Our long-awaited trip to Utah and Nevada

I have never felt as homesick as I did in Hawaii. It was so good to see family again. We got to visit my mom's graveside together, have a birthday party for Sophie, have a game night with lots of laughing, go to a Bees game with my sister Shannon, hang out at the park with Beth, and my dad and Wendy helped me to find a car to buy. I got to see Audrey and many good friends.  Mostly, it just felt good to be home in Utah for a little bit. I still want to go back!
Then a couple weeks later we got to visit with Danny's parents in Fallon.  Things were as beautiful as ever there, too. We enjoyed soaking in their presence, swimming in their pool, and having a game night with them. Grammy was good to watch the girls for us a few times while we moved! And we even got to visit with some Fernley friends at our old ward and check up on our house-turned-rental.
Can't wait to see all our old friends and family on a more regular basis now that we are on the mainland again!

Happy Birthday, Sophie

My sister, Shannon tipped us off to this amazing cupcake place in Draper. We had a great time celebrating Sophie's birthday with just us girls.

Sophie opening a gift from her Aunt Beth.

Pictured from the left: Gavin, Ethan, Ezra, Sophie, Samara, Melia, Linkin, Jackson, Sam.
Danny and his big brother, Jesse.
Grandpa Bob and Wendy (who had just put on a wedding for Wendy's son in their back yard only moments before our party).

Happy Birthday, Sophie!  You are a funny, kind, and delightful daughter.  We love you so much! Thanks to everyone for coming. She loves her gifts and still talks about her "Happy Birthday Party."

Note: Her Aunt Audrey and Uncle Zak found her a cabbage patch doll that not only looked like her, but was actually named "Sophie Joyce." We are keeping that little dolly around forever.  What a find!

Beautiful Utah

I could not believe how gorgeous the mountains looked. I got to see this view every day during my stay in Utah.  It just blew me away. Those mountains are so lovely.

A date above the clouds

We got to climb to the top of Mauna Kea last Saturday in our jeep and enjoy some quality time together. I love my man. I love my life.
Highlights of our date: the scenery, the funny bickering when we were nervous about driving off the mountain, the hot make out session, the 30 degree chilly weather, Danny's new laser pen, my red mauna kea sweat pants, Danny's good tunes, our girls happy at home with a pretty 'young woman,' looking at Saturn and the moon through telescopes

Aloha Oe

To all of our friends, we will miss you!!! Thank you for being apart of our lives, and for being so good to us.

Beach Party at Old A's

I love Hawaii

This picture is of the kids  sledding down the hill after church on a fallen palm tree branch. Who says you need snow to go sledding???

Personality

Every time she goes to the bathroom she likes to take ALL of her clothes off. After she locks the door. Today I used my phone to peek in on her, so as not to interrupt her reverie as she peed and picked her scabs. We were in a hurry, and this girl was killin' me.

Moving

Hey. We are moving back to the mainland in a couple weeks. I am nervous, excited, sad, and happy.

...But I am finally blogging! I guess  after almost a YEAR in Hawaii I am in the mood to blog about it. 

Maybe the problem is all that Aloha I have been feeling that makes me want to slow down (Aloha really exists here. It is amazing.) Or maybe I simply find blogging more fun than working on my moving list. In a matter of four hours, I created 30 new posts!

So I am posting them as if I posted when I was supposed to, as each event occurred. Tonight I published some five or six posts from October to February. 

I guess I will be publishing the rest over the next few weeks.  

Sorry. I am blogging like a procrastinating scrapbooker. Aloha!

Hotel Pretty Pics

My, my, this hotel has changed! Danny has done a great job. He is such a hard worker and a smartie pants. Way to go, Danny.

Melia turns 5

Melia had her first friend party ever. For her party, she chose a Princess and Unicorn theme. Weeks in advance, she helped me pick out fancy princess party favors from Oriental Trading Co: sparkly wands, Sequin crowns, inflatable swords, stickers, stuffed animals, and tattoos for all her friends. She picked out invitations and wrote her name in each one.

The party was held in a real ballroom, even, at the King Kamehameha Hotel. There were dress-ups, a royal procession, and a lot of pretend play chaos! My visiting teacher, Nani Linda, and her daughters, came all dressed up and helped with the announcing and fabulous picture taking. Melia's primary teacher, Sis. Miller, came early to help us get ready. They played Pin the Horn on the Unicorn (a sparkly unicorn poster made by myself and Melia), then hit the Unicorn Pinata (hung on poles used in the hotel renovation), and then they completed a Treasure Quest created by Danny. Then the kids enjoyed Confetti Cupcakes and Lilikoi Passion Fruit Vanilla Chiffon Cake after singing Happy Birthday. We finished off the party with a slew of great presents from all her friends and she even got a crown pillow to keep with all of her friends names written on it. Melia's happiness high lasted for days. It was a wonderful time.