A Visit in Hawaii!

On a trek up to Waimea Falls

I had not seen this cute little monkey since he was 5 weeks old so was thrilled to be able to get away to Hawaii for a week to visit him(and his parents) this month! He is such a happy, easy-going baby, due in large part to great parenting! He's in good hands!
My boy with his boy! The little guy sure loves the water...actually, so does the big guy:)

The weather was to my liking during my stay...cool, and sometimes breezy. I even turned off the fan and wore a sweatshirt a few times. Sometimes the sun didn't show itself, but I didn't mind...I was there to visit munchkin #5 and his parents, not to work on a tan.
Snug as a bug with his mommy at Shark's Cove.
The little beach boy was splashing about on the boogie board, loving the water action! He's going to have a rude awakening when he takes a dip in the frigid waters of the central coast this summer! Maybe we can find a mini wetsuit:)

We went to Sunset Beach one evening to watch the sunset, of course! It was a beautiful sight and Lois captured it with her camera:)

I had such a nice, relaxing visit! It was wonderful to "get away" and spend time with family that I don't get to see nearly enough! :( Of course we ate at Ted's Bakery and The Cheesecake Factory-YUM to both! And I was finally able to be treated to Lois' chicken adobo-it was DELICIOUS!!! Mahalo for the great time Jesse,Lois and Caleb!!! Love you! XOXOXO

Aloha!

Big Sur and a California Condor

(Jim started us a toasty little fire on our first chilly morning)

We traveled north to Big Sur for our anniversary weekend (Nov. 21-22), and had a great time! Our day started off with Jim's "killer" omelettes! He loaded them up with sauteed mini bell peppers(red, orange, yellow), avocados, and cheese:) YUM!
The Master Chef at work on our little camp stove!
Don't even think about it, Riley!

We were surrounded by beautiful California Redwoods in our cozy camp:)
Of course we had to visit the Big Sur bakery!
The goods! I picked out a pumpkin muffin:)
Jim "Indiana Jones" deep in the forest during our Sobranes Creek Trail hike
On our way out of Big Sur, cruising down Highway 1, we pulled over to admire the view and were treated to an impromptu air show put on by a California Condor! I have only seen a condor in the zoo, so this was a rare sight!!! It was very exciting! The condor had a wing span of at least seven feet and "he" flew over us(low) for a solid five minutes! It was an amazing, majestic sight! What a great way to end our anniversary weekend! This photo does not do it justice! (We tried to download a great video Jim took, but we couldn't get it to work!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old-time rail journey--delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

Jenkins Lloyd Jones


(I know this is on my sidebar, but I thought I would feature it as a post today:)

Good Job, Karaline!

Karaline with her grandpa and grandma(us) :)

Living states away from most of our grandchildren, we miss out on many events in their lives:( I realized today that I forgot to mention a highlight of our most recent trip(last month-post below). We were so happy to be able to see Karaline participate in her first Children's Sacrament Mtg. Program! She had her part completely memorized and spoke so clearly! She did such a GREAT job! We are so proud of her! XOXO!

October in Omaha

Merry little music makers in the Fontenelle Forest:)
Having fun in one of the many bounce houses at BOINGZ!
Megan loves her little "Bwudda Beh:)" (translation:Brother Bear), giving him many hugs a day!
All of us entering the Fontenelle Forest
Karaline striking her signature pose:)
Walking along the "Mighty Mo" (Missouri River)
Megan feeding the goats at the pumpkin patch
The fall colors are gorgeous in Omaha!!!
Walking on the beautiful, new pedestrian bridge spanning the Missouri river, connecting Iowa and Nebraska. Megan and Jake are in Iowa, Summer is in Nebraska, and Karaline has one foot in each state! Can you tell it was windy and freezing? It was!
Jim enjoying the bridge
Pumpkin #1 picking out her pumpkin from the patch
Pumpkin #2 picking out her pumpkin
Pumpkin #3 with his pumpkin (on the hayride)
Karaline on "Jelly Bean" :)
Jake on "Jake," hanging on for dear life (with mommy's help)!
Wheeeeeeeeeeee...Karaline flying down one of the BIG slides in downtown Omaha
Saying goodnight to their very own mini scarecrow:)

Jim and I had such a fun visit! Karaline, Megan and Jake are so sweet and so fun! We sure miss them, but are so happy that we were able to visit and get a supply of hugs and kisses to last us until we see them again! Thanks Summer and Brian for your hospitality! XOXOXOXOXO

Update! Sarah's photo entry WON!!!

My Daughter's(Sarah's) Post forwarded, below-PLEASE VOTE!!! :)

September 28, 2009

We Need Your Votes!

Last October my sister, Summer, and I tried to get the kids picture taken at JC Penney. What a hilarious disaster it was! If you need a refresher of just how that photo session turned out please click HERE!

Fast forward to last week: Our local radio station set out looking for awkward/bad photos and as I listened to this contest unfold I knew that I had to enter. So, when I got home I dug out the photo, scanned it, and sent it off to Coast 101.3. Johnny and I then got quite a good laugh about it again because no matter how many times we've looked at this picture we always end up in hysterics :).

So, this evening I was checking the radio's website and lo and behold we are 1 of 5 finalists in the photo contest. The photo with the most votes will win and receive a $1000 photo package from Reflections Photography (this is the most exciting part!).

This is where all of you come in: We need you to vote!! If you're interested in helping just click HERE! We are photo #2.

You can vote once a day from now until Thursday, October 1 @ 8 pm. They'll announce the winner on Friday morning

Thanks Everyone! We'll keep you posted :).

I have no idea why these lines are showing up so just ignore them...they're driving me crazy!