Final full day in Kauai

Today is our final day in Kauai as we fly out tomorrow morning.  I can't believe this trip is almost over.  It has truly been amazing.  We wanted to make the most of our last day here and the kids wanted to go on another hike.  We actually went and hiked to a lookout point above our favorite beach. The trail was called Heritage Trail. It was a beautiful hike with unreal views at the top.  I am so grateful that someone offered to take a family picture for us.  The background was unbelievable.  On our way down we saw a sea lion sunbathing on the beach- it was amazing.  We went back, grabbed our swimsuits, and headed back to the beach.  We all were there together and it was amazing.  The waves were huge and it was a blast.  We stayed at the beach for hours.  We then went back to condo to rest a bit before going to grab dinner at Da Crack.  After dinner, we went and did a little souvenir shopping.  Then we got all of our stuff packed up for our early morning departure.  After we were all packed, we watched Arrested Development together.  Such a funny show and such a perfect moment.  Feel so lucky to have been able to have the best time together on this amazing trip.  Would not change a thing.

Day 3 in Kauai

This morning we got up and and decided to go on a long walk.  We walked to Poipu Beach and then decided to keep going all the way to Shipwreck Beach.  It was a little muggy but it was a beautiful morning.  Nash, Gray, Har, Joey, and I.  We saw some beautiful look outs which made it worth the long walk.  After a little exercise, we got ready and went to Duke's for lunch.  Duke's is a barefoot bar that is right on the water.  The scenery was beautiful and the food was good.  The boys all got cheeseburgers and Har and I shared a giant plate of nachos.  After lunch we went to the Spouting Horn which is a natural blowhole.  It was so cool to see the water spout up so high.  From the Spouting Horn we decided to go to Lafferty's.  Cory had recommended it and said that they had the best ice cream.  He was right!  It was super good.  We went back and had a little relaxing time and then we decided to go to Shipwreck Beach for a nighttime swim.  It was seriously the BEST.  Joey and I sat on the beach and watched our five kids jumping the waves and having the greatest time together.  I turned to Joey and said "This is pretty much the perfect night."  It was another confirmation of how blessed we are to be able to spend time in paradise as a family.

Day 2 in Kauai

Joey and I got up early and went on a walk.  Hawaii is so beautiful and I cannot believe that we were able to pull off another family vacation.  I feel so blessed!  We got home and had breakfast burritos before heading out on a hike.  We drove about 40 minutes to hike the Hoopi Falls.  The hike was about 4 miles total.  It was a bit muggy but the shade made it much better.  The were so many trees and it was just beautiful.  The falls were so pretty and definitely worth the hike!  After the hike, we drove to the North Shore of the island.  It was a bit more crowded but so pretty.  I feel like Kauai is a bit more spread out than Oahu was and it takes a little more time to get to different areas of the island.  But everywhere you drive is so pretty that it does not feel that long.  After our drive we ate lunch and then went Uncles for some famous shaved ice!  It did not disappoint.  We then went back to Shipwreck beach for a few hours. We love it there and I would guess that this would be a part of each day for the rest of our trip.  After the beach, we cleaned up and went to Bubbas for dinner.  They had really yummy hamburgers and fries.  After dinner, we walked around the cutest little shopping center.  Family time is seriously the BEST!

Day 1 in Kauai

We woke up pretty early and Kauai was even more beautiful in the light!  We woke up and drove to the beach which was so close to where we were staying.  The drive was literally one minute.  It was such nice somewhat private beach.  We walked in the sand, close to the water, and I was so full of gratitude that we were actually in Hawaii again!  So lucky!  After checking out the beach, we went to Costco to get some food for our stay.  We also grabbed a couple pizzas for lunch.  After lunch, we packed up and went to Poipu beach for a couple of hours.  It was so beautiful and we actually saw some sea turtles basking on the sand.  The boys had so much fun in the water but the floor of the ocean was super rocky.  So we decided to go try a different beach that was up the road a little bit.  This beach was called Shipwreck Beach.  This would become our favorite.  The waves were so high and so fun.  We had a great time.  After a couple of hours there, we went home and showered.  Luke got a little sunburned so he stayed home, but the rest of us drove to see the Grand Canyon of Hawaii.  It was called Wiamia Canyon.  It was so amazing!  It was so beautiful that it almost seemed unreal.  We hiked around and took some of the most amazing pictures.  After the site seeing, we went to a restaurant called Verde for dinner.  It was the yummiest Mexican food. We grabbed some aloe and Panda Express to take back to Luke.  It was about 7:30pm when we got home but we were exhausted.  We got settled in and were in bed by 9!  Cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.  A pretty perfect first full day in Kauai. 

And we are off!

