The Brown Kiddos

Going to try to get caught up, maybe!

2010-12-15T16:43:00.000-06:00

It is fair to say that I have been an utter failure as a blogger this year. This has been such a busy year, and I guess that my blog had to be the thing to suffer. However, I really want to get caught up, so I am going to try to do a post for each of the missing months of this year (May - Dec), before year end.

Check back soon!! The month of May will be so interesting!

Official Easter Egg Hunts - Fun, Fun!

2010-04-04T14:07:00.002-06:00

After our morning worship, there was an Easter Egg Hunt for all of the kids at church. Dane and Sydni both hunted with the younger group of kids out on the playground. Ms. Vivian, who is always so great to take pictures of so many things, took the cutest pictures of all of the kids out there. She was also so nice and took a family picture of the four of us.

Dane was on the move to gather all of his loot!

I like this one - Sydni's taking lessons from her big brother.

Sydni did really well hunting and held her own with the big kids, I thought.

This one's one of my favorites!

All right, Mom, time to go to Granna's now!

We headed straight from the church building to my parents' house to eat lunch and have the annual Bowers cousin Easter egg hunt. Unfortunately, Joe David, Stefany and Jed couldn't be with us this year, and we really missed them a lot. Since they'll be moving to East Texas soon, hopefully we won't have many more Easters apart in the future! Yea!

The kids were excited and ready to hunt eggs, so they were not very cooperative with taking a group picture. Looks like the stupid mom (me) who's idea it was to take pictures before the hunt should have known this would happen. Oh well, we learn best from our mistakes, and we'll do better next year, hopefully!

These were the best pictures we could get of the group.

And they're off....

Dane carried binoculars with him during the hunt, so that he could make sure that all the eggs were found!

All done! Dane is pooped out down by the swing with Granna, and Sydni's heading back to the house. What a fun afternoon!

Easter Morning Happenings

2010-04-04T13:39:00.000-06:00

Easter is here, Yea!!! And guess who left something at our doors? The Easter Bunny!!! Happy Easter!

I just thought this one was too cute!

Dane is always the first to wake up most mornings, and Easter was no different. Luckily, I heard him in his room, and I had the camera ready, so I could jump up and capture the moment they found their Easter baskets. Here's Dane...

I love this look on his face, when you can tell he's just woken up but is so excited about something! I can always count on seeing this expression at least two mornings a year, Easter and Christmas! So sweet!

He seems pleased, I think!

Of course, they both always have to go and show Dad their stuff.

Now, it's Sydni's turn. Sleepy head finally woke up - Dane and I probably had something to do with waking her up!

The Easter Bunny surprised "Little Miss Dora" with her very own Dora the Explorer backpack! She was so excited! And, yes, she puts her shoes on before she leaves bed every day. Most mornings, she comes out with her rubber boots on.

I love the intensity on her face!

These next two pictures are some of my favorites. They really do play well together.

Now it's Sydni's turn to show her stuff to Daddy.

Once we got our church clothes on, I tried to get a good picture of them. Dane was trying to get Sydni to move to the right spot to take a picture. It didn't happen.

This is the best shot that I could get, right before we headed to the car.

We had a fun morning, and we had a wonderful and uplifting day of worship and fellowship, remembering the wonderful gift Jesus gave us by suffering and facing death, taking on our sins and the filth of all mankind for us...so that he could ultimately overcome death, by rising from the grave, to be glorified and seated at God's right hand where He belongs....ALL FOR US because he loves us and wants us to be right with God too, like He is, and so that we can share in His glory for eternity in Heaven.

WHAT A WONDERFUL SAVIOR, AND WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY! HAPPY EASTER!

Spring is Finally Here! Time for a Practice Easter Egg Hunt!

2010-03-29T13:04:00.000-06:00

It's been so pretty around here lately, and the week before Easter, we just had to get out of the house and enjoy the weather and get in a good practice Easter Egg Hunt, so that Dane and Sydni would be fully prepared for the real deal! The hunt was over in a flash, and I decided to take a few pictures of my cuties!

