Our Maui vacation--part 1

The last time we were in Maui we decided that the next time we went we would take the whole family--so we did! Someone asked me why we like to go to Hawaii in December and I am thinking in my mind--because it is heaven on earth! The girls LOVED it and had a great time! They told us several times how much they enjoyed it. However, it is not heaven on earth when we get back! VERY hard to catch up from being out of school for a week, jump into the holidays, birthdays, baptisms, etc. Thus, the delay in getting some photos of our trip posted.


I just love this picture of Nan looking out the window and Sam sleeping. They did really well on the long flight. They all wanted to sit by the window of course, so we had to take turns.


Waiting for the rental car. They loved their new luggage and could spot the bags from a mile a way!


Nan showing Greg a find. We arrived a day before we could check into our villa at the Westin, so we stayed one night at Kaanapali Shores. We walked on the beach and investigated some of the places and things we wanted to do. On Sunday morning, we went to church in Lahaina. After, we moved over to the Westin villas and awaited the arrival of our cousins! The girls were so excited to have Uncle John, Aunt Trina, Anna, and Miranda arrive!


Samantha showing off a shell for her collection.


We loved walking on the beach. The mornings were so beautiful! And thanks to a 4 hour time difference, the girls were up at 4 in the morning so we had plenty of time to enjoy them!


We of course enjoyed lots and lots of pool time.


The girls enjoyed being with their cousins. They loved to play wave tag and would go from beach to pool, pool to beach, many, many, times.


Wrapping up some pool time with Anna.


We enjoyed Leilani's at sunset a couple of times during our stay, and everyone devoured the Hula Pie! (It's a super tall dessert with macadamia nut ice cream, chocolate graham cracker crust, chocolate, whipped cream, nuts......delicious!)

Susanna's Baptism

We are so happy that Susanna made the decision to be baptized last Saturday! It was a beautiful day--outside the sun was shining and it was warm, and inside, we were together with family and friends and had very warm hearts! It was the first time for the new Stake baptisms so we were not exactly sure what to expect. It turned out to be a wonderful experience--three children were baptized that day. There were 2 very good talks. The talk on the Holy Ghost was given by my dad and it was great! Susanna went first and was baptized by her dad. After, we went to the primary room as a ward, where Sus was confirmed and welcomed by the Bishop and the Primary Pres. A wonderful experience that we were so glad we could share with family and friends.




A little side note--Sus was worried that her dress was a little bit see through and was starting to get very worried before we left the house. I dug around in my room a bit and found an old slip that was perfect, but a little too long. I said I would just cut it off to be the right length for the dress and Sus said "Mom. you would do that for me?" I of course did do it for her. A very small thing to keep it from becoming a big thing....

New Year's

Our friends Derek and Meredith hosted a super fun family party for New Year's Eve! I copied this picture from Meredith's blog--I hope she won't mind and I hope I don't get into trouble with copyright laws. Collages are way too advanced for me, and Meredith is a great photographer! We spent the evening with friends playing games and chatting and eating. Meredith had the kids trying and doing all sorts of New Year's traditions from around the world. We had a super time and truly appreciate being able to be a part of the evening! Here's to a great 2009!!

It was Merry and Bright!

We celebrated Christmas at Mama Leslie's and Grandpappy's. We were especially excited to be able to be there with my sister Deanna and her family and my Mama Judy! The cousins had a great time playing together. We watched movies, made a gingerbread house, baked goodies, delivered goodies, ate lots of goodies and enjoyed a special treat of chicken and sausage gumbo the day after Christmas! The guys did some shooting (my brother in law Chuck won the shootout), the girls did some shopping--it was a great time all the way around. We listened to Christmas music all day long each day and enjoyed being together to celebrate the birth of our Savior! Thanks again Mom and Dad for all you did to help us all have such a nice time!! Here are some highlights:


Sus, Sam, Nat. It looks like Sam's eyes are crossed in this picture.


