12.31.11 - Great Friends

Nearly five years ago we had a special family move into our neighborhood and we quickly became friends on all fronts.  Over the years, the friendship grew and evolved into something more like family than just friends and neighbors.  Holidays, parties, and family vacations all became regular joint activities for the Kaopuiki and Day families.  So much so, that the kids gave us a joint family name: the DayPuki family.

So it was with very mixed emotions that earlier this year we congratulated Geoff Day on a new position in southern Indiana and said goodbye to half of our family as they moved away.  What used to be a three house walk to go hang out has become a three hour car ride.  It hasn't stopped us from continuing to vacation together and has given us new motivation to venture outside the Carmel bubble, but we sure do miss our family.

As we wrap up 2011, we are very thankful that we were able to close out the year and bring in a new one with our special friends.

All 14 members of the DayPuki family, complete with matching t-shirts

12.30.11 - My Girlie Magazine Subscription

One of my surprise Christmas gifts this year was my very own subscription to Real Simple magazine.  My sister-in-law subscribes to the magazine and when visiting her home, I have several times enjoyed reading through recipe ideas or DIY projects.  Apparently Marcy noticed my interest in the publication and thought I would enjoy my very own subscription. I'm telling you, she's brilliant!

Kyron was a bit confused after I opened the gift though:

"Why did you give Daddy your magazine, Mommy?" He said.

"That's not mom's, it's mine!  It's my gift." I explained.

"That's weird." He replied.  "That's a girlie magazine!"

Hmmm.  I don't think that's how I would have described it, but he may just be right.

12.29.11 - From one Mantle to Another

My very first post of this month was about Marcy's Christmas Mantle, but there is another mantle in our family that is as much a Christmas tradition as Marcy's.  It isn't so much the decorations above it that make it special, but what hangs beneath and around it.

The mantle at my parent's house is something that I have seen grow from three stockings to four and then to five as I grew up with my siblings.  Adding Marcy to the family made six, then Makela at seven, my sister-in-law at eight, and the stockings kept coming to total EIGHTEEN this year!  Each stocking is different and decorated with symbols and items associated with our personalities or special moments from the past.

This picture of all the stockings above and around the fireplace, beneath the mantle, is a sign that Christmas has come to my parent's home and we all smile the first time we see it each holiday season.

12.28.11 - Gracious Hosts

Jason and Kim's awesome Christmas Tree

As we depart Portland today, I really need to give a big shout out to my brother-in-law Jason, and his wife, Kim.  I don't know too many people that would open their home and lives to an invading army of family - we've moved from party size to army size in this posting - for newly two weeks.  Not only are they great hosts, but they do so very graciously.

Arriving at their house each December feels like coming home because of how comfortable and homey they make it.  Who am kidding? It's all the work of Kim.  She does a great job decorating and creating a home for us these couple weeks and year round for her own family.  Jason, is all about the entertainment.  He's got every night scheduled and planned for the kids to make sure they have the best visit possible. From trips to the coast, up to the mountain, Blazer games, or watching Christmas movies he makes sure to keep everyone busy and having fun.  It's no wonder my kids love them so much!

And I can't forget the kids' cousin Kobe....  For two weeks he gives up his bedroom and space so we can have a place to sleep.  Then he puts up with all these other kids in the house that is usually his to rule!


I just can't say enough about how lucky we are to have such awesome family.  Everyone should be so lucky to be us!

12.27.11 - Secret Family Recipe (reborn)

YUM!

I have written in the past about my our secret family recipe for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies and how they have been part of an important tradition in my family for generations.

This has been a different year for our family though in that several members of our extended family have had to go gluten free in their diet, a requirement that would typically mean no more chocolate chip oatmeal cookies - at least the secret family recipe version.  Leave it to my mom though, always the great cook and explorer in the kitchen, to recreate the secret family recipe in gluten free fashion.

These were almost if not as good as the real thing!  Big shout out to my mom for keeping the family tradition alive, even in the face of a huge obstacle.  I just wish I would have packed some of these for the plane ride home to Indiana!

