legged mammals this large before outside of a zoo. Upon driving into the park we saw a moose and over the three days we also saw pronghorn, elk, bison, and a grizzly. Even though the mornings were quite cold the days were perfect and this trip turned out to be a perfect camping trip.

The "Grand" stands at 13,777 feet. Quite a beautiful range.

Driving into the park.

Heading up to our first hike.

Kian was such a trooper in the pack and loved hiking

Finding some cool rocks on the trail.

Time to stop for some water.

Leif journaling on our hike; drawing pictures of things he saw.

A great place to contemplate the meaning of life...or just to have a snack.

A pronghorn

Set up at our campsite

The boys playing...not exactly sure what...at the campsite.

A short stroll form our campsite gave us this view; breath taking.

Roasting those marshmallows.

He is actually eating a bowl of cereal in his bag because it is so cold.

It was too cold to sit around and try to enjoy breakfast so we decided to go for a drive and see if we could find some bison. We had no idea what we would find.

All of a sudden we saw a heard on a ridge not 50 yards from our car. And then...

...they crossed in front.

Later we saw a heard of elk.

When we got back to camp, the local deer was taking a rest behind our tent...

...so we didn't need Leif's jedi skills and protection after all.

Setting out on our next hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.

We decided to take the boat across Jenny Lake.

Beautiful views on the way.

Kian loved it, too.

Leif was very excited as well.

A little cool on the way over but it was sunny and warming up wonderfully.

Giving a big shaka for a big hike!

Our backpack trooper loving being outdoors again.

Snacks and journaling again; great memories.

Hidden Falls was raging!!!

Now on our way to Inspiration Point. We ended up calling this the "Chipmunk Trail" because we saw so many chipmunks; Leif and Kian were so excited to spot them.

Coming up to the last section

Amanda felt a little exposed here but the brave boys had no problems :)

We did it! And Leif took every step himself.

All in all, it was a total of 2.5 miles round trip and several hundred feet vertical. Not too shabby for a four year-old.

When we got back to camp a grizzly decided to stop at the local watering hole for a drink. We were about 50 yards away, sitting in the car ready to leave if need be.

Eventually a ranger came and scared the bear off and all was well again.

On our last day we went in to Jackson for lunch, grabbed some local chocolates, and then hit the road to head back to good ole "Poky."

It was an outstanding camping trip and we all look forward to exploring more of this beautiful part of our country.

Aloha
Cory, Amanda, Leif, and Kian

Back in the Pacific Northwest

2011-08-10T21:23:00.014-06:00

On our way to Pocatello, ID we stopped over in the Pacific Northwest to get our car and spend a couple of weeks with Nanna and Pop-pop. We had a blast and the boys had a great time spending time with some of their grandparents.

Family BBQ at the Packards; nearly all were there.

Kian and his Grandma-great

Leif "playing" the piano. He thought he was pretty good.

Kian helping out...as best he could.

Sunset views from the back yard.

The boys had a great time at the Everett Imagine Museum

We took a trip with Leif and Kian's cousin Dorothy to Seattle. It was an amazing day and everyone had so much fun.

On the way to the Space Needle and the monorail

Almost as tall

Kian loved the "train."

All aboard....

Classic Pike Street

The Seattle Aquarium was a huge hit.

Kian was beside himself

So much to explore

Funny kids...

making funny faces :)

Another long day with Dorothy.

We also made a couple of trips up to Bellingham. Don't be fooled by the sun; it was cold out there!

Down by the bay...

Having fun climbing rocks.

It was too cold to stay out much longer. While Kian slept in the car, Cory and Leif went in to get hot chocolates.

That is one good hot chocolate.

Looking like a movie star in mom's sunglasses.

Silly boy

Had an ok lunch at the Colophon; somehow not as we remembered it.

The boys had a great time running around outside.

That is one big cookie.

While Amanda went fabric shopping, Cory and the boys went to Whatcom Falls Park for a little "hike."

Whatcom Falls

They loved the stone bridge.

And, they did great on their hike throughout the park.

Love that boy!

Checkin' out the Rhodies

We also spent a second day in Seattle with Nanna and Pop-pop at the Seattle Science Center. Again, another big hit!

Leif learning about dinosaurs.

Not quite the same size.

Huston, we have cuteness!

Kian having fun exploring as well

Having a blast with Pop-pop

Enjoying his first ever banana split!

Kian was really into it, too.

Glasses don't last long around Kian.

On our second trip to Bellingham we did some more exploring and had a fabulous time visiting our friends; Dr. Chris, Richelle, Ginny, and Joe. Cory even went mountain biking with his good friend Joe and his two kids (4 and 2 years old)!

You simply can't keep this kid out of the water. I guess his middle name fits him; Kai.

Lovin' the water :)

Enjoying a wonderful desert at La Fiama--this was after an awesome dinner at Boundary Bay with a couple pints of IPA.

It was another great trip visiting great people and great places. Our next stop would be our new home Pocatello, ID and there were some great adventures awaiting us there!

aloha
The Bennetts

Big Island

2011-08-10T20:08:00.015-06:00

Yes, this is well past due but here are some pictures from our trip to the Big Island. First stop, Hilo town and the panaewa zoo, Big Island Candies, Imiloa, and an ocean museum/discovery center.

We then drove an hour south to our rental near some lagoons.

Our "sweet" ride for the week.

Boys playing on the deck.

Leif feeding the fish in the lagoon in front of our rental.

At the tide pool lagoons two blocks from our rental.

Loving the water

Sharp rocks but we still had fun

Rainbow falls in Hilo town

Leif and Dad at Rainbow falls

Ocean discovery center

Piloting their "submarine" at the discovery center.

Volcanoes National Park

A view into a crater

Great views from the end of our hike.

All the boys loved the hike.

Lava fields near Kalapana

A black sand beach in the making

Delicious treats from maunaloa!

Playing tag with papaya trees

Not sure the name of this place but they made fabulous smoothies!

A stop over at Akaka falls on our way to Waikaloa

Talk about a HUGE waterfall!

Leif did a great job on this hike!

Next we spent a few days in Waikaloa on the kona side of the island. Talk about an extravagant hotel; way over the top in every way and worth the stay.

The view from our room.

Looking across to the other side of the resort.

Lounging!

Taking the resort's train back to our room

Later we took the boat back to our room.

An after dinner stroll by the dolphin pools

Leif and Amanda on the "Horton" bridge above the pools.

Kian loved playing in the splash pad.

Taking time out for lunch from a full day of swimming.

The Lagoon Spoon; one of our breakfast joints at the resort

Looking for good luck.

Relaxing along the beach on the resort.

Taking a hike on the "Kings Trail;" an ancient road full of petroglyphs

Enjoying lunch at the Kona Brewery; excellent beer!!!

Trying to polish off desert.

Scruffy but cute.

Our last stop out side of Kailua-Kona was the "original PCC."

Some of the oldest tikis in Hawaii.

From here, we were on to the Pacific Northwest...

Blue Ranch

2011-07-21T10:44:00.025-06:00

Blue Ranch is the house we are purchasing. We close in just under two weeks and are greatly looking forward to having a place of our own. Our first task will be to update the paint and remove the wall paper (YUCK!). With that said, this is a great home that was extremely cared for by the previous (and original) owner. It will be a great place for us.

