1 thing I love!

So I love a lot of things and I'm not the type of person to hold back any of what I love...if I love you, I will tell you...I often end my phone conversations with "love you!"...and please know, it's ok if you don't respond with "love you, too". I just want everyone special in my life to know that I love them when we hang up or part from one another...love is a special word, but I don't think it should be just saved for your husband or mother or children...at least that's my view! ;) There are different kind of loves!

Ok, on to my real point of this post!
Shell Beach, Pismo and Avilla I think are famous (at least in my heart) for beautiful skies and of course the beautiful Ocean! I love it when it's cloudy and overcast out and beaming through just 1 cloud is the Sun, shining on the Ocean in just 1 spot...it is breath taking! I think it is breath taking because that is my life. No matter what I've done or what is going on it could be very cloudy, but God is beaming through with some hope and love...I love that!

If you care enough to read my blog and care about our family...I love you!

Makenzie is hilarious!

Makenzie is usually full of questions but this one caught me off guard this AM!

"Is there a potty in my heart for Jesus to go poo poo?"

Love my girl!

Our big move!

I finally have made time to sit down and share what is going on in our life on my blog! As you all know (I hope!) we are moving to Shell Beach near Pismo Beach in a week and a half! We are so thrilled about having the opportunity to move to such a beautiful place that we have dreamed of moving to for almost a decade! We love, love, love the San Luis Obispo area and have spent a great deal of time there over the years...for business and pleasure! A few months ago or so Gary and I decided to move in another direction professionally which allows us to have Gary work from home! Which we LOVE! Although it is taking adjusting realizing that just because he is home doesn't mean he is at my beck and call to help with the kids! I'm working on it! ;) So we started thinking about where we really want to live "forever" I say "forever" because I'm not even going to begin to challenge God with my plans...He has made it abundantly clear in my life over and over again that my plans really don't matter much...His do! Which is fine by me...most of the time! ;) We prayed and prayed about this decision...We did the old Benjamin Franklin list of pros and cons and it looked a little something like this...

Pros of moving to Shell...
Living closer to the Beach
Living closer to more of our family
More conservative area (our liberal friends tease us!)
Seems like an easier place to raise Godly kids (not so much $$ around)
Less expensive place to live
Healthier lifestyle
We really want to get settled in the area we want to be in before Makenzie starts kindergarten next Fall...wow, time flies!!

Cons of leaving the Bay Area... Leaving our incredible community of friends that mean so much to us...you all have been such a HUGE part of our lives and our babies lives!

So as you can see we had basically 7 pros and 1 con...but that 1 con was a HUGE one! We feel so fortunate and blessed to have made such incredible friends here...I can not describe in words what a blessing they have been. So this move has become bitter/sweet...but as our friends (Herbolds) keep reminding us "we will spend so much more quality time together now!" We already have amazing Walker scheduled for a few days to come visit in October and the sweet Sargents (possibly Olsons too!?) are planning on early November! And we are coming back up mid-December for a few days! And we are waiting on a few more dates from some of you...you know who you are! LOL! ;)

I haven't been really emotional about the move until today...I lost it like 3 times! And I'm not usually the emotional one in our marriage! ;) The message at Church today was basically about the Israelites in Exile and what the true meaning of Shalom is. Shalom means so much more than "good health" it truly means to be complete, perfect and full. I read yesterday "No wonder the Jewish people are so blessed, because every time they say Shalom to one another, they are also allowing the full meaning of SHALOM to be pronounced over them." I'm really probably butchering a great message so bear with me, and feel free to check it out yourself at MPPC.ORG. Nonetheless it struck a cord in me, and I lost it. When we got to MPPC for the most part we were a bit like the Israelites, in Exile. And we found Shalom through our amazing friends at this amazing Church. And we will be forever grateful! After Church we went to lunch with some of our Home Group friends (a tradition I'm going to miss!) and of course someone said "this is probably our last after Church meal all together." and I lost it. again! I love these precious people whom I feel privileged to share a part of their life with and we are going to miss the weekly interactions! But we are going to make every effort for sure to stay connected! God used them tremendously to pour out His Grace and Love.

We have loved living in the Bay Area...it really is an incredible place with such character (and character's!). I know we will be back to visit often!

On to our next phase of our journey...

Yosemite!

