Spring Break Fun

I LOVE having my girls home! We had a lot of fun together during Spring Break. We had two whole weeks and it made me excited for summer. Unfortunately, we didn't have many beach days because it has been rainy and windy. One day we tried a picnic on the beach and it was VERY windy. Anyone who knew my Mom (Peggy), might know how fond she was of windy picnics - anytime we have a windy picnic I think of her. Windy picnics on the beach go to a new level. Anytime anyone moved, sand went EVERYWHERE. It made a whole new meaning to SANDwich. I don't think we will be repeating that. (I know - no one has any sympathy for us - at least we were on the beach - so I will leave it at that.)

We pulled out some puzzles that we haven't done in awhile. I was amazed at how long and diligently the girls worked on tough puzzles. They are getting pretty good. Lucky for me they like puzzles - because I really enjoy them too.

We also found some fun hair websites and experimented with different hairdos. I'm not sure how much they loved that - but I liked it a lot.

The BYU library has huge teacher size picture books and we spent an afternoon reading them there. It was the week before finals week so I felt bad - kids are noisy in a college atmosphere, no matter how quiet they are.

Mike had Prince Kuhio Day off. (Anyone want to move to Hawaii so they can get Prince Kuhio day off too? It is a state holiday.) This coincided nicely with Spring Break so we went into Kaneohe for some errands and then stopped at Kualoa Park. This is the first beach the girls went to here, except this time they got to see it in daylight. It was a little too choppy, there wasn't a whole lot of beach and Brynlee was needing a nap, so we stopped long enough to take a few pictures and went to find another beach. In Hawaii, they aren't too hard to come by. :) The first time I visited Hawaii, I was surprised by the mountains. I guess I should have known they were mountainous - isn't that how islands are formed? Anyway -we have some pretty impressive mountains here. We are in the parking lot across the street from these mountains. The ocean is seen in the opposite direction. (see the next picture.) Pretty incredible!

This is called Chinaman's Hat. It is a little island in Kaneohe bay. Sorry the picture is so far away - if you look closely, the girls are holding up the "hat".

I'm not sure what this beach is called, but it was much more calm so we stopped to play there and wrote a message in the sand.

One day we visited the PCC. There were tons of activities for the girls to do and they loved it. Tickets there are good for three days so we even went back again and still didn't get to see everything.

They especially liked the palm tree climber in Samoa.

In Tonga, they made these cute fish out of leaves.

The Canoe Pageant was their favorite. We watched it both days. Mike even got to come during his lunch to watch with us one of the days. It is always fun to see him in the middle of the day.

Makenna and Bailee

Bailee moved to our neighborhood in July and after swimming lessons together, they became pretty much inseparable. One of those - instant friends...just add water. They were in the same kindergarten class and played together at school and at home. Most days she still asks to text or call Bailee or wonders what she is doing. The Sunday before we left, we did this little photo shoot with them. Cheree did a great job on the pictures. It doesn't hurt that they are beautiful girls - that makes them easy to photograph! I love that they even look alike! They love having a matching outfit. We took them shopping and let them decide on the shirts. The other day Kenna had to text Bailee to tell her that she was wearing their shirt. Kenna misses you Bailee!

Whitney's 1st Research Project

This quarter Whitney's class has been studying ocean animals. Each child researched an animal and did a presentation on it. Whitney's animal was the seahorse. We learned all kinds of things about them. Did you know that the "daddy seahorse carries the eggs in his pouch until they are ready to hatch"? It was a lot of work, but we had fun doing it together.

Laie Temple

The temple is currently under reconstruction so it isn't white and is not lit at night. It closed a month before we moved here and will be closed for 18 months. Whitney is especially excited because she will be 8 for the re-dedication and will get to go. It will be neat to be able to be a part of the open house and dedication. We get to see the temple almost every day. It is a great daily reminder that we get to be together forever.

Hawaii weather is kind of funny. This particular day we walked to church and it was sunny and beautiful. About the last 15 minutes of church it started pouring rain. So we waited inside for 10 minutes or so after church was over for it to let up. It was barely sprinkling and we figured we were ok, but not so. By the time we got to the temple, it started really raining again and, of course, we hadn't taken our umbrella to church - it was sunny when we left! Instead of getting drenched and ruining my hair, which I actually had fixed, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to tour the visitors' center. It worked out perfect - by the time we were done, it cleared so we could take pictures and walk home dry. It has rained almost daily here since we arrived. It will be sunny and beautiful then cloud over and pour and then goes right back to sunny, dries out and you never even knew it rained - all in less than an hour. I love the rainstorms here - I just don't love getting caught in them with a baby, in our church clothes with no umbrella. We'll know for next time. I guess it is a lesson on being prepared BEFORE the rain comes.

