LauraDave & Family

Ok, it's time to blog about Christmas already!

2012-01-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing Christmas in Roosevelt! As usual, Mom was a hostess of the mostest. There was every kind of homemade candy and treat you can imagin!The food was amazing every meal (and in between)! We enjoyed playing games all day. Some of us got a lot of volleyball playing in. I'll be out there next time! My favorite thing was just spending time with my family! That's one of my favorite things about Christmas. I also loved having church on Christmas day. The music was awesome - thanks to my mom. No one got sick this year either (we waited till New Years!). Happy times!

Surprisingly, the tree remained in tact even though baby Marcus was around!

Fun times with family. I'm sad that we stopped taking pictures when Anne's family and Mare got there.

Oh, here's one of Anne, baby Maya and Mare at the Grill. Yummy!

Happy New Year!

Nathan

2011-12-12T09:53:00.001-07:00

Our Nathan turned 5! He had fun being spoiled with lots of cars, trucks and toys. He loved the car cake his daddy made for him, especially the crashed car on top. Here are some fun pics:

Our boy is growing up fast!

Halloween!

2011-11-03T10:56:00.000-06:00

We had a really fun Halloween and now are stuck with way too much candy and the ultimate question: Should we just let the kids eat it all up and get disgustingly sick? Or, should we give them a few a day and let them get disgustingly sick everyday? It's a lose, lose situation. Anyway, we had a lot of fun at all the parties and the trick or treating. The perfect weather really helped!
Amy, Juan and Marcus hosted our pumpkin carving party. It was awesome. Too bad we didn't get any pictures of them. Jordan drove down and graced us with his presence too. Thanks J!

The kids love playing with the guts! We came out with some pretty awesome looking Jack-o lanterns.

We got to dress up for two parties on Saturday. I loved my little baby girl skeleton. I think my face makeup was a little too scary. Didn't quite match the baby. Dave and I won a prize for scariest costumes. Score! I got tons of comments on my shirt. Everyone loved it.

Nathan had fun at his preschool party and we got to go watch Jamie in her school Halloween parade. I also got to help with her class party. Fun Halloween. Can't wait to dress up my little baby girl next year! Maybe she'll borrow baby Marcus's giraffe costume??

Down South

2011-10-31T10:53:00.000-06:00

We had such a fun UEA weekend down south. We stayed with Grandma McAllister one night and had a good visit with her. Of course I forgot to take pictures. We hiked around the Dixie Rock and the kids had so much fun climbing and jumping and getting into cracks and holes.

We all had a blast visiting Sarah and Jared in Las Vegas. Their backyard is amazing and of course the weather was gorgeous. The kids just played every waking moment. We went to a fun park where they got wet and sandy.

This goose and its friend were attacking baby Lexy's stroller. Sarah and I had a hard to getting away from them unscathed. Scary geese!

All the girls love Dave!

Fall!

2011-10-24T09:36:00.000-06:00

We got to visit Aunt Julie and Uncle Marshal in Logan and the weather was beautiful! We took the kids to the American West Heritage Farm. They had fun sliding, exploring, jumping in the hay and getting lost in the maze. Ok, we were never lost because, well, Dave was there. It just took a little while to get out. Fun fall times!

Jamie and Nathan love to play with Lucas!

Fall is my favorite time of year!

School!

2011-08-23T09:44:00.001-06:00

So, I'm going to do a quick blog about the first day of school before it's old news. I may go back and do more summer blog stuff later. Jamie is off to 2nd grade! She was excited to get to ride the bus again - for a while, until road construction is done. I know Nathan will miss her here at home. He has two weeks till his preschool starts.

She chose the pose.

I hope she gets on the right bus and makes it home this year! No tears from me this time. Happy school year!

Summer Time!

2011-07-13T12:02:00.000-06:00

Even though I'm sick and can't do much for the kids this summer, I managed to get them to their two weeks of swim lessons. They both did really well and had a blast!

I have been worried about the kids just being stuck home with me all summer but...

I have an awesome family to help entertain them. I drove them to Logan where Aunt Julie and Uncle Marshal took them to lunch and Jordan took them on an awesome hike up Logan Canyon.

Then, on the 4th of July weekend Dad took them to the Bean Museum at BYU and Jordan and Dad took them up to the mountains. Jamie and Nathan are having a really fun summer!

I hope they have many more fun adventures before school starts up again! Thanks Fam!

Nathan Graduates...

2011-06-05T16:53:00.000-06:00

Well, from 3 year preschool. He really enjoyed his little class this year. Mrs. Sommer told me that he was one of the best behaved which was a surprise to me. He did really well with his letters and learning how to hold the pencil right. He's already excited for his next preschool class!

Yea for Nathan!

Jamie!

2011-05-05T14:52:00.001-06:00

Jamie had another birthday - last week! I can't believe she is already 7 years old. Here's a little look back:

Jamie had a great party at Grandpa and Grandma's house:

Love you Jamie! Happy, happy day!

Zoo Day!

2011-04-19T18:50:00.000-06:00

Ok, it was spring break and we had no where to go. So, I thought it would be a fun time to go to the Zoo. Every year we go for military days around the 4th of July. It's usually really hot, but we still enjoy it. The weather on Friday was perfect. "Not too cold, not too hot. Jacket weather!" (Name that movie) We made it through the whole outing without even one major meltdown. We came close because we couldn't locate the cotton candy for a while, but we found it and everything was ok. I love the Zoo and am excited for the new expansion that is under construction.

Nathan's favorite part was the cotton candy. Did I mention huge mess?

Jamie's favorite part was the elephants. We got to watch them feed Kristie (mom) and Zuri (baby) whole honeydew melons. It was amazing!

Nathan wrestled an alligator:

Jamie rode a snow leopard:

We all enjoyed the carousel.

The only one that didn't seem to be having fun was Eli, the orangutan.

The giraffe was fascinated with us. We even got to see his blue tongue up close.

Fun times at the zoo!

Pottery and Willows

2011-03-16T11:58:00.001-06:00

Yes! For the ninth wedding anniversary your gifts should consist of pottery and willows. So, here is Dave's anniversary present. Yahoo!

Thanks for 9 wonderful years and lots of memories! Love you Dave!

Happy, happy day!

Field Trip

2011-02-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

I got to go on another field trip with Nathan's preschool class. We went to Thanksgiving Point's Museum of Ancient Life. It was so much fun!

Nathan's favorite thing was the huge shark!

He also enjoyed creating and destroying things in the mud room.

Such a fun place! I want to go back and spend more time!

Laura

Catch Up!

2011-01-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

I missed blogging about Christmas, New Years, and birthdays. So, this is a quick overview of the past few months.

Christmas was great. We went to Grantsville and Jordan came to visit. During the season we were able to ride TRAX up to Salt Lake to see the lights. Here are some pictures.

We tried to have a traditional Colton cholesterol special breakfast. It was pretty tasty but not quite the good ol' Frontier Grill in Roosevelt.

We spent Newy Years with the Garrett's (that includes Jordan of course) in freezing Logan. Games, food, movies, food and yes, more food! The games were so fun. I'm getting hooked on Settlers of Catan!

My birthday was great! We had a big January birthday bash with the Davis's. We have a lot of January birthdays on both sides of the family. Jordan drove down from Logan and we all went out to dinner. We shared a big brownie sundae! My favorite. J brought his Settlers game and I even won one game! Mom and Dad came the following day and took us out to lunch. Sushi and chinese! I got spoiled.

Because of car troubles, Anne ended up spending her birthday with us too. We were so excited to have them here. Jordan made another appearance (he just can't get enough of us. I'm sure it had nothing to do with wanting to see his new adorable neice, Maya!). We played games late into the night (you guessed it, Settlers of Catan). I won again, so did Anne. Fun times with family! Happy New Year!

oh, ya, Jamie lost a front tooth.

Nathan Turns 4!

2010-12-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

My baby is 4 years old! Where did my little guy go?

Now he's a superhero walking around the house shooting all the bad guys with his water gun!

For his party he had his favorite food, chicken legs! His presents were perfect; trucks, cars, tractors, play dough, coloring stuff, water gun. He is loving it!

Happy, happy day!

Halloween!!

2010-11-02T16:54:00.002-06:00

HALLOWEEN!!!

We had a great Halloween this year! As tradition dictates, we started our "Halloween week" with Navajo Tacos for dinner followed by a FHE carving pumpkins. We followed it up with doughnuts and chocolate milk!

Jamie just loved ripping the guts out of the pumpkin!

Nathan made Daddy gut his pumpkin.

Laura got to kill her own pumpkin, doesn't she look so happy?

Nathan was a super hero... when Uncle Jordan asked him what he was going to dress up as he was so excited that he could hardly speak. Laura had to tell Nathan to take a big breath before he passed out. He calmly took a slow breath and then yelled "I'm Captain America!" He kept asking me if he was a good guy or bad guy and which ones he should kill.

Jamie was a witch and even got a broom to go with her scary finger nail gloves. She had to be sure her face was green enough and that we could still see her warts.

It was a wet, cold, rainy night for Trick-or-Treating but the kids had fun anyway... Like I told Laura, it's not how cold or wet it was but how big your candy bag is!

Field Trip

2010-10-20T10:41:00.001-06:00

Nathan's little preschool went on a field trip to a farm yesterday! I got to tag along and it was so much fun!

There was a little corn maze and a hay bale maze, perfect for 3 year-olds.

We went on a hay ride through the pumpkin patch and saw some animals. Nathan's favorite was the big turkey, though it scared him a bit when it puffed out it's feathers and gobbled.

We had a yummy snack, pet the ponies and dogs, and climbed and jumped on the hay trampoline (box spring mattresses covered and surrounded by hay). The kids had a ball with that! They all got to pick out their own little pumpkin to take home. Did I mention that the weather was gorgeous?!! Fun stuff!

FALL TIME??

