Sienna's last hula performance

We decided several months ago that when the year was over, Sienna would not continue taking hula lessons. She just was not into it and it became a chore and something the entire family dreaded every week. Their only performance this year was in December, so we didn't want to stop before then. It was a crazy day, but it was wonderful to be able to see her perform one last time. I think overall it was a good experience for her.

Sienna's Soccer game

Sienna is also playing soccer this year, probably for the last time. She just doesn't enjoy it enough and it's not where her talents lie, which is completely fine. As long as she gets out there and tries her best is all we care about. We are so proud of her and her effort.

Sienna turned 12!

I cannot believe my little baby girl has turned 12! Where has the time gone? Sienna was able to have her 4 closest friends over for a sleep-over. I gave them mini pedicures, they watched 'The Man Who Knew Too Little', ate Sienna's favorite; pineapple upside-down cake, and had a blast! I know she had a great time and we are so glad she did. We are so lucky to be your parents, Si, and we love you so very much!

Sienna 1st Band Concert

Sienna has taken after Spencer and is very gifted musically. Not only does she play the guitar, piano, and ukulele, she played the tuba in band this year. She has gotten very good at it and really enjoys it. She'll be playing it again next year. We loved getting to see her perform with her band. We only have 2 pictures, and they are not very clear, but we love seeing them anyway. Way to go, Sienna! We are so proud of you!

Sienna's 1st Hula performance

Sienna's 1st Hula performance was for the Coconut Festival in the city of Kapaa. I don't have the greatest of pictures, but Aidan did a great job while I was video taping it. She has been taking lessons since January and it was so nice to finally get to see her perform. They will be doing more performances in December and we can't wait to see!

Sienna is 11!

One of the best things about our trip to Utah was being there over Sienna's birthday. We missed having Spencer, but we were so happy to have Nana, Papa, Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and of course, best friends. We set up a lunch with Sienna's best friends since she was 3 and in Daycare. Zoe is such an amazing young woman and Sienna was ecstatic to see her and celebrate her birthday lunch together. We love you Shannon and Zoe. Thanks for coming to lunch. We loved it.

I can't believe my "baby" is 11! She is growing up into such a young lady and has such a fun personality. She is so smart and talented. She is a great helper and loves to try to boss the other kids around. She loves her brother and sister so much and would do anything for them. We love you so much Sienna and are so grateful for the last 11 years. We can't wait to watch you keep growing into the amazing person you are becoming. Thanks for being our little girl. We love you!

Na Pali catamaran with Nana

My Mom was able to come and help babysit my kids for 2 days while I was in Montana and Spencer was on the Big Island for youth conference. Obviously after that, we played. She has been writing a book and going on a catamaran trip was part of the story so she needed to go for research. After the insanity of the trip we took with the kids a few months back, it was decided that just Nana, me and Sienna would go this time.

It was amazing. The weather was great and we actually got to see the Na Pali coast. So breath-takingly beautiful! The 3 of us got to snorkel in crystal clear waters. We even saw a white-tip reef shark (not to be confused with white-tip sharks). It was small and mellow, but still cool to see. I panicked for about 1 second when I saw the tail fin at the bottom, but then I realized it would be too small to do much damage. It was nice to know I wouldn't have a heart attack and die of fear. I can be rational and think. It was the perfect day.

We were so tired by the ride home!

May Day

I am forever behind, as always. Here in Hawaii, the Elementary Schools have May Day celebrations, but not necessarily on May 1st. It was on the 22nd this year. I'm not quite sure how it works, but it is a big deal. It was pretty chilly and rainy, but the kids did such great jobs on their performances. I don't have many pictures of Sienna because it was crowded and I couldn't really get to her. But she was beautiful during her dance.

Halloween

After a very crazy time arriving in Hawaii, I was a little remiss in taking Halloween pictures. I took some pictures later but forgot to post them. I am missing Aidan's, but he was Luke Skywalker and we all know what her looks like, don't we? We did have a great time getting to know members from our ward at the trunk-or-treat, which was very fun and I am sure the kids enjoyed it, even without main trick-or-treating.