Sunday Morning

They're just too cute!

Whale Watching

So, it has only taken me forever to get to this post, but I wanted to share what we did on our last day in Maui. We spent the morning just chilling on the beach and then packing for our trip home. That evening though, we took a sunset whale watching cruise. It really was the best thing we did on our trip. I brought the wrong camera though and didn't get the pictures I wanted. But aside from that, Humpback whales are incredible! Some of the awesome things we saw:

A mother and her calf swimming alongside each other and flipping their tails out of water.
The calf is the first hump you see, and the mother is just behind.


Two whales breach at the same time. (Okay, Sam saw that, as did everyone else on the boat. I got stuck behind a really tall guy that blocked my view. I just saw one of them and didn't get my camera to take a picture in time. Awesome though.)
This is the splash they made when they went back in the water. I'm still upset with myself for missing them out of the water.


Whales and spinner dolphins swimming and playing together. It was just so neat to see. They were pretty far off in the distance so my camera didn't get any good shots. :(
This is just a picture of two whales blowing water. It was the closest we got to the whales.


The beautiful sunset. Watching the sun go down while on a boat in the middle of the Pacific ocean, it just doesn't get any better than that!
I wanted to get a picture of Sam and me together since it was our last night and we had absolutely no pictures of us, but my camera died just after this picture.



We also heard the whales singing to each other. The captain of the boat lowered something into the water that allowed us to listen to them. It was just amazing. I'm talking jaw-dropping amazing! It was fun to listen to the whales below us and watching them every now and then make an appearance out in the distance.

Research is currently going on about these amazing creatures. Even the guys on our boat couldn't tell us what was going on, but we definitely knew something was going on. There were so many whales and so many dolphins together. It was as if something magnificent or terrifying was going on below. We speculated that perhaps there were two males after a female and fighting. That's really all anyone could come up with. I'm so glad we went to see the whales. We almost missed out on the experience. It's definitely something I would like to do again, if we ever get a chance to go back.

Road to Hana and beyond

We decided that Sunday would be a good idea for a road trip, so we headed out on the road to Hana. That's a crazy drive. Lots of one way bridges, driving close to the edge of cliffs, very narrow roads, and tons of curves. It was an experience. We didn't venture on too many hikes, okay, none. But we did pull over a couple of times to enjoy the scenery.

Waianapanapa State Park

Where we ate lunch.

The only way to drive the road to Hana.

We didn't make too many stops because our goal was to reach the Oheo Gulch, or Seven Sacred Pools. We were determined to do it. We had left around 10am and made it to Hana around 1:30pm. The pools were about 45 minutes past Hana. We had gotten used to the crazy road, but we were nowhere near ready for what was about to come. The road got worse. It was basically a one lane road with lots of curves, no bridge guards and we were on a cliff pretty much the entire time. No doubt it was a beautiful drive, but there were times when I feared for our lives. It was crazy! It made the road to Hana a piece of cake! I would like to say that the drive was worth it, and it was to an extent. But the pictures we saw online were basically what we saw. If we ever go back to Maui, I highly doubt we will do that drive again. It was too intense. Beautiful, for sure, but intense.







We didn't go swimming. I would've liked too, but we both agreed that we needed to head back home before it got dark. Neither one of us wanted to be on those roads in the dark. It was crazy enough in daylight. We left around 3pm and got off the highway around 5pm. It was definitely easier driving back than it was there, but I think the fact that we had been on it already helped a bit. We were exhausted after that. It was pretty intense. Poor Sam, he had to drive the entire time. Both of us were worn out, but I'm sure he was worse off since he had to actually drive it.

'Iao Valley

On Saturday we decided to head out to 'Iao Valley. It is absolutely beautiful! The history there is incredible. Maui warriors once used the 'Iao needle as a look out point during the war in 1790. They lost though, but it led to the Hawaiian islands being united. It's been a few days, and I'm still in awe.

Maui, Days 1 & 2

Well, we made it. It was an incredibly long flight with lots of turbulence. Landing was a pain. Still dealing with a sinus infection made landing a painful experience, but it's over.

We arrived to cloudy skies and the threat of rain. It had rained hard that morning and the previous day causing flash floods. Most of the flooding occurred in Kihei, which ironically enough is where we are staying. :) It instantly brought us back to 5 years ago on Oahu. Ah, memories.

Our hotel isn't too bad. It's a Days Inn, so it's not great, but the bed is awesome. It's a Tempurpedic bed and you can't go wrong with that. Plus, the ocean is just steps away!

Our hotel is the 2 story building on the left, not too far from the beach!

We had clear skies today and enjoyed it as much as we could. Since it had been raining, the car rental agency had a special going on their Mustang convertables. Since it was hardly anything at all, we took one! It was great driving through Upcountry with the top down. We had heard that there were things to do, but I think we missed it all. Oh well. It was still fun driving around.



We wanted to spend some time at the beach, but with all the rain and flooding, sewage had made its way to the ocean. Needless to say, the water has not been all that appealing. We're hoping for a change tomorrow. :)

I need a selfish moment...

Yes, I can be completely selfish, and right now is one of those moments. I'm sick! I feel awful. Nothing seems to help. It's been going on since before Christmas, so yeah, I'm getting a little tired of it. I have been to 3 different doctors who have had 3 different responses.

