Our final day Oct 28th

We had to be all packed up, cleaned up, and out of the house by 10. We then headed over to the Temple and enjoyed the presentaion they have inside and walking around the outside. Such a wonderful spirit is felt outside the temple.

I was craving a veggie sub from subway so we tracked on down then headed over to the Dole plantation. I came to the conclusion that the dole plantation is a never need to visit again. I felt as though it was over rated but that was just me. We did enjoy some yummy fresh pineapple though.

Since we still had time to kill before our 10pm flight out we went to see HSM3. Ryan let me take the three older kids and he went with the younger ones to watch the stupid chihuahua show. I got the way good end of that deal. I really enjoy the show and will buy it for the kids when it comes out. The dancing and singing was a step up and I was surprised to enjoy the simplicity of it.

We then had dinner at chili's. Ryan and I have always loved chilli's. We kind of considered it our restaurant. We were so disappointed to find out that they have changed ownership and now there menu is sub par. I don't think we ever need to go there again. Such a bummer!

The flight home was just liked I had hoped it would be, sorta. The kids were so wiped they slept the whole way. What I did not think about was how hard it would be for me to sleep on a plane. We got into LA around 6 in the morning and still had to drive 2 hours home. Since the kids slept on the plane and in the car when we got home they were rested. Ryan and I were so tired we were non functioning. He was so wonderful to let me sleep first. When I woke up he took his shift. It took me a whole week to get caught up and not feel super tired.

What a wonderful vacation!

Oct 27th

We started the day of heading down to Hunama bay to do some snorkeling. We really meant to get an earlier start but I have gotten really used to the slow pace of paradise. While we waited to watch the safety video they make you watch we ran into a group of girls from Brazil. It was fun for Ryan to practice his Portuguese. They have been staying in San Diego to try to improve their English. I was impressed at how well they spoke. The first day they were here in Hawaii someone stole all of their passports and wallets. I can't even imagine how stressful that would be.

Jared and I went snorkeling together and it was amazing how many different varieties of fish there were. I did enjoy snorkeling but their were a few to many people. I felt a little crowded. We did make the kids keep their shirts on due to our bad sunburns and Joseph and Emma had stated to peel. This made me not want to snorkel for to long.

After this we had lunch, Yummy tacos, and then we headed over to the beach by our house Laniki. I loved this beach too. No waves, beautiful sand and sky, warm water, Relaxation at its finest. The kids enjoyed burying each other, looking for crabs, snorkeling, and pretending to boogie board.

When we got back to the house I got everything all packed up. I had such a wonderful time but I think I was finally ready to go home and back to real life. I was glad we stayed so long so that I could fully unwind.

After the kids went to bed we went out for ice cream. One last date night before we had to head home.

He loved being buried until he couldn't get out.

Ryan and Jared went out snorkeling way far.

Notice Joshua and Sydney in the back ground. He grew very fond of her and would just hold his hand on her back. She was good natured about it and didn't really seem to care.

Oct 26th

I honestly can not remember what we did today besides going to church. I am sure it was nice and relaxing. We were all still suffering from bad sun burn so I can only imagine we enjoyed taking it easy. I do remember that we took a nice mellow walk as it was starting to get dark and I was thinking how sad it will be to leave this place.

Oct 25th

My SIL Sarah wanted to do some service while on our vacation and I thought that would be good for the kids to step outside themselves and help others since we are so blessed. When we had gone to church the Sunday before they mentioned the need for people to come and help clean the church. We could do that.

Jared and Sarah helped clean the bathrooms and mop floors. I was proud of their good attitudes and willingness to work. They seemed pleased and you could tell they felt good for helping.

It had been sprinkling while we worked and our day was supposed to be filled with hanging out at the beach. despite the rain we headed to the swap meet to buy gifts for family and a hat for Ryan. It started to pour when we got there and it felt great to walk in the warm rain. The kids all got soaked and nobody cared. After we got them all in the car I had remembered something I had wanted to buy for the girls for x mas so I walked around by myself for a while and just felt so content and happy to be waking in the rain in Hawaii. I was basically speed walking and it felt so great. I would notice the looks of pitty on peoples faces as I passed. I would smile even bigger. Little did they know how much I was enjoying myself.