"Blue Ranch" --.15 acres

Backyard

Garage-Single Car

"sewing room" 13x21 feet

"Play room"--11x11 feet

Basement hallway

Small work room/"bathroom"--6x6.5 feet

Laundry room--13x8 feet

Basement work room--8.5x5.5 feet

Funky wall paper, basement work space (it is actually a sea foam green)

Entrance to basement hallway

Basement family room--13x21 feet

Stairway to upstairs--leads to garage and stairs to kitchen

Stairway into kitchen

looking down stairs to basement

Kitchen back splash

kitchen counters

Kitchen--8x12 feet

Fixture above sink

Dining area--12x7 feet

Upstairs Bedroom 2--10x11 feet

Master bathroom

Master bedroom--11.5x12 feet

Upstairs Bedroom 1--10 x 10 feet

Hall bathroom--5 x 7.5 feet

Upstairs Hallway

Front Entry way

Upstairs Living room--13.5x19 feet

Front Windows

North Side

Driveway

South Side

???

Front Door

Front stairs

Can You Say Pocatello?

2011-03-21T12:53:00.017-06:00

It is official! The Bennett family is packing our bags and moving to Pocatello, ID. Cory accepted a position as an assistant professor of mathematics education at Idaho State University. Pocatello is about two hours from both Yellowstone and the Grand Teton's National Parks, a little more than two hours from Salt Lake City, and about 30 minutes from a good looking ski area. We are all very excited about this new chapter in our life even though this means saying aloha to close friends as well as places and experiences that we have come to love in Hawaii.

Pocatello is in southeast Idaho right in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains

ISU campus

The "mountains" surrounding Pocatello

Winter sunset in Pocatello

Autumn's first snow

So...we have begun packing for our big move. However, there is much we want to see and do before we leave so we made our "list" and have been checking the items off as we do them. There will be much that we miss about living in the islands...but there is so much to look forward to and so many more new and exciting experiences which make for more fabulous memories.

Definitely taking this to Pocatello

Two brothers

Kung he fat choy! Celebrating Chinese new years and feeding the Lions for good luck

The Bennett Boys

Leif feeding the dragon!

Good friends in China town

One of the places on our "list" was the Polynesian Cultural Center, PCC. The PCC is by far one of our favorite family places on the island. As Leif gets older, he seems to love this place more and more.

Mom and boys in front of some tikis

Leif throwing a big shaka at the crazy twisty palm tree

Leif caught a huge fish...nobody (besides Amanda) ever catches fish here!

Amanda and Leif doing some Hawaiian "bowling"

What handsome little boys!

Taking a walk along Ehukai beach after our picnic

The North Shore...what more can one say.

Kian is so independent. He loves to just take off on his own.

Some of the crew at the Dole Plantation

Two of the sweetest pineapples ever!

He cleans up well :)

This one is a goofball just like his brother.

Another place on our list, Waimea Falls.

Kian's first shave ice. He LOVED it.

During the last couple of months Kian also had his first birthday. We celebrated with another friend of ours, whose boy's birthday is the day before Kian. Everyone had a great time except Kian did not want to touch the HUGE cupcake that Amanda made for him.

Happy 1st birthday Kian :)

Brothers sliding

Big smiles all around

We also took our first family camping trip near Laie. Even though it was a quite windy and mostly cloudy, we had a great time. Leif and Kian both did so well sleeping in a tent for the first time and we all had fun hanging out with friends. During the night we went on crab hunts and Leif caught two; he was so proud of himself.

Happy to be camping

Making sure nobody takes his food

Playing at the beach

Having fun with friends

Leif and Cory making roasted marshmallows...Leif was so excited for this

The view from our campsite

Kian Kai...what a perfect name for this boy. He loves being near (and in) the water

Watching kite surfers

The boys got Oreos...

...they both loved them!

Chun's Reef is one of our all-time favorite beaches because of the tide pools. This was Kian's first experience in the tide pools and, of course, he loved it. Leif was keen on catching tiny fish; which he did with his net.

Surf, sun, and sand...it doesn't get much better

Little Kai guy.

After the tsunami, Amanda's "Aloha Moms" group put together a fund raiser for the children of the Japan disasters. Aloha Moms sponsored a "keiki walk" wherein they walked a mile around a local high school's track. After each lap, one-quarter of a mile, they received a quarter of a straw. Once they completed four laps and had collected four straws, they earned their medals. Leif was so proud of his and it was his "special" for several days. For the toddlers, they had a diaper dash. My little Kian one first place in the boy's race! Other local oranizations sponsored this event, too. A local running store provided the "aid" stations with water for the runners during the race and muffins and fresh fruits at the end of the race. In the end, over $4ooo was raised by these kids. They made us all proud.

Doing their pre-race stretches

At the starting line

Leif cruising along in his running shoes

Time to refuel

Showing off his medal

Some of the crew relaxing after the race

A big mahalo to you Kalama!

So...the next big update will likely be from Idaho. This should include our vacation to the Big Island (right after we move), a two week stop over in Washington to visit Leif and Kian's Pop-pop and Nanna, and finally our move to Pocatello.

So...a big aloha from us all!

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and Kian

Happy New Year

2011-01-08T08:57:00.024-07:00

Happy 2011!

The new year is now upon us and we feel like things are finally starting to settle back down. We had many great visits during the holidays; GranMary, Nanna and Pop-Pop, and Grandpa. Furthermore, we all got to play "tourist" for a while and spent many a day seeing the sights. GranMary came with us to Waikiki while Cory ran his third marathon in a year; the three "dad's" went on deep-sea fishing tour that was in exciting conditions but never got one bite; Cory and Pop-Pop went sea kayaking near Kailua; Amanda and Nanna went to high tea in Kailua; and we also visited the Valley of the Temples, Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantation, the North Shore, and many of our favorite beaches. Not to mention there was also a graduation party and ceremony thrown into all of this; Cory earned his PhD.

For the boys it was the ultimate Christmas. Actually, it was more like three Christmas' over a three week period. First with GranMary before she had to leave, then with Grandpa before he flew back, and finally with our family and Nanna and Pop-Pop on Christmas day. Wonderfully spoiled kids:)

There are other things currently in the works that we will keep you posted on as they develop. So until then...enjoy the photos and aloha!

At the PCC

Fell asleep working on his letter books

Who knows

"Bee"ing silly. Leif drew, free hand, the picture on the right after the drawing on the left.

Exhausted waiting for Dad to cross the finish line at the Honolulu Marathon

Honolulu Marathon 2010

Leif and GranMary making a gingerbread house

Leif and GranMary reading books together

Heading to Cory's graduation

Cory getting hooded

A surreal moment, sitting with the faculty

Dr. Bennett

Ready to head home after the ceremony

Older dad's getting schooled by a preschooler

Happy graduation...no more late nights or classes!

Kayaking near Kailua with Ric

Ric and Cory on an island just off Kailua

Taking a dip at a hidden pool

Mike and Leif spent many hours playing and making special paper airplanes

Needed a cat nap after all that play

Flat Stanley visiting us in Hawaii

Nana and the reindeer

Leif, Cory, and Nana frosting Christmas cookies

Riding the special/magical Honolulu Christmas Trolley

Look! It's Shaka Santa!

Christmas booty

The young Jedi thrilled with Santa's gift

Leif and Pop-pop watching movies on the laptop

Two of the neighbor kids and Leif playing with the new puppet theater

Crazy things they eat for breakfast

After Kian's blessing

Light-sabers and 3-D glasses

Leif and his Yoda drawing

"Yoda I am"

Cute Kian

The family at Leif's birthday party

Amanda said it would be a small party and said gifts were not necessary; Leif is in heaven.

Love hanging with Kai

Kian walking. He has been going at it for a several weeks now and he is only 10 months old.

