Stopping to smell the flowers

Spring has sprung in Hawaii too!

 

We were in Kailua on Monday, so I stopped at one of the boys favorite parks to let them play for a little while before lunch.

 One of the trees (I should know the name of it, but I don't) had shed some it's Spring blossoms, and they were covering the grass. 

 

 The boys got the biggest kick out of running around in a field of flowers.

 

And I had fun documenting...

Diamondhead Birthday Hike!

Instead of having a party or going to dinner this year, I decided to get some friends together a do a hike for my birthday! Diamond Head Crater is one I've been wanting to check off my Hawaii bucket list for a while now.

 

 

about half way up

this is where it gets a little challenging!

But the views from the top are totally worth it!

Amazing view of Waikiki from the top

We made it to the top!

31 and counting!!

Suzy and Addie. Suzy was a total trooper. I could never have hiked that when I was pregnant!

We rewarded ourselves with Fish Tacos at one of my favorite spots - South Shore Grill!

Great birthday memories!

Mud

 

 I've mentioned he is 100% boy? 

 

 We took a little field trip to the botanical gardens the other day to visit the ducks. 

He found a mud puddle.

 By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late to stop him.

 Sometimes, you just have to give in to the mess.

Oh, and I let him eat goldfish with those dirty hands. Poor second child.

Happy Easter 2012!

I love Easter! It is such a celebratory holiday without all the hustle and bustle of Christmas! 

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! 

Thanks Brumbra for helping the Easter Bunny out by stocking up at the $ store before you came for Spring Break!

The boys loved their baskets! 

They work as hats, too! 

Beautiful Easter cards from Grammie and Papa! 

 Just a little Easter drama from this morning: Scott had to leave before us today to help setup for our church Easter brunch. After Scott left, I decided to take the boys outside to take a few pictures in their matching sweaters before church. After our "session," we walk up to our door, and it's LOCKED! Somehow, I had locked us out of the house! Since I also had no phone, I had to walk to our neighbor's house to use their phone to call Scott, so he could drive all the way back home to let us in! Whoops. 

After church and naps, we regrouped at a friend's house for a yummy dinner and Easter egg hunt! 

Their 3rd Easter together - unbelievable! 

All the kiddos

Look Mama! I found one! 

Overall it was a wonderfully restful and joyful day celebrating our risen Lord! I'm so thankful for such great friends here in Hawaii that can be our "family" when our family is not around. 

By the way, Mark has discovered candy. And he likes it. A lot. 

Also, I'm a little nervous. In in my life, lockouts (like celebrity deaths) tend to come in threes. Stay tuned...

Egg-citing!

Dyeing eggs is one of my favorite childhood Easter memories.

It was fun to continue this fun tradition with Keaton this Easter. 

Keaton loved checking to see how the colors had changed. He was much more patience than I thought he would be! 

uh oh...

There were 3 casualties before he had to be removed from the scene.
Sorry Bud. Maybe next year.

Keaton loved decorating the eggs with stickers.   

So proud! 

Cubbies Easter Egg Hunt

It was so fun to celebrate Easter with our Cubbies friends yesterday. After we said our verses and listened to the Easter story, we headed out for an egg hunt!

Listening to the rules and boundaries for the egg hunt. 

They each decorated their own "Easter bag" to collect their eggs.

Some of our sweet friends

They had a blast sorting through all their loot! 

How cute are these Cubbies?

It has been such a blessing to involved in Awana this year. I have come to really appreciate the amazing ministry this is for children of all ages. I can't believe there is only a few weeks left until summer! 

Splish Splash

The other day we were watching some show where there was a bathtub full of bubbles. Keaton asked me how they got so many bubbles in their bathtub, and I realized I had never really introduced  my boys to bubble bath (I know, poor kids)!

So, we picked some up at Target, and voila! bath time is fun again!