Enjoying the hunt!

A few pictures together...

Some good ones of Dane...

And sweet girl...

And no practice Easter Egg Hunt is complete without a curious little cat. Here's our Webster, or Webbie as Sydni says!

A Fun Tea Party for the Girls

2010-03-27T12:34:00.000-06:00

At the end of March, there was a Ladies & Girls Springtime tea party and cookie exchange at church. This was the 2nd year to have it, and it really went well. We all had fun getting dressed up, decorating tables, and sharing cookie recipes, oh yeah, and of course, drinking tea in fancy cups! It seemed like we had more little girls come this year, and that made it all the more fun, I thought. My mom, sister and nieces came, too, and it was a fun and special time to spend with some special ladies in my life.

On a side note, and I really wish I had pictures of this, Dane and J.J. clearly didn't get to attend the party, but I have on good authority from Lane that those boys had a tea party of their own with Mardi Gras beads as decorations. After their tea party, they went out to the back yard to dig and search for oil. Dane is determined to strike it big in our back yard, and he took advantage of the free drilling labor while J.J. was here, I guess.

Crazy Coloring Kids!

2010-03-19T12:24:00.000-06:00

We've been doing a lot of coloring around here lately, and I just thought these pictures were cute!

A Fun Mom & Son Oil Outing!

2010-02-25T12:15:00.000-06:00

Back around the end of February, Dane and I spent an afternoon at the East Texas Oil Museum. Growing up in the heart of the great East Texas oil field, Dane has developed a fascination with all things oil...derricks, pump jacks, drills, etc. One Sunday recently, we ate lunch at Chili's with a couple from church. The man is a petroleum engineer, and Dane spent the entire lunch staring at the oil well outside the window and asking Pat questions about how it works! I love to see Dane's wheels turning when he's busy trying to figure something out, and I love to see him come up with designs and solutions when he's playing. Such a fun boy!!!!

Anyway, Dane had not been to the oil museum since he was a baby, right after we moved here, and he has been asking to go. So, one afternoon, I finally remembered, and the two of us had a fun outing together. I was afraid that he would get bored quickly and be ready to leave, but he stayed interested and asked questions and seemed so excited the entire time we were there. It was so fun. To their credit, the museum does a great job making it a really fun place for little kids to enjoy and really learn a lot about our area's history.

What a Fun, Fun, Really Snowy Day!

2010-02-12T23:19:00.001-06:00

Well, I started out a little upset last night, after I talked to my mother on the phone, and she told me they already had 5 inches of snow at their house, and we only had 1/2 inch that had stuck on the ground. Then, thankfully, by the time we went to bed, right after the electricity went out, the ground was already covered in a couple of inches! I woke up this morning, hearing Dane say in the most astonished voice, "I can't even believe it! My dream has come true! It did snow!" I thought that was the sweetest thing, and it reminded me so much of how excited snow used to make me - and it still does! I popped out of bed, to find Dane already getting ready, looking around for his ski clothes to get dressed in and go play! I quickly found my ski pants and jacket, and we immediately headed out to play, leaving Lane and Sydni still sound asleep inside! We had about 6 or 7 inches, deep enough to come up past my ankles! It was so pretty, and it made Kilgore, TX look like a completely different town! Dane and I played outside for about an hour and a half, and then I had to head in to get ready to go to work. Our electricity was still out and it was getting colder in the house, so the whole family headed up to the church building, while Lane and I got some work done. Thankfully, by the time we got home at lunchtime, our power was back on. We spent most of the afternoon in, and when Lane got home from work this afternoon, he and Dane tackled the snowman I had made this morning (his head had already fallen off), and then they made a couple more for Dane to tackle and knock over! We think he'll make a fine linebacker someday! They made one last giant snowman right before the sun went down, and Dane decided to leave him up - maybe it was just too big and he didn't think he could tackle it, who knows?

