Big Island Days 4 & 5

Errands and traditions

Alex went to Costco to get birthday party essentials including hundreds of pounds of ice while Cole, Audrey and I visited more with Rachel, Louis and Rachel's parents Mark and Karen. We had a pool day at Mark and Karen's hotel in Kona. Later that day Louis went out with Richard to "hunt wild bananas" with a machete. Louis' aunt mentioned later that of all the adventures Louis had on the Big Island wielding a machete may have been the most fun.



The next day we went into town to eat at Jameson's and swim at Magic Sands beach. It is a tradition to have calamari at Jameson's. As you can see by the picture, the restaurant is right on the ocean. It is like heaven to sit under an umbrella nibbling calamari in the ocean breeze. Magic Sands beach is right next door. They call it "magic sands" because the sand often magically disappears due to strong surf. We had plenty of sand but the surf was a bit rough for Cole. He loved watching the boogie boarders and staying just out of reach of the big waves.

Cole and Christina sharing Christina's iPod on the drive into town. He seemed to like Kenny Chesney and the Dixie Chicks quite a bit, he requested the "cheese guy" several times.



Our table at Jameson's with Magic Sands Beach in the background.



Audrey cracking up, Cole as photographer.



Alex and Audrey at the beach



We stopped for a shave ice at Kealia Ranch Store on the way home. Cole sauntered in wearing only his underwear and started exploring.

Cole with hat.



Cole and dad looking at the poster of 50 Hawaiian banana varieties.



Cole with "small" shave ice.



We tried for an early night since the next day was the birthday party. There was still plenty of baking to do, Cd's to burn, and road to make more passable.

Big Island Day 3

This was the day that Alex's cousins flew in from San Francisco. This was a very special trip for Rachel, Judy and Louis because it was one of Louis' wishes to visit Hawaii as he fights cancer. Rachel and Judy are sisters and Alex's first cousins. Louis is Rachel's only son. He is 11 years old and fighting his third bought of brain cancer. He is a beautiful, loving, smart, funny, up-beat kid and I feel so lucky to know him. His strength in life has bettered my life in immeasurable ways.

Louis in Kauai



Louis' aunt Judy has created a website. You can visit to read more about Louis, view pictures, and donate money to help him and his mom with the many expenses associated with his illness.

After a morning of:

Cracking mac nuts with the ultimate nut cracker (also an excellent toy for a 3 year old who doesn't even like eating nuts)



Reading the funnies in Grandpa's easy chair



Weeding the garden (Sarah, not us!)



Chillin' with Izzy (everyone seems to have a rottweiller in Hawaii)



Parcelling out the duties to produce Richard's birthday CD. Richard asked everyone to donate to Louis instead of bringing a gift to his birthday party. He created a playlist and burned Cd's as thank you gifts. See Richard here with his fancy Apple laptop that he got last summer. Even living off the grid, Richard and Sarah have a lot of amenities. They get power by charging batteries off a generator, they've got cable TV, hot and cold running water, a gas refrigerator and stove, a land line and temperamental cell phone coverage, as well as Internet access via an AirCard.



And "running the dogs" on the ATV



Alex and Audrey went to the airport to welcome Rachel, Judy and Louis and bring them back for dinner and a visit. They stayed nearby so they could have some privacy but also be close enough for us all to spend some time together. Cole, Christina and I had another day at Hookena. Cole and I bobbed in the gentle surf most of the day.

Richard and Louis grilled burgers down at the "guest cottage" (read wall tent on redwood deck) and we all feasted by sunset then candlelight.

Big Island Day 2

Beach Day! We decided before we left that we wouldn't worry too much about naps for Audrey on this trip. We didn't want to spend all day up the mountain but we did make sure she got her morning nap everyday. Because of the time change she was waking up around 4:30 - 5:00 AM so she'd be ready to go back down around 8:00. We were then free to go to the beach and enjoy ourselves.

Hookena, the beach of choice. Sisters.



Cole in the warm sand.





Sand, a source of endless entertainment.



Probably the only time you'll see Sarah sitting down will be at the beach. Frank (Richard's older brother), Sarah, and Alex from left to right.



2-3 hours at the beach is plenty especially with a baby and ESPECIALLY at this particular beach because it is so hot. In fact, I got the worst sun burn of my life at this beach in 2001. We headed home to relax and eat a fresh crab feast. Alex bought and cooked 11 crabs just before we left and we packed it in a cooler as checked luggage. For future reference, you may only take 5 pounds or less dry ice in a cooler on the plane!

