September 2021

Finn and Aiden at Finn's fall 3v3 hockey.  Finn is catching up to Aiden in height although he is wearing skates in this picture so it isn't as close as it appears.

Finn and John on the Tilt-A-Whirl.  We went to Valley Fair in early September as delayed birthday celebration for Finn

John and I attended a neighborhood Oktoberfest celebration

Example of how Finn towers over his peers!

We borrowed the outfits from friends

Valley Fair for Finn's belated birthday celebration

 

We look pretty authentic!

We are adapting to the early mornings of school and getting into a better routine during the month of September.  The boys have really enjoyed being IN school this year rather than at home doing distance learning.  I would have to say I agree with them although it was nice having them home for awhile.  Hockey tryouts have begun for Luke, Liam, and Aiden so we are excited for our new teams and new seasons that will begin in a few weeks.  

We were delayed a bit due to weather and some hockey tournaments in August, but we finally celebrated Finn's 8th birthday at Valley Fair.  We didn't get to do this last summer because Valley Fair wasn't open due to COVID so this was a nice treat.  The boys all love roller coasters and anything that twists, turns, or goes upside down and all around.  I have never actually liked roller coasters and find that now I can't even do rides that go in circles so I mostly watched everyone and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  I managed to do the bumper cars and old fashioned cars a few times, but had a hard time even watching them on any type of roller coaster that went upside down or around and around multiple times.  John was a trooper and rode just about any of the roller coasters although the next day he said his neck and back were a tad sore.  Happy 8th to Finn!

Hawaii and the start of School

 

View from Diamond Head

Hiking in Rainforest to waterfall

Our VRBO at base of Diamond Head

Snorkeling in Turtle Bay

Finn's cool picture from airplane as we were landing

Boogie Boarding on Waikiki Beach

Pearl Harbor

Snorkeling trip

Cliff Jumping in Waimea Bay Area

Amazing Hawaiian shaved ice

Pearl Harbor

Snorkeling trip

Surf lessons for all of us!

Finn's first day of Second grade

Luke and Liam's first day of 8th grade and Aiden's first day of 6th grade

We had one last big adventure in Hawaii before the end of the summer. We all loved Hawaii and hope to go back as soon as possible!  We stayed on the island of Oahu and really made an effort to see the entire island.  We spent time snorkeling on the North Shore in Turtle Bay and one a snorkeling tour in Waimea Bay.  We sampled the food trucks and many restaurants along the North Shore and in Waikiki.  We had our fill of shaved ice, fresh fish, and poke bowls!  We spent one day doing surfing lessons and touring beaches on the west side of the island.  We hiked in a rainforest and up Diamond Head.  And lastly, we spent a day touring Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona, Punchbowl cemetery, and downtown Honolulu.  It was quite a memorable experience.  Hawaii is a beautiful state and Oahu is amazing!  The people were warm and welcoming, the beaches are beautiful and diverse in the different areas we visited, and the food was amazing.  

Lastly, we started school slightly less than 48 hours after we returned home from Hawaii.  Luke and Liam are in their final year of middle school in the 8th grade and Aiden just began his first year of middle school in 6th grade.  Finn is our only child left in elementary and he began 2nd grade.  The boys are adapting well to the beginning of school and have been happy to be back in person at school.  We are gearing up for hockey tryouts which are coming up in the next month for the older boys!