Even though it was still raining we decided to head over to the other side of the island and go to the beach. Sean and Allie had left before us and had found that the beach we were planning on going to was no good. We went back to the ko olina beach that was my very favorite. It was a relaxing time for me. No worries about anything. We talked about getting kayaks on Monday. A family we met at church said we could borrow theirs if we wanted to. When I saw that they had kayak rentals at koolina I thought it would be a good idea to see if it was really worth the effort to borrow for all day on Monday. 1 hour was about all anyone needed. We were able to let all the kids have a turn and I realized it is something I would enjoy one on one with my husband mush more. I was glad the kids all got a chance to ride on a "boat" and Jared was able to pass off something for scouts. Win win. Anything more then an hour would have been way to long with the kids.

After this we enjoyed a relaxing date night at a super nice restaurant. I had never heard of it but everyone else had. Probably because it is a steakhouse. I enjoyed my shrimp and potatoes so very much. Yum. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Oct 24th.

Sean and Trent went of to the big island for more work. Ryan didn't have to go so we spent the day with just our little family.

We started out our day getting a bit to eat. I felt like I was always hungry on this trip. I don't know if it was the time change our pregnancy but I always was eating.

I wanted so much to go on a hike with the kids and the thought of going to a waterfall was so high on my list. We had been using GPS on our phones to find everything up till this point. I plugged in where we wanted to go but this time the GPS was so wrong. What we did find was this beautiful little drive where the trees made a tunnel around the road. Breathtaking. I didn't mind at all that we were lost. My only wish is that I had gotten out and taken more pictures. When we saw a local we asked him were the spot was we were looking for and he laughed and let us no how off course we were.

Once we did find it I saw people putting on bug spray and thought that would have been a good idea. To late now. The kids all grabbed walking sticks and up we headed to the water falls. I was surprised how well the kids did. When we were almost to the top Joseph vocally told me, "Why did you want me to do this. I just wanted to watch Dora." He cracked me up. The whole walk was beautiful and we just enjoyed being together.

After this we got a bit to eat at one of the most scary hole in the walls. We wanted to try local food and this is all we could find. Scary! If you have ever seen Kitchen Nightmares it is even scarier. The other thing that was beginging to cause us problems was "no public restrooms" for a pregnant lady with little kids this was not a good thing. It was comical though.

After we were all full and tired from our day we drove over to pearl harbor. We took our time and let the kids sleep in the car. By the time we got there they were almost closed and the tours were done for the day. We did get to look through the museum and that was about all the kids could handle so it was perfect.

Oct 23rd

Ryan was so anxious to use his boogie board we bought once we got into town. We knew there were good waves so today we went on the search. Just up from the street Sean's friend who lives there said we would find perfect novice waves. Ryan was in the water the whole time. It was fun to watch him be a kid and just have fun. We can both be to serious sometimes and this was just a fun day.

The other boys also found cool looking crabs. The sand crabs are much bigger and have claws. San Diego sand crabs are harmless looking. Jared thought this was super cool and wanted to help catch them. Sarah and Jared both really enjoyed "surfing" with Ryan. Emma held back and played in the smaller waves with the other kids. I just sat on the beach chair or on the sand and enjoyed soaking in the sun.

After they had enough boogie boarding we went to Turtle Bay to see the huge Hawaiian turtles. Joseph was so excited to see turtles. Form the moment we got off the plane he was asking when we would see them. Once we got home he let me know what he really wanted was to swim with them. He did, he just didn't know they were in the water farther out then we were. The turtles at the bay just laid there soaking in the sun. They really are beautiful creatures.

Then we headed to sharks cove. The bad thing is we forgot to reapply sunscreen sooner. Once we were in the car to shark cove I could feel it and see it on the kids. We hurry and applied more but it was to late and this is the day we all got burnt. Ouch.

Shark Cove was really cool and I really enjoyed it. This was the first time I really got into the water (Why I waited so long was beyond me) I went snorkeling with Jared and it was amazing to see the different variety of fish. Sarah saw an Eel and that was the end of her snorkeling. Jared would have spent all day out there if I would have let him.

