Last week was the 20th Annual World Fireknife Championship at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We had been waiting for this since we bought our annual passes last year. This event was one of the main reasons we bought the passes; so we could get in free! And it did not disappoint. The best fireknife dancers from AROUND THE WORLD gather in one place and show off everything they've got for the chance to be named World Champion. It was A-MA-ZING! And we were only feet away from the stage. After just one performance I declared it one of the coolest experiences we've had since living in Hawaii. Definitely makes it hard to be leaving in three weeks! :(((!
This guy, Joseph Cadousteau from Tahiti (who eventually won the whole thing), was my favorite from the very first night. He literally had me screaming in my seat; he was that amazing. Here's clips of his final performance that won him first place.
See the other finalists perform at the bottom of this article.
We also watched the junior division championships. It was pretty cool to see a 7 year old twirling two sticks around his head with fire on both ends. Leading up to the competition, we saw some little boys outside at night practicing their routines. I can just imagine: only in Polynesia will a mother tell her little boy to go outside in the pitch black and twirl fire sticks around in the yard... awesome. Check it all out at worldfireknife.com. And watch the livestream next year. We will be!
He's now up to two meals a day; eating rice cereal, oatmeal, and squash. It took him a couple meals to warm up to squash. I think tomorrow we'll try sweet potato! (Oh, the things you get excited about when you're a parent!)
Brent's parents flew out for graduation and then stayed on the island to party with us for a week afterwards! Trooper loved meeting his Grandma and Grandpa Lambson and we had so much fun exploring the island together. Here are a few snapshots of their trip.
We loved having you here Mom and Dad! See you soon!
So this post is over a month late. But better late than never!
Brent graduated on April 14, 2012 from Brigham Young University - Hawaii with a BS in Exercise Science, a minor in BioChem, and an Associates in Business Finance. All that and he even graduated Summa Cum Laude! Troop and I couldn't be more proud. He is involved in so much and works so hard in everything he does. We're grateful that he is willing to put forth so much effort to secure a future for our family.
We love you, Brent!
Friend and neighbor Justin Harper
We were lucky enough to have Brent's parents and Michael Kinoshita join us for the occasion.
Our little baby is already 6 months old! It's been a big few days for him. Sunday was the big 6 month mark, then Monday he had his first taste of solid food (rice cereal), he sat up unsupported for the first time, and I can finally feel his first tooth coming in! He's also become quite the scooter and he rolls with the best of them. This little guy can get wherever he wants to go and I'm pretty sure crawling isn't too far in the future. He's still near the top of the charts for height (27 inches now) and at the bottom for weight (14 lbs.) but hopefully these solid foods will help him chunk up a little.
Take a look at my adorable, growing boy.
6 mos. old!
Sitting up like a big boy.
Getting ready to eat! He looks a little unsure...
But he loved it! He ate almost the whole bowl. Admittedly, it was mostly breastmilk with a little rice cereal (I just followed the directions on the box). But he was a fan.
He was really full afterwards:)
And here's the video. You certainly don't have to watch the whole thing. It's mainly for the grandmas.
Trooper has started doing this thing with his mouth when he gets whiny. It actually makes me laugh every time. The way he closes his mouth also has him making the "m" sound so he always says "mama" when he's sad. I know he doesn't know what he's saying yet, but it still makes my heart melt whenever he says it.
Here he's showing off his scootin' skills.
One day we had left the air mattress leaned up against the wall. Trooper
was moving around and kicked the air mattress and it fell down on top
of him. To my surprise, he didn't freak out at all. I lifted it up and
he looked at me with this smile on his face.
He loved it! So I let him keep playing.
Playing on the iPad with Dad.
He figured out how to get the diaper off...
Loving the jumper.
We are loving life with this little boy. The past six months have been the best ever. It's unbelievable the joy that this little one has brought into our lives. He's awesome.
