Saying Goodbye
In less then 48 hours we will be on an airplane leaving Kauai. That makes my heart break a little. It breaks for the good memories, the good people, and the good life we are leaving behind. It also makes my heart a little happy. I am happy to be by family, have our own home, and settle down.
The good thing about this situation is we are leaving something great for something else great. I have no doubt that the next chapter will be full of memories and good people. I know we will always look back at Kauai and smile.
Last night we watched the sunset and drank sparkling cider. We all made a toast to Kauai.
What a great experience it has been. Shawn and I still look at each other and say, “do we really live in Hawaii?” The other replies, “Yes we do.” We took a dream and made it into our reality.
Now it is on to other dreams. A year ago we were dreaming about sandy beaches and surfing. Now we dream of painting the house and fixing up the backyard. Such different dreams but both make us equally happy. The girls always tell Shawn and I that all we do is dream. But isn’t that what life is all about? Dreaming about the next big adventure. Alpine, Utah may not seem like a big adventure to some but for us it is huge. It is our dream and our next adventure.
Kauai you will be missed and we will hold you close to our hearts forever. ALOHA…….
The Last Saturday
We have been in Kauai roughly 36 weeks which means we have had about 36 Saturdays. Saturday is our play day and we taken full advantage. We spent our last Saturday here kayaking with the girls on the Hanalei river. Our last Saturday here was perfection. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was such a clear day which is hard to get up on the North Shore. The girls had a blast kayaking.
The Damn Dirt Hill
Yes, you read that right.
I am not a cusser. I never cuss. But this past few weeks I have cussed twice. The first time was at this supper hard bootycamp class that I have been going to. I rolled over with sweat dripping off my face, almost ready to vomit, and the teacher said something like “lets go sprint around the parking lot” and it just came out under my breath. I surprised myself.
The second time I cussed was when Shawn asked where the girls were and jokingly I said, “at the damn dirt hill.” It was funny. The dirt hill has been the girls obsession over the past two months. We have a big empty lot right next door to our house. It is full of ,well, dirt.
The girls have found such joy and satisfaction on that hill. They make shelters all day long. When it rains they run outside to test the shelter out. They bring food out to eat in the shelter. They move there shelter to a new part of the hill. They weave leaves to put on top of the shelter to make it stronger. They have enlisted the help of all the neighbor children. They are always on the look out for new material to strengthen their shelter. One girl even said, ” I will miss the dirt hill the most in Kauai.” There dream would be to sleep out in the dirt hill but that is where I draw the line.
So why do I put a cuss word in front of such a joyous thing. Well because dirt in Kauai is red and it stains everything. So many clothes now have a red tint to them. The girls fingernails look like they have been plowing in the fields all day long. I find random orange fingerprints on my nice white wall. They are always stealing stuff from my recycle bin to use on there shelters.
I can’t take away a thing that they love so much. In order for me to cope with the dirt hill I just have to through a damn in there every once in awhile. It works and they are happy.
So here is to the damn dirt hill…you will be missed by four little girls, not so much by there mama.
I have to admit…they can build a good shelter. If I am ever on the show Survivor then I hope I have one of them on my team.
Phone Photo Dump
Did you know that it rains alot in Kauai? Well it does. Of course it does, it is a tropical island.
It seems as if it has rained for the past month…almost straight. I like the big storms we are getting but I do miss the sunshine and warm beaches. We have had lots of thunder and lightening. This past weekend there was a tornado in Lihue and a huge hail storm. I guess this weather is not typical but we don’t know any different. It is almost making us miss Utah weather…almost.
We only have five and a half weeks left here in paradise. Hoping the sun comes to visit us again before we leave. We are starting to feel the pressure…like you do on the last few days of vacation. Like we still need to do this and we still need to do that. It is just hard to do this and that right now because of this dang weather!!!
Three Years
Its hard to believe that Shawn and I have been married for three years…at the same time its hard to believe that we have only been married for three years.
I love this guy…seriously check out this picture. He is like something out a magazine right…
He looks nothing like that now. He was so clean cut and proper. Now he has long hair and uses the words “crankin” all the time, mostly when referring to surfing. I loved my clean cut Shawn and I now love my surfer Shawn.
I look back at wedding pictures and the girls look like babies. I didn’t realize at the time how little they were. Now they seem so old. Another few years will go by and I will look at Hawaii pictures and think they all looked like babies. Time keeps going by all too quickly.
