Dinosaur Adventures!

Today we headed to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaur bones and to see a special exhibit about Mythical Creatures. It was really interesting to see all the bones, and Thomas and Robert got to touch some fossils, both real and reproduced, including a velociraptor skull and an allosaurus hand.

The Mythical Creatures exhibit was really cool - it was full of information about the origins of dragons, mermaids, unicorns and more!

Tomorrow we're going to Coney Island to the beach and, more importantly, the aquarium!

Happy Birthday Jack!

Today Jack turns 6!

The little daredevil yesterday at the Botanic Garden, all wet from the pond and still climbing on anything and everything!

At one day old.

On his second birthday.

Dressed as a vampire for Halloween, age 4.

The Fishy Massacre

Today was Forbidden Pleasures Day at the Botanic Garden, so we all gathered for the big picnic! We had a lot of fun eating and exploring the gardens. The best part of the day, however, was when Thomas, Robert and Jack decided they wanted to feed the fish in the pond at the Japanese Garden. So we gathered up some hamburger and hot dog buns and headed over. We were not prepared for the "Fishy Massacre" that occured - the fish were in a frenzy over everything we threw in for them, and they were not alone - the ducks and turtles tried to get in on the action as well!

The fish fight for crumbs - while a ducks sits on top of them!

The fish in the middle was insanely huge compared to the rest, and Lindsay noted that it seemed to suction onto the other fish. However, it still managed to get lost in the shuffle!

Coming This Week...

Adventures with Thomas and Robert!

Thomas and Robert are spending a few days with me this week so we're taking advantage and having fun at some sites around the city. Our activities include: Forbidden Pleasures day at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Museum of Natural History and the NY Aquarium!

Also, Tuesday is Jack's birthday (and birthday party)!

Travel Tales: Hawaii 2004, Part Four

Our adventures in Hawaii continued the next day with a trip to the aquarium. Apparantly Kara and I can't get enough of the animals! (Actually, we had tried to go the aquarium the day before but couldn't find it, ending up at the zoo instead!) Lindsay was back with us again, and with her help, we made it there. We spent a nice afternoon walking around looking at the fish (among other things we found Nemo) - at one point Kara got to hold some of sea creatures during a demonstration. When we got to the seals tank we were all concerned that one of them was dead because it was floating straight up and it's body was not moving - but it turned out it just slept that way!

That night, on our way home from dinner, we were standing on a corner waiting to cross the street when a car full of boys poked their heads out and tried to take pictures of us. "Cheese! Say cheese!" the one holding the camera called.

"This is just one of those times you wish you had Sabrina [the Teenage Witch]-like powers," I said to Kara and Lindsay.

Lindsay answered, "Yeah, so you can just make their car fill with cheese."

"Actually, I was thinking along the lines of Velveeta," I said. "And it wouldn't fill the car, but coat it in a protective bubble."

"Yeah, so they would have to eat their way out," Kara added.

Yeah... I really don't know what sparks these things, but when you get us started, we'll just keep going!

The next day, Lindsay headed back to school and Kara and I decided to exprience some US history. We headed to Pearl Harbor to see the USS Arizona Memorial. It turned out to be a day full of waiting around. When you visit Pearl Harbor, only a certain amount of people can head onto the memorial at any given time, and so we had to take a number and wait for our group to be called. As we waited, we engaged in one of our favorite activities: people watching!

Aside from Kona, our tour guide from the other day who just happened to be at the memorial with another tour that day, we also saw the Appleton North Band, which included a member with two hooks for hands. Neither of us could figure out just what instrument he played! We also "met" Amber, the stuffed dolphin doll owned by the girl sitting behind us. Unfortunately, his owner wasn't so careful with him. After the lei Amber was wearing around one of her fins fell apart, the little girl said, "Mommy, I accidentally broke it!"

We finally got onto the memorial site after watching a short historical film about the event. To get to the memorial, which is a bridge/building built over the wreckage of the USS Arizona (which actually sticks out of the water), you have to take a boat over. Once there, you can look down onto the ship from the bridge and view the room of names of people who died that day. It was all very interesting to see, but it was a little bit eerie that the ship still sticks out of water that was too shallow to swallow it up completely.

Once we were done at Pearl Harbor, we waited for the shuttle to take us back to Pearl Harbor. Finding out we would have to wait an hour for one to arrive, we settled down in some lawn chairs to wait. After a few minutes, Kara asked, "If you had a code name, what would it be?" I don't remember what either of our answers were, but apparantly the conversation was entertaining enough to occupy us until the shuttle came, and then it was off to lunch in Waikiki.

Later in the afternoon we met up with Lindsay and headed to dinner (chain restaurant of choice that night: T.G.I.Friday's).

Coming Soon: Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay and the Luau!