1st of all...I'm not quite sure how anyone could go to Yosemite and not believe that there is a God out there that created this world (and He happens to LOVE us all very much!). We had a great time! The highlight of my trip came on the 2nd day we were there...we had met some great camp neighbors (who are now our friends!)...they were just really sweet, sweet people. It was a couple and their youngest daughter and her new husband! I think it is so cute that they vacation together! Gary is not going to want me to share this story but I'm going to because it warms my heart about the man whom I am honored God allows me to love...Anyway, we were chatting with them and something came up about them going to Church and Gary said "we are Christians too!" And the Father (Don) responded to Gary "we knew you were Christians by how you talked with and were patient with your kids." And I just wanted to publicly say what an amazing daddy Gary is...he is abundantly patient with our babies. Zach was "helping" him set up camp and Gary was so patient with our 22month old doing things when he totally could of gotten frustrated about a number of things he was doing. I am just so glad that Don whom we had never met before would say something so encouraging to my hubby. Our kids are so blessed! I don't think that Don could of paid Gary a better compliment...and I wanted to share it! Sorry Gary! ;)

Here are some pics of our trip...

fishing on the last day while Gary packed up camp!

Happy photogenic boy!

She actually looked at me for a pic! yeah!

Maki was not really in to me taking her pic this trip so I'm thankful for a few that she actually looked at the camera!

Makenzie took a bunch of pics and this was one of them! The rest were pretty hilarious!

my cutie!

snack on the bed! I love my boys!

Zach fell asleep on 1 of our bike rides! I love that our kids are sleepers! Sorry Mich! ;)

Nope not praying...sleeping!

Deer!

Mak loved that he fell asleep!

Somebody loves her daddy...

short update and a bit of blabbing! ;)

1 pic from our trip to Yosemite last week...more to come! ;)



I will be posting pics later this week from the last few month...sorry, I haven't made my blog a priority at all...other things have my attention right now! :) LIKE OUR BIG MOVE!! YEAH!! More details coming soon ;)



Anyway, I just have to tell you a little story of what happened this AM that has struck a cord in my spiritual soul...At the end of our street there is a River bed that the kids LOVE to go to and look at the ducks. So this AM Makenzie was riding her bike and Zach and I were walking (Zach was really running/jumping/skipping/walking) There is this 1 particular driveway that is super long and I always get a little nervous when Mak is riding her bike because it is on a blind corner. So Mak got right up that particular driveway when we hear Zach fall and scream...poor guy skint up both knees. Mak jumped off her bike and ran back to help him as I was picking him up I heard a car screech (sp?) as they peeled out of their driveway... And my heart sank and exploded for joy all at the same time! If Zach had not fallen it is very likely that one or all of us would of been hit by this car. And a rush of thankfulness came over me because I realized how many times does God do this in our life to protect us. How many "bruised knees" have I had that saved my life?!?! Needless to say, I'm thankful for Zach's skinned knees...and Makenzie was so cute when we got home being his nurse helping me clean them up and putting medicine on the band-aid on Zach's knees, that he promptly wanted off immediately...oh well, at least the medicine stayed on his knees!

Life changing...

Life never stays the same...the only constant is that life changes (a LOT!) or maybe that is just true for our life! ;) Thankfully Gary and I adjust well with change...although now that I'm getting older I feel a bit less spontaneous...but of course my hubby's game for anything the Lord has in store!
In our 10 years together our life has changed....a LOT! With every change we mourn the loss of the familiarity and consistency of routine only to find that the next phase has brought us closer together, closer to the Lord-probably because when big life changes are about to happen we are always on our knees so much more (wish we could just stay on our knees more consistently/continually), and more rewarding in some way. So with this next phase of trust and obedience...here goes!
I'm thankful that in this life of change there are a few constants that never change...my hubby by my side...unless we are running because then he is always in front of me! ;) a God who loves me and has a plan already in place for my life. A family who supports and jumps on board and who are some of my closest confidants. Friends who are there no matter what is going on and how busy life gets...to pick up the phone and feel like no time has passed (even though sadly, much time has!). And precious children that God has blessed us with...It is crazy to think that from now until eternity passes I will be Zach and Mak's Mommy...such a privilege and honor!

So stay tuned as our life changes yet again, in an amazing way...

xoxo!

*I know I owe my faithful blog readers pics from the last few months!!! I'm sorry to all 3 of you! ;)

Lessons from a 4 year old and my hubby...

***UPDATE- The Burlingame police recovered my Driver's Licence, credit cards and 1 purse!...We are still praying my camera card will return too! ;)


On Saturday afternoon we decided to take the kids on a bike ride by the reservoir in San Mateo...right off the 92 on the way to Halfmoon Bay.

