Flashback Friday

I figured this was a good photo to put up this week--kind of a before and after with the "Wordless" photo that went up on Wednesday. This family pic is from a past Annual Anderson Luau. I don't recall the exact year but you know it was while back when one of the "kiddies" in the pic has since graduated from high school and is now off to college!

Other things to note:

My parent's still have the arch that we are pictured in front of in their backyard. My dad loves impatients (the flowers the he still grows in this archway) and he even has a whole watering system that he's jery-rigged so these plants water themselves.

Just last weekend I actually made Kobe try on the exact shirt that my brother is wearing in this pic. What can I say, my family is into recycling! (Especially since this was originally my father's shirt) I went through a whole box of my Dad's vintage Hawaiian shirts and found a few that are almost the right size for Kobe (Either my child is large or my mother must have shrunk all of these shirts years ago :)

The Luau's are always a lot of work but we have fun (I mean, we are still smiling in the photo) I'm glad that my family makes the trek back to Chicago each summer to take part in all the craziness.

So here's hoping that everyone has a Happy Aloha Friday today! And if you're going to be in Chicago next summer, let me know--and we'll see you at the Luau!

Wordless Wednesday

A cut above the rest

Kobe's got a new do! Being the smart mom that I am, I figured out a sneaky way to get the Koberoo to cut off all of his hair...

Every week or so my brother busts out the clippers to rebuzz his super short cut. Ray Ray is a cop (and a Marine) so it's not like he can run around with long hippie hair like he used to! Anyway, I mentioned to Kobe that we should shorten up the sides of his long mop. As suspected, he wasn't buying it. Then, I pointed out the fact that if cut his hair as short as Uncle Ray, Grandma would HATE it. My mom loves a man in uniform but everyone knows she can't stand Raymond's short short hair.

Anyway, Kobe couldn't get his hair cut off soon enough!! I have to say that I do actually love his new hair (or lack thereof.) And Kobe does too--though part way through the cut Kobe said that he had changed his mind (but it was a little too late to turn back unless we were going to go for a reverse mohawk :)

So here's thanks to Uncle Raymond--the best barber in the whole world! Thanks for the buzz!

Sabbatical

Just a post to let everyone know that my blog "sabbatical" is now officially over. I apologize for the break in posting. I mean, you'd think I was on vacation or something...Oh, wait. I WAS on vacation! For some reason I just didn't have the desire to post. So I didn't. But I will try to go back and update with some of the better pics (and stories) from our escapades across Wisconsin and Illinois.

Speaking of Illinois, my kids are having so much fun, I'm not sure if they will ever come home. When I talked to Kobe earlier today, he told me that he he gone to both the hobby shop AND the go cart track.

All in a days work!