We asked the girls what they remember from that day. Some said that it was really cold. Some said they remember dancing to the band. Shawn was hesitant about the band at the time. He said that was when he realized that I have always have good ideas and he should just listen. I’m happy he learned that early on. I have to admit, the band was a hit.
It was a perfect day three years ago. We all needed each other and somehow we found each other. All of the girls needed me. Kylie needed Shawn. Shawn and I needed each other. We sound so needy, don’t we. But now we are all at peace and happy and united. I believe we were all guided to each other and for that I will forever be grateful.
We not only celebrate three years of marriage but three years of becoming a family.
I love life with Shawn. We are dreamers. Always looking forward to the next chapter of life. We have loved Hawaii but we are equally excited about the next step in life. From one of the first conversations I had with Shawn we have always said, “The Best Is Yet To Come.” It is true. That is what makes life so good.
Happy Anniversary to my little family!
Toad Hunting
Kauai not only has beautiful beaches, awesome surfing, and rainbows. Kauai has lots of toads, which makes it the perfect spot for toad hunting. It is our families latest hobby. Something about being in the dark when no one else is outside, flashlights on your head, just waiting for a toad to hop across the road. It is sure exciting.
Camille has a talent for catching anything that flies, crawls or squirms. She can catch anything.
Nothing makes Heidi happier then having something alive in her hands.
I love Colette’s girly red finger nails holding a toad. She is trying to be more girly lately but deep down she would rather touch toads.
Kylie is like her momma. She likes the thrill of the chase but lets the others do the handling.
We took our last visitors, Clint and Emily, toad hunting. They said it may have been there favorite activity here on the island.
The neighbors probably wonder why there are a bunch of giggly girls wandering there front lawns with head lamps. But they obviously don’t understand toad hunting. The girls found at least ten toads that night. And look they even made two of them fall in love.
Valentines Day
Valentines Day came and went in a blink of an eye. It was all about the kiddos this year. No time for any romantic dates here. We had school in the morning. At lunch we went to a fun homeschool party with some homeschool friends. Had a slew of kids camped out in my front room in the afternoon. In the evening I was in charge of Activity Days. It was an awesome days for the kids. Not the romantic dream a girl has of what Valentines Day should be. Our anniversary is in a couple weeks so we said we will make up for it then…no pressure.
So grateful we have other homeschool families to do fun things with. Valentines Day would not have been complete without a school party.
Random News
My blog posts are getting further and further between. It could be because we always forget our camera now days, so therefor I have no good blogging material. Or it could be that I now have a full time job of teaching school. My vote is for the later. My life is busy now. Everyday from 8:30 to 2:00 we are learning and I am teaching. I really love teaching. I feel like the girls are making good progress. Every once in awhile I have a freak out moment and I think I am going to mess up the girls for life. Then I think of all that we accomplished that day and I know that is way more then they would have learned at school. So its all good.
In other news…
We have visitors here…Yea! Andrew and Sharlynn are here for a week.
The girls were so excited to have there picture in the Island Newspaper.
I am stressing over a house we really like in Utah. It is old and a fixer upper. Nothing like we thought we were going to buy. But it has a huge lot. I could supply everyone that reads this blog with fruit and vegetables all summer long. We really like it but I don’t think others are seeing our vision. At first you will all say, “That looks like Grandma’s house.” But in five years you will say, “Let’s go hang out at Kim and Shawn’s house that used to look like Grandma’s house but now it looks awesome.” At least we hope it will look awesome. Decisions cause me anxiety.
The girls have discovered that we have two empty lots next to us. They somehow missed that the first six months we were here. They are constantly digging in the dirt and catching insects. The other day they were so dirty I wouldn’t let them in the house. I fed them dinner in the garage and then went to the pool. (I made them shower before getting in..I care about the pool too)
Heidi is becoming a reader. It is so rewarding to see the light bulb go off in her head. Shawn said to her the other day, “Heidi you are so smart.” Heidi said, “Yes, thanks to Mama.” Ahhh…isn’t that sweet and smart of her to say. I think so.
I spoke at Enrichment last week on how the Book of Mormon can heal. I learned alot. I learned that I knew alot of healing already. It just takes an assignment like this to make me realize it. It was a good experience for me.
Shawn is addicted. He used to be addicted to me…really. But now I am a close second to surfing. He is loving it. Last week I listened as he called all his friends to surf and they all said no. Probably because it was pouring rain outside. Shawn is addicted so pouring rain does not stop him.
And that is all the news I have for now.
I need to blog more often so I don’t write such random and unorganized blog posts, but at least I blogged.
