Puka Dog for the b'day boy!

Another beautiful day at the beach...
Still in Michael's b'day week SO we continue the celebrating!
Grpa Jack sent the $ for a Puka dog for the b'day boy
SO Puka dog anyone? OK!! Should we get you a tshirt too?
You get a FREE lemonade IF you wear your shirt to order!
Michael wanted a tank top, not available yet...
I got MY free lemonade! Yum, I get the first bite?!
Yeah, we are SHARING, Michael keeps saying he wants
the "Jenny Craig" size of serving...
Happy b'day Michael, enjoy your Puka Dog!
Puka Dog is NOW in Waikiki, we'll go check it out and report
back! Lovin' the job!

What did Jesse do for Thanksgiving?

He ate ALL that food! Kates was gettin' started on her feast too!
He sat at the KIDS table and had his friends with him!
Notice the empty plates at the table!
He wrestled with Andy after dinner to see who was TOO full?
He rested, waiting for dessert... That's Jordan behind the pillow. Kates was playing violin, cello style.
He played after dinner music to celebrate Thanksgiving!

The Birthday BOY! Happy Turkey Bday!!

Birthday EVE! Doing his ham radio "stuff" and resting in
our room to get ready to be the birthday day boy all day Thanksgiving!
We played volleyball early at the beach per Michael's
request for his bday on Thurs. morning! Beautiful day at the beach!
Opening his bday presents, new hat, shirt, shorts and
scripture bag. He would prefer a new truck, ham radio "gear" a new gun and ??
Getting ready to eat turkey dinner... We are smiling because
we are NOT SO FULL yet!!
Empty plates around the adult table of turkey dinner. NOW
we are full!!! Time for some music and digesting over good conversation.
The birthday boy blowing out his candles with our dessert
of pumpkin pie, apple pie and pumpkin crunch-Hawaiian type pie, delicious!!! NOW we are TOO full! Time for Apples2Apples and relaxing...
Happy Birthday to Michael!

Bonfire Night for Michael's Bday!

This is ONE of Michael's favorite activities...even tho he
ACTS like it's NO big deal... He LOVES to start a neat bonfire by the ocean and burn drift wood for cooking hot dogs and roasting marshmallows. There are NO burn restrictions here on the beach and the river delivers the wood downstream
to the beach SO it is a perfect Hawaii activity on a fall night, or just about any night during the year on the island!
All the kids joined together around a RUNNING game of
soccer while Michael got the bonfire ready. LITTLE RED HEN story coming to mind? NO! Just keeping kids entertained...
Brandon LOVES soccer and he got everyone else playing enthusiastically! They played on the beach with boogie boards as
goal markers too. Any place was good to get soccer going and everyone played...
A "kid" group shot. Full of Hot Dogs and chips, they were
ready to bury someone in the sand before the marshmallows broke out of the bag and after the fire burned down to coals.
See, time for roasting marshmallows! SMILE!
Another great bonfire for the birthday boys' week of celebrations. Puka dogs and pumpkin pie are the next things on the list. Enjoying the beach scene with lots of stars in
the sky, Dad Michael was looking for the new comet that had just shown up?!?

Happy Thanksgiving from Kauai

Our "Turkey" decorations... Still doing the seasonal thing!
Playing for the Jr. PGA group from Atlanta. We played "Colors of the Wind, Castle on a Cloud and a Thanksgiving Medley at dinner music.
Kauai Suzuki Strings, part of my little violin group over here.
Mom and Jesse in our uniforms.
The other part of the show. It was a laua for the guests
from Atlanta. Auntie Bev is an island performer and these are her students. She was in some of Elvis's movies and was a
major entertainer at Coco Palms back in the day. She is my hula teacher on Wed. mornings.
Some of the church girls who hang with Jesse. Can you tell
who's missing from this picture? YEAH! Aaron, Jesse's other HALF!

OHANA-Island style

On Mon. Nov. 5, 2007 The Prunty family changed
into a family or "Ohana" as we say here in Hawaii. Their new last name is Alvarez, since Lisa found Steve's REAL dad and
he came from Alaska to see his new found family and they took on his name. Then Lisa accepted the ongoing care of three
of her step cousin's three children and they all made up a new family with legal adoption! This is the six children all mixed
in together on the same bench...
The Alvarez family in court just made into one family, all
legal and binding... WOW! Mom Lisa and Dad Steve even had to go on the stand and raise their right hand and promise to take
care of this group for the rest of their lives!!
They exited the court building singing "WE are FAMILY" and
they posed for pictures before getting into a limo that was a total surprise to the kids...
Our prayers and best wishes go to the "MOM and DAD" of this group! This is NOT their honeymoon they are leaving on...
NO, SURPRISE there are SIX kids inside waiting for a fun ride, breakfast at a beach and overnighting at the Marriott to
celebrate the big event! We are SO happy for you all!
YES, I will still babysit on Thursday nights---For the REST of my life?
NOT!!!
This is Micah, Isiah, Josiah, Jacob, Natalia and Kela waiting
for the ride of their life in a LIMO!!! What a special day for this ohana!

