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

Temple Square

Cookies With Santa

There's a crazy shop nearby called "Dear Lizzy". By crazy I mean DON'T look at the prices. It's all fancy and fru fru. They have a great little Christmas tradition though. They have cookies with Santa! It's nestled back in a little section of the shop where the kids can't do much damage. You have to sign up for it so there were only about 15 kids. You get cookies and milk and a bell to ring to get Santa to come. One by one the kids get called up by name to sit on Santa's lap- the sweetest Santa I've ever met. The kids loved it. Eden wants 2 bikes and Taj wants a race track for his cars. I think Santa can handle that this year.

The Reason For The Season

On Monday we went to a live Nativity. It was a huge surprise. We heard talk of it the day before at church, but we were a bit skeptical. We knew it was outside (it was snowy and about 20 degrees), we also heard there were camels and shuttles. What? We had to check it out.

We got the kids all bundled against their will and 45 minutes later (it really takes FOREVER) we were on our way. Fortunately it was only a few minutes away. We parked at a chapel in Alpine where sure enough there were shuttles. And not just any shuttles. We were herded into horse trailers where we sat on bales of hay. That alone made the kids day.

The shuttles took us to a nearby farm where we were greeted by what looked like a shepherd. He told us the story of Jesus' birth. We were then told to follow the lit path to Bethlehem. On our walk we saw Roman soldiers and a family traveling on donkey. We got to the "city" and were met by hard working towns folk. They were making unleavened bread, weaving baskets, carving wood, tending to real sheep and camels. It was really impressive. We talked about how different things were back when Jesus was born. As we continued we found ourselves in a small barn with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Eden LOVED that baby. We explained to the kids that it wasn't really them, but just pretend. Eden didn't want to leave for a long time. There were "angels" singing, and I can't blame her. It was very special.

On the way home we talked all about what we saw and experienced and the real purpose of Christmas. They seemed to kind of understand. As we're driving home Eden says, "I'm baby Jesus. Mom, you're Mary, and Daddy Joseph. Who's Taj?" Micah joked that he was the donkey. It was funny at the moment, but now, three days later Eden and Taj are still playing "baby Jesus." I'm not sure how appropriate this game is, but it sure makes me smile. I'm really glad we went to the Nativity. It's something I'll remember in my bank of Christmas memories for a long time, and hopefully the kids will too.

What day is it?

The kids are in a total dress up phase. It's fun, especially when they come up with stories where Taj, the red Christmas Power Ranger, is saving the princess from something horrible which is usually my role. Then Eden calls me her Fairy God Mother and we all do something wonderful to save the castle from a sharp tooth (T-rex of course). I guess it gets a little complicated -hee hee. These kids crack me up!

Everyday is like Halloween.