The end of summer...

The end of summer was quite awhile ago...but I'm getting caught up here. As I'd mentioned in my last post, I've been working both jobs since we returned from Japan, so my free time has been more limited.

Saying 'Aloha' to summer

When you live in a desert, water play is key in summer. Even when you're on water restriction. (shh)

We ring in two birthdays in August...I turned 40+, and the only bright thing about getting a year older was having the cutest members of family to help me celebrate. 

We had another bright spot in the month of August...Rich's brother and mother surprised him by flying out for this directorial debut at the theatre!

The script he directed (not wrote) even won Best in Show! Rich and his actors did a phenomenal job of bringing a witty, original play to life for the first time on stage.

Ohh...and guess who started FIFTH grade in August?! This cute kid!!! I want to shrink him back down to kindergarten size, when he was tiny and pudgy. He's getting so lanky/tall, that in a few years I'll officially be the shortest in the family.

Our second birthday of the month...poor Keni was a really good sport about our throwing him a surprise Sweet Sixteen party! 

His younger cousin helped collaborate on the pretty, pink Princess cake with me!

You gotta have a light-up, blinking birthday sash too!

Our final beach day of the summer at Kua Bay...the boy's favorite beach (aside from Ryan's latest new fave of Magic Sands).

The pool days at Aunty's house continue, however...

Ryan was too little to carry Arianna when she was a baby, but he gets to enjoy cuddling with Olivia, and he never misses a chance.

Most women are married to men that dress up as unicorns, right? This isn't weird or uncomfortable for me at all.  (insert crying emoji face)

Rich and his bff, my sister wife, Kerry...getting ready for mystical unicorn party at the theatre.

Sidenote: We have been blissfully vog-free for a fee months now. No one, including me, can get over how clear the skies are after six months of gray skies. This is the view from our patio. Nothing but blue!

The annual carnival crept up on us this year, but we managed to quickly get Ry and his bff out there for some fun one evening.

Lucky, lucky winner!!! (Even after mommy said the odds were terrible that you could win this one. But he did. First try.) 

He chose to study baking for his interest group on this go round, and proudly presented his chocolate-lover father with some brownies, drizzled with chocolate ganache! :-D

 Ry finished his first taiko session (3 months) and they celebrated with a quick show and some outdoor fun. The video below isn't of his show (it was too big a file to post, but it's a similar number):

Every summer should end with a unicorn pool...which is why we couldn't resist getting this for our nieces and filling it with pink water balloons. It's just how we roll. We could barely fit this monstrosity in our truck (in the background) to transport it to my parent's house.

Everything has been going quite well since we returned from Japan:

• Ryan was thrilled with his new teacher team, and even happier to be placed with this two best friends in the same class this year.
• He seems very content with all his activities of sport (taiko, karate) and school (Japanese/math), and is recently quite obsessed with Fortnight (goodbye Minecraft?). This is a shift for him, but we're happy to see him enjoying a new game.
• Rich is busy and loving his weekly voice lesson, his weekly podcast with Kerry and a new comedy class he and Kerry are running. He's found a really nice groove, and I'm happy to see him doing what he loves (and yet, not taking as much as time as a play).  
• I'm doing just fine as well. I'm needing to make some difficult changes in my health that I'm finally starting, battling a minor return of dermagraphism and another minor, but annoying skin disorder, but finally finding a better a balance between work and life. I had my first full weekday off in months today, and it was kind of nice. I got caught up on admin duties, trip planning and party planning.
• I've been terrible, like beyond horrific at cooking the last few months. This weekend I was finally motivated enough to cook pesto, banana bread, deviled eggs, olive tapenade and custard pie. I need to get us back on the wagon of healthier eating. I really don't know how working mothers of multiple children manage to do it consistently. I've been a little to reliant on Costco lately if y'know what I mean...our bodies are filled with additives and preservatives. Just lovely. 
• I can't wait until October rolls around, we have a couple of new things we're doing that month- hosting an Ironman athlete for the first time, and an exchange student from Japan. Should be interesting, especially since Rich will be gone on an adventure that month as well!

We will have fall break soon, so I'm planning a family adventure in my head, and counting the days until we leave for Malta/Italy!!!