Another Special Birthday!

Faith turned 5 on Feb. 8, so she also got to celebrate a special birthday in Hawaii!  The boys all went surfing in the morning at the Marine base, and some of the girls went to play in the sand, including Faith.  Well, actually the waves were really big, so the boys didn't technically surf--just boogie-boarded.  I stayed at home with the little boys and worked on chemistry.

After lunch, we headed back over to the Waikiki side of the island.  One thing I was constantly amazed at was the different weather microclimates all over the island, separated by not very much distance.  It was so interesting!  The mountains in the middle of the island have a huge effect, and they were almost always shrouded in clouds while we were there.  On Saturday, one side of the island was rainy, but on the other side of the mountains, everything was bright and sunny!

We decided to check out the beach at Hickam, since the off-base beaches were all crazy crowded.  We had to wander around a bit, but eventually we found it.  It was not very exciting for the older boys, but it was perfect for the younger kids!  The bonus was that the runway (shared by Hickam and Honolulu International Airport) was off to the left, jutting out into the water, so Micah got to watch lots of planes taking off and landing, which made him very happy.

Drew was not appeased by the beach toys we had picked up Friday night at the Hale Koa BX, but the other younger kids loved them!

Drew was absolutely not going to have any part of the beach, so he fussed and cried until someone took pity on him and picked him up!  Poor baby--he is definitely not a beach boy.  I took his clothes off, but I didn't bother putting a swim diaper or his swim suit on, since I knew there was no way on earth he was getting wet!

We drove back home in time for a birthday celebration with the C's!  Celia had baked yummy brownies, and there was ice cream and homemade fudge sauce to go on top!  Delicious!!  MUCH better than cake!

The C's gave Faith a lovely pink lei (which Anna has now co-opted to make a ponytail/bun wrapper, LOL).

They also gave Faith a book about an adorable little sea turtle named Honu, and the cutest little stuffed Honu, which you can see her holding.  This was a really great present because Faith lost her beloved Bear Blanket the night we spent at Dover, so she has started sleeping with Honu as her special lovey!  I got the best present--a box of macadamia nut chocolates!  I did share--a little . . .  Such fun birthday memories!