2010-09-30T12:38:00.001-06:00

Is it really fall, really? I mean 90 degrees outside! Really? Ok, so I know that next week when it's freezing I'll wish I had enjoyed the heat more. I would just love some of that wonderful in-between weather. 70 degrees for a few weeks. Well, I still love fall time! Even with the heat it cools down enough that I can open the windows in the morning and get cool, fresh air. We already went to see the witches at Gardner Village. We also drove up AF Canyon to see the colors. We had to drive way up but they were there. Beautiful!
One of my favorite things about fall is General Conference. It's always just so inspiring. Happy Fall everyone!

North end of Timp.

Grandpa's Funeral

2010-09-28T20:04:00.000-06:00

Grandpa Mac's funeral was a perfect tribute to his life. What an amazing life he led. What a wonderful example of how to live and love and serve! I miss you Grandpa and love you!

Grandpa Mac (added a video)

2010-09-20T09:58:00.002-06:00

Grandpa Mac is one of my heroes. I've always admired how full of life he was. He worked so hard and enjoyed it. As a kid I sometimes didn't like when he would put us to work on the farm. Those blackberry bushes were brutal! But the rewards were always awesome. Not just yummy stuff to eat (those blackberries were scrumptious!). My favorite time was when he would turn on the irrigation and we played in the water as long as we could until it was gone! So much fun! I always admired his master gardner skills. Most of all, Grandpa's devotion to family. He loved us all so much and showed us how much he loved Grandma by the way he took care of her. I love you Grandpa! I know you are so happy having many wonderful reunions! Thanks for a wonderful legacy.

Don't mind Sarahs "dirty talk" in this video and just enjoy.

Building a Backyard!

2010-09-19T18:11:00.000-06:00

One of our big projects in the new house this summer was the backyard. When we moved in it was just weeds about as high as the fence. We had a family of cats hiding out in the weeds and once we lost Nathan for a few days out there!

I mowed down the weeds and borrowed my parent's tiller with the plan of tilling everything up and cleaning it out...

After about 2 hours of trying with all my might to get that tiller to dig into the rock solid clay ground I gave up and hired a guys with a backhoe to come in and clear the ground. After we covered the whole yard in plastic and let the sun cook the weeds for about 6 weeks.

I was surprised to see how well it worked; they call it Solarization and it killed off just about everything. After the Solarization I spent a week trenching and putting in sprinklers.

After the sprinklers came the top soil and the railroad ties...

I have to admit that through it all Jamie and Nathan helped out a lot... well Nathan mostly made holes where we didn't need them and filled in the ones we did.

It took us a few days to make the mountain on the driveway to mole hills in the back yard but we did it.

After leveling the playing field we had the Curbman put in the curbing and the we ordered the sod.

The kids got to watch the sod get delivered while, we got to lay it all down.

So far it is turning out very nicely. We had a few people from the word come by to help us and it went pretty quick. Thanks everyone!

I measured and ordered the sod all by myself and this was all that we had left. A pretty good job if I do say so myself! As you can see I was pretty proud; but that is just because I am good!

Other projects to follow are trees and a swing set with a big sandbox and lots of bushes and flowers and lets not forget the garden... I guess you could say we still have a bit of work to do but it is coming alone pretty well.

Death March at Ryder Lake!

2010-08-31T19:45:00.153-06:00

June 30th about 4:00 am, the alarm goes off and I throw it across the room! It is way too early to wake up on a day off or any other day for that matter. Laura and I slowly climb out of bed to get ready to leave by 5 so we can meet everyone else at Christmas Meadows by 8. Today we were headed to Ryder Lake; a nice 9 mile jaunt from the trail head to the camp spot. It really wasn't bad. Other than the fact that Laura and I hadn't been backpacking since our trip to Red Castle back in 2005. We were both huffing and puffing by the 3/4 mile mark!

Anyway, we got to the trail head about 7:55 and everyone else showed up within a few minutes. We were on the trail by about 8. As always the meadows were beautiful and it wasn't long before we had seen a couple of moose.

We couldn't have asked for better weather this trip. The days were cool, the nights were warm, and the sky had just the right amount of clouds to make for great pictures.

By lunch time we had made it to the "Meadow" made so famous by Grandma Lila Colton's painting. This is what is looked like all those years ago.

This is what it looks like now... It was beautiful! This has to be one of the few places in the world that even after so many years looks just the same. What an amazing place!

About 3:30 we all straggled up to Ryder Lake and the camp site Brysen and Nate scouted out for us. It was a great camp site; far enough away from other campers and with a nice opening in the trees that gave us a great view of the lake and the waterfalls.

The mosquitoes were horrendous and if we didn't keep covered or keep the repellent slathered on they may have carried us off to be heard from no more!

We had a beautiful sunset that night and everyone slept pretty good.

We woke the next morning with the sun and had a bit of breakfast; a pop tart, some water, and a few snacks. Jordan "forced" Sarah, Laura, and I to go with him to the top of "Colton Peak" and he wanted to get an early start.

No comment here...

Not far above Ryder Lake is McPheters Lake; amazing view.

That's right, Laura, we're going all the way up THAT and THAT is just the beginning!

This hike was so amazing (am I using that word a lot?).

Every step brought new sights to see and each was more amazing than the last.

We made it to very tippy top and Sarah piled up some rocks to get even higher!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well being there was worth thousands of pictures and we almost took that many!

There were only a few really scary parts. You know the kind that one slip would have meant certain death... for sure... without a doubt... and this was one of them. The ledge at the bottom of this crevasse was just a couple feet wide then it was several hundred feet of shear cliff to a rocky splattered death! It was a lot of kicks!

As we made it back down to McPheters we were all quite pleased with the hike and more so that we didn't have to watch anyone fall screaming to their death!

You may have noticed that you didn't see Jordan hanging over any cliffs this time. Well, it turns out that Sarah was charged to keep him safe and from doing anything "crazy". She failed miserably!

Here come the "Cliff Hangers".

They started out pretty mellow.

Some didn't even look too "crazy".

Then I got daring and that was it...

Jordan had to take it to a new level!

and then just a bit further!

Remember how I said we were all glad we didn't see anyone fall to their death... that anyone would have probably been Jordan! Now just to clarify, I would have been right there along side of him but someone... I won't name names but she's my wife... wouldn't have let me sleep next to her for a week had I gone up there too!

These next few pics are of us fishing. The fish were biting and we all caught plenty for dinner. Kate just couldn't stand to have the fish she caught get hit over the head so she let hers go. What a sweetie; I'm sure we just caught them again further down the bank and they got hit over the head anyway but it is the thought that counts, right!?

After a great dinner of fish and MRE's and a bunch of other yummy trail food I think we all slept very well that night. We were all pretty well exhausted by now and slept good regardless of the hard bumpy ground!

Our hike back took about half as long as the hike up did. Everyone was ready to get to the cars and head home for a long shower and a real bed. All in all those of us that hiked to the top of Colton Peak went about 22 miles over the weekend and we all came home alive. Jordan was very proud of us!

First Day of School!

2010-08-26T11:36:00.000-06:00

Jamie is in first grade! Our little girl is growing up. She got the early schedule this year and that means we wake up by 6:30. Jamie is not a morning person (neither am I) so I'm a bit scared. The excitement of the first day made it easy to get up and ready and to the bus stop 10 minutes early. All the buses have pictures in the window so the kids can tell which one is theirs. Jamie's has a big blue "Y" in it. I'm not sure what it stands for but...maybe I'll ask one of my brothers. Anyway, when Nathan and I went to pick Jamie up at the bus stop in the afternoon, she wasn't on the bus! Panic! Where is my baby!!?? I quickly calmed down and called the school. The secretary informed me that a lot of students get on the wrong buses, especially on the first day. They tracked her down when she made it back to school after riding the "giraffe" bus around some unknown nieghborhood. So, she caught the later "Y" bus back to our bus stop. She must be growing up because she was not even a little bit upset after the whole ordeal.

Summer Fun

2010-08-15T19:05:00.002-06:00

So, I want to catch up on all the fun summer stuff we have done since school is starting in a week! This post will cover pretty much the whole summer. I've taken the kids on a bunch of nieghborhood outings (this awesome woman in our neighborhood planned an outing for every tuesday of the summer. It's been so fun!) We also went to Logan and the zoo for the 4th. So, here's all that stuff:
Neighborhood outings:
Kennecott Copper Mine-

Nathan was pretty excited about the tires that are bigger than our house. He wanted to take all the little vehicle models on display in the museum. He threw a fit of course but the whole thing was really interesting even for the kids!

Silver Lake, Big Cottonwood Canyon-

This was such a beautiful walk - not even a hike really. You can take baby strollers on it. We saw lots of flowers and animals including some moose, prarie dogs, ducks and ducklings, and chipmunks. It was so nice to be up in the cool mountains on a hot summer day.

Wheeler Farm-

A wagon ride, feeding geese and ducks, and riding ponies were some of the activities we enjoyed at Wheeler Farm. We saw lots of cool farm animals including a very pregnant little goat. Shoulda got a picture of that! She was wider than she was tall, poor girl. The kids enjoyed riding Marshmellow and Nibbles (the ponies) the best!

Obscene: designed to incite to lust or depravity

2010-07-11T23:10:00.002-06:00

Now that we have your attention! Feast your eyes on this culinary masterpiece.

Behold "Frozen Peanut Butter Turtle Pie"

Have you ever seen anything so glorious?

It's the mouth-watering sensation that's sweeping the nation!

Well, at least it was a big hit in our kitchen!

Look for Frozen Peanut Butter Trutle Pie on Reciplease

Time to Move On

2010-07-11T22:41:00.000-06:00

This blog has been a long time in the making. As many of you know last year we decided that it was time to move. We wanted to be closer to work and to get a bigger house and most of all we needed a garage! Well, that was my "most of all" anyway.

Laura and I put our first home in Kearns up for sale late last year. It was a lovely home, by the time I got through with it and it served us well. The story of our move is long yet we feel the Lord guided us to the right place. The house in Kearns was on the market for 6 months with just one showing and they went with another house that had a garage... I couldn't blame them.