It was a beautiful perfect afternoon! We must of seen at least 10 deer...A very pleasant, beautiful ride! At the end of our ride Gary went to get his truck and the kids and I waited at the main gate for him so they could run around and Gary could load the bikes up...Gary calls my cell to let me know that our truck was broken in to. The passenger side window was smashed in and my purses (yes, 2...a clutch type with my wallet and a bigger catch all with every one's stuff in it) had been stolen...I was visibly upset over the short phone call and Makenzie asked me what was happened...I told her "some bad people broke Daddy's window and stole my purse and bag." She without even hesitation said "Let's go sit down and pray!" Wow, this child amazes me... I swear, where did this child come from!?!? She is AMAZING! So we went and sat on a bench and prayed...prayed for peace for Daddy and for the people who broke in our truck.

So this is why I'm thankful in a weird way for the break-in...
#1- Mak's immediate response to prayer!
#2- When hungry enough Makenzie will eat an apple that is not pealed! HUGE!
#3- Mak and Zach got to meet 2 very nice police officers and they gave them badges!
#4- We are not a fast food family...besides In & Out ;)...and we were forced to eat at Wendy's because we were so late getting on the road and we couldn't drive on the fwy home...wow, I forgot how amazing a frosty is!...Makenzie was in HEAVEN!

What bums me out...
#1-My camera was in my purse and ALL our pics from our trip to NY...over 200! Those precious memories...sadly are gone...looks like we are going to need to go back for more soon!!! ;)
#2-That it was totally my fault! For 10 years now (LITERALLY!) Gary has told me to cover up my purse and not leave them in plain view when I leave it in the car...and I left it on the floor on the passenger side...Gary totally had a right to be frustrated with my negligence...but he wasn't, he was totally gracious and felt so bad about all my stuff being gone...Gosh I do not deserve such an amazing man!

Lord, thank you for blessing me with such an amazing husband and now a daughter who seems to be following in his likeness of YOU...she could not have a better role model than her Daddy...No wonder she is AMAZING!

xoxo,
Dani :)
Missing my cute new orange purse a bit too much as well...sigh... ;)

Better me than you

Better me than you

Ok, so I have fallen in love with this blog...I don't even remember how I found it (we'll call it divine intervention!) but I'm so glad it came across my screen! I read a handful of blogs and this one is now on my favorites! This lady is so real and she LOVES the Lord and her family...and since that is what I'm striving for it's great to read encouraging blogs!

Enjoy this FANTASTIC TRUTH and PERSPECTIVE...Gary's favorite word!! ;)

BTW...we are home! We had a such a wonderful time! More blogging about that later...

xoxo!
Dani :)

Happy Birthday Gary!!!

Gary went to a gun range the other night with a few friends to celebrate our friend John's Birthday! Look at the end of the barrel of the gun! AMAZING timing of the bullet coming out!!! I would also like to point out if you blow up the pic my hubby's amazing accuracy of shooting! Way to go Gary!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!!! YOU BLOW ME AWAY!!! hehe!

Makenzie's Birthday pics!

Here are the pics from Makenzie's Birthday! We didn't have a big party this year at our home...we decided to throw her a birthday party in Buffalo this summer with all her cousins back there! We had a great time celebrating our little girl this year! The 4 of us went to San Fransisco for her actual birthday and had a blast! And she felt very special when Shayna and Kevin came to celebrate her early the weekend before (and to visit with us!)! THANKS for coming guys! You know how much we LOVE having you and how much your little bro and little sis LOVE being with you both!
Enjoy the pics from her Birthday!

More to come later this week from our time with Shay and Kev...
I'm 4!!!!

Yum! We had cupcakes (purple!) for dessert after breakfast!

Ladies are just so much neater...

nap time in the city!

Merry-go-round in San Fransisco!

They were so excited about lunch at the Rainforest Cafe! And DESSERT! Of course we had the VOLCANO! ;)

Chowder bowls at Boudin Bakery!

Makenzie is 4!

Wow, where does the time go?! I have been wrestling with "time" for the last few months...actually several months. I can't believe my baby girl is 4! I can't believe I'm 30! I can't believe I've been married to my best-friend for 9 years! Seriously where does the time go??!!

