Hawaii Day 4

Day four in Hawaii was very busy! We woke up and were going to try to find the Hukilau Cafe which was close on Mondays which was great because we were going to be heading their on Tuesday with Ban and Lorena. We wanted to take some time before we left to drive around Laie.

This picture is at Brigham Young University Hawaii. I took a lot of pictures of the college for our friend Lauren who will be attending there in January. Lo, you are soo lucky!

After driving around we checked into the Turtle Bay Resort on The North Shore where we stayed for our last night on Oahu.

These pictures were all taken from our room.

We didn't actually have time to swim in the pools but aren't they beautiful?

Ryan on the balcony, just in case you couldn't tell.

After we checked in we headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center where Ban was kind enough to let us use his discount. They had some of the most amazing surfboards there. Probably too nice to surf on though.

Next we watched the water show that was basically a parade of all the different islands and cultures on boats. The music was fantastic and we even got to sit next to a crowd of Japanese people!

Here is Ryan playing some of the Polynesian games they have to try.

Here is Ryan spear throwing! While Ryan was spear throwing I had the opportunity to watch a guide make a fish toy out of leaves. He actually gave me his which was nice!

In Haiti they gave Ryan a tattoo and we practised stick dancing

When we reached Tonga we wanted to watch the drum show. They need three volunteers and decided on them based on where you were from. Since we are technically living in Utah we said Utah and Ryan got picked. There were three men California, Japan and Utah. Luckily Ryan was there to help interpret for the Japanese man. They all had to take turns pounding on the drums and speaking the language. I actually filmed it, if anyone wants to see.

After this we attended the Luau at the PCC. There were so many people which was a lot of fun. We got to talk to people from literally all over the world who were visiting the PCC.

We watched wonderufl entertainment and enjoyed an awesome authentic meal!

Here is the drink we were served. A pina colada, yum!

When we arrived back at the hotel we enjoyed the views before the sun went down.

Here's for another amazing day in paradise!

Hawaii Day 3

We started off Sunday waking up and deciding to go for a ride because we had about five hours until church started. So naturally for us we headed North toward Haleiwa again! We absolutely loved the North Shore!

Our first actual stop, besides just enjoying the 30 minute ride along the coast of Hawaii, was called Kono's for their famous breakfast burritos. Surprisingly they even had healthy foods so that was relief. We enjoyed our time relaxing and checking out the local paper.
After Kono's we walked around the local shops and got to talk to some more people.
This is one of the many pictures we took while in the car. I think we took about 300 pictures on this trip, luckily for your sake i will not be showing you all of them. One of the funnest things we did was take turns taking pictures out of the top of the convertible to see who could get the best pics. This was taken leaving Haleiwa which we found out many call Pipe town for the Pipe competition which takes place in the winter, but Pipe is actually located closer to Sunset Beach.
This picture was taken of one of the many memorials along Kamehameha Hwy. Even though the speed limit is between 35 and 40 there are a lot of accidents on this road. I think it turned out pretty considering I was driving while I took it.
While driving around we met this guy who was just outside his house in Haleiwa and decided to start talking to show us his house. He even showed us a little private spot of heaven he can reach from his backyard. We were so excited to see this special view of Waimea Bay.

Here is a shot of Ryan taking in the views!

On our was back we stopped at Sunset Beach, which is actually the name of the town to enjoy some time on the beach. We didn't swim but enjoyed the views together. It is amazing how spiritual the beach is. We really enjoyed getting to sit and talk!

Here is a view from where we were sitting. This is also Pipe for you surfers out there.

Here is a picture of Ban and Lorena's house. It was really nice and spacious. We went home and got ready for church and really enjoyed sacrament meeting. There was a special Hawaiian choir that came to perform and the music was so beautiful. The primary there was twice as big as ours and we live in Utah!

We spent the rest of our day putting miles on the car. We started in Laie and drove the entire coast to Honolulu, and then cut through the Like Like Highway to Kaneohe and back to Laie. It was so much fun to see most of Hawaii this day. We tried to check out Chinatown too, but it was very quite on Sundays which we were fine with! We also drove through downtown and saw the Ala Moana Center which is this HUGE shopping center with literally every store you could ever imagine. It was the biggest mall I have ever seen, definitely a Staci paradise.! The mall closed early on Sundays, so we decided to go back another day if we had time. It was such a wonderful day with lots of sight seeing.