We let the house listing expire while I was in Korea with a plan to list it again when I returned. And this is where the real story begins! So, I got home on a Tuseday, slept for a few days then called the Realtor. We had the house listed again that Friday. Saturday we had two showings and one offer which we accepted. The folowing week was a whirlwind of dragging the kids around to look at houses, excitement, and bitter disappointment. The day before I was to leave once again for a 5 week school I stumbled apon our furture home.

We had already put an offer on a home for which we felt like we were "settling". I was browsing the internet looking at more houses and this beauty caught my eye! I admit it was the 3 car garage that drew my attention at first. But as I looked through the pics I felt like we really should look at this one.

I told Laura to come see what I had found. She was reluctant at first. She was sick of looking at houses and really didn't want to get her hopes up just to have them dashed again as had happen earlier in our house hunt. We both agreed that this one was worth checking out.

Living Room

Mind you that this was Thursday and I was leaving the next morning for 5 weeks. Our house had sold and we needed to find something fast! So I called our realtor and told him we had one more we wanted to see. He got the showing setup for 1:00.

Family Room

As Laura and I drove to the house we both felt excited and nervous. As we came into the house we knew almost right away that this was our home!

Kitchen... and Laura

It was beatiful and just right. We told the realtor to call the seller and make an offer. By about 6:00 that night we had the house under contract and then I was off in the morning for Georgia leaving Laura with a couple Powers of Attorney and a "Good Luck!"

Nathan's Room Jamie's Room

Laura and I spent the next 5 weeks working through all the processes of buying and selling a home. Laura got to do most of the work while I just made phone calls and tried to provide moral support.

Master Bedroom

Everything worked out just perfectly... almost as if it was meant to be...

Guest Bedroom/Office Future Theatre and Storage rooms

We moved in on my birthday, Memorial Day weekend, and as they say... the rest is history.

Garage... I know, it's big!

We have been in our new home for about a month and a half and love it. Already we have made lots of improvments, built storage shelves and made even more plans. We can even park the van in the garage now; a feat many people never accomplish even durning a whole lifetime!

Jamie Graduated!

2010-06-09T20:20:00.003-06:00

Silver Hills Elementary School Kindergarten Graduation...

was a fun fashion show and singing performance. Jamie dressed up like a princess, of course, and enjoyed all the oooh's and ahhh's of the crowd as she walked down the red carpet. She had a great year with Mrs. Sharp as her teacher and lots of friends in her class. We will miss all those wonderful friends!

Nathan had to be in all the pictures, even the one with Mrs. Sharp.

Sunny Mothers Day Weekend!

2010-05-11T10:07:00.002-06:00

We got to go to St. George for Mothers Day! Nathan immediately went to Grandma McAllister to snuggle and read a book. She was a captive audience for his stories. Jordan and Dad pampered us all weekend long. They sent Mom and I out for a girls day on the the town. Shopping and lunch at the Red Lobster!

They entertained the kids by taking them on a hike and having a picnic. Nathan has been begging for a good hike for months now, so he was very happy.

On Saturday we went out by Leeds to hike in the Silver Reef area. There were beautiful wildflowers everywhere and waterfalls where the stream cascaded over the vivid red rock. The kids loved wading through the water. Jamie found some frogs and didn't want to let them go. We finally persuaded her. Jordan had to defy gravity and climb out to the very edge-of course.

Nathan's favorite part was making a mud castle.

We love visiting the grandparents down south!

Jamie's Birthday!

2010-04-26T13:23:00.001-06:00

Jamie had a Sunday birthday this year so we had the parties on Saturday. She really wanted a pinata so I made Jordan rig it up AND hold the end of the rope. No worries he didn't even get wacked once. Not even with 8 kids swinging at it, 9 including Nathan! She got spoiled with all the gifts and is really having fun with all the toys and dress-up stuff. Thanks everyone!

Uncle Marshal preformed his job to perfection.

Back in the "Army"

2010-04-25T12:26:00.003-06:00

After a whirl-wind of a week and a half at home following my trip to Korea I now find myself back in Fort Gordon, Georgia. It has been nearly 17 years since I was here for my initial Army training back in 1993. Wow, has it been so long, am I really getting that old? Scary!

I really don't like coming back to big Army bases. It is not nearly as fun as it was when I was young and dumb... and perhaps not quite so lazy and set in my ways. Luckily for me, I find myself in a bit better circumstances now than I did 17 year ago. I have my own room with a microwave and fridge and most importantly of all A/C! Although it is not the Hilton it is better than an open bay to share with 50 other dudes! There is also a lot less yelling and screaming and we don't get dropped to do push-ups all the time. On the other hand there will always be all the "Army" junk that I could do without just fine; formations all to many times a day, raking the sand to have nice lines in it, army chow halls, and a bunch more things that don't seam to have any more purpose than to annoy you.

We also get weekends off and it is quite nice to recover from the stupidity of the week. So for my first weekend I Googled some local places to visit in Augusta, GA, the nearby city.

I read up briefly on the history of Augusta and found out that the Augusta Canal was instrumental in the survival of the city back in the late 1800's. I decided to take a short boat tour of the canal and learn more about it. Built in 1845, it was devised to harness the power of the fall line of the Savannah River for mills and to provide drinking water for the city. It is the only canal in the world still used for its original purpose of providing power to textile mills.

Also along its banks once stood the Confederate Powderworks which manufactured all of the gun powder for the Confederate Armies during the Civil War as well as everything from canteens and blankets to pistols and cannons.

It was interesting and fun, I also saw lots of wildlife along the canal. The Yellow-bellied Slider Turtles were especially cute. They get there name for, one, there yellow bellies and two, for the way they quickly slide into the water at the slightest sign of danger.

Sunday after attending church at a local ward I made my way to the edge of Augusta which boarders the Savannah River. They have built beautiful walkways and gardens along the river and the weather was just perfect for a Sunday stroll.

Of course the weekend couldn't end without something going wrong... As I was heading back to base I realized that in my haste to make it to church on time I had totally forgotten to bring my wallet. If you have ever tried to get on to a military base without ID you'll know that... well, you can't. In the end I was blessed enough to have remembered my phone and to have put in the number of our class leader earlier in the week. He was able to get my through the gate. What a maroon! I guess it was a good thing that I hadn't gotten pulled over! I'm grateful for small mercies!

Firsts!

2010-04-21T15:32:00.000-06:00

Jamie lost her first tooth! She was so excited. We were in the middle of reading a book about the Tooth Fairy and she had her tooth pillow all ready. She was staying with Grandpa and Grandma Davis when she just decided to pull it out - all by her self. No tying string to tooth and doorknob or anything. The Fairy gave her some gold ( a Sacajawea dollar). Now she is anxious for the new tooth to come in and fill the gap.

Jordan's first outdoor volleyball tournament of the season! It was also one of the first really beautiful, warm days of spring. The kids had a ball making friends, finding sticks, climbing trees, and rolling down hills. Jordan did really well. He and Jared took 2nd! Good job!

Granola!

2010-04-18T20:50:00.000-06:00

We love to make Mom Colton's homemade granola with lots of different kinds of nuts. It gets kind of messy when kids help but Nathan is in the stage where he wants to help with everything in the kitchen. I have to remind myself that before I know it he will grow up and not want to hang out with me or "help" so much anymore. So, I need to enjoy this time. It's worth all the messes I have to clean up!

Oh, I have to add a Nathan quote. He has so many good ones!

"Mom, I didn't do it. My hands did!"

Easter In Roosevelt

2010-04-04T20:31:00.000-06:00

We had a really fun Easter in Roosevelt with Mom and Dad, Jordan (why do I not have any pictures of you?), Aunt Julie and Uncle Marshal, Brynn, Nate, and Lucas. It was brrr freezy but the egg hunt was fun. The cheese gravy was perfect and the games plentiful. The only thing missing was DAVE! And several siblings and thier families. We missed you! Happy Easter all!

Out Like a Lion!

2010-03-31T15:57:00.000-06:00

Ok, so when I heard that we'd be getting some snow today I thought, yeah, yeah, the usual little springtime skiff. No! Full out blizzard. Is it really the last day of March? I guess we get a couple of these every spring but it always surprises me. Fun times for the kids. I hope we don't have to drive to Roosevelt in this tomorrow. Jordan, are you ready to drive the whole way?

Nathan says, "brrrrr"!

PS Happy Winter Birthday Julie!

Dave's in Korea!

2010-03-21T02:20:00.006-06:00

So, after about 17 hours of flying and travel I found myself in South Korea. I am staying on a tiny Korean base called Camp 1987 about 3 hours south of Soul near a town called Jeyong Peyong.

We don't really have beds or rooms but it is sure a lot better than sleeping in tents especially when we wake up to several inches of snow like we did the other night.

The nice thing is that everything has melted and even though it isn't as warm as it is in Utah right now the weather hasn't been too bad. It rains about every other day but the sun comes out to dry up all the rain!

On the 19th about 40 of us piled on to a bus at 5 am and headed north for a tour of the DMZ between North and South Korea. It was a pretty cool trip.

Our first stop on the tour was a small joint military base about 2 kilometers from the DMZ called Camp Bonifas. There we had a little slide show on the history of Korea and the wars that led to the separation of the north and south.

The next stop was the Joint Security Area. On this stop there are several buildings built right on the MDL (Military Demarcation Line) which is the actual boarder between the two countries. As you can see in this picture there are a couple of South Korean guards keeping watch from this side of the line. The cement curb that goes between the centers of the blue buildings is the actual boarder.

If you look close at these pictures you can see a North Korean guard on the top of the stairs of the big building in the back. You can see him in this close up; he was watching us with binoculars most of the time.

We went into the blue building on left, one of the buildings used to hold conferences between the two nations. The Korean guards enter the building first to secure it from inside to prevent any North Korean guards access while the tour is going.

In this pic you can see the cement marker showing the MDL, the gravel side is South Korea and the other is North Korea... I took the picture from Communist North Korea... scary! The South Korean guards where the dark glasses and stand in a modified jujitsu pose to intimidate the North Koreans... looks pretty intimidating don't you think!?

