Everytime we go to Hilo, it's because we have something to do- run a half, run a full, visit Uncle JJ & Aunty Lynne, help them move, etc. We never seem to go there just for the heck of it. So on Thursday, I planned an overnight trip to Hilo for Rizzle, my mom and I that would be all about the fun.
Ryan got totally spoiled by his Uncle JJ on this trip- lollipops, Hot Wheels, glow sticks...all the best gifts in the world for a 2-year old. :-) After stopping in Waimea so we could break up the trip and also give my mom time in a craft store, we headed straight to pick up Uncle JJ for some lunch at Nori's, and then a stop at the Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo!
The number of animals at the zoo are fairly...um, low (hey, money's tight, not complaining). But the fauna?! Breathtaking.
Rizzle found a giant Jackson chameleon by the water lillies, but no frogs. Which is fine, because he currently has about 4 frogs and ten tadpoles at home right now!
Ryan didn't give a hoot that there were only a few animals. He kept exclaiming every other minute, "I love the zoo! I love the zoo!"
I'm no botanist, but I think this is the lilikoi blossom. Amazing, isn't it?
No trip to Hilo is complete without a stop at the mall for some mini-carousel and helicopter time! Especially since the planned trip to the bouncies got panned due to a serious spill Ryan took at the zoo. It was his worst fall to date...horribly scraped knees, bleeding...and a limp. If I had given him a stick and a tin cup that day, we would have made millions as he gingerly limped around the mall.
Someone wanted to see the Easter bunny...but at $20 (the cheapest photo package available), mama wasn't buyin' it. So we settled for the free bunny ears instead. ;-)
Sunscreen boy!
On Friday morning we went to the park and I snapped the first photo I've ever taken of Ryan where I think he looks like me. ;-)
Spying on the enemy!
Admittedly not very sanitary, but very cute!
After the park we went to get some traditional okazu-ya food & mochi from Two Ladies Kitchen (strawberry mochi, baaaby) to eat at Coconut Island.
Although not a single picture from this trip includes me in it...I swear, I was there!
Doing what boys do...looking for fish and crabs together.
We had so much fun that I would love to do this again, only next time, with Rich or a brother husband. :-)
Step 1 - Create a bin. Line with newspaper torn vertically and old paper towels. Dampen to consistency of a wrung out sponge (I've been told it's important not to oversaturate the paper). Using styrofoam seems a bit well, contradictory, but apparently its a common first bin for people new to composting because its very inexpensive (the 30-gallon one I got was about $9) and you don't need to use a drill to create the air holes on the sides and bottom of it. I wanted to go small and simple for my first attempt...just in case I find that the mongooses, centipedes or ants love it a little too much (supposedly if it's built properly, this isn't supposed to be a big issue). 
Step 2 - Add other dry stuff from your house. We used old sawdust from my dad's shop and leaves.
Step 3 - Add worms. In our case, we were lucky enough to get red worms from my mother's friend (I learned that you do not use earthworms, and you do not introduce these to your soil because they neither burrow, nor are indigenous to the islands). Though I'd wanted about 25-50 to start, I think we have about 10. So they won't eat thaaat much until they start to multiply, which I've been told happens fairly quickly.
Step 4 - Add scraps of food. Our worms get to dine on diced (for quicker consumption) old papaya, apple bananas, tomatoes, Okinawan sweet potato, carrot peels, cucumber and apple. Not bad for worms! Top off with more damp, shredded newspaper. Cover cooler, place outside in shaded area. Wait 3-6 months and refill with scraps and mix every few days.
Last night Rich had to work late, so I was on bath duty! Someone leaned forward and dipped his hair into the water and created this funky, adorable look!
Seriously now. Who says bangs aren't hot?! I'm calling this look "The Ryan" before someone else lays claim to it. And here are three more pics from the month that I haven't posted yet.
Who needs a sandbox when you have sawdust?
Kenichi & Riki with their latest catch! And since their daddy is a chef, they always get to eat whatever they catch minutes less than an hour after they catch it! I can't wait to take Ryan fishing in a few months (my plan was to get him a little bamboo pole with no reel for his birthday since I think he'd love dangling a pole off the safety of a pier). It's funny, I hate the idea of fishing (it seems so cruel to hook something in its mouth and then 90% of the time, have to throw it back to sea), and I'm notoriously impatient. But it's one of those important life lessons (compassion, patience, sustainability) that I think are good for a young lad. :-)
Ryan loves to play basketball with daddy...look at that anticipation!