Toot-toot! Exploring the Childrens' Discovery Center

The boys are jammin'! Hope you like jammin too!

I'm a little sea star.

Visiting Japan and having a little sushi

Watch out! Crazy driver coming through!

So...stay tuned for the next installment and aloha!

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and Kian

Fall is here :)

2010-11-11T17:37:00.013-07:00

Aloha!

Fall is officially here; day time highs are now only about 84 instead of 90. It is funny to think that 6 degrees can make a difference but it does. We had a great Halloween, Kian's first and Leif's fourth. Leif decided to wear the costume Amanda made for him this year; last year he wouldn't even try on the Kermit one, though he did wear it for a bit this year. Go figure.

In other news, Cory successfully defended his dissertation and was able to make the necessary revisions before the deadline to graduate Fall term. This means that on December 18, 2010 he will become Dr. Cory Bennett! A great deal of credit is due to his wonderful and supportive wife. Who knows what possibilities await the Bennett's now.

Kian wants to walk so bad. He is crawling all over now and got his first tooth. It won't be long before he is mobile on two feet...then it will be a real challenge keeping up with these boys.

Annual family outing to the Pumpkin patch

Momma and "baby" looking for a good one

Leif found the perfect one to decorate.

Kian's first trip to the pumpkin patch.

What an incredible family!

"Dash" and his jack-o-lanterns

Sorting the booty...this was his idea.

Cory also attended the National Middle School Association's 37th annual conference held in Baltimore, MD this year. It was a great opportunity to learn and network. On his last day in Baltimore he was fortunate enough to have a personal guide of the Washington DC and the surrounding area (thanks Sheila!!).

Cory's hotel is visible on the left just across the street from the Inner Harbor

It was a beautiful day at our Nation's capitol.

Cory by the King Kamehameha statue

Aloha to our president

The view back towards Washington DC from Arlington National Cemetery

A breath taking and emotionally moving afternoon

Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

The Lee house at Arlington

Stopping for supper in Alexandria. Nothing like 32oz of refreshment!

Music with glasses in Alexandria

The Lincoln Memorial at dusk

Abe...awe inspiring

The Korean War Memorial at night

So have a great Fall and a happy Thanksgiving and we hope to see you in paradise, soon!

Aloha
Cory, Amanda, Leif, and Kian

Family vacation

2010-10-05T23:25:00.009-06:00

Aloha!

Here are the photos, as promised, from September. We took our first family trip to Kauai and stayed at a wonderful hotel in Kapaa. While we went because Cory was running his second marathon, we were also able to see some of the sights. Enjoy!

On the plane ride to Kauai

Leif feeding the chickens at the visitors center at Waimea

Leif and Cory at the Waimea Canyon lookout.

Waimea Canyon

Leif doing motor-boats at the pool

Waiting for breakfast

Kian loves the water and Cory is fried from the race

Tunnels beach. One of the best place to snorkel

Amanda at Tunnels

Kian boy

Leif and Cory by the big monkey pod tree in old Koloa Town

Mile 24, finally the last hill...2600 total vertical in this race

At the finish line and 11 seconds faster than Honolulu 2009

Feeling good but glad to be done!

Kian hanging out at home

Kian...all 20+ pounds of him

Leif trying on the costume he refused to wear last year; so cute!

Leif striking a pose in this years costume...wait until you see the whole family

Fast as Dash!

The boys :)

Amanda and Kian

We hope you are all enjoying your fall and we will post again soon. Be sure to wish Cory good luck; he defends his dissertation in nine days! So...aloha for now, all pau!

The Bennett's

Summer 2010

2010-08-30T20:01:00.012-06:00

Ok...this is what happens when you lock yourself in a room to write a dissertation. All you do is write, write, write. For over two months Cory has been doing just that. This is not to say that we have not been out doing things (the pictures prove this) but there seems to be no time for the "small" stuff, like updating a blog. As such, all of the pictures are already outdated since Kian is now nearly twice the age he was in some of these photos. Regardless, enjoy...these pictures are in no particular order...Cory doesn't have time to do this...he still has to finish his last chapter.

Huge adventure day, enjoy ice cream in Haleiwa town

Leif and Amanda caught a fish at the PCC, only ever seen two other people do this. They caught two or three this time (can't remember been too long)

Valley of the Temples; not a single nail used to build this temple!

Leif and Amanda at Valley of the Temples

The boys ringing the bell

One of our favorite beaches, Lanikai

Kian at Lanikai

Leif and Amanda playing at Lanikai

Love those smiles!

Leif and Cory got matching tattoos at the PCC

Kian chilling at the PCC

Leif and Cory playing the "rock hopping game" at the PCC

Fresh and clean!

Kian loves cruising in his car. The best $30 investment ever.

Cory saw one of the locals during one of his morning runs, a monk seal.

Crusin' Kian Kai

Leif eating our most recent home-grown pineapple

Fresh from the garden!

Prince Lot Hula festival, a family tradition

The boys!

Summer concerts at the Honolulu zoo were awesome this year!

Beautiful baby boy!

What a pair!

The Bennett family

Chilling at the zoo waiting for the show to begin

Leif loves his shapes poster. He can even tell you which one is the dodecahedron!!

September's update will be coming soon so be sure to check back.

Aloha!

The Bennett's

Back to Work

2010-06-23T20:10:00.009-06:00

Aloha!

Summer was fun but now it is time to go back to work. Tomorrow (6-24) Cory begins work at Kapolei Middle School as their mathematics coach/mentor; a big but exciting change for many reasons. This also means that after having Cory home for three months Amanda has two boys to contend with each day! A job she loves (and excels at) but none the less can be extremely tiresome to say the least.

With Cory's work beginning at the end of June, this has been a shorter than normal summer. However, we have had some fun--plenty of trips to the beach, parties with friends, a fabulous Father's Day outing, and even a "jungle adventure hike" in Waimea Valley. Enjoy the photos below!

Leif in his fort on the rocks at Chuns Reef

All ready to try out his skateboard

Getting the hang of skateboarding

Partying it up with friends

Cory and Amanda on Father's Day

Cory and the boys at Rascals on Father's Day

What a beautiful baby!

Slip sliding away at Rascals

The beach boy; Leif Kalama

Leif and Kian chillin' at home.

On our way in Waimea Valley

Amanda and Leif checking out the Waimea Falls

Brothers

The Bennett boys...all three!

So aloha for now and hopefully you enjoy the rest of your summer wherever you are!

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and Kian

Summer Has Arrived

2010-06-05T21:58:00.009-06:00

Aloha to you all!

It has been another whirlwind of a month (May) and even though summer is essentially here, it looks like June is going to be just as busy. So enjoy the pictures from the last month; it is amazing to see how much Kian is changing in such a short time.

This is the latest picture of Kian, taken about two days ago; we love it!

Celebrating boys day (May 5) with our carp kites; a local (and Japanese) tradition

Brothers on Boy's Day

Making silly faces at Chun's Reef

Aloooooooha!

Chilling at the beach

A honu at Chun's

One of Kian's first smiles! He surely can brighten our day :)

Amanda with her boys on Mother's Day

Amanda and Kian at her special Mother's Day tea party

Kian watching the NBA playoffs

Sweet boys...they look so much alike when we compare baby pictures.

A "Leif and Daddy Day" at Waikiki...I love these moments

Full of smiles and personality

The same goes for the older one with his "Manah Manah" hair

Chunking up at two months old

We don't get rain often in Ewa so when we do Leif loves to play in it

Leif and Cory swimming on Memorial Day

Cooling off with some juicy watermelon

There is always a project to be done. Leif with his "Rodney" the robot costume project.

