Aloha.....

I can hardly believe that it is August. It is even harder to believe that we went to Hawaii over 2 months ago. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to do a post of our trip. In a way I think that it was my way of holding onto Hawaii, by not admitting that our trip was over. We had a great time spending time with Stephen, Sarah and Kailyn. The girls LOVED the beach and would be oh so happy if we were moving to Hawaii tomorrow. We enjoyed so many fun things and experienced the world in a different way. It was a fun vacation! I loved that we all got to know Stephen better. And meet our darling niece/cousin, Kailyn. They are the best hosts. We have no complaints about hotel Burke. We would love to stay there again soon. Thanks for the fun memories. ALOHA!
Walking on the beach.
Boogyboarding at the beach.
Pam, Sarah, Kailyn and Steveriding the train at Dole Plantation.
Check out the pineapples. Pretty amazing.
Being buried in the sand!
Snorkeling!
Check out Diamond Head. What a climb!!
From the top of Diamond Head at the look out. Phew, we made it!
Pearl Harbor had an amzing spirit there. You could feel that it was sacred ground.
The Arizona.
Our crew on our hike to Manoa Falls.
Manoa Falls....
I spy a crab. They were fast little things.
We loved seeing the beautiful sea turtles!
Kensie and Ellie ready to catch the HUGE waves at Bellows beach. We had the most fun boogy boarding there. They were fun waves!
Carl showing his guns at a show at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
The Beautiful Laiae Temple.
Honolulu at night. Oh so gorgeous.
Cutie Kailyn.
Life is like a box of chocolates.... We love Bubba Gumps!!
Hawaii float during the parade at the PPCC.
Lu'au or bust.....
Kensie loved her smoothie in a pineapple. It was as big as her head!
Oh how I miss you and love you, Hawaii!!!

Gymnastics Recital

Ellie and Sophie participated in the end of the year gymnastic recital. They loved gymnastics and improved quite a bit from the beginning of the year. They were fun to watch. Sophie did the best cartwheels I have ever seen her do at the recital. And Ellie did her kick-overs perfectly. We were so happy for them. All the tumblers did an opener and a closer together. It was mainly dancing for the opener and closer. It was very high energy and fun to watch. They really did a great job. Way to go tumblers!

Almost Double Digits

Kensie just turned nine. Holy cow, next year she will be in double digits. Are we really that old. Don't answer that! Kensie begged and pleaded for a friend birthday party. I am not a fan, but gave in. It was a lot of fun and not much work for us. I allowed her to invite 5 girls and 4 were able to come. They played games most of the time. They played Just Dance 2, which was hilarious and very entertaining to watch. They cracked me up. A few weeks before Kensie's birthday, the young women came to our house for mutual to play Just Dance. The YW laughed, talked and joked while they danced. These 8-9 year old girls were serious, quiet and completely business when it came to dancing. I think that it took their complete focus to just TRY to do it right. So fun to watch! They also played Mario Kart. Can I just say that I am so glad that they have 6-7 more years until they can drive. They could all use the practice! =) They had a blast and worked up their appetites to eat pizza, breadsticks, cake and icecream. Kensie LOVED having her friends over and it renewed my excitement to have friend parties. They really had a good time.




Now a little about Kensie at 9 years of age. Kensie is a good student. She enjoys school very much. Her teachers tell me that she LOVES to socialize, sometimes a little too much. She is an excellent reader and is a little bookworm. You can almost always find her with her nose in a book. She is in her second year of violin and doing amazing. She participated in her 2nd violin festival and received a superior. She tries very hard at anything that she does. Kensie loves to wear t-shirts and jeans. She is not a girly girl. She likes soccer, basketball and softball. She loves to ride horses and enjoys spending time with her Grandma Pam. She has been taking a horse riding class along with Ellie and Grandma Pam and has enjoyed that very much. She is doing both pig and horse 4-H and is excited to learn more about this. She loves music and enjoys dancing. She is a fun, upbeat, outgoing girl. She tries hard to do what is right and to always be helpful. She is learning to cook, do laundry and other things around the house to help out. We are blessed to have Kensie be a part of our family. Happy birthday Kensie, we LOVE you!

Catching Up!

We had Spring Break a month ago. And I am just getting around to blogging it now. At least I am, right...right? We had a nice break from school, routine, homework and such. We didn't really go anywhere, but enjoyed our time home. We pulled our mattresses out of our rooms and slept out in the living room. Kensie thought we were crazy. But it was comfy and fun!


Carl took the girls up to the mountains to sled and snowmobile. Sophie didn't like the loud snowmobile and preferred the serenity and quietness of the truck. But Kensie and Ellie loved it all.




We played with cousins, did a little Spring cleaning, slept in and enjoyed ourselves very much.
A week after Spring Break, we took Kensie to pick out her pigs for 4-H. That's right people...Kensie is doing pig 4-H. I have never done any type of 4-H. Carl and his siblings all did pig 4-H. His sister, Sarah also did horse 4-H. Kensie is also doing horse 4-H. I told Carl he was in charge of helping Kensie with her pig and making the pig show ready. I am more than happy to do my part by making Kensie primped and pretty and ready for show. I think that this is more up my alley. So I would like to introduce you to the newest members of our family...Rosetta (black and white, who I refer to as OREO) and Sampson (white, who I refer to as MILK). Aren't they cute! At least they are for now.

Our Ell Bell...

Our little Ell Bell is now 7 years old and I can hardly believe it! Where does the time go? We had the day off from school on her birthday, so we took advantage of it. We took the girls to Chuck E. Cheeses, shopping, and to Crispy Creme to end the day with pure bliss. Yes, for one day, Carl and I were the best parents in the world! We celebrated Ellie's birthday that evening with a small birthday party at home.
Here is a little about Ellie at age 7:
Ellie can be the biggest, best helper. She can also be the biggest stinker. She is one or the other. There is no in between with this girl. Ellie likes school and is a good student. She is learning to become a good reader. However, she does not like homework. Ellie loves tumbling. She tries very hard at whatever she does. She is a huge protector of her little sister, Sophie. She would love to learn to play the piano. (I would love to say that I could teach her. I know we would spend more time arguing than learning.) So we will wait to find a good piano teacher. Ellie loves to be busy. She enjoys being outside. She loves playing with her sisters. She is stubborn. She is sweet. She LOVES her daddy.
Ellie did say that this was the best birthday ever! I am sure that it had nothing to do with our fabulous day away. Or her Grandma Smith taking her shopping all by herself. And finally feeling better from having step throat for the 2nd time in 2 weeks. But it was a GREAT birthday. And so much fun. We love you Ellie! You are a wonderful little girl and a fabulous daughter! Happy 7th!

A Peek At Our Fall...