Paradise Day 2

We began the day relaxing and reading at the beach. It's amazing just to watch the waves come up and crash down on the shore. The water is so clear that you can see right through each wave.

Around lunch time we headed straight up from the beach to the club house at the golf course to enjoy the highly recommended fish tacos. Not to mention the amazing view!

The waitress was really nice and offered to take some pictures for us. In the background you can see sweet heart rock, which is why the waitress recommended a kissing picture.

After lunch we went back down to the beach for our much anticipated introductory scuba diving lesson and dive!

I was a little nervous after the lesson. There was a lot to remember and a lot of equipment to keep straight.

But we sure look cute!

Once we got under the water though (and used to breathing) everything was awesome!

It was quiet and peaceful

We were able to get really close to all of the fish and the reef

So cool

We went down about 34 feet and were out for aroound 35 minutes. We could have stayed for hours though!

Highlight of the trip so far for both of us. The instructor told us that it is rare to have a first time couple where both do so well with the dive. Oh Yeah!

Reed did sustain an injury. It was pretty "surgey" while we were down there, which means the waves were pretty strong even under water. So, Reed got pushed into the coral and scraped up a little bit, but nothing he can't handle.

That night for dinner Edward Jones hosted a Luau. There was lots of good food and perfect weather, not too hot or too cold.

And the entertainment was beautiful. They did Hawaiian music and dancing and this fire dancer was really awesome. It was another great day!

We went on a hike this morning and are planning to relax by the pool/beach all day with another small hike at sunset.

Day One In Paradise

On Saturday morning we left VA, kiddos in tow, and made the 9 hour trek to Ohio.  Early Sunday morning we left the kids in Ohio with Reeds sister and her family (Thank you Murry's)  and headed to the Columbus airport where we embarked upon the first leg of our journey into paradise. We flew from Columbus to Chicago, from Chicago to Honolulu, and finally on a small plane to our finally destination Lanai Island. It had been a long day of travel when we arrived in our hotel around 6 pm local time, so we grabbed a quick dinner and went right to sleep.

The next morning we awoke to a beautiful sunny day. We had breakfast at the hotel and enjoyed this beautiful view.

After breakfast Reed had a meeting to go to (his only meeting on this trip), so I headed out on my own to explore and take pictures. This is a courtyard that we walk through on our way to our room.

This is the view right outside the lobby on the way to the pool and then down to the beach. We enjoyed an amazing dinner right here by the pool last night. 

I went down to the beach and explored around some of the rocks and tide pools where I saw little fish and crabs. The water is so clear you can see right through the waves as they crash onto the sand. And the sand is like walking on velvet it is so soft and fine. I sat and read a book until it was time to meet Reed up in the conference room where we were given the low down on activities and amenities. After that we were free to do as we pleased.

First we headed into Lanai City where we picked up a few groceries for the rest of the week and had lunch. Then back to the room to change into our suites and down to the beach!  

Awe...

As we sat on the beach we decided it's a good thing we don't live here, we really would do nothing but sit on the beach for the rest of our lives. They even have a guy that comes around and brings cold wet towels and sprays you with water to cool you off. We could get used to this. 

A panoramic view of beach

We enjoyed some really beautiful views as the sun went down

Time to snorkel!

The snorkel gear is complementary from the hotel, so we decided to interrupt our relaxing and venture out into the blue.

We invested in a water proof camera and really enjoyed it...

On our way back to our room we saw this flock of wild turkeys hanging out on the grounds.

 Today we are going to take a hike out to "Sweet heart rock", then more relaxing on the beach, scuba diving at 2, and a luau tonight!

All Good Things Must Come to An End

With summer drawing rapidly to a close (sigh), I wanted to catch up a little on what we have been doing since I last posted. 

At the end of July uncle Stu came home from his mission to Tempe, AZ (Same as Reed). I thought I would be really funny and make "Hello My Name Is..." stickers for all of the kids because they have changed so much in 2 years and Stuart hadn't even met Ella. I still get a laugh out of it, but I think it went mostly unappreciated by other. Sadly that's how most of my jokes go over. Anyway, the boys had fun making posters to take to the air port and welcoming home Uncle Stu.

Reed had fun reminiscing about his days as a missionary in Tempe.

Grammy treated us to a fun day at the children's museum in Portsmouth. They were having a special Curious George exhibit. Kason and Harley LOVE "Monkey George", so they had a lot of fun with it.

They had a big fire truck that the boys are driving in this picture, but there was a part where a really loud siren comes on unexpectedly. It scared Harley and he was very cautious the rest of our time there and would completely freak out if he even thought he might lose sigh of me for a second. 