Such a fun day and a nice escape from the normal, boring East Texas winter day!

The playground - Dane actually slid down the slide and flew off the end!

I thought my basketball goal looked pretty neat!

Our front yard

Looking back toward the house from the mailbox - the crepe myrtle bush had made an archway over the sidewalk.

Dane - having a ball!

My finished work of art - my first snowman to build all by myself!

Another view of our house from the street

Driving down our street on the way to the church - A Winter Wonderland!

One of the parks in town

We thought this was funny - the mariache band statues on top of El Sombrero looked so cold!

More fun in the snow!

Even Webster ventured out to check everything out.

Sydni liked the snow, as long as she didn't have to get in it. She stayed on the sidewalk, for the most part.

Making snow angels, or snow butterflies. Dane and I decided his look more like butterflies.

The giant snowman Lane and Dane made

Ride 'Em Cowgirl! Yee Haw!

2010-02-12T22:46:00.001-06:00

This girl's a certified nut! I wonder who she gets that from?!! She's been dying to get on the rocking horse, but I didn't think she was quite ready yet. So, this past week, I thought I'd let her give it a try, and she's actually pretty good at it, I think! She holds on well, and she can even get off all by herself. She just can't climb up by herself yet, which actually makes me feel better, since I don't have to worry yet about her climbing up when I'm not watching.

Here's my cute little cowgirl! I'm sure her Aunt Torri is proud!

My Dane has started Preschool!

2010-01-31T22:40:00.000-06:00

What started out as a disappointing morning, quickly turned into a day of excitement! We had thought that Dane was going to get to start playing soccer this spring, but we found out that he actually won't be old enough to play until the fall season. The day I found out, I had to break it to Dane, and he was so disappointed. I felt so bad, since I had just misread the website. Anyway, later that day, we got a call from the Mother's Day Out program here in town, saying that they had an opening in the class for Dane's age group. We have been on the waiting list for two years now, and there just never have been any openings, until now! And, come to find out, the director of the program is actually one of our neighbors!

So, on January 17, my big boy went to preschool for the first time! I was so proud of him, and he has been doing so well. He goes on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 am to 2 pm, and he really loves it. He knows that it's called "Mother's Day Out", and one day, as I was dropping him off, I asked him if he was going to have a good day, and he said "Yes, and you and Sydni will get to have the whole day out!" He really is such a thoughtful and sweet boy, especially to his mother! I just adore him! I have been so proud of him. He's made some new friends in his class, and it is so fun to hear him talk about them and what they do. We were preparing Valentine's cards for his class last week, and he cracked me up how he determined which people got which cards. He would say, "____ is goofy, so he gets this one.", or "______ is really smart, so he gets this one." I remember doing that in school, too. Valentine cards are so important, and I remember being so careful and scrutinizing who would get which cards.

Here are the pictures I took of him on his first day. My friend, Andrea, had gotten him a new personalized backpack, so he got to use it, and we had so much fun picking out and ordering his napmat, too! He got one with tools on it that has a built-in pillow and blanket with his name on it. So fun!

He was so excited - look at those sweet eyes!

Of course, sister had to get in on the action, too!

Funny Pictures of the Kids Hangin' Out

2010-01-12T22:21:00.000-06:00

This is the way I find these two a lot of times - just hangin' out together! I love it! Sydni adores her big brother, and she spends most all of her time trying to do the exact same thing as him, as well as him. She knows she's not supposed to touch his computer games or the DVD player, but she gets as close to him as she can, so that she can watch him control them.

I need to get a video of them racing each other. That is their newest favorite pasttime. They'll spend 30 minutes at a time racing back and forth. Unfortunately, they have both inherited their mother's undying competitive streak. I try to get Dane to let Sydni win, or at least give her a head start, but it's so hard for him to not just blow past her at the end. Of course, when she sees that he's already beaten her, she usually falls down at the finish line and says, "Oh no!" We then ask her if she's twisted her ankle again, and she nods her head and says, "Uh, huh". She's a goober for sure! I remember faking injuries, too, when I was little and we would race around our yard. So I know just how she feels - the agony of defeat!