Picture of the Week

This week's picture is a few years old now. It was taken during one of our annual trips upstate for Memorial Day weekend. We used to play miniature golf every year and compete for top honors. The tradition stopped for a while but on this particular weekend we brought it back, and Joe decided to show off his new miniature golfing form.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

It is sheepishly that I post this one day late, but yesterday was Grandma Aurora's birthday! Happy Birthday!

Travel Tales: Hawaii 2004, Part Three

Day three of our trip to Hawaii dawned nice and bright (in fact, I don't think it rained the whole time we were there, and even if it did it was a passing thing, like much of the island). Kara and I were flying solo, as Lindsay had classes to attend. Already dressed in out bathing suits for out beach excursion later in the day, we decided to walk through Waikiki and try to find the zoo, which was easy as long as we stayed on the main street that lined the beach.

The zoo proved to be like most other zoos. The larger animals were less than impressive. Kara and I had a discussion about how the lions and tigers never seem to do anything when you visit them in the zoo. We both agreed it was because they felt that they were interesting enough to just look at, prompting me to comment (in the "voice" of a tiger), "I'm a tiger. I know I'm impressive, so gaze at me whilst I while away the hours on my rock."

The highlight of our zoo trip, however, had to be the evil peacock that almost attacked us. As we were walking down a path towards the cheetahs, we were blocked by a peacock showing us his full plumage. As we started to walk past it, it made whatever sound a peacock makes. There was no other way around, so we simply watched the animal for a few moments. We were "saved" by the arrival of other guests who wanted to take a picture of the creature. Forcing it to turn sideways, we "escaped" the bird by sneaking behind it while it was distracted by others! We left the zoo soon after.

We picked up a quick lunch and then headed to the beach for the first time on our trip. It was there that we encountered Diaper Man for the first time! Diaper Man, we would later assume, was a regular at this particular beach. He had quite a tan going for himself, and he slicked his blond hair back. His black bathing suit was rolled up at the legs and tucked in, giving the whole thing the look of wearing a diaper. His large gut hang out over the top of his bathing suit, and he stood wading in the calf-deep water holding a large Burger King cup. As it turned out, this was one of his favorite pastimes, as we saw him each time we returned to the same beach.

The last of the day's excitement was after we returned to the hotel to wait for Lindsay so we could go have dinner (our chain restaurant of the evening was Red Lobster). Kara, who is notorious for getting a sunburn on her cheeks, had been very careful about applying sunscreen to the problem area. However, she neglected to put it on the rest of her body, resulting in a bright pink sunburn across her chest and shoulders! She spent most of the night standing in front of the air conditioner to cool it off!

Two Boys in a Box!

While spending the week with Carol, James and the boys, Carol and James unwrapped their new television. The box ended up creating hours of fun for the boys, especially Robert and Thomas (pictured above) who managed to get themselves stuck inside of it!

The New Hymelick.com

As it is getting far too expensive to keep working with the other hosting site, when the current billing period is up, hymelick.com will be found here. At that time, you should be able to access it just using the hymelick.com name (cause we're keeping the domain name).

The photo gallery is also in the process of being updated and moved, but the current gallery will stay up up and running - and updated - until we make the official switch (sometime next year). However, the main page of hymelick.com will not be updated. Come here for family news and stories.

However, moving here means that you can now leave comments on posts, and if any family member wants to you can be added as an author to post your own news and stories! Just email me and let me know.

Picture of the Week

In honor of the week I just spent with Carol, James and the boys, this week's picture of the week is from one of the other times I have done so. This particular picture was taken last August at the pool at Rose and James' house. The twins were not swimming on their own yet, so they wore swimmies and stayed pretty much near the steps. This picture was snapped when Daniel took a flying leap into the water, his green bathing suit making him look very much like a frog!

Learning Something New

Did you know that apparantly it is the law that when you start working you have to get married? Well, it's the law according to a six year old anyway!

I'm currently spending a week with Carol, James and the boys and today Carol and I took the twins to Wal-Mart with us. On the way home, we got into a discussion about my job and one of the twins announced that because I was working, I would need to get married, as "it's the law." I asked him what happened if I didn't get married. He said I would have to quit my job. Then I asked who would buy things for me if I quit my job. He said, "You could buy them for yourself."

So I kept it going with, "Well, where would I get all the money for this stuff?" His answer: "The post office!"

So... keep that in mind: 1.) It is the law to get married once you have a job and 2.) The post office is now giving money away, apparantly!

Picture of the Week

A little late with this picture of the week, as I was running around all over the place last week!

This picture of Jack was taken on Halloween in 2002. He had been dressed up as a Mariachi Band member (hence the drawn on mustache). After hanging out on the porch enjoying all the people coming around in costumes, it was time for dinner (and though I don't remember what it was, I'll guess it was some sort of pureed pea product based on the color of the food on his face!).

As he was sitting in his high chair, he just started making faces. This became known as "your face." For a while, when prompted to "make your face," he would always break this one out!