If you would of told me about parenthood in detail with what my days (and nights!) would look like after children...I would of told you it sounded like a prison sentence! I mean seriously who in their right mind would give up most of their hobbies, favorite things to do, favorite places to visit, long relaxing weekends, freedom to travel, spontaneity, long chats on the phone, long showers in the AM, a clean house, a quite house, a career outside of home that you get to dress up for, etc...all for a little person who needs everything from you to survive. Not just food and shelter but EVERYTHING. Love, cuddles, time, encouraging words...It is so funny how my perspective has CHANGED...I DON'T look at it at all like a prison sentence but I do look at it as a PRIVILEGE. I am privileged to "die to self" everyday for my children (and hubby!)...do I miss my past freedom, sure...daily at times! But I wouldn't change my current circumstances for ANYTHING else this world has to offer! I am exactly where I want to be...caring for and loving my kids (and hubby!), I am so grateful we decided long ago that I would stay home with them. Gary and I are very like minded in this area...I don't actually think we ever even really discussed it. It was just a given...and for that I am thankful!

Maki-Happy 4th baby girl! We love your tender, sweet, caring heart...Thank you for changing my life in the most incredible way with being your Mommy.

A few cute things from this week that she said...I really should post all of her cute little hilarious sayings!

"Are we having Mommy-Mommy tacos?!?" aka...mahi-mahi tacos!

"I don't want to be a fireman or a baseball player when I grow up...I want to be a Mommy! I can't wait to take care of Zach!" Ok, so she was a little confused about Zach not growing up too...she is so dang cute!!!!

Pics to come from her Birthday celebration!!!
xoxo!
Dani :)

A parenting article!

I hope you enjoy this article on parenting and perspective as much as I did!

Slacker Mom of the Day AWARD!

I totally deserve the slacker Mom of the day award today! Every morning the kids brush their teeth in Makenzie's bathroom...well the only difference was today I let them brush for like 15 minutes (they LOVE brushing and playing in the water!) while I was on the phone with Carrie (my sis in law!) right outside the door because they were a bit loud...in my defense (a VERY weak one I might add!) I did check on them every couple minutes and I could hear from being right outside their door they were having fun! And then I heard a little whine from inside so I opened the door to see Makenzie washing Zach's hair with hand soap! They were both soaked and poor Zach had soap running in his eyes! So they both had a late AM bath too! I did have great conversation though with Carrie! Thanks Cpaz!!!

At least he smiled for the pic! He is such a ham!!

Compassion Weekend

Hi! I'm so sorry I took so much time off of blogging...I really do love it! And I'm back...hopefully! ;)

As most of you know it doesn't take much for me to be inspired or motivated for a cause...it is just the way I'm wired. I can be a super sappy person...especially when I hear of someone hurting. A few weeks ago our family participated in Compassion Weekend at our Church. For those of you that aren't familiar with it, every year our Church celebrates Compassion Weekend. Instead of going to Church, 3000 plus members sign up to serve the Bay Area and live out Christ's love to serve the needy, poor and hurting. In years past we have served at a home with HIV positive residents, built AIDS caregiver kits for people in Africa. This year we decided that we wanted to serve as a family because the kids are getting to an age where we want them to see service for Christ in action. So we decided to go to a nursing home because we thought the kids would be great with the older folks. Well, it definetly had an impact on us! The kids were a hit! The smiles and joy that our kids brought to 30plus seniors was amazing...Zach was his normal sweet self laughing and being silly..he must of untied 10 peoples shoes that morning (all the rest had velcro shoes...lol). What was even sweeter was Gary following him around tying the shoes of the folks that Zach had just untied and being so kind and warm with the residents. There is just something heartwarming watching your hubby love on others and making them feel cared for. And Makenzie was her sweet compassionate loving self...she brought in big dolly and introduced her to everyone...big dolly "had a cold" that day so Mak was cuddling her a little extra ;)

So this little act of service got me thinking...why don't we go to nursing homes regularly with the kids so that they can have an impact and know what it is to serve?...So here we go...I'm really excited about the opportunity to serve the older generations with my babies smiles and love! I'll keep you all posted...

BTW...Mom's group and HG...I will be throwing it out to all of you as well! Want to join us!?!?

Feeling super blessed! Happy Mother's Day!!

Do you ever have times in life when you are overwhelmed with thankfulness!?!? Well, that sums up where I am in life right now...
There is just something about Mother's Day celebration that brings the things that are most precious to me to the front of my mind.

My journey is overflowing with things to be thankful for...I try to remember them daily...Here is just a glimpse of my joy...my life!
My sweet baby girl and my wonderful, over the top amazing hubby! More pics to come on our quick last minute trip to Hawaii a couple weeks ago! :)

Oh this precious girl brings me so much joy! Do you see all that sugar on her french toast?...

