The Bartons were planning a trip to Hawaii and asked us if we wanted to go, and obviously because it is Hawaii we wanted to. But we thought maybe we were doing what we normally do and overscheduling ourselves, so we hesitated but then went ahead and did it anyway haha. And I was still dealing with whatever that sickness was so that wasn't great.
Day #1:
We flew out on a different flight than they did and got there three hours later. The flights were all fine and nothing out of the ordinary, but man it was a long flight. We stopped on the way home to eat at a place that I really wanted to try. It added fifteen minutes to the drive, but we were not planning on being over in that area again so we did it. It turned out that this was the best coconut shrimp of our trip! So totally worth it! It was at Coconut's Fish Cafe, and definitely going back there again. That night we got there to the condo and saw everyone and got settled in for the night!
Day #2:
The first day we went over to the beach right across the street from our condo. It was beautiful in a little bay called Kapalua Bay. It was nice when we first got there, and then it got cloudy and it rained. We stuck it out, but because of that initial weather my mind was not really at the "sunscreen everyone" place. So at the end of the day everyone except for Rusty and Amelia were absolutely scorched. I felt sooooooo awful. Henry's legs were absolutely rocked, Della's whole back was just terrible, and I had it the worst but that was fine. I've never been that burnt before in my life. My whole back immediately blistered up and I was in so much pain. The bummer (other than making us all go to the dermatologist when we got back to Utah because I feared I gave us all skin cancer) was that it really put a huge damper on the rest of the trip for me. I was so frustrated that I made such a dumb mistake. But really I was hurting the entire week we were there, our last full day was pretty good and then our flight home I felt normal. I wasted the whole week because I forgot stupid sunscreen! And then after that I was crazy about making my kids wear layers and so they had a bit of a crappy week too haha. ANYWAYS. Our first day was my favorite, maybe because of all of that I just said, and maybe just because it was amazing!
We went to the bay and played all day! We saw turtles coming in close to the shore to small tide pools to eat the algae, saw all kinds of cool animals like crabs, hermit crabs, sea cucumbers, and tons of fish. Kyle challenged Henry and Brayden to catch a fish and he would pay them $1, so obviously that's what Henry wanted to spend every waking minute on. While we were sitting on shore we were able to look out across the bay and see the silhouettes of humpback whales jumping and splashing down on the water! It was absolutely magical. And because it was pretty chilly, I had no interest in going in to snorkel unless there was something crazy cool. Rusty came back and told me that he saw an OCTOPUS so I immediately went in the water to look at it. It was so cool!!
Whales jumping out there!
Turns out this is the exact same bay that we came to with my parents when Henry was just a baby! It's a great place for snorkeling, which is the main reason why I chose it. The Bartons were looking for a week of adventures going out and doing things daily, and our family was really just looking for a trip where we relaxed and took it easy. This is not my normal way to travel, but it sounded so wonderful. After the beach we played at the pool before we went to go get some yummy dinner!
After dinner we went and got some shave ice. I got mine with macadamia nut ice cream on top and I was so happy about that decision. The kids were absolutely obsessed with this cute dog that was all dressed up in a cool, old car and asked me if they could borrow my phone to go and take a picture of it.
Cute brother (also LOOK AT HIS RED LEGS)
Whoops.
Day #3:
Today we took it easy in the morning and let the big boys go on a kite surfing adventure! They had both always wanted to do it, and this was such a fun thing for them to get to try. My kids and I stayed home and chilled for the morning until going out to meet Bryndee and her kids in the late afternoon. We went to a really beautiful beach, but it was not the intended location haha. You see, I told Bryndee that I knew about a beach that had SO many sea turtles. We went there last time with my parents. When I sent her the directions of how to get there I had written at the top "Secret Beach" because I don't know the actual name of the beach, or if it even has one. She didn't read the directions and just put "secret beach" in her GPS and it took her here. To a pretty main beach, and then after a small hike you get to the secret one. Well, turns out the secret one is a nudist beach hahaha. Whooops.
This main beach really was so beautiful though! The waves were too huge for the kids to play in so we didn't get in the water here.
We saw a turtle!
Kyle and Rusty went kite surfing and they had a blast!
We picked the boys up and then tried to get some dinner at Mama's Fish House. We had called and they said they were booked out 6 months in advance (shoooot) but that they had a to-go place that was casual and we might be able to sneak in. We were not able to do that. So we stayed in that cute little town and ate some dinner at Paia's Fish Market and then went and got more shave ice.
To cap off the day, we decided to take the kids for a nice night swim!
