Grandpoo, Grammy, and Mimi's Visit: Day 2, Tuesday

On Tuesday we piled into the van and went for a drive to Ha'ena (a.k.a "the end of the road" because it is, literally) We stopped at various places along the way to enjoy the beautiful scenery (and so I could nurse the baby...gotta keep it real, right?!) and we brought sandwiches along so we could enjoy a nice, beach side picnic for lunch. It was a really nice day.

My sweet Boozie! (Aden was at school)

It was so bright and sunny we really needed our sunglasses!

Major cuteness!

So pretty!

Grandpoo and Jon Jon checking out the surf.

Mimi admiring the view from afar.

This is where we stopped to have lunch: Tunnels Beach

I am going to be so sad when he outgrows this hat! I love it!

The flying "Sistah-pooks"! (posing in front of the dry caves)

Grandpoo, Grammy, and Mimi's Visit: Day 3, Wednesday

Wednesday was our busiest day. We had A LOT of fun but boy, were we exhausted by day's end!

Here's silly Aden boy using a tree top from his dinosaur set as a mustache! He wanted to be like Grandpoo!

Squirrelly boys!

From our house we headed to Walmart where Grandpoo and Grammy took the boys shopping! Aden got to hand pick all of his birthday presents from Grandpoo and Grammy and Jonathan even got to pick out a few gifts too! They were beyond excited! And they got lots of cool things!

Jonathan outside of Puka Dog in Poipu

A trip to Kauai is not complete without a trip to Puka Dog in Poipu! They have the yummiest hot dogs that are served with a special lilikoi mustard and your choice of a tropical fruit relish (pineapple, mango, coconut, or papaya...mango is my favorite!) If you're ever "on island" you've got to get one!

After lunch we rushed over to the Kilohana Plantation Railway and caught their last train ride of the day. The boys love trains and it was such a treat for them to be able to go on one! Thank you Dad and Carla for treating us to this memorable experience!

Two excited boys waiting to board the train!

I love this sweet face...even when it is THIS filthy. What kind of mother lets her kid out in public with such a filthy face? An exhausted one? A rushed one? One who has a baby strapped to her chest? Um, how about a "all three of those at the same time" kind of mother....

A nice shot of Grammy!

Grammy always makes sure those boys know they are loved! She loves to spoil them with toys and books and clothes and treats and train rides and money and....the list goes on! So many of the toys and clothes and books that our kids have have come from Grandpoo and Grammy and the boys will often say, "This is the _____ that Grandpoo and Grammy got for me!" We are so thankful that the boys (and Elizabeth too!) have a Grammy (and Grandpoo!) that delights in their pleasure and joy!

Just reading up on Kilohana...

Seeing them in matching clothes makes me smile! =)

I love the Ergo...Best. Carrier. Ever.

Could there be a more precious picture? So sweet!

The train stopped midway to give us a chance to feed the wild pigs. I learned that wild pics are not nearly as cute as your county fair version. They are aggressive, noisy, ugly, and when it comes to getting handouts they are, well, PIGS! Talk about survivor of the fittest...or fattest! The biggest pigs would actually bite a baby pig if it got in the way of its grub! I felt bad for the little guys and spent my entire pig feeding adventure aiming my bits of bread at them.

Jonathan didn't bother breaking the slices of bread up into small bits. He would just chuck an entire piece of bread over the fence at a time. Needless to say, the fat boys just hung out next to Jonathan!

Just look at how ugly and nasty they are!

A cool shot of a taro field

A partial group shot

Posing with Grandpoo in front of her "very first train ride" train!

My boys will turn anything in a drum!

These two monkeys love to wrestle!

A brief pause in the showdown

Of course a picture of Sissy smiling is always fun but I actually posted this picture so you could see a bit of where we had dinner. We were sitting outside of the Kilauea Bakery/Pau Hana Pizza. If you ever hear me say that we went to "the bakery"...this is it. Anyway, we had Pau Hana pizza and it was delicious! We'd never eaten there before and were thankful for Dad and Carla's generosity in treating us to it. The pizza was pricey but, man, was it good!

Again, Daniel worked during the day but was able to join us for dinner and...

ice cream!

Thanks again Dad and Carla! What a fun day!

Grandpoo, Grammy, and Mimi's Visit: Day 4, Thursday

The kids and I were so wiped out by the time Thursday rolled around that we decided to take a day off to rest and recuperate. Dad, Carla, and Mimi decided to spend the day touring the south and west side of the island. The went to the Spouting Horn in Poipu, the Kauai Coffee Plantation, Waimea Canyon, Kokee Lodge, Pacific Missile Range Facility, and more. Man, I can only hope to have the amount of energy they do when I'm their age!

