Maui in June = Paradise!!

Since I am LOOOONNNG overdue for some new posts, I thought I would start with our trip to Maui last month.  We went with David's parents, his brother and his wife, and David's little sister and her friend.  It was amazing and you can see from the pics!!!  We left the kids with David's sister, Liz, and they had the best time up there and we are forever grateful to her and her family!!!

Beautiful ocean front condo!

We hiked to a blowhole and this was some of the views, incredible huh?  The pictures just don't do it justice.

Our room with a fabulous jacuzzi tub and gorgeous views

I want one of these showers someday:)

The wind was crazy up by the blowhole, but so much fun

Our own private lanai, I am in love with this place!

Our boys risked their lives to pick these flowers and make us leis for the luau, plumerias smell incredible!!!

The luau was so much fun and it was right on the ocean which just added to the atmosphere.  We made ourselves sick on virgin pina coladas and lava flows!

Sam and Nicole looking pretty smooth at the luau

David was so deep in thought watching some of the dancing, I just love this pic.  Love my man!

It is hard to see, but there are lots of people snorkeling, as well as tons of sea turtles, this is one of our favorite places to snorkel.

This is David, trying to get out of the water on the lava rocks.  He would not go in the water without his shirt on because he was afraid of getting burnt:) 

And again, here he is wrapped in a towel because he was so afraid of the sun!  I can't blame him though, he got fried when we went a few years ago and was miserable the rest of the trip, and he got a little burned the first day on this trip, so he was through with taking any chances:)  Poor little lobster.

We all took a turn cooking a dinner for everyone.  David made a fabulous shrimp boil and I think we were all in heaven that night:)

This was along the beach path on ka'anapali beach.  It is so beautiful, you can't even believe it!  We had fun walking down to whaler's village and getting yummy samples of frozen yogurt (we probably had a few too many samples, but it was sooo good.  Toasted coconut and root beer float were my favorit fro-yo flavors:)

Oh man!  I am dying just thinking about this place it is so dang delicious!!!  It is called the Gazebo and they make THE best food!  We went there twice for breakfast cause we couldn't get enough.  We had macadamia nut banana pancakes with white chocolate chips and coconut syrup, oohhhhweeee it is good!  They also make this fried rice that is incredible.  I know, fried rice for breakfast???  Trust me, you will be in heaven (quite literally because you may eat so much you pop!)  We would come eat breakfast and then go snorkel with the turtles, what a way to spend in paradise!

This is the condo we stayed in, we had rooms on the 6th and 9th floors, and it was heaven.  They have the funnest pools, you could spend your whole trip there.  We liked to play bocche ball on the lawns and lay under the palm trees.

We love Bubba Gumps!

Bucket o' Boat Trash is one of our favorite things here.

We had to get our shop on in Lahaina and we had lots of fun bartering for jewelry and souvenirs

We went hiking through a bamboo forest and had to scale this scary ladder, then hike along a creek, jump in a waterfall pool and then swim 100 feet to a waterfall and climb it.  Sounds crazy, but it was one of the highlights of our vacation.

We went to Warren & Annabelle's and were selected to sit up by the table where Warren did his magic.  David got picked on by Warren, we got free pina coladas and we saw some amazing tricks!  Just ask us and we can tell you about the $100 bill I held in my hand while it burned, then appeared later in a lemon!!!

Some of us (not me) decided to bike down the backside of the volcano.  I didn't want to do it because I was 8 weeks pregnant, but David went and they had a good time.  Don't worry, I went and shopped instead:)

We had so much fun in Maui and can't wait to go back with the kids.  We are so grateful to David's parents for letting us come along and showing us such a great time. 

Hopefully, I can get back into blogging regularly. Lots of pics to post and stories to tell, so keep your fingers crossed I can get motivated:)  I am starting to feel better, so I have more energy to do things and wrangle the kids in. 

Spring Break...and some birthdays!

