Some pictures of the cutest kids ever!

Look how much she's grown!

Riley and her teacher, Miss Sherry, on her last day of preschool. 

E- Speaks

Yesterday, Jason took the boys to the YMCA pool for the first time this season.  We're counting down the days till summer!  Anyhow, Jason took his shirt off and noticed Ethan pipes up, "Daddy, you have a furry belly!"

Then later in the car, Bray and Ethan were arguing (like always).  Finally Braden says, "Dad, do you have hair in your belly-button?"

Jason: "No."

Ethan: "Yes you do!  I saw it!"



Got this in a group text from Grandma Dawn:

Best Grandma Day quote so far today...  (while Harper is changing into her bathing suit) Ethan says, "Grandma, did you know that girls' pee-pees are called a fu-China?  I'm not even kidding.  For reeeeeeal.  Braden even told me!"



*head shaking, eyes rolling, dying laughing*  What am I gonna do with this kid!  Hahaha!

Suzy Speaks

So this morning Suzy, in he regular routine, hops into our room to say hi and "wake up" Daddy.  Currently Daddy is her favorite person-she asks for him all day-it's adorable! 

Suzy: Hi Dad!  I poo-poo! 

Jason: You need to change a diaper? 

Suzy hops up in bed: Ya!

Then I roll over to smile and the conversation begins. :)

Jason: There's mommy!  Hi mommy!  Hey Susan, (pointing at me) is that a mo-mo?  (Her word for monkey) Is that a mo-mo in my bed? 

Suzy:  No! 

Jason:  Is that a doggy? 

Suzy: No!

Jason: (pointing at her now and tickling her neck) Are you a doggy? 

Suzy:  No!  I a butt!  I a poo-poo in my butt! 

We both cracked up!   

Jason and Suzy then discussed whether that meant there was poo-poo in the bed.  And finally he changed her diaper. 

April 2016 - Oakes

This month Ava started the Miss Idaho Little Sister program.  She is so excited to participate in this program again.  She is looking forward to meeting her new big sister, and also finding new community service projects to do.  Love this girl! 

The girls had orientation at Wahooz and were released afterwards to play games and run around with friends.  While Ava spent time with her friend Brighton, the boys and I played some mini-golf.  Today was probably the hottest day of the year - but we had a blast.  Carter liked to hit the ball once, and then pick it up and drop it in the hole.  I think we'll have to work on that one.

On April 13th, Brycen turned 7!  He was totally spoiled with presents from us, Grandma, Paka, Nana & Papa.  It was a great birthday celebration together!

Brycen also tested for the next belt level in TKD.  He was a yellow belt and now he is an Advanced Yellow belt.  To pass, Brycen had to break a pine board with a side kick.  Despite all the practice in class and at home, he was still nervous.  But, it only took 2 tries and he did it!  I am SO proud of him.  This program has really helped his confidence, balance and focus. 

Carter continues to be an awesome kid too.  He loves to be outside, and this weather is perfect.  It has been so warm already.  We love to go to the park with friends and jump on the trampoline outside.  This sweet boy is a bundle of energy.

Atlanta Idaho Back Country Bike Trip

This weekend a few of us left Boise on our Dual Sport bikes and headed for Atlanta, ID.  It is nestled just to the west of  the Sawtooth wilderness mountains.  Few people go there as it's about as far from anywhere there is in Idaho.  Established as a mining town in 1864 it still has much of the same charm and old buildings as any very old town.  Surprisingly there are still quite a few people who live up there full time.  There is a nice B&B there called Beavercreek Lodge... and a very nice hot springs that is just big enough for one party...not very big and just out of town far enough to be private.

 This is on a mountain top over looking Atlanta with the Sawtooth wilderness in the background

On the way there I was overcome with all the beauty and wonderful smells of spring.  The many colors of flowers blooming on the hillsides all around and the overpowering sweet smells of blooming locust trees.  And it hit me... a short and poignant epiphany...  I came upon the thought that one bright and beautiful day in the future, I will have the opportunity to meet our Heavenly Father and feel of His welcoming embrace.  He will have a fragrance of sage or pine, or of a summer breeze just before the rain.  And then he will introduce me to his beautiful wife - and she will have one of the many beautiful smells of locust blossom, or lavender, or of roses.  I realized then that this mother earth has been graced by all of her favorite fragrances.

Our Trip to Hawaii - Maui

(Scroll down and read about Oahu first!)