Doctor #1: Sinus infection, tonisilitis...take amoxicillin twice a day for 10 days.
Okay, that sounds easy enough. I even started to feel a bit better the next day before all the side effects hit me. It made me feel as if I had the flu on top of everything else. This past Saturday was the worst, so I went to a walk in clinic on Sunday morning out of pure desperation. I just wanted the antibiotics changed and end the misery.

Doctor #2: He didn't think my symptoms were from the antibiotic. I was positive they were. His diagnosis? The sinus infection had gone up to my brain causing swelling. Hence the massive headaches and nausea. Okay, a little wierd, but he's a doctor so I went along with it. He also shined a light in my eyes to look behind them. He said there was definite swelling back there and I needed a cat scan right away and to see an eye specialist first thing Monday morning. Did the cat scan, it just confirmed that I have a sinus infection. Saw the eye specialist today...nothing is wrong with my eyes, or my brain for that matter, thank you very much. I won't be going back to that clinic any time soon.

Doctor #3: The same place I went to when I saw Dr. #1. I was determined to get a new antibiotic. I just knew that that was the reason for my being miserable. Her diagnosis? Mononucleosis. What? Seriously? I highly doubted it and told her so. I was adamant that it was the antibiotic. But I humored her and let her do the test. It was negative. So, she gave me a new antibiotic.

I'm happy to finally have gotten what I wanted, but I'm still miserable. My own diagnosis is in fact the sinus infection, tonsilitis, and perhaps I got hit with the flu these past couple of days. I can't get rid of the fever. It comes and goes. I've never had it go so high before (that I can remember). At least the massive-pounds-so-much-you-want-to-die headache has disappeared. That does help. But here's the really selfish part. Sam and I are leaving on Thursday to go to Hawaii. Is it too much to ask to feel better so that I can spend some quality time with my kids before we go? Or to feel better enough that I can at least pack? Or clean the house for my in-laws while they stay with the kids? I'm stressed out about the whole thing. I know life isn't fair, but this is ridiculous!

Okay, selfish moment is over. Thank you.

18 months

Let me start by saying, I LOVE THIS GIRL!!!



She is a pure joy to have! Even at such an early age, I can tell she's going to touch many lives. She has this spirit in her that I could only wish for. She's friendly, outgoing, energetic, loving, curious, competitive, compassionate, caring, care-free, stubborn, sensitive, and just awesome! Hard to believe she's all those things at only 18 months. She's the first to give me a hug (and not let go for some time) in the morning. She calls out "MOMMY!" with a huge smile on her face multiple times a day, to which I respond "LIVI!" She loves it! She is so hard to get mad at. She crys when I get after her for doing something she's not supposed to. While crying she says "I sorry." Then gives me a big hug and kiss. How can you possibly stay mad at that? She's always quickly forgiven. She's my little angel and I'm so glad that she is with us. She is a blessing to all of us each and every day.

She had her 18 month appointment today. She is now 29lbs 6ozs (above 95th%) and 33 inches tall (95th%). Her vocabulary is quite extensive, even the doctor commented on how well she talks and how many words she says. Some of her favorite, or most used, phrases are:
"I stuck"
"I sorry"
"it's a book!" (when she wants you to read to her)
"it's a cree" (crayon) when she finds a crayon she immediately starts to color. She can almost spell her name. I've been working with her on that. She'll be on the floor scribbling while saying "O, I, I, A, O, L..." it goes on and on.

I suppose I could go on and on about her. But I won't. I just hope that as she grows she'll continue to be so good to me, her dad, and her brother.

What I wish for my family in 2011

Okay, so it's been almost a week of the new year, but it's still a new year. There are a few things I'd like to see happen this year. I'm not sure if it all will, but it's nice to hope. Honestly, I feel my family has been blessed in so many ways. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thankful for what we have. We haven't had too many challenges, and for that I'm incredibly thankful for. But onto the new year and what I hope it brings us:

1. Our Bothell house to sell...and fairly early in the year too.

2. Logan to be potty trained

3. Olivia to be potty trained

4. A minivan (even if it's on the last day of the year)

5. Very few illnesses. We've had our fair share in the last couple of years. I would like us to have a healthy year for once.

6. Logan's speech to improve. He's a bit behind his peers, but I think it can quickly be solved with the right help.

7. More dates with Sam. We haven't done so well in the past, but I'd like to at least start with one a month and go from there.

8. More one on one time with the kids. (daddy/daughter, mother/son dates) I think it will help everyone.

9. To go to the Temple more often. I'll admit, it's been awhile, but maybe we could try going once a quarter for starters and see where that takes us.

10. Logan to enter primary and not have to worry about him. He turned 3 last year (okay the last day of the year) and technically should be in primary at church. But seriously, if his birthday was 1 day later, he would still be in nursery for 1 more year! Luckily the primary presidency and nursery leaders are okay with whatever we feel is best for him. And right now, we don't think he's ready for primary. Maybe in a few months, but not now. Besides, he's the only sunbeam! So there really isn't a whole lot of pressure. But I would like to see him in primary by the end of the year.

So there you have it. The things I hope happen this year. It'll be fun to look back at the end of the year and see where we stand with it all. :) Happy New Year!