Day #4:
This day we stayed home at the condo for a little while and just let the kids play in the pool and outside in the cool green space. Because we were going to be spending more time at the condo, the pool, and the beach across the street, I bought some cool pool toys for them and brought them with us. They loved them! They also LOVED hunting and catching lizards! They did that so much while we were there. One day they worked together with another little boy that was visiting there and they caught a gecko! Also, that whole thing about lizard's tails falling off- that's real, and it's one of the grossest things I've ever seen in my life.
Checking out the banana tree!
Eating lots of fresh fruit!
For dinner that night we went to Kimo's, a place that I had really been wanting to try. We were hoping to go with the Bartons, but they had plans for every day and this was the only day I could get a reservation. Each of us got to order a fun virgin drink, our dinners, and then a hula pie for dessert. The views from this restaurant were amazing, but honestly the food was not something I would go back for. Skip this next time.
After dinner we wandered around Lahaina a little bit. We found a cool, small beach with a crazy amount of hermit crabs on it. The kids ran around on it for a while trying to catch them. Then we went and looked for some matching clothes to wear to the luau the next night!
Day #5:
Today we went back to the bay! The kids loved playing there and I thought it was just so beautiful and so convenient that it was right across the street. The Bartons wanted to go and try some new things, so we stayed here for the morning and then met them at a different beach before we went to the luau.
The new beach that the Bartons chose was really pretty! The waves were big enough the big boys had a lot of fun, and there was so much sand the little kids had a great time too. We could see an island silhouetted and it was so pretty!
After the beach we went to the luau. It was in the most beautiful location, and the kids had such a great time watching all of the dancers. They also loved getting tattoos and walking along the shore.
Day #6:
Today we stayed home and played in the pool and outside behind the condo. Then we made pina coladas to drink on the beach by the bay because that was Della's #1 request for our whole week in Hawaii. It was really fun!
Rusty was so excited that he found this coconut because he wanted to crack it open. And he did it!
Book club on the beach!
Rusty just out there drinking his Pina Colada, living his best life
Day #7:
Today was our last full day in Hawaii and we spent it at Sheraton Beach. I remembered this place having awesome snorkeling, so we went over to try it. And it was amazing! Henry and I went out together and we saw 6 turtles! Bryndee and I went out together too and we saw turtles and all kinds of fish.
We also went over and did some cliff jumping! It was so fun!
This screen door caused so many problems haha. One time Henry was running outside and he just ran right through it and ripped the screen off. We spent the last night putting it all back together haha. Then we went over to watch the sun set the last night!
My back started peeling and it was soooo bad. It was coming off in big pieces and it was so gross.
Day #8:
Today was our flight home! On our first flight we had the most hilarious thing happened. Kyle was playing go fish with the kids and he leaned forward and said, "Hey Ocean Nerd, is this even a real animal?" The card had a narwhal on it, and so I said that it was real. Then I asked him if he was joking and he said he was serious. So I asked Brayden and Bryndee and neither of them knew if a narwhal was an actual animal or a made up one. So then Rusty and I started talking about if maybe we only know that because we like nature documentaries. So we asked the stewardess to poll the plane and she did it! She asked them and pretty much everyone raised their hand to say that they knew what it was. Kyle was mortified hahaha, but it was so funny!
Goodbye Beautiful Maui!
I love her sweet, little head tilt
Playing red light, green light and Mother May I at the airport during our layover
Bryndee and I were both craving french fries and wanted some at the airport, but everything was closed when we got there. So without knowing, we both ended up going to Wendy's to get some haha
Rusty's work bought out a movie theater in Vineyard for all of the employees to see the new Mario movie. I honestly wasn't that excited about it- I didn't see how making a movie about a video game would be that entertaining. But it turned out to be really great! The kids all loved it and I thought it was great! The songs were hilarious too.
We finally had time to celebrate Easter! Luckily for us, the Easter Bunny waited and came when we got back from Hawaii. After we opened our things we went over to the Bartons for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. We helped them finish up dinner and then went out and hid all of the eggs. We had a good mixture of the practical joke eggs and normal ones with toys.
We got matching dresses but mine was too short, so I only wore it for this picture. But the girls got to wear theirs to church with their new sparkly high heels and they were so happy!
Their matching sparkling shoes
Bryndee got these cute cupcakes for April Fool's Day for my kids as a surprise. They thought it was so funny!