Apr 23 - Maui

 Since we were so busy in Oahu we decided to take the weekend off and just relax!  Our condo was awesome!  It was on the ground floor so we could walk right out to the pool or hot tub and it was about 100 yards from the beach!
On our first day we got up early and went to the Maui Swap Meet! It's more like a farmers market and it's located at the local community college. It's the best place to get all your souvenirs and fresh produce. The rest of the day we just did a lot of beach bummin'.  The beach closest to the condo was kinda rocky so we found lots of bits of coral and this cool rock that had been hollowed out from the surf.
Apr 24th - Sunday

 We planned on going to Kihei 1st Ward but on our arrival we found a locked gate and a hand written sign saying it was stake conference.  So we turned around and drove 20 minutes to the stake center in Kahului.  We learned that the stake includes several islands so some leaders had to fly in to attend. This included the Temple President and his wife from the big island, Kona. There was also the stake president, his counselors and the missionary president and his wife.  They were all distinguished by wearing leis. The higher up you were, the more ornate your lei. Of course every speaker that got up addressed everyone with a big Alooooha! and we responded.  And at the end we sent them off with the Aloha song (Aloha Oe)

 In the pool area there were several bbqs so we had steaks and grilled pineapple!
Apr 25th - The Road to Hana

 The Road to Hana is a long (50+ miles), winding road that, at best, is 1 1/2 lanes wide.  Its very scenic and has several waterfalls and views along the way. This was one place we stopped at called Ke'anae Peninsula.  It had cool lava rock formations and big waves.

 This is the second time we have taken a picture in front of this particular waterfall and both times quite by accident.  I guess its just a pretty one that has caught our eye both times!

 Even though the drive to Hana was beautiful, our actual objective was 10 miles past Hana at Oheo Gulch.  The Pipiwai trail is about a 5 mile hike round trip and below that is the Kuloa Point Trail, aka the Seven Sacred Pools.

 The hike was absolutely beautiful! very cool trees and waterfalls!

 A huge banyan tree!

 The last half of the trail was a very dense bamboo forest.

  Waimoku Falls!  Much better end result than Manoa Falls!

 Overlooking the ocean at the Seven Sacred Pools.

 The Seven Sacred Pools.  A series of waterfalls flowing from pool to pool out to the ocean.  Usually you can walk down to swim in them but it was gated because the water was too high making it too dangerous.

 One mile even further was the grave site of Charles Lindbergh.  Matt had watched "The Spirit of St Louis" on whim 2 days before we left and on a google search saw that Charles Lindbergh was buried in Maui.  If you didn't know where it was you would never find it.  The only sign we saw was for the church next to it.
Apr 26th - The Old Lahaina Luau

 On my birthday I wanted to go to a luau! I read that this one was the best and we weren't disappointed! Upon arrival we were greeted with leis and fruity drinks.

 The unveiling of the roasted pig, Hawaiian style.

 The Food.  It was delicious and very filling.  Our eyes were too big for our stomachs.  We had terrific seats and it was a great show!
Apr 27th - Molokini Crater

 Early Wednesday morning we had booked a charter boat to take us snorkeling at Molokini Crater.  A small crater off the coast of Maui that has clear water and lots of sea life to see!  The inside of the crater was only about 20 ft deep.  The cool part was they took us around to the back of the crater that was a straight drop down 200ft.  It was a bit eerie being so exposed in deep water but it was so clear and beautiful! Later they took us back to the Maui shore to place they called the "turtle cleaning station".  Here the turtles come from all around to get their shells cleaned by the fish.  We would see as many as 6 -7 turtles at a time!

 I saw something shiny in the water, dove down and grabbed it! A little sea treasure! We even took it to a pawn shop to see if it was real but we found it was nothing but a bit of costume jewelry. A little token for me to take home.
Apr 28th - Last Day

On Thursday we checked out and spend the last few hours driving around, killing time and putting off returning our rental car.  It was a fabulous trip! A much needed, well-planned vacation that we will have in our memories forever!

Our Trip to Hawaii - Oahu

This year Matt and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary so we decided that we would save our pennies and spend it in Hawaii! We made arrangements with Kent and Martha to take the kiddos and Kevin and Lisa to feed the dog (THANK YOU!!)  and on April 19th we took off to Honolulu.  

Our condo was right in the heart of Waikiki about 2 blocks from the beach.  As soon as we got there we got lunch and took a stroll down to the beach and down the main road that goes through Waikiki.  

So on a side note, if you ever find yourself down on your luck and homeless...why not in be so in Hawaii?  We found that MANY came to that very conclusion!

Apr. 20th - Pearl Harbor

 We got there bright and early for tickets to see the Arizona Memorial at 9.  We got there at 7:30 and when the guy checked our tickets he asked if we wanted to go at 8 instead and we said yes!  There weren't a ton of people there yet so it was very somber and peaceful.

 Inside the Arizona Memorial shrine room there is a spot where Arizona survivors have been interred with their shipmates.  As you can see that has happened as recent as 2015.