Sunset Sunday Oct. 2007

We love to drive out to Poipu beach side to see a sunset on
Sunday evenings. Sometimes we take a bit of dinner and eat while watching the surfers and fisherman.

This night the waves were curling over exactly in a roll and the surfers were loving it! Saw some good pipe surfing!

Time to drive home for a new week. Same little palmagranet
pothole jumper to drive us around in on our little island circles. Still likin' the car! 81,000 miles so far...

ALOHA Jesse

SO, what does Jesse do in his days of living on Kauai? Let's see, seminary at 6am, school at 8:25 until 2pm, volleyball,
aikido, softball, violin, reading scriptures (5 chapters a day!?!), homework, keyboard/piano, japanese, hanging with friends, young men/Scouts, beach, church, and PLENTY of time down at the Stennetts "Jungle Patch"!!! AND he keeps his room straight!!!
Jesse is doing Aikido on Monday/Friday nights. He goes
with Aaron Stennett from 6:15-8:30pm and they seem to be enjoying the discipline of it. This is the whole group at a
Sat. workshop that lasted all day ending with a big dinner. Can you find Jesse?
The prizes at the end of Jordan Stennett's birthday party.
Went to "Funland" for some games and fun and the tickets bought everyone a "bopping" toy. Had to fit them all in the little car and then they all "bopped" each other till Jesse's hammer popped! His WAS Superman!!!
Jesse in his "working" position! Our computer spot in the house where he keeps up with school work and chats with friends. Smile Jesse!
The morning of the adoption, infront of the courthouse. Kids were glad to be together for the event, Jesse was just not excited about going back to school since the adoption family was leaving in a limo...
The plant Jesse just did his biology report about. The Beach Naupaka, which grows a perfect half flower and the mountain naupaka grows the other top half of the flower?! Jesse
posing with the plant to put this picture on the title page of his 18 page report. He still has a cold, but he is trying to look
happy with the sun in his eyes.

Honolulu Trip this August 2007

Dole Pineapple Plantation and Jesse showing how
a PINK pineapple grows. Got pineapple freezeys, delicious!!
Michael and his BEST Harley riding buddies, Troy and Eb.
Everyone came to visit the same weekend, Troy/Eb & family, Casey/Amber and Aunt Carol/Charles and girls and Ansely!
Jesse standing at Pearl Harbor. It was a good day! Lots
of information and history! We got the headphones and listened to 25 spots of detail, highly recommended!
Amber/Casey/Dad Michael at the Hyatt
at Waikiki Beach. Celebrating their 1st year anniversary!!
Jesse at the wall. Very sobering! The name WAIT and SHERRILL are both posted there. Could really feel the sacrifice for both sides while walking on the Arizona Monument.

Updated pictures of Halloween grandgirls

Jake, Camille and Kennedy Jean ready
for a night at the Halloween fair.
Grace being a princess and saying
"SMILE!"
What's this all about? Anne doing the
Halloween thing with "pun'kin' style!
An ASU fan-looked like a good Halloween costume to
me, but the pumpkin won out for the evening...
Would have been TOO hot for Kauai!

A wet ALOHA

This is what a GOOD beach day for Michael
looks like... NOT today!
He is even willing to sit at a bonfire
by the beach! and wait for the sun to set... but NOT today!
How about clam chowder by the sea with his parents,
EVEN IF it is cool and we need MORE clothing... and even dodge from the seagulls, in Santa Barbara. NOT today!
We can do beach with kids and toys. NOPE not today!
OK, a game of volleyball would be fun! NOT TODAY!
Trying to explain that we DO have a lousy Saturday over here ONCE in awhile...
I had to work today and Michael was going to go sit at the beach, BUT NO!
It poured rain most of the day. NO BEACH TODAY!
We will hope for a better day tomorrow, even tho we are THANKFUL for the rain! Been a dry year,
not as bad as Atlanta or the west coast with fires... Counting our blessings and looking forward
to a better Saturday NEXT week. Will send pictures. OH YEAH, last week Saturday, Michael, Jesse
and I WERE in the water at the beach in the sun and I saw a body swimming next to me, and up
popped a TURTLE as large as a circle of my arms. He came up to breathe and Michael reached out and
touched his hind paw or fin thingy and the turtle moved over a bit and stayed right there for a few more
waves with us, took a few more breaths and then swam back out to sea. IT WAS a gift! SO cool!
See we DO have great beach days!