Father's Day Luau

Madison gave Daddy a great Father's Day craft this morning - it was such a precious moment. She was so sweet - she said, "Happy Father's Day!" Then she gave Daddy a craft - and a hug. It was right in front of everyone in the hallway. Everyone said, "Awwwww!"

Here's a scan of the necktie she designed for Daddy:

Afterwards, it was time for a big afternoon! It was the Third Annual Front Yard Luau! Last year's event was such a success, we simply had to keep it going despite everyone's busy schedules. We went over to Ye-Ye and Nana's house, where they had all sorts of incredible foods available. Obviously, there was plenty of fruit, from watermelon to cantaloupe to pineapple. There were skewers with teriyaki, there were slices of ham, and blackened pork as well.

Next, it was time for the festivities: we played ladder ball - or bolo ball. It's a new game in the line-up this year, but it was actually pretty fun. It's somewhat like horseshoes in scoring and concept, only you throw these bolos and try to hit a target. If the children are bad, you can throw these around their ankles and immobilize them!

When finished with that game, we once again played 'Ulu maika, which a Hawaiian game where you roll something that's basically shaped like a hockey puck - and try to get it in between two bamboo stakes. This was a neat game from last year. Daddy has been practicing since last year, because he got it on the first try. Madison sort of took her time with this one, rolling it. And then rolling it again. And then rolling it again. And then finally rolling it in between the stakes. And then there was much rejoicing! Here's a blurb on this unique game from Hawaiian culture:

'Ulu maika: Rolling stone disks. 'Ulu maika or 'olohu was one of the most popular sports in early Hawai'i. It consisted of rolling carefully crafted playing stones, somewhat resembling modern hockey pucks, on specially prepared courses. The stones were rolled between stakes to test a player's skills or rolled down long courses to show strength. One of the best of the remaining 'ulu maika courses, approximately 500 feet long, is located on the island of Moloka'i.

Of course, not all the games were Hawaiian. One in particular involved taking beach towels and in teams of two, trying to pass - and catch - water balloons. Madison REALLY liked this. She held one side of the beach towel and Hannah held the other. The two worked together to catch balloons and try to pass them on. Obviously, some of the players became a bit devious as the activity went on, and inevitably all of us were a little wet by the time the game was through.

Which of course leads to the complete chaos that is the water gun fight. Or, in Ye-Ye's case: the water hose fight. He got the garden hose and made sure all his grandkids were wet enough. Madison screamed and ran around - she loved it! This squirt gun fight got nearly everyone involved, and nearly everyone soaking wet.

Afterwards, it was time for cake and presents. That's right: presents. Madison got lots more birthday presents today - Leapster games, a play ice-cream parlor, and even a Perry the Platypus. Daddy even got some gifts: boxer shorts from Disney World. You won't be seeing those on this blog! We all gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday" once more, and Madison blew out the candles one last time this year.

We left the luau, still slightly wet and certainly quite tired from a big day. The morning started out at church with a big service, and for the past two weeks we've been running around quite a bit in preparations for Summer Xtreme and Madison's birthday. It's been a splendid time!