Grandpoo, Grammy, and Mimi's visit: Day 5, Friday

On Friday morning Mimi and I got some coffee and scones and headed to the park with the kids while my dad and Carla attended a timeshare meeting. We had such a nice time visiting, sipping our coffee, and enjoying our scones. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with Mimi.

My sweet Mimi with my sweet baby girl!

What a blessing this woman is to me! She has always been such a supportive and loving grandmother and she was always so proud of me and my cousins growing up. I'm so thankful that we were able to maintain a strong bond as grandmother and granddaughter despite the geographical distance that has separated us most of my life. Now that I am an adult, wife, and mother she and I have an ever sweeter relationship. It has been a joy these last few years to have a relationship with her that has extended beyond the "grandmother/granddaughter" roles and has become a friendship. She is a wonderful example to me of love, patience, self-sacrifice, wisdom, perseverance, and thoughtfulness...attributes that I hope to be described by when I am 85! I have so much to learn from her and the way she has lived her life and I am glad I had another opportunity to glean from her this week! I look forward to seeing her again soon...perhaps at her lovely new home in Florida! =)

After the park we met my dad and Carla at the timeshare swimming pool. It was a great pool for kids and they had a lot of fun. And, yes, they still wear water wings! We hope to get them in swim lessons soon but in the meantime, the water wings provide this mama some poolside peace of mind. =)

What a great "Grandpoo" he is to my kiddos! Here he is bonding with the Sistah-pooks!

They loved the "little pool with the bubbles" (a.k.a. the hot tub)

I love my dad! So handsome! So photogenic!

I am blessed to call this man my father! He loves me (and my family!) so much and shows it by his kind words, constant encouragement, generosity, thoughtful gestures, friendly phone chats, hugs, smiles, and more! I just wish we could see him more often! We miss him!

Such a serious little guy...

Just a pretty hibiscus...

Friday night Dave and Carolyn had us all over for a yummy meal of Swedish Meatballs. It was neat to spend the evening together with both of our families and the food was delicious!

How neat it was to see my grandmother and Daniel's grandmother together! They were born a month apart...back in 1924! Pretty cool!

After dinner the boys and Uncle Lucas played a little Beatles Rock Band! Playing "Rock Band" is something the boys look forward to every time we go to Grandma and Grandpa's. In anticipation of the evening's diversion they dressed appropriately. Notice their t-shirts...

My little drummer boy!

Strumming away...

Lucas loves to sing!

Grandpoo, Grammy, and Mimi's Visit: Day 6, Saturday

Because they left for the airport on Sunday morning, Saturday was our last day with my dad and Carla, and Mimi. We started the day early...6:00 am to be exact...to the sound of tsunami sirens. The tsunami sirens go off the first day of each month (sort of like a fire drill) so when they went off on the 27th I didn't think anything other than, "Can't they at least wait until 7:00!" and then as I laid there I thought, "Wait, it's not March 1st?" And then the siren went off again, and again, and again. So we got on the internet and learned that there had been a huge earthquake in Chile and that a tsunami warning was in effect for all the Hawaiian islands. Well, here in Kilauea we are on a cliff...definitely out of any direct tsunami danger. But, Daniel's parents live on the beach and definitely in what is called the tsunami inundation zone. So, Daniel right away headed to his parents house to help pack up their things. I stayed back with the kids and waited for my dad and Carla and Mimi to arrive. We had breakfast together at our house and then once Daniel returned home we got in our cars and drove to Princeville in attempt to find the perfect tsunami lookout. We found a great spot, made ourselves comfortable and waited and waited and waited for this crazy, exciting event to occur. Well, after 2+ hours we checked the radio stations and found out that the tsunami had already hit (uneventfully, praise God) on the west side of the island. So, because we were all hot, hungry, and tired we headed home for lunch and naps and then met up again for dinner.

Uncle Ralph keeping an eye out...

Carolyn (a.k.a "Grandma who belongs to Uncle Lucas") with the kiddos!

Dave, Ralph, Daniel, and my dad enjoying the view while they wait.

Me and my Mimi

And that's all folks!

What a great week! Thank you Dad and Carla and Mimi for everything! We love you all and are so glad you came!

What a Savior!

Man of Sorrows! what a name

For the Son of God, who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned He stood;

Sealed my pardon with His blood.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;

Spotless Lamb of God was He;

"Full atonement!" can it be?

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die,

"It is finished!" was His cry;

Now in Heav'n exalted high.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,

All His ransomed home to bring,

Then anew His song we'll sing;

Hallelujah! What a Savior!