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field trip to ho'omaluhia gardens

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this morning owen and i met up with his preschool program to explore ho'omaluhia botanical gardens (say that three times fast). it took a quick chat with my brother to motivate me to forego plans to do chores and actually get out of the house and it was certainly worth it!

we walked up to the pavilion as soon as the gathered group was starting the Oli Aloha (morning chant). i have to say that i'll miss this group as owen starts his new preschool at the end of july. i'll also miss learning about hawaiian culture. but i know it will be worth it for me to have those two mornings each week to spend some q.t. with baby brother.

anyhow, we did a little art project--the crayon rubbing pictrured above--and then set off to feed the ducks. mysteriously enough, there was only one duckling to be found. owen loved feeding them the heels of our bread loaves and taking a few bites himself. "mommy, we share with the ducks. see, i share too." point well taken.

our adventure continued as we hiked the trails around the lake, crossing streams and stopping at various bird watching areas. we spotted a mongoose, plenty of lizards, and lots of tiny birds who seemed to be guiding us along our path. picnic lunch of pb&j on a bird watching bench and then we called it a day. for the record, i was exhausted by the time we made it back to the car. (duh, hiking at 8 1/2 months pregnant is hard!) owen was a super-trooper and settled for hug breaks instead of being carried when he got tired. i love to see our little man explore nature - stopping to feel different leaves, examine the rocks and listen to the "plunks" of rocks hitting the water.

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mama mia said…
I cannot wait to see our little naturalist again. Watching Owen observe the world around him helps me understand the importance of outdoor time these days...may I recommend, "Last Child in the Woods"?
June 30, 2008 at 3:38 PM
The Ghost of John Brown said…
the substance of said motivation was to explain that this mother of 1 and vessel for another should not spend too much time trying to make sure that laundry is done. after all, i explained, you're only renting the cleanliness of your clothes.
July 7, 2008 at 11:21 PM
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