Lifeguard is on duty at Kalaeloa beach in Ewa

What a sweet voice; Kian learning to coo.

We hope you all have a great summer and perhaps we will be lucky enough to see some of you soon. Until then...

Aloha

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and Kian

Family of Four

2010-05-02T17:23:00.016-06:00

Aloha! Not a whole lot going on here in the islands besides enjoying life as a family of four. Kian has been growing and changing a lot and the photos that follow show some of these changes over the last month.

One of our first outings was to the Dole plantation with Auntie Maggie for some much deserved Dole Whip.

New family of four

The two brothers

Made to order...

...waffle cone all to himself

Our own "Pineapple Poet."

Another outing was to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the North Shore in the town of Laie. Everyone had a great time and Leif really got into doing some of the other activities. He especially loved Aotearoa with the stick game and the poi balls.

Leif and Daddy learning how to twirl poi balls

Hanging with Auntie at the PCC

We had some time to kill one day as we were waiting for a doctors appointment near Moanalua so we decided to stop by the gardens. There is something magical about the place and crazy to think it is right by the freeway. Anyway, the whole family had a great time.

Checking out the koi pond

Kian doing what he does best; sleeping.

Making funny faces

Like two peas in a pod, two monkeys in a tree

Smiles all around at Moanalua Gardens

One day Leif decided that he wanted to try and catch rain drops in his mouth. This was certainly a surprise as he is very adamant at night that he doesn't want any water in his eyes when he takes a bath.

Getting soaked trying...

...but having a great time.

Leif loves to give little brother hugs all the time

It only took one month, but he finally put on his big brother shirt.

Leif and his neighbor working on their writing in the back yard. He absolutely adores her.

Amanda and her boys.

Easter was a big hit again as we dyed eggs, had three egg hunts. Thanks to Uncle Jeff and Auntie Kim Leif scored big in the candy department.

Leif with the neighbor girls. Two of Cory's students are in back trying to hide.

Just for giggles we have included two pictures that we feel exemplify the growing similarity between Leif and Kian. We will leave it up to you to guess which of these, Boy A or Boy B, is Leif and which is Kian; both pictures are taken when each is about 6 weeks old. Regardless, it is clear that they look like brothers.

"Boy A"

"Boy B"

Cory has been fortunate because he has been able to take some family leave to help out around the house. Sometimes this means getting Leif out of the house so Amanda can take a rest. On this day we loaded up the bike trailer and rode the three blocks to the beach. Not a bad way to spend the day.

Boy, snacks, water, sunscreen, beach toys, towels, blanket, shovel, and soccer ball.

Staying hydrated in the hot sun.

On another occasion Cory and Leif went to the local library as they were passing out free comic books that day. They also had some "space rangers" (had to relate it to Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story). Leif wasn't too sure what to make of them but by the time we left he really like the black space ranger (but not the white ones) and even blew Darth a kiss on the way out the door.

The "black space ranger," Cory, and a not so sure Leif

Kian enjoying our local beach

The boys having fun in the sun

Leif on the "jumpy ropes."

Showing off his new trick, a shaka!

The boys at bed time.

Got to love those smiles :)

So...aloha for now...

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and Kian

Kian Comes Home

2010-03-23T22:22:00.009-06:00

After waiting a few days and keeping Leif busy for a few days, too (with the help of Auntie Maggie), Kian and Amanda came home. It was a great homecoming and he has really been a good baby and Leif has been a wonderful big brother.

Leif would like to type the following message about how happy he is:

ouhygfdsa9opoi6wq

Here are some more pictures from the last few days including our first family outing to Ko Olina to have a sunset picnic :)

playing hippos with auntie

here comes Leif cotton tail

waiting to go get Kian at Moanalua Gardens

Dressed to come home

Leaving the hospital

First meetings

home at last

Momma and her boys

Dad and his boys

Teaching Kian how to make funny faces

First picnic

Making dough with auntie

Aloha for now...

The Bennett's

Aloha Kian Kai

2010-03-19T13:07:00.004-06:00

On March 18, 2010 at 2:10 am Kian Kai Bennett came to live with us. He weighed in at 7 pounds and 3 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Perhaps the most incredible part is that he was born within 15 minutes of us arriving at the hospital!

Here are a few pictures.

aloha!

Marathon, Comps, Christmas, New Years, Birthday, ...

2010-01-26T22:27:00.021-07:00

Aloooooooha! Yes it has been a very long time since we have posted anything but December and January were crazy! During this time Cory raced in his first marathon, the Honolulu Marathon, and finished in 4:25; made several trips to the zoo, other play dates with friends, and Christmas parties; celebrated Christmas and New Years; Cory completed the written portion of his comprehensive exam for his PhD the research proposal for his dissertation; planned and hosted Leif's birthday party with over 30 kids in attendance and another 30+ adults; Amanda made something like a gazillion quilts; and Cory began teaching at Chaminade University.

Needless to say, we are all ready for things to quiet down a bit. But with "Baby Boo" on the way, we only have 8 more weeks of being a family of three. So, with out further ado, here is the last two months in photos. Enjoy :)

The day before the big race, picking up Cory's race packet

Carbo-loading at Tiki's in Waikiki

The view from our hotel room in Waikiki

Leif checking out the one night digs...didn't really like it

...but the bed sure was fun to jump on

Hanging out at the zoo the day before the marathon

Ever see 20,000+ people all lined up to run 26.2 miles?
Fireworks signal the start of the race.

Cory passing by the hotel at about mile 8 feeling great

Crossing the finish line and still feeling GREAT!
Rested the next day and was out running again the day after

Leis from Amanda and Leif!

Cory and running friend Keaka (he ran in 3:13!!)

Celebrating the race at the Cheesecake Factory; yummy!

Leif in the zone with his gingerbread house

Our family tradition; making cookies.

Leif helped mix the ingredients and decorate.
They tasted as good as they looked.

Santa came! Opening a whole huge enormous pile of presents

Even superman needs to fix his cape from time to time.
Leif and his first sewing machine. Now he can work alongside mom

The hit of Christmas; Hungry, Hungry Hippos

Leif loving his "pineapple ice cream" at the Dole plantation

Two sweet smiles :)

One cool dude...and yes, his dad does rock!

Making projects from Nana and Pop-pop

Huga-wuga. This one is called Foodoo-makakiki...no joke

Not quite Larry King, but here is a conversation with Foodoo-makakiki

Happy New Years!!

All set for the new year celebrations!

Shaking his jelly beans

Drawing with his chalk

Cory and Amanda at the zoo...Leif didn't want in the picture

Recognition well deserved

Getting ready to celebrate number 3

There were water balloons...

...good company...

...pinatas...

...fun with friends...

...good food and lots of people...

...pin the tail on the cat (Leif's idea)...

...and cake.

Birthday booty.

Leif's best present from his birthday was his huge pile of water balloons. Here we are at 6:30am; simply couldn't wait.

Splat!

Having a great time!

Love that face

Hmmm....choclate fudge cake is pretty good.

Spreading the peanut butter cream frosting.
Grandma would be so proud :)

We hope you have all had a safe and wonderful holiday season and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Aloha

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and "baby Boo"

Winter in Paradise

2009-12-10T09:44:00.013-07:00

Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and the tree just went up the other day. Things are going well in Hawaii and the weather is perfect! Who would ever want to live in the cold (sorry to all of you who are enduring sub freezing temps, snow, and arctic winds)?

The photos below are another sampling of the last month of so; certainly some wacky and amazing moments. Enjoy!

