YARD ART

My entry for our photo of the week assignment (art) is....yard art. i love it. i love the whimsy of it . i love the surprise. i love this guy sticking out of the ground every time i walk by and glimpse down and see him.

Handsome guys

Is it okay to think your men are handsome? Okay, I know it's okay to think that...but is it okay to say it to others? Well, there you have it...a very handsome husband and cute boy that I have. :)

Family Pic

Here is our family, post luau festivities. I'm actually surprised we are smiling...or still standing.

VW Haka

Here is my handsome warrior. It was fun watching him do the Haka at the luau, and all my little warriors in training.

Rockin' Recipe

Here is a recipe that we used for our ward luau that turned out to be really good. It was hard to find one that didn't have brown &/or white sugar in it, which tend to burn on the bbq. I only had to 40X this recipe--ugh. I definitely used that math that you're told is important in life to remember. :) But the luau turned out well and people seemed to like the food. Vaughn even said that it was really good, several times...so that says a lot.

TERIYAKI MARINADE (for bbq)
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, and white pepper. Reserve a small amount of the marinade separately for dipping later.
Place chicken in marinade, and add enough water to cover. Cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Heat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
Brush grate lightly with oil. Grill chicken 5 to 7 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Chicken is done when inside is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Reflection

I tried to post this before but it didn't seem to work. This is one of my 'reflection' pictures. My bookends I guess. As I reflect on Tui, my youngest and Tainui, my oldest, I do see how fast time goes. BTW...when i style Tui's hair for the day, he will tell me that he wants 'Beckham hair', then we do this hairstyle. Other days, when he doesn't want it sticking up, he tells me that he wants Ronaldinho hair....I know what he means but I wonder if he realizes that Ronaldinho has a long braid down his back?

HAPPY TO BE HERE!?

Even though VW doesn't necessarily look like he's having fun (he was)...it was Tazzie's enthusiasm that couldn't be matched. She dreads hiking, I'm not sure why (maybe it was our one hike where we RAN FROM A BEAR!!!!). long story, but still quite ironic that we ended up running from a bear (we think) because Taz was standing on the trail whining, not wanting to hike. I don't think it helped on this last hike telling her that she better get over it because we WILL be a walking and hiking family. Her demeanor didn't change at all...well, it took a little bit and then she forgot her pain and was back to her happy self.

The Incredible Pacific Northwest

Vaughn with the kids on our little hike. Even through my lens, I couldn't believe the vibrant colors. You gotta love it here!

Multnomah Falls

4 of my 5 wonderful children. We snuck out of town over Spring Break. Thought we'd lay low in Portland for a couple days. So we went to show the kids the falls. Here is Teina, Tama, Tainui and Tasman.

Turning three

Tui just turned three....my baby is getting big! We took him to the ever popular Chuck E. Cheese for the party--always seems like the easiest way out of really doing a party. He also took a little spill on the driveway chasing Teina, nice birthday present.

NEW BEGINNING 2

The brand new fern is such a beautiful sight. I don't know if I would appreciate it as much if it wasn't such a loved image in New Zealand. It took me a few tries to get this closeup right though.

New Beginning

Ah, yes...trying to be artistic with the fence in this picture. Tainui just started baseball season. I must say, as hard as it is to start a new season with practices and games ALL the time...baseball is REALLY fun. spring, warmth, the outdoors and our incredible long days here and a bunch of 11 year old boys playing their hearts out. james, you need a boy. :)

END!!!!

Tui marks the END of nearly 11 years of straight diapers! yahoo! He did such a great job, pretty much all on his own that I gave him (well, indian gave--i know, un-'PC') Tainui's swimming trophy. What I like about this particular trophy was that the guy looks like he actually SHOULD be a trophy for 'potty training'...i mean, wearing undies and assuming the sitting position.

MOVEMENT 2

Tazzie jumping on the trampoline/bungee thingie at the fun center...fun had by all!

MOVEMENT

Here is my 'movement' picture of Tama. At the ever-fun-family-fun-center! My kids think the Frog Hopper rules....all except Tui that is.

Cheeky girl

Vaughn says Tazzie has the Kewish brow...however, he doesn't mean the scowl part of it.

My Girl...Tazzie

What can I say...I love this girl!

L-O-V-E

I'm sure Vaughn will kill me for posting this, actually he wasn't too excited when I took the picture. However, i LOVE these pants that he just got (at the thrift store nonetheless!) Plus, it's a wife's prerogative right?!

Spring Flowers

I love it when my children pick flowers for me.....even the dandelions!