Hawaii Day 2

Day two started off great! We headed to the North Shore to check out the beaches and local shopping in Haleiwa. (Hall ee ee vah) I hope I did that right, that is how I would say spell it. They have great shops there and the quaintest beaches I think of the whole island. The North Shore is not really commercialized or over populated. After several hours there we hopped in the car to check out some of the local hot spots with Ban and Lorena. So, off we went to Millilani to Costco and Walmart. No joke, we had to go see how people in Hawaii shop!

I have to say that some of our funnest moments were in the car, I am so glad we got it!
Yes Hawaii LOVES Spam! I could not believe it, they even had Spam hot dogs for only $10.19! I still never tried Spam but it must taste okay right?
Lunch at Costco. I was impressed to find most of the prices were almost the same, except wipies. If you ever go to Hawaii make sure to bring your own wipies!
Then to Walmart for our souvenirs which were literally the same ones we saw in all the little shops including the PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center) but almost half price.

After Walmart we decided to try and fit the Dole Pineapple Plantation in but didn't end up having enough time before our next meeting time. We walked around a little bit but knew we would be back to see the plantation again sometime.

Due to the speed limit (35-45mph) We made it to the Temple visitor center just in time to pick up my cousin Elder Flake and his companion.(who just happened to be from St. George) We took them to dinner at a place called Ted's Bakery which they chose and it was awesome. They are known for their Chocolate Halupia pie which I did not try but it looked yummy. We had such a great time sitting outside and talking to them while smelling the warm Hawaiian breeze. It was so wonderful to see Elder Flake and feel of his wonderful spirit!

When we dropped them off at the temple we decided to look around the visitors center. I absolutely LOVE this picture I got of the temple with the sun rays behind it. It truly radiates the spirit that was felt there this evening.

Ryan enjoyed getting to catch up on his Japanese with the three sisters who were from Japan. He was a little worried about how good his Japanese was, but through out our trip we were told that it was still impeccable. Not a word you hear much from Americans but that was the word they used to describe it.

After the temple we decided to go back to the Sunset on the Beach this time just as spectators and enjoy the community again. We walked on the beach and had fun talking to locals. There is truly such an amazing spirit of the people of Laie. After the party we had the opportunity to go to a Chinese Moon Festival with Ban who works at BYU and is in charge of the Chinese Club there. It was so cool to get introduced to the Chinese culture and learn more about China!

First Day on Oahu!

We started out our vacation by driving to Las Vegas and waiting until 2:30 am to catch our plane. I forgot to take the camera but we hung out at the Apple store in the Ceasers Palace Colosseum. After they closed the doors we walked around trying to stay awake and enjoy the architecture. We got to the airport and were surprised at how many of us there we going to Hawaii at 2:30 am. After we boarded the plane we tried to sleep but that didn't go so well because the plane was freezing. When we got to Hawaii it was 5:30 so we couldn't quite see the island because it was still dark. When we got to the rental car place we were offered an upgrade for hardly anything and decided to take it. From there we decided to go find ourselves a beach so we headed over to Kailua. Kailua was soo nice and the beaches there were some of the best on the Windward side of Oahu.Kailua Beach!
Ryan couldn't even wait long enough to change his clothes to see if the water was warmer here than California. Of course it was.
Here is Ryan outside of Ban and Lorena's (Ryan's cousin) in our upgraded vehicle. I have to say that there is probably no where else in the United Stated better suitable for a convertible than Hawaii.
Here is at the families house. Ban giving us our first Hawaii hello!
After we met up with the family we went to a place called Three Table's beach on the North Shore. It was fantastic!

Ryan and Ban went snorkeling out on the reef and Ry even got to swim through some caves!
Here is where we waded in the water and believe it or not I even snorkeled and saw a ton of beautiful fish!
That night was awesome! After we went to Three Tables, we went to the local Sunset on the Beach where they showed a movie and have carnival rides. We had the opportunity to serve food to help raise money for the local community! It was the best! The people of Laie are amazing and have a very special spirit! We were so blessed to get this opportunity! It is amazing to be surrounded by the ocean through this whole event. What a wonderful way to end the first day.

We're Back!

This is one of my favorite pictures of our visit to Oahu! I will post more later. Taken at the LDS Temple in Laie, Hawaii.

Red, White and Blue Day!!