12.26.11 - Red vs. Green

It's taken us four years to do it, and today we finally saw the dream realized!  We have an annual tradition of a family basketball game we call 'Red vs. Green' and we've had the same teams since the beginning of the tradition.  For the last three years, the Green team has dominated the series, but this is a new year!

The smack talking started early in the day and continued right up to game time. Complete with the Green team starting off with some early pre-game 'Tebowing' prior to tip off.

Although the Green team started the game hot with some big three point shooting, the Red team stayed close behind some clutch inside play by the two youngest players, Caeden and Kyron.  The second half was an entirely different story that saw the red team held to only 7 points while the Red team's stifling defense led to quick baskets and easy transition points.

After last year's contest, we had some concerns that the boys were beginning to take the game a little too serious.  For the most part we saw some improvements in attitudes, but we definitely have some competitive young players.

The final score was Red: 39 and Green: 27.  Congratulations Red team!

Before and After Pictures

12.25.11 - Mele Kalikimaka!

The Kaopuiki 'Ohana

Since we stay at Marcy’s brother’s house during our winter vacation, we tend to spend the majority of our time with Marcy’s side of the family.  My side is more spread out as well, so getting together as a whole family is a little more difficult.  So, it is nice that we get to start Christmas day with Marcy’s side of the family, but spend the bulk of Christmas day with my side of the family. 

My mom is such an awesome cook that we always have an amazing spread of food that seems to come in waves of yummy goodness!

My brother has 5 kids, my sister has 1, and throw in our 4 - in a small house – and the noise volume can be amazing at certain points, but the fun level is equally as high.  Without question, it is a house full of blessings!

12.24.11 - Happy Birthday Marcy!

It is a rare thing to find your life partner at a young age.  I met mine when we were only 12.  Truth be told, I sort of thought she was a brat at first and I am pretty certain she thought I was just some skinny nerd.  She was right, and I was wrong - the first of many such occasions.

People often grow and change together, but it a rare privilege and advantage to grow up with your spouse as young friends and have your relationship mature and evolve into something else.  The benefit of meeting so young is that I can honestly say that there is no one who knows me as well as she does - past, present, and future.

For someone who loves birthdays, I feel bad that her birthday can sometimes get lost in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season.  Of course, if you're going to have your birthday overshadowed by someone else, it might at well be Jesus!

I am most happy, however, that Marcy is able to spend her birthday with her family and have her parents, brother, sister, and the rest of the extended family joining forces with our own family to celebrate her special day.  I am confident that Marcy would say that above any gift she receives, this means the most to her.

Happy Birthday Marcella!  I love you!

12.23.11 - Nostalgic Nativity

It has certainly seen better days.  Figurines are cracked and chipped.  The paint is fading and the quality of the individual pieces is poor, comparatively speaking.  It isn't even the nicest one in my parent's house, but every year this Nativity scene takes center stage at the base of my parent's Christmas tree.  

When I think of the Nativity scene or even when I hear the Christmas story, to this day, THIS worn down and humble Nativity scene is the first imagine that pops into my head.  My parents have a family favorite picture of me as an infant, lying on my stomach and barely able to hold my head up, looking at the scene.  24 years later, we took the same picture with Makela as a baby.  13 years after that, I found myself, tonight, back on my stomach in front of the Nativity, carefully arranging the figurines and straw after my 1 year old nephew went 'godzilla' on the three wise men.

I'm not certain where the sentiment of this particular Nativity comes from for my parents, but I can tell you that for me it is the perfect picture of Christmas.  I imagine the birth of Christ looked pretty similar to this scene: shelter of questionable sturdiness, scraped and broken people involved, and the entire scene easily overlooked by those not paying attention.  Thankfully, we DO pay attention in our house and continue to be grateful that mom and dad have kept this nostalgic Nativity in it's rightful place over the years.  

The Kaopuiki Family Nativity set

12.22.11 - A Trip to Mt. Hood

Collins Lake Resort

Another one of our holiday traditions is to head to Government Camp for a night and play in the snow.

Unfortunately, this has been one of Oregon's driest December's on record and as a result there is not much snow, even up on Mt. Hood.  That didn't stop us from having fun though.  We spent the time swimming in the pool and relaxing in the hot tub.  We didn't have as much snow to walk through as in years past, but it was still pretty cold and made for an cold trek between pool and hot tub.