Super Dad and his side-kick Super Leif

The boy loves to bake

Wish we had a button that said "Look! I dressed myself!"

For Thanksgiving we packed up two coolers worth of food and beverages and hit the beach. We went over to one of our all time favorites, Lanikai and it was beautiful as usual. We stayed for a few hours and then made our way to the North Shore to have a picnic lunch under the Ko'Olau mountains. After that we stopped at the legendary Sunset beach to watch some big waves pounding the coast (not even close compared to what was to come in the near future); the second leg of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing would be starting in a couple of days.

Loving Lanikai beach on Thanksgiving

Trapping mom with a rope

Love that smile!

Leif the Science Kid conducting another experiment with ice.

Belly showing beneath the Ko'olaus

Silly boy making silly faces

Leif and Dad hanging at the beach on Thanksgiving

A great way to spend Thanksgiving!

Amanda and Cory on the North Shore, photo by Leif

Sweet boy hiding

Round 2 of the Vans Triple crown of surfing: Sunset Beach

In the week that followed we started to get ready for Christmas. One day when Amanda needed some time to focus on her projects Leif and Dad went out for the day and ended up getting a "whole huge denormous pile" of balloons. If you know this boy and his fixation with balloons, you know that he was shaking with excitement as Dad blew up every single balloon. Phew!

It must be heaven

Leif also loved helping decorate the house and the Christmas tree. He has learned that he only gets to touch the "soft" or non-breakable ornaments and that is fine with him. He is also doing ok with the presents so far. Only a few were taken back to his room to be played with (still in the wrapping, though).

Finding a perfect spot for an ornament

Helping mom decorate the tree

Whoa-ho-o!! It might be chocolate!

Thank you Grandma!

Later in the week, the surf forecasts were calling for some of the biggest surf on the North Shore in 20 years. This also meant that the Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Surf Contest (a.k.a The Eddie) was likely to go. The Eddie is only held when waves are consistently above 30 feet in face heights for the day. The last Eddie was held in 2004 but this is not to say that there have not been big enough swells, we had two near 40 feet last year, the conditions were just not ideal. This year was all but perfect. Cory took the day off from school (sorry students) and left at 4:30 in the morning so he could get a place to park. He arrived at Waimea Bay at 5:15 and only had to park 1 mile away! The beach was already packed. It was reported that over 30,000 people were at the Bay that day. Anyhow, it was a once in a life time experience for sure.

Eddie would go...and it was big!

An ominous morning

Party ride...sharing the aloha

Hazardous conditions to say the least (40+ft)! Shoots! 18 ft scares me!

The Eddie was BIG!!! 30-40+ foot waves...omg!

Kelly Slater after his near perfect 98 monster ride

The Bay will call the day...it's on!!

15 ft shore break...simply impressive

In two days Cory will be running the Honolulu Marathon (12-13-09) and pictures of his nearly lifeless corpse will follow; likely on our Christmas post. So until then, have a great holiday season!

Aloha and mele kalikimaka!!

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and "Boo"

Harvest Time

2009-11-01T23:04:00.013-07:00

Happy Harvest Time!

Fall is certainly in full swing and all of the Bennetts in Hawaii are glad that October is pau (done). Last month was completely nuts with all of the parties, projects, and obligations that we had to attend to. The start of October was a bit more relaxing as Cory was on Fall break so we were able to get to the beach a few more days. Anyhow, here are some photos of the last month or so. It is nice to look back on these as it reminds us how important it is to just stop and take time to enjoy life...especially when you live in such a beautiful place as Hawaii.

Enjoying Fall break at Lanikai beach

Time for a snack

Digging out a huge fort

lounging at Ko Olina

Chicken Joe's (from Surf's Up) famous line: "I can feel it in my nuggets"

On Cory's birthday we found out that our second child will also be a boy. We were all quite happy to hear that he is looking fine and seems to be in perfect health. Leif has decided that the baby should be called "Boo" after the character in Monster's Inc. even though this character was a girl. Regardless, it made for a clever addition to Amanda's second costume for this year (see below). The due date looks to be March 23, 2010.

Beautiful baby "Boo"

Contemplating birthday cake

Happy 34 Dad!

One of the things that had Cory swamped was the annual Hawaii Association of Middle Schools annual conference in October. Cory is a board member, president elect for the upcoming year, and volunteered to run/present a "learning lab." Terry T., one of Cory's most respected colleagues, agreed to co-present and it was so nice to share this experience with her. Cory is hopefully nearing the end of his course work for his PhD, too. He met with his committee the other day and they agree that he is ready for is comprehensive examines and it looks like he will be writing them over Christmas break. So, if anyone is planning a vacation please do not come during this time as Cory needs to be extremely focused on this exam (answering four questions each answer being about 15 pages long).

Cory's presentation at the H.A.M.S. annual conference

We also made our traditional trip to the pumpkin patch. Each year it gets so much better. This time Leif was able to pick out the pumpkin he wanted all by himself.

Found a good one!

2007--10 months old

2008--22 months old

2009--34 months old

Leif painting his pumpkins

Amanda went gang-busters trying to make birthday gifts for Leif's friends, our Halloween costumes, and product for the Honolulu Mommies craft fair that was held during the HM Halloween party. I don't know how she pulled it off but she did (super mom I guess:). Unfortunately, Leif was scared of the Kermit shirt she made and we ended up being ghosts again for Halloween.

The costume that never was

This is as close as Leif got to being Kermit

Animal and Kermit at neighbor's costume party

Miss Piggy and Kermit at the same party

Honolulu Mommies annual Halloween party

The fruits of her labor

Getting ready to carve pumpkins

It's trick or treat time!!!!

Momma and baby "Boo"

Leif and Dad scoring big on Halloween booty

The only jack-o-lantern we made...guts were "stinky!"

We hope your fall has been less hectic than ours and sincerely hope that you might have a chance to come visit us in the near future (though Christmas is likely not a good time this year...see above). So, until then,

aloha!

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and baby "Boo"

Good Times

2009-09-10T23:53:00.007-06:00

Aloha!

A lot has been going on here but we will keep this short and let the pictures and videos do most of the talking. Amanda is feeling better now that she is into her second trimester and she is even starting to show a little. Pictures of her and more details will follow with our next post.

Leif and Dad with their first homegrown pineapple

Amanda scored huge pile of free fabric and other sewing supplies. It was like Christmas came early! Of course she set to work making lots of projects and gifts for others.

That's a lot of fabric

Leif had been singing songs after dinner and decided to do it while being a strong man. We thought he was going to burst a blood vessel while doing this. Once again, another reason he keeps us laughing.

Wheels on the bus meets strong man

One day we took a trip to the Dole Plantation to kill some time. Leif loved climbing up on the pineapple pictures and sticking his head through. He has his legs spread wide in back and is standing on two posts; which he figured out how to do on his own.

Leif at the "Pineapple Place"

One sweet smile

Leif and Dad being silly

Amanda needed some time to get things done around the house one day so Leif and Cory took off to the zoo. We had a blast seeing all the animals, including the stinky elephants.

So excited to be at the zoo

Showing Dad the Meerkats

Deep in thought at the zoo

Leif came up with this one day. He found Amanda in the kitchen and wanted to show her the "pulley" he made. Amanda wasn't sure what he was saying as we had NEVER talked tohim about pulleys. On top of that, he wanted Amanda to be sure she knew what he was talking about so he clarified that it was "a pulley; a simple machine mom."

Showing off his pulley (a simple machine) invention

Leif won a slip n slide at a friends birthday party. Needless to say he loved it.

