Thursday, August 22, 2013

Up in the Air

It was bright and early. No, actually it was dark. Very dark. Yet very early when we gathered our belongings in suitcases, dufflebags, and backpacks to head for the airport. Where were we going you might ask? On a wonderful vacation with family to a place my father has been longing to take his family for so many years.

Hawaii! :)

Our little man did so great on our two flights, even though we woke him up 3 hours earlier than his normal time - an accident of course, we were hoping to keep him asleep. How adorable it was to watch him observe all the new places, get excited at meeting all the new people, and even take a few solid naps during the day.
Although, his new all-time favorite airport activity is pushing his stroller around. Sitting in it is just unacceptable when you have two strong arms with which to push it. Surprisingly, the stroller moved straight forward for the most part - until Munchkin became distracted by interesting passersby.
Oh, and how could you not help feed your aunt while on the plane?! Inconceivable!
For the record, I am not one for busy streets, small roads, lots of traffic, and even more people. A bit stressful for me - I would never do well in a large city. I'm not sure what I was thinking Honolulu would be like, but city was not one of them. As I was raised in the West, I am accustomed to space. The island? Cramped.

Luckily, the hotel we are staying at is well worth it. The foliage, many pools, proximity to the beach, village-like atmosphere of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki create a wonderful setting for a relaxing vacation even while in the busy city. It is a fun place to stay with family and so many of their employees have been extra-ordinary.

We have so much in store for our fun vacation! We can't wait to see more that this wonderful island has to offer!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Park Games

As a conclusion of the activities we were able to attend, we had great fun gathering with extended family for some delicious dinner, fun games, and wonderful company. Master Chief, I'd say the meal was a great success; you can never go wrong with some dutch oven cooking! Of course, these things take time, so the crew had a few moments to chat and play on the grass and play ground. Unfortunately, the best of pictures are on Ms. Britt's camera, but here are the moments I did capture.
Counting jelly beans to try and guess how many! Oddly enough, this was the first time I have ever won anything in my life! And I guessed right on! WOW! Haha, too bad I don't really eat jelly beans! Plenty to share though, right?
 The boys playing climbing tag.
 And this cute little Ms. looking adorable by her lovely mommy.
 The fence was definitely a highlight of the park for the boys. It had been in the shade long enough that it was cool. AND it provided such wonderful support for climbing. They both loved it - and got others to join in the fun too!

 Hello lovely ladies in the background!
"This hat is meant for eating, that's just what it does. One of these days this hat is going to end up in my tummy . . ." If she has her way that is.
 What's a family gathering without wearing great uncle/grandpa out?! Caleb and Thomas did a wonderful job - and they loved the great ride!
 "Come on grandpa! Faster! Faster!"
 "Uh, mom! I think this ride broke . . . it just stopped, out of nowhere! I promise I didn't do anything!"
 Our little man wasn't so sure about the whole thing though. Ok, he did like it . . . until he noticed me trying to take pictures.

After our fantastic trip to the park, we were able to spend a few more hours with family before they had to go home. We spent this at CLAS Ropes course on some low-ropes activities as well as the high-ropes stuff. So much fun - even for the babies who all got to sit with someone and watch. I highly recommend this place for uplifting family reunions or activities. They have a lot there and everyone is bound to find something they enjoy. My personal favorite was watching how happy and excited Brittany got to ride on the zip line. All in all, this was a fantastic week and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute we could with family.

Monday, August 5, 2013

The Gathering

With too many people to fit in one house, all the families ended up sleeping in different places and then gathering for the various activities. This was an adorable moment as we all began to arrive at one home. This little girl was so distraught since both her parents left her stranded in her car seat, alone in a room with a whole bunch of scary-unknown-persons! At least that's what she kept trying to tell us anyway. Munchkin quickly found his way over to assure her that he wasn't that scary . . . yet. Then he promptly began rocking the car seat in an attempt to soothe his restless cousin.
Then again, as soon as Emma was removed from aforementioned car seat, he thought it was the best toy in the whole room - at least for a few minutes. Ah, the days when one is easily pleased :)
 
After some quality bonding time with the car seat, the exploration of the premises commenced. These two boys were all over trying to see all the new faces, touch all the new breakables, climb the new obstacles, and see all there was to see before they were restrained. I was a little slow with the camera, but when they first got crawling they were on opposite ends of the hall. Once they caught each others eye, they crawled as fast as their little appendages could carry them toward one another. When just a few inches away, they both slowed to a near stop until they gently bumped heads. They remained that way for a few seconds as if reading each others thoughts. Then, almost as quickly as it happened, they moved to the right side of each other and crawled on (until the later climbing-on-top-of-each-other and chasing-each-other races began).
What gathering wouldn't be complete with out a pause to sit outside in the grass?
"Dad, really? You're going to make me sit up all by myself? Hmmm . . . maybe if you give me some more of that cookie you shared with me earlier . . . I promise I won't tell mom!"

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Payson Lakes

That Payson has three beautiful lakes up Payson Canyon was news to me when we had a lovely family reunion located there for a day. We were able to rent some river kayaks from the local outdoor rental place and hauled them up the canyon. The Munchkin was in heaven as we spent the whole day outdoors, he got all the attention he could ever want, and he had 2 cousins to play with!

Mr. Thomas was definitely more sure and confident in his adventures in the kayaks, but it was sure adorable to see them both together!
 This beautiful upper lake was much larger than I anticipated. The waters were calm and beautiful though and provided a wonderful area for kayaking. Unfortunately, it was a bit harder than I expected to stay straight and steady. Apparently ocean kayaks are much more stable, but as we had river kayaks, it was quite the twisty-turny adventure.
 We were all so excited that Thomas decided to bring his beautiful mother along! We don't get to see her often, unfortunately, so it was a special treat to have them with us!
 And of course, Munchkin LOVED all his grandpa time! Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this great guy pick up one boy in one arm, and the other boy in the other, and carry them around with him just exploring the world around.
 Playing with the babies :) A common activity for some reason. :)
 This little lady is SUCH a cutie! Little miss Emma definitely has a princess attitude:
 Meanwhile, my little boy passes out in the pack-and-play his grandparents so kindly brought along. (I tell you, those things are wonderful!)
 Quite worthwhile if you ask me! We enjoyed the relaxing day at the lake, playing in the sun or cooling in the shade as we desired.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...