Christmas 2013

For Christmas, Cindi & Dobby made us this awesome wooden family "special dates" reminder. All the family birthdates & anniversary dates are under the appropriate month, and more can be added as they happen. Could it be that they are thinking ahead to when we need help remembering these things? :) We love it - such a personal & thoughtful gift. 

A few shots of our beautiful grandkids - they are all so unique & precious to us! 

 

         

Part of our Christmas gift to our family this year was a weekend together at Great Wolf Lodge. These pics were taken today in the lobby before we headed home, but the majority of the fun was had in the gigantic waterpark there. Unfortunately, our camera didn't make it into that area, but we had so much fun & laughter (and yes, some screaming while tubing through those tunnels, drops & rapids). Oh, the wave pool was pretty awesome too!

 

 

We love our family dearly & are blessed to be able to have these opportunities together. The grandkids are growing up & we love making memories!! 

 

 

 

Maui

Lahaina - a single banyan tree that covers an entire city block.
Main street in Lahaina - lots of touristy shops and stops...

... lunch at Bubba Gumps; yummy!

Turtles at Ho'okipa Beach. Almost tripped over them before noticing them; they blend right into the surrounding rocks.

 

On the road to Hana - an absolutely beautiful drive, made even more enjoyable in our rented Mustang convertible. The sights, sounds, smells... so intoxicating!

 

Lots of lava flows around the island; below is a lava tube we were able to walk through.

We hiked up over a mile to the bamboo forest in Haleakala National Park; very cool to see - very hot and humid experience!

silly pope Richard :) I think he was just trying to revive me with humor - I was pretty spent by the time we got there!

On the way back down - so beautiful!

 

Our condo in Kihei with me in a spot I frequented during our two weeks there.

The view to the right from our lounges...

 ... and the view to our left.
One day, there were about a dozen turtles swimming/playing in the crashing waves at the jetty you can see in the distance on this last picture. It's a good thing God made them with hard shells, because those creatures love extreme water sport!

We enjoyed this vacation so much! It took us 40 years of marriage to make it to Hawaii - I hope it won't be our last trip there. We're kinda hooked! :)

little helper

Anytime I need help in the kitchen, this little one is always willing - sorry about the blur, but she moves pretty quickly (which usually necessitates use of the broom when we're done) 

 Sometimes she gets a little distracted by Mother Goose on the TV...

 ...but mostly she's quite focused on the task. What I didn't get a picture of, was her sneaking the "tockit pips" out of the mixture with her mixing spoon and popping them into her mouth. So. Cute! And almost two already; they DO grow up so fast.

 This girl melts my heart!

Season's Greetings!

                                                                           Wishing you a very special Christmas - from our family to yours... may we focus on the Giver of the greatest Gift, and count our blessings as we realize how fortunate we truly are! 

                                                                                    Our precious grandchildren - what treasures they are!

                                                                               God has blessed us with an amazing family; we are deeply grateful for each one. 

 

Six - and Sixty

 Summer passed & I hadn't yet taken the annual Arbor shot, so today was the day. We have been blessed with amazing weather right through September. Our six beautiful grandchildren are all growing up so quickly and, except for Natasha, are all in school this year!

 These boys love to play sports - it doesn't really matter which sport, although they have their preferences... there is never a lack of energy or enthusiasm.

 My wonderful man had a milestone birthday this weekend. We spent a fun evening with friends on Friday, and today we celebrated with our family. He still has a bike on his "bucket list" but for now, the only one he got was on his cake. Some things just don't lend themselves well to birthday gifts. :)

 These two cousins really enjoyed each others company today - pretty cute to see relationships develop early.

Maplelea Girls visit their American Cousins

 

I had included a long story about our trip, but once again, blogger has chosen to send it to cyberspace, rather than post it.
Maybe I'll try again tomorrow... if anyone is interested, that is.

Mothers Day 2012

 I'm posting 3 very similar pictures from today, but I  love all the different expressions, so I couldn't choose just one. I especially love Natasha's grin as she's anticipating her next bite of dessert... it was a very good weekend. I am blessed with an amazing family!