Where do I Start?

It has been along time since my last blog entry. I have gone to the dark side...facebook, and I check in occasionally over there to see whats going on. I loose my blogging connections and don't get over here to add in our new adventures...of which there are always many.
Since I missed October completely, I want to start with the pumpkin patch.



I love going to the pumpkin patch. The only thing that is missing is cool weather. Did you know that October is the hottest most miserable month in Hawaii? The trade winds die off and without them the air is hot, muggy and we stay hot, sticky and sweaty. The only cure is to get wet, stay wet and then shower if too dry. COLD showers are wonderful. Thankfully the tap water stays cool and refreshing. Even our dog loved getting sprayed off. Sophie loves to shower Zack.



We hiked in the bamboo forest. I'll take anyone who comes to visit! We were lucky enough to have Meg and Lily come out and play for a week. It was wonderful!

My wet Monkeys needed Sock Monkeys...

So we made Sock Monkeys! Everyone has one now. Meg brought the socks for me and the kids helped make and decorate their own Monkeys. Lily turned 3 while she was here so she got a Monkey too. Each one we made got better and better. It was a fun and fairly easy project. I found the instructions online and away we went. Sophie didn't have one for this picture, but she has one now and calls it her socky monkey. Sydney is getting pretty fancy with her sewing and stuffing skills. Ethan made hair and shorts for his monkey!



We went to visit Troy while he was working at the Hyatt. Ember saw some funny birds: An African Crowned Crane. It was pecking away at the window while the kids got down at eye level with it. We pool hopped in their very fun pool. Found some of our friends there and they were nice enough to get Ethan and Sydney bracelets for the slides. A great time was had all who were in the wet water. Poor Troy was slaving away in jeans. Thanks for working so hard honey!




Ethan turned NINE! He woke up to a toilet papered room. I perfected this art with my friend MaryAnn when we were around 9 or 10. (You can ask her why we started doing this.) Ethan got a big knife and ate at Casanovas, his favorite Italian restaurant.


Just a note about Ethan. He is a great mellow kid. He is easy going, thinks he is awesome, loves his sisters and adores his dad. He has big plans. There is a science fair coming up and he has talked his dad into building a hover board. Yes, other kids will be soaking eggs in vinegar and the like, but my Ethan can not think small. He does the "little" science experiments after school for fun. Science fairs are for the BIG stuff. So we now have the wood, pond liner, a blower (motor) and pvc pipe ready for assembly in the garage. That will be a blog entry very soon!
I love this kid. He is upbeat and always ready for adventure.


Halloween was fun...Sydney won a costume contest at school. She was Juliette. Ethan was Mut from Indiana Jones. Ember was a LadyBug. Sophie was a Bunny and Troy, well, speak of the Devil - I actually got him to wear that into the Halloween party at church. It didn't last long but I got a kick out of it. I was a pumpkin, but for some reason no one took my picture. I must be a camera hog.





Well that is about all for October...It was hot and fun!

Sophie Hits the BIG TWO!

This little girl runs our world. There is always something cute coming out of her mouth and she always has a plan for fun or trouble. She loves lip stick, water and the swing set. We love her so much and we are so glad that she is a part of our family. Happy Birthday Sophie!

I love the Beach. I love letting the kids have fun getting wet, sandy and sun filled. I don't know if I can think of a more enjoyable activity. I can play, relax, explore, build, swim, jump, climb and I don't have to clean up after anyone!

My kids love it too. Sydney is my explorer, she loves to find caves and jumping places. Ethan is the first one in the water and the last one out. He boogie boards, skim boards, or surfs - as long as he is wet he is happy. Ember is everywhere, she will play in the waves, talk to Ethan, explore with Sydney, dig in the sand with Sophie or raid the lunch bag. Where ever she is, she is happy. Sophie loves to swim with mom, ride on a boogie board pulled on the sand and she likes to have Mom make her, her own pool in the sand which the waves generously fill up for her.

On our last beach trip we were standing out on some rocks when we saw a turtle. Sophie wanted to jump into the water, so I jumped in with her and then she said, "Turtle. Catch it!" She loves the ocean too!



So when life gets too busy, get on down to the beach and enjoy life!

Summer Part TWO

The only reason to go to Phoenix in July is if you have some really cool family to visit. Sydney and Ethan really enjoy playing with their cousins Libby and Liam. Troy and I think his sister Lisa and her husband Gregg are pretty neat too. Troy got to go on a ride-a-long one night with Gregg who is a Sargent for the Phoenix Police Department...pretty exciting stuff. It was sooo hot!

Then we headed up to nice cool Flagstaff to hang out with some of my favorite people. I had cousins from CA and NM and there were lots of Kids. We played at Lake Mary and Hiked the Kachina Trail with 14 kids 10 and under.

Ethan and Sydney learned to wake board! Thanks Jonathan!
Bow crew: Amy, Sophie, Miles, Ember, Kelli and Noah.Ember and her cousin Owen are so sweet together.
We had to go ice skating...which is a great summer activity.Ethan and his cousin Noah are a dynamic duo beating on each other at every opportunity.