Baby Zach...never thought in a million years I would have such an amazingly wonderful happy baby boy! Isn't he handsome!?!?

Me and my boy on Mother's Day AM...

I know Zach doesn't look happy but he is! ;) Maki is so happy about her finger nails painted purple!

Kids running!

Ok so I know my last blog was weeks ago...sorry! I promise to be a better blogger going forward!! ;) Here is a cute video from today...Mom, I know you are going to love it! I love how Isaiah runs laps around the other kids!

xoxo!

Dani :)

Who am I?

My identity? This has been on my mind lately, just who am I? Am I Gary's wife, Makenzie and Zach's Mommy, a family member, a friend, a follower, a leader, a business woman, an athlete (I use that term very loosely these days!)...

I was wrestling with wanting to be more...wanting my own identity. I wanted to know exactly who I "was"...At any given moment I am all of those things or just 1 of them...since I started being more present in the moment a few months ago I realized I am so much better for it! It has brought me more joy and released so much pressure to just live moment to moment and be present in the moment I'm living...

When I'm on a date with Gary or spending time with him after the kids go down, I'm Gary's wife. When I'm playing with my kids or running errands with them, I'm Makenzie and Zach's Mommy. And did I mention how blessed I feel to be their Mommy and that I'm able to stay home with them!
When I'm with our family or chatting with them there is nothing like that family connection, familiarity and security, I'm part of a family.
When I'm spending time with a friend, I'm a friend (and sometimes a Mommy too if the kids are with me!).
When it's 5am and my family is cozy in bed sleeping and I'm on the computer or phone working, I'm a business woman. P31 woman has a whole new meaning to me now! ;)
When I'm working out, I'm trying to be an athlete.
And I hope that in all of these pursuits, I'm a follower of Jesus...in all my interactions I want to reflect Him...Lord, I know I fail at times but I'm trying!

I am so thankful I am who I am...although there are others whom I'd love to be like...and a few traits I'd love to lose of my own...they make me who I am and I am OVER the TOP GRATEFUL for all the things I get to be each day! -Gary's wife, Makenzie and Zach's Mommy, a family member, a friend, a follower, a leader, a business woman, and an athlete (this one still makes me laugh...ok, I used to be an athlete...now I'm just trying to be an athlete!)

careful what you wish for...

Potty training...I'm just curious why ANYONE would want their child potty trained! I mean seriously this is one thing I regret...potty training Makenzie! I get it, it is a pain to change diapers! But has anyone been in a public restroom lately?!?! Today we were out to dinner at CPK...love the Moroccan salad! :) And of course Maki had to go potty...so Mommy took a deep breath and took her to the bathroom...it actually looked pretty clean...but to a GERM FREAK like me...I knew GERMS were lurking! So of course we had wet ones in hand (we buy stock in that company by the way!) we LOVE wet ones! Maki knows the drill...DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING! She really is so great and careful! But on this particular day Makenize touched the toilet seat and bowl...sigh, to many that may not be a big deal and I tried to blow it off like it wasn't but deep down I was FREAKING OUT! So much that while she was going potty I washed my hands...I hadn't even touched anything yet, but they just felt dirty! I know I'm crazy, Lord please help me! At home I could care less what she touches...I pride myself in our clean bathrooms...A MUST! But good Lord she touched a public restrooms toilet...

I asked her tonight if she wanted to wear diapers again and she touched my face, smiled and said "Mommy, you're silly!"

So if Zach is 10 and still wearing diapers you know why!

Germ freak (ME!) is going to watch a movie with my hubby! Good night! :)

what i've been learning...

i'm so sorry for the radio silence lately...i've been going through a growth spurt spiritually (hopefully not physically!) and have been trying to figure it all out.

here is a little glimpse of my heart...

the last few months those near and far to us have been going through major crisis...dear friends of ours lost their newborn baby just moments after birth...this rocked my world. it rocked my world because we love these people and didn't want to see them hurt. it rocked my world because that precious little angel i felt deserved to live a full life with wonderful parents...but i realized it was not this baby i was mourning for because this baby was born in to the arms of jesus...i'm mourning for those amazing parents and their loss.

