Okay guys...I just spent lots of time getting this blog back up and running! We got a new camera at Christmas and now we have lots of pics, as you can tell from all the posts. I updated from Aug so I think I put 37 posts up! Good thing I had lots of time on the airplane on the way home from Hawaii! I could get all the posts ready and then today I uploaded them all. Enjoy and don't feel like you have to look at every one of them!
Sorry it took so long!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Hiking in Hawaii
We just had the most awesome week! My mom was amazing and came to watch our kids for a week while Merrill and I went to Hawaii. Merrill and I had a wonderful time and the kids loved the time with Grandma...it was a win win!
Scroll down...the next 7 posts are Hawaii also...we took over 200 photos!
We got to Hawaii Tuesday night and Merrill had conference stuff all day Wed. I got to sleep in and go on a run along the beach. Then I looked at all the shops and hung out on the beach all day. It was a great day topped off with dinner at a fancy Japanese place where they grilled the food in front of you. I've never been to one of those and I loved it!
Then Thursday was a full day! First, we went on a run together along the beach - Merrill had to go way slow for his pregnant wife - thanks honey! ;) Then we got to go hiking to Maunawili Falls. A none tourist hike which was so beautiful but super muddy! We had to hose down our shoes afterward! But the view and hiking in the jungle was well worth it!
Then on the road again, we saw some awesome boats that some amazing Hawaiian made!
Scroll down...the next 7 posts are Hawaii also...we took over 200 photos!
We got to Hawaii Tuesday night and Merrill had conference stuff all day Wed. I got to sleep in and go on a run along the beach. Then I looked at all the shops and hung out on the beach all day. It was a great day topped off with dinner at a fancy Japanese place where they grilled the food in front of you. I've never been to one of those and I loved it!
Then Thursday was a full day! First, we went on a run together along the beach - Merrill had to go way slow for his pregnant wife - thanks honey! ;) Then we got to go hiking to Maunawili Falls. A none tourist hike which was so beautiful but super muddy! We had to hose down our shoes afterward! But the view and hiking in the jungle was well worth it!
Then on the road again, we saw some awesome boats that some amazing Hawaiian made!
Goat Island
Thank you Lindsay for telling us about goat island! We loved it! We didn't get pics while we were on the island because part of the fun of the island is walking out to it and falling in the ocean...we didn't have our waterproof camera yet. Lindsay told us of an island you can walk to it you find the coral path! Hooray, we found it and had a fun time walking to the island. The beach was so fun and we only saw two other people - fishermen.
Walking around the island was so fun. On the rocky side we saw lots of crabs and even an eel that had been washed up by the waves. Merrill REALLY wanted to hold it! I REALLY didn't want him to. Then just as he was getting close enough a wave washed up high enough to get the eel wet and he slithered off as Merrill jumped back up out of it's way. I was happy to see it go! :)
The waves hitting the rocks were so powerful and it was amazing to watch!
Then on the way back to shore...we lost the trail for a bit and went swimming. I saw a turtle swim right in front of me! Little did we know how many more turtle's we'd see snorkeling. Merrill was a little jealous that only I saw the turtle that day....snorkeling made up for it.
Thanks again Lindsay...we loved it!
We also went to the "Ha" performance at the polynesian center which was very fun. VERY touristy but fun. We loved all the fire dancing best. It was great! We didn't get any pics though...they weren't allowed! :(
Walking around the island was so fun. On the rocky side we saw lots of crabs and even an eel that had been washed up by the waves. Merrill REALLY wanted to hold it! I REALLY didn't want him to. Then just as he was getting close enough a wave washed up high enough to get the eel wet and he slithered off as Merrill jumped back up out of it's way. I was happy to see it go! :)
The waves hitting the rocks were so powerful and it was amazing to watch!
Then on the way back to shore...we lost the trail for a bit and went swimming. I saw a turtle swim right in front of me! Little did we know how many more turtle's we'd see snorkeling. Merrill was a little jealous that only I saw the turtle that day....snorkeling made up for it.
Thanks again Lindsay...we loved it!
