Can Miracles Happen Twice?

Yesterday I noticed the bathroom door was closed and I asked who was in there. Cameron said she was helping Austin go to the bathroom. I thought it was something like a few days ago when Eden tried to help him go to the bathroom after he had already messed in his diaper. That wasn't fun to clean up, but Cameron is a little more careful so I thought I would wait and see what happened. Turns out, Austin actually went poop in the potty! Holy cow, I couldn't believe it. What a fluke I thought.

Well, I just walked by the bathroom again and saw Austin sitting on the toilet surrounded by Dad, Cameron, and Eden. Ryan looks at me and says, "Austin's going pee in the potty." I think God must have decided that it's my time to leave this planet because my family no longer needs me. If they can potty train without me I must be done. If only that were true. Anyway, potty training is a long hard process and Austin isn't even two yet so my dilemma is, do I run with this? Is he really ready? I guess I'll just have to give it a go and see.

Eden was this same age when she was begging to be potty trained and it only took 10 days. I thought she was a miracle child but maybe it's possible Austin will be the same way. Maybe miracles do happen twice.

Austin's First Roller Coaster Ride

On Saturday June 14th Ryan's work took their employees and families to Lagoon. It was Austin's first time on a roller coaster and, as you can see, he loved it. It was a beautiful day, 85 degrees and breezy, and we had a great time, until the power went out. We waited 2 hours for it to come back on. But because of the inconvenience Lagoon honored our tickets for another trip before the end of the month. So we went again on Wednesday. This time Austin knew what to expect and was soooo excited. I was even able to bribe Eden into taking a nap the day before by telling her I wasn't going to take any crabby kids on roller coaster rides.

This was the first time Dallin and Cameron were big enough for all of the scary rides. After a bit of coaxing, at first, Cameron decided these were definitely the better rides in the park.

I gave in to some serious temptation and indulged in a little funnel cake. It's been decades since I've had funnel cake and it's one of my favorite treats. I was determined to finally enjoy a treat I'm allergic to and just suffer the consequences. Fortunately, they were minor. Yay.

Sleeping Beauty

Cameron had her first ballet performance last Saturday. She was a Village Maid dancer in the Academy of Ballet's performance of Sleeping Beauty. She did a fantastic job. I was so proud of her. She has really loved ballet and tries so hard to learn all the names and perform every step perfectly. Are we surprised? Cameron always gives 100% attention and focus to everything she's doing. It's hard to know what to concentrate on with her because she's so good at everything she tries. I really admire her for that.

Oblivious

So, I had kind of a busy week and these next two stories seem to exemplify some of the consequences of being preocuppied with "other" things.

First of all, Tuesday morning I was rushing the kids out from swim team practice so we could get home for piano lessons and I could go to the grocery store. I was shooing Eden, Dallin, and Cameron in front of me like a gaggle of geese and suddenly panicked when I realized Austin wasn't with us. Frantically I called out, "do you guys see Austin? Does anyone see where Austin went?" Dallin and Cameron just glared at me like I was mad. I followed their line of sight to see Austin... in my arms.

Later that night I was, again frantically, trying to get dinner ready before we had to leave for Pack Night. I told all the kids to go downstairs and play so I could "concentrate" on what I was doing. About half an hour later I was making my final preparations when I noticed Austin pushing a toy box overflowing with something white down the hallway. My first thought was, why isn't he downstairs. Next I thought, what has he been doing up here if he hasn't been downstairs. My final thought was, what is in that box? I had a sinking feeling it wasn't his blanky. It was almost a whole role of toilet paper. The rest was still on the bathroom floor. I asked Dallin to quickly put it somewhere in the bathroom where it could be used again only to find Eden screaming later that she couldn't wash her hands because the sink was full of toilet paper. Needless to say, the whole thing ended up in the trash. Better to lose a dollar than any more of my sanity.

Saying Goodbye

My last night in Maui Lynne had a ceremony at the house to give us all an opportunity to say goodbye. In typical Hawaiian fashion we each took a leaf and placed in it items from around the house; flowers, sand from the beach, soil from Grandpa's garden, pebbles, etc. We then folded up the leaves and wrapped them in twine from Grandpa's shed.

Down at the beach we each took a moment then threw our offerings into the sea where they would be kept forever. We stayed until the sun set and then Jacque and I headed home.

I will miss this special place that has been a part of my life for so long. I'm grateful my Grandparents were able to create a paradise that we could come to and make so many wonderful memories from. But as Jacque put it, now it is up to us to create a home that will be a paradise for our children. A place where they will feel peace and serenity and make memories that will last a lifetime. Paradise doesn't have to be in Hawaii but can be any where we place our hearts and our love for one another.

