Maui in May

My parents took us to Maui in May. It was heavenly. The New England winter was long and cold so we were more than ready to escape to paradise! It was a trek to get there from Boston (almost 20 hours) but the kids traveled amazingly well. Sam loved the window shades on the plane. He probably annoyed everyone near us as he opened and shut them, but it kept him happy!

The perk of being jet-lagged was mornings like this. We'd wake up, walk outside, and watch the sunrise. We were the first ones on the beach most days!

We met some very friendly people at the market in Lahaina, and snapped a photo under the banyan tree.

 At church on Sunday a new stake was organized in Maui. It was a beautiful meeting. To close the meeting we all stood and sang "Aloha Oe". Then we had Sunday dinner, Maui style (ie grilled steaks on the beach).

The rest of our trip was spent snorkeling (we saw turtles, a shark, a seal, and lots of cool fish)...

 And body boarding...

 And eating wonderful food...

 And playing on the beach...

 And visiting the summit of Haleakala (a volcano)...

 And going to more beaches...

And going on hikes and drives...

 I love these people. I mean, the location was amazing, but it just felt good to be with them.

 

Thanks for an amazing trip Mom, Dad, and Jeff! We had the best time. It was hard to come home.

Aloha Maui! Until we meet again!

(Not pictured because Brad lost his phone in the ocean are the following events: the Sheraton Luau, the boys going scuba diving, and pictures of the amazing hotel pool that the girls lived in all week.)

Coming Back

Well hello little blog. Sorry I have neglected you for so long! You have missed so much that I kind of don't know where to begin. So I won't for now. Maybe I'll do throwback posts later. But for now, there is this: We are happy. We are healthy. We are grateful.

And here is why:

Brad is in his second year of Opthalmology training which means a WAY better schedule. He has most weekends off! It's amazing! He can come to church! He can come with us to do stuff! It is awesome. We have missed him.

Lainy is happy in school. I spent the summer debating/praying/fasting about whether or not to home school her this year. There seemed to be so many pro's to keeping my precious girl home and far away from the things that made last year so hard for her. I was actually all set to do it, but then I went to the temple and had the strong impression that we should send her to school for another year. So, with an anxious heart, we did. And she's been great! It's a complete 180 from last year. What a blessing.

Leah started a little ballet class. I've been teaching her some things at home, but this year we wanted her to do something special just for her. Her dance studio is called Catch the Funk, which irks me to no end, but the price is right and they actually do a good job with the basics. She's the social butterfly of her class and asks me every morning "Do I go to ballet today?". It's hard to get her out of her leotard and tights. She remains our tenderhearted, adorable girl.

Samuel just turned 18 months old. He is a special soul. I really wish I could freeze him at this age for a while. His next big adventure is Nursery: it hasn't been going well so far. But honestly, I'm okay with a mama's boy for now ;)

We spent the Summer swimming, exploring Boston's North Shore beaches, camping in the back yard, taking care of our garden, and visiting our family in Idaho. It was heavenly. I tried to keep it as fun-filled and low-key as possible. We all needed it.

So there is my update, little blog. I'll be back soon.