We can't get over how kids will run past 10 eggs in their path to get to a certain one that catches their eye! Or how after finding three eggs, they'll stop, sit down and start to open one, ignoring the frenzy around them. 
The post-hunt group pic of the littles ones with their loot!
Keni & Riki helping Ryan open his eggs.
The post-hunt Easter brunch! 
The big boy division posing with their loot!
And the final shot of the day was also the money shot of the day...Ry and his friends racing each other in the grass! Check out those smiles! Psst...please note who is bringing up the rear. And you thought I was exaggerating about my pace. ;-) 
I can hardly believe Easter is over. This was our second Easter with Ryan, but our first full Easter season...complete with egg dyeing, basket making, Easter baking, egg hunting and Easter crafting. Sometimes I exhaustedly find myself counting how many more years I have left to do this (still not really my forte), but more often I find myself already regretting how few of these fun holidays we have left with our little boy & his two cousins. :-)
Our little equestrian was thrilled to be able to ride horses again! It's funny, I don't think he actually harbors any desire to truly become an equestrian (so no breeches, helmets or riding crops have been put on order just yet), I just think he has a childlike wonder for those mighty beasts. I know he's not the first 2-year old to ride solo, but I can't help but be proud of him for bravely climbing up there and saddling up all by himself!
We've always skipped the Easter egg hunt in the past, but this year we thought we'd try it out since Ryan is more or less old enough. Since we hadn't prepared him for what to do or expect (hence, the gaily colored and festive blue plastic bag 'Easter basket'), Rich made sure to take him to a sparsely populated corner of the field where he wouldn't get trampled. Our um...wise little Asian tiger child...scampered right past 4 of the 5-6 eggs in front of him. And no, they were not hidden. :-)
On the way home, someone was soooo exhausted from, oh I don't know...riding the entire 10k (?) and passed out. ;-) This gave us time to both run around and start preparing for our Easter egg hunt later this morning. Rich cleaned the yard with my dad, and was then dispatched with Ryan to get a beverage dispenser and cake fondant. Having this time allowed me to finally finish up his birthday invitations (and only because my mother did the heavy lifting!), but I still ended up staying up late making an Easter cake for the post-hunt brunch afterward! :-) It didn't turn out AT ALL how I'd envisioned (Faberge is safe from the likes of me), but it all worked out. I wanted it to be green since Ryan's new favorite color appears to be green (an improvement from pink and purple).
We've got three hours until the hunt begins...let's hope Ryan does a little better today!
After sampling the mini cookie I'd made just for him with the leftover cookie batter (moms...you know that last little tablespoon I'm talking about), he said what he always says whenever he's pleased- "I very like it, mommy!"
Slumber parties are fun for all (except the adult chaperone). But they're tough. Tough. Lots of cooking, cleaning, bathing, scolding, shushing, packing... I'm going to need some time before I have the strength to do another. :-)
Oh what a difference a year makes...last year, even six months ago, Ryan wouldn't have gone into a bouncy house with other kids. This year, he scampered in at least 5-6 different times! And even when he got hit by bigger kids multiple times, he was fine. :-) Whew. I remember when getting one little bump = tears and hightailing it out of there and/or mommy having to climb in and jump while carrying him! 
I don't know why, but everytime Riki protectively watched over Ryan in line, I thought it was adorable...
Ryan's favorite entertainment of the day by faaaar...were the dry slides. I wasn't sure he could climb up the steep slippery stairs up by himself (since the last time we did them in Santa Rosa he needed help), but today? He was all good. He still looked so little compared to most of the other kids though! 
Here he is on his first time flying down! 
And I think this might be the 517th time going down... :-) 
And leave it to his two older cousins to go down double decker style and 'burn' Keni's face from the friction! :-( 
Ryan is now 2/3 way through his nap, and I've just finished packing for tonight's sleepover. Rich will be joining me around midnight once he's done working...so I'll be solo at the pool, setting up sleeping bags, and cooking pizza and popcorn until then! :-) I don't mind though. Those boys are super easy (albeit super LOUD) to watch and give Ryan such happiness and brightness in his eyes. And best of all, tonight we're making memories...it will be their first sleepover together (camping didn't count since Riki slept outside the tent). So we'll giggle, gossip about girls and then end it all with a showing of Finding Nemo. Can't wait.