FINALLY...Our First Family Photo Session!

So I put it off for only like ummmm... 18 years!  I felt bad about it.  I just thought it sounded stressful...getting the kids (younger kids) to cooperate for just a single picture is usually a contentious affair.  But I'm so glad I finally did it!!!  Yes...Alyssa and Ava were difficult and made crazy faces half the time, but it was worth it.  So worth it. 

 

My sister Terri passed away at age 25, and unfortunately we do not have a family picture with all 7 children.  The one picture we took as a family not too long before she passed had the film exposed before being developed.  So I know what a treasure it is to have these family photos.  I am so grateful these pictures capture our little family during one of our best memories together...our dreamy trip to Oahu.  Soon the kids will start disappearing into college life and missions...so this time is precious.  I love my family! 

 

All photos are by the extraordinary Kevin Foley on Ke Iki beach on the North Shore or Turtle Bay.  The waves were so huge, we screamed several times in sheer awe of the force!  You can't tell in the pictures, but they were huge.  The totally famous North Shore waves.  We were all dying of thirst and ran straight for shaved ice in Haleiwa when we were done.  Thank goodness they stayed open just for us.  The place said "We close at 6:30 on most nights, but we are on Hawaiian time so sometimes it's earlier or later."  We got there at 7:30 and they served us.  It was a good day.

Somehow Alyssa's face got covered in dirt during the middle of the photos session.

 

 

I love this one.  They fight like cats and dogs and also play and have so much fun together.

I love these teeth!!!!

 

 

Glacier

Glacier...no words can describe the scale and beauty!  CRAZY gorgeous.  The gigantic scale, dizzying height, shocking number and unrivaled beauty of the sharp glacier carved mountains, and thousands of waterfalls is something no picture can capture.  The 360 view all the time in all directions...unreal!

I planned this trip months and months ago and it did not disappoint.  The family likes it better than Yellowstone even!  I planned lots of hikes, but traveling with a large family and a 6 year old means we get only about half in.  We'll have to go back!

Alyssa on the second to last day tripped and badly cut open her shin (right by the parking lot thank goodness at least...after a 4 mile hike!) which required a trip to the ER an hour away on an indian reservation.  She got 6 staples.

Her birthday was on our last day there so the waiters made an ice cream sunday on her head!

We saw black bears at a drive through bear park, and saw a mother grizzly and two cubs in Glacier right by the Many Glacier hotel and road.

**Update...just found this post in my drafts folder months later.  I'll post it as is even though I was going to add more to it.  I'm just about a year behind...that's all!

Wilkommen!

I'll explain this guy later.

But over the last few months...

We got a new puppy named Chloe!   Lacey's litter sister from another litter.  Drove to Utah and back to get her from the same breeder.  Losing Lacey in such a tragic way was a most devastating and horrific experience, but we've been blessed with another great dog that even came potty trained.

Ava turned 6.  I seem to be the expert at hand crafting birthday cakes from store bought treats (AKA too lazy to make one). At least this time I didn't stick matches in a Push Up like I did here...

Oh great, I found this picture of Chad while I was looking for the Push Up picture.  I guess I do it more than I remember!

In Utah, I couldn't believe how high Alyssa could fly off the high dive! That's her doing a toe touch 15 feet up.

 Cousins

Sarah's favorite tree at temple square.

Sarah ran for Student Council and won (phew).  Lots of work preparing speeches and making posters and handouts.  The most memorable part may be when we bought 150 mini play-dohs (food not allowed), wrote "Vote Sarah" on each, and when she handed them out kids started throwing them at each other like it was a food fight.  They got confiscated, she cried out of frustration, and I affectionately call the fiasco Play-doh-gate.  It's all my fault really!  The play-doh was cheaper than the leis so I went with what was cheaper!  The few leis she handed out went VERY well on the other hand.

Talent show season is in full swing.  All four kids do it at the different schools and it stresses me out because it requires lots of extra practices, choreography adjustments, music editing, prop creations, etc.  But I should be glad my kids are fearless and eager.

Chad flashing a peace sign to the crowd after his acoustic version of a Coldplay song.

And last...my favorite part of the last few months...

 Leavenworth, Washington!

 We took the kids to this gorgeous Bavarian or German town surrounded by raging rivers and alplike mountains.  It was perfect.  I love leaving town and getting away from all of our stresses and the daily grind!!! So much.  I crave it.  It started off a little rocky when Alyssa got so tangled up in her seatbelt that we thought we were going to have to find a car dealership in the next city or cut her out of it.  But from past experience (yes, Chad broke a seat belt once) I knew that would cost 300 dollars, so I was determined to get her out!  Russ was ticked, I was laughing.  Russ couldn't get her out and was calling for scissors, I got out of the driver's seat and gave it a try.  I figured she just had to do a back flip while Russ pulled with his Hulk strength and wah lah!
Alyssa playing drums on the railings. Bbbbbbbbbbbbbt!

 The flowers...oh the flowers!  Evvvvvverywhere!

 Overpriced german sausages at Munchen Haus...we all left hungry and had more reason to  inhale some ice cream.

 Coolest 24 hour petting zoo we had all to ourselves.  We paid on the honor system and you just let yourself in!

The kids flip out every time we stay in a hotel of any kind. "OH...MY...GOSH!!! LOOOOK at the little soap!!!!" "AAAAAAH! They have a cabinet that opens and shuts!!!!! Oh...my...goodness! squeeeeel!"  They make tons and tons of herbal tea.  Every little thing is SO exciting to them, so this was quite spectacular. Indoor pool was lovely until I had to run out looking for super glue and butterfly bandages at 10pm due to a cut open cheekbone. Sarah and Alyssa are just too competitive diving for pennies.

Outdoor pool by day.

 What is Chad doing???

 We golfed holes in this order...16, 7, 8, 15, 13.  And I think that's about all Ava and Alyssa could stand!  Golf included with hotel.

Icicle Gorge Canyon hike.  AH-mazing.

 

Do I dare tell them I'm looking to do an 8-10 mile hike in Glacier this summer when Ava needed carried during mile 4???  She made it.  But she and Chad both we done at mile 3.

Alyssa, sporting a bandaged cheekbone, must carry 2 hiking sticks at all times.  Until the bark starts making her skin too sore  and one is too heavy and she asks all of us to carry them for her.

 The view during my morning jog.

Russ singing "The Hills are Alive"

Oh yeah, this guy!  He serranades everyone each day at breakfast with his Alphorn on the 4th story ledge of our hotel HE built!!!  He built the Enzian Inn.  Now that is a cool dude.  I have much more respect for leiderhosen now.

On to Glacier this summer!  But first Utah for 2 days, Maui work reward trip, EFY, scout camp, girls camp, Camp Peine, 7 am computer programming class downtown summer school, volleyball camp at Gonzaga, cousins coming.  Can't wait.