Towards the middle of April I went on a girls' trip to Waco, Texas. It was her birthday and she wanted to go and do something fun to celebrate! So we all went down to Waco and had some fun. I flew in on a separate flight from the other three girls and ended up taking an Uber from the Dallas airport to Melissa's house. I was pretty nervous about taking an Uber all alone, in a city I don't know, and at around 11:00 at night. And it was a pretty long drive too. I got in the car and this man just starts talking about his hobbies and how he had a rough childhood so he learned how to do some self defense. I thought this would be a good time to say that I also know self defense (which I don't but I thought it would be good to appear that way), so I did. And his response was that he actually is a professional fighter. So that backfired haha. He started going off about how it helped him when he was struggling in school, and he just never stopped. Now he knows at least 11 ways to kill someone. Finally I leaned forward and I said, "Should I be nervous that you're driving me away into the dark all alone and telling me that you can kill people?" He laughed and said, "Nah! That just means that if anyone comes at you I'm on your side!" He was funny, but I was happy to be done haha. Dallas airport was the one I had my huge panic attack at a couple years ago and missed my flight. It was soooo wonderful to go through the whole experience and just have it be totally different now.
Soo happy to not be anxious!
Day #2
Today we got ready and had breakfast at Melissa's house. I went to bed by the time the other girls got here, so I didn't meet the two girls until this morning. We decided we'd start out by going to Waco and walking across the bridge and going to the farmer's market. We happened upon a festival for the grand re-opening of a suspension bridge. It was so fun! They had long horns there and everyone was having a great time.
We walked around the farmer's market for a little bit (honestly it was pretty small and not that exciting so I took no pictures) but we got some yummy food! I asked a man at the grand re-opening festival what was going on and after he told me I also asked him if he had any suggestions. He said that walking across the bridge is fun and they have a tradition here that if you throw a tortilla and it lands on one of the old pilings you'll graduate in 4 years. If it doesn't, you'll take longer than 4 years. I really wanted to try it because it was so fun and unique! I bought a tortilla from a cart at the farmer's market and threw it off the bridge. It missed wildly.
After the suspension bridge we went to the Magnolia Silos! This was the whole reason we came to Waco, so I was pretty excited! I don't know a whole ton about the things she sells or her life, but I did read the book she and Chip wrote called The Magnolia Story and it was excellent! So on the flight to Dallas I downloaded a full season and watched them on the way to get into the spirit. We started by going to the bakery so we could get there before it closed. They had so many delicious options that I ended up buying four cupcakes to sample, a cinnamon roll and the cookie that I have heard so much about.
After our treat we went shopping and then hung out in the square and got some food from some food trucks. The store was beautiful and I wanted practically everything inside. It was fun to walk around right now because I'm looking for so many things for the new house! It was like a candy shop for me walking through with Bryndee just talking pictures of everything I wanted haha!
For dinner we went to a cool restaurant called Cafe Homestead. It was really interesting to talk to our waitress about what it was like growing up on the compound there. She was engaged but she was not allowed to go on a date with him until after their engagement. The food was really good, but we were all pretty full still haha. Melissa and I shared a dish and it was just right! I ended up outside with Everett for the second half of dinner so that Bryndee could finish her dinner.
The decor at the airbnb was really nice. One pushpin in the wall haha.
Day #3
On Sunday we went and walked around a strip mall. We found a really cool shop that we spent all of our time in. It was huge and had pretty much everything from jewelry to clothing to decor. We had a blast running around and looking at everything.
After we went shopping we stopped by a Mexican restaurant that was recommended to us and it was delicious! We all cleaned our plates up pretty good. When we were done we did a driving tour to see some of the houses that the Gaines had fixed up. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out and watching episodes of the show.
Day #4
Today was our last day! It's weird to enjoy having so much time to myself and also missing my kids and Rusty so much. Bryndee really wanted to go to The Magnolia Table for breakfast but the reservations were all full for a couple of months. They had a couple hours when it first opened that they didn't have reservations for but accepted walk ins. So we decided to get up early and go in and give it a shot! I got the french toast that they are famous for. It had corn flakes on them and they were pretty good! I also got biscuits and their strawberry butter and shared one with Emily. I thought the biscuit was really dry- but Emily loved it!
After breakfast we drove back to Dallas and went to the Dallas cattle drive. It was something I really wanted to do, so we fit it in as best as we could. We got there a little early and shopped around the little stores while we waited for the cattle drive to start. Afterward we also went through the museum and walked over to the old holding pens.
Like. Why.
We got lunch from the Real Pit BarbQ, but we were so short on time we ended up asking for it to go and eating it on the way to the airport. Emily and I were on the same flight, Bryndee and Shelby were going home the next day.
Kandi and Phyllis came out for a visit! They were here for a few days before I left for my trip with Jessica for her birthday, but we had fun while she was here! After I left Rusty and the kids went to Bear Lake and spent the weekend at the cabin. We had fun making cookies, playing outside, playing inside, and catching up!