I could not just pic one picture because what can I say but that I think Alissa is absolutely adorable. We had so much fun going shopping and getting ready for Red, White and Blue Day today at school. This is a really big deal because they wear uniforms all the time so we went all out! Alissa picked out everything her self and even decided where and which way the paint should go on the wig. She was by far the best dressed today and got lots of fun comments right when we got there.

Update!

Well, let's see. This week has been very busy.

We made it through the first week of Kindergarten and Alissa LOVES school! This is exciting because she said she even loves it more than soccer or gymnastics! I am really excited for her and all the fun she is having. They even get to go on their first field trip next week. There are ten kids in the class and is definitely the little social butterfly. Yesterday we were at Target and she saw a little girl from school and this is how she introduced me, " Mom, this is Amber and she is in Miss Korans class." I was cracking up because that is not even her teacher but Alissa knows almost all the kids names at the school including the other grades. She sures love being with people. Her teacher says that she is definitely one of the most obedient and is a math whiz. Way to go Alissa!

MacKenzie is now adjusting to what it is like being the oldest at home all day and will literally go off for hours and play by himself. The house has a different dynamic now and is almost a little too quiet. Kenzie is still and preschool two days a week and some days is not sure he wants to leave mommy, so I do not pressure him. He is really into cooking right now and always is asking to bake things. He also loves being a boy with daddy. It was really cute, earlier this week we were in the car and Kenzie says," I want to be Mommmy when I grow up." It was fun to have a talk with him on why he can't be a mommy but he gets to be a daddy if he wants which is just as special. He still loves to love on Taft a little too much but we are getting so much better at being gentle.

Taft is growing up so fast. He walks around all the time scrunched down and mobile. He absolutely LOVES daddy right now and as afternoon rolls around he will go to the door and ask for daddy. His favorite thing to do right now is pretend he is having adult conversations with everyone. He will go, "Mamma" I will say yes and then he just goes of on tangents of words that don't really make sense. It is soo funny. He also sleep thought the night now in his own crib upstairs which is wonderful! He also got his first tooth this week, it is all the way in and it is fun to watch him fiddle with it. He already wants to be one of the big kids and feel likes he need slots of respect. He is definitely having fun with his family.

Ryan is working very hard and still LOVES his job. He is finally on a regular schedule which is nice and he is soooo excited to be going on a trip with just me. The greatest news is that his website is up and his books are actually in print and will be here within the next two weeks. This is a great thing to see play out. My husbands dreams are coming true and I am so glad to be along for the ride to support him through that. Ryan is also being an amazing dad. He is so caring with the kids and has been really helpful recently. I am so proud to have a husband who honors his priesthood and presides over our family in righteousness.

As for me, I have been living a dependable lifestyle for a little over a month now and have lost at least 20 pounds. I am so excited to have Ryan's book around to remind me of which important wellness principles to focus on. I have to say I am enjoying having a little bit more time with fewer kids around. It is nice to have things a little less hectic once and while. I am actually a little nervous though to leave the munckins on Thursday, I know my mom will do fantastic with them as always, but Taft is still so little and I am unsure. I know I will miss them, but I need to make the best of the situation. I probably would not mind taking them with me, but this will be a nice break for Ry and I. We are very blessed to have this opportunity and I am very thankful for that. I have also been spending a lot of time lately working on Ryan's business and learning a lot about taxes and business information too. I love getting to do so much to help Ryan's business.

I truly feel like we are so blessed and have things so nice. It is great to get to keep in touch with everyone through blogging! Hope you are all well!

Alissa Started School

Here are some of the pictures of Alissa this morning heading off to her first day of school. She was literally counting down the minutes till we got to leave for school. When we got to school I was very nervous to see how things would play out. Alissa was amazing, she was so social and happy and did not even look back walking into her class. She was such a sweetie and it was so fun to see her little personality thrive in a social environment.

Poor Kenzie

So, needless to say Kenzie was very sad to have to leave Alissa and not get to stay with her. He was very sad to to not get to go to school with her. I am curious to see what happens to Kenzie as he has this separation from Alissa, I think he will kind of have to become his own person but I feel it will be beneficial for both of them to also learn to appreciate each other. I have to admit that I also did not realize how worked up I would be about Alissa going to school. We have been getting a lot closer the last few months as Taft has grown older and less needy and I will definitely miss my sweet spunky little girl! At least I know she is in great hands.

Waiting....

These are some pictures of us waiting for school to start. This is the playground where the younger classes will play. Sooo exciting!!