Building at the Beach
“Camille just took the swing and ripped it right out of my hands.” says Heidi
“Heidi won’t share the swing with me.” says Camille
“Go figure it out.” says Mom and Dad
That is the story of Camille and Heidi’s relationship. They fight and they tell on each other. Sometimes they figure it out and sometimes they don’t. But when they do figure it out, they are laughing and the best of friends.
Yesterday we spent the day at Mahaulepu Beach. It was a cold day but it is such a beautiful spot. We have lived here for over five months and we still are finding hidden jems. Yesterday we saw about 50 whales jump out of the water. It was probably only a few whales but they jumped like 50 times. Some jumps were so high and you could see their entire body. Other jumps were just a fin or a tail. It was so neat to watch.
The girls got to work like they always do. Seriously they crack me up. They first built a dog house for the random dog hanging out on the beach. Then it turned into a house for them. They play together for hours and hours.
All the girls need to be entertained for hours are some sticks on a beach. I am so grateful that they have each other. There is always someone to play with and laugh with and build a house with. Yes, there is also someone always to steal your seat and make you mad. But thats what makes them all sisters.
Homeschool
Today I loved…
Sitting on the Lanai while the girls ate cereal for dinner.
Today I loved…
Taking four different walks. One with my honey to talk about life. Another with my honey to finish talking about life. One with the girls while they skated around. Another with the sunsetting on one side and the moon rising on the other. It was a perfect day for a walk, therefore I took four of them.
That is the beauty about life. Dang it. If I want to take four walks in one day I can and I will.
Do you want to know what else is beautiful about life? That I can decide what is best for my children and I have the freedom to act upon it. I know what is good for them and I know when they are not reaching their full potential.
So dang it…We are now homeschooling. As of lately I have felt that my girls deserve better and can do better. As their Mom, who is fully invested in their life, their education, and their success, I feel there is no one better who can teach them. We are so excited for this new chapter in life. Our plan is to homeschool for the next few months while we are here on Kauai. Once we get back to Utah we will put the girls back in public schools.
I have been researching curriculums and state cores constantly for the past few weeks. I have ordered all the appropriate books and programs for each girl. I am excited to give the girls all a big boost in their education. Of course we will be studying all the core subjects, such as math, science and reading. The beautiful thing about homeschool is we can add things that they wouldn’t learn in public school. The girls start the day out with Book of Mormon study. They have reading to complete and then a workbook to complete. They are learning to type. Kylie is going to learn spanish. They are reading like crazy. If one is struggling with reading then we can focus on reading. If one is an excellent reader we can give her books that challenge her. It is so exciting to see the spark in all of them and the excitement we all have to learn.
One of the main concerns people have with homeschooling is if the child will get enough social interaction. The girls have so many friends in the neighborhood and at church, so we feel it is not a concern. After school almost every day we are either at the pool or beach with friends their age. We are going to work hard at school and then play hard after school.
Some might not agree with the decision to homeschool. The beauty of it is that we all have a choice of how to educate our children. Some choose public schools, some choose private schools, some choose charter schools, some choose boarding schools, and some choose homeschool. Some would die to receive any education at all.
And we choose Homeschool…for now.
Camping with Dad
Shawn is an awesome Dad.
You probably already knew that.
I knew it too.
But in case you need proof, here you go…
He took all the girls beach camping the other night. I stayed home and enjoyed a nice quiet evening to myself. The girls loved every bit of it. Sometimes it is funner when Mom isn’t around. No one to tell you to wash your hands or stop drinking root beer or to stop getting sand in the tent.
Shawn is the best daddy. Not only because he takes the girls camping. He is fun and loving each and every day to the girls. He is the perfect man to raise four little girls. And that job takes the perfect man.
Christmas
I think I will let the pictures tell the story…
…and that was our Christmas. It was simple, quiet, and perfect.
I loved having Christmas on Sunday. The girls opened their stockings and played with their new barbie house before church. We saved all the other presents for after. Our sacrament meeting was so good. The best part was having Jeffery R. Holland there. He and his wife are here vacationing and gave the Kalaheo ward a nice Christmas visit. He spoke at the end of the program and shared a wonderful Christmas message.
The girls have been alternating between barbies and rollerblading/scootering. They have been going up and down our street all day long. I love it. I love that they are outside. I love that they are so excited with their new toys. I love how happy they are.