....so much more sadness.

to make a LONG story short...i've been realizing the more sadness i feel the more i need jesus to hold me. the more joy i feel i want to praise jesus. the more confusion i am faced with the more i pray to jesus.

so bottom line i need/want more of jesus!

i'm also learning to be more present in every thing in my life! no more distractions...this has been hard! i do not want to be distracted when i'm with my kids, hubby, family or friends. so my cell will be on silent much more now or not with me. so if i'm harder to reach, i'm sorry. but when i'm with you, you will have more of me.

ok enough of my babbling!!
a few updates on my cuties!

maki is without doubt the sweetest little thing i've ever encountered! she is sooo thoughtful and wonderful! example: she was really sick last week and tita (my mom) called to ask her what to send her to help her feel better...maki replied with i think binoculars or something and before she hung up she said "tita, don't forget to send zach something too!" my heart melted...she is always so aware of others feelings. she is the 1st one to comfort another child if they are sad or hurt...and she is over the top sweet and gushy with gary and me! although i'm thinking she may be working us a bit...she knows it melts us! ;)

and zach...wow he is hilarious! and so fun! he makes me laugh almost every moment! he is always smiling! and he is running all over the house! if a door is closed he opens it!-i'm thinking we need those handle cover things. the other day he woke up early from his nap and he disappeared...i found him in maki's room in the darkness saying "ma-ma" he wanted her to wake up! he is always knocking on or running in to Gary's office when he's working in there. maki finally gets the concept that daddy is "at work" when he is in the office but...zach not so much! oh well, hopefully soon! we can not have any gates up with zach either. if there is one up he just screams...he loves his freedom! i think we may be in trouble with this little one... ;)

and we are so excited baby micah is here! my brother and sister in law just had their 3rd little blessing! we can't wait to meet him...soon! :)

ok enough of me this am...
xoxo,
dani :)

9 years...

9 years ago today a young, naive, Bride said her vows to a wonderful man of God who she fell in love with unexpectedly...I really didn't know what I was getting myself in to...

Today, 9 years later, that Bride is so GRATEFUL that young Bride followed her heart and married that man...My naive-ness allowed me take a leap of faith in to a man who loves me fully and unconditionally. I'm so glad I didn't think about what I was doing...and I just went with my "gut/heart"...my gut/heart does not steer me wrong...ever! You were without doubt the best decision I have EVER made! Cheers to the young Bride making the best decision of her life @ the ripe old age of 21! Although I'm pretty sure there was divine intervention so I can't take all the credit! ;)

Gary you are a GIFT!

Gary Lee you so complete me...
I am MORE in love with you today than 9 years ago, if that is even possible!
FOREVER I am yours...and thank you for being eternally mine.
Together forever my love...together forever!

Gary you are more than I could of ever dreamed of! Thank you for being so wonderful!
I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU G!

ALL MY LOVE...FOREVER!
:)



It was fun to reminisce and read old blog posts about our Anniversary...but WOW, my cheese factor is SUPER HIGH! Oh well, THANKFULLY we love cheese! ;)



http://sumnerfamilyfun.blogspot.com/2009/02/celebrating-8-wonderful-years.html



http://sumnerfamilyfun.blogspot.com/2008/02/happy-anniversary-my-love_17.html



http://sumnerfamilyfun.blogspot.com/2008/08/happy-7-12-year-anniversary.html

HAWAII pics!

I have finally uploaded our Hawaii pic highlights!
Looking at all these pics makes me want to go back tomorrow!!! Oh gosh, do we love Hawaii!! Every time we are there we always talk about moving permanently...it is just so complicated with the schooling for the kids...private schools are really the only way to go...not to mention we would really miss our family and friends! We'll see if we ever end up over there..? God, what do you think?

There are a TON! ENJOY! :)

I love my boys!!!

Ashley (my cousin!) came out for a few days with us!!! We love you Ash! This was the day she was leaving...Maki was not so happy about it.

He pushed that chair everywhere!

She was so excited to have those umbrellas!

Maki's snack she made!

Zach's 1st haircut! Why does my husband look scared with me holding those scissors? haha

Zach not really getting the concept of binoculars! ;)

Cheeseburger in Paradise!

\

Sunrise! Thanks for the early wake-up calls kids! ;)

Going on a date! THANKS Ash for babysitting!

Gary telling stories to Maki...precious!

Zach and Diamondhead in the background!

so cozy!

knocking Daddy over!

she had such a blast boogy boarding!

this is what we did for hours a day!

I love this pic!

precious...

Big hugs!!!

1 of my favorite pics!

The view from Hula's...

Yummy...

A gingerbread house in paradise!

such a cozy sleeper!

napping on the plane! :)