the fourth

Fourth of July, 2011 was spent at Waikiki Beach.
Amazingly, we managed to snag a prime location right next to the water!
Unfortunately, Mitch forgot to bid the day off, so he had to work...but the rest of us got to enjoy a LOOONG but fun filled day in Waikiki!

So, here's our set-up.
Courtesy of the Kurihara's and Daley's, we had 2 E-Z up tents and even a huge netted tent for our food and such.
It was quite the get-up.
I was vastly impressed.

Upon arriving at the beach a little after noon, the kids wasted NO time hitting the water.
It being Waikiki beach in the Summer, the waves were a bit stronger than I would have liked, but the kids were oblivious and (thankfully) safe.

They spent the majority of the day in the water, with only a short break in between swims to eat and whack a watermelon.

?? Curious about that last one about the watermelon?
More details on THAT to follow.

Kaden spent some time in the sun...but with the warmth of the rays, fell asleep and took a nice long nap.
(note: he's not actually napping here...just that whenever he wears this hat, it somehow manages to fall over his face. Ergo, his dislike of hats.)

Relaxing in the shade of the tent.
Something he has learned recently...getting up on his knees!!

Caleb on the left, and Knox on the right.
Do they look like cousins to you?
Yea, me neither.

Anna and Aya.
After their after-dinner swim.

Jolee spent the majority of the day inside the food tent.
NOT because of the food, mind you.
No...since Airi brought her 2 dogs, Jolee used the tent as a barrier between her and the dogs.

It was actually quite funny...any time someone unzipped the tent to go in or out, she would rush to zip it right back close.

One could arguable call her the "Zipper Nazi"

It did sprinkle rain a tad towards the end of the day...but for the most part, the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

Ok, so here's the whole thing I mentioned earlier about the watermelon whacking.
Apparently, this must be a Japanese thing...since NO ONE ELSE had heard about this fascinating summertime ritual!
You place a watermelon on the ground and take turns whacking it with a stick (blindfolded, of course...though the little ones did without since they barely made a dent in the rind un-blindfolded!).

And after everyone had a turn, the cracked open watermelon is cut up and distributed and eaten.

Still never heard about it before?
Well, the kids enjoyed it and the watermelon was delicious.

I recommend it at YOUR next picnic gathering!

(Though, I'd also recommend a relatively small stick. I imagine a baseball bat would obliterate the melon instead of simply cracking it open...just a thought.)

These two...were practically inseparable.
As always.

At the end of the day...waiting for the fireworks to start.
Since our new mayor decided to ban the sale of ALL fireworks, we had to make do with watching the professionals do their thing.
While LAME, it was actually pretty nice for me...since my girls don't care for fireworks anyway. Also, I admit it was nice enjoying the evening without being smothered in smoke and being bombarded with popping and cracking all around us.

All-in-all..,I'd say our Fourth of July celebration this year was a huge success!!
And despite the fact that we were there ALL DAY (seriously, from Noon till 9 PM), you know you had a great time when it didn't FEEL like you were there all day!

...except when you get home and feel dead on your feet!

I sure hope you all had a safe and fun Fourth celebration as well!!
I'm grateful for a large and close family to celebrate this holiday with...
And am equally grateful for the many great people, past and present, who have made it possible for us enjoy the freedom to do so!

And as always...I took TONS more pictures. To check those out, click HERE!