{Hawaii:: Day 20 & 21}

Our last 2 days in Hawaii we soaked up the last little bit of sun and beach we could get. On Monday we went to Haleiwa to a really calm beach that the kids loved playing in. The boys went on stand up paddle boards while Ann and I went to the shops in Haleiwa and devoured one last shave ice. Tuesday we spent the day at the Haynie's since we had to be out of our place by noon. We went to Shark's Cove and played and then went on this pretty ridge to watch the sunset, a great ending to a wonderful trip!

{Hawaii::Day 17, 18, &19}

Since we did all the torusity things at the beginning of the trip when we had a rental car we have really just been beach bums lately. Friday and Saturday our days pretty much consisted of football and beach! Today we went to church, came home and took a nice long nap, and then went to Wiamea Bay. The water was really calm so the kids loved playing in it!

Thanksgiving {Hawaii:: Day 16}

Thanksgiving wouldn't have been complete with out a Turkey Bowl this morning. All the guys strapped on their cleats and headed out to a park in Laie to play some football. They played in true Hawaiian style as the 5 of them were the only "white" boys on the field of about 30 guys! John's brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to have us over for Thanksgiving dinner, and boy was it delicious! They had the turkey cooked in a emu, which is how Hawaiian's also cook their pigs for luaus. We missed our families today but are thankful for the oportunity we have had to be here in Hawaii and for the blessing of great friends we had to enjoy the holiday with.

{Hawaii:: Day 15}

This morning was the first day of the surf competion on the beach right by our house. We went and watched for a little bit before Avalynn needed to take a nap. After her nap we headed to Honolulu today to go to the swap meet at Aloha Stadium. I wasn't all that impressed with it though. If you are looking for suvioneer type stuff they have a ton of it, but other than that nothing I was thrilled about. Brennen and John wanted to go to Ross to get some cleats for the turkey bowl, so they dropped Krista and I off at the mall with the girls while they went over there. We couldn't be in town with out stopping at Wal-mart for a few things before heading home!

{Hawaii:: Day 13 & 14}

The past two days have been pretty low key. We have just been going to the beach and hanging out. Last night we went to Laie with the Clark's for FHE. We watched the boys play some football, had grilled hamburgers for dinner, and then went to Angel's after the lesson on Thanksgiving. Today we went to the beach with the Haynie kids and Ann while Paul and Jenna were in Honolulu.

We keep getting word of a blizzard going on at home and it makes us enjoy the 80 degree warm weather even more!

{Hawaii::Day 12}

We did nothing but relax and enjoy the Hawaii today. I actually didn't take any pictures until our bike ride tonight. We woke up went on a bike ride, took a nap, went to the beach, ate dinner, went on another bike ride, skyped with out families and now Avalynn is sound asleep in her crib. She had a rough day today for some reason, I'm thinking she might be getting some more teeth. Let's pray she sleeps better tonight than she has the past few nights!

My Birthday {Hawaii::Day 12}

I don't think I could have asked for a better birthday! We started off the day by riding our bikes to Ted's Bakery for breakfast, and ventured off to Foodland after that to get some things for a BBQ. We stopped at the Haynie's and the girls decided that we wanted to go to the craft fair at the local elementary here. Kahuku Grill was my choice for lunch followed by Angel's Shave Ice! Brennen planned a birthday party with everyone which included bbq chicken, my favorite baked potatoes, and the most amazing Pineapple Macadamian Nut Cheesecake for Ted's Bakery. Bren got me this cute floppy hat I spotted at the PCC and an Illustrator class from him, my parents, and his parents that I have wanted! The weather was BEAUTIFUL here today, I ate amazing food, and spent the day with friends, Brennen and Avalynn, all in paradise. That calls for the best birthday ever!

{Hawaii::Day 11}

We hit the beach this morning and laid out while Avalynn crawled all over us! Then we went to John's brother's house and hung out for a while. John and Brennen played the new X-box Kinect while I hung out with Avalynn and Zaylee. After that we headed back to Sunset Beach where we soaked up some more waves. I think Avalynn would be ok if we never left the beach!

{Hawaii::Day 10}

Today was lots of fun, filled with beach and Turtle Bay. We went back to Hukilau Beach this morning because it is much more calm than the beaches by our house. We can actually get in the water and play which makes all the difference. The kids all loved being in the ocean with the waves. Paul dig a big hole that Avalynn, Nixon, and Zaylee loved playing in. A pretty big wave came up to it once and totally got Avalynn covered in water and sand. It was pretty funny, and she didn't even flinch! After naps we went to swim in the pool at Turtle Bay Resort where the Clark's brother is staying. It was fun change to actually be in the water with out having to worry about waves crashing on us. After swimming we headed back to Haynie's for dinner and are now ready to call it a day!