Such a strong boy

best part of the slip n slide...drinking the water

Having a great time on the slip n slide

Cory surprised his dad for his 60th birthday by coming back for the party. He had a great time seeing his mom, grandma, siblings, and other family members, too. It was a visit full of aloha though Cory really missed not having Amanda and Leif there.

Fremont country side views

Views from Cory's 12 mile run

Wild sunflowers and farm equipment

Shaka Mom

Fall arriving early in Fremont

Grandma Thor and Cory after talking story over ice cream

Cory's Dad's 60th B-day party

Sister, brother, Dad, and Cory

Leif missed his dad, partly because he wanted his " big huge pile of prizes" that Dad had promised him.

Excited to have his big huge pile of prizes

Its Mater!!!

We hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.

Aloha

Cory, Amanda, Leif, and "baby boo" (as Leif calls it :)

Hapai

2009-08-21T12:54:00.005-06:00

Aloha to you all,

Here is a little clarification on the title of this blog. It comes from "Eye of Hawaii: Pidgin, the unofficial language."

Hapai (ha-PIE). With child. Amanda wen come hapai, ass why she no moa surfing.

or, "I thought Amanda stay momona, but she come hapai"

foa mo da kine try wen look at: http://www.eyeofhawaii.com/Pidgin/pidgin.htm

If you have further questions feel free to call!!

aloha

Cory, Amanda, and Leif

School Begins

2009-08-02T18:27:00.010-06:00

Aloha!!

Yes, August has just begun and for most people that means they are enjoying the warm days of summer but for us it means Cory is going back to work. This will be his fifth year teaching and the start of our fifth year in Hawaii; we can't believe how fast the time has gone by. During our time here we have met MANY new friends who have gladly welcomed us into their lives...it is hard to describe what "aloha" means, but we have vividly clearly feel it time and time again.

Leif got a package from Grandma a few weeks ago and it included Great Grandpa Thor's old binoculars. Leif loved them and wouldn't put them down for hours

Checking out the "big pine cone trees"

A "whole huge big pile of friends" at a play date in our backyard

The "mac cheese tower"

During the last few weeks we were able to get out and have some fun together. Including play dates with Leif's friends, a Thomas the train play time at Toys R Us, the water park, the Prince Lot Hula festival, and simply hanging out at the beach. The surf has been incredible this summer on the south side, too, so Cory has had some great days in the water (including some overhead sets at Swabby Land).

The Thomas the Train paper hat stayed on for nearly 2hrs

Leif and Momma at Prince Lot

Even the aunties and tutus rock!

Leif loves watching hula and says he "might try this someday"

Kumu Cazimero's halau at the Prine Lot Hula Festival

All in all things are ok though the affects of a broken economy are now knocking at our door. The Hawaii Dept. of Education has had their budget cut by several hundred million dollars and the Governor (the primary agent on the other side of the teacher's union bargaining table) has threatened mass layoffs if the union does not accept a major pay reduction, furlough days (shorten the school year and no pay teachers), and an increase in medical premiums. If the Governor gets her way, Cory will be taking a 20% reduction in wages. This is perhaps the scariest time for our family. As such, Cory will be looking for a second job hopefully teaching part time (evening or weekends?) at one of the local community colleges. And yes, this is on top of his regular work, his increased course load at UH this next semester, and being a husband and a father. C'est la vie.

Besides that, Leif is growing bigger though not really putting on much more weight...he is still 27.5 pounds and we think he has been at this weight for nearly a year. He is still growing taller though so the doctors say there isn't anything to really worry about. Amanda has always been a petite person and was relatively little growing up so perhaps he takes after her in this way.

Learning to ride his "bike" with his new Elmo helmet

Leif riding his bike on his own for the first time

Amanda has also been creating some very cool gifts using her quilting and sewing skills. Be sure to check out her blog to see the latest...they really are quite cute and creative.

"Might be a monster???"

Leif is being Leif. Still attached to his mom in many ways ("Mom loves to give big up hugs all the time.") and is learning many new things. In particular his sentence structure is getting much better and the complexity of his sentences is also growing. He often puts together nine to twelve word sentences that are unique thoughts, not just responses to a question or a repetition of what we have said. And, as usual, he is obsessed with balloons; water, big, small, hot air...it doesn't matter. Leif is also really in to helping cook things now. Often he wakes up in the morning and says, "maybe we should make some waffles," or "Oh, Yeah! Lets make pancakes," or simply "I want to make cupcakes." We either need to remind him that we just made a "big pile" of pancakes or waffles and that they are in the freezer or that we don't eat cupcakes for breakfast (though grandpa might argue otherwise).

The pleasures of baking!

On a final note, Cory has started his training to run the Honolulu Marathon on December 13. Does anyone want to come out and support him as he seeks to complete this crazy stupid endeavor?

We hope all is well in your part of the world and look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon!

Alooooooha!

Cory, Amanda, and Leif

Summer Time

2009-07-15T00:08:00.015-06:00

Aloha!

A year ago at this time we were in Nebraska bundled up because the AC was freezing (we actually went to go buy socks, sweatshirts, and long PJ's for Leif) and weathering one of the strongest storms the greater Fremont/Omaha area had seen (100+ mph winds).

Happy we live Hawaii

This summer is still quite busy but for different reasons. Cory is taking two classes at UH in an attempt to finish his PhD corse work in one more year and is co-creating/teaching a three week integrated mathematics and science program for 30+ incoming 8th graders.

Amanda has been sewing some (and attempting to slice her fingers off with marginal success) but mostly staying busy with Leif and her mommies group.

Leif is changing so much and is just so much fun to be around. He still has his moments but without a doubt he is the boy of our dreams!

Diver mask on and ready for the beach

Together, we have gone to the beach a bit (as usual), went to see John Cruz perform at the zoo in Waikiki, attempted to see Elmo at Sesame Street Live (Scared Leif: "It's kind of too loud."), watched a great 4th of July show from our local beach, and have had a few sunset picnics at the beach. Life is good:)

Great food, music, and laughs in Waikiki

Besides that we are also on Skype and have called grandpa and grandma and grandma in Nebraska a few times. Leif is a little shy when it comes to talking to them on the computer but we are sure he will figure it out soon enough. Finally, we have a new computer; the old one crashed two days after we backed up our data! Anyhow, enjoy the pictures!

Leif at his end of year school party

Leif playing with Coby (our neighbor) at Coby's birthday party

Cruising with his new helmet

Making "silly faces"

Enjoying his new toys...a Cinderalla found on the beach and a new "hamahopter"

Swiming with Mom at Lanikai beach

Didn't even make 20 minutes at Sesame Street Live

Playing in and near the tide pools at Chun's Reef

Loving a special ice cream treat in Waikiki

Sunset picnic at Ko Olina

Trying for the Bjorn Borg look...not too far off really

Celebrating the 4th on the beach

Trying to get to some treats

Waiting for the fireworks to start...thank goodness for balloons

Having fun with Dad

The smile says it all

perfect

Wrapped up and watching the sun set

"Big huge balls of stars way high up in sky"

amazing!

Finally here is a video Cory took of Leif as they were driving to buy a "big boy potty." Cory didn't realize what he was doing until after he watched the video...the boy is a comedian.

Our summer is coming to a close soon as Cory goes back to work in two weeks but we hope all of you have a great rest of your summer and we look forward to hearing from (or seeing???) you soon.

A hui ho!!!

