Busy Saturday

Saturday started with soccer for Noah. He scored 1 goal in the first half and logged a shut out as goalie in the second. 

Next to Caleb's baseball game where he went 2 for 3 and played some great defense at the pitcher's position. (No pic)

Then to Caleb's soccer game where he scored a goal and had 2 assists.

Then to Noah's basketball game where he played a great game in a tough loss. 3 points and 10 rebounds!

Finally, to a karate birthday party for Caleb's friend....

Whew! Busy day. Not to mention the house full of people Caleb and I came home to! Ready for a relaxing Sunday.

Busy Little Bees

Everyone here is busy, busy, busy.  

Mom is back in school....which means the blog gets neglected.  

Dad is busy at work with meetings and phone calls and all that boring grown up stuff.  

Noah is loving fourth grade, powering through HOURS of homework almost every night.  

He is still swimming for the Kamehameha swim club three days a week, during which he was recently moved up a level to a new coach!  Very exciting news!  Here they are working on their arm strength.

He is also playing soccer this fall for AYSO.  He is enjoying some time in the goal, but also getting to play other positions too which is nice.  He seems to be emerging as a pretty great defender.  He always puts himself in the right position.

Caleb LOVE LOVE LOVES kindergarten.  His writing has perfected in just the last three weeks and he is a book worm.  Give the child a reading log and make it like a competition with prizes and suddenly the kid sits and reads books for hours!  

He is also in a fall soccer league.  He is the giant on his team.  He scored 3 goals rather easily in his first game and had to sit the rest of the game.  Luckily, he is more concerned about the snack than actually playing. :)  And his jump roping skills are being perfected as well.

Jonah has been busy being Jonah.  If he isn't playing trains, he's searching the trash can, or cleaning out the bathroom cabinets, or exercising his reach by grabbing anything and everything he can off of the kitchen and bathroom counters.  He is also into reading books which quickly turns into ripping out the pages.  And he is busy working on climbing (which includes reaching the top bunk all on his own), blowing kisses, raising his hand (good practice for kindergarten), and lifting Tiki.

We try to contain him by putting ankle weights on him....haha! (That's a joke.)

Doesn't this look just scream mischief! 

Our newest family member (by newest, I mean, most recently moved into our house), Bushia is busy too!  She has finally adjusted to the time change, catching up on sleep.  And she is busy keeping up with her grandsons.  As if Jonah isn't enough to keep her busy, she has even succumbed to a few board games with the older boys as well.  She is also busy with her daily walks, trips to the library, and trying to get her show times and channels figured out here! :-)

And last but not least, Mr. Tiki.  He's just busy trying to get as much love and attention as he can.

Swim Meet Update

At swim practice today, Noah learned of his "official" race results...

5th place ribbon for his 50m backstroke,
7th place ribbon for his 50m freestyle,
and he was disqualified for his 50m breaststroke.  (His swim coaches best guess is that his arms came down below his hips. She says that he tends to do that during practice too.)

We have one very proud and excited boy in our midst tonight!  Ribbons, medals, and trophies are the best when you are a kid.  I swore I would NEVER get rid of mine! Thought I would display them all over my house as an adult. :)

Weekend Roundup and More

First for the weekend round up....

Basketball games Friday night.  The boys were awesome as always.  Caleb scored a basket and was instructing his opponent on where he should stand and what he should be doing throughout the game. :)

Noah's team played one of the best teams in the league and they did awesome.  Hung in the game the entire time.  He made lots of baskets, had about 10 rebounds, and a handful of steals.  He tries so hard and takes it so seriously.  Cracks me up!  He is a stud.

Saturday, Noah had his first swim meet ever.  Earlier this summer he tried out for the Kamehameha Swim Club here in Hawaii.  After two weeks of out of control nerves and a few tears, he made the team and was overly excited!  This weekend was a BC meet for those swimmers who do not have a qualifying A time.  Don't ask what all this means because I don't know.  Perhaps I shall Google it and find out later today.  Anyway, he swam in four events, the 50 back, 50 breast, 50 free, and 100 mixed free relay.  Noah was so nervous!  As was I.  So fun, exciting, nerve wracking and everything else in between watching your kids step out of their comfort zone and try new things.  He was awesome!  Never finished last and even got a qualifying B time for his 50 free.  (Doesn't it sound like I know what I am talking about?!)

Sunday, Noah, Caleb, and I headed out to Wet n Wild to meet up with some families from Caleb's soccer team.  Four hours in the hot sun and I forgot to put on lotion sunscreen before we left the house, relying only on the spray.  Not a good plan.  We are all a bit pink today, but we shall recover.  Dad, Jonah, and Tiki had a relaxing day at the house playing a little golf outside.

We ended the weekend with a bike ride and dinner at our friends house.  

And now for the more....

I forgot to post the team pictures from the boys' soccer this summer.  Love them.  

Noah is in the middle.

 And Caleb is third from the right.