Here's some of my favorite photos of them hanging out together:

She's just been caught messing with her brother in this one...

And here she is again - caught red-handed!

In this one, she's trying to make me believe she's being sweet and watching her brother's game, but notice she's still got her hand in his hair!

Now, she's genuinely interested, I think!

2009 Independence Bowl - Texas A&M vs. Georgia

2009-12-28T21:48:00.023-06:00

A fellow Aggie from our church asked us if we'd like to get tickets for the Independence Bowl with them through his company, and since Shreveport is so close, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity for Dane to go to his first Texas Aggie football game! Since we were going to be heading straight to my parents' house for my family's Christmas, we dropped Sydni off early so my mom could watch her. Parking was insane, but we somehow managed to get a prime parking spot in the hood about a 1/2 mile from the stadium for $20, which did, in fact, come with pitbull guard dogs. So, we felt fairly confident that our car was parked in the safest place in town! It was also pretty cold that day, but Dane didn't really complain about that, and he did good and stayed somewhat interested in the game, for the most part. He took his Cyber Pocket game with him, so that when he did get a little bored, he just played his games.

Unfortunately, the Aggies couldn't pull off a win, but we did top off our fun night together with a scrumpuous meal at Pancho's!

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-25T18:05:00.070-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas season this year, and we were fortunate to be able to spend it with so many friends and family that we love! As usual, I don't feel like I took near as many pictures as I should have, but I took enough for us to be able to look back and remember how precious our two kids are, and to be reminded about how quickly they are both growing up!

Below are pictures of the kids with Santa Claus at the Kids' Christmas Party with our church. As you can tell, Lane was recruited to play Santa again, which usually doesn't work too well, since all of the older kids announce to everybody that it's really just Lane, and then it kinda spoils it for the other kids. Oh, well! Dane did well and smiled nice for the camera, but Sydni was deathly afraid of Santa, and this is the best that I could get of her. It was so funny. She started screaming before I put her in Santa's lap, and she basically jumped out of his arms! Maybe she'll have more fun with him next year.

The kids got all dressed up in their Christmas best for church the Sunday before Christmas, and I took these really sweet pictures after we got home. I love getting these pictures taken each year with them.

We spent Christmas with the Brown side of the family this year, so we made special arrangements with Santa Claus for him to come to our house a night early, since the kids had been so good this year. My mom and dad came over to go to church with us that Wednesday night, and when we got home, the kids got to open up one of their presents from Lane and me - their new Christmas pajamas. Then we had a holiday dance party and got Sydni put to bed. Then, Dane helped me get the cookies and milk out, and we wrote Santa a note on the marker board. Then, it was off to bed!

Dane came up with what to say to Santa, and I just transcribed it. This is also the first year that he signed his own name all by himself. He is really doing so well with his writing skills lately!

Santa finally arrived and left a wonderful load of loot for us all, except for Lane, who got switches and coal in his stocking this year. It didn't surprise me a bit! Dane's big present this year was his VSmile Cyber Pocket hand-held game system, with several games to go with it. He also got a Cars Race track, an adding machine to use as a cash register, some legos, the game Perfection, and Die-Cast Metal Optimus Prime. Sydni's main gift this year was a kitchen for her room, with pots, pans, dishes, table and chairs. Her Nana and Pa Pa got her tons and tons of play food, too! So, she can whip up just about anything you might be hungry for right in her own room! She also got a Baby Alive doll, a doll stroller, and some furniture for her doll house.

I was super excited because Dane got me a basketball goal, which I have wanted for so long! I can't wait for warmer weather, when I can get out there and play all the time!

After opening presents at home, we headed out for Houston, to spend a couple of days with Lane's side of the family, and we had such a great time. It was a very special Christmas! As you can see, Sydni was konked out!

2009-12-16T22:43:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

My Favorite Time of the Year!!

