A week or so ago we took one last trip up to Kokee before Daniel headed back to work. We went with a couple of families from our church...the Gauthiers and the Britts. A good time was had by all and we hope to do it again before too long! We stayed at Camp Halekoa, the Seventh Day Adventist Camp. Its rustic-ness brought back memories of being a camper at Girl Scout and Church camps and though I (being a fan of tent camping and "roughing it") thought it was a nice little spot my guess is that some would say it is a bit too rustic for them!
The cabin...basically a glorified tent. We slept in sleeping bags on futons. I slept like a baby!
The boys were very excited about their beds. This was their first experience sleeping in sleeping bags!
The dining hall/hang out area...complete with ping pong tables, air hockey, and a wood burning stove! This place was huge...could accommodate 100+ people for meals...our little group of ten had lots of room to move!
I love this picture! Could they be any cuter in their little hats?
We had to dig through the boys' baby clothes tubs to find pajamas warm enough to keep Sissy cozy during Kokee's chilly nights. Here's a picture of her sportin' a pair of Jon Jon's hand-me-down blue fleece pjs. I love those brown eyes! =)
Back in the Spring of 1999 I went on a camping trip up the coast of California with a group of friends from college. Daniel was on the trip as well and we spent a lot of time together preparing meals, setting up and breaking down camp, gathering wood for fires, etc. We had a great time and it was on this trip that I realized that this was the man I wanted to marry. At that point in our friendship I already knew that he was a kind, loving, encouraging, hard-working, Godly man but on this trip I learned that he and I worked well together and that we would make a good team! I was in love! (And thankfully, he was too!) When we returned from the trip we took all our dirty, smokey clothes to the local laundromat and while we waited for our clothes to wash and dry, we sat and talked about getting married. (We were engaged a couple of months later.) Anyway, I clearly remember him chopping wood for our group's fires...in fact I have pictures of him with ax in hand! Well, here he is again (on January 8, 2010, our tenth anniversary!) chopping wood for the group. It was fun to see him chopping away with his ax and let my mind think back on that significant camping trip and the events that unfolded in the days, weeks, and months that followed. It was fun to think back on our ten years together and all the blessing and all the change that we have experienced. I'm so thankful that God blessed me with this man! He is a wonderful husband and a wonderful father! Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!
What a sweet face...if you can see past the messy part!
Aden, busy "fixing" things in Uncle Mark's truck
The kids all loaded up and ready to go for our first "truck hike."
The boys loved following these three girls around and felt like such "big boys" to be able to sit with them in the back of the truck. A big "thanks" to Rachel and Sarah for helping to keep them IN the truck as we went exploring!
We had a blast on our "truck hikes"! We all piled into the back of Mark's truck and went exploring on Kokee's off roads. It was great! We got to see a lot of beautiful sights, enjoy the fresh forest air, and experience the thrill of exploration all from the comfort of a truck bed! No, seriously, with the little ones and with my plantar fasciitis taking any long hikes would not have been possible. It was a huge blessing to be able to do it this way! Thanks Mark and Sage!
All cozied up in the Ergo...with thumb in mouth, of course!
Wearing one of the few Jonathan hand-me-downs that can actually pass as girl clothing!
Elizabeth with Auntie Sage
We love this lady!
Jonathan loves Auntie Sage and Uncle Mark! (He sort of blends in with the scenery...he's in between the two of them!)
Aden, my fearless climber, just kept climbing and climbing.
I got worried and sent Daddy up to get him down. He was actually pretty high!
Jon Jon wanted to give it a try...when it comes to climbing he's not quite as steady as Aden and thankfully, he's not quite as fearless either!
Miss Lauren...she was such a helper with the kids. She played with the boys and even held Elizabeth for me a few times.
The woods
A cool fern
The road we drove on for our "truck hike."
I love tree tunnels! (or "tungols" as Aden calls them)
A Eucalyptus forest...it was so pretty and it smelled wonderfully fresh!
The flower from a Passion Fruit tree. Very intricate, very fragrant...God is so creative!
Those are oranges! Out in the middle of nowhere! They were in a big cluster at the top of a tree.
They crew managed to shake some out of the tree but were disappointed to find that most of them weren't ripe yet. What a fun thing to stumble upon though!
The stunning Waimea Canyon
I took this out of the car window on our way down the mountain. I thought this was a cool picture with the sun shining on the water.
Another shot taken on our way down the mountain. As you descend the mountain the view of the ocean, Ni'ihau, and the valley below is one of my favorites on the island. On this particular day it was hazy so unfortunately this picture doesn't do justice to the beautiful view.
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