Aloha, Hawaii

During the second week of December, we got to go to Hawaii again for a conference. It was a crazy time since we had just moved, hosted Thanksgiving, and had Christmas around the corner, but hey, it was Hawaii so we couldn't refuse. We were on the island of Oahu and stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Darin and Jen Allred travelled with us (well, Jen did. Darin's ticket didn't get purchased, just reserved, so he had to fly by himself and arrived a couple of hours later). The hotel was beautiful and we were so excited to be back. We met up with some great friends, Ben and JaCoy Robinson, the next day and spent the entire week together. We also got to reconnect with other friends from residency during dinners, hikes, chillin' on the beach, and karaoke at the coffee shop across the street.

Scuba diving at Haunama Bay was first on our list of things to do. After a delicious breakfast of Jamba bowls and oatmeal at Jamba Juice, we were energized and ready to go. The water was great and we spent a few hours snorkeling along the reef. Then we headed back to the grocery store for some snacks and cream puffs to take on our hike to Manoa Falls. It was a beautiful hike and the scenery was fun. There were thick bamboo plants all over and long vines hanging from canopy trees as we walked up to the waterfall. The water wasn't flowing as heavy since it was wintertime but still pretty. After hiking back down and cleaning up at our hotel, we went to a restaurant called Haleiwa Joe's. It was the favorite of the week. We had some amazing fish and the boys were ranting and raving loudly about how great the food was. Definitely a high recommendation.

Next on our "To Do" list was the Dole Plantation. We ate lunch there, ate pineapple ice cream, and walked around the grounds. Then we drove up to the North Shore to watch the surfers. The waves were coming in pretty good and we just sat there for hours watching the locals surf. Our boys even body-surfed a bit but were getting pretty thrashed out there.

The Hale Koa hotel next door held a luau for all of us that evening and it was fun to visit, hook up with old friends, and see some Hawaiian entertainment.



Next was golfing for the boys and para-sailing for the girls. I have never done this before and I was so excited. JaCoy, Jen and I got to go together so it was really fun for all three of us to be up so high looking at Waikiki and scream on the way down when they dipped us in the water. It was a great experience.

Then we just hung out on the beach until the boys arrived and watched the sunset while taking goofy romantic pictures of each couple.

We also went on a ATV tour at Kailua Ranch. It was gorgeous. It has been the film site for many movies and television shows including LOST, Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, and many more. It was a lot of fun driving through the country and Hawaii is absolutely beautiful. It's amazing how lush and green it is there.



That evening was the buffet and night show at the Polynesian Culture Center. Joe was so excited to finally get his Pineapple Delight. The show was great with all the dancers and entertainment.

We visited the Laie Temple and Visitor Center and Giovanni's shrimp truck before driving up to another hike at Waimea Falls. This one was on a paved road and when you got to the top, there was a big pond that you could swim in. Lifeguards were keeping watch to make sure our boys didn't do any cannonballs off the top of the falls. The water was FREEZING. JaCoy and I counted and just got in. I started swimming quickly to keep warm. Jen had left her swimsuit in the car but due to peer pressure from her friends, she jumped in fully clothed. What a sport!

The last day we toured Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.



It was a wonderful vacation...I mean, conference.

Tiny Tim

Clark was Tiny Tim in his school play, "A Christmas Carol". Once again he stole the show with his one-liner, "God bless us, everyone!"

(Actually he had about 4 lines but he really got the audience with those famous words and his sweet dimples when he froze his smile for the next scene) We are proud parents ;)!