There are only two cities that were allowed to remain inhabited within the DMZ, one on the north and one on the south. Taeseong-dong is on the south and has a population of a bit over 200 and they are all direct descendents of those that lived in the village before the Korean War. Kijŏng-dong is the village on the North and seems to be uninhabited though the buildings are maintained. This picture shows the tallest flagpole in the world standing at 525 feet high flying a 600 pound flag of Kijŏng-dong. This flagpole was built to "one-up" the South Korean flagpole of Taeseong-dong standing at 300 feet.

Here is the Bridge of No Return. It was used for prisoner exchanges at the end of the Korean War in 1953. The name originates from the fact that prisoners were given the choice to remain in the country of their captivity or cross over to the other country. But if they chose to cross the bridge, they would never be allowed to return.

The tour ended with a visit to one of many tunnels discovered built by the North Koreans in attempts to invade South Korea by underground routes. The Third Tunnel of Aggression was discovered in October 1978. It runs about 240 feet underground. We couldn't take photos inside the tunnel.

All in all it was a very interesting tour. Next Saturday I hope to make it to the Seoul Temple for a session! That would be very cool.

FHE Activity

2010-03-16T20:59:00.000-06:00

We miss you Daddy! For our Family Night activity we made a chain of how many days till Daddy gets home. We get to take one off everyday until the 5th of April.

Just look at that pathetic face!

Hardware Ranch

2010-03-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

At the end of February we went up to Logan to visit the Garrett's and Jordan. J accompanied us to Hardware Ranch to take a wagon ride and see the elk. Don't let the picture fool you, even Nathan had a good time. We learned a lot about these beautiful animals and enjoyed watching them eat, poop (that is what Nathan was fascinated with), and spar.

We had a great weekend going to movies, watching the Olympics and playing games. Did I mention eating? We always enjoy the EATS at Aunt Julie's. Also, Kate gave us a grand tour of her new home. It's adorable. Happy times in Logan. We are excited to make our annual 3rd of July trip back up there. We just can't miss Jordan's work party at the pool!

St. George

2010-03-13T14:28:00.002-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend in St. George! It is always so nice to visit Grandpa and Grandma Mac! Nathan and Jamie enjoyed exploring thier yard, finding nuts, sand to play in, and buckets and barrells to make "soup" in. Soup is a concoction of water, dirt and anything else they can find to add (sticks, rocks, toys, long-lost jewels). Nathan was very affectionate with Grandma Mac which is quite unusual for him. She loved it! Dad had lots of fun outings planned for us. We started with Snow Canyon! Where else is the sky such a vivid blue color and the rocks so bright red? The weather was perfect for hiking. It was difficult to keep up with the kids. They were ready to run free after being cooped up all winter.

We hiked the Petrified Dunes trail, visited the Pioneer Names Rock and had a picnic at the Sand Dunes. We played in the sand for a couple of hours which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

My sexy man in the sand!

Dad took Dave and I to the The Bowl. There were a few of them but this is the big one. Since there was a bunch of water in the bottom we couldn't run in. I still don't see how you can get out once you get down there. It is pretty amazing. Grandpa McAllister was pretty excited to see all of our pictures since the area is his old stomping grounds.

Dave and I also got to go through a session at the Temple. What a busy place on a Saturday morning! We even saw my cousin Jana there.

Uncle Russ and Aunt Nancy let us bunk out at thier house in Washington. They were so hospitable. Thanks!

Is it time to start blogging again?

2010-03-10T13:19:00.002-07:00

I know, I know, Christmas is way over! We just haven't been up to blogging lately. But now, with Dave flying off to South Korea for 4 weeks I'm ready to try and catch up on the blog. I obviously don't have the blogging skills that he does but I will do my best. I have a really hard time figuring out how to get the pictures in just right. So, here goes:

Ahh... Christmastime!

2010-01-15T10:06:00.014-07:00

We love Christmastime!

This year we learned that Christmastime is one word; it means "the Christmas Season".

After a lovely Thanksgiving with lots of turkey and rolls and "every good thing" we put up the tree and decorated the house. Laura made me put up the outside lights in the below freezing temperatures with the ice cold wind nearly blowing me off the ladder. She said that today might be the only day before it snows... the next day was 40º and sunny with not a bit of wind! On the good side, it's not like I had a lot of lights to put up!

Jamie and Nathan got to sit on Santa's lap at the ward party. Jamie asked for a rocking horse she could ride which she didn't get. Luckly she got enough other junk that she didn't miss it. Nathan asked for cars and trucks which he got in abundance!

This year, our ginger bread house came in a kit with pre-made frosting and the whole works. Of course the kids ate at least half of the candy before it ever made it to the "cobble stone" walkway or the multi-colored roof shingles. It's all about fun though... right!?

The lights at Temple Square were beautiful as they are every year. We saw them three times, I think... and every time is was cold enough to freeze Santa's plump rump right to his sleigh!

We spent the long Christmas weekend (23rd to the 28th) in Siberia. Subzero temperatures, arctic winds and iced over rivers! Oh, wait... did I say Siberia; I meant Roosevelt. Although, if you were inside the house you might think you had just stepped into the Sahara Desert!

We were all blessed with a nice surprise. Amy and Juan received a couple of plane tickets for Christmas and were able to be the life of our party! They also got the new favorite game of the year; Settlers of Catan.

In this year's Nativity play Jamie was our Angel of the Lord and Jordan was the court jester.

"Who let them in? And where was Reverend Hopkins, I'd like to know?!"

Christmas morning was exciting and fun. We love the traditions and memories that come with Christmas! Being together, playing games, eating and eating, Christmas stories, sliding on the frozen river, fudge of every kind, giving and getting, Christmas Eve pizza and the cholesterol special at the grill, games and more food, did I mention fudge... and more fudge. I think we just barley finished off all that left over fudge last week.

We spoiled ourselves again! Every year we say “Let’s just get a few things for Christmas this year.” And like every other year a “few things” turned into way too much! At least this year we saved up most of our Christmas money so we didn’t go into debt, too much!

Another hoped for visit was that of Anne and the kids! They made it up the day after Christmas! We love those guys!

I don't know what got into Jamie but she was having way to much fun trying to "dip" Sofia!

What a wonderful time of year and the joy it brings to us all makes it that much harder when it is over. I hope we can keep Chirstmas in our hearts all year long!

Nathan the Three Year Old!

2010-01-01T18:50:00.006-07:00

Nathan had his 3rd Birthday on the 4th of December. By the way, the "Terrible Two's" don't end with year two, if you had any doubts. Well, he is a good kid when he wants to be and we love him anyway. Here is a little video recap of his last year. Enjoy!

Music! (By Laura)

2009-12-14T15:51:00.003-07:00

My amazing big brother Larry gave us a wonderful Christmas present! He babysat Jamie and Nathan for about 5 hours on Saturday night so we could go to the Mormon Tabernacle Chior concert. We went with Dave's sisters Liz and Jen and had an awesome experience. For special guests the chior had Natalie Cole and David McCullough. It was so wonderful to be there in the Conference Center for a live performance. I've discovered that music is one of the most powerful conduits of the spirit for me. So at Christmastime it's the music that gets me in the mood and makes the season come alive. When I hear certain songs, memories of special Christmas's from my childhood flood my mind and help me feel the magic once again. Other songs take me to the stable and manger to remind me why this is a time for the greatest rejoicing and thanksgiving. It truely is the most wonderful time of the year and I'm so excited to get to spend it with family and friends. Thanks again Lar! We love you!

St. George and Zions (12-15 Nov 2009)

2009-11-28T15:04:00.007-07:00

Our latest family trip was to visit Grandma and Grandpa McAllister in St George. Mom and Dad were already there. Anne, Norm and the kids came up from Pinon. And Larry and Jordan came down as well. It was great to be all together.

Nathan was happy to see Grandma and Grandpa and he even held still long enough for me to take some pictures... a rare occasion indeed! It rained a bit Thursday so Dad took us to Zion's on Friday so we could see the waterfalls and the fall colors.

It was beautiful!

The trees didn't disappoint and the low clouds were amazing too.

Nathan went with us on a couple mile hike while Jamie stayed back in the car with Mom. He was such a good hiker and his slow pace kept Jordan from killing us with his super hiker speed! What a good boy.

It is always nice to get out of the big city and into the "wild" especialy with my beautiful girl!

The Patriarcs where shrouded in clouds and the colors were awesome. What an incredible place!

On Saturday some of us took a little walk to a small pond near G & G's house. Sera climbed out on a rock and promply fell in up to her neck. Dad took her back to the house where she warmed up by the fire.

The rest of us just hung out at the pond and stream while Evan worked on removing all the soggy leaves clogging up the stream.

Jordan and Dad took the kids to the sand dunes and as you can see they had a great time. Yeah, I know... kids and a mountin of sand, who would have thunked it!?

Aint she just too cute for her own good!

What a beautiful day too.

We also had a great time with Anne and the kids swiming at the hotel pool. It was great to see them again, we don't get together enough anymore! I guess it is our turn to go visit them down in Pinon!

Thanks! (by Laura)

2009-11-24T14:59:00.001-07:00

Its Thanksgiving week and I just wanted to post a gratitude list. It won't necessarily be in order but I will leave the most important at the end. It won't include everything either. That would take too long.

Modern technology(even though I don't understand a lot of it), modern conveniences (i.e. central heat and AC, washer, dryer, dish washer, oven, stove, cars, etc), home, food (I could go on and on), my body (it's amazing the things it can do and survive!), flowers, trees, National Parks, mountains, ocean, sky and clouds, books (so much time and so little to read! Wait! Strike that, reverse it.), nap time, warm socks, sun glasses, Ziplocs, education, snow storms when I have no place to go, clean clothes, good movies, good smells, creative people, journals, holidays, friends and neighbors, seasons (I'll be ready for spring right after Christmas!), my country, my freedom, our President, forgiveness, my husbands talents (for those of you who know Dave, enough said), love, the Temple, the Prophet, the Church, siblings and parents, Jamie and Nathan, Dave, the Gospel, Jesus Christ.
I love you all! Happy Thanksgiving!