This was my favorite. It was a whole room filled with different ways to make bubbles. In this picture they are standing on a platform surrounded by a mote of bubble solution. you can see Kason pulling on the rope in the middle that lifts the metal circle and creates a bubble wall around them! So Cool!

They had a fun place for babies with soft things to climb and fall on. Ella had a blast here.

This was fascinating, and a little terrifying for Harley.

Can you see Kason's face?

Thanks Grammy! 

Also in July, Kason turned 4!

We had a Shawn the Sheep birthday party. What? Never heard of Shawn the sheep? Neither has any party store in the United States. Shawn the sheep is a Wallace and Grommet-ish show where there is no talking. Just this little sheep and his antics on a farm somewhere in England. It is pretty funny and Kason and Harley are really into it. So, I ended up making all Shawn the sheep themed party paraphernalia. This included the T-shirts the boys are wearing, the cake and the piñata. I was satisfied with the way everything turned out and Kason loved it, so it was awesome! 

I can't believe that he is 4. He is such a great kid. He loves to learn and talk and talk and talk. He also loves to see other people happy which makes him a great sharer (usually better with his friends than his brother) a great helper and a great joke teller. He will do anything to make people laugh and even has a few really cute jokes in his repertoire.  

Kason got a little putter for his birthday, so Reed has started taking the boys on golf dates and teaching them how to put. Kason really gets into it and works at getting it right.

Harley mostly goofs around, but has a lot of fun (and looks really cute in his golf outfit)

By all reports this was the highlight of the trip - getting water from the water cooler. Go figure.

We also took a family trio to Nauvoo, IL for a Sloat/Dow family reunion. We took the opportunity to see some church historical sites. This is the boys in Carthidge jail. 

This is just outside the jail. Kason decided, now that he's 4, he is big enough to carry Ella. So he does. And she loves it! It's so funny, Kason thinks he is such a big kid and so responsible. He is a great big brother.

Here we all are in front of the Joseph and Hyrum Smith statue. It was a long trip, but the kids did very well in the car. Although I think Ella still gets a little nervous when I put her in her car seat.

We stayed at a place called Camp Nauvoo. It had individual cabins for each family and a big lodge where we did our meals and group activities. It was fun for the boys to sleep in the bunk beds. And with full and busy days they went right to sleep each night. It was very nice! 

This is us on a wagon ride around historic Nauvoo

Kason and his cousin Elyse on the Wagon ride. They sat right behind the horses and had a great time pretending to be the drivers. They always have a great time together, it is fun to watch them play.

Here is pioneer Ella!

Harley and his cousin Elyse playing stick pull. We also saw a play put on by the younger missionaries that work in Nauvoo called Just Plain Anna Amanda. Harley was captivated. He sat by himself the whole time and I don't think he even blinked he was so into what was happening on stage. It was awesome! I need to look into taking him to some plays around here.

One of the nights we went and saw a show call Sunset on the Mississippi. This was kind of a variety show put on by all of the missionaries. They did a great job, it was very entertaining. My favorite was the Devil Went Down to Georgia. 

Before the play they had all of the kids decorate hats and them march in a parade to get things started. Ever since the 4th of July parade at our house where everyone through candy out, the boys have LOVED parades. They are always pretending to be in parades. So, even though they were a little nervous to march with all the kids and people they didn't know, they really got excited about being part of a parade!

Our last morning there we were able to do a session a the Nauvoo temple. It is a beautiful building!

Our last major event from the last couple months was Ella's first birthday! They boys were pretty set on Ella having a princess party, so even though I have some reservations about the whole "I'm a Princess" culture that we have going on these days (not that I don't think she is special and beautiful and the most wonderful little girl ever, I just think the way it's done a lot of times gives the wrong message) , we did do a princess party. 

With the help of her very sweet and helpful brothers she got all of her presents opened.

And thoroughly enjoyed a very pink cupcake! It was fun to do a lot of pink this time!

And here she is enjoying her new toys... oh wait ....

... I think her brothers got to enjoy them a little more than she did :)

Just a little brag, I did make Ella's party dress. And I am very proud of the way it turned out. I LOVE the  fabric and it's the first time I have done anything like this with sleeves, but it turned out great and fits her perfect and everything!

This Saturday Reed and I will be taking the kids to Reed's sister's house in Ohio, where they will stay for a week while Reed and I are in HAWAII! I am a little anxious about leaving the kids for so long, but also very excited. It will be a great trip and a needed vacation.

So, in addition to Hawaii we may have one or two more trips to the beach, and a few more afternoons at the park in the coming month, but for the most part we are now looking forward to Fall and will be focusing on Halloween (a favorite holiday around here - dress up and tons of free candy - what's not to love?), preschool, and cooler whether.