Travel Tales: Hawaii 2004, Part Two

Our adventures in Hawaii began bright and early on the morning of April 4, when we headed out on the "Circle Island Tour." As mentioned in a previous, "quote-of-the-day" post, our tour guide's name was Kona, like the coffee. He picked us up at the hotel and we began our very full day of sightseeing.

Our first stop was the Dole Pineapple Pavilion, where we enjoyed "pineapple whip," a frozen dessert. Kara and I thought it tasted kind of like cheesecake. The pavilion also had a maze of hedges we could walk through, but we didn't pay the extra money to do it (plus, it looked really easy - you could see the middle from the starting point!). Instead, we walked around the plantation and discovered just how many miles from home we were (4,972).

From the pineapple paviliion we saw more of the island, including a stop at a Macadamia Nut Fam, where we were able to sample the many different varieties. Kara was particularly fascinated, however, by the automatic paper towel dispenser in the bathroom!

We ended up having lunch at a golf club/course (the Ko'olau Golf Club). During the meal, two wayward birds managed to get into the restaurant. They didn't cause any trouble though - they simply walked around as though they had every right to be inside the building (which I suppose they did!). The golf club provided it's own bathroom fascination as well - the bathroom was the size of an apartment, with a large seating area that looked as though you could hold an entire business conference!

Also around the golf club were some of the scenes used in "Jurassic Park," which you can see by helicopter (we didn't have time for that!).

Other sights seen on the tour were the Diamond Head Crater, Chinaman's Hat (an island in that shape; we saw it from the bus), the "From Here to Eternity" beach and Hanauma Bay (which we only saw briefly on this day, but went to a few days later).

After the tour, dinner was at Outback (the first in a series of chain restaurants we went to), and we headed back to the hotel, but not after a stop at one of the ABC (All Blocks Covered) stores that grace EVERY SINGLE street!

Coming Soon: Day Three!

Picture of the Week

This week's "Picture of the Week" comes from our July 2006 trip to Los Angeles, when Kara, Emily and I visited Jordan. We spent only three days in the city, but we managed to cram in as many activities as possible. This picture, taken on our last day, was from our day of seeing the Hollywood sights. After visiting the Chinese theater and trying to fit our hands and feet into other people's prints, we strolled along the Walk of Fame.

Our goal for the Walk of Fame was to seek out stars whose fame we found humorous. Amongst them were David Hasselhoff, Patrick Swayze and - our personal favorite - Chuck Norris.

Why we find such humor in Chuck Norris I will never know...

Travel Tales: Hawaii 2004, Part One

This entry is the first of our tales from our trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as the first of the "Travel Tales" series of the blog. Periodically I will post stories about our roving adventures through the world, in bits and pieces, since some will be very lengthy.

On April 3, 2004, Kara and I boarded a plane in Newark, New Jersey, ready for our two-leg journey to Honolulu, Hawaii. We had been planning and anticipating the trip for months. It was a chance to visit Lindsay at school and to see a state neither of us had ever been to! We were really excited to get there, but not at all looking forward to the 11-hour travel itinerary ahead of us. However, it had to be done and so we got on the plane and landed several hours later in Houston, Texas.

The first sight that greeted us from the airplane was what became known as the "Sludge River," a brownish-yellow looking body of water, and the views did not become more impressive. Because we were simply in the state for a short layover before boarding our much longer flight to Honolulu, we never really saw the outside of the Houston airport. It was simply a chance for Kara and I to say, "Hey we're in Texas!" However, it did have it's uses: we managed to get chips, miniature Snickers and Creme Savers (a breakfast of Champions, clearly), which then gave me the world's biggest stomachache (not good for a seven hour plane ride!). The airline (Continental) also provided us with a food - pretzels and a nut roll. We spent the entire flight (stomachache aside) watching the movies on the individual screens.

When we touched down in Hawaii, we could hardly believe we were finally there! We got our luggage immediately - in fact, it was the fastest I have ever received luggage in an airport (it was actually crusing along down the conveyor belt when we arrived in baggage claim), and then got into a taxi to take us over to the Ambassador Hotel of Waikiki (which has a REALLY cheap internet deal). Checking in caused a problem when they wouldn't take my expired driver's license as i.d. (which is just stupid - expired or not, it's STILL my picture - I didn't expire!). However, everything ended up working out and we settled down into the hotel room (see picture below). Just minutes later, Lindsay arrived bearing Orangina and after looking at the views from the hotel room a bit, we headed out for dinner.

We had dinner at Buca di Beppo, a family-style Italian place in Honolulu (which translates to massive amounts of food, the only way to eat!). Next to our table a family was celebrating Bill's 50th Birthday Party. We had a lot of fun watching the raucous group enjoy their party, and we all agreed that Bill bore a striking resemblance to Henry Winkler.

After dinner, quite full, we headed back to the hotel and fell asleep (the jet-lag having finally caught up with us!).

Coming Soon: Day Two of Hawaii 2004