Busy week ahead for our family.  Swimming, basketball, new soccer league meetings, doctor appointments, getting ready for school, travels, and more!

School starts 3 weeks from today!

Going and Going and Going and Going

When my sister, Sara, and I were kids, we used to be really obnoxious.  Especially on a road trip.  Whenever we would see a train, we would say, "Look how long that train is!  It just keeps going and going and going and going and going and going and going..."  On and on until the train ended.  Sometimes, we even  kept going and going and going and going and going and going and going even after the train had ended.  Obnoxious, right?

That's what we here in Hawaii have been doing for the last 12 days....going and going!  Minus the obnoxious part.

Now I will give a lousy attempt to recap all that has been happening around here.  And I will mask the lousy recap with AWESOME pictures! :)  

SO, here it goes....

After surfing lessons, we hung around Waikiki for a bit to do some swimming, 

 some torturing of our cousins, 

 some jumping,

 and some human pyramid building.

 Tuesday, we went to Wet 'n Wild water park.  It was so fun but no pictures were taken.  This was a good thing because this was the result of Bushia, graciously staying home with wild man Baby Jonah so mom could actually ride on all the slides!  All except the Shaka, that is.  That evening the kids spent some time sledding down our dead grass hill.

 Wednesday we chilled....and we needed it!  Some games around the house....make-believe, iPad, computer, Wii, and board games.  Swim team for Noah, and basketball practice for both my boys.  After Caleb's practice, KJ and I stopped near Sandy Beach to take in our daily dose of ocean air.  Can you see the para-glider in the background?

We found several crabs, even some little hermit crabs, and lots of little fish.

I think Kristen was is plotting how to bring the ocean home with her....

Can you blame her?  That sound is mesmerizing.

Thursday, we kicked it back up a notch and hiked Makapu'u Lighthouse trail.  (I can't believe I've made it this far into a post, and I am just now getting to a picture of Baby Jonah!)

 Look at that enthusiasm!!!

This view at the top NEVER gets old. 

 Yes, we did see the lighthouse.

 It was such a clear day.  You can see the mountains of Molokai in the background.  Love it.

 On our ride home we stopped at cockroach bay beach, nick-named because of all the cockroaches in this cave.  You can not tell but KJ, Noah, and Caleb are all the way to the other side!  It may or may not have included some army crawling for Kristen deep in that cave.

 Aidan and I passed on the cave tour and enjoyed this view instead.

 The kids prepared our dinner menu for the night.  After a quick walk to the grocery store, work got under way.  Caleb and Kristen began working on the pupus (appetizers), bacon wrapped smokies.

Noah and Aidan got to work on the fruit kabobs. 

 Here is the beautiful centerpiece on our table that Aidan designed.  Amazing.

 And yes, they blasted through two bottles of kid wine.  The menu included, bacon wrapped smokies, fruit kabobs (green grapes, strawberries, and blueberries), long green beans, homemade potato chips, steamed rice, and orange chicken.  A motley crew of deliciousness.  Dessert was a homemade blueberry crisp with Breyer's vanilla bean ice cream.

Friday we headed back to Waikiki for a bit of swimming and some souvenir shopping.  I should note that two different people approached me on the beach to tell me how cute and fun my kids were.

I know.

And yes, I took credit for all four of these kids...and the baby (not pictured).

 All topped by lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.  Aidan had an elaborate song and dance about this place which deserves it's own post.  Unfortunately, I did not get the glory on film.  More on this child's amazingness later.

Friday night....basketball games.  I finally got Noah on film scoring a basket!  Thank you cheerleader Kristen for helping with Jonah....and for your continuous, loud, and positive support of the Blue Dragons. :)

We are only up to Friday folks.....there are four more days to catch up on!  Stay tuned.  We keep going and  Uh-ah-ah.  Gotcha! 

Sports Center

Just a few video highlights from Friday night's basketball games.

First up, Caleb, number 20  on the white team.  This is so awesome.  He continually hops, skips and jumps around blissfully.  And clearly, the boy is all left handed.

This next one just cracks me up because all the boys are so stinking cute!  Caleb is on the block and watch as soon as the video starts.  I just barely catch the end of Caleb and his defender playing copy cat. Haha!

Next, you can see what happens when he finally goes to the left side....his first basket!!! Woo-hoo!!!!

Finally, from Caleb's game, some real basketball sense.  Look at this kid work the triangle.  You can't teach this stuff.  A shot fake, I can teach.  That will come.  I think we may have a decent post player on our hands.   :)

Sadly, I didn't catch any of the near 20 points that Noah scored during his game.  It's a bit more difficult when I am tracking Jonah on my own as Dad is coaching.  This Friday, I will get a video of Noah scoring.  Promise.  (I know this because I will have helpers there with me to watch Jonah.  Yay for visitors!)

Nonetheless, here is a glimpse into his game....and some great hustle!

