My trip to Utah

I went to Utah in the middle of January (minus my camera!) and was able to visit so many beloved people. I remembered to steal pictures off of my mom's and friend's blogs so I can post. I have gone to a Retreat that my 1st Spanish Fork ward does for women who live or have lived in the ward boundaries for the last 5 years. I know, I'm crazy, but I couldn't miss it. It is one of the things I look forward to most in the year, like Halloween and Christmas.

We rent a huge home, make yummy food, stay up way too late, eat delicious treats and hang out. It's perfect and I love it. It is such a great opportunity to catch up with so many people in one place. I was also able to see my family and many other amazing friends. I am very humbled and grateful for all of the wonderful people that surround me with love and friendship. I truly am one of the luckiest girls alive because of them.

The whole gang at the Retreat-I love these ladies so much!

My beautiful sister-in-law, Kelsey and my Mother 

at a yarn shop to find delicious yarn for knitting. 

It's not easy to find here in Hawaii.

At Gardner Village

A stop home without it would be incomplete

Crazy Baby

This is what my crazy baby has been up to lately...

~Falling asleep all over the place. The ones on the chair are in the corner of our house and we found her after about 10 minutes of panic thinking she had somehow gotten out of the house.~

~Best bedhead ever!~

~This is what she does when she finds markers~

~Her favorite mode of attire~

I love her!

Christmas '09

We had a wonderful Christmas. We did get very homesick and were missing family on Christmas Eve, since that is the main day that my parents and siblings would get together and have our family traditions. We had friends over instead and it was very special to be starting our first traditions here on our own. The kids loved their gifts and were happy about just staying home in jammies and playing with their new toys without having to leave them. They didn't even want to go to the beach. We were so thankful for the beautiful day to celebrate our Savior's birth and life, to celebrate with our beloved children. It was such a great day. We are so blessed.

Mama made

Do any of you go by the name of Mama? I always called my own mother "mommy" but I have become "mama" to my own little ones and I have to say I love it. I don't know where it all started, but I never want it to change. There is a blog I found through a friend and I adore it. It's peaceful, quiet, reflective and she makes so many handmade crafts. Soulemama is always sewing, quilting, crafting and knitting. Knitting, knitting, knitting. It was always something I had wanted to learn, but never felt I had enough time. Once we moved here, I found I had a lot more time on my hands and taught myself to knit finally. I love it. It can be quite addicting and the only thing tempering it is Walmart's meager offering of needles and yarn.

On the blog she talks about mama-made items and how special they are to our children (and friends and family). For Christmas I knit a scarf for Spencer's brother who is serving a mission for our church. He was in North Dakota, but he just transferred to Minnesota, so I know it could be put to good use. I also made one for my dad. I also got my first sewing machine for Christmas this year. Those of you who know me and sewing are probably wondering how that is possible considering how much I sew. One word: theft. I would steal my own mother's for extended periods of time and use it. Now that I don't have that luxury, I had to break down and buy my own. I brought some fabric from Utah I purchased there intending to make myself and Sienna aprons, so what a better to way to break in a new sewing machine? But Madelyn loved Sienna's and a tiny apron is cuter than a mama-sized, so we made one for her. I think it's her new favorite thing. Here are a few of my creations. I am sure there will be much more to come...

Maha`ulepu

We went out to Maha`ulepu Beaches with some friends. Spencer was on-call and it was out of range for response, so I went without him. It was a little daunting, especially with the off-road driving I did. I tend to be a nervous driver and was a little unprepared for it, but I did alright. Tons of huge potholes, big rocks to avoid, but the Pilot survived (and so did we). I just kept telling myself that the car was made for this, and it was a reason why we bought it, so I wasn't going to break it.

The beach was beautiful and very isolated. There are no amenities; it's just you and the wild and undeveloped land. There are fantastic places to explore and it's great for beach walking. Such a gorgeous place here on the breathtaking island that is our home. We are so blessed!

Madelyn and makeup

Madelyn had been very interested in my makeup lately. She loves using my brushes and we had to laugh when she attempted to use the eyelash curler. Silly baby! She has also had her moments getting into the makeup and drawing pictures by writing all over the walls and bathroom drawers with eyeliner. She wasn't very happy when we found her doing that. She will throw a fit just because we caught her doing something naughty; even if we didn't discipline her about it.

Lihue Light Parade

We had the opportunity to go to the Lihue Light Parade, where many businesses deck out vehicles with lights and drive down one of the main streets. It was very special for me to be there, in our new home, making the most of activities here in our new community to celebrate the holidays and start our new special traditions. It was 71 degrees when we were there, so we looked up Spanish Fork's temperature: 7 degrees. It was very surreal thinking of everyone I love and miss freezing at home while we were all outside in t-shirts and shorts. We were not missing Utah weather that night. We were very grateful to be right where we were.

                          Even the garbage trucks get decked out

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.

Kalihiwai

We went with several friends to Kalihiwai Beach. It was so gorgeous there. The kids paddled around in the kayak, jumped into the river where it dropped off into deep water, and played in the sand. We saw Angela from one of our favorite TV shows, The Office. Spencer boogie boarded for a little bit, while most of us sat around and talked and enjoyed the beauty and friendship that surrounded us.

Lilly Bug

Tomorrow will mark the 3rd anniversary of losing Lilly.

 I always think of her, but especially more at this time of year.

 I am so grateful I was allowed to be a part of her life, even for a short time. 

Those 5 months that I was her mama are so precious to me and I thank Heavenly Father for allowing me to have them.

 I picture how much fun she would be having here with us in Hawaii. 

I pray that she will be loved and safe with her mother, and that she will somehow know how much I love her and miss her always.