After swimming, we spent the night playing board games as a family and watching Christmas movies. All in all, more fun time spent with the family!

12.21.11 - Another Fashion Faux Pas

I came to Oregon without a warm coat to wear.  I'm not certain why or what I was thinking, but I packed nothing warmer than a sweatshirt.  So, in need of something to wear during these cold evenings out I took advantage of a sale at Old Navy (and no sales tax in Oregon) and went looking for a warm coat.  I found a suitable jacket and after Makela gave her approval for any color except orange, I immediately grabbed an orange one off the rack and headed to the counter.  This was three days ago and I've been wearing the coat regularly since then.

On our way to lunch today, Makela yelled at me "OMG! Dad! Are you kidding me?!"  She came up to me with a horrified look on her face, raised my left arm and removed the price tag that was still hanging from the jacket.  For three days I have been out and about in my new orange jacket with the price tag hanging from my arm pit.

Makela just shook her head in disgust, Marcy shrugged her shoulders with a "what are you gonna do?" expression, and I just laughed about the whole thing.  If anything, I guess my fashion sense keeps everyone on their toes.

12.20.11 - Now Playing

It's no secret we are big fans of Christmas music.  We have a new favorite Christmas CD this year though, and we are not ashamed to admit it.... well, the two oldest kids may be embarrassed, but Marcy and I are loving the music.  That's right, it's the Biebs.  Justin Bieber's first Christmas CD is getting some serious play in the iPod and in the car.

If you haven't heard it yet, just do yourself a favor and download it.  Then, be honest and admit you couldn't help singing along.

12.19.2011 - Zoo Lights

Every year we come back to Oregon for Christmas, one of the activities we talk about doing but never seem to make happen is a trip to the Oregon Zoo for the annual Zoo Lights.  (I hear that the Indianapolis Zoo has a pretty cool Zoo Lights display itself, but we've never been to that one either.)  So tonight, we ventured to the zoo with lots of Marcy's family to take in the sights.

As we approached the westside of Portland, I had the sad realization that I had forgotten my way to the zoo - twice I missed my turns - and I started feeling more like an out-of-towner than someone coming home for the holidays. After finally finding our way to shuttle parking, we realized that we might have had the same evening entertainment idea as half of Portland!  The zoo was packed!

Marcy and I bundled up at the Oregon Zoo Lights

We joined up with our crew inside the gates, and quickly realized that Kyron was not dressed warm enough.  The kid refuses to wear anything other than warm-up pants and while our message to him before leaving was "If you're too cold, then that's YOUR 'too bad'!" It became obvious that it was going to become MY 'too-bad' very quickly, as I couldn't stand to watch him literally shaking from the cold and picked him up and carried him the rest of the evening! (My back is killing me, even as I type this)  I am sure that I would have enjoyed the evening even more had I not had the 65 lb monkey hanging off me the entire evening.

The lights were really cool though and I would recommend anyone who is considering going to make the trip.  Just be prepared for very long lines, big crowds, shuttle parking or MAX, no animals, and wear something warmer than your basketball uniform!

12.18.11 - The 2011 Family Christmas Card

As documented in a prior posting, I have been really stressing out about the design of this year's family Christmas card.  Nothing has seemed good enough and as a result I have not been able to settle on a design that we all liked.

Then, after that post, I had a friend comment and challenge me via Facebook:

Are you guilty of what I often find myself guilty of? You don't have to top last year's idea. It *was* fantatstic, and if this year's design is just *great* that's fine. The intent/spirit is to show us what is important to you guys, right? Maybe simple/straightforward is best. Don't get stuck trying to be clever and accidently miss the real intent of connecting with those you care about.

Wow!  That last line really hit me.  The whole intent of why we send our cards and write our Christmas letter is because we want to share with people special to us updates about our family and let them know that we care about them and are thinking of them during the holiday season.  Instead, I think I allowed the idea of the card to become about me - and frankly, just typing that makes me feel a little creepy.  The last thing the Christmas season is about, is me (feeling creepy again).

So, below is our 2011 Family Christmas card - simple and basic in design, but complete with sincerity of thought and love for our family and friends during the Christmas season.