Three going on Seventeen

Carlee turned 3 years old on December 7. Even though she is 3, she acts like she is 17.
Here are my favorites about Carlee:

*She is such a diva picking out which outfits to wear
*She smears her lips with lipgloss over and over throughout the day
*She packs and re-packs purses for her trips to the school, bank, and stores
*She loves to wear heels and boots with her outfits that have to match
*She talks all day long on her cell phones
*She is full of energy and personality
*She is hilarious and wise beyond her years
*She talks non-stop
*She gives cheesy grins or will look at you shyly but with smiling eyes
*She loves to pretend and play with her toys
*She loves Tinkerbell and My Little Pony
*She wads up her blanket underneath her and between her legs when she goes to bed
*She has to have hugs and kisses before she falls asleep
*She loves Cafe Rio
*She loves milk
*She loves "hanitizer" (hand sanitizer)
*She loves to sing and dance to Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift
*She can't sit still for longer than about 3 seconds
*She can't be quiet for longer than about 3 seconds
*She loves to flip her hair around and smack her lips when she talks
*She loves babies and dogs
*She loves to color and draw
*She loves to play games on my i-Phone

I can't believe that she is 3. It seems like yesterday that I was having to hold her all the time because she would not let me put her down. Every morning when we drop the kids off at school, she looks at me in the mirror and says, "It's just you and me, Mom! What are we going to do today?" She is always quick to help me in the kitchen when making a meal or doing chores around the house. She also loves to go to Target and want to go shopping there every day.

She wanted a My Little Pony party for her birthday. We had gotten some mini My Little Ponies from McDonald's a month or so ago so I got this brilliant idea to make a carousel cake with the ponies on the carousel. On a sidenote, just about every cake that I make does not turn out very well. It is just not one of my talents and I'm okay with that. They are absolutely amazing in my head but the execution of my idea just doesn't always come out. They turn out fine and the kids are happy with them but I am always disappointed because my ideas are so much grander. A lot of times, I end up just purchasing a cake. This year was no exception in my disappointment. Joe and I really enjoy watching "Cake Boss" and we are always amazed at his talents and making up ideas for him to do for us. We decided to make the top of the carousel out of rice krispies, just like he does. My first problem was that the frosting wouldn't stay on very well. It kept seeping through the krispies and didn't look very smooth. The second problem was that when I stuck the dowels through the rice krispies and down through the cake, it started to lean. I hurried and took several pictures while it was still standing. A few minutes later, it fell over but luckily, Carlee still loved it and got to blow out her candles while it was still intact.

She loved her birthday presents--a My Little Pony Playhouse, a R/C Pony motorcycle, Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure DVD, and a tricycle bike from Grandma and Grandpa. Plus she got money and a tutu from cousins.

This kid sure has a lot of spunk and personality and we love her to pieces for it.
Happy Birthday, Coco!

Christmas Cuties

The Boys

The Girls




All in a row

My Birthday Babe

Joe turned 35 on November 29th. We had a few friends over and ate his special chocolate cake with ice cream. And to celebrate this important birthday, he didn't want the gift I was going to get him. He bought his own gift that he has been wanting for several years now. With a Black Friday special and a super deal, he finally bought a big screen television. He was so excited to open it and set it up. So now, the entertainment unit that fit perfectly in the media niche in our family room is now pushed to the side and he has his T.V. sitting on a table until he builds a shelving/media unit for that space. He now justifies buying a table saw so that he can build these built-in shelves for his birthday gift. "It can't just sit there on a table!" What happened to my stipulation that the T.V. had to fit in the entertainment center so we don't have to deal with these rearranging and building issues?? Oh well, it's his birthday and I love him. What's a girl to do? Happy Birthday, hon!
(Let the building begin...)

We Give Thanks

This year we hosted Thanksgiving dinner in our new house. It was the Holt's turn this year so my parents, the Quarnberg clan, and the McKnights came down. We were missing the Willes crew and Geoff, Alanna, and Alex. We had a great dinner--turkey, yams, mashed potatoes, raspberry salad, rolls, deviled eggs, stuffing, and pies. Everything was so delicious. The boys helped clean up our yard a little bit while the girls cooked and set the table. After dinner we just relaxed, watched football, and played games.

Carlee, taste-testing the deviled eggs

Clark calls for the turkey leg

Katelyn made the placecards for our table


Cooking the stuffing

Aunt Jenn and Clark devilling the eggs

Our Thanksgiving feast

Our Thanksgiving table

On Black Friday, the boys headed out to pick up some furniture and check out the shopping deals. We even hit the outlet malls later in the afternoon. It was crowded but not too bad. I was just overwhelmed by how messy the stores were. It is hard for me to shop like that so we decided to go to Bass Pro Shop. That was the place to be. It wasn't crowded and it was all decked out for Christmas. The kids even got to sit on Mr. and Mrs. Claus' lap. One of the entrances to the shop also goes into the Silverton Casino and there is a big aquarium there. Inside was a live mermaid swimming around and she was entertaining guests with flips and air-blown kisses. The kids thought it was so cool.