Cory, Amanda, and Leif

Summer Vacation Begins

2009-05-21T23:55:00.013-06:00

Aloha,

Summer vacation has begun...sort of. Cory has finished the semester mentoring the new teachers and is finishing up a week of no work/school responsibilities! Cory had a great time working with these teachers and certainly learned a lot from the experience. He is currently working with his advisor on writing an account/summary of the field experience with two of the mathematics teachers with the hopes of having it published.

Allison, Shannon, Trevor, Cory, Julene, and Karl
Time off means that we have been to the beach...a lot! So what follows are basically beach pictures. Hopefully they don't seem too boring but rather show a little of what Leif enjoys doing and how his personality is really starting to grow!

Planting our little garden

Helping mix the sugar in the cookies...Leif likes the sugar

All ready for the ball game...we just don't what game he plans on playing

Helping make the pizza

Discovering the joys of chocolate pudding at Zippy's

May 2008...a lot of change in 1 year

Some of our favorite beaches right now are Ko Olina, Ala Moana, Waikiki (we usually go to the zoo first and then walk across the street to go to the beach), and Lanikai because Leif now loves playing in the water. One day he just took off and didn't get out of the water until an hour later. He particularly likes "swimming" which means he lays in the shore break and lets the water push him around, "surfing--getting on his boogie board and having mom or dad pull him around, or running into the water to rub handfuls of sand on dad. He has even had a few "wipe outs" where he goes under. Although he usually comes up crying, wants to be wrapped up in a towel, and needs to wipe off his face, he always wants to get back in the water; sometimes right away. He is really loves going to the beach.

Giraffes, rhinos, and zebras...Oh my!

Momma and Leif surfing at Waikiki Beach

Having fun in the sun

Can't wait for him to graduate to the big boards

Finding his own happiness

Watching the sun set at Ko Olina

I'm not so sure about this "salad" part but I love the olives

The Bennett Family

Swimming with turtles

Boys Day was May 5th so we celebrated it in style. We began by hanging up our carp "kites" and then went to the North Shore for a day of fun at Chuns Reef--Cory went surfing in solid 5 foot waves, Leif and Amanda played in the tide pools, and then we finished it off with a nice big shave ice from Aoki's!

Happy Boy's Day!

Flying "kites"

A great way to spend any day...with shave ice

Delicious!
One of our outings started with an 8:00 am start out the door. We first drove to Kailua and a wonderful "hidden" beach called Lanikai. We played in the surf and sun for a few hours, got lunch from Maui Tacos, and shared a HUGE scoop of chocolate ice cream from Coldstone before we made the drive to the Windward Mall in Kaneohe to try and tire Leif out on the indoor play area. It worked. While he slept we made the drive to Laie to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center as we have annual passes. The PCC is literally on the opposite side of the island and takes a good hour to drive there anyway, so when we are on that side of the island we like to try and make a stop.

Swimming with dad

Showing his silly side

Lovin' the beach

AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!

Strollin' through Kailua with mom

Cool! A fountain!

Ummmm...Chocolate!

This was a special day at the PCC as they were having their annual Samoan festival and International Fire Knife competition. Our free admission includes admission to the evening show which was when they were holding the finals for the competition. The finalists included a guy from Florida, Tahiti, and the Big Island and we had great seats for the action. It was very cool to watch and Leif was really into it. After an hour of the show and the first round of the finals, Leif was ready to go home so we packed up and made the long drive back to Ewa Beach, getting home around 9:00 pm...it was a long day!

Getting our fishing gear ready at the PCC

Trying to catch a big one

First time fishing

Playing an ancient Hawaiian game

First hula lesson...for both of us

Watching the Samoa performance at the evening show

Announcing the three competitors for the competition

Wow! Check out that Tiki-man, dad.

These guys must be crazy

aloha PCC

Summer classes will begin next week for Cory though one of them will be on line. With two classes this summer, two this fall, and two more in the spring we are hoping that his course will be done (then it is on to the dreaded comprehensive exam!). Amanda is loving her sewing machine and has several new quilts and projects started...so much fabric and so many patterns but so little time...ughh!

Aloha to you all and we hope to hear from you (or possibly come visit us in paradise) soon!

Cory, Amanda, and Leif

Easter Joy

2009-04-13T17:21:00.013-06:00

Aloha and happy Easter

Even though this is Leif's third Easter it is the first one he has really gotten excited about. There was so much talk about the Easter bunny, singing Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail, decorating eggs, and playing with plastic eggs--even a few "practice" egg hunts to get him use to it--that Easter was exciting for the whole family.

Chocolate treats and a balloon...the Easter bunny was good to him

The new hair cut...read more below

Being silly with Dad

Leif and Momma with his new easter chalk

Going on an egg hunt

The weather has finally gotten better and we have been able to go to the beach a bit more, though it is still a bit on the windy side. The wind does mean that we got to fly Leif's new McQueen kite which he bought with money from his grandparents (he has a little piggy bank in his room). He loves the kite and now that he knows how to do it he doesn't want anyone to help him hold on...he gets excited when a big gust of wind blows and he says "Speed! cha-cow!" just like Lightening McQueen.

Flying kites at the beach

Trying it on his own

Leif checking out how big his pineapple is growing at home

Leif and his best friend Ronan
With Cory's flexible schedule this semester we have been able to get to the beach on those few days that it was nice. This included going to the Honolulu zoo, Waikiki, and Ala Moana beach park--the latter two are great for Leif to play in the water.

Seeing Rusty was a real treat...he is usually hiding.

Hanging out at Alamoana Beach Park

A big kiss for Momma

Gobbling up his animal crackers

Jumping with George
We have also been able to get to our beach after dinner from time to time, though some days are certainly colder than others due to the wind. Regardless, Leif loves the "jumpy rope" so we usually end up playing there for some time.

Taking a "little walk" to the beach

The plumerias are in bloom again

Swinging away on the jumpy rope

Some evenings are colder than others...even in the sun

Having fun!

Playing with Momma

What a great pair

Leif is currently into reading a lot of non-fiction, especially books about sharks, the ocean, coral, and fish. Thus, it was quite a surprise when grandpa and grandma sent a book about just these things. The book included a poster of a great white which Leif insisted on putting up above his bed. Sometimes when he goes to sleep he even tells the shark goodnight. At first we thought it might be too scary but he told us that it is "just a nice shark."

Leif and his "nice shark"

Leif's hair was starting to get a bit shaggy but he hates getting his hair cut. So what do we do as good parents??? Yup! Bribe him with ice cream. We tell him that he can have some of his "trim" ice cream if he will sit and let Daddy give him a little trim. In order to get a decent looking hair cut this process takes about four tiny scoops over a week.

Bangs are done

Amanda has been very busy sewing as usual. If you haven't checked out her quilting blog yet there is a link above under "Other Interesting Sites." Otherwise, we hope you are all well and look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon.

aloha and a hui ho

Cory, Amanda, and Leif

Spring is Here

2009-03-22T19:27:00.006-06:00

Aloha!

Spring is here and it seems like the sunshine has returned, too. After nearly four weeks of windy, cold, and wet weather our typical tropical paradise has returned. March has been busy though we haven't been to the beach much. Amanda has put on some sewing classes for her "Mommy" friends with great success and Cory completed is portfolio for his National Board for Professional Teaching certification...he just has to wait until next November to see how he scored. There are not many pictures this time but enjoy them nonetheless!

All ready for the rain on his "little walk"

Talk about a dream come true...Amanda got a new sewing machine, which is likely the highlight of the month. We are hoping this machine lasts for some time and it likely will as it has way more features than anything she has used before.

Perhaps the sexiest sewing machine around...the Janome 6600

Mommy made Leif a new McQueen bag and it rocks!