Whale Watching

We saw whales! (I wish I could say that was my picture, but it isn't - That is about what we saw - just a lot farther away.) Thanks to some great coaching from my mom on the way up to the Heiau (ancient Hawaiian temple) we were able to see some. I wouldn't have known what I was seeing if she hadn't told us. We were up on our perch for about 20 minutes, but only the middle 10 did we see anything. And in that 10 minutes we saw about a dozen different blows. At first you see a little spray and then a black bump come up out of the water. I wish we had had binoculars, but there's always next time. We only saw one big splash I am guessing was a tail or an actual jump. Whale watching season begins in November and goes through May, so we were excited to see them on our first trip.



I didn't take the time to photo-shop out the power lines - this picture is overlooking Sharks Cove. The whales we saw were in between the right two power lines.



When we got there it was misty raining while the sun shined and made a beautiful rainbow. I love that!



Overlooking Waimea Bay - notice how still the water is. In all my 6 weeks of being here I have never seen the ocean this still. It was very strange, but beautiful!





Again - showing the stillness of the water. We live in a beautiful world!

Aborigine Visitors

Some Aborigine performers came to the girls' school to teach the students about their culture and share some songs and dances. Unfortunately, they had already changed by the time I ran home to get my camera, but we took the picture anyway. I am excited for all the great opportunities the girls will be able to have here to learn about so many different cultures.

OOWWIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Mike thinks these pictures are a little too graphic for the blog, but some of you want to see them. (If you can guess, he hasn't been the nurse - he's grateful that I haven't minded.) If you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip these pictures and be glad I didn't put the pictures we took that night in the ER. My parents are the only ones who have seen those - I suppose if you really want to see them, we can send them on a request basis.

These were taken February 27 (1 week +1 day after) We had to wait that long until they looked ok enough to blog. The black on her middle finger is the bone poking up out of the skin.




After her first follow-up visit 10 days after the accident, the doctor determined he needed to operate to trim back the exposed bone on her middle finger. He was hoping the tissue would grow back, but no luck.



March 11 - Surgery Day - Before

She rode like this to the operating room on her belly with her head at the foot of the bed, a princess on her magic carpet. Going against the grain. The nurses didn't care - they figured she might as well have fun. It made everyone we passed in the hall smile.

After Surgery - the first after picture she wasn't really smiling and I told her that we couldn't leave until she gave me a good smile. She perked right up.

These last three were taken March 16th (3 1/2 weeks post accident - 5 days after surgery)

Making the best of having to have her fingers wrapped - we painted the bandages too! :) I have been so proud of Whitney. She has kept a good attitude and been a real trouper through it all. Even when she has had to keep them covered and not been allowed to do anything (bike riding, PE, recess, etc) that could bump them. She hasn't complained much - even when she has had to cover them to go to the beach and not use her hand. (I'm sure you're all thinking - I would take covering my hand if I could go to the beach!) To begin with, changing the dressings was pretty traumatic, but after a few weeks - she was pulling it off herself. It was a week or more before she would even look at them though.

We are counting our blessings - it could have been so much worse. When it tipped over, she said she fell back and hit her head. We're so glad it only smashed two fingers on her left hand instead of her hand, arm, chest or head. Anytime she has needed the use of two hands at school there have been 6 pairs ready and willing. Many people from BYUH and our ward have been so kind and concerned. It has made this challenge manageable.

A Castle is a Castle

Whether it's made of . . .

SNOW (Jan 09)

OR

SAND (Mar 09)

Beach Excursion

After having been here for 5 weeks I FINALLY put my swimming suit on. "Where is the proof," you ask? Well, let's not be ridiculous. I still only got wet up to my knees, but that's progress, right?! Brynlee fell asleep on the way and slept for 2 hours letting us play. She must like the sound of the ocean because she rarely naps like that at home. It was so much fun to build our sandcastle and moat and watch at the girls' disgust that a wave could so easily destroy all of our hard work. But they quickly went to work repairing it and digging the moat out, again. I am not sure I will love the beach once Brynlee is mobile though. Sand has a way of getting EVERYWHERE! But I am sure you are all thinking you don't want to hear it - because I get to be in the sand and sun instead of snow. But we do miss you!

Brynlee's Snuggle

My friend, Cheree, gave this little snuggle blanket to Brynlee when she was born and in the past few weeks has come to love snuggling with it (hence the different outfits and poses). She loves to rub it on her face when she is trying to go to sleep and wakes up rubbing it and chewing on it. So cute!

She's Got Hops!

Although this looks photo-shopped - it is completely un-edited. Mike captured this picture when he took the girls to the beach without me. I was at home feeding Bryn. When I downloaded the pictures and saw it - it looked fake to me. But it isn't! Great shot, Daddy!

Kenna's Birthday!

Our Kenna just turned 6! Whoa! She is still the family comedian and keeps us laughing. Both of her sisters love her to pieces. She's already transforming into an island princess!

Mom and Dad got her beach toys - to the beach!

Grandpa and Grandma sent her an ipod docking station - she loves it!