12.17.11 - My Favorite Weekend of the Year

One of the best traditions we have developed over the past few years when visiting Oregon for the holidays has been our weekend away with Marcy's brother Jason and his wife Kim, and her sister Lisa and her husband Travis.  We head to the Oregon Coast, adults only, to enjoy some serious R & R while the kids get time with the grandparents.  Both Marcy and I have referred to it on numerous occassions as our favorite weekend of the year!

Each year we've done a few things the same and we mixed others up a bit to add something new to the mix. For example, without any discussion, we have to make sure we have dinner the Friday night at The Lumberyard in Cannon Beach and we have to order the Skillet Cornbread.  I do not possess the skill or words to describe and give justice to how good this cornbread is, so I won't even attempt.  Usually we make it a point to sit at the exact table each visit as well, although we we thrown a curve ball last night when we arrived to find Karaoke set-up in place of where "our table" typically resides.  We had to make due with another booth instead.  Another have to on this trip is shopping in Cannon Beach in all the little stores.  We tend to keep from spending too much money in the shops, but just enjoy spending time in this small coastal town with so much character and scenery.  We also have to visit the Local Grill and Scoop for Marion Berry Cobbler and Tillamook Ice Cream.

Aspects of our trip that have been new and different this year have included, waking up to a herd of elk grazing off the back deck of our house, playing 9 holes of golf (the weather was beautiful), a couple new restaurants for lunch and dinner, and tomorrow we've got our sights set on yet another new establishment for breakfast.

The rest and relaxation has been very nice, but make no mistake that my favorite part of this trip is spending time with Marcy, Jason, Kim, Lisa, and Travis.  As parents, Marcy and I always discuss the importance of making memories for our children that they can carry forward with them through their lives - experiences that will help shape who them as people.  Well, these weekends have created great memories for us as adults that have equally helped shape our relationships as adult siblings and a family.  I also hope it sets a great example for our kids of how important relationships with your siblings are throughout your life. 

I have also had a chance to play with my new favorite camera: my iPhone 4S.  This thing is amazing.  Click on the collage above for some samples of pictures I took with it.  From the landscape shots to the golf action shots (including capturing the ball and divot in the air) this camera is awesome!

12/16/11 - Gratitude

At church recently we've been talking about gratitude, the importance of having a grateful heart, and how gratitude leads to joy. It is the foundation of all other virtues.  It has been a real good series and has challenged me to think about how I show my gratitude for all the many blessings I have.  To be honest, I am definitely aware of how fortunate our family is to have a home, our health, a great job, friends, family, etc.  Those are obvious, but there are so many things that occur throughout the day that in their own right are significant, but I don't do a good enough job of daily reminding myself that these (little) moments are themselves blessings.

One of the ways our pastor challenged us to focus on gratitude was to start a gratitude journal.  Keep a notebook by your bed and write a few sentences each night about what you are thankful for that day.  As I thought through this though, I immediately thought of a life long friend who I has done something really pretty cool this past year along this line of thinking.  Although instead of a journal, she has been tweeting and posting on Facebook a daily tweet/status update with what she is thankful for.  I am lucky enough to follow her on twitter and have been blessed myself by her efforts to document and share that which she is thankful for.

So, the combination of the influence of this series at church and the tweets of @soulmagnet75 have inspired me to take my own attitude of gratitude a little more serious.  I am throwing out an early new year's resolution - I resolve to be more grateful and show more gratitude.  I still need to figure out exactly how I am going to do the latter, but I also think this can be very important to model for the kids as well.  I figure I have a couple more weeks until the new year to figure out the details, but I really like the idea of a journal of some kind - although paper and pen is a little old fashion for my tastes.

12.15.11 - Experienced Travelers

Today has been a great day, but it has also been a loooooooooonnnnnnggggg day.

It started at 3:45am when we woke the kids up to get ready to go to the airport.  Within an hour we were loaded in the car and on our way.

Between all the travel back and forth between Indiana and Oregon, the family has gotten very comfortable in airports, airplanes, and all the nuances of air travel.  Being comfortable with it and enjoying it are two totally different things though. Still, they do a great job and are well behaved travelers.  (I can't say the same thing for the three guys on our second flight today who were nearly removed from the plane by authorities for the disruptions they were causing prior to take-off.  I have to admit, I was half hoping it would happen, just for the story to tell!)