A few weeks ago, David's mom came out to visit us for a few days and to see him get inducted into an Honor Society at Creighton.  It is a Jesuit Honor Society, and since he is going to a Jesuit University, there is the connection!  We are so proud of him and all the hard work he does for our family.  Love you Babe!So it has been a really rough winter, to say the least.  With horribly cold temperatures, blowing wind that makes you want to cry, and so much snow, you can't even see out your front window, we are all dying for Spring to come!  So, this week is David's springbreak, and we got a taste of what it feels like to be above freezing.  The kids were so happy to be outside, and had fun getting in the mud and kicking ice balls around with Daddy.  They got filthy, but I didn't care because I was so happy to enjoy sunshine and fresh air.  We have been able to play outside every day this week, which is so amazing and I feel that I may actually survive until spring arrives:)

So, since it is David's spring break, we have been playing all week.  We really wanted to go to Utah to look for a place to live and go to my little brother, Kyle's wedding.  But since, funds are tight, and there are no rentals to look at that will be available in May, we had to stay home.  Now don't get me wrong, we are excited to spend our last spring break in Omaha, but I was bummed we couldn't go to my brother's wedding, and couldn't find a place to live.  But we are making the most of it!

Monday was my birthday.  David is such a sweetheart.  He woke up, cooked me breakfast, took me to try and find a swimsuit for our trip to Maui (yeah, we won't talk about swimsuit shopping, talk about depressing!), and took me to lunch at our favorite restaurant here.  Then, we got our neighbors to monitor sit our kiddos and he took me to the IMAX to see Avatar.  Wow, that movie was incredible.  I was so pleasantly surprised, because I really wasn't that excited to be going to see it.  I totally love it!  I smile each time I think about watching it, and wish I could afford to go see it again.  I had no interest to go see it, but thought I should see a movie David wanted to see if he was sweet enough to want to go out to a late movie with me.  I am a believer now!

Tuesday we went to the Zoo, and everytime I go, I wonder why I don't go more often.  We are so lucky to be so close to an amazing zoo, and I will really miss it when we move!

This was the first time we had been to the zoo since Brigham started walking, and he had a BLAST!  He loved that he could go wherever he wanted to explore and he was jabbering the entire time, so funny!

We also went out to Quaker steak and Lube.  It is a fun restaurant and David enjoyed his all you can eat wings!  We took some friends out that David is using for one of his board patients and we had a great time with them!  The kids enjoyed themselves and let us have a few conversations with adults while they played...yay!

Wednesday, I took David out to Cabelas to try and spend a giftcard he got for his birthday.  Yah, it is really hard to get him to spend a giftcard.  Let's just say, we are VERY different in that respect:)

He cooked me an amazing dinner of rack of lamb and asparagus.  He cooks a mean rack!  It was delish, but the kids didn't really know what to do, they weren't the biggest fans of the flavor, but I know it will grow on them:)

Today, Isabel went with David to the school to do some lab work while I went to the Dr. for my knee pain.  Then we went to Bass Pro for David to try and find something for Another gift card there (yeah, no luck there either)  What am I gonna do with this man?

David's mom helped buy Isabel a bike for her birthday (tomorrow), and I brought it upstairs to adjust the training wheels tonight.  We were looking at it, and it had big problems with the gears.  So back David went to the store at 10pm to exchange the bike.  We just didn't want Isabel to be heartbroken when we had to take her present back to the store on her birthday. I always thought it was funny that people always seem to have problems with bikes/trikes at 11pm on Christmas eve....yah, I feel their pain now!

We are having a wonderful week and trying to enjoy every minute!  Our time here is quickly coming to a close, and it is so bittersweet.  So tomorrow it is the Children's Museum and the Amazing Pizza Machine for our little Isabel's birthday.  Can she really be 3?!!!  She is my partner in crime, by cuddle buddy, the kissing machine, one feisty mama, and my little miracle.  We are so lucky she is in our family and hope she always knows what a special little sweetheart she is!  Please don't grow up so fast...