A Davis Halloween

2009-11-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

We all got dressed up for Halloween again this year... a few times as a mater of fact. Laura and I were the same ~~old~~... young Nerd and Witch. This year Jamie wanted to be a Gypsy and Nathan got to be a Cowboy!

Our first dress rehersal was at the annual Halloween Trunk-or-Treat for the National Guard. Both of the kids fell fast asleep on the way to Camp Williams. Guess they needed to rest up for the party.

Unfortunatly the weather didn't cooperate with us very well. It was windy and cold. We stuck it out long enough to get a bunch of candy, a few hot dogs and some balloon creations. Nathan got a designer hat with a ghost hanging on it which he popped before we even got home. Jamie got a cute teddy bear with a big heart just like her daddy!

Pumpkin carving for Family Night was a big success.

Jamie decided that she wanted to just paint a face on her pumpkin. It was cute but the snow we had during the week wiped it's smirk right off.

It takes a pretty strong man to gut a pumpkin! So, I shortly gave up and had Laura take care of it.

Nathan couldn't decide if he wanted a scary or happy pumpkin so he got a cross between a pig and a vampire... I'm not really sure what one would call it... vampig... maybe pigpire... oh well, he liked it.

After the pumpkin carving we had donuts and listend to about 30 seconds of the Spooky Stories CD before the kids started freaking out. It was quite funny to see Nathan look around at us like we were nuts to be playing something so obviously horrifying not to mention the lights being off and the spooky glow flikering from the Jack-O-Lanterns. Maybe in a few more years.

Halloween night was a blast for the kids. Well, we did have fun too.

We were grateful that the weather warmed up and we had fun taking the kids around the block. They got tons of candy. After hitting our neighboehood we decided to crash Larry and Julie's party and get even more candy for Laura to hide away and dole out one peice at a time for the next year.

Gardner Village and the Witches! (09 Oct 2009)

2009-11-11T18:38:00.004-07:00

We had a great time at Gardner Villiage this year. We went all out while we waited for the rest of the group to show up. Jamie and Nathan had a great time riding the ponies and visiting the petting zoo.

It was an exciting ride!

The animals were quite freindly and we all had fun petting all of them.

Nathan was all over the place! He wouldn't even hold still for two seconds.

Once the rest of the Family showed up we had lunch then started our tour of the Witches.

Do a little jig.

Aren't they cute?! The kids are too.

And of course the kid's (and Aunt Julie's) favorite is Witchy Poo... I hope she gets done soon because from the looks of things Emily can't wait much longer!

Fun times and noodle salad.

Bryce Canyon and Capital Reef (04-07 September 2009)

2009-11-01T08:39:00.329-07:00

In September Jordan, Laura the kids and I all went camping. Our first destination was Bryce Canyon. We left our house early Friday morning and got to the park around 2:00. We were lucky enough to find a pretty nice camp spot right inside the park.

As we got camp setup Nathan wasted no time at all finding the fire pit and neatly spreading ash over his entire body! I guess getting dirty is what camping is all about, right!?

This was my first time visiting Bryce Canyon National Park. I was awed by the rock formations. It was simply amazing! I couldn't stop taking pictures... Between Jordan and I we have over 500 pics from a 4 day trip!

It was a bit chilly the first day there and we got some rain as well but it dried quick and the sun soon came out.
Jamie and Nathan had so much fun. Jamie got into a "picture" mood and wanted me to take a picture of her at every tree, rock, and overlook.

Nathan on the other hand just wanted to "Go on other hike!!!"

As we made our way down into the canyon it was a bit scary trying to keep the kids from getting too close to the edge. I guess we did all right as we still have two kids though Laura came away with some extra gray hairs as well.

At the bottom of the Navajo Loop Jordan volenteered for the daunting task of escorting the kids back to the top so that Laura and I could continue on to the Peek-a- Boo Loop trail.

The fomations and views were amazing... I'm surprized I made it back alive as hard as it was to watch where I was putting my feet. I couldn't keep my eyes on the ground surrounded with all this beauty! Wouldn't you agree that she is a stunninng sight!

Laura and I had a good... long hike. It was great to get some time together just the two of us. Thanks Jordan! The vistas were amazing as well.

Meanwhile, Jordan and the kids made thier way back to the top of the trail and back to camp. He had to play games with Jamie and Nathan to keep them from getting too close to the edge. It was a good thing he had plenty of treats to bribe them with.

We spent our last day at Bryce driving to all the lookouts and seeing everything we could. Of course Jordan found a nice big cliff to temp fate from.

What an amazing work of nature Bryce Canyon is; the work of Gods hands... Truely "all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it"

Sunday we made our way to Capital Reef National Park. On the way we stopped in Escalante for Sacrament meeting.

After a few days of camping at Bryce we were glad for the chance to stay at the Best Western right at the enterance to the park.

It sure was nice to have a shower and nice soft bed. The pool and hot tub were great too and the view from the room was incredible! We had a nice evening swiming in the cold pool and soaking in the hot hot tub. It was pizza for dinner and a cozy bed.

We started out our day with a nice hike to the Hickman Natural Bridge, about a 2 mile round trip. I was impressed at how well the kids did. We only had to stop for drinks at the top and bottom of each hill. Luckly it was pretty flat and easy going.

The views were great and everything was so vast!

We had great weather and it wasn't too hot.

Nathan was very independant during all of our hikes. He wanted to do everything by himself, even the big steps. I only got too impatient once or twice and picked him up, kicking and screaming, and ran him up or down a hard part.

We found the bridge just where it was supposed to be and yes indeed it was pretty big.

Jordan and I decided that the surounding cliffs were just too good and high to pass up. I found a way up and we took turns capturing our stupidity on film (if you can call digital pictures "film") for the whole world to see. All the while Laura was cursing us under her breathe as she prayed that she wouldn't have to take the kids home fatherless. Of course I didn't want to disappoint her so we made it down safe again.

Dave Jordan

After the hike we had lunch at a lovely park with a great view! Nathan, as usual had his mouth full of food.

Well, the trip was coming to an end. We had time to pick some apples from one of the orcards in Fruita and take a snenic drive through the back roads of the park.

It was a great trip and we were all tired. The kids finally had enough hiking and we took tons of pictures! All that we had left now was a 3 hour drive to get home.

Yellow Pine 2009 (10-11 July)

2009-10-30T22:01:00.001-06:00

At this years annual Colton Family reunion camping trip to Yellow Pine Jordan ran into a problem... He lost his leg in a freak hiking accident!

While Anne contemplated the grave situation I got to work fixing up a workable replacement for Jordan.

As you can see he was very pleased with the results. Some even said they could hardly tell the difference.

I received a standing ovation for my efforts! Luckly for Jordan the doctors were able to reattach his real leg later on and he has since regained full use of it; I don't even think he has any scars... The miracles of modern medcine never cease to amaze me!

Sofia was just tickled pink at the good news.

We all had a great time playing at the rivers edge. It was a beautiful sunny day.

Laura and I got to be the cooks for dinner that night... (Jordan would have helped but he did have a pretty good excuse after all)

We made a Dutch Oven Seafood Jambalaya. It has just about "every good thing" in it from shrimp to sausage and scalops to bacon. It is really good!

After dinner we all rosted marshmellows and had smores... Nathan just made sure his mouth was never empty of marshmellows and chocolate!

The following day Jordan stayed at camp with mom and the kids so Laura, Anne, Dad, and I could go catch some supper from the river.

Dad took us on a several mile hike to a perfect fishing hole where we caught some large trout. There was this one tiny fish that just wouldn't leave the hook alone! After reeling him in for the third time rather than just tossing him back in the river I hucked him as far as I could down steam so he couldn't get back to our hole... bothersome fish!

As we made our way back, fishing as we went there was a great spot just before we got back to the lake. We caught the rest of our limit there... we would have some good eats tonight!

Dinner Time Fun with Nathan Davis

2009-10-18T18:53:00.030-06:00

Lately Nathan has been picking up some of Jamie's bad habits. Like this one of taking forever to swallow his food but he couldn't leave it at that. He had to add to it; go above and beyond...

Not only does he like to take his sweet time swallowing but he likes to see just how much he can stuff in there before poping!

Here is Nathan after a long day and some hard eating... It isn't very common for Nathan to fall asleep unless he is in bed or in the car... anyway, it was pretty funny to watch.

Poor Nathan, all that fun at his expense... At least he was too tired to realize we were all laughing at him!

A Trip to the Museum and Logan (26-27 June 2009)

2009-10-15T22:27:00.004-06:00

With the trip to Hawaii over and just a pleasant memory, life continued on. We planned a little outing to Ogden for Lucas's first birthday and on our way there we stopped at the Treehouse Children's Museum.

Jamie and Nathan had a great time. The theme of the Museum is "Step into a Story" or something like that. Anyway, the kids had all kinds of fun things to do. They got to be firemen or... aah... firepeople?

Laura got to meet President Obama! OK, OK, I know it is hard to tell but he didn't really just hang out at the museum all day playing with the kids... Sorry Dad, it's really just a cardboard cut-out.

It was fun for everyone! Nathan got lost in the outback while Jamie wished she could get lost with all those pretty fish.

After the museum we had a great "circus" party at Brynn and Nate's house for Lucas. He was so adorable.

He couldn't leave my sunglasses alone. I walked around the rest of the day looking at little Lucas fingerprints.

You may remember the bright blue birthday cake that Lucas attacked with gusto and a little help from Maya. It was almost as blue as his eyes.

It had been a long and fun day for the kids and they zonked out pretty quick once we got them to hold still long enough. They both slept almost the whole way to Aunt Julie's house in Logan.

We always love to sleep over at the Garrett's home (speaking of which... when are we going to come up next?)! Good food, fun games and lots of laughing! We played new game called "It Came To Pass". It was quite fun. I think Aunt Julie likes it so much because one can be ruthless and "violent" (as Dad would put it) even though it is a "Churchy" game.