There were even a few moments when some fellow travelers would watch our interactions as a family or see the kids joking and laughing, then comment to Marcy and I that we looked like a pretty fun crew.  One even referred to us as a 'party' which made us smile since we always describe ourselves as party size.

Eventually, we made it from Indianapolis, through Minneapolis, and finally arrived in Portland.  We hung out with my sister-in-law - who does such an awesome job of decorating her home and making us feel welcome during the holidays - before heading out for dinner in small groups of different family members.

Caleb opening presents with his Cousins

Caleb and Grammy

What Caleb didn't know is that we had a surprise planned related to his birthday earlier in the week.

Caleb had mentioned on Monday how he was sad to not have all of his family around to celebrate his birthday with him and how he always seems to miss out on having any extended family around during his birthday. His comments set Marcy and her sister in motion and together they rounded up ALL our family - both sets of grand parents, all the aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides - and we met for a surprise birthday dinner at Red Robin.  I wish I had my camera ready when Caleb walked in and saw everyone.  His look of surprise and excitement was awesome!  This was the first time - maybe since we moved - that everyone was together like this and the event really completed a wonderful day.  Caleb himself probably summed it up best when he hugged Marcy and said, "I'm so happy right now, I don't even care if I eat anything!"

12.14.11 - iFamily Picture

On the eve of our travel back home to Oregon we are in full preparation for the requirements of the trip.  Most of the family is packed and some are already in bed getting some sleep before an early take-off.

So, I thought I was pretty fortunate to take this "iFamily picture" tonight.  It absolutely captures representative of our Apple loving family and gives a clear indication of how we cope with air travel and lay overs.

12.13.11 - Loaf Love

It would not be a 'complete' December Days blog site for me if I didn't have my annual post as a homage and declaration of my love for the loaf - the Tillamook Cheese baby loaf that is.
I got very excited earlier today though when I stopped by Costco on the way home - actually I went to pick up a baby loaf of mild cheddar.  To my surprise, sitting in the display right next to the orange wrapped Mild Cheddar Cheese was a new item!  Costco now carries the Extra Sharp Vintage White Cheddar in baby loaf size!  This is my absolute favorite cheese, but until today I have not seen this cheese sold in Indiana.  Thankfully, Tillamook continues to conquer new cheese territories!

12.12.11 - Happy Birthday Caleb!

Caleb - 12 years old

There are days when having a middle school age boy in your house can be exhausting!  Everything we do as parents drives him up the wall and everything he does drives us crazy.  There's no other way to say it.  Thankfully, however, today is not one of those days.  Today is Caleb's birthday and the world just seems right.

Today we celebrate Caleb and the person he is and is growing to be.  What is so encouraging for his mom and I is that he is already an amazing person.  Yes, he has his moments and his own faults, but don't we all?  What we know about Caleb is that at his core he is a sensitive, caring, thoughtful, and loving person.  When we see him talking on the phone to his younger cousins or his grandparents we can see and hear every one of the characteristics come through.  He has a great sense of humor and is really more mature than his crazy antics at home sometimes indicate.   

So Happy Birthday Caleb!  I hope your final pre-teen year is your greatest yet!

12.11.11 - Typical Family Chaos

Tonight in a car ride home from a basketball game, we had a moment where an outside of observer would have caught a glimpse of why we use words like 'fun', 'party', 'chaos', 'crazy', and 'exhausting' to describe our family. 

To set the scene, we had all just piled into the van after watching what was probably Caeden's most exciting basketball game of the season.  The energy and volume was pretty high. 

All of a sudden we hear Makela talking to someone else - outside the environment of the car.  She was on a video call, via ooVoo, chatting with a friend about important teenage girl topics.  This discovery led to Caleb and Kyron, sitting in the row in front of her, wanting to participate in the call, resulting in lots of shouting at Makela's friend through her phone. Caeden sat quietly replaying the recent victory on the basketball court in his mind.

