Thanks to the Kimballs for organizing a fun and super yummy Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday night. It was delicious and fabulous company! No pictures though. :(
This has been a year of firsts for our family, including wearing shorts on Thanksgiving Day. To help us not miss family, we decided to try some new traditions and I think this is one that will stick. We had a great time hiking the Ha'aula Loop Trail. Other than me getting attacked by a dog, fun was had by all.
The whole clan. It was a first Thanksgiving in Hawaii for our friends too, so we decided to spend the day together. They have five adorable girls and ours have fun with them. Mike and Adam felt a little outnumbered!
You cross a stream a few times on the hike. This picture was taken shortly before Kenna crossed, missed the rock and landed right in the stream. Oops!
There were so many patches of different kinds of trees all in the two-hour hike. It was amazing and beautiful!
These needles turn white-ish when they fall so the girls thought it looked kind of like snow. That's the closest we'll get to snow here, I guess!
At the top of the loop. Bryn protested the wrap so Daddy ended up carrying her for the whole hike.
I was hoping it would open up so we could see the whole ocean, but it never did. This was the best I got. There were too many trees. It was still beautiful though. On one side of the hike, there were a lot of green trees and in the middle was one tree with orange blossoms. It made me think of how we were all made different to complement each other and don't need to try to be like everyone or anyone else. The trick is to be able to see and appreciate everyone else's blossoms (and our own too)!
The first picture Mike took, I was still in my jammies. But I insisted that he take another after I ran and changed. I can't let everyone think I never get dressed!
I love Christmas books and we have a growing collection of them. we set up the tree the day after Thanksgiving and ended the day reading The Polar Express in front of the tree.
The whole clan. It was a first Thanksgiving in Hawaii for our friends too, so we decided to spend the day together. They have five adorable girls and ours have fun with them. Mike and Adam felt a little outnumbered!
You cross a stream a few times on the hike. This picture was taken shortly before Kenna crossed, missed the rock and landed right in the stream. Oops!
There were so many patches of different kinds of trees all in the two-hour hike. It was amazing and beautiful!
These needles turn white-ish when they fall so the girls thought it looked kind of like snow. That's the closest we'll get to snow here, I guess!
At the top of the loop. Bryn protested the wrap so Daddy ended up carrying her for the whole hike.
I was hoping it would open up so we could see the whole ocean, but it never did. This was the best I got. There were too many trees. It was still beautiful though. On one side of the hike, there were a lot of green trees and in the middle was one tree with orange blossoms. It made me think of how we were all made different to complement each other and don't need to try to be like everyone or anyone else. The trick is to be able to see and appreciate everyone else's blossoms (and our own too)!
Teresa started a girls club and for November's cooking club, she taught the girls how to make pumpkin pies. They each got to make their own pie, fluting the edges and everything! I was highly impressed! Whitney and Kenna were so proud of their pies! And they were delicious! (We had already eaten Kenna's when I remembered we wanted to take a picture.)
What a goofball! Is anyone wondering if she's my only child? Looking at the past few posts, I think Whitney and Kenna might be feeling like I like her best!
This is my adorable friend, Kelsey (Teresa's daughter). Teresa took a last-minute mainland trip that happened to fall on the weekend of Kelsey's first girls' choice dance. I had the privilege of playing mom (aunt) for her getting ready for the dance. We talked and laughed and I helped fix her hair. I loved it and was honored that she would ask. I had a great time! It took me back to some fun dances I went to in high school and visions of the future helping my girls get ready for dances. I hope I can be a good mom for teenage girls and be good friends with them. Kelsey and Teresa have a great relationship. I continue to watch moms with their girls, taking notes, in hopes that I will have that kind of relationship with my girls as they get older.
I'd call it a success! We used some weed killer and it's done a pretty good job. Now we just need to let the grass fill in. We would plant seed, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't get the chance to grow before the chickens got to it!