{Hawaii::Day 9}

Avalynn slept horrible last night, I'm not sure if she is teething or what, but we were all pretty tired today from it. We were all back in bed by 9:00 to take a nap! John, Krista, and Zaylee are here now so we went to the Hukilau Beach with them today. Avalynn is loving having a friend just her size (they are 6 days apart) to play with now!

{Hawaii::Day 8}

We were pretty much beach bums today! Avalynn and I took a walk to the beach in our PJ's when we woke up, this girl is dying to get to outside when she wakes up. After breakfast we rode to Foodland, the local grocery store to pick up a few things. Haynie's were at their beach so we met them there and played in the water for a while before heading home for lunch and naps. We all met up at Shark's Cove. It's a little pool that has lots of fish in it and a small sand area that the kids loved playing in. We made tacos for dinner at their house before all going to bed right when we got home. We rode our bikes a total of 12 miles today....no wonder we were pooped!

{Hawaii::Day 7}

We still haven't fully adjusted to being on Hawaii time and have been waking up between 6-6:30 every morning. By 2:00pm we are all exhausted and usually take a nap, it's amazing how long the day seems when you get up early. Ok, 6-6:30 may not seem early to some people but Avalynn usually sleeps until between 8-9 at home, and she is my alarm clock =). We went on a walk along Sunset Beach this morning and watched the surfers out on the waves. Avalynn got 2 naps in today for the first time since we got here! And I may or may not have had a couple myself! After afternoon naps we went back to Pipeline beach with the Haynie's. The pool we swam in yesterday was gone so the kids just played in the sand. Brennen and Paul thought they would get adventerous and head out to the ocean to boogie board. They weren't out there but 2 minuets before the life guards pulled up on their 4-wheeler and made them get out because of the wave conditions. Apparently their boards and fins weren't good enough to be in that rough of water. The life guard told them they could tell they didn't know what they were doing when they saw Brennen's boogie board leash around his foot and not his wrist. Paul made the comment "Dang, Brennen you gave us away", and the life guard responded with "nope, I spotted you a mile away!" So instead the burried each other and the kids in the sand.

{Hawaii::Day 6}

We went to church in Laie today and drove in Ann's brother's truck. We piled all the kids in the cab of the truck and the girls we lucky enough to sit in the bed. It rained the whole way there but we actually didn't get wet at all since we were protected by the cab part of the truck. It was still an adventure to remember. Later in the afternoon we went to Pipeline beach and watched all the surfers while the kids played in a little pool of water. The waves are huge right now, but aparently they get even bigger! Avalynn loved riding on the boogie board while Brennen pulled her around. A storm started rolling in so we headed home but it started pouring rain on us while riding our bikes home. Luckily we had bundled Avalynn up in her bike seat before we left!

Avalynn's Surprise

The other morning Avalynn woke up and was talking in her crib while we tried to catch a few more zzz's. After her starting to kind of fuss Brennen made the comment that we should just get up and get going because we needed to get ready to go to the temple, and Avalynn needed her diaper changed. We are in a studio apartment so her crib is right next to ours so we could smell that she was poopy. The night before I had put her down for a nap thinking she would wake up in a couple hours but she never woke up, so she was just sleeping in her dress from the day before. I turned on the light and started freaking out, she had taken off her diaper and poop was everywhere! All over her blanket, the blanket along the sides of the pack n play (so she can't see out when we put her down for bed), her clothes, her body, and face!! She had to have gotten some in her mouth because she had her binki in and there was poop all over that as well. We were both so grossed out, it was disgusting!!

{Hawaii:: Day 5}

We got up and went to the beach this morning before the PCC opened. Avalynn loved playing in the sand and helping Brennen dig a hole for her to sit in.

Ann rode the bus with us to Laie and she went to her brother's house while we went to the PCC. We stopped at Angel's Ice Cream on our way for a shave ice, which was heavenly! I think Angel's is better than Matsumoto's. Avalynn loved watching all the dancers, and I even got to see a friend from high school, Crystal Crosby, who is a dancer in the canoe pageant at the PCC.

Pearl Harbor & Dole Plantation {Hawaii:: Day 4}

We headed to the south side of the island today to visit Pearl Harbor. They have done a lot of rennovation to the area since I was there last time and it was really nice. We walked around the grounds while we waited for our time to board the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial. We bought a National Parks passport book at the book store to document all the sites we visit. I am excited to see all the places we can. It is amazing to hear the story of Pearl Harbor and the people who survived it. It made us even more thankful for those men and women who have and still do fight for our country.

On our way home Jenna and I decided that we couldn't pass the Dole Plantation with out stopping to get a Dole Whip. It was soo yummy and we even let Avalynn sneak a few bites in there, she was in heaven!