Leif cuddling/harassing his cat Zephyr

Amanda took Leif to the Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe with her mommies group. They had a great time and Leif especially loved the "big golden man"...aka the Buddha statue.

Leif and friends at the Valley of the temples

The lolly made it a great trip to the Valley of the Temples

Leif and Daddy playing ukulele's...neither of us are too good

Not bad for a mouth full of grapes!

We hope you are also having a pleasant Spring and look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon!

aloha and a hui ho

Cory, Amanda, and Leif

A Cold February

2009-02-22T14:33:00.009-07:00

Aloooooha!

February is "almos pau" and our lack of posts shows just how busy we have been. Amanda is staying busy with her mommies group, Leif playing with his friends, and Cory with school and National Board stuff. February started off with the best weather on the planet, blue skies, gentles breezes, big surf, and the warm rays of the tropics but the last couple of weeks have been cold and stormy. Cold is, of course, relative. Our high temperatures have been around 75 with our lows in the lower 60's...don't laugh...but this really is cold! Anyhow, enjoy the pictures...it is clear that we are loving life and watching our little boy grow up!

Helping Daddy with the coffee beans

Zebra...check, paper airplane...check. Now he's ready for church

Leif's mini-water park was a hit...until a stray cat attacked it.
Beach time is always important for us...and early in the month we were able to get to the "country" a few times to soak up the sun, play in the tide pools, and surf (at least Cory did). The North Shore is hard to describe if you have never been there...there is something simply magical about it.

Momma and Leif at Chun's tide pools

Having fun at Chuns

Looking for shells in the tide pools at Chuns Reef

Singing the ABC's

We had a great day not to long ago in Waikiki. We went to the zoo, crossed the street and played at Waikiki beach, and then got a special treat...ice cream! Waikiki sure is crowded, but it has its perks, too.

He sure loves his ice cream!

Up until a couple of weeks ago the surf was really pumping. Cory was out on one of his biggest days yet, solid 10 footers with some 12 to 18 footers rolling in from time to time. After his surf session he went to check out the "pipe"...aka the Banzai Pipeline. The surf forecast for the day said that there would be 6-10foot faces. Check out the pictures and video below to see if you agree (double clicking an image will make it appear full-screen). Also, check out the current in the video...things were intense that day.

An image from Cory's surf session

Not exactly a day for a swim

Can you see the surfer?

In Hawaii we call this a 5 foot wave...NUTS!

Leif is also into doing "projects" now and he recently discovered markers...thank goodness these were washable!

our shaggy haired boy...we tried to give him a haircut...it didn't work so well

making circle balloons...still one of his favorite things to draw

"dancing Leif"...Leif laughs every time he watches it

Again, we hope all is well with our friends and family and look forward to seeing you again! And, hopefully we get some warmer weather again, too!!

A hui ho

Cory, Amanda, and Leif

Starting off fine in 09

2009-01-07T14:30:00.017-07:00

Aloha and happy 2009!

We are back in the islands after visiting family in Washington for Christmas and the new year. It was a great vacation and Leif was able to meet many new family members and play with a lot of his cousins. So here are the photos to show just a little of what happened.

To start with, we arrived during the biggest and worse snow fall western Washington had seen in decades. It took us three hours once our flight landed to get to the terminal and claim our baggage as they had to dig out planes and the carts that drive the baggage to and fro. Amanda's parents had two feet of snow at their house. The electricity was out the first night we were there and the temperatures were in the twenties!! It was beautiful but Cory spent the first three days shoveling the long driveway and shoveling out cars and trucks that had gotten stuck. It brought back memories of growing up in Nebraska.

Aa winter wonderland at the Packard's

This was Leif's only real outing in the snow. he often said it was "crazy cold."

We then went on the longest drive of Leif's life--a four hour trip to Grandma Great's house in Longview, WA. Previously he had only been in the car for an hour and a half so we were unsure of what would happen but he was great. Though as Cory was driving the Tahoe in a blizzard, and while trying to pass a semi, the wipers stopped working. Leif's Nana had to crawl out the window and manually get them going. It felt a bit like a Clark Griswold's Christmas at that moment.

Hangin' out on the stairs at Grandma Greats with cousin Sophie

Writing our letter to Santa in hopes he will bring us some nice toys

The animal magnets were cool but Santa also brought a lollipop!!

Ummmmmmm...a fist full of lollipops

Christmas day at Grandma Greats. Nearly all of us were there.
We then went back to Amanda's parents place to spend some time relaxing from all the Christmas excitement. This meant the men were lounging and watching football.

Pop-pop showing how to get just the right combination

Reading his coin book...he still loves to read
Leif absolutely loved playing with his cousin Kennon, who is a bit younger. Kennon isn't talking yet but that didn't stop him from teaching Leif to scream and screech at the top of his lungs.

Leif and his "best friend Kennon"

Playing with cousin Sophie

One night we went to perhaps the biggest display of Christmas lights we had seen. There were supposedly 1.3million lights on display but we only counted 1.2 million. We told Leif that we would be going to a really cool Christmas party but he fell asleep in the car. He was still asleep in his Dad's arms for the first few minutes but as soon as he awoke he said, "Christmas party?" While w were there we got to have some awesome fresh donuts (Ric waited an hour for them) and see Bruce the Talking Tree, Leif's favorite part of the whole evening.

Daddy, Leif, Momma, and Bruce

Bruce longs for the beach, too

The Bennetts in the crazy cold weather

Leif excited about giving a walking snowman and teddy bear high five

Cory also got to go snowboarding one day at Stevens Pass with "cousin" Steve. It was a ton of fun with nearly two feet of light fresh powder. It felt great to get back on the board again but he really missed the warm waters of the tropics and being on one of his other boards...the surfboard.

Oh what fun it is to ride a 158cm board on snow. Hey!

We also got to spend a very short time in Bellingham on a mini vacation. The weather was not that great so were not able to stay very long. there were many people that we had wanted to see and soon realized that it was simply not going to be possible. The roads were bad and more snow was forecasted so we had to make our way back to Amanda's parents house. We did get to see some of our favorite places, a couple of our friends, and eat some of that great Bellingham food. Sadly though, our the owners of our favorite pottery place closed up shop and moved to the tropics.

Leif and Momma in Fairhaven

Leif and his monster cookie from the Colophon Cafe...delicious!

Back with Nanna and Pop-pop we celebrated the new year and then had an early birthday party for Leif with some of his Aunties, Uncles, and cousins. His mother mad him a Cookie Monster cake...did you know that blue frosting is really messy and stains? Out of all of this though, Leif did learn most of the words to the birthday song and he sings it from time to time at home now.

Happy birthday to Leif

What a delicious looking "happy cake"

Leif opening his presents...can't let go of the balloons though

Yeah..."whole party"

Blue is the new black

Before we left for the surf, sand, and sunshine we went to the local children's museum with Nana and Pop-pop. Leif had a great time and loves to tell us how much fun the "kids museum" and the balls were.

Going down the fire truck slide

Having fun with Nanna and the balls

Once we got back on island we had a small get-together with Amanda's mommies club and some of Leif's friends. It was very simple but Amanda did make Cookie Monster cup cakes for the occasion.

Birthdays for Leif, as are most days, are not complete without balloons

Leif trying to grow a beard like his dad

Playing with his new baseball set up

We hope all is well with you...wherever you may be and greatly look forward to having you come visit. While we were in Washington we learned one thing...as much as we love and miss our family...nothing compares to life in the islands!

aloha

Cory, Amanda, and Leif