It is the day after Christmas and our house is already all cleaned up. Not really by choice. The wind from the lanai blew the tree over so it was either spend the time putting it back up or clean it up. Shawn threw it off the lanai. That is the one good thing about not having all your Christmas decor…the clean up is really easy.
We have one more week of Christmas Break. I’m sure it will be spent rolling up and down the street, at the pool, and some beach time. Then it is the new year and back to school and back to a routine. But for now we will just keep on rollin up and down the street.
Merry Christmas!
Carnival and Gingerbread
Christmas break has begun. I’m actually quite happy about it, mainly because we get to sleep in! Also because I love my children and want to spend time with them. But sleeping in sounds sooo nice.
This last week was a party week at school. The girls were so excited for all of the festivities. I only have two documented with pictures, so thats what you get to read about.
The first is the third grade carnival. All year long they have been earning “money” to spend at this carnival. I ran the bean bag toss game. It was a huge hit. My line was pretty long. I think the work spread that I would let you go until you win. I am a softy.
Here is a picture of the girls with there teachers. Colette’s teacher ,Mrs. Riveria, is on the left. Kylie’s teacher, Mrs. Gannon, is on the right. We love them both.
Below is a picture of Kylie’s class. This is taken in the school gym which is also where the girl’s take hula.
The third grade also made gingerbread houses at school. I had the privilege of making thirty bags of icing. It was a pleasure. My kitchen and I were covered in powdered sugar. It was worth it though to see all those kiddos make their cute houses.
Below is a picture of Kylie and her “friend” Jeremy.
It was a fun week but I am happy it is over. All of my cards and packages are in the mail. Neighbor treats delivered. The only thing to worry about this week is my own family.
I have to admit I am a little homesick this time of year. I miss our families. I miss what we normally do this time of year. But I am extremely grateful for my own little family and that I get to spend a quiet little Christmas with them in paradise. I will have plenty of family parties and white Christmas’s in the years to come. We are going to try to soak up every bit of the sand and the sunshine this Hawaiian Christmas.
Hanapepe Art Night
Last Friday night we went to the Hanapepe Art night. Up and down the old main street we looked at art and jewelry and we listened to Christmas carolers. The atmosphere was really fun. All of the old shops had christmas lights.
I think at least ten people said something like, “Wow four girls!” or “All girls, Wow!” We get that alot.
The Vacation within a Vacation
Yes, we live in Paradise. Yes, we go to the beach alot. Yes, I see a Hawaiian rainbow everyday. But it somehow became all normal. I get all worried about the dishes in the sink or the fact that we are almost out of milk and costco is 30 minutes away. I forget that we live in Hawaii. Visitors help you remember that fact and I like it. I went into vacation mode with them and I loved it.
First off, it was great to just have my parents around. I have never lived too far from home. Not the kind of far that you have to travel across an ocean to get home. And I get homesick sometimes. So it was nice just to see my parents. It was nice to have my Mom’s help in morning making breakfast and lunches. It was nice to have my dad want to take and pick up the girls from school.
We fit alot into their vacation. You see, not only our we a free hotel but we are also really nice tour guides and you don’t even have to tip us. Although our hotel is sometimes noisy and messy and you have to make your own breakfast. You can’t have everything.
We had an awesome day up on the North Shore. The North Shore never disappoints. I believe it is one of the prettiest spots on Earth. It is a little hit or miss with the rain but we lucked out and had a beautiful day. We did some beach hoping and ended up at Hanalei for a little surfing.
Another favorite day was up on the North Shore as well. Shawn was nice and stayed home to do the kid thing while my parents and I went on an awesome hike. We hiked the first two miles of the Kalalau trail. Kalalau is a famous 11 mile hike in to a gorgeous beach along the Napali Coast. It is rated one of the top ten most dangerous hikes in the United States. We hiked two miles in to Hanakapi’ai Beach. It was a great way to explore the Napali Coast.
Another great day was a bike ride with the girls along the east coast. We rented old beach cruisers and road up and down the coast. After we took Grandma and Grandpa for our favorite treat, Ono Shave Ice.
We also took my parents kayaking up the Wailua River and then hiked into Secret Falls. Kayaking is good marriage therapy. Lets just say my parents had a good “therapy session.”
Thanks Mom and Dad for such a great trip.
We hope that you will come again! There is still more to see and do!
Hawaiian Christmas Tree
We love our Hawaiian Tree. So different, so pretty, and so Hawaiian.
The tree is up and it is December 6th. I wonder when it will start feeling like Christmas.
It kind of feels like summer vacation and for some weird reason I have a big tree with lights in the family room.