We came home and tooke naps (can you tell we are exhausted) and then headed out on a little bike ride. Avalynn loves being in the bike seat, this girl was made for being outside! We stopped at a beach and played in the sand and water for a while, I think she realizes that it can be fun now because she didn't hesitate at all to be in the sand!

Here are some pictures from our bike ride

A couple times while we have been getting ready or cleaning up dinner we have put Avalynn in her pack-n-play with some books and have found her sound asleep after a few minuets. She really must be so exhausted from everything, because she is not one to stop having fun to sleep!

Polynesian Cultural Center {Hawaii:: Day 3}

After the temple open house we went to Giovanies for shrimp. It was mighty tasty, but Brennen isn't liking the after effects of the garlic!

We came home and took naps (this time change thing is hard to get use to!) before heading off to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We didn't end up getting there until 4:00pm so we only saw a few shows before going to the luau.

My friend Jess Wright lives in Laie and works at the PCC so we stopped in the gift shop to say hi to her! We went to the luau there before the night show, which we were greeted with a leis and enjoyed a true Hawaiian pig. Avalynn fell asleep before the show so we decided to just keep her and let her sleep instead of having her go play with Jess, which was the original plan. She was completly exhausted and slept through the entire show which at times was really loud. "Ha, Breath of Life" was the night show we went to and it was truely amazing! The message of the show was wonderful and the dancers are phenominal!

{Avalynn snoozing away to the beat of the drums!}

After the show we had an adventure waiting for the bus to take us home since Ann drove the van back with the Haynie kids. We thought we were going to have to wait about an hour, according to the schedule, but we were in luck when about 30 seconds later a bus pulled up! As soon as we got off at our stop it started pouring rain, so we were all soaked by the time we got to our house!

Laie Temple Open House {Hawaii:: Day 3}

This morning we went to the Laie temple open house with the Haynie's, Jeppsen's, and Robison's (some of the Haynie's friends that are here as well). It was so neat to be able to go through the temple after the rennovation. It is beautiful and full of Hawaiian influence. One of my favorite things is to see how they always incorporate the local area into each temple. We will hopefully be able to attend one of the dedication sessions on the 21st.

The Haynie's brought our friend Ann with them to help out with their kids, and Avalynn LOVES Ann! They have lots of fun together!

{Hawaii:: Day 2}

We were all up for the day at 5:30 this morning, and by 10 ready to go back to sleep! Our internal clocks are defiantly messed up. We went out on the beach around 6:30, and I was amazed how up and alive things are so early here. Avalynn was not a fan at all of the sand or water, and every time Brennen tried to get her use to it she was not having it! After a morning nap we walked on the bike path to the Haynie's house and went to their beach. There are some little pools of water that the kids loved playing in, while Brennen played like a kid in the water.

After the beach we headed to Haleiwa for shaved ice at Matsumoto's. I couldn't believe how big they were and so yummy too. Ann likes it with the sweet beans so I thought I would give that a go, but have to say I wasn't a fan of it. We walked around the little town for a while and then headed home. Avalynn was exhusted so I put her down for a nap at 5 thinking she would wake up in a couple hours, but she slept straight until 4am. Brennen and I grilled hamburgers for dinner and then hit the sack a little early ourselves!

{p.s. sorry if you get bored of these posts, I know if I don't do them everyday I won't remember what we did!

And no judging me with my gross hair and no makeup every day!}

Aloha {Hawaii:: Day 1}

{Jenna gave us leis when they picked us up from the airport....Avalynn wasn't too sure about hers!}

Aloha from the beautiful state of Hawaii! We landed last night after a very long day of travel, and are safely in our studio beach front apartment. We woke up at 4:15 am (Vegas time), to catch our 6:40am flight, which had a 3 hours layover in Phoenix, and then onto Honolulu (a long 6.5 hrs). Avalynn was such a trooper with little sleep and being confined in a tiny little space for so long. By the time Paul and Jenna picked us up we were all so tired, but glad to finally be here. We stopped at Wal-mart and Costco on our way to the North Shore. Avalynn was so excited to finally be able to get down and crawl to explore our home for the next 3 weeks. The place we are staying is on Sunset Beach and is in a beautiful location. We talked with the owners of the house last night for a while and they are such nice people. They had a few friends over for dinner when we went up and all the girls couldn't get enough of Avalynn, and she was loving being passed around. That girl is a little social butterfly! Our internal clocks are confused as ever with the 3 different time zones we have been in the last day, and the fact that we hadn't gotten changed over from day light savings doesn't help either!

Avalynn playing on the floor of the plane in my bag

She decided the people's luggage sitting next to us made for some fun climbing equipment

Checking out whats going on outside