BLOCK party

We had such a FUN night tonight!

Some of the neighbors, organized a block party.

They contacted the local fire and police departments and believe

it or not THEY provided the hamburgers and hot dogs. They like to sponsor

get-togethers like this, one-to get to know some of the residence AND for us to

get to know them, two-to promote neighborhood watch and safety.

We had a great turn out. Everyone just brought a

side dish to share, their own drinks and chairs. They brought fire trucks and police cars for the kids to check out Ame with her friends (who are sisters), Lily and Avery.
Next to Kaipo is his nursery leader, Teacher Andi.
He LOVES her, and the feeling is pretty mutual.
Not everyone understands Kaipo and has patience for
all of his energy, so we appreciate all she does for him!!
(Her husband is one of the builders for our development)

Do you think Kaipo enjoyed being in the fire truck??

Ash thought it was pretty cool too.

They passed badges to the kids and Kaipo HAD to get a

picture with one of the Police Officers.

one of our neighbors was joking...remember this face, because

it may not be your only encounter with him!! hahaha

He has a boy Ame's age, that is a pretty crazy kid too.

This is where most of the kids ended up later in the evening,

in someone's backyard playing on the jungle gym.

Isn't this cool? I know MY kids would love to have one in our yard.

Ame thought she was pretty cool doing this trick.

She has also conquered the Monkey Bars at the park,

so she is pretty proud of herself!

If YOU are looking for a fun way to casually get to know

your neighbors, you should contact YOUR local police dept.

and see if they do the same thing. It was such an easy thing

to plan, without much preparation or expense for that matter.

A little Visitor

Last night we got to enjoy a visit from our cute little cousin, Kaiya.

Her mom and dad had a night out (to a concert), without their little girl.

She seemd to enjoy our normal routine of things, like taking a walk and having a bath.

She was quite entertained by my wild monkeys,

but I guess felt more security with ME,

because whenever I left her sight she cried.

As an aunt that is a flattering thing, much more than as a mom. The tub was a little more crowded, but the kids

didn't seem to mind one bit!

It is always an interesting challenge to figure out how to

get everyone out of the tub (especially when someone new is involved),

without too much crying and/or complaining.

But we managed to get everyone clean, dry, lotioned up

and dressed with minimal frustation.

Thanks for visiting Kaiya. We LOVED having you all to ourselves!

*****************************

Ame is going to be a FANTASTIC babysitter in a few years,

although she already is at our house! She was a HUGE help while Kaiya was over,

and actually is my BIG HELPER all the time!