When Luke was on his mission, we made a plan to go to Hawaii on a family trip the summer after he got home.  We decided to go to Kauai this time and started putting all of the plans in motion. We dropped Ike off this morning at KC and Mike's and we left for the airport at 10:45am.   Joey dropped us off and we checked in the bags while he went and parked the car.  Once we got through security, we went to have a good meal at Cafe Rio before boarding our first flight at 1:25pm. As we boarded the plane we saw a familiar face!  Elder Kearon.  The line to back stopped for a minute and Harlee and I got to chat with him and his wife.  I told him that I knew we would be safe on the flight since he was on there.  He asked us where we were going and he told us that he was going home to the UK.  He was so kind. What a great way to start our amazing trip. We had a quick layover in Seattle and then flew to Kauai.  The flights were great and we landed a little after 7pm.  Joey went to get the rental car while we waited for the luggage.  The car was a Jeep Wagoneer and it was so spacious for all of us.  We were starving.  Even though it was a little after 7pm there, it was 11pm for us.  We got McDonalds and Taco Bell before heading to the airbnb.  The condo was beautiful and perfect!  I was so relieved!  Since I am the one that planned everything online, I was super nervous that it would not work out.  But so far, everything is perfect and I cannot wait to spend the next five days in paradise with my family.  

He's Employed!!

Nash has been trying over the next 6 months to find a job in the schools.  He appreciates the no weekend schedule that Har and Luke have enjoyed as they have worked at Viewpoint.  We are leaving today for Hawaii but Nash was able to get an interview at Belmont Elementary for 10am which was perfect since we need to leave at 11 for the airport.  His interview was pretty quick and he was offered the job on the spot.  So AMAZING!  He will start in the beginning of August.  How lucky to be able to enjoy the summer knowing that he will be able to earn some money starting in August.  So happy for him!

Boating trip

This summer will be super busy and I am pretty sure that renting a boat will not be an option this summer.  I am so grateful that both Nash and Gray will have the opportunity to spend some time on the water.  Nash went with the priests and they had so much fun.  Nash got to try wakeboarding and was able to spend some time tubing.  What a fun summer night!

Nash's new ride

We got a decent pay out on the accident and we were able to find Nash a new car.  We got him a 2014 Audi Q7.  It is a little bit older but has lower miles.  Plus bonus, he can fit all of his friends with the 3rd row seats.  I am so excited for him to have a car again and to be able to enjoy that freedom.  

Finally using the permit...

Tonight I took Gray to the church parking lot to practice driving for the first time.  He did a great job and I only screamed once.  We have made a goal to go driving once a week so he can feel prepared in May when he gets his license.  Pray for me!

Ike loves St. George

You know we love our puppy when there are more pictures of him in St. George than the real people in our family!  He is such a funny dog and loves to find new places to get comfortable.  He also loves to be in the sun.  Any time we were out in the pool, he wanted to be outside.  He would be so hot and panting like crazy, but would refuse to go inside.  We are so grateful for Ike and all the extra love he brings to our family.

Longest SG trip since last summer

Our summer is so booked!  I tried to find some time where we could go to SG for longer than 2 days and the only time that would work was this week.  So I left with Har, Nash, Gray, and Tag on Friday morning.  Joey and Luke came down on Friday night.  They stayed until early Sunday afternoon but I stayed with the other kids until Wednesday morning.  We worked super hard but found time to have some fun also.  On Friday, we got done there around 10am.  Shortly after we arrived, our grocery order showed up on our door.  Love that option!  We spent the afternoon in the pool. The temperature was perfect and there is not much better than laying on a floaty in the pool.  That night we decided to clean out the storage room in the basement so we could get the treadmill moved in while Joey was there.  We also took out all the older decor to the garage to prepare for the garage sale in the morning.  After the work was done, we all decided to go on a walk.  It was so nice out.  Joey and Luke arrived at 10pm.  I slept so good that night having everyone there together.  

On Saturday morning we woke up early and got everything out for the garage sale.  We ended up making $98!  Not as much as I had hoped but the biggest blessing was getting so much stuff out of the house.  All that was left was loaded into the truck and Sequoia and taken to DI.  It felt so good to get so much clutter out.  We had decor that had followed us from all of our SG houses and it was time to get rid of it.  After the hard work, we went and spent our earnings at Porkbellys.  After lunch, we took Luke to the Salt Water Store to try some of our favs.  We spent the rest of the day working hard on the basement and spending some time in the pool.  We celebrated the hard work by a dinner at Pizza Factory.  We spent the dinner looking at old pictures and laughing so hard together.  Definitely one of those perfect family moments that I will never forget. After dinner, Har and I took Tammy to Ross for a little shopping.  Love spending time with her.