We also went to the "Ha" performance at the polynesian center which was very fun. VERY touristy but fun. We loved all the fire dancing best. It was great! We didn't get any pics though...they weren't allowed! :(
Pearl Harbor
The next day we went to Pearl Harbor. That is a very humbling place. Thinking of all the people who gave so much for our freedoms is always very humbling. I take it for granted far to often. What a great memorial to them. These pictures do not do the place justice.
Sunset Beach
After Pearl Harbor we went and scouted out our next sites for the day on the North Shore. We had some yummy shrimp for dinner at one of the shrimp vans on the side of the road. They have their own shrimp farms and they catch the fish and cook it for you...it is so yummy! We had it two nights in a row!
Then we headed to sunset beach - thanks again Linds! I was too busy eating my shrimp and taking pics that it got to dark and only Merrill got in the water that night. But we had a great walk on the beach. Also, if you enlarge the first two pics....you can see whales out in the distance. We saw them just as we got there! So wonderful...I love watching whales! And the sunset was beautiful!
Then we headed to sunset beach - thanks again Linds! I was too busy eating my shrimp and taking pics that it got to dark and only Merrill got in the water that night. But we had a great walk on the beach. Also, if you enlarge the first two pics....you can see whales out in the distance. We saw them just as we got there! So wonderful...I love watching whales! And the sunset was beautiful!
Hawaii fun
I wanted to see a pineapple plant...so we headed to the Dole plantation. I didn't know they great on shrubs...I thought it was a tree!
We saw lots of different birds, one on top of the shrimp contraptions...
You'll have to watch Hawaii Five-O to get a better picture of the king Kamehameha statue in front of the capitol bldg....
Waimea Valley and Beach were beautiful and Merrill loved jumping off the big rock, notice the post below...
We finally got a picture of me enjoying the shrimp and more beautiful pics of the ocean and some surfers!
We saw lots of different birds, one on top of the shrimp contraptions...
You'll have to watch Hawaii Five-O to get a better picture of the king Kamehameha statue in front of the capitol bldg....
Waimea Valley and Beach were beautiful and Merrill loved jumping off the big rock, notice the post below...
We finally got a picture of me enjoying the shrimp and more beautiful pics of the ocean and some surfers!
Merrill jumping off the rock!
Baby and I decided it wasn't a good idea! :) But Merrill on the other hand....
Temple & Tabernacle
The Temple grounds were beautiful. We loved walking around them and enjoying the views. We were able to do a session also and the inside was so beautiful as well.
We went to church in a beautiful bldg as well. I think they called it the Honolulu Tabernacle. What an amazing place to attend church!
We went to church in a beautiful bldg as well. I think they called it the Honolulu Tabernacle. What an amazing place to attend church!
snorkeling
We went to Shark's Cove to snorkel and it was amazing. The pics are awesome of all the turtles we saw...but don't do the fish justice. The colors on the fish were so bright!
We went out the first time snorkeling and had a ball and decided we needed to buy an underwater camera and go out again. The first time out we saw a HUGE turtle . We went to go over a coral and there is what feeding on the coral! It scared me it was so big...and the fact that we came up on it all of a sudden! It was a great though...I just gave it some space and watched it move. It was so fun! I guess we were in the water a little too long though...the only thing that got burned on the trip was the back of our bodies! We look great! :)
Thanks again for the great spot to go snorkeling Linds!
All in all, what a wonderful trip! We were sad to leave but excited to see the kids! Thanks again Mom - and Dad for letting us have her for a week!
We went out the first time snorkeling and had a ball and decided we needed to buy an underwater camera and go out again. The first time out we saw a HUGE turtle . We went to go over a coral and there is what feeding on the coral! It scared me it was so big...and the fact that we came up on it all of a sudden! It was a great though...I just gave it some space and watched it move. It was so fun! I guess we were in the water a little too long though...the only thing that got burned on the trip was the back of our bodies! We look great! :)
Thanks again for the great spot to go snorkeling Linds!
All in all, what a wonderful trip! We were sad to leave but excited to see the kids! Thanks again Mom - and Dad for letting us have her for a week!