Big Island Day 1

Alex, Cole, Audrey, Christina and I flew to Kona International on Monday, April 24, a 6 hour 15 minute flight. It went amazingly well with only a bit of grumpiness from the people directly in front of us because Cole was pushing on the seat. As much as we tried to remind him, he is 3 years old and has selective memory.

We drove to my dad and his wife's place south of Honaunau right away (they live mauka, or toward the mountains) where we were greeted by a tasty spaghetti dinner and all the ripe avocado we could eat. Christina stayed at Richard and Sarah's but we went up to the top of the hill to stay at Russ and Mary's place. Thank you Russ and Mary! Sarah generously set it up with provisions, clean linens, and fresh flowers. Thank you Sarah!

A picture of the house looking up the slope of Mauna Loa. The upstairs rooms don't have walls or railings so it's not a preschooler friendly place to sleep.



A picture of the house looking down the slope. This side of the house has a wall since all the weather comes down the mountain and into the house.



A picture of the rustic facilities at Richard and Sarah's place.



The view of the house from the facilities, convenience at the expense of privacy.



Audrey and I turned in early because she had had about ENOUGH travel business and disruptions to her schedule. How did I know? She fussed and cried regardless of the soothing method I used.

Audrey turns 11 months

We've been taking pictures of Audrey on the 23rd of each month since she was born. We now have 12 pictures and are just waiting for that birthday cake all over the face shot. Here is the year of Audrey so far.

Audrey Elizabeth Zecha
Born April 23, 2008
8 pounds 7 ounces



1 month old


2 months old


3 months old


4 months old


5 months old


6 months old


7 months old


8 months old


9 months old


10 months old


11 months old

Easter Traditions

The kids and I drove Tess, our dog, up to my mom's house in Bellingham today. She's going to visit with Willow, my mom's dog, while we are in Hawaii. The Easter Bunny paid an early visit in Bellingham so everyone got a little treat. My mom has continued a tradition that my Grandma started when I was little (maybe it started sooner than that, mom?). We always got a See's Mayfair Egg for Easter. See's describes it as, "a filling of premium butter, cream, pecans and glacé cherries covered with our famous rich, dark chocolate." Either everyone loves these things or they don't make enough of them because they seem to run short every year. I got the Mayfair egg and everyone else got a Bordeaux egg.

My Grandma made me a frilly new dress every Easter as well. What I wouldn't do to still have one of those dresses. Sigh.

Audrey was excited about her egg!



Cole and Audrey with their Easter baskets.



Me and Audrey on mom's deck. I tickled her to make her laugh.



Sweet Audrey.





I bought a Radio Flyer Walker Wagon for Cole's first birthday. He started walking right around 12 months and the toy was a hit with him and his little friends. Here is Audrey just starting to use the wagon (it's a bit beat up from being left out in the rain).



The backyard is starting to be inviting again after rainy Winter. The cherry tree will be blooming very soon. Then the apple, the Asian pears, then hopefully strawberries, cherries, raspberries, boysenberries, and grapes. I love our backyard.

FLASHBACK to this time last year - one very pregnant Heather hunting eggs with Cole at Paul and Kathy's Easter party.

Teeth! and College!

We've been waiting on Audrey to cut more teeth for a long time. She has the two bottom ones and we've taken to calling her "two tooth". Every so often I check and this morning I actually found two new teeth breaking the surface in the front on the top. There wasn't any obvious teething behavior except she seemed to be 'drooling' a touch more than usual. To celebrate I gave her a corn tortilla for a pre-dinner snack.

Christina got two more acceptance letters today, one from UW and one from Macalester College. She was ecstatic about the Macalester letter and looked at it as if it were a winning lotto ticket! Yeah Christina!! In her words, "It's nice to know that all the hard work paid off."

Cole set train track this morning on his own. This is a first. Sometimes I worry about his ability to focus but on days like today I have to remind myself that he is perfectly normal. He can concentrate and focus when he wants to.



I've been singing a couple verses from the Paul Simon tune, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, every so often. I don't have the CD but I found the song on You Tube tonight so Cole and I grooved on this classic for awhile before his bath. Cole loves music and he loves to dance.