Monday Morning Quarterback

I am the best at this.  And, I am the BEST back-seat driver.  Just ask Eric.  I can tell anyone, including myself, all the things that we've done wrong.  What we should have done differently.  How we could have done things better.  I am a Monday morning quarterback.
But, here we are.  It is Monday morning again.  And still no time machine has been invented to travel back and change the mistakes we have made.  So let's focus on the positive.  Shall we?  It's oh so easy to focus on the positives in your children, but I am not so great at giving myself credit for good things that I do.  No matter how small.  And I am even worse at complimenting Eric on his positive efforts.  It's like admitting that I am wrong.  Why is it so hard to swallow your pride?
Okay, here we go.  Weekend recap highlighting some positive actions (big and small)  made by the Selters.

Friday night = movie night.  We Bought a Zoo.  It's not a blockbuster, but it's not the worst family movie we've watched together.

Saturday = soccer.  Both team's won big.  Noah did an amazing job helping out his teammates.  He was complimenting them and giving them high fives for their hustle and efforts.  He is going to be such a good leader.

Sunday = Basketball meet and greet.  Here, Caleb scored his first basket on a 10 foot rim with a regulation size ball for kids!  We don't shoot baskets with our kids as much as we should, but.....no wait!  I am stopping there. No negatives.  It was awesome!  I am so happy for Caleb to get playing on an organized team.  Should be fun!
Eric volunteered to help with coaching Noah's team.  Noah gets so excited and is so proud to have his Dad out there with him.  Eric does such a good job with the kids too.
We then headed to the beach to cool off where Noah is becoming quite the body surfer!  He is getting the hang of catching the waves all on his own and riding them in.

Eric was masterful at getting Caleb excited to get in the water and surf.  There was never a mention of the dreaded man o war incident, but you could tell Caleb was hesitant.  Look at that smile!

As for me, I did a good job  this weekend of getting everyone to where they needed to be on time with water, and lunches, and snacks.  Quite the accomplishment.  I even made a conscious effort to get on the floor with Baby Jo and focus on him.  Just playtime with him.  It might not seem like much, but with older brothers and busy schedules, this can easily get forgotten.  And speaking of that sweet boy, he has learned the saying UH-OH!  And is using it all the time!

Soccer Again

Finally, our kids are involved in sports here in Hawaii.  I was not very good at researching and preregistering them for leagues while still in Arizona.  And by the time we arrived here in January, the spring league registrations were over.  But alas, the time has come, and the boys are once again on some sports teams making new friends.  By the way, kid's sports has been the best way for Eric and I to meet people as well!

Finding a league was a bit challenging.  Luckily, our neighbor is a coach for his son's i9 soccer team so Caleb was able to jump on that team.  I also registered Noah for the same league in the 8 year old age group.  Caleb's team is great.  They are organized.  They have weekly practices.  The field size and the goal are appropriate for 5 year olds. Caleb did great on Saturday.  He played hard, had a couple of assists and two good shots on goal.  He is so fun to watch.  I think he is starting to get a little competitive.  A little girl on the other team was starting to ruffle his feathers and he was going to have none of it!

Noah on the other hand has a motley crew team.   None of which, I don't think, have ever even seen a soccer ball before, much less touched one.  The field is the same mini size as Caleb's....as well as the goal.  Tiny.  Mind you, Noah has played on a large field for 2 years now and knows actual positions in soccer and loves playing goalie.  No such thing in this league.  Tiny field. Tiny goal. 4 on 4. Noah scored four goals in a matter of minutes and Eric and I were feeling about this big.  We were proud, no doubt....we just know what it feels like to be on the receiving end.  Noah, with his big heart, continued to try hard, but laid off on the goal scoring.  I think coming from teams in Arizona FILLED with all-star soccer players, and Noah always playing in their shadow, this experience is actually going to be great for Noah.  I can not even imagine if some of his soccer friends in Arizona moved here and joined this league.  It would be unreal!

Go Mighty Angry Birds and Aloha Sunshines! (Yes, Noah was all for the Aloha Sunshine team name.  I love it!)

Here they are on the way to the game....Noah is too focused on the movie!

 Here is Caleb's team during warm-ups.  He is in the red socks.

Noah's All Star Game

This soccer season, Noah made the All-Star team as goalie.  Such a fun and exciting time for him...and not to mention, a fun and exciting game!  Noah played goalie the first half and had a shut out!  He even got to play forward for a bit, which was awesome because he has played goalie almost every game all season.  Our team ended up loosing 1-0 with less than a minute to go in the game.  Quite the heart breaker.  However, we were very proud of Noah and the manner in which he handled this honor.  Believe me, there are CRAZY sports parents out there and they want you and everyone else in the world to know how they feel about their child's skills compared to every other child's performance.  Sometimes a positive attitude and a little hard work reign supreme.  (And kind, non opinionated, nor obnoxious parents may help.)  Ahh, life lessons for the eight year old rec soccer team.