Needless to say we all crashed. We were so tired and worn out form the sun and our new sunburns. Luckily I brought aloe gel and we applied to all the kids several times to help with the burn. It made for a rough night sleep with no air conditioning but it was all part of the experience. Joseph and Emma peeled. That was fun to pick it.

Oct 22nd

The boys got up early to go do there work (the whole reason we came). I took it as an opportunity to just take it easy and relax. So many times on this trip I would just breath deep and take it all in. The joy of having nothing that had to be done was so divine to me. I loved it!

The kids played and watched cartoons. We had a good talk as sisters and I just realized how much I love my life, craziness and all. I felt so validated talking with them. Life feels crazy for us all at times. But None of us would choose any other life. Our kids are so loving and forgiving.

Eventually we went to a beach close by the house and just took it easy. It was called Laniki. It was breath takingly beautiful. I didn't have my camera this day so I just took mental pictures and just felt blessed to see another of God's beautiful creations. This beach also had hardly any waves which I enjoyed. Oddly enough I don't remember what we did and I think it is cause I enjoyed doing nothing. I remember we left cause someonehad to go potty.

When we got back we got ready for our date night. We drove almost an hour away to go to dinner. The drive was so fun simply because these people make me laugh so hard. I think we were just all feeling so relaxed that we could let go and just laugh. I also think it helps that the brothers all have the same sense of humor and so we all "got" eachothers jokes. Ryan has such dry humor that people who don't know him never know if he is serious or not. He cracks me up though and I truly love this man that I have spent almost 11 years with.

We did get to eat some really yummy food and Allie introduced us to virgin Lava flows. I never ordered one cause they were to strong for me but Ryan was a believer. The first one he got had a piece of glass or plastic in it. Not just a little piece either. SO they brought him another one and apoligized tremendously. Then he got a second one with a pice of glass or something in it. I tasted it and also got a piece. The bartenders was perplexed. I guess after the first one he opned all new bags so we have no idea why? Ryan was joking about getting a free meal out of it but all we got was a good laugh. We did enjoy Allie's stories and I miss her story voices.

Oct 21st

We took our time getting ready to go this morning. I think we were starting to adjust a little better to the time change. I was kinda bummed about getting adjusted. I liked waking up so early. Our plans for the day were to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. I really thought this would be my children's favorite part. The first couple hours were so hot that every one felt a little grumpy. The first few things we saw were a little slow so I think that didn't help.

We got shaved ice and sat under the shade and we all felt a little better. From then on things went much smoother. The kids loved the spear throwing competition. Jared was a natural. Ryan was so much better then the rest of us but that was to be expected. We then watched the canoe show and that was funny. Not the show but the kids. They had just made little fish on a string made out of leaves. Joseph and Joshua thought it was for catching fish and were sticking in the water during the show. The fish really would come up to the surface. The only problem was I kept thinking how I did not want to go in the water after one of them. That would not have been fun.

Where we were sitting the canoes would come up quietly behind us to enter the many "stage" One of these times I was preventing a child from going in when They came up behind me and they yelled so loud I almost feel in myself. They were having a hard time not laughing at my. The one guy said sorry as he past and I just laughed.

Then we went to our favorite part which was the drummer guy. He was so funny and all my kids were intrigued with him. We also order this yummy dessert while we watched it. The kids made a huge mess but they loved every bit. I got to enjoy the fruit that was at the bottom. Yum.

I don't really remember what we did after this. I think everyone was feeling tired and hungry so we just killed time until the luoa. Oh the food was so yummy. I think we all ate way to much food. It was all you can eat. They had great fish and rolls. We also got to watch a show while we ate. The hostess seemed to take a liking to us and the cute kids with all have. It was relaxing after walking around in the hot sun all day.

After this we walked around the shops. There was so much I could have bought but nothing that I thought was worth the amount they were asking.

Then came the fun night show! Emma and Joseph feel asleep first. Joshua, who I thought would be out quickly, stayed awake longer then any of the other little kids. He was into the dancing and yelling. He was hillarious to watch. I think he was a dancer and singer in heaven! There were college age boys behind us and they would crack up any time Josh would have an outburst of mimiking the dancers. This only encouraged him more. He is never one to let down a crowd.

