ALOHA to Hawaii...

The Falevais...

The Taeas...

The Gayles...
Kai's best buddy, Nalu...

The Buckholz...

...and the rest of our Kahuku/Laie ohana. Mahalo Nui Loa. Aloha; a hui ho.

As you probably know, Kristie and I accompanied the BYU-Hawaii Concert Choir tour to China and Mongolia. It's impossible to show all of the things we got to see, but here's a glimpse of a trip that we will not likely forget...

Seoul Korea Temple



The choir sings inside the Forbidden City...

Hiking the Great Wall proved to be no small feat, but
still one of our favorite spots on the tour.

Can you get away with this in China?

The choir performs a traditional Hawaiian piece and crowd favorite...

Taking a bicycle ride on top of the City Wall of Xian...

Terra Cotta Warrior Museum...simply awesome.

I'm told this one was the strongest warrior. His
bravery was unmatched and warranted a large concubine.

Orphanage in Xian

Ruins of an ancient city along the Silk Road...

...our hosts were always so generous. Here we are being warmly received by alocal high school in Xinjiang Province.

Probably the best part was meeting new people and enjoying the company of friends...

We were fed like monarchs...

...dined like royalty.

...even in the university cafeteria.

..they just kept bringing out dish, after dish, after dish, after d...

"Really -- I'm good...take that back to the kitchen...please...for the sweet love of all that's holy

...and of course nan -- traditional bread of the Uyger people.

While we were in Northwestern China (Urumqi) we got a taste of the Uyger culture...felt right at home.

That "blonde" bombshell in the middle was a hit with the local Chinese. Kristie got elevated to "Rock-star Status."

One of the earliest forms of irrigation was first established in this part of the world. Grapes are the big crop here along the Silk Road...

More pics of Granpa and Grandma Smith with Kai. Enjoying Waikiki.

We're one step ahead---little league baseball pictures!

Play time at the park. Kai blowing kisses to mom.

And they're off! Mommy gets more exercise than she bargined for. Kai just takes off in the walker and he's gone.

Our neighborhood is full of kids. Kai gets a kick out of them---especially this cute one, Ziggy. He's a handful, but Kai just loves him.