Tuellers came over for cake and ice cream and brought Kenna this candy lei and a dollar ring that she loved. I don't know why I didn't think of a lei - we aren't Hawaiian thinkers yet.

Kenna didn't really know many people here yet, but she really wanted to play on the beach. Instead of a party we decided to have two friends over for her "rolly pancake" birthday breakfast on Saturday and then head to the beach.

But Mother Nature had other plans - it rained.

Then rained harder. There was standing water in our driveway.

So instead of pouting - we watched Little Rascals which Kenna got for her birthday and painted fingers and toes to wait out the rain.



When the rain slowed to just a drizzle, Mike took the 4 girls to the beach to play.

On their birthday Kenna asked Bekah what cake she was going to have and Bekah hadn't decided. Kenna wanted to match cakes since they couldn't be together. She had already chosen a butterfly cake and Bekah thought that was a good idea. I emailed Melinda the pattern and a picture of Kenna's cake so they got to match. We just wish the cakes didn't have to be an ocean plus a state away!

Kenna and Bekah - The Twins

Makenna and Rebekah were born two hours apart March 6, 2003, Kenna in Utah and Bekah in Washington. We've always joked that they have been twins forever and agreed to be born only if they could come together. They have always been very close and rarely ever fought. Whenever they are together they are inseparable. Even after Bekah moved to Idaho 2.2 miles away from us, it took months for them to not have tears when their play day was over for fear that they wouldn't get to see each other for awhile like it had been before. For the past 2 1/2 years living close has been fabulous and their relationship has continued to flourish. They are such a crack up and love being together. Not many days go by without Kenna talking about Bekah and wanting to know what she is doing right then. When we still lived in Idaho they talked on the phone at least once a day (they each had memorized the other one's phone number) and usually played a few times a week. The time change is pretty tricky so they don't get to talk as much. When they got to talk on their birthday I loved to hear Kenna say, "What are you going to do for OUR birthday?" We miss you guys! Happy Birthday girls! Hopefully you won't have to have too many birthdays apart - how about a Hawaiian 7th birthday?!

Grandpa Pack

Roland Samuel Pack
October 3, 1913 – February 20, 2009

Mike's grandpa recently passed away. What a wonderful day to be reunited with his sweetheart after having been separated for over 11 years. Our girls have been blessed to know 3 great-grandparents and have a sweet relationship with each of them. When we told them he had passed away, they asked if we were sad. We explained to them that he had lived a great life and was now able to be with Grandma Pack and Heavenly Father and Jesus again. What a wonderful reunion that must have been!

We tried to make a point of visiting Grandpa and making sure we got pictures with him. Our second to last visit in Emmett was my favorite. Grandpa was very witty and made us all laugh. He also took the girls for a spin on his walker - as you can see in the pictures, he is pushing them. They loved it. I love how the pictures capture their admiration for him.

One time Grandpa came to stay with us for a weekend when we lived in Orem. One night, he had spent the evening with a cousin and we were going to be at Jenna's until late so we asked that when Grandpa got back and went to bed that he not lock the deadbolt because we didn't have a key to it. He must have misunderstood, so sure enough - after midnight when we got home we were locked out of our house. It was springtime and I was pregnant with Whitney. Grandpa didn't sleep with his hearing aides in, and we didn't want to wake him so we didn't knock very loud. We weighed our options and chose to sleep in the car, at first laying the seat down and sleeping in the trunk and later moving to the front seats.

Grandpa had been worried that we weren't home yet so he kept checking at the window to see if we were home. But seeing our car but not us, he would go back to bed. About 3 or 4 in the morning, I woke up to Grandpa in his pajamas with un-combed hair knocking on the car window. It gave me quite a scare. He felt so bad that he had locked us out. We all laughed! Up until about a year ago, everytime we saw Grandpa - he would remind us of how he had locked us out and we would all laugh again.

(Mike's Comments) It doesn't happen very often, but Katrina has turned over the keyboard and our blog to me, so I'm going to take full advantage of it! :) I am so grateful the the life and example of Grandad. Even as the sun was setting on his mortal life, he made it a point to send birthday cards, with his own handwriting (with a little help from Aunt Kathleen). How treasured were these little notes of love and appreciation. One of my favorite things about Grandad, and what I think had the greatest influence on me, is his eternal and unwaivering love for his companion, Grandma Pack. He would always speak with such tenderness in his mentions of her, how he missed her, and how grateful he was for the eternal nature of their relationship. He also never missed an opportunity to share his testimony of the restored gospel and his love for the Savior. That made an significant impression on my young (and not so young) mind. Looking at images of him with my children, his amazing daughter (who became my mom), and with me, I am flooded with countless memories of reunions, visits to John Day & Marsing, birthdays, baptisms, and all the things that bring families together. And that, ultimately, is what I and so many others have learned from Grandad - that we have the promise of forever with those we love following a life well lived. Such was the life of my Grandad. I love you - give Grandma & Dad a squeeze for us!