2 weeks ago...(Part 3/4)

Dearest Boys,

After one of our longest nights of sleep EVER (told you we were exhausted!), we woke up slowly on Thursday morning.  I went for another run, this time only stopping once to learn about this statue  (Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian Olympic gold medalist). 

 

Then Uncle Mike & Aunt Jess came over so that we could Skype with y'all to say Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

A good chunk of our day was then spent on Waikiki Beach.

 

 

While our underwater camera stunk at taking pictures, I did want to capture a shot of Diamond Head...can you see it in the background?

 

After exposing ourselves to far too much sun, we cleaned up and headed to the strip for shopping and dinner.

 

 

 

 

We knew Friday was another early morning so we called Thursday an early night...

 

Friday morning was THE day - the reason for the entire trip - the day of Andy & Suzanne's vow renewal!  As the best man, Daddy had to get up and leave early.  Mike, Jess, and I followed behind a few minutes later and drove to a beautiful secluded beach where a small ceremony was performed.

 

The reception was at our hotel at a great restaurant called Tiki's.

 

Their photographer was sweet enough to take a shot of Andy's side of the "family" (all friends) at the reception.

 

We then returned to the ocean for a few more hours of fun in the sun, this time sans camera.

 

That night, we went out with "everyone" (6 couples) to an amazing steak house (Hy's, if you're ever in Honolulu!) for dinner.  For some reason, I didn't take a single picture of our animated table.?.? (Do you have any pics, Mike?  Jess?  Andy?  Suzanne??)

 

Sorry I started slacking in the picture taking category --- just trust us when I say we were having a GREAT time!

 

 

Two weeks ago...(Part 2/4)

Dearest Boys,

We got very little rest on Tuesday night because we had to be awake at 3:30AM on Wednesday morning to head back to the airport!  If that makes us sound crazy - blame Uncle Mike!  He had this bucket list idea to see an active volcano up close and found an excursion that accomplished that dream via helicopter.  Only issue is that said helicopter operates from another island!  So, we took a 5a.m. flight to Kona (The Big Island - Hawaii) and found our helicopter.

 

I sat by Uncle Mike and some hilarious conversations ensued between those headsets!

 

Flying over the island was breathtaking.  Our pilot, Marco, was full of information about all that we saw!  Here, you can see where the lava flowed right into the ocean.

 

 

He took us right on top of Kilauea, an active volcano that has been erupting continuously since 1983!

 

He flew us from Kona to Hilo, where we met up with a zipline group.

 

 

To say that your dad faced his fear of heights is an understatement!

 

 

The various ziplines provided us with remarkable views!

 

Afterwards, we got back on the helicopter and explored the north side of the island.  I never got tired of seeing these waterfalls!

 

Once we were back at Kona, the guys played with some lava rocks before we boarded our plane and went back to Oahu.

 

This day ranks up there as not only one of the best days ever but also one of the most exhausting!

2 weeks ago... (Part 1/4)

Dearest Boys,

Two weeks ago we boarded a plane for Honolulu and left you in the capable hands of Grandpa & Grandma (who flew all the way down here with Hailey just to stay with y'all so Daddy & I could take this trip!).

It takes 8 hours to fly to Honolulu from Dallas but we kept busy with books, movies, snacks, and naps.  Since it was my first time to fly first-class, I had to have your dad snap a picture of me at dinner time!

 

 

We arrived at our hotel after dark with just enough time to unpack and visit with Uncle Mike & Aunt Jess before bed...but I did think it was nice of the island to welcome us with fireworks ; )

 

We caught our first glimpse of paradise on Tuesday morning and I had a hard time not staying on that balcony all day!

 

 

Daddy made plans to go ATVing with the boys so I took some time for myself to go for a run along the beach.

 

I walked more than I ran though because I kept stopping to admire the views!

 

Later, Jess and I hit the strip for some shopping and lunch.

After the boys came back from their ATV adventure, we all cleaned up for a luau. 

 

The entertainment and food were great but we were exhausted by the end of it because it was 10:00 in Hawaii, which meant it was 2AM on Texas time!

 

Aloha!

Family Pictures

Dearest Sons,

Last month we met up with a new photographer to get some family pictures taken.  It was the perfect fall day, she found a great outdoor area for pictures, and I managed to coordinate our outfits by just digging through the closets.  It was perfect -- until she tried to take the first picture.  Colt, 'disinterested' doesn't even begin to describe your mood that day.  You weren't up for family time and you most certainly weren't up for having a stranger take pictures of our family time.  And that is why I am all the more impressed by the following shots that she did manage to capture:

We were all hoping that a short nature walk between brothers would remedy the foul mood.

 

But when she tried to get the next group picture, you refused to even look her direction.  I actually love that she still took the shot though of us trying to talk you into it.

 

 Ha!  This sums up the shoot nicely...

 

I love this one because I can see the space of your missing teeth!

 

Your Daddy was working hard to keep you from running out of this frame!

 

Maybe a silly picture will do the trick?

 

Before we called it a wrap, we changed you into pajamas and used this adorable background she had set up.  There's just something about holiday pjs that I love so this one went on our Christmas card this year. 

 

I love us and our strong wills and personalities!

Polar Bear Plunge

Dearest Colt & Jackson,

Some sort of scheming between the two of you brought about a determination to swim in the pool today.  The conversation went as follows, in which M = Mom, C = Colt, and J = Jax.

J:  Can we go swimming?
M:  It's too cold for swimming.
C:  It feels so good outside. [It was 71 degrees.]
M:  Well the pool temperature is lower than the air temperature and look at all the leaves in the pool!
J:  It'd be fun to swim with leaves!

So my gears started turning and I thought 1) it sure is hard rationalizing things with you after you've been at Grandpa & Grandma's house for the night, 2) the best way to learn a lesson is to experience it, and 3) I can totally use this determination as leverage!

M:  If you boys eat a healthy lunch and then have rest time, I'll let you step in the pool for a few minutes.

Well, wouldn't you know it, the minute rest time was over you were both putting on your swimsuits!

J:  This is chilly! [It was 66 degrees!]

C:  It feels better here.

J:  I think I'll just sit here on the side.

 

....5 minutes later...

M:  Come get your towels!

 

After passing along the stubborn gene, neither of you admitted how frigid the water was...but I think it's safe to say that you won't be asking to swim again for a few more months.  : )