The following day we took the kids... and Jordan to the water park. Neither of the kids could get enough of the slide and Jamie even started going down by herself because we were getting tired of going up with her. She used to be scared to go in the water without being latched onto someone but after taking swimming lessons throughout the summer she is doing much better.

Nathan on the other hand is still quite "attached" unless the water is below his waist.

As for Jordan... Well, the picture says it all!

After the fun in the sun we had a good get-together at the park with some unrelated relatives... Well, I guess they were related to someone... just not to me! We also walked through the small zoo and found the peacock strutting his stuff showing off for all those homely peahens. He was just as proud as... well, as a peacock I guess.

The Bald Eagle was showing off his feathers too.

Jamie got herself stuck in the tree several times and once on top of the swing set as well... silly girl. I was just going to let her fend for herself on the swing set but Laura made me go help her get down... I did take the time to get a picture first though.

And as usual, Nathan was not happy unless he was in the swing and was being pushed consistently and constantly. If we stepped away for just a sec or even just missed a push he would let us, in no uncertain terms, know that we had just messed-up big time!

Under Construction!!

2009-10-07T22:35:00.001-06:00

Hawaii: Day 15 (16/17 June 2009)

2009-10-04T17:31:00.001-06:00

Not just a fly day but a fly home day! :*( We all slept in a bit, got all packed up, and ready to go. Mom and Dad had breakfast in the hotel restaurant while Laura and I went to Ken's Pancake House. We both had secret hopes of having some mac nut syrup again. It was not to be, they had mac nut pancakes but no mac nut syrup. On the other hand they had Guava, Passion Fruit, and Coconut syrups and all were very good! So, we weren't too disappointed after all.

After breakfast we loaded the car and checked out of the hotel. We went to the tsunami museum and did a little souvenir shopping in town. One of the artists we talked with showed us a painting of a waterfall and told us that it was not far away. We decided to go see it. Turns out that though the waterfall, Kulaniapia Falls, was not technically on private property the only access to get there is. At the edge of the falls sits a nice little bed and breakfast place. It was beautiful and maybe someday Laura and I will go back and stay for a night or two to enjoy our own private waterfall. The owners were nice enough to let us stand on their balcony and take a few pictures of the falls. Once again Dad looks as if he could die a happy man then and there! I think he was just in some type of amazingly-beautiful-vista-overload induced trance. It had been an incredible trip after all.

We stopped at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory and had mac nut samples, mac nut ice cream and bought... you guessed it... mac nuts, choclate covered mac nuts! Ah, I love mac nuts.

We all finally found ourselves at the airport waiting for our flight home. It would be a very long day. We left the Big Island and had a couple of hour layover in Oahu. We had airport pizza and Chinese food for dinner and left on the plane for Salt Lake City about 10 p.m. Laura got a bit of sleep on the plane, I didn't even try. We landed about 8 a.m.

Mom and Dad were on a different flight because they waited too long to buy their tickets to get on the same flight. They wouldn't get in for a few more hours which gave us time to pickup Jamie and Nathan from my parent's house. They were very happy to see us and of course Jamie's first question was "Did you bring me any presents?" Silly girl! We thanked my parents profusely for watching the kids for so long. They said that the kids were well behaved for the most part but that they were pretty worn out just the same. Gee, I can't imagine why... crazy kids! On our way home from Grantsville we stopped at the airport to pickup Mom and Dad. In the end we all made it home to Kearns and got things unpacked by about 2 p.m. making for a 30 hour day!

Jamie was very excited to get a couple of new dresses and jewelry.

Nathan loved his Hawaii Bus.

They were both happy to get their presents and, I hope, to have us home again as well. It had been a very long day and we all slept well that night!

Hawaii: Day 14 (15 June 2009)

2009-10-04T14:57:00.011-06:00

Last full day of vacation... so sad! We spent the day at Volcanoes National Park. One day isn't enough to do justice to the park but... that's all we had left. We stopped at the visitor center first to find out about the conditions of the park and lava flow. We found out that because of the high level of carbon dioxide spewing forth from Halema'uma'u Crater part of the Crater Rim Road was closed.

Anyway, We made our way to the crater overlook and stopped to see the steam vents and get our first view of the Crater. It was vast! The crater you see in this picture it just a "small" crater within an enormous one called the Kilauea Caldera. To give you an idea of how large this Caldera is, take a look at the crater, it is about a half mile across. The Caldera is nearly 4 miles across! Imagine an eruption that could have caused such an vast crater.

We followed the road around to the Jagger (not "Mick") Museum and Overlook for a closer view of the Crater. This was also as far as we could go because of the current spewing forth of toxic gasses! At the museum we learned about the different types of lava and how they are formed.

As we backtracked along the Crater Rim Road and followed the Chain of Craters Road we stopped by many of the overlooks to get different views of the Caldera and of many other craters.

We walked through the Thurston Lava Tube. A lava tube is a tunnel formed as lava flows down a ravine or river bed and as the edges of the lava cools and hardens it insulates the lava inside keeping it hot and allowing it to keep flowing. As the eruption stops the lava continues to empty out of the tube leaving the tunnel behind.

As we walked through the 600 foot tunnel it was eerie to think of the molten rock that once flowed thought the spot on which we stood.

The first 600 feet of the tube was lit but there was another 1200 feet or so that went on unlit. I had flashlights so Laura and I continued on to the end. There wasn't much to see but in places where parts of the walls had caved in the rocks were an amazing variety of colors.

We had a lovely lunch at a small restaurant just outside of the park called The Kiawe Kitchen. We indulged in a thin-crust pizza and a delicious roast beef sandwich.

After the scrumptious lunch dad lost all his will to remain coherent! He would revive just long enough to take a look at the places we stopped then once we got back into the car he was out like a light!

The Sea Arch and the end of the Chain of Craters Road was our last stop in the park.

The arch was at least 100 feet high. All along this shore were shear cliffs that the ocean would pound against. The waves would surge into the cliffs and send sprays all the way to the top.

Several eruptions in the '80s and '90s flowed over the road and even a little coastal town closing the road... and the town for that matter. From the end of the road we walked on the lava, took a few pictures, and headed back the way we came.

This is a view of the hillside as we went back up the road. From the different colors of lava you could tell what type it was. The lighter gray color is the smooth, ropey looking pahoehoe and the dark red is the jagged and rough a'a. OK, so we've seen enough old cooled lava... time to try and see some red-hot flowing lava. The current lava flow was not in the park so we had to make our way out and back around to the other side of the Chain of Craters Road... had the road not been closed it would have taken just a few minutes to get there but as it was the drive was about an hour and half long.

We were a bit disappointed to find out that the closest they would let us get was about a half mile away from the flow. We got there pretty early (the best time to see anything is at night) so we just settled in and watched the billowing smoke.

We had been lucky thus far; we hadn't been rained on at all and for one of the wettest city in the country that is something indeed! Well, as we waited our luck ran out. It rained on us, not too hard and we did have a nice "bonus"! This was the brightest rainbow I have ever seen! It was amazing.

As the sun went down we saw flashes of red as lava would erupt into the ocean. The crowds would "ooh" and "ah" but though the smoke and sunset were beautiful it wasn't like all the pictures you see in the travel books of people standing next to the flowing lava... oh well.

The sunset over the volcano and through the smoke and vapor made for some pretty cool colors then it rained on us again. By the time we made it back to the car we were pretty much soaked.

It was a good last day. We have been so blessed during the whole of this trip, we've seen things found no where else in the world. We have seen Gods creations, we have seen Him creating and changing the world still. I am reminded of the primary children's song... "My Heavenly father Loves Me"

1. Whenever I hear the song of a bird          2. He gave me my eyes that I might see
    Or look at the blue, blue sky,                      The color of butterfly wings.
    Whenever I feel the rain on my face             He gave me my ears that I might hear
    Or the wind as it rushes by,                         The magical sound of things.
    Whenever I touch a velvet rose                    He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:
    Or walk by our lilac tree,                              I thank him rev’rently
    I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world    For all his creations, of which I’m a part.
    Heav’nly Father created for me.                    Yes, I know Heav’nly Father loves me.

I am thankful for this beautiful world and I know that God created it for me!

Hawaii: Day 13 (14 June 2009)

2009-10-03T11:14:00.003-06:00

Day 13, Sunday; we woke up, got ready for church, and promptly went sightseeing instead... well, actually we just went to Rainbow Falls for a few minutes before church started. It was overcast that morning but right as we made it to the falls the clouds parted and the sun shown through and we saw a little rainbow right in the waterfall. Just as soon as it came the rainbow was gone again.

There wasn't much water coming down right now but it was still very pretty. Take a look at dad... you can tell that he is as happy as a pig in the mud.

Following our visit to Rainbow Falls we attended church and had a good time. The ward was friendly and fun. After church we went back to the hotel, got changed and took a little nap. Laura and I went on a walk through the Liliuokalani Gardens right next to the hotel.

After the many tsunamis that have destroyed the houses and shops that used to line the shores of Hilo they decided not rebuild them again but rather they would build parks and recreation areas instead.

The park was beautiful and peaceful.

After our walk and naps we all got in the car and made our way to the tallest mountain in the world... Yes, I know what you are saying... "Mt. Everest is the tallest!" It may be the highest above sea level but from base to peak Mauna Kea is 33,476 feet high. That is 4459 feet taller than Everest! As we neared the top we stopped at the visitor center. They have everyone stop for 30 minutes or so to acclimatize to the altitude a bit before going to the top.

Near the top of the mountain is an observatory. It is a good place for it because not far back down the mountain it is overcast and cloudy but up here as you can see the sky is mostly clear and beautiful.

The actual peak of Muana Kea was across from the observatory. I decided it isn't everyday that you can stand on the tallest mountain in the world so despite the 40 degree temperature and the strong icy winds I would make the trek to the top.

Laura followed a few minutes later. It was cold and windy so we only stayed long enough to take some pictures then we rushed back to the car and the heater.

