Today I took the boys to the Waikiki Aquarium. Gavin and I had never been there before, but Leif was a pro. He knew where all the cool stuff was and wanted to show us everything. We were given those hand-held tour guide controller things and Gavin used it for every display he could. When Leif figured out what it was, he did the same. He would find the numbers on the wall, punch them in to the controller, and listen to the man talk for as long as he could before wanting to look at the next display.

We each had our favorites that we wanted to stay and stare at all day long. For me, it was the jellyfish. Not the clear ones, but the ones that looked like they had bred with octopus. They were so fascinating. For Gavin, it was the clear jellyfish. There were 30 or so jellyfish in that tank and they were lit with a black-light so we would be able to see them better. He was also enamored with the octopus and the predator tank, which contained various sharks and other big mean looking fish. As a matter of fact, he had to sit and erase old pictures and videos off his iPod because he ran out of space. As for Leif, his favorite thing was outside at the reef tank where he was able to hold the hermit crabs and touch the sea urchin.

We spent almost 4 hours there looking at all the coolness in the tanks and learning about them and commenting on how ugly or pretty they were. In some of the tanks were fish that you had to search for because they blended in so much with the coral. Leif enjoyed playing find-the-fish and matching the fish in the tanks with the pictures below that contained the name of the fish and a blurb about them. The anemones were mesmerizing. They swayed and moved with the current while the fish just swam in and around them.

We had a really fun time. The kids both got to pick out something from the gift shop. Leif picked a semi-truck with “Waikiki Aquarium” stickers all over it. Gavin chose a wind up submarine that dives and surfaces on it’s own. We all left happy people.

Today was my day for bring the boys to see the USS Missouri. We were off to a slow start having lost the car keys, but after finding them wedged between the bed and the wall, we were off. We drove over and met the cousins there.

We arrived in no time. We got our tickets and took a big tour bus over the bridge to Ford Island. After getting on to the ship, we took a quick 30 minute tour of the main deck. After that we were free to roam about the ship. Gavin and Chris stuck together pretty well. Mary wandered on her own a little bit. Leif and I split from the rest and checked out the upper decks, right up to the navigation deck. It was pretty awesome. It was quite an amazing battleship. And I even learned a few things. Like, one of the 16″ rounds from the large cannons weighs as much as a VW beetle. And two of the 16″ cannons weigh as much as a Boeing 747 and can create a crater the size of an olympic swimming pool. Also that the signing of the Instrument of Surrender that marked the end of WWII was held on the USS Missouri. Anyway, it was a great experience and the kids had a good time.

This was the last full day of Dad and Leif time. We did nothing in particular. Besides driving to the grocery store for a few provisions, we spent most of the time lounging around the house and being together. We played a lot of cars and trains and toy house. We ate ice cream and snack bars and leftover Gordon Biersch pizza and hamburger. We played hide and seek in the bedroom and ghost tag at the playground. It was a decent day.

And thus ends my time with Leif. Or at least my one-on-one time. Tomorrow, Leif and Mary return and we start the rest of our summer adventures. The boys will stay for my birthday hurrah, and then they will have to go back home. Until then, I have a few ideas for what we will do with our time. I’ll be working the rest of the summer, but we’ll have nights and weekends. Sounds like a phone plan.

I had so much fun with Leif these past 17 days. And now it’s over. Now my time with Leif and Gavin begins.

Father’s day was a success. Gavin called me first thing in the morning and we did some video chat for a while. He told me all about his visit to the French Lick Casino and how he won $6 playing the scratch off lotto. Hmmm. What’s going on over there?

After our video chat with Gavin, we ate us a Father’s Day breakfast of Waffles with syrup and whipped cream. It looked a lot better before we ran out of whipped cream. It tasted real good though.

After our breakfast, we packed up our gear and headed out to the beach to meet some friends. Besides it being father’s day, it is also my friend M’s birthday. It was a bit windy out and a little overcast, but kids don’t care about that sort of thing. We played beach ball, chased birds, spotted schools of fish, played splash the grown up, and all kinds of beach funness.

Leif and I had a few other things we needed to get done, so we said our goodbyes and headed out to Ala Moana Shopping center to visit the Lego store on our way to Gordon Biersch for dinner. Leif found another small toy that he thought was worth having. As for Gordon Biersch? It was nice. We watched boats and fish, ate pizza, a hamburger, french fries, and bread pudding with ice cream. By the time we were all finished, it was quite dark out and we were ready to head back home.

Leif fell asleep fast on the way home. He fell asleep hard too. He didn’t move a muscle when I carried him up to bed. Not even when I changed him out of his clothes and into his pajamas.

It was a fine father’s day. I had a great time with my boy. He is a blast to be with.

I wasn’t sure exactly what we wanted to do today. Leif, on the other hand, knew exactly what we wanted to do. Or at least what he wanted to do. Go to the pool. First things first though. We hopped on chat with Holly for a little bit, as is our weekend routine. After that though, we had to do a bit of cleaning before going out. Besides, the pool didn’t open until 1 pm. So we spent some time doing major cleaning. Things like emptying and throwing away old rusty file cabinets. I made a nice big pile and Leif and I left for the dump with our bathing suits, sunblock, towels, and garbage. That way, we can go directly to the pool afterwards.

The pool was not at all busy. Maybe that was because the pool was freezing cold. It was overcast and not all that sunny. Yet we still stayed and played for over an hour. The boy does like the pool.

Back at home, I decided that I had no excuse and absolutely must bottle my beer. This involved bringing Leif into the bar with the sign on the front that read, “Absolutely NO ONE under the age of 21 allowed in this establishment.” Oops. We grabbed our bottles  and ran away. Leif was a huge help in the whole beer bottling process. He helped collect bottles, clean them, fill them, and cap them. I hardly did anything at all. This is practically Leif’s batch of beer. 🙂 And I get the benefit of drinking them.

I also mixed up a batch of chocolate ice cream and threw it in the fridge for making on Father’s day. After all that, we still had time to catch a movie. I called up a buddy of mine and rustled us up two free tickets to the 7:30 Madagascar. Sweet. Leif had been asking me to see it all day. We bought our popcorn, candy and soda (I know, I know), and found our seats in the theater. Turns out, it was a funny movie. Not necessarily the best movie, but funny anyway. A little ridiculous. Maybe that is what made it funny. Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves. Leif was exhausted when we got home and did a quick brush teeth, read books, get under blankets, and crash nighttime routine. It was a full day. It was a fun and happy day. I love my boy.