Someone mentions Christmas Vacation which Caleb thinks is in reference to the classic holiday movie (#3 on my 2009 Favorite holiday movie countdown) and Caleb starts throwing out quotes and funny moments for everyone to laugh at.  No one is really listening to Caleb at this point, except Kyron, who shares his favorite moment from the movie - when Grandma starts singing the National Anthem at the end of the movie. 

Without warning, Kyron breaks out in song.  He's singing the National Anthem - or at least what he thinks the words are - as loud as he can so all of us in the car AND Makela's friend on the ooVoo call can appreciate his rendition.  This sets Caleb off laughing before he joins in singing.  Caeden is still replaying the game in his mind, but we begin to hear drumming sounds on the back of Kyron's seat - a sign that he's getting ready to join the crazies.

Makela is now yelling at the boys because she can't hear her friend on the call, Marcy is laughing so hard, she's crying!  I still am not sure if she's laughing at Kyron's words, Makela's dramatic reaction to the interruption of her call, Caleb's off-tune singing, or just the chaos of the car.  Caeden breaks down and adds his own singing voice to the "choir" while continuing the percussion line on the back of the seat, arm rest, and any other nearby surface.  Eventually, I couldn't stand it any longer and I too joined in on the song. 

We finished on a very dramatic and drawn out note, followed by more crazy laughter. Then a simple comment from Makela to her friend (who was still on the phone):

"And.... that's my family!"

Just an ordinary car ride with the Kaopuiki's.

12.10.11 - Kyron's New Look

It happens to all kids, but for sentimental parents it's sort of a rite of passage from little kid to......not so little any more. Or in the case of Kyron, our youngest, it means the baby in the family is not as much baby as he once was. Oh yeah.... I'm talking about that big life moment when every kid loses their front two teeth and spend the next few weeks with that cute toothless grin.

For the last week or so, Kyron has been complaining about his teeth getting loose, but showed a reluctance to take an active role in helping the process along.  As timing would be, he had a dentist appointment scheduled for Monday and the dentist helped the process along by pulling one of the two loose teeth. The look was completed late Friday night when his second tooth fell out, widening the gap and completing the toothless smile.  Immediately, he looked different and it began to set in on Marcy and I how our little boy will never look the same again.

We were certainly familiar with this transition in appearance from the previous three kids (although Caeden's occurred much earlier in his life due to a crash landing off a play structure - that's a story for another time), but Kyron is the youngest.  With each inch he grows, tooth he looses, and toy he stops playing with there looms, what feels like, a finality to the situation.  A stage of our life as parents ceases and we journey forward, not to repeat that stage again with any others.  For the most part, that's a good thing (i.e. diapers and potty training), but there is still a little bit of sadness in me that Kyron's smile - complete with his baby teeth that could light up a room - will never be seen again.  Out of that sadness, however, springs excitement and anticipation gained from past experiences with three other room filling smiles, that Kyron's NEW smile will be bigger and better - no doubt meant for bigger rooms and bigger moments, just like the rest of him.

12.9.11 - Ugly Shirt Redux

Last Friday my daughter was very critical of my choice of shirt for a holiday party I attended - going as far as to call it 'ugly' AFTER I came home from the party.

I shared that story with a lot of people at work this week and even shared the link to the blog post so they could see the shirt for themselves.  The reactions were overwhelmingly in support of my daughter's opinion.  Not wanting to concede this fashion battle, I made the bold decision to wear the shirt to work today!

Seeing the actual shirt in person did sway a couple people to admit they liked it, but in the end the large majority agreed that the shirt should not make an appearance again anytime soon.  So, it is with reluctance that I concede the argument and am retiring my 'ugly' shirt.  With the final words of this post, I also offer this painful admission:

Makela, you were right.

12.8.11 - Home is Oregon AND Indiana

Caleb and I ran a few errands tonight and got to chatting while in the car. We talked about school, how he hates studying for his finals next week, how his class is going to win the food drive, and other small talk stuff. Then we sat in quiet for a few minutes in the car before he turned to me and said, "Dad, I want to go home."

"We need to pick up your sister first." I reminded him.

"No, I mean, I want to go home to Oregon. I miss everyone." He clarified.

