Kickin' it Hawaiian Style

Hawaii.  Yes.  Kade and I got to go to Hawaii.  Just the two of us (thanks to our dear, dear friends, the Romneys).

We got to wake up to this view every morning.

Sigh.

Lucky for us, we had built in tour guides, the Owen Family.  They picked us up and took us around the island.  That day was wet and stormy, but still beautiful and fun!!  They took us to the beach where Lost was filmed...pretty cool, huh?  Sadly, because of the weather, we couldn't see the outline of the mountains seen in so many of the Lost scenes.

I was informed by our fabulous tour guide that this was Sawyer's tree in Lost.

Ben and Kade playing in the sand.  Boys will be boys.

As we walked down the beach, we noticed a seal swimming in the water.  We followed it until it came up on the beach.  Turns out it was a Monk Seal (an endangered species)...

...and it decided to take a nap right next to his buddy the Sea Turtle.

It was like a double rainbow....

...but better, and without needing to be on drugs.

How do you make yourself feel less guilty about ditching your kids and dumping them on your friends for a week??  You hit the gift shop...many times.

I think XXXXXXXXXXL is a bit too big for Kade

Kade and I went out one day to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Leis and a waterfall.  It is Hawaii!!

We took a morning to hike up Diamond Head.  There were some pretty nice views of the ocean!

And some pretty nice views of some hot and sweaty Roundys.

Panoramic view of the ocean

Panoramic view of the crater

One morning I was all alone while Kade was off to a meeting.  I couldn't bear the thought of rotting in the hotel while there was an amazing island to explore.  So, I rented a car and headed out for an adventure.

I found the Blow Hole.  Pretty cool when a good wave hit it!!

Now this is the life.  Just me, some sand, and a beautiful view on Sandy Beach.

And when in Hawaii, you are guaranteed to see plenty of rainbows!

We spent a fun-filled evening with the Owens and the Browns.  First, we headed up to Pali Point....

...where it was very windy.

We girls had to keep our hair from going crazy

Then we headed off to Haleiwa Joes for some romancing in the gazebo and some delicious food.

We girls needed some Gal Pal time so we ditched the guys one day to have our own kind of fun.

First stop was to Chinaman's Hat to try it on for size:

Just the three of us

Next, it was off to Lanikai Beach to enjoy the sunshine and the lack of children bugging us for food and entertainment.

Julie, me and Krystal

Someone snuck a picture of me as I was wading through the water.  Seriously, it was beautiful!

Lunch was breakfast.  French toast with Mac Nut sauce.  Mmmmmm.

After delicious food, we stopped to take a car-ride tour of Pearl Harbor.

We saw some pretty tropical fish

And some beautiful flowers

While sitting on the beach at Hickam, Julie and I spotted a submarine coming in to the harbor.  Not something you see everyday.

We hiked up to Manoa Falls with the Browns.  Lucky for us, we ran into some acquaintances just leaving who suggested buying water shoes.  Glad we did...'cause it was m-u-d-d-y!

Posing under the Banyan trees

A view of the falls along the trail.

Manoa Falls

Now this is a rain forest!!

This picture does little to show just how muddy we were.  I was getting mud out of my toe nails for weeks.

Saying goodbye to our sweet little Fiat.  He was zippy and got us around the island!

A storming rolling in from the ocean on the North Shore

And what better way to end our trip to Hawaii than with a little Thai food experience.  

Because Sometimes My Kids Make Me Feel All Gooshy Inside

Roughin' It

 In March, we got together with a few other families to do some camping.  Now, I just love getting in touch with nature--sleeping on the ground under the stars, waking up to crisp mornings, bathing in lakes, doing your "business" on the ground and wiping with leaves.  It's how Mother Nature intended it.
Just kidding.
Our idea of "Roughin' It" means we don't have a TV.
So, I guess, this post here means that once we "Roughed It" for nine days. (Boy was it fun to just relive that memory)
Anywho.  Back to camping.
We drove out to Canyon Lake to a campsite (complete with bathrooms and electricity for all you fair weather campers like myself!!).  After setting up, the kids were ready to go swimming in the chilly lake.