It was a completly tiring and wonderful day.

Oct 20th

I thought that I would not want to go to the waterpark but I knew my kids would love it. I was afraid that there would not be enough for the little ones. I was so wrong. They had two perfect little kid areas with slides that even Joshua could go on. I went down a few kiddie slides and I had a blast watching how excited the kids got. I also enjoyed the wave pool. I remembered how much I loved the water park by my house growing up.

Jared was surprisingly not as adventurous as Sarah and was not sold on all the ride. Allie and Sean made a bet with him that Ryan would not fall off the tube and if he didn't then Jared had to go o n the ride. I would not have gone on this ride it looked so scary. Ryan did not fall off, or die. So Jared went on. Sarah said it was her favorite and Jared said he would not go again. They make me laugh.

After this we headed over to this wonderful little man made section of beach. It was part of a resort Ko olina and so perfect for the kids. It had grass that met into the sand and the waves were non existent. I was surprised at how daring Joseph and Joshua got. they would go in really far. We met some wonderful locals that our kids played with. They brought bread to feed the fish and I was surprised at how big the fish were that were swimming right at my feet. You could hardly see them cause they were the same color as the water but they were about a foot long.

The people were just so friendly and they cracked me up. One of the guys was trying to catch birds with a fishing net and Jared had caught on the fun and I was cracking up watching them.

Another great day!

Oct 19th

I enjoyed sleeping and still waking up early. I made pancakes for the family, Again I enjoyed that we were at a house and not hotel so that we could enjoy making our own food. We found a local ward and meet some wonderful people. I felt the spirit so strong in sacrament meeting. I am not sure if it was simply because I am so relaxed, or because my kids were all entertained with cousins and Auntie Delma so I could listen, or if the talks were really just that amazing. But regardless I just felt so much gratitude for my life, for my trials and adversity. I had a moment of clarity where I could see how all that I have been through has brought me to where I now am. How I have learned so much from each place that we have moved and how I could not have grown to be the person I am with out the hardest of my challenges. The ones that when I am in the middle of I can see no reason or end, yet when I pass through them I feel I have learned so much and grown even more then I would have allowed myself. This one day was worth the whole trip!

This picture puts into print how I feel. The dawning of a new day.

After church we relaxed, to naps, and made dinner. While we were taking naps this is what Joseph, Joshua, and Paetan did. Such beautiful work.



Then we went for a drive and found an old fort and took what I hope to be amazing pictures!! To me this was such a wonderful day!

Picture is from a peep whole in the fort. How cool is that.

View of the valley below.

Oct 18th

We all woke up so early it was great! There is just something so great about waking up super early and feeling rested!

We took our time getting ready and just enjoying being in this most beautiful wonderful place. The weather is great. Out of the blue it will rain for about 10 minutes and then stop. It is just enough to cool off the air. I love it. It also makes the skies look so amazing.

Right as the swap meet opened at 8 we were there with our shopping shoes on. The funny thing to me was when we got out of the car and it started to pour. We all huddled under the back of the car and tried to stay dry. Then we bagged it and just enjoyed walking in the warm rain.

We let the kids each have $10. They were so cute about how they wanted to spend there money. Ryan noticed That their spending desires seemed to fight so well with their personalities.

Emma just wanted to spend her money, it didn't really matter what she bought she would have been happy with it. She ended up buying pencils made out of sticks, some shells, and a little glass jar filled with sand and shells.

Joseph was very thoughtful and waited till just the right thing jumped out at him. Then he made his decision quickly and never looked back. He spent all his money on the coolest wood Hawaiian mask.

Jared, his purchase surprised me the most. He bought a shirt, sunglasses, and a shark necklace. When did my little boy start caring about how he looks? He would look at a lot of cool stuff but logically he just could not spend his money on such things. One thing he really wanted was dried cuttlefish. But he told me it was to expensive for something that was going to be gone soon.

