a visit from nonda

my cousin nonda came to visit hawaii for the first time and stayed with us for a few days. he was on the design team for the new arizona memorial visitor center, so came out for the official opening and dedication. we didn't have a lot of time to show him oahu, but took a half-day driving tour of the island. we made it to most of it! we even visited the famous shrimp trucks on the north shore, which i've never been to. a bit price-y for something that you can make yourself, but still yummy and worth a try once in your life!

the girls and nonda in front of the shrimp truck

makena trying to copy sissy's pose

so happy together

who wouldn't want these beauties?

direct from my sister's favorite store, anthropologie, i am coveting these for christmas...

the adventures of huckleberry finn, the adventures of robin hood, anne of green gables, the wind in the willows, the secret garden & peter pan. canvas covered gorgeous-ness!

happy birthday to me!

yes, i am back-tracking now. my birthday was at the beginning of november, and we celebrated with uh football and a red velvet cake from my favorite bakery.

as good as we're going to get for family shot. notice makena eyeing the cake instead. she relished each and every bite:

ballerina girl

makena recently began ballet classes at the royal academy of ballet in honolulu. she loves it, and is so focused and disciplined in class. she is a great listener, who would have thought?

proud of her ballet dress code and hair-do, both requirements for class

doing a little dance

all of these pictures were taken at her first class. she was so excited to have her own official dance clothes and shoes.

gobble, gobble

nanea's art projects for thanksgiving:

a pilgrim hat, and a turkey utensil holder

posing by the christmas tree

and so as not to be outdone by the super model:

not our tree, but fun nonetheless!