 (Kenna, Ailee, Tyler, Maryn and Emma)

Cora LOVED the tents.  This was her favorite "Just Chillaxin'" position.

What a nut.

Ailee saw me with my camera and had to strike her usual pose

The cutest picture, EVER, of Ailee and Kenna

Me an Allyson

So, Allyson's last name is Romney.  Sounds a lot like Roundy, huh?  And, her oldest daughter, Emma, is about the same age as Maryn, and has red hair like Maryn.  I couldn't choose a better person for people to always confuse me with!

Ailee, Maryn, Madelyn, and Emma striking a diva pose

And just to be silly

A quiet, serene view as I walked from the bathroom. Thankful I had a bathroom.  Though, we did run out of toilet paper in the morning...that was kinda rough.

Tyler, Brian, Kyle, and Marcus...The boys + Cora

The Menfolk: Mike, Kade, and Brent

A picture of the whole gang!!

Tyler and Ailee playing a little frisbee.

Most of Texas is under a fire ban, due to the drought.  As night set in, we became increasingly aware of how important it is to have a fire when camping.  Fires provide 1.) Warmth  2.) Light  3.) Something to congregate around.  Without a fire, we felt a little...lost.  We did manage to roast a few 'mallows over the camp stove, but my best trick was to download a Fireplace App onto my iPad.  It even made crackling noises.  I wish I had taken a picture of how pathetic we looked congregating around it.

It was quite a nice weekend to go camping.  The weather, though cloudy, was not too hot, and not too cold.  I slept well, considering it was on the ground.

Morning came with the sunrise, and though I didn't get very many pictures, I did capture this moment where Cora was riding in style on Kade's shoulders.

Oh, that kid.

And, what would camping be without iPad time with friends??

It was a fun little diversion from the ordinarities of life.  Thanks to Bushmans for coming up with the idea, and Romneys for joining in on the fun.  I think in the future we can look forward to some possible beach camping!!

Over the RIver and Through the Woods

Back at the beginning of March (yes, March), the girls had Spring Break.  Kade took a Friday off work to spend some time together, so we decided to spend a day at Guadalupe State Park.  I wasn't sure what this park was all about, so I packed to much hiking gear, and too few swimming suits. It was fun, anyway.

Three little girls all ready to hike the trail along the river:

 While we were walking, we came upon a very, very long line of very, very busy ants.  It stretched quite a long way along the trail...I was impressed.   Well, impressed, at least, enough to take a picture.

I thought this section of very tangled tree roots on the trail was pretty cool, too.  

Cora, realizing that her short little legs were not up to the challenge, was smart enough to ask to be carried.

This hollowed out tree stump made the perfect resting place for a two year old, and had a great view.

Just a cute picture of Ailee

Maryn resting after her trek over the tangly tree roots.

 After our quick hike, we went back to a shallow part of the river to play in the cool water.  The girls, of course, were drawn to the rock out in the middle.  Maryn was striking a pose for us.  Now, where have I seen this picture before???

Oh.

That's it.

At first, I told the girls that we could play, but due to our lack of extra clothing, to try to not get their clothes wet.

It worked for about 10 minutes, then Cora (of course) fell into the water.

After a few more minutes of playing, she just sat down in the water.

And then I gave up.

Kade had control of the camera for a few minutes, so I got to be in this photo session

Just a sweet one of Maryn

Ailee out on the Mermaid Rock

 Kade said he could skip a rock all the way to the rock wall on the other side of the river.  I told him I would give him a kiss if he could.

 I still owe him that kiss.

A very soggy Cora

Maryn, looking for cool rocks to collect

Little Ailee enjoying the sunshine and water

It was a fun day together.  Next time, I know to bring swimming suits and water shoes.