Sarah did a lot of looking and wanted to make sure she saw everything there was to see before she made her choice. But once she decided she became very impatient and wanted to find her stuff right then! She bought two necklaces, a bracelet, a hair flower, and some shells. She wanted to get the most out for her money.

We bought Joshua some sandals, cause he didn't have any, and he helped eat the candy Ryan bought. He was content with food.

I bought myself the cutest ever apron and a bib for baby Jacob.

Ryan bought some fins and scuba gear for the kids.

That helped us get all our shopping out of our system for the whole trip. Loved it.

We then came home and eat lunch. So nice that we could eat decent food. Then we headed off to the beach. We had a little bit of a hard time finding the beach but once we did the kids were in heaven. It had a huge sand hill and very small waves. The kids played peacefully the whole time. The Brothers decided to be adventuresome and swim out to a little island. After they left a lady pointed out to us the sign that said caution strong winds bring Portuguese man of war jellyfish. Right after this Jared spotted this big read thing swimming in the water. It was hilarious. I got all the kids out of the water. And this man came over to "save" us. He was trying to pick it up with a stick. Jared was right next to him wanting to be in on the action. After awhile he was able to lift it out of the water and it was decided that this was not a jellyfish but what it was I have not a clue. I have never seen anything like it before. It had suckers on the under side of it, was bright red, and a circle????

Then the boys come back. My BIL got stung several times by jellyfish. Ouch! Then to add to our funness Jared spotted a dead puffer fish. That fascinated me completely. Trent, the other BIL, got it out of the water and it looked as though it had started to be eaten by something. I think this beach trip was the best ever for me. The kids got to experience some interesting wildlife, learn to be cautious in the ocean, and they had fun sliding down the sand hill, playing in the water, and making friends with the natives (Joseph convinced a teen girl to take him down the sand hill on her boogie board a few time, and we had several helpers in building our sand castles.)

We then went back to the house and got the kids started on dinner. Then wonderful Auntie Delma watched the kids while the adults went out to dinner. I had so much fun! I laughed harder the whole night then I have in a long time. I also got tot enjoy a wonderful dinner! It was so yummy! I felt so relaxed! In fact I have felt so relaxed the whole time. Right now in life I am in the season of ciaos and busyness. How wonderful it is to be able to play and just enjoy the kids. I just feel so content with life. I went to bed just feeling rejuvenated and peaceful!

I almost forgot. When we were in downtown after dinner we drove by Dog Chapman s bail bond place. My SIL Allie was so hilarious. She was just so thrilled to get to see it she got out and got her picture taken in the front.

I enjoy these people and I am so glad we are here together for our families to get to enjoy bonding time.

Oct 16th and 17th

In order to find the very best price we decided to fly out of LAX. This was such a good idea. Our vacation got to start a whole day earlier. We drove down after Bball practice and choir and stayed the night in a little hotel. The kids were so hyper. They just felt excited to be starting our vacation and who could blame them. No one slept good but it beat getting up at 4 in the morning to drive a couple hours. When the alarm went off at 5:50 in the morning every one woke up quickly with big smiles on there faces.

Once we got to the airport we were able to get VIP treatment (because we had strollers we were able to by pass the long line and go right through the security check.) The kids ate some breakfast while we waited. It was amazingly uneventful. What a blessing.

When we sat down on the plane the kids were even more thrilled to find out that each seat had a video player in front of them complete with video games and TV shows.

The three younger ones ended up really not so thrilled with the shows but I think they did really good considering how long the flight was. I thought being this pregnant I would be more uncomfortable but really... I was fine.

As soon as we got in we went to the best taco shop. I think I could eat there fish tacos every day of my life!!!! Then we headed back to our little home. The home has 8 bedrooms, a wonderful little courtyard in the middle of the house that is perfect for the kids to play, and a pool with a gate around it. It also came complete with a book shelf full of kids books and a toy room with plenty of toys. My kids have enjoyed playing with cousins so much that I have really been able to relax even when we are sitting around doing nothing.

We didn't do much the first day besides grocery shop and unpack. We also got a taste of the pool. My kids were in heaven.

Every one went to bed really easily. The three hour time delay and waking up early helped everyone to crash once it was time.