My Grandfather spent years preparing financially, researching, and then considering the best place for his retirement. Then when he found it he put a lot of sweat and backwork into turning a dusty piece of lava rock into a home that has lasted for decades. He has always been a great example to me of hard work and sacrifice that had a great reward in the end.

Thank you Grandpa, for everything.

Poolenalena Tour

So, the first night Jacque and I got to the house most of my family was already there and we had a wonderful Thai dinner. After dinner my Dad informed us that the house was being sold.

It's hard to put in to words how I feel about this, so I don't think I will. I knew it would happen someday and that it needed to happen and I understand. So I tried to make the most of this trip and take pictures that would capture some of my memories of this house.

Snorkeling with Dad and Bre

One of the best places to snorkel is off my Grandpa's beach but this morning my dad, Breanne, and I went to the Maui Prince Hotel. The spot where we snorkeled is called Turtle Town and this is where Breanne got her chance to touch a turtle. I chased a few and eventually caught one, making that a second time for me. It was so much fun! The picture on my sidebar is from the day before when I touched my first turtle off Grandpa's beach. That was exciting.

Behind the Horizons

The purpose for our visit this year was to see Lynne's art exhibit Behind the Horizons at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. I've already blogged her exhibit in detail but I wanted to sneak in two photos from the two other exhibits that were shown alongside Lynne's. It was wonderful!

Welcome to Poolenalena

Poolenalena is the name of my Grandparents home in Makena, Maui. They lived there for a little over 25 years until they passed away in 2002. My Aunt took care of them during their last few years and lives there now.

I have been coming to this home as long as I can remember. I remember diving in these waves, watching sunsets off the deck and listening to the waves crash as I tried to sleep at night. I also have special memories of making creatures out of sea shells with my grandpa and listening to my grandma as she washed dishes in the kitchen, which has an incredible view of the pacific ocean.

One of my favorite memories was waking up to a quiet house at 5 am and watching the lighthouse blink off the nearest island. Adam and I would play Othello until everyone woke up. Then after a quick breakfast we would run down to the beach and start making sand castles.

Life in this home has always been peaceful and serene. It has been a paradise that I have looked forward to coming to so many times over the years.

Natural Ground: The Intentions of Three by Lynne Gilroy, Linda Kane, and Randy Takaki

The reason for my visit to Maui was to see my Aunt Lynne's art exhibit at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. I know Lynne spent years on these paintings and I was amazed by the beauty, color, and emotion that she captured. The other two exhibits were also impressive and emotional. The three exhibits were beautiful together.

I've included in the following entries some examples of just Lynne's work and the explanations for them. Remember these are just photographs and don't quite do the pictures justice.

Channel Crossing

My photo does not do this painting justice. I believe this was one of the first in Lynne's series of paintings and it is spectacular. It captures the movement of the setting sun actoss the horizon beginning with the winter solstice in the first section and moving through the 21st of each month ending with the summer solstice in June. From Poolenalena the sun sets just off the northern tip of Kahoolawe at winter solstice, moves across the Kealaikahiki Channel, and sets two thirds over Lanai by summer solstice.

Sunset and Water

The actual names for these photos are Red, Violet, Orange, and Yellow and Black and White 1-4. The colors were chosen from the vivid hues in actual sunsets and the black and whites are close up images of the water at sunset based on light patterns dancing underwater, otherwise known as refractions.

The Four Sunrise Paintings

North/Winter, East/Spring, South/Summer, West/Fall

These four paintings conceive of Maui as a monumental compass in the middle of the ocean. Lynne's intention was to explore the quality of the light at Sunrise in each of the cardinal directions.

The angle of the rising sun varies with the time of year. Each direction is paired with a season.

Day West

This painting, along with its partner Day North (not depicted) shows the narrow band of light just above and just below the horizon as it changes in the course of a single day from one constant point of view. The day for this painting was at winter solstice and the location was the view off the west deck at Poolenalena.

Island Noon

This painting depicts how the light surrounding the island is affected by currents, winds, and the depths and shallows of the channels and open ocean. Eight people were given cameras in eight locations around the island. The photographs were taken at exactly 12:32 on July 19, 2006, the minute that the sun reached its annual zenith.

Swimming With Turtles

One of the highlights from my trip to Maui was this moment so miraculously captured by Breanne. I love to snorkel and have tried many times to even catch a sea turtle but they are pretty darn fast. This one, though, popped up right in between Breanne and me as we were snorkeling off my grandpa's beach. I swear it wanted to play so I dove down to touch it and when I came up Breanne was freaking out, "Don't touch the turtle! You're never supposed to touch turtles! Their jaws can bite through a steel bar. It could snap your arm in two." All I could think was, "but it wants to play."

Regardless of whether or not I was supposed to touch the turtle Breanne was also freaking out that she got a picture of it. Way to go Breanne!