Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

It was a wonderful, perfect Christmas with presents, food, family, and fun.

Crew didn't quite make it to Christmas dinner.

Hiking, Hiking, Hiking

We did this incredibly tough, incredibly beautiful hike twice! On Friday, we did 3 of the five miles in POURING rain. We had to turn around and come home because Crew's lips were turning blue and he was shivering so bad. He truly is local. Apparently 65 degrees is freezing for him!

Our sneaky little elf, Bernard, hid in the backpack and came on the hike with us. The kids were SO excited when they saw him!


We did the entire 5 mile trip today. Seriously perfect weather! At least a couple times a week I still think, "I can't believe we actually live here" because it is always postcard beautiful. I really do appreciate how beautiful Maui is. Anyway, this hike AVERAGES 13% incline. Legs are STILL burning. I also LOVE having a family of tough boys who can keep up with us. These are the times that their incredibly high energy levels work in our advantage!

Poli Poli

We had done SO many beautiful hikes lately. Poli Poli is in an upcountry park with tons of trails through redwood forests. It was about 15 degrees cooler up there than down on the ocean. It was beautiful and so much fun to explore another part of the island.

Christmas Parties!

We had 2 wonderful, chaotic parties at school for the boys. Both classes had potluck lunches and then a dessert bar. It was so good and such a mess. Then we played a balloon stomping game and a snowball (water balloon) toss. It was a great way to end the semester before Christmas break. Now 2 weeks without homework! Whoo - Hoo!

Jaws

Maui's North Shore may not be as popular as Oahu's, but when it breaks ..... it breaks BIG! Jaws is a world renowned monster wave that only breaks a few times a year. Today was one of those days. The beaches and oceans were all closed due to this dangerous north swell but hundreds of people were on the cliffs watching these 3 crazy guys tackle these waves. It was so much fun to watch. I can only imagine the adrenaline rush they must feel out there. These wave are too big to catch by paddling so the surfers get towed in on jet skis. Seriously crazy!

Geoff, Crew, and I made the hour long drive and 2 mile hike to see it. Next time it breaks, we are taking the boys. They would have love it!

Go Dolphins!

Chase had such a great football season. We were a bit nervous about him playing tackle football but he was adamant so we let him go for it. He was the youngest one on the team and one of the smallest but he held his own. He learned so much about the game, work ethic, and eating healthy! Chase started the season not knowing the first thing about positions, blocking, tackling, plays, etc but ended the season as starting defensive tackle. We were so proud of all of his work and growth. We will sure miss his games every Sunday but I will be glad to have him relatively bruise free for a while!

Dancing with the cheerleaders after the win that but us into the Turkey Bowl.

What a talented group of kids! They are a little sad in the above picture because it was right after out loss in the Turkey Bowl to an undefeated team from Oahu. All smiles again in the picture below when they got their trophies!

Happy Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a wonderful day off! We spent the day at the pool, beach, taking a walk, and dinner at the Grand Wailea. The food wasn't the best but it is great not to have to clean up all the mess!

There is so much to be thankful for but at the top of my list are health, family, and the opportunity to slow down, reprioritize, and remember the things that are the most important in life.

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!

Way to go, Beans!

Caden just ended another great soccer season. He continues to impress up with his speed, ability to set up and create plays, and fancy foot work. Saturdays just won't be the same without his games. Way to go, Beans! We are all proud of you!

Girls Trip / Boys Trip / Oahu

Last week I did something I never thought would happen, I left my four boys and travelled alone to see my family in California. It was only for 4 days but it was a blast. My mom recently had back surgery and was in some need of cheering up. I definitely think my surprise trip did the trick. My mom, Ali and I packed a lot into our 3 days together - shopping, lunches, Bunco, pedicure, a movie, sleepover with Brennen, etc. Unfortunately, we were having so much fun that I only got one picture of the whole trip! But it was a much needed one. This family picture is the first one since my wedding 15 years ago!

Geoff did fabulous with the boys! I just about passed out when he volunteered to watch them all! Crew was so excited for his boys trip. Geoff took him to the aquarium, miniature golf, the new Scrooge movie, swinging bridges hike, dinner, etc. I was so impressed! They had a great time.

We met in Oahu on Friday. My flight was scheduled to stop there and Geoff had some work to do. Geoff mainly worked but we took a little time to visit the Honolulu Zoo (in the POURING rain - it was SO cool. We were the only ones braving the rain and the animals were totaling interacting with us). We also stopped by Pearl Harbor on our way to the airport.

Iao Needle

I love that we live in such a beautiful place with so many great hikes and activities. We had a relaxing day of hiking, jumping, and exploring at the Iao Needle.

Natural Warterslide - Who Needs Waterparks?

Cliff Jumping