END of year WRAP UP!....good bye 2010....

Tis the season,....
We kept the momentum going after Robert left. In fact, that same week we went to a dinner event where a Hawaiian choir performed Christmas music in Hawaiian. It was very beautiful. The food was excellent and they even got gifts from SANTA!

 We took photos in front of every tree (including the PALM tree). I even got into one of them.

We were chosen to be the OFFICIAL tree lighting family for Schofield. It was such a great night. We got there thinking we were helping to light the tree. Little did we know we were the only family doing it. The girls wore their matching candycane PEACE sign shirts and we hit the button to light up the entire post. I had never been able to attend. I was always at school the night of the event so it was extra special to me.

Cannon got transferred to a NEW class to get away from the little bullies and crazy kids. I was SO excited to move!....She is now the top of her class. I KNOW she was before but the teacher was too busy and distracted to care!
She is amazing her teacher with her creative writing, great reading skills (in fact a mom messaged me on facebook to tell me her son was really impressed with cannon..WOW!), and her kind manners and willingness to help others.

The girls we in a live nativity for Christmas eve. It was a little bit funny because all the girls were going to be angels when all of a sudden I have a CAMEL coming up to me. Cannon decided she wanted to be a CAMEL!...So our replay on the angel Christmas card was a bust....LOVE her as a camel.

My sweet monkey made it very clear that she could write her own songs better with a guitar...so she is now learning the guitar, Thorin plays the Ukelele and some day Cannon will get in on the act....or sing.

Thorin was getting too big for all the bikes we own.....so she got a BIG girl bike. Can't wait for the rainy season to stop! 

Cannon was stylin in her Memere's jewels. I had gathered a few pieces in 2008 and finally gifted them to the girls. Pepere gave them jewelry boxes to store them in...good call Pepere!

I took photos of all the trees around our house this year. The funniest thing was when we splurged on a BIG tree. We got the 7 foot tree. When we assembled the trees (all 6 of them) the girls could not figure out why we didn't put up our OLD big tree (the 5 foot one)....When we told them we did....they ran to the tree and said no wonder we needed a new tree...."this one is ridiculous!"

 

At the end of the year I did a 1st birthday, belated 10th birthday and 8.5th birthday photo shoot. I also included a Christmas photo and some fun sister shots. I love how my girls are such helpful sisters. I am not saying they are NICE ALL the time....but when it is needed, they are there for one another. Sorenna is ALWAYS checking the food for any allergens to keep Cannon safe. Thorin is always keeping the girls out of trouble with her reasoning and logic. Cannon is willing to help find missing items and fill in when the girls have homework and can't get a chore done. I am so happy to have 3 girls so they always have at least ONE sis to lean 

on.

FAVORITE PHOTOS of CANNON for the year!



Sept-early December 2010

More catching up to do....this was the night to at least get into 2011....so I am almost there....Hang in there...we do WAY too much to keep up with this blog some days.

Ok, I have to say the end of the year was so much fun and really crazy. Sorry for NOT bloggin it sooner. I am slightly addicted to FACEBOOK....instant and easy.

So the photos you see are Thorin being AMAZING. She decided to figure out what the BEST variables were for planting in Hawaii where we live. Seems easy enough. Well, 12 plants, measurements, watering (with a set amount)....you see where this is going....she was very detailed and busy with this month-long project.

She has plants inside, outside, different soils in each.....it was crazy. I was shocked at how cool it was. There were of course the strange broken stems outside (which she accounted for and made note when measuring).....so she won a slot to district out of every kid in her 5th grade..(4 kids went).
Then as if that was not enough to be proud of....the day after her dad went to Iraq she was still calm and detailed enough to BRING home the prize. 3RD PLACE in the entire district!...WOW!  Apparently she gets her green thumb from her dad....I can kill a cactus (and have proven that 3 times!) 

Then this amazing kid during this science fair timeframe also earned her BRONZE award from Girl scouts. This is the highest honor a Junior Girl Scout can earn. She earned hers in 3 weeks. She decided to make cookies for the deploying soldiers and got the community to join forces. Her goal was to give out 300 bags of cookies to the group from her dad's old unit before they got on the bus. She has NO idea her dad was one of the ones leaving until a week before the ceremony. This was out of her love and caring heart. So, she made flyers and SOLD everyone she came in contact with on her plan for them to help her bake cookies. WE thought she would get a few helpers and then we would be baking the rest....I mean an entire weekend BLOCKED off to bake these cookies. Her plan was SO successful that we had 500+ bags BEFORE we ever fired up our own oven. The photos show our fridge and tables. She was featured on the 25th ID website, the newspaper and several other forums. General Champoux commended her on being an outstanding example of a community supporter. He said that he gives coins to soldiers who do an outstanding job and that she had gone above and beyond earning that honor....SO, she now has a "strawberry coin" from the general. She also got a lei from Miss Hawai and 2nd runner up for Miss America!....BUT the shining moment was when Robert got to pin the Bronze award on her vest for all her hard work!...Every soldier in all units got homebaked cookies to eat on the bus leaving for Iraq. There were tears and emails of thanks from the soldiers in Iraq. Her heart is so amazing. I am proud to be her mom and see the world through her eyes.

 Of course we had a fun celebration with Ms cannon.....her birthday cake and shirt matched. She loved her cake and the adventures of ICE SKATING for her birthday. A snowy adventure in Paradise!

Then we said goodbye to Robert and pray for his safe return....hopefully BEFORE Christmas 2011.