Open gym fun
The kids got the camera again and and had some fun. We've been busy getting rock out of our backyard and when we were taking pictures to put them up on craigslist, Nano wanted to lay on the rocks! What a poser! For spring break we did 5 wheelbarrows full of rocks each day, in between all the fun activities! The kids were awesome and by the end of the week we had all the rocks gone and twice as many as in the picture. We didn't get a picture of it because some friends came and took most of them already. What amazing kids!
Merrill got a german chocolate football cake for his b-day. Happy b-day honey! We love you!
Merrill got a german chocolate football cake for his b-day. Happy b-day honey! We love you!
Joyschool
Nano and his joyschool friends have a lot of fun! Here we made huge bubbles and did hand and footprints. So fun!
Our girls!
Mikayla loves playing the piano and loves that she gets to use some of Bhakka's and Aunt Rita's old piano books.
Lynneah is all about clean toes these days. She will stop in the middle of whatever she's doing and clean out her toe jam...it's awesome!
Lynneah is all about clean toes these days. She will stop in the middle of whatever she's doing and clean out her toe jam...it's awesome!
Open gym fun
On Wed gymnastics has open gym where young kids can play on all the equipment. The younger kids love it because, after watching Mikayla during the week, they finally get to try some of the fun stuff!
Gym video fun!
The kids love to go to open gym and play on all the gymnastics equipment. The tramp is a favorite!
Gymnastics
Mikayla's been doing gymnastics for about a year now and she loves it! She's learned a lot of cool things and it's fun to watch her. She had a day where she got to show us some of her stuff. The other kids got to do some of it too. It was a fun day!
Mikayla is 9!
It's January again and my baby is one year older! Mikayla you are just getting so big and so amazing with every day. Here's our day to celebrate you! You are such a great big sister, such a fun friend and such a helper to your mom and dad. Now that you are older and get to stay up a little later, we love the time that we get to spend with just you. I love all your jokes and the great ideas you come up with for creative things to do and say. Thanks for being patient with me when I forget that you are getting older and forget to treat you as such. We love you pumpkin!
Your party was fun, even with your annoying orange cake and annoying grape pinata! :)
Your party was fun, even with your annoying orange cake and annoying grape pinata! :)
Presents Again
We left early for Christmas break so we didn't get all the packages before we left. The kids were okay with that and loved being able to open presents all over again! Thanks so much Bhakka and Boppa!
Christmas again at home in WA
We got to open packages from Bakka and Boppa when we got home. Here is Josh trying out his new skate board. He's found a way to ride it in the house!
Nativity photos
I love having kids act out the nativity. They are so cute all dressed up and I think it helps them understand better what happened on that special night when they get to act it out.
We also had a few songs and thing afterward but those didn't get on the video just the nativity. They did a great job.
We also had a few songs and thing afterward but those didn't get on the video just the nativity. They did a great job.
nativity video
Here's a link to a video of the nativity if you like. We even have Carlos as a donkey and Merrill as a camel. I can't remember what Josh did before we came to UT to get his black eye...but it's good one!
http://web.me.com/birdnofam/movies/Nativity2010.AVI
It's not working to click on the link. Go ahead and copy it and open it in a new browser.
http://web.me.com/birdnofam/movies/Nativity2010.AVI
It's not working to click on the link. Go ahead and copy it and open it in a new browser.
Grandparent's House
We went to Utah for Christmas! We had a lot of fun playing with cousins. Amy was home from college. Eddie and Becca came from AZ with their kids Noah and Lucy. Anne and Carlos came from NM with their kids Rafael and Corina. Then Victoria and Aunt Erna and Uncle Larry all came for Christmas Eve! We had a great time!
We also had fun skiing before all the cousins came. Too bad I don't have any pictures of that! Josh and Neah stayed with Grandma Hansen and Nano and Mikayla came with Merrill and I! We had so much fun and the kids are great little skiers! It took Josh a while but in Jan we finally got him to enjoy skiing again. He liked it last year but had a hard time getting into it again this season! The last time we went here in WA, we put Neah in the backpack and she LOVED it! It was a very fun family outing!
We also had fun skiing before all the cousins came. Too bad I don't have any pictures of that! Josh and Neah stayed with Grandma Hansen and Nano and Mikayla came with Merrill and I! We had so much fun and the kids are great little skiers! It took Josh a while but in Jan we finally got him to enjoy skiing again. He liked it last year but had a hard time getting into it again this season! The last time we went here in WA, we put Neah in the backpack and she LOVED it! It was a very fun family outing!
