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

Halloween

We've had a fun few days with pumpkin carving, class parties, fall family fun night, haunted houses, and trick-or-treating.

This year Chase gutted, designed, carved, etc his entire pumpkin by himself. It is very hard for me to justsit back and not fix it or make suggestions, but he was so excited to do everything solo! Crew had the cutest Mr Potato Head-like pieces from Grandma Gayle for his pumpkins. He had so much fun with them.

For school, Chase was a hip-hop gangster and Caden was Beckham. It wasn't until I showed up to do class parties in the afternoon that I found out that they weren't supposed to dress up for school. Oops! I asked Chase if he was embarrassed and he responded "are you kidding me? I would choose to dress like this. I look like a pimp!" ...... oh dear.
Caden was a darling Beckham with tatooed arms and all.
In Caden's class we made carmel apples and I made Witches Brew for them. They were so excited for the brew and drank every last drop!

I made Jack-O-Lantern tortillas with Chase's class and quickly learned that they are SO not too old for parties. They were so excited and appreciative, I can't wait to do another party for his class. They just loved it!
Halloween Night. I missed my girlfriends and all the traditions of the holiday but we had such a fun night. Pictures by the beach, dinner at Longhis, trick-or-treating, ..... It is so fun to make new traditions and explore new things. We LOVED the warmth of the evening and walking with the kids as they ran from house to house.