This was the highest place I have ever been on other than in an airplane which doesn't really count. I could feel how thin the air was and how hard it was to get a good breath. The trek to the peak was pretty tough even though it was just a short hike. The sky was so blue, it was beautiful!

Our last stop for this day was our favorite little restaurant L&L Drive-Inn. Good cheap food.

Hawaii: Day 12 (13 June 2009)

2009-10-01T22:49:00.000-06:00

4:30 a.m. wake up call and a 5:30 a.m. departure time!? What could be so important as to get us out of bed that dang early on our vacation?? Well, the Temple of our Lord, a 7:30 a.m. session and a two hour drive of Course! Yes it was early and the drive was long but as you can see the sun rise over the temple was so beautiful and it was great to be in the temple in such a glorious place. We even got to see a few of the members from Amy's ward.

As with every temple I have been to the grounds were beautifully kept and here at the Kona temple as you can see it did not disappoint.

The variety of flowers and vegetation is just as you would expect a tropical paradise to be; glorious and beautiful.

After our trip to the temple we stopped at the first place on our list for the west side of the island; a smallish bay called Kealakekua. It was here that Captain Cook the famous explorer first landed on the Big Island and it was also here that he met his demise in a fight with the natives over one small dingy. Anyway, we were supposed to rent a couple of kayaks and cross the bay to the monument on the other side. We read that some of the best snorkeling on island was near the monument.

On a "normal" day it is said this is a calm and tranquil bay but as you can see this was not a "normal" day. I guess there was a storm somewhere making for some pretty big and anti-tranquil waves!

As this would put a bit of a damper on the whole underlying goal of the trip... live through it... we decided it would be best to go on to our next stop; Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. Translated, the "Place of Refuge at Honaunau" is the most complete restoration of an ancient Hawaiian religious sanctuary. In early Hawaiian religion the laws and punishments were very strict. For most laws-breakers the punishment was the same... death by clubbing (and not the kind you go dancing at).

There were a few "refuges" like this one in difficult-to-get-to places throughout the islands where someone that has broken a law could flee to in order to be forgiven if he could get there before he was killed by his pursuers. It was a beautiful secluded oasis of palm trees and fresh water surrounded be the raging sea on one side and a vast barren volcanic-rock-strewn landscape on the other.

Near the refuge were the royal grounds where the kings would sometimes visit.

This large pitted rock is believed to be one on which King Kamehameha would play a game of stragey. It was said that he was very good at the game and as you can see so was I! Laura got her trash kicked.

We had two more stops on our list for the day; the colored (no racism intended) beaches. First was the Green Sand Beach. This was one of the reasons I opted to upgrade to the 4x4. We read that it was about 2 miles from the paved road and with the strong winds that always blow into your face it feels more like 4. After some real rough roads Mom and Dad "opted" to wait behind as I dragged Laura on with me. We made it to the top of the cove without even rolling the rental once!

The sand was really green... not just kinda green in the right light or something, it was GREEN!

The sea was raging here as well but that didn't stop some people from getting wet and catching some waves.

As for Laura and I we just got our feet wet and took some pictures. We didn't want to leave the parents alone for too long... who knows what kind of trouble they might get themselves into.

As we made our way back to the vehicle we saw a couple and thier teenage son finally make it to the beach (we passed them walking to the beach on our way in). They looked pretty pooped so we gave them a ride back to the road. They were grateful for the ride and that Mom and Dad "decided" to stay behind so that there was room for them in the car.

The next color was black. As with the green it was very black and just as fine-grained as any other sandy beach.

We later learned that the different colors of sand come from underwater volcanoes erupting and as the magma hits the water it shatters in to the small sand sized particles. The different colors depend on the minerals in the magma. As the eruption dies out the source of the colored sand stops and the ocean slowly washes away the colored sand and it is replaced by normal sand so you never really know how long one of these incredible beaches will be around.

We ended the long day with an all-you-can-eat buffet at Pizza Hut! That sure sounds really good right about now too!

Hawaii: Day 11 (12 June 2009)

2009-09-30T15:22:00.001-06:00

After a late night playing games I figured we would sleep late, have a nice breakfast, take our time getting packed and just have a leisurely morning... It wasn't to be... well, at least not the sleep late part of it. We got new upstairs neighbors, they had several young kids who were probably used to the main land time and were up before the sun running back and forth up there pushing chairs and making all kinds of noise. It was a good thing this was our last morning! So, we were up at 6:00 am also and figured we had might as well see our last sun rise from the beach house. I would miss this view! We picked an incredible place to stay. I wouldn't have changed a thing! Our plane to the Big Island didn't leave until noonish so we spent the rest of the morning with Amy and Juan playing Catch Phrase and relaxing. We got to the airport and gate just as we thought the plane would have been boarding. The sign said it was boarding but there wasn't even an attendant at the gate. We sat and waited watching the sign change from boarding to final call to departed before they finally changed it to delayed. I guess we needed to remember where we were... Hawaii, relax, no rush, the plane will get here when it gets here. Anyway, we left about 45 minutes late and made it to the Big Island, upgraded the rental to a 4x4 and made it to our hotel with little trouble.

We had a pretty nice view from our hotel, the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. It was a bit older but the rooms were nice and it was well maintained. The little island we could see from our balcony was call Coconut Island. There was a nice park and some fun places to swim.

Before we had to pick up Dad that evening we had time to have lunch at L&L BBQ and stop by a waterfall not far from the road called Wailuku Falls. The trail wound through a pretty dense jungle and Mom decided to go back after a little ways in.

It was a very pretty waterfall and we had fun hiking together through the jungle.

It was nice to be alone, just the two of us. We hadn't done much by ourselves. It was romantic. Right as we were getting back to the car it started to rain a bit but that was alright because it was about time to go get Dad from the airport. At least that is what we thought. We should have learned from our experience at the airport earlier that day... Dad was supposed to come in about 8:30 but by the time his flight actually arrived it closer to 9:30. We gathered him and his luggage up and went back to the hotel for a late dinner and got to bed.

Hawaii: Day 10 (11 June 2009)

2009-09-30T14:01:00.000-06:00

Today was our last full day on Oahu. Earlier in the week I made a deal with Amy that if she would take us up the Stairway to Heaven I would take her out to breakfast... It was a pretty good deal all around! Amy took us to a tiny pancake restaurant that's famous for their pancakes and Macadamia Nut syrup. At first sight I thought this had better be good! The line was out the door and down the street. But "Amy said" it would be worth it so we got in line. This is how it works... you go up to the entrance and get your name on the list then you wait in line for about 30 to 45 minutes looking at the menu and deciding what you want to order. After what seems like forever (you can smell the delicious aromas wafting through the door) a server comes out to get your order and then... you wait for another hour or so when they call your name and you finally get to go inside to wait even longer for your food to come. So by this time they could be serving yesterdays slop and it would taste divine because your stomach thought your throat had been cut.

Anyway, the food came and the portions were generous and it tasted wonderful!
It was worth the wait and now we wish we could make that mac nut syrup! I would wait in line for hours to have it... wait I did... So, with breakfast taking the whole of the morning of our last full day we decided to get into the ocean one last time. We went snorkeling at Shark's Cove. It was pretty crowded but there were lots of fish and I even got to follow a little turtle around for a bit.

Throughout most of our vacation Amy spent lot of time with us and poor Juan always had to either work or go to school so we decided to spend our last evening at their house eating dinner and playing games. I bet Juan was glad to see us go so he could have his new wife back, I can understand that. I remember what it was like to be a newly-wed!

Hawaii: Day 9 (10 June 2009)

2009-09-25T16:10:00.000-06:00

As I look through the last few days of our "Hawaii Holiday" I realize that though we still had some really neat experiences ahead of us I think we reached the climax on day 8. Jordan and Dad left us in the morning of day 9. We dropped them off at the airport first thing in the morning and they flew off to the island of Kauai for a few days of hiking. Jordan, you should tell us about your adventures there!

As for the rest of us, Anne & the kids, mom, Amy, Laura and I visited the USS Arizona Memorial.

Though I have visited the memorial a few time before the spirit I feel there is strong. So many people gave their lives fighting for freedom in this harbor. What was even more amazing was the high number of Japanese visitors to the memorial and the feeling of friendship and forgiveness felt by all.

It gives me hope to know that nations that have fought each other so ruthlessly can overcome their animosity and hatred toward one another and become friends and brothers in the end.

Following our visit to Pearl Harbor we made our way to the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

It was a hot day. Amy, Anne and the kids went through the Pineapple Garden Maze, the biggest maze in the world. Mom, Laura and I were lazy and just walked around the store and had the best pineapple ice cream and juice ever! It was soooo good!

Today was also the day that Anne, Sera, and Evan had to leave us and go home :(
The kids wanted to get into the ocean again before they had to leave so we headed for Haleiwa and the beach.

They loved to play in the sand. They would dig holes, trenches and walls to keep the water out. Everytime the waves would come up and knock them over they would frantically re-build before the next big wave came.

We were also visited by a few turtles. This guy was pretty big though not quite as big as he looks in this picture. Isn't he cute!?

How's this for a nice little place right on the beach?

Again the sunset was beautiful.

What a nice day! We had our last dinner with Anne and the kids at a nice little Thai place there in town. I love Thai food. After dinner Anne left with the kids for the airport and we were all sad to see them go. When Mom, Laura, and I got back to the beach house it was just way too quiet! Our time on Oahu was coming to an end. Time goes by way to fast!

Hawaii: Day 8 (09 June 2009)

2009-09-17T18:10:00.000-06:00

Day 8 had to be my favorite day of all! It was incredible, especially the parts that we hadn't planned. We started out by going with Amy and Juan to a little secluded beach accessible only by boat. We took a little ferry across a small fresh water lake. It was a beautiful day and the view was amazing.

Jordan settled in with no problems and made himself right at home.

They had kayaks for us to cruise around in and of course I choose the one that had a leak! If you look at me on the bottom left my butt is riding pretty low compared to everyone else. It was fun just same even with a wet rear end. Following the beach and a few games of volleyball we headed for our next stop...
A bus tour of Kualoa Ranch. Amy works as a receptionist there. It is a beautiful ranch known for the many movies that have been filmed there; parts of Godzilla, Pearl Harbor, George of the Jungle, and many others. It is always nice to know a "local" with connections, our tour was free!