After our fun few days in Flagstaff we went North to Colorado for a fun Anderson side Family reunion. Met lots of new people and had a blast floating down the river in little boats. We took a day and went to Durango and rode the train. Unfortunately we were robbed by some bandits. Luckily the Lone Ranger and his friend Tonto were in the area and Caught those naughty guys. It was a fun day!
We rented a neat Cabin with Lisa and Gregg's Family...here are the kids on the stairs:
Sydney, Libby, Liam, Ethan, Ember and Sophie
On the way back to Flagstaff we stopped at 4 corners...took the "picture", ate some fry bread and then got back in the air conditioning of the van...don't think I ever need to go back!


My sister in law Josie and I took 6 of the kids up to the Grand Canyon for the day. We hiked a little, Helped the kids become Junior Rangers, Watched the Imax Movie, and ate some pizza. It was a great day! There was even some lightning and thunder in the canyon which was so cool. Thanks for watching Sophie and Tanner-Mom!

Sophie and her buddie Tanner. She has been asking to go back to Tanner's house since we returned to Maui. He is a sweet kid under his facade of brutness.


This is Ember and her Great Grandma Nilah Elaine Allen. My kids are lucky enough to still have 3 Great Grandparents living...treasures!

So three weeks went quickly by. There are so many other events and pictures to share, but I must get to bed. We are so blessed to be able to travel, visit great family and have good health. So on that note, good night!

Summer Part ONE

I don't know where to start. Summer has been wonderful and it is ending too soon. Ethan starts 4th grade, Sydney is going to middle school and my little Ember is going to Kindergarten. My heart is twisted and I just want to keep them home all to myself. I am secretly hoping we will sell everything by Christmas and pull the kids out of school and just travel for awhile...but we will see...fingers crossed....
Back to summer:

Ethan loves bugs...here is one of his caterpillar friends.

After riding our bikes to the bakery we like to hang out in this great big tree.

Ember turned 5 and got a fancy pair of pink cowgirl boots from her Aunty Gerilee and Uncle Rick in Washington.
We had a paddle boat building day out of...cartons, bottles, duct tape, chop sticks and more tape. It was fun! Sydney, Ember, Ethan and friend Julian.

Then we endured windy ward camp...good friends, good food, good to go home and get clean! Next we headed for the airport. Destination Phoenix, AZ.

Surfing!

Ember is the sweetest 4 year old little girl I know. She doesn't have a mean bone in her skinny little frame, she lovingly cares for her baby sister every day, sharing toys, books, snacks and treasures. Ember really enjoys playing with other kids and she likes to know what is going on. Every night Ember asks me, "Mom, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Those of you that know me well, know that I function the best on pure spontaneity. Ember has helped me look ahead, plan events and be prepared. I still keep a swim bag packed in the back of the van for emergency beach trips, but for the most part, I let Ember know if we are planning a fun event the next day. My birthday was this past Sunday, and so I planned a Saturday beach day for my "day". We met some friends down at the cove in Kihei and we were blessed with some fun little waves to play on. Ember has never been too keen on surfing although I have convinced her to ride on her tummy along with me a few times. She endures, but then happily goes back to the sand and the waves that tickle the shore.
The cove is mostly sand and the tide was out so it was shallow and very welcoming to all little surfers. Ember wanted to try and she did so well. I pushed and pushed and retrieved and retrieved. She stood up, smiled and surfed and surfed. When I asked if I could take a turn, she said, "no, not yet". It was a great gift to watch her have so much fun on the water...Our newest surfer girl:
Waiting for the wave...
Whooo-hoooo!
Again...and again
Sweet girl...My Emmy!

The Last Weekend in May

We love to hike and with the weather in Maui becoming unbearably hot we have been seeking the cooler air and open trails. Saturday morning Troy took Sydney to a Swim meet in Kihei. So, Ethan, Ember, Sophie and I decided we needed a Komodas Bakery run and a morning hike before the 12 :00 basketball game. Happy Kids and Sugary fingers. Stick doughnuts and Cinnamon snails!
Ethan and Ember were beating tree stumps into pulp while Sophie observed and then simply stated: "Sad". Poor tree stump. (She joined in on the next one.)Ahhh-what a cute little trail! Let's take it!
Ethan is our protector...Sticks make the best weapons....
Checking out the water trough.

Sometimes we find ripe raspberries or poha berries growing and the kids gobble them up. We only found a few today, but last month we picked about a pound of raspberries!

Today after church we came home to eat and hurried to the car and up to the cool country. The clouds were in and the hike felt magical.


















Troy got cut wittling on a stick and Sydney fixed him up with her bandanna. We followed a river bed down to a 100 foot drop that the kids are anxious to go repelling off of. Sydney wanted to try today. She and Ethan packed their harnesses and rope, but only about 25 feet of it, so she will have to wait until next time...hopefully Uncle Jonathan will come and go with us!

We hiked through our lava tube and Zack came with us. Even the tube had "clouds" in it and the
flashlights reflected off the particles in the air and made it seem so much lighter. It was cool! I thank my Father in Heaven everyday for the beautiful world he created for us. It is so good to get out and enjoy it!