Luke's 1st Birthday!

Taking a break from the Hawaii trip reporting....Luke turned one on September 1st!  He's such a big boy now, walking so good, almost running basically!  His first birthday was nice, just a nice family dinner and cake (his favorite!)  We all kept saying how we couldn't believe he was one already.  Time just went by too fast.
Sissy was very happy and sad at the same time...we all were!

Looking at his cake!

Blowing out the candle...so happy!

Digging in!

Looks like he loved it!

July 24th in Kauai, cont.

For dinner we went to a pizza place called Bobby V's.  Mom and Jud hadn't been here before so this was all new.  We ordered a few pizzas and a salad (antipasto, I think?)  We had a fun dinner, we ate outside (again on picnic tables...hmmm theme for the day!).  After we ate we walked down to the ABC store to stock up on macadamia nuts and souvenirs.

Taryn (in the glasses!) Sissy and Nana

Do the guys looked thrilled or what? 

Zoey with glasses now

Nana and two of her grandkids

Kauai, 1st Beach Day!

Sunday July 24th....headed to Hanalei Bay for some beach time!  First stop was Bubba's Burgers in Hanalei...delicious!  Mom and Judi always go here so they wanted to take us.  It was very good, we ate outside on picnic tables.

Waiting as patiently as possible for cheeseburgers!

Hanalei Bay was very nice and quiet, but just the right size waves for the girls. (the boys enjoyed it too!)

We rented some boogie boards and had a great afternoon just being in the warm water and enjoying the beautiful day. 

Golf for Some, Pool for Others!

On Saturday July 23, Mom/Nana wanted to play golf (this day was her birthday!), so her, Judi, Bob and Mario went with and they all played a round at Malaki Golf Course in Princeville. (Did I get that right Mom?)
Needless to say Mom and Jud played the best (since they play the most!) and Mario did pretty well most of the day, but I guess Bob had a bad day...but he tried to just enjoy the view! He was in Hawaii after all  : )

Here's what most of Bob's day looked like:

 and

The rest of us spend the day at the pool(s) at the resort, and walking around, enjoying our surroundings!

A Trip to Paradise...Kauai, HI

We just returned from a fabulous trip to the Island of Kauai....it was really beautiful there!  I am going to document our trip in sections, so more to come in future posts.
To start:  We stayed in a time share condo, part of Mom's.  She went also, along with Alisha, Taryn and Luke, and Judi!  We had two condos...Mom, Judi and the boys stayed in one, while Bob and I, Lish, the girls and Lukey stayed in the other.  Here's a great view from our balcony:

And a great view of the big pool the girls loved!!

Perler Beads, Melty Beads...Whatever they are, they've taken over our house!

There's a new obsession at my house...these melty/perler beads are everywhere!  We started with just a few peg boards and 1 packet of beads....then a few more of each and now we have every bead color there is and tons of boards....on and on and on they keep finding their way here!  I have to admit, they are a lot of fun to make.  What started as a craft for Zoey mainly, now has turned into a fun family thing to do! Taryn and Auntie are in on the fun now too...they have their own at their house!  We have solid beads, glow in the dark beads, sparkly beads....and peg boards to make all different shapes, animals, and whatever we want.  We just broke out the tweezers too...they really help grab those darn little things!

DON'T LET MOM IRON THEM!
After you create the shape you would like on the peg board, you then take a piece of wax paper (usually included when you buy the beads) and iron them together for a few seconds on each side.  This might sound easy enough...however, read the directions carefully and practice on a few you don't care about as much before you go on.  This comes from first hand experience. I tried to do one...and got a big melty mess.  I won't post a pic of this as I don't need that much proof that I messed up!  So Bob (aka Daddy, Uncle Bob) is the King of the Iron!  Too bad for him he does a good job...he's the man now!

Pictures

I'm really focusing on taking as many pictures as possible. Of my family, the kids especially, since they are growing before my eyes.  But also just any interesting subject that might make a cool photo.  Trying to learn to really use my Canon....thinking I should take a class soon!  So here's a photo that is of one of my kids, but that is especially neat. I just love the way my Zoey looks in this pic, so free and so happy, with the trees behind her on a beautiful day.  This is just so her.

Big Events in Our Life

There's quite a lot going on in our lives right now...and this week is a biggie. I'm trying to put into words what it's like knowing Mario will be graduating from high school in less than a week...it's very surreal. I can remember finding out I was going to be a mom for the first time, and how happy and terrified I was. I've been thinking a lot about his childhood, and wishing time could go back to him being 5 years old, just for one day. I know I'm not the first parent to wish this, but it's such a strong yearning, to just see his face as a little boy again. It's such an interesting age, 18. He's a cross between a man and a kid, still hovering between the two. I am so proud of him, I can't wait to watch him get his diploma. He is creative, imaginative, funny, handsome and so kind. He convinces me more and more each day that he will be a force in the music world, in some way. He's an amazing talent, with a pure joy and love for music. I can't wait to see where life takes him.
But maybe for one more short week....I can still think of him as my little boy?

Finally Another Post!

Yes, it's time to get back into this blog!
There's a lot going on in our lives right now...Mario turned 18 last week, and he is graduating from high school on June 9! It doesn't seem real, feels like he was just my baby boy. Tyler will be leaving elementary school this June for the world of middle school (7th grade..yikes!) and Zoey will be finishing up 1st grade! My babies are all growing up...and they are just amazing, all in their own way!
Here's a pic of Mario and Jessica on their way to Senior Ball!


And my sissy had a baby boy, Luke on Sept. 1, 2010! I just love this little boy so much. He is so happy all the time, and she is such an awesome mom to him. Taryn is the greatest big sister, too...she just loves on him all the time.