This is a view of the valley in the ranch.

Prime Real Estate.

Location, location, location!
Another big show that has been filmed here is the TV series "Lost".

Jordan looks a bit too proud to admit it but that sign fits him pretty well! Just kidding Jordan, we'd all be lost without you! Remember in "Jurassic Park" when everyone was running from that herd of chicken looking dinosaurs? There's the log they hid behind.

Great view! Not a bad place to work for the little wife of a poor college student.After the Movie Set Tour at Kualoa the real fun and excitement began!
Jordan, Amy, Anne, Laura, and I decided to go for a hike. I don't remember the name of the place we planned to hike but along the way we started talking about the Haiku Stairs better known as the Stairway to Heaven. For those of you that don't know what the Stairs are here is a brief history.

Built in 1942 for a Navy antenna site, 3,992 wooden steps were built right along the ridge of the mountain. In 1957 they were replace with metal steps and soon after the antenna site was abandoned and later the trail was opened to the public. In 1997 the Stairway was closed due to vandalism and costs to maintain the safety of the trail. The state spent nearly a million dollars to repair and upgrade the stairs and trail but it has yet to be opened to the public again. So, yes, it was technically off limits... forbidden... and yes, maybe even a bit illegal to climb the Stairs... With that being said...

We soon found ourselves walking or sneaking our way to the trail head.

Of all present Laura and Anne were the most nervous and to put it bluntly scared! Of course it didn't help that Amy was always shushing us and creeping around corners and looking as if we were trying to rob a bank or something. I'm sure if I had asked Laura wouldn't have thought twice about turning around and getting out of there. Anne on the other hand started having guilty feelings for all the times she made Laura do bad things when they were young, she said "now I know how you must have felt".

Anyway, after 30 minutes or so of sneaking through the jungles, walking the back roads, and climbing under fences and even being spotted by what looked like construction workers we soon found the trail and finally relaxed a bit. Then we looked up the trail... yikes!

Up, up, up the Stairs we went! Have you ever got on a stair stepper and just started climbing stairs? Well, this is nothing like that at all! The stairs are all at different angles, they're narrow, and in lots of places it's more like climbing a ladder than stepping stairs!

It wasn't long before I was huffing and puffing with my calf's and butt on fire. I couldn't stop thinking about those poor privates that had to build this amazing climb all those years ago. It's hard to imagine how they did it.

As we quickly rose out of the trees and found ourselves high above the ground the view was awe inspiring.

Looking back at the way we came was a bit dizzying. Just one false step could send you tumbling thousands of feet to your death! On the plus side we found the stairs to be in great shape and very sturdy. I never felt in much danger of falling, Laura was doing alright too!

Though the trail was long, steep and hard we couldn't help but be amazed by the views that opened up to us at every step.As we made our way to the top the clouds started coming in and as the name implies, we were climbing into the heavens.

It wasn't long before the top was obscured and we were walking through the clouds.

We finally made it to the top, it took a couple of hours but we had made it and it was totally worth the burning buns! At the top we found the old antenna station.

uhh... no comment...

The way down was the same as the way up but it sure was easier going! Anne lead the way and took off like a rabbit... she had to pee. There wasn't a lot of private space to relieve ones self after all.
What a view! Jordan couldn't get enough of the sights either.

That hike was incredible. It was something that I will never forget, none of us will ever forget. By the time we made it down and got back to the car it was pretty dark. As we all climbed in, dirty, tired, and hungry we were relived that the "caper" went off without a hitch. It was a day to remember and we would all sleep good tonight!

Hawaii: Day 7 (08 June 2009)

2009-09-14T21:51:00.000-06:00

We were lazy in the morning on day 7. Until now we had just about every minute planned out and now that we really didn't have anything going on we all just kind of sat around lazing. About 10 Anne decided (well, the kids had more to do with it than Anne) she would take the kids to go to the beach and do some more boogie boarding. This was always Sera and Evan's favorite thing to do. It is a blast after all.

It was a very beautiful day (as were most of our days there) so the rest of us took a little drive out to Laie Point.

Laie Point is a little peninsula that juts out into the ocean. The waves were crashing and the sun was shining. It was a perfect day to be outside. And look, we even got Laura to go out on a limb and stand on the ledge.
This is also the infamous place where Amy had her run-in with the ocean and a whole bunch of very sharp rocks, Poor girl! I could hardly believe she was still alive after seeing where she was standing and how sharp the rocks were. Can you say guardian angles!? Following our trip to the point we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

This is an amazing place. There are several "Islands" throughout the park, one for each of the major Polynesian cultures. Amy has some friends that work there and one got us in for half price. It normally costs about $80 a person so the discount was quite nice.

The grounds are beautiful and well taken care of. So many flowers and trees. This tree for instance is pretty crazy... if you look carefully you can see where it starts on the right side of the water, it goes up and over makes a big bend and comes back on it's self.

I think every ones favorite Island to visit is Samoa. Kap (his real name is way too long and complicated to put here) is very entertaining as he tells us about the Samoan culture. He showed how they made fire, shucked coconuts and made coconut milk.

They also showed us how they climb palm trees and how to show off 50 feet above the ground.

We all got Tattoos in Fiji, look at the guns on Anne! Evans pretty buff too. ;) There was so much to see and do that we never had time to see it all.

Another favorite is the Canoe Pageant, dancers from each Island perform native dances on the canoes as they go down the river.

I was wrong before, every ones mostest favoritest thing was the Luau! All you can eat Hawaiian food. We all were calmly waiting our turn to get our food and it was well worth the wait! Yummy.

And as always... A beautiful sunset to end the day!

Hawaii: Day 6 (07 June 2009)

2009-09-13T21:44:00.000-06:00

I've slacked quite a bit on my blogging lately. Things have been busy. Anyway, I plan to get caught up with Hawaii this week so I can get to more recent adventures. Day 6 in Hawaii found us waking early to a beautiful Sabbath morning. We all got dressed up in our Sunday best and attended church with Amy and Juan at their ward. I love to attend church in different places around the world. It always helps strengthen my testimony to know that is does not matter where I am in the world; I can always find the truth.

After church we made our way to Waimea Valley Park. Here was another testimony builder just perfect for a Sunday afternoon. The flowers were beautiful and came in so many shapes, sizes and colors.

Everything from the multi-colored Hibiscus,

to the Cannonball Tree (don't let one of these hit you on the head... talk about a bad day, probably your last!)

the Pitcher plant... hard to guess why they call it that... just in case you were wondering the pitchers are full of water too.

And the hangly-dangly thingy as well. I don't remember what this one was called but as I said before every shape, size, and color.

We also learned about Hawaiian culture and traditions from Auntie Paula-Paula. She taught us about the sacredness of the gardens and everyday life of the ancient Hawaiian peoples.

Auntie Paula-Paula taught us and the kids some simple dances using sticks. As you can see these guys were entranced!

Sera and Evan had fun too.

At the end of the trail through the gardens we come to the Waimea Falls. The kids weren't too happy about not being able to swim on Sunday but it was beautiful just the same.

After leaving the park we decided to go to campus to have dinner at the cafeteria. I'm not sure whose idea this was in the first place but had we not been so late as to get just the leftovers it may not have been such a bad idea. On the other hand it was fast Sunday so the food tasted great anyway. Juan helped scrape together every last scrap and we all had plenty to eat so all in all everything was fine.
After dinner we fond ourselves on the beach in Haliawa watching the sunset and waiting to see some sea turtles.

We didn't have to worry about finding a sunset but as for the turtles there were none to be seen.

Just as the last rays of the sun were disapearing we had one sea-going visitor. The big turtle spent just a few minutes there letting us get some pictures and then he was back off into the ocean.

What a beautiful place, what a wonderful Sabbath day! God lives, he made this place, this Earth for us all!

Hawaii: Day 5 (06 June 2009)

2009-08-11T20:18:00.000-06:00

Ah, finally we come to the "real" reason to the long tedious trip to Hawaii:

Yea, Amy graduated! It was a long way to come for a graduation but the ceremony made it all worth it... well... OK, it was good, President Snow of the Seventy even spoke... but it is a bit tough to sit around for a few hours inside when the beach is just calling your name! After the Graduation Ceremony we found our "graduate" and all took turns lei'ing her. Hawaiians have a good thing going with these leis!

Amy was so excited she couldn't even throw her cap up in the air properly, it almost put out dad's eye! If you ask Amy she will probably tell you the wind was blowing or some silly story like that, but come on who you gonna believe?!

Look at that pretty girl... can you see the relief of a "free" woman in those eyes? Well, it didn't last very long... Amy soon realized that now she had to figure out what to do with her life now! Lucky for her, she has a poor college boy to support!

Finally, picture time was over and we all made a b-line for the desserts! Those were some pretty good cookies as Juan's face can attest to!

OK, enough is enough, time to go answer the call of the beach!

We got changed into play clothes and went to The Turtle Bay Resort to play volleyball. I have to say that the "Colton Clan" dominated the court, even to the point of being kicked off by the staff so the hotel guests could play too. It was a great time and we played for a few hours. Then we were off to get wet once again!

We just couldn't get enough of those waves, though by this time most of us fair skinned folk were wearing shirts to try to keep from looking like lobsters.
Through out the all boogie boarding many of us had "wardrobe malfunctions" but Sera Dulce was the only one lucky enough to get hers caught on camera! I told her I'd blog it but Laura made me clean it up first. Sera, you better thank your aunt Laura!
This was the kids favorite activity of the trip.

As you can see they both got the hang of it pretty quick. It was fun to hear them squeal in delight as they caught a good wave.
We all had a blast catching waves.

There's nothing like catching waves on a sunny afternoon with your family in Hawaii! After a long day of fun in the sun we had a great B-B-Q at the beach house, ate too much, played some games and fell swiftly to sleep. A perfect ending to a perfect day!