 After visiting the Arizona, we had lunch and took a shuttle to go see The Mighty Mo'!

 The 16" guns on the Missouri

We took the advanced "Heart of The Missouri Tour" and got to squeeze through a lot of places just like this.  This is in the top of the 16" gun turret, where they oversaw the loading and charging of the guns.  

True 1980's/90's technology.  The three big clunky boxes you see are: (left to right) a teletype, GPS, and an accelerometer.  All of which can now be neatly packaged up in the smartphones we hold in our hands.

 Looking down "Broadway" the main front to back passageway about two decks below the main deck.  Each of the boilers and engine rooms are accessed off this passageway.

If everything goes wrong and you have to abandon a smoke filled ship from 3-4 decks down, you get to come up this tube.  The junior most sailor goes first and has to wait at the top until the senior most sailor seals the hatch beneath them.  Only then can he open the top hatch.  Our guide said they had to stack 20-30 sailors up on this ladder in an emergency evacuation.

 This "Rat Maze" is between decks.  If your exit is blocked, you access this and crawl your way to another one.  It leads from the bow to the stern and is totally unmarked.  At best you can low crawl through it.

 Bow of the ship.

 The breech of the 16" guns.  The gun turret is 4-5 different levels where powder, various projectiles, and hydraulics are stored.  The projectiles are raised via elevators and loaded via a hydraulic ram.  The breech plug (seen below) then seals it off.

 Every room, hallway, passageway, office, etc is marked with these signs.  If you can break down the code it tells exactly where you are in the ship, so in an emergency you can get help there fast.

 One of the four boilers on the ship.  They are lit with a fuel soaked rag on the long poles with the cone on the end of them next to the guide.  It takes 11-12 hours for enough steam to be built up before the ship can move.

 Assembly stamp on the boilers.  Note the date.

 This is how you aim a 16" gun at a target 23 miles away, taking into effect the wind, speed, pitch and roll of the ship.

 Firing triggers for the big guns.

Loading procedure for the big guns.  If everything runs smoothly, they can have three projectiles fired and in the air before the first one hits. Times 9 guns that's 27 shots fired per minute!

The official surrender for WW II was signed on board the Missouri....  

 At this exact location.

 When the Missouri was brought into Pearl Harbor to be a floating museum, there was concern by some that it would overshadow the Arizona Memorial.  So now they talk about the Missouri keeping watch over the Arizona, and how both memorials showcase the beginning and the end of WW II coming full circle.

 On our way out to catch the last bus after a long hot day.
Apr 21st  - Polynesian Cultural Center

  The PCC didn't open till noon so we had some time to kill before heading to Laie.  So for breakfast we went to a place called Leonard's Bakery and they specialize in Malasadas which are basically a doughnut without the hole.  Everything I read about this place was true...they were delicious. Crispy fried goodness on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  We tried malasadas at other various places but Leonard's was by far the best.

 So to kill more time we drove to the north shore of Oahu. We found the Banzai Pipeline, and watched the big wave surfers.

 Another place a read about, Giovanni's Shrimp Truck.  It looks like a salmonella risk for sure but we charged in anyway and it didn't disappoint.  Very tasty.

 This is Kap! He's a well known figure with the PCC and always does the demonstration for the Samoan crew.  He's kind of a big deal... :)

 Me unsuccessfully trying to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together.  They make it look so easy!
That night we enjoyed a great buffet at the Ha! Breath of Life show.  Great day!
Apr 22nd - Diamond Head Hike, Manoa Falls Hike, Fly to Maui

 Diamond Head was literally minutes from our condo so we woke up early and did the short hike. It's under a mile to go up but it's steep the whole way.

 LOTS of stairs!

 A beautiful view at the top.

 Everything I read said the hike would take 1 1/2 -2 hrs.  We huffed it and got it done in under an hour.

 Since we got done with Diamond Head so quickly I wanted to squeeze in one more hike.  Not far from downtown Honolulu is a place called Manoa Falls.  the trees and greenery are nothing short of magical! I read that it's a popular spot for hollywood and productions like Lost and Jurassic Park have used this location.

When we got to the end we found the waterfall to be a bit wimpy! Since it was right before our flight and we had already checked out of our condo (meaning no shower), Matt was mad at me for getting us all sweaty before having to get on a plane.  I really didn't care that much because I thought the scenery was worth it!...even though the falls was not.
It turned out we were so busy with activities in Oahu that we didn't go swimming once! We walked in the surf the first night we got there and that was it!  Who goes to Hawaii and doesn't even put on their swim suit until 4 days in?? Well I guess we do! Oh well, we were looking forward to Maui and starting the relaxing part of the trip.