Sunday we woke up and celebrated Joey.  After they left to head home, we spent more time in the pool and relaxed.  That night we decided to go and do the stairs after the sun had went down.  It was tough, especially for Tag, but he did it!  So proud of him.  So fun to do hard things together.  

On Monday, I had to work but we still found time to spend in the pool.  That night, the boys went to see the movie Karate Kid and Har and I went to see Materialists.  We all liked the movies that we chose.  After the movie, we decided to go on another nighttime walk.  Perfect way to end the night.  

We woke up early on Tuesday morning and went to the Red Cliffs Temple to do baptisms.  It is such a beautiful temple.  So grateful that Gray pushed us to go to the temple together as a family.  Since he suggested that goal, we have gone every other month.  Such special experiences we get to have as a family.  After the temple, we went to Einstein's bagel to stay true to the tradition.  After we got back and I worked a little, Har and I went to lunch with Tammy.  It was so great to spend some time with her.  She is seriously the best.   We spent some time in the pool that afternoon and then went to Pieology for dinner.  After dinner we went home to get everything cleaned so that we could leave early in the morning.  We rewarded our hard work with a little Arctic Circle.  We got up early this morning to head home.

It was seriously so nice to have a little more time in SG this trip.  I love this place and cannot believe that one day Joey and I will get to live here full time.  It will seriously be a dream come true.

Father's Day in SG

We decided to spend a little time in St. George and celebrate our favorite guy in our favorite place.  Joey and Luke drove down on Friday night and were planning on heading back today.  So we got up and made yummy French toast, fruit, and bacon for Joey's father day celebration.  We gave him some new clothes and his favorite treats.  Joey is truly the best dad and our children are so lucky to get to learn from his example.  He is such a hard worker and quiet server.  He is always looking for ways to make our lives better and is the best gift giver.  He is so funny and there is truly no better sound than his laugh.  We love him so much and feel so grateful to get to follow his example.  Love you Joe and hope you have the best Father's Day!

New Closet Doors

After all the years of enduring the gold trimmed mirrored closet doors, the new doors have been installed.  I LOVE them.  It makes the whole room seem brighter and more current. This was one of the last things that needed to be done on the basement renovation.  We are going down on Friday to spend a few days in our favorite place.  I cannot wait to see everything completed!  I am so grateful that we were able to do this renovation.

Dreams come true

For the last 6 months, Tag has been saving all of his money in hopes of getting a switch 2.  He has worked hard to sell old games, do chores, and save every penny.  On June 4th at 10pm they went on sale.  Tag's amazing siblings and friends, each got on a device and tried all of the stores to get one.  They were unsuccessful.  So they jumped in the car and drove to Target and Best Buy.  Both places had lines all around the building.  People were camping out until the stores opened the next morning.  Tag was so grateful that they tried and tried not to be bummed that he did not get one.  That next morning, I decided to try to go on all the sites to see if I could get lucky.  After trying Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, I decided to try Sams Club.  I was able get one but we were super worried it would not come.  I called Tag downstairs to tell him that I think we got one.  He said he was going to be "cautiously optimistic".  Cute boy!  The switch was to come on Sunday.  Tag googled how many fingers to cross for good luck and learned that it was one set of crossed fingers.  Anymore would undo the luck!  So about every couple of hours over the next few days, Tag would walk in the room with him fingers crossed, and I would know it was time to check the app to see if the order had progressed or been canceled.  By Sunday it showed that the order had been shipped.  The order arrived on Tuesday and Tag was ecstatic.  He woke up at 5am today and checked the porch and mailbox on the hour.  The package finally arrived a little after 2pm. I am not sure I have ever seen Tag smile that big.  So happy that this could all work out for our sweet boy!

Luke's lady

I knew that Luke was spending a lot of time with someone but I tried to play it cool and not ask a ton of questions.  A couple of weeks ago, Luke came home from work and told me the whole story.  It was amazing.  Her name is Morgan and she served in his mission.  They served closely when Luke was zone leader and Morgan was a sister district leader.  He told me that he thought she was super funny but did not even think about dating while he was on his mission.  When he got home, they started spending a lot of time together.  They finally made it official a few weeks ago.  She is from Georgia and is going to school at BYU.  I am so happy for Luke.  Happy looks good on him!  This is picture is from what she posted on Instagram for his birthday.  

Happy Birthday Lukie

Luke is 21!  WHAT???  I cannot believe it. It was so fun to be able to be with him on his birthday after 2 years apart.  We celebrated by going to Chom for dinner and then home for some presents.  Luke requested new clothes!  He also got a projector, money, and some other little things.  He requested a donut cake and ice cream. Happy birthday Lukie!  You should be so proud of all that you have accomplished in 21 years and I am so excited for what is to come for you.