Deanna, Chuck and Sophie were Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Our girls were the "host" of angels. My dad read from Luke and we sang Christmas carols together.


My girls were especially looking forward to playing "the game". My mom calls it the chinese gift exchange. Everyone draws a number then chooses a gift and unwraps the gift. The next person can steal from anyone's unwrapped gift or they can choose another one from the pile. We had to modify the rules for the kids because they did not like the idea that someone could take what they had. It is always fun to play this. The gifts are super fun--tools for the guys, gift cards, candles, cash. There was a "mystery gift" that could not be opened until the end. It had lots of "junk" in it like dish towels and note pads, oh, and a $100 bill!


My super crafty sister Deanna made these darling bath wraps for my girls!


Movies and popcorn.


We were able to take a 4 generation photo with Mama Judy, Mom, Deanna and me and our kids.

We had a birthday girl!

And boy! Susanna shares a birthday with her Grandpappy, but first, we celebrated with Sus. She wanted to take a couple of friends and her sisters to Build A Bear for her birthday, so that is what we did! She had been talking about doing this for months and already had the animal picked out that she wanted to make. We got to the mall early (I was nervous with it being the Saturday before Christmas) and got started on everyone's animals. The place where Santa sits is very near the bear place and the girls were pleasantly surprised when Santa popped in to the store to say hello to all the kids!

We celebrated again on Monday with Grandpappy. We had some cousins over to Mama Leslie's for cake and cupcakes. So fun for them to have the same birthday!

Susanna is a super sweet girl, very bright, kind, and super considerate! We love her so much and are so proud of the girl she is becoming. She is now 8 and is planning to be baptized this weekend.

Yesterday....

.....we were in Maui. It was 82 degrees, sunny and beautiful. We enjoyed a warm, gentle breeze, and watched whales right in front of our hotel.



This was the view from our lovely villa at The Westin:


Today, we are home. It is 27 degrees with a freezing rain. We are scrambling to find our gloves, hats and scarves. I have every season of clothing out in the laundry room--swimsuits, shorts, tees, long sleeved shirts, jeans, and fleece jackets. I am sorely wishing we were back in Maui! I will post more soon....we have a crazy week ahead!

Our Thanksgiving

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! We were very ready for a break and for the opportunity to spend precious time with family. Mama Leslie and Grandpappy were so gracious and accomodating as usual! We truly enjoyed our time together. The girls spent most of their time outside and got the opportunity to play with cousins that we don't get to see very often. We took shifts to go shopping on Black Friday, which is always quite the experience! Here are a few highlights of our holiday:


Enjoying time with grandparents. And eating great food, of course.


Taking time to hug my "babe". (I'll have to tell the story of how we came up with that term of endearment on another post sometime.) I am feeling especially grateful for Greg today, as he has helped me so much with things this week!


We rode 4 wheelers...Greg was prepared this time and took his phone just in case he had to call Pappy Joe for a rescue!


At Thanksgiving dinner Natalie said she was thankful for nature. She truly is! She loves all things nature. Especially animals. Look at that smile. No, we are still not getting a dog.


Samantha loves animals as well. Greg took these photos on his iphone. I just thought her smile was so cute!


We rode bikes....


We visited Dale's "petting zoo". I have to say, Dale is such a good sport! We took our cousin Katie with us, so you can imagine 4 little girls all wanting a turn to ride the horse, and he let them all do it! He gave them each a ride by themselves, then let them all get on the horse and led them around the corral.


I think they were pointing at one of the dogs in this picture....


Dale has lots of goats. There were several baby goats that were born on Thanksgiving, so just 1 day old when we were there. The girls loved seeing them! Nan is holding Frosty.
Fortunately for me, Humphrey the boa constrictor was not feeling too friendly that day, so he did not get to come out his cage. (I hate snakes!!!!!)


On our last day, the girls played again with Katie and enjoyed a picnic outside.