Recommittment to Blogging

Yes family, I am recommitting myself to this little family blog.  I can come up with an array of excuses, but will just make it quick and say that I have been a lazy blogger lately.  But we have been having fun and taking pictures, so I will try my best to get caught up and keep you all updated on our little family.  Here is a quick rundown on life lately:

-David was gone for almost 3 weeks in October and November going to interviews for pedo residency.  It was such a blessing to have interviews, but so hard for him to be gone so much.  I think I "checked out" for a bit, but we are alive and well.
-spent christmas in Utah with the Baileys.  We had fun scrapbooking, copying recipes, playing charades with the grandkids, eatting ourselves into comas, and enjoying our time together.
-Came back to Omaha where there was more snow than you could shake a stick at!  We are still enduring the snow piles and freezing weather here.  I long for the days I can go outside in a sweatshirt and let my kids run around on the grass.  We have not seen any grass or been able to play in our front yard because there was a 10 foot pile of snow infront of our entire front yard.  Not that is the biggest yard to begin with, but I would just love to see flat ground again:)
-In January, we found out David matched to a pediatric dental residency at PCMC in Salt Lake City!!  Even better, is that his brother Sam, matched to the same program!  Yay for fun neighbors:)  So we will be packing up and heading there in May, right after graduation.  Can't wait for that chapter to begin.
-My little brother Caleb is getting off his mission on Thursday.  Unfortunately, I won't see him until May, and it has already been 3 years since I have seen him (wasn't able to come home for his farewell).  It will be nice for our kids to get to know him.
-My other little brother, Kyle, is getting married in March to Lisa.  Sad that  can't make that either as David is in school and we can't afford the trip home:(  Guess that is the price we pay for getting an education, but we hope to see them soon!
-David will be graduating soon and I couldn't be prouder.  These four years have gone by so quickly but seemed to last an eternity at times.  Life has changed so much, but ultimately for the better!
-The kids are growing and changing so fast!  I am constantly amazed at how fast they are growing up.  I need constant reminders to cherish every day and not get discouraged by the little things.
-Isabel has entered the "by mySELF!" stage, which is lovely:)  she is forming adorable phrases and sentences and loves to copy what you are doing.  She loves dress up, princesses, helping mommy, wrestling with Brigham and informing us that she is 2 years old and will be turning 4 really soon!  Love that girl!
-Brigham is Mr. Destructo!  I actually just took a book away that he managed to rip 3 pages in 1.8 seconds.  He loves finding anything he can pull out of cupboards, pantries, off bookshelves and out of baskets.  He is always on the go and loves to antagonize Isabel.  He is learning new words and will attempt to say anything you ask him, even if it doesn't sound close to the real word.  Some of his favorite words are (not saying you can understand them though), are mama, apple, more, up, get-out, NO, happy, ball, doggy, night-night and bath.  He is such a sweetheart, but a spit-fire at the same time.  I can get him to snuggle for about 10 seconds when I sing to him at bedtime, and then he wants to wiggle again.  He loves to dance and can't help himself when he hears a tune (hmmm, sounds like another kiddo we have in the house).
I will post pics when I get a chance, I will get back on the wagon, I promise!

Happy Birthday Brigham!

Has it really been a year already?  Today little Brigham turned 1 and we celebrated this special little guy and all the happiness that he brings us.  David is neck deep in finals and so we couldn't do much.  We played with his toys today and built a fort for him to play around in.  David got home in time to sing him happy birthday and watch him eat his cupcake.  As I was finishing frosting some of the cupcakes, Brigham fell asleep in his high chair.  Poor little guy must have been tuckered out.

As you can see, he wasn't too happy with his cupcake.  He took a big handful of the frosting, and then got mad he couldn't get it off.  The chocolate cupcake looks like a soul patch on his chin!

I want to remember how he is at this stage.  Here are a few fun things about Brigham:

-He is walking great.  It is so cute to hear those little feet pitter patter around the house.  He is crawling up and down the stairs like a maniac and has free reign to destroy (er...play) with everything in the house.

-He is learning how to wave.  Our home teacher was over last night, and Brigham gave him a big old wave and held his hand out to shake it.

-Brigham still loves music, just like Isabel.  They hear a music beat, and they can't help themselves and start shaking their groove thing.  When we turn the stereo on, he crawls over to it, and stands up and dances in front of it.

-He can say a few words: mama, dada, hi, no-no, night-night, uh-oh, and I think he tried to say ball the other day.

-He is so funny!  He tries to mimick every sound he hears.  From stuff Isabel says, to noises he hears around the house, or words we say, he will always give it a great effort.

