May Birthdays

May has some important days in our family. We have a couple of birthdays--Gail and Jonathan. Jonathan was one this year and Gail wanted to celebrate BIG like she did when Caroline was one. It's one of those Hawaiian customs that kind of sank in--a ONE YEAR birthday luau. Caroline actually had more of a Halloween Carnival for her first birthday, but since Jonathan's big day is in May, a luau seemed appropriate. So Gail hosted a luau. The invites were cute, the food was delicious and plentiful, we had a nice mix of friends and family in attendance. And we were all so full! In traditional Hawaiian style, we ate until we were tired (not until you are full, as common sense would dictate).

Here's Seth with his birthday boy.



Besides having lots of food, there was entertainment. A cake walk was one of the fun things for kids to do. And the cupcakes were very yummy.

That last picture was kind of out of place. There were wonderful decorations, too. Below are the tikis that met you as you walked in the door. There was a banner OVER the door, too, but I didn't get pictures of that.
Here are the pretty tables that she set up (with help from some fellows in the family). The far wall has a fishing booth on the left, lei-making station in the center, cake walk on the right. There were nice green grass trim thing-ies on the stage, palm trees on the walls and tables, just cute stuff in general. Oh, and orchids on the tables.
Did I mention the food was good? A nice photo was never taken of the whole spread, but the menu was:
Sticky Rice,
Kalua Pork
Chicken Long Rice
Tossed Green Salad
Fruit compote
Potato/Macaroni Salad
Haupia Squares
Pineapple Bars
Ribbon Jello
Water Punch to drink, and the straws were very festive, indeed! Pineapples, palm trees and flamingos in paper fold-outs. Cute!

Here is a big happy crowd at the lei-making station. They were made with paper cut-outs of flowers and plastic straws pieces. It's the same style of lei that every first-grader in Hawaii will have made at LEAST once for May Day. Nick was manning this booth for Gail; however, he is sporting a fashionable Kukui nut lei.
Here I am manning the fishing booth. Gail had made really cute floral hair clips as prizes for girl fishers, and boys received little plastic gekkos, plus fruit snacks and other candies when they came back for more. And they did come back! I should have taken a picture when the lines were all tangled and Jonathan crawled right into the middle of it all. It was a miracle that no one got their eyes poked with the authentic stick fishing poles!


Below is a picture of Nick taking a picture of me taking a picture of Gail and Katie. It was so fun to have Katie's family here for the weekend! They drove all night on Friday after Casey's work! See the cute little pot of "orchids" on the table, and the coconut palm?

A group of people enjoying good food and good company. We have great Grandma Liebhardt and Grandma Pam at the table with Katie and Casey. Pam's holding Jonathan. ( Here's where you can see the green grass skirt trim across the stage in our cultural hall.)

Ah, the other entertainment was a HULA Hoop contest. Get it? Gail had quite the theme going here--HULA hoops, FISHing booth, LEI making [and a cake walk, but we needed birthday cake!]. Here is Katie competing with Casey's little sister, Kaysha. I think Katie won. And Katie with dark hair is still something I just cannot get used to!
Here is one of Caroline's friends. She ended up being our champion hula hooper. Effortless. She made it look so easy. Amazing.
Caroline and her friend. Note the relaxed posture of Rakell in the back--arms folded, one foot in front of the other. So, the next time YOU are in a hula hoop contest, remember that, folks.
Seth's brother, Aaron, drove up from St. George. They have babies fairly close in age. She's a cutie, too!
And,what's a birthday without presents ??!! (Well, when you're one, anyway. Some of us oldies certainly can get away without them!) Here's Jonathan opening up some gifts at home. It sure was a fun-filled day !
The traditional cake demolition took place a little later. At home, less clothes, closer to a tub. And he definitely needed a tub after ward!


So, that was the party! A fun time was had by all. Gail and I even danced the Hukilau, but if you want proof, you'll have to contact Seth. He took video on his phone and will be more than happy to share it with you. I recommend that you only view the first minute or so. After that, the verses get kind of cloudy and not quite so graceful. Some things just stick in your minds forever! Do you know how long it's been since Gail, Katie and I have had Hula Lessons? Yeah. Let us not count the years.

Oh, by the way. Gail turned 31 on her birthday this month. Happy Birthday, Gail and Jonathan!