I told him I agreed and we'd see everyone soon enough. He began to rattle off all the things he wants to do during our next trip and we laughed about how most of them revolved around eating. I was nervous of his potential answer to my next question, "Caleb, do you think we should move back? Would you want to do that?"

Silence...

"I don't think so Dad. I love to visit and miss all our family back there, but I like Indiana. There’s lots of good stuff for us here."

We continued to talk more about our life in Indiana compared to what we think it would be like in Oregon.  Five years we've lived in the Hoosier state and those 10 minutes of conversation were probably the most sincere I have heard any of my kids talk about how their feelings related to living in Indiana vs. missing Oregon.  At the center of what is right and good for us in Indiana are the relationships we have made over the past five years - the same thing that draws us back home to Oregon!  I miss our family terribly, especially around the holidays, but I am very grateful that our family has found another home here in Indiana.  At the center of our home here in Indiana is still our family, just a different kind.  Our family here is not related by bloodlines, but they have come along side us in our journey through life and are part of our extended family – special people who make a positive difference in our lives.

I guess the lesson for me is that while my heart and mind drift home to Oregon during holidays, I don't want to forget to acknowledge how grateful I am to the family we have in Indiana as well and how special they make our lives in the mid-west.  Mahalo nui loa to you all. :-)

12.7.11 - Holiday Band Concert

Makela and 2 of her biggest fans

Tonight we had our second Christmas Concert of the week, this time with Makela as the family member performing.

We really are fortunate to live in a community and school district where the arts are supported so well and valued as part of the educational experience of our students.  I don't know how long Makela will play the clarinet, but this has been a really great experience for her these past three years and she has become a pretty good little musician.  Looking back, I'm not sure what I expected when she brought her clarinet home at the end of her 5th grade year and we all suffered through the squeaking and inconsistent sounds coming from her room during practice.  I distinctly remember, however, the first 6th grade concert we went to and being completely blown away with how good they sounded, especially for 6th grade!  Well, they have only gotten better in three years, so tonight's concert was very good - plus, a nice celebration of music from the season.  Santa even made an appearance!

Clay Middle School 7th & 8th Grade Band

12.6.11 - Unnecessary Stress

2010 Christmas Card

I have a tradition each year that is causing me a lot of stress: I don't have my Christmas card designed yet! My good friends and co-wrokers know how important this is to me and I can't decide on a final design. Nothing seems to be good enough. Every idea I bring up to the family has been shot down for various reasons, the most common being, "It's not as good as last year." So, without a design and only being 3 weeks away from Christmas, I am starting to panic a little. I need some

2009 Christmas Card

inspiration or to lower my own and family expectations. There IS something to be said for simple, maybe that's what the theme will be...something nice and simple....

Anyways, I need to figure it out because I am causing unnecessary stress on myself for something that is intended to be fun and send warm holiday wishes.  It may seem ridiculous to some, and frankly even I can agree to that, but I love that our family is aligned in the importance of a tradition - any tradition.  Every family has their wacky traditions and this just happens to be one of ours.

12.5.11 - Northview Christmas Concert

Those who know me well, know how much I love Christmas music.  I have enough Christmas music in my collection I could play Christmas music for 4 straight days - and never repeat a track!  Maybe that's overkill on Christmas music, but it gives you an idea of how much I enjoy the music of this special season.

Northview's Worship team. (Marcy is on the far right)

Christmas Concerts are a special part of the holiday season and our favorite in recent years has become the annual concert at Northview Church.  Marcy sings on the worship team and each year the worship team does a really outstanding concert.  It has gotten to be so popular that they do the concert over two different nights, drawing several thousands of people.  It hardly does the live performance justice, but the video below is a performance of a Trans-siberian Orchestra piece performed tonight by the Northview worship team - awesome!

Marcy did a great job, as did every member of the very talented worship team.  Caeden told her, "It was the best concert I have ever been to!"

12.4.11 - Who needs the NBA?

Kyron getting ready to make a move

Until very recently, I thought we would have to face the winter months without a NBA season.  Not that I had any worries about missing basketball though, especially in our family.

