Somebody pinch me

I feel spoiled. And as I should. We are living in our favorite playground. I go for runs next to the ocean. I see whales jumping out of the ocean daily. I run and laugh with the kids in the warm sun and tire out with them laughing and splashing in the water. We get to do a playgroup with some of the funnest kids (and Mom's) around- and even get to go surfing while the kids just play. Oh, and I'm getting more time with my husband out here. Life is good. Almost too good...

* thanks again for giving us a ride to Aloha Monday Ashley. We are so very spoiled.

Critters

We found this little guy in our house the other day. I was shocked when Taj gently scooped him up and carried him around for a long time (I talked him into putting him in some bushes to live).

I've been so proud of the kids and their love towards these harmless geckos along with a bunch of other animals. They've held sand crabs, hermit crabs, sea cucumbers, gently touched spikes on sea urchins. We look for chameleons and frogs every time we go out and feed our left over bread to birds outside. I kind of think it's a building block for understanding how special this place is, and teach them to love and care for it's animal life. I could do without centipedes and blue bubbles, but I guess everything has it's place.

Speaking of taking care of this place, is anyone interested in a family style beach clean up? I want to do one with the kids and feel like making it a big multi-family event with a pot luck after would be fun and memorable. Let me know if you're interested and we can work out the details!

Word on the streets

The word on the street is the Alligator rock is the place to be. We went once last year and had fun, but before that I hadn't been there since my brother Jake had his finger nearly chewed off by an eel when we were kid. We set out to see what all the fuss was about.

It was a glorious time. Taj keeps asking me if it's still winter in Utah. I can't believe it either. We are living a dream.

M.I.A.

We've been here in Hawaii for 2 weeks now, and there hasn't been a sign of us on the web. It's not that I have nothing to say, but because I have too much to say. I don't know where to start. Do I start with how overwhelming the beauty of this place is, or how much I love seeing my kids toes, or about the fun friends and family we've been playing with, or how I've never heard Taj giggle so much, or how I didn't realize what a beach bum Eden is. We are in heaven.

These are some pictures we took while ending the day with a picnic dinner at the beach with Aunt Alissa.

We love exploring and climbing outside. Sunday mornings are always gorgeous here, so we are out enjoying it and feeling the love of our Savior in everything we see/feel/smell.

We went to Sea Life Park with Nana on her birthday and still talk about it. It's amazing.

We are here and loving it. I'll get back in the blogging swing of things, but for now just know we're doing something fun and smiling.

Keeping Busy

Keeping my kids busy is a huge part of my job as Mom. In Utah between the months of December and May it becomes more than a job. It's a skill. I don't naturally have this skill. When it's cold and the weather is unpleasant I naturally want to stay bundled in bed until ten, then stay in my jammies all day. With kids, this is not an option. We're up by 7:30 like clockwork- rain or shine. To keep from being tempted to stay in my jammies or go back to bed I've got the kids into a few fun things. Taj is highlighted in these pictures from "Itty-bitty All Sports". No ball in sight, but he's still doing a great job.

Good defense!

Scoot your heart out Taj! Anyone know what sport this is supposed to be? It was fun.

He told his Dad all about the ball that got past him in the goal. He loves being a goaly.

He had a great time in this class. While I learned that he might not be cut out for volleyball or badminton, he had fun getting out and running around.

Right next door to the Itty Bitty gym is the gymnastics class and Eden HAD TO TRY IT. She loved it, and so did Taj. He's sneaky and kept saying he was just helping her, then he would "show Eden" how to do the flips and back bends and bars. They both did great. I think dance is still her favorite, but she looked forward to her gymnastics class and can now do a summer salt!

I should be keeping busier, especially with the list I have while getting ready for Hawaii. Procrastinating is so much easier. I figure that if I don't do the sewing, online recipe book, cleaning, primary stuff, and just remember to pack a swimsuit for each of us and a few clothing items we're good. Hmmm. Wish us luck :)

At Last!

My dear Micah enjoys looking at art of the ocean. He gets Surfer Magazine every month. He suggests watching a variety of surf movies.

I just smile and turn the other way. It's torture. Out of sight out of mind. But today it all changes. We'll be in Hawaii in less than two weeks so the countdown officially begins!
I finally get to indulge. I've been falling asleep at night thinking of our fun walks outside, playing in the tide pools, the kids climbing trees, toes, going outside without jackets! It all sounds heavenly.

So we'll be there for three months, which is a dream come true. We have some toys and a couple small surfboards that we stored in a small closet waiting for us. We're looking for inexpensive bikes, toys, books, and maybe a longboard, so if you hear about anything let us know. With or without that stuff it'll be a great three months. Yahoo!

The New Year Has Begun

The only new year tradition we've been able to stick to is the annual feeding the goats our Christmas tree.

They loved it! Here's to the best neighbors we could ever ask for!

If the rest of the year goes anything like today I'll be spending a lot of time at home with my sweet family, not exercising, eating way too much, cleaning (or watching my husband clean), wearing my p.j.'s for an embarrassing amount of time, and looking forward to sleep. Lots of sleep. Sounds like it'll be great! Happy 2010 everybody!

Before I Forget...

Taj: After saying a prayer he says, " I forgot to say thank you for Christmas to help us remember the birth of Jesus."

Eden: Devoted to her role as Mary in the reenactment of the Nativity. She wouldn't leave the side of "Baby Jesus" for about an hour and a half. She was very serious about it, and it touched my heart to see how reverent she was.

Eden: On Christmas morning she kept asking where Santa was and when he was coming to our house. I guess the presents weren't enough.

Taj: After Eden kept singing "Glory to God," Taj decided she needed to learn the whole song and taught it to her. Where did they learn this?

Taj: Taj loves anything made of gingerbread. After making a train and house Taj was playing with it. He acted out the gingerbread man putting up Christmas lights on the gingerbread house, then falling off the roof and breaking his arm and leg. He had another gingerbread man be the doctor come to the rescue in the train.

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year