-He likes the phone.  Whenever I answer the phone, he starts following me around,saying "hi, hi, hi, hi".  Anything that resembles a phone, he will hold up to his ear, what a character!

-Brother Brigham loves his baths!  You ask him if he wants to take a bath, and he takes off up the stairs, and bolts into the bathroom and stands by the tub, trying to crawl in and drumming on it until you can get him in.  He loves to splash and him and Isabel have some big giggle matches in there as the splash around.

-He is still very tender-hearted.  If you chew him out, or tell him no and are too stern, he gets a big pouty lip, and he will look at you with these sad eyes.  Then after about 5 seconds, he finally breaks out into a big wail and gets the saddest face.  Can't stay mad at that kid for long!

-He loves to find a mess and knows how to make one.  The toilet paper roll, folded laundry in  basket, the movies under the tv cabinet, the shoe basket in the closet, the pantry.  Anything he can get his hands on is fair game and he can make quick work of anything I just organized.  You can't get mad at him because he is so proud of whatever he is doing and looks at you with these big, excited eyes and wants you to be happy like he is!

-We can't imagine how life would be without him.  He is such a blessing and we look forward to watching him grow and learn.  I see so much of David in him and that makes me all the happier.  Brigham has the most amazing role model to look up to.  Aren't families the best?

Here is the angel baby the day after we brought him home.  He has always been so special and sweet.  He is full of love and life. 

Christmas is coming?!!

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. Our computer is giving us problems with the SDcard slot, so I can't get pictures easily.  We haven't been up to much.  David has been interviewing with Pedo programs this last month and we have been trying to stay sane with him gone.  He has a few more interviews before Christmas.  We are really excited and keeping our fingers crossed that everything works out.  The results come out January 25, and then we will know where we will be for the next 2 years. 

The kids are doing well.  Isabel is finally out of the crib.  She is doing well and likes her "big girl bed".  She is starting to talk a lot more and says some really funny things. 

Brigham is starting to walk.  It is so fun to see him walk between furniture with a big grin on his face.  He is still tearing everything apart and is starting to hold his own against Isabel.  He jabbers like crazy and loves to talk on the phone.  He found the tv remote the other day and held it up to his ear and started chattering away. 

We have the Christmas tree up and are really excited for Christmas.  Isabel is old enough to know what is going on and always asks for a baby doll for Christmas.  Thank goodness for easy requests:)  We will be in Utah for a few weeks over the break and are excited for the kids to get to play with some cousins. 
I had really good intentions of doing a family photo card for christmas, but I got realistic and realized that would never happen.  At least I had good intentions, right?

Carving Pumpkins with our "pumpkins"

We carved our pumpkins tonight, since our ward trunk or treat is tomorrow night and we won't have time then.  We had lots of fun with the kiddos tonight!

Eeewww!  She was not a fan of the "guts"

Trying to get momma to do her job of cleaning it out:)

Brigham's newest teether was the lid of the pumpkin.  He was getting some pieces of it and chewing them up...I guess whatever works for ya.  At least it was keeping him happy!

I'm ready to clean a pumpkin!

Just a cute on of them together...not beating up on each other:)

Practicing her "spooky" laugh

Yes! Another piece of pumpkin to eat, thanks Mom!

I just love this pic because it shows all his teeth really well.  What a character.

The final results. 

We had the trick-or-treating at the dental school today.  It is always fun to get all the kiddos together and hang out with our hubbys in their daily environment.  David's sister Liz wanted to buy Isabel a costume.  So we got her a Little Red Riding Hood costume weeks ago.  She was always so excited about it and told everyone that came over what she was gonna be.  Well today came and it was the first time we needed to put it on.  She went NUTS.  I have never seen her get that upset that fast over something.  She was hysterical.  We have lots of things this weekend that she can wear her costume to, so I had to think fast.  So we ran back to the store and exchanged costumes and she picked Snow White out and then we ran to the school with minutes to spare!  What drama. I did not want to give in, but I knew I did not want her freaking out in all these situations with crowds of people, so I buckled!  Don't judge:)

Happy Halloween everyone, more pictures to follow this weekend.  Be safe!