All three of our boys play basketball - and lots of it!  Before moving to Indiana, basketball was the only thing we knew about this place.  We figured the boys would eventually play, we just weren't ready for how MUCH they would play.  Nor did we understand that basketball is much more than a sport, it is almost a religion.  Little boys dream of playing on a hard wood floor, and parents tear up during their little one's first games, then just months later are screaming at referees for calls missed or made against their little superstar.

Caeden drives against the defense 

Caeden and Caleb play basketball year round on travel teams through Indiana Primetime Sports, an organization that we are really happy to have found and be a part of.  Kyron, while spending the last several years being dragged to all these games as a spectator was finally able to join his own Primetime team this year!  He was very excited about being able to play real basketball, like his brothers but maybe more so to have his own Primetime jersey.

All the practices and games contribute to how busy our family is, but when it comes down to activities of choice there are few things Marcy and I would rather do than watch the kids compete, play, or perform in a sport of activity they enjoy doing.

12.3.11 - Ugly Shirt Day?

Marcy and I just got home from one of our favorite holiday parties of the year - special friends with awesome food and a great time catching up with each other.

We walked in the door so appreciative of yet another night out on a date and also that we have kids old enough now that are able to stay home by themselves without costing us the extra expense of a babysitter.  When I got home, however, my daughter (14 years old) caught me off guard with a quick exchange of conversation.  Here's how it went:

Makela: "Dad, I meant to ask you this before you went to your party, but can I borrow your shirt next week for ugly shirt day?"

Me: "Sure. Which one do you want to borrow?" I've got a number of funny graphic t-shirts I thought she was referring to....

Makela: "The one you're wearing!"

Me: "What?! What's wrong with the shirt I'm wearing?"

Makela: "Seriously Dad, it's like leaves and polka dots.  It's UGLY!"

So, apparently I wore an ugly shirt tonight to my favorite holiday party of the year where I met some really great new people and visited with some of my favorite people!  The really sad part, is that this shirt, is one of my favorite shirts! Maybe this is a sign I am getting old.... or maybe it's a sign that my daughter's sense of style and my own just don't jive....which probably leads me back to being old.

12.2.11 - Holiday Party = Date Night

Tonight was our annual holiday party for Harrison College.  It was great to be able to spend a little time outside the office with friends and colleagues I work with.  After four and a half years at Harrison, I continue to be very thankful for such a great job and great people to work with.  My team in particular is a real blessing.  They are all great people, but it is rare that you are able to be part of a group of people with very different individual personalities that all compliment each other to form a great collective.  It also happens that they all have great spouses who are also fun to hang out with!

My personal highlight of the evening though was the opportunity to get a date night with Marcy.  They don't happen as often as I know we would both like, but anytime we can get an evening away it's a good night.

12.1.11 - Marcy's Christmas Mantle

With the exception of our Nativity, Marcy's Christmas Mantle is probably the most important decorative display in our house - even more than the tree.   
It isn't Christmas time in the Kaopuiki house until Marcy has decorated the fireplace mantle.  Sure, the tree is important, but it is relatively the same year after year.  It gets unpacked from the box and put together (the Oregonian in me still can't get used to that) then basically the same decorations go on each year.  I suppose it is special in its own way, but the mantle has even more meaning to me.

I don't know that I have ever really expressed to Marcy how much I look forward to the mantle, but I think what I love about it is that it is something new each year.  She takes time brainstorming and looking for inspiration that will help shape her vision for the decoration and when her vision is clear she goes to it. The finished product is a celebration of the season, a creation from her heart and mind, and a labor of love for our family and our home. You can see versions of previous mantles in past blog posts: 12/1/09 and 12/10/10.

The 2011 version features a symmetrical structure that conveys to me a control and order we often find ourselves craving in our crazy busy lives of chasing the kids around town in between our own activities and jobs. Marcy repurposed a frame from an old print that was garbage bound and created the wreath based on an idea she saw on Pinterest (the Kaopuiki family 'Best web discovery of 2011').  Finally, the Nativity scene was placed front and center as a reminder for all about the true reason for the season.

So, visitors often look at the mantle and wall and most comment about how nice it looks.  Few people really understand that is actually a seasonal work of art, put in place with thought, intent, and love for her family by my favorite Holiday decorator.

Maybe a few more will understand now.