We also went to the Four Seasons Hotel and looked at the gingerbread house display. It was different than expected (I had built up in my head some big village that you walk through) but still neat in that everything was made out of candy and there were some really creative buildings.

It was a great weekend with family and we are so thankful for them. We also got the big announcement that Jenn and Kyle are expecting their first baby! We can't wait!

This year we are most grateful for:
-A smooth transition to a new home
-Family members joining us for Thanksgiving
-Happy healthy children
-Happy healthy parents
-The gospel
-Fun church callings we enjoy
-A good school
-Good friends
-A fun neighborhood
-A nice big yard with grass
-Having fun together
-Going to stores
-Eating out
-Getting ice cream
-Watching movies
-Going on bike rides
-Going on walks
-Just living a happy life

Super Six Year Old

Jacob turned six years old on November 22nd. He really wanted to have a birthday party with friends, but due to the move and Thanksgiving only 4 days later, he was a really sweet sport in settling for a family birthday party. He said, "It's okay, Mom. I'm the first one to have a birthday in our new house and that's pretty cool!" For his birthday dinner, he chose to have sushi (I know, only my crazy 6-year-old would choose that) so we got that on Saturday night and then ate his favorite meal of lasagna on his Sunday birthday. He loved the Transformers cake we ordered and enjoyed opening some spy gear presents--a utitlity belt with a laser tripwire, an invisible ink pen, and a disc shooter gun, and some night-vision goggles. He also got the Toy Story Mania Wii game and some baseball slippers. He was pretty excited about his spy gear and as I entered his room to tuck him in at bedtime, I walked into the laser tripwire and the alarm went off. He started laughing his head off because I walked into his trap. Then he gave me a big hug, thanked me for the "best birthday ever" and kissed me good night.





Our favorite things about Jake:
*He loves sushi
*He loves to play
*He loves to snuggle
*He likes to stay home instead of running errands or playing with friends
*He likes to teach Carlee about school stuff--reading, math, numbers, letters, etc.
*He likes to hang out with his big brother and do what he does
*He has a great sense of humor
*He is full of energy
*He is all boy
*He loves his mom
*He likes to play with action figures and make sound effects
*He has a great imagination
*He keeps us laughing with his wit
*He loves to wrestle and run
*He is the best at posing for pictures with a nice smile when I say his name

We love you, Jake. Happy Birthday!

Pack it up!

On November 2, 2009 we closed on our new house. I put an offer on a short-sale home back in April and after extensively searching for other homes, being discouraged about the long wait and impatiently wondering if we were ever going to get the house, we finally closed after about 8 months. In October, we were heavily considering other homes to buy but wanted to take one last look before deciding to let "ours" go. We walked through it for the 4th or 5th time and decided that it would be worth the wait even if it took a year. Two days later, we got the call that the bank accepted our offer and we would be able to close in 3 weeks. So the plans and packing began. After Halloween we started the process. Because we didn't like the tile in the new house, we opted to put in a wood floor and get it done before we moved in. It took about 7 days to put in the floor and 3 days later, the moving truck unloaded our stuff in our new home.

The kids were excited and very helpful with the packing. We were only moving 2 streets over so luckily, we didn't have to pack too tightly. Although our rental home was beautiful and we would have been happy staying there or buying it, we were excited to own a home again. The best things about our house is the bigger yard, separate office from the master bedroom, staying in the same school and ward, and being in a culdesac. The kids love riding out in the road without having to watch for cars all the time. And although, we don't have a pool in this one right now, there is a great sports court and grassy area for play.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of our rental home besides the everyday candids but stay tuned for some pictures of our new one as we get settled...

Here is the front of our old house


Some crazy helpers with an assembly line of pantry goods