Della had a fun field trip this month! It was Baby Animal Days at the Heber Valley Dairy Farm and I got to be a chaperone. Because Kandi and Phyllis were visiting they came along too! The whole field trip was kind of chaotic and nobody could tell me an actual time to have them back at the buses. We were just free to roam wherever with them and so we tried to make sure each kid got to do what they wanted most. My favorite part was watching all the kids hold the little tiny animals. It was so cute!
The house is still progressing! Slowly but surely. I sure wish it would go faster but at this point I'm just glad it's making progress at all. I stopped asking for deadlines for the house ha. I just walk around and look and say, "Oh, that's nice."
Henry had surgery this month to take care of his adenoids. We figured that out when he was getting so many ear infections. The doctor was surprised at how big they were- they just completely filled up the space poor boy. He was pretty nervous (that's one thing that I thought was easier with Della because she was younger). He got some Pokemon pajamas and the nurse called the day before and asked what he was interested in and I told her that he loved Pokemon. When we got there in the morning she came in and gave him all kinds of Pokemon cards and played with him. I laid with him and talked with him until they gave him the medicine to make him drowsy. He was so hilarious! He held up his foot in the air and said to Rusty, "Smell my foot before I die!" Later he lifted up his foot again and said, "Take my foot and remember me!" Rusty came and tried to wipe some boogers out of his nose and Henry yelled "He's tricking you- there are no boogers!" When it was time for him to go he latched onto the bed and said, "I just want to stay here!" He wasn't scared or anything... just yelled it haha. Here are some other things he said:
- You have two heads
- You have three eyes, oh there's a sneaky fourth right there!
- He kept trying to get up but would fall because of the medicine. He also kept throwing things and kicking things
- Rusty held up his thumb and asked how many fingers he was holding up. He said, "One! But oh! It's trying with all its might to make two!"
Henry did great after the surgery! He was in pain and it was hard coming out of the amnesia. I hated seeing Della like that and I hated seeing Henry like that too. But he is brave and tough! It took a little longer than Della's because he is older, but he came out just great! He's still unsure that it was worth it haha.
We hadn't been out to Farm Country in a really long time, so we decided to make the trek out there! They had some baby animals out in the middle for everyone to see. We did pony rides and played inside and fed the animals. Afterward we met Jessica at Brooker's Ice Cream to hang out with her for a little bit!
I was able to go on a fun girls trip with Jessica and her friends for her birthday! We got together on Friday night for dinner and a sleepover, and then got up early on Saturday and headed out on our way. We went and did Hogwarts Canyon and Blarney Canyon.
The first day we got there and did Blarney Canyon! It was hot, but beautiful. Then we went and set up camp. The slot canyons were soooo cool, and we rappelled down through small crevices. It was pretty cool!
Our last day we got up and cleaned up camp and then went to do Hogwarts Canyon. I think this one is one of my favorites! The rappels are long but not too scary. It was beautiful!
finish*
Henry's Highlights:
- "Della, showing someone the middle finger is like wishing bad lunch on somebody but wayyyyy meaner"
- "Quite unusual"
- Said so many funny things while under amnesia!
Adeline's Adventures:
- We were leaving church and Henry was singing "I Believe in Christ" but saying "I Believe in Mom" instead. Della says, "Of course you do! She is in our latter days!" Hahah
Amelia's Updates:
- Any time something is lost she is sure it is a shark that stole it
- She says, "What are we talking about?"
- Adds -y to the end of most words. "Footy, chiny, booty, shoey" etc
- "Can you foo my food?" for blowing on her food
- Loves Nibbles book
- "I go" means "I don't know"
- "I do it myself"
- "I got a tiny baby in my tummy... and a lot of grapes"
- She told me that I have a big bum pouch full of dinosaurs and fish
- When she really wants food she just says, "IN MY MOUF! (mouth)"
Extra Pictures:
So when I was getting packing for our Hawaii trip and running around like a crazy person. I also had just gotten new gold high heels for my Easter dress and I wanted to try them on. Henry was at a birthday party and when he got dropped off he walked in the house, but so did his mom- Chelsea Jones. She walked in and saw me standing there like that with my sweats and my fancy high heels. Oh my gosh.
Amelia refuses to take her "farkly" shoes off
Found this girl just walking around like this
She's obsessed with Nibbles!
I started going to a chiropractor in Vineyard. Whitney Staples recommended him to me and told me that it would change my life. I thought it was a little extreme, but I started going and it really did change my posture and my back so much!
I was looking at pictures of Henry as a baby and started crying haha.
Henry playing soccer!
Rusty set up the projector while I was in Waco
