Our New Bundle of Joy!

Well, I've tried and failed numerous times now to get back to daily photo posting.  The truth is that  it's been one heck of a busy year in our household!  In ten months we doubled the number of kids we have, from two to four.  Last December we arrived home with our newly adopted 8 year old daughter.  Then just a few weeks later, we found out we were expecting a baby - major surprise!  Blogging has taken a backseat to many other things this year.  But baby boy was born in September and is happy, healthy, and beautiful.  He is not, however, a cooperative subject for photo shoots :).  This was about the best one I could get when I attempted some beach photos with him at Waimanalo. 

Close-Up Look

Wouldn't this be the coolest thing ever if you were a kid?

I Want To Revive The Photo Blog!

It has been SO very long since I even attempted to post on this blog.  We have had an incredible amount of change in our family and my focus has been there - it has been nearly all-consuming for several months.  But I am feeling ready to devote some time to sharing my love of the island once again.  So I'll start with this little babe.  I recently took newborn photos for my good friend, and to give them a Hawaiian flair we used some hibiscus and a giant elephant ear leaf.  We were both happy with the results.

Z: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-A-Dee-A
My oh my what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headed my way
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-A-Dee-A!

Doesn't this just look like a place that evokes happiness, as the lyrics from this 1946 song were also meant to?  For more 'Z' photos please visit ABC Wednesday.

Kicking Up Sand

Two beautiful young sisters frolicking at Lanikai Beach.

M: Mermaid Sighting

I saw this beautiful girl taking a sunset swim near Chinaman's Hat Island last weekend and her pose, combined with her long flowing hair, reminded me of a mythical mermaid (she is actually my friend's daughter!).  For more 'M' photos please visit ABC Wednesday.

Fried Bananas

This is my favorite roadside stand on the island - it's across the street from Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, and they sell all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Every time we drive by (which isn't that often) I have to get a fried banana... probably the most unhealthy thing they have :)

N: New (RED!) Shoes

I saw this older gentleman and his dog resting on the trail to Ka'ena Point.  He was very conservatively dressed in his overalls and hat on this very hot day, but what caught my eye were his brand new bright red tennis shoes :)  For more 'N' photos, please go check out ABC Wednesday.

Kailua Town Hula

At a hula performance here in town.  I love her smile - to me it is the embodiment the aloha spirit!

U'i

Some of the beautiful ladies of the Hano Hano No Akua Ka Hula Hula halau.  This was taken right after their Easter sunrise performance yesterday, which was quite moving. 

A told B and B told C...

“Dare, double dare, you can’t catch me.  I’ll beat you to the top of the coconut tree.”  Whenever I see this photo, it reminds me of a popular children's book - anyone remember it?

K: Keiki Fun

Keiki (the Hawaiian word for children) having a great time riding the waves in their rings :)  Did you ever do this as a kid?  I used to love going to the beach with my brother and cousins, where we'd spend what seemed like hours doing this same thing on our floats.  For more 'K' photos please go check out ABC Wednesday.

Catch Your Breath

A pair of hikers stop to rest on one of the ridge-line trails above Kailua.  I liked the way their coordinating black clothing contrasted with the green landscape around them :)

Something Different

I am not normally into altering images - maybe a few basic fixes in iPhoto - but no drastic post processing.  Well, that may be about to change ;)  I recently found a few free downloads that I like, and one of them is Pixlr.  I used it to give this photo a more worn, vintage feel with the "dirt" application!  While this stuff is fun and I just love seeing the ways that others use applications to do really cool things, I think that I will ultimately remain more of a purist (even if that makes me more boring in the photography world)!

What downloads  or programs do you like to use for image alteration?

Friendly Reminder

I recently saw this t-shirt that the coaches in the AYSO soccer program are wearing for winter season...and it kind of cracks me up :)  However, I do think it's a nice way to get the parents in the right frame of mind as they show up for their kids' games. 

Reflecting in Reflections

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It's always our self we find in the sea.

~e.e. cummings

Just To Be Fair..

I had to post a pic of my little boy today, since I showed off my daughter yesterday.  This was him opening his first gift, a size 1 soccer ball - he was SO happy with it that as far as he was concerned the gift-opening portion of Christmas was over!  He walked over and got his shoes and kept saying "Outside, outside!".  Don't worry, his sister made sure the rest of his presents were opened :)

Merry Christmas To All, and To All a Good Night

It has been a good weekend:  Christmas Eve hula performance by my daughter's halau, both kids getting hopped up on sugar cookies and dancing to Christmas music, cheese fondue with my Santa after the stockings were stuffed, pre-dawn awakening for presents, church service this morning to celebrate Christ's birth, delicious dinner with friends, and an evening visit with more friends.  I am worn out, but in a good way.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Tis The Season...

for family photos sessions!  Many people in Hawaii love to have their Christmas card photos taken on the beach.  This was one of my favorites from a session I did last weekend.  I like it more for what it's not - instead of being the obvious posed oceanfront shot (of course I love those too) this candid capture only subtly hints at its location.  Bicycles propped against the wall, canoes jutting out, and beyond them the texture of the sea - no blue hues, no foaming white waves, just the change in texture as sand meets water.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

If I'd happened upon this little girl at Kailua Beach Park, I would have thought to myself "Wow, her brightly-colored bike and brightly colored-outfit almost look like they were coordinated".  But I have to confess, this is MY little girl, and because practically everything she owns/wears is pink or purple, her things always appear to be coordinated!  It was too blustery and cool to play on the beach today, so we decided to enjoy the outdoors with a bike ride.