More video fun!
I don't know if this was Nano's or Josh's video but enjoy our backyard!
Also, the boys have been way into glueing all sorts of paper together. They get scrap paper and tear it into the sizes they want and make all sorts of animals. Josh made a cheetah, lion, dragon, dinosaur...This was Nano's finaly project:
Also, the boys have been way into glueing all sorts of paper together. They get scrap paper and tear it into the sizes they want and make all sorts of animals. Josh made a cheetah, lion, dragon, dinosaur...This was Nano's finaly project:
Kids & Camera
The kids got a hold of the camera and of course, they could get it to work! We also have a few shots that we didn't use from the card making photos...like Nano's purple hat...I finally convinced him to use a red instead of purple one! Oh and you get an extra one from Josh's b-day..opps!
Birdno Cards
We had so much fun making these deck of cards for Christmas. Our kids favorite games are Uno and War! We made a deck of face cards and then added a few for Uno. Each kid got to be one suit and have numbers 2-10, Ace, and Jack. Merrill and I were the King and Queen and Jokers. Then the kids got to be the wilds! Enjoy!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Josh is 6!
Son! How did you get to be so big? Are you really 6? I guess so and what a fun boy you are. I love how you are so good to make sure all your friends are included in all that you are doing. You did think it was pretty cool that wherever you went that day...all your friends followed you. You are the birthday boy! I'm glad you enjoyed your Night Fury cake and your Bone Knapper dragon pinata! Those where fun to make...but a lot of work too! :) I love you son!
I love how even in Nov, you all put on coats and still enjoyed the pinata outside! Way to go kids!
I love how even in Nov, you all put on coats and still enjoyed the pinata outside! Way to go kids!
Turkey
In Oct, Merrill took a trip to Turkey for his work! What a fun trip for him. He liked the coastal city much better than the BIG city.
Turkey cont'
Forgot the best picture for Merrill! Somehow this got in a different spot with all our pictures. Thanks goodness we found it! :) Love you honey!
Cement Stairs
My Dad and Dellma built these cement stairs outside Victoria's basement, so there could be a second entrance. They did an amazing job. Although my kids were sad to see the dirt pit gone!
Halloween
The kids had a Halloween Party for joyschool. They got to parade around the house in their costumes and sing us a couple songs. Not all the kids were super thrilled about it. But they all looked cute!
Sadly, the camera was on the fits for Halloween and we didn't get any photos of the other kids...let's see...I think Josh was a ninja turtle, Nano was ironman, Mikayla was a black cat, and Neah was a fairy ballerina....sorry no pics guys! Trust me they were cute! ;)
Sadly, the camera was on the fits for Halloween and we didn't get any photos of the other kids...let's see...I think Josh was a ninja turtle, Nano was ironman, Mikayla was a black cat, and Neah was a fairy ballerina....sorry no pics guys! Trust me they were cute! ;)
Camping
We went camping in Sept. with some of our friends from Meadow Springs ward! They are a lot of fun and their kids are so cute! We only got pictures of the lake by our camping site, seeing how that's where the kids spent most of their time! :) We left all the sleeping bags downstairs for a few days afterward and the kids had a ball playing in them. I guess it's good to be so slow in putting things away sometimes, right! ;)
Neah is 2!
It's Sept 3rd and I can't believe our Neah has turned 2! So much for our baby! That time goes too fast. But even though we call you our sweetness monster - and you got the monster cake and pinata for proof - we love every bit of you! All your fun cuteness and all your monsterness! :) I'm excited that you are talking more. I think part of your monsterness is that you have had so much to tell us and haven't been able to because now you are quite the jabberer! We love you sweetheart. Happy Birthday!
We were able to have Michelle and Dave come over for her b-day. We went to a park where there was a blue grass festival going on. Score! We had a lot of fun! Thanks for coming over guys!
We were able to have Michelle and Dave come over for her b-day. We went to a park where there was a blue grass festival going on. Score! We had a lot of fun! Thanks for coming over guys!
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