2009-12-16T00:38:00.011-06:00

Finally, after waiting all year, it was the Christmas season and time to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house! Well, I have to be truthful, it wasn't technically the Christmas season just yet. I, being the impatient Christmas loving person that I am, could not wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start the season's festivities! On Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I couldn't wait any longer, and I made a deal with Lane so that I could go ahead and start decorating. Was it a good deal, I'm sure you're wondering? Looking back, I'm beginning to doubt it, but, what's done is done, I suppose! Lane agreed to let us put the tree up on one condition...that I allow him to pick out a new tree topper. Apparently the one we already had did not suit his specific tastes. In his own words, it was just too classy and not nearly as flashy as a proper tree topper should be. So, we headed out to find the perfect topper. We headed first to Ellis Pottery in Longview, one of the neatest places in town. They have gobs of Christmas decor, and I was secretly hoping Lane would "settle" on something from there, but, deep down, I knew that they didn't carry anything tacky enough for him to pick. So, naturally, we headed on to Wal-Mart, where at first, Lane was discouraged and thought he wouldn't find anything there, either. He had originally been looking for a flashy star of some sort, but just as he was about to give up, he noticed this display of angel toppers. The words that caught his eye were "Fiber Optic Lights". So, he finally decided on the perfect angel for him, which was wearing a blue dress, had red hair and, earily, looked a lot like me in the face. He thought it was so funny and knew he'd found the one. He kept holding it up to me and asking people in the store who they thought it looked like. Anyway, needless to say, I was beginning to think our deal was getting worse and worse. So, yes, our pretty tree is adorned on top with that creepy angel, and Lane is thrilled! Oh, well, it was still worth it, and I have loved every day and night we've gotten to enjoy our holiday surroundings!

When we got home, Lane got the Christmas music going, and we sorted the ornaments and started in decorating. This was Sydni's first year to help decorate the tree, which was neat.

Dane is so proud of his ornaments and carefully chose just the right spot for each of them.

And, there she is - that angel. He looks so pleased.

The finished tree - oops, I "accidentally" cut the topper out of the picture!

Dane used the money he had made from the garage sale we had earlier in the month to purchase his own blue Christmas tree. We put it up in his bedroom, and he is so proud of it.

After church one Sunday, I just thought the kids looked so pretty, so we had a little photo shoot.

Taking time to hug the cat.

The next week, we got dressed up one night and took our official family Christmas pictures. As can be expected with little ones, it is definitely a challenge, but they turned out pretty good, considering.

I love the next two of them - they really do love each other so much, so I don't have to try too hard to get them to pose together, which is nice. I sure hope they always stay that way!

Our many attempts at a family picture.

And finally - the official 2009 Brown Family Christmas picture!

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, and we pray that, in the coming year, you will enjoy God's blessings of hope and love in all you do.

This is what happened when Sydni tried to help her dad clean the mud out of the koi fish pond one day...

2009-11-01T00:31:00.000-06:00

Look at her hair! How gross!

Trick-or-Treating

2009-10-31T23:32:00.000-06:00

After having a great birthday party with Daddy, we got all of the kids dressed up in their costumes and got ready to go Trick-or-Treating. They were having Trunk-or-Treating and games over in Hughes Springs at the city park that night, so we thought that would be the perfect venue for all of our crew of goons!

Sydni was a little kitty cat this year, and Dane was Mr. Monkey. For those who don't remember, Dane's favorite toy and constant play partner is Mr. Monkey, a little stuffed Ty beanie baby monkey. Last year after Halloween, I found both of their costumes on clearance sale at Old Navy for $5 each, so Dane decided way back then that he wanted to be Mr. Monkey this year.

Sydni just makes a cute little kitty, don't you agree?

This picture just cracks me up - he just looks like a sneaky little monkey! I love it!

Posing for a few pictures.

Before leaving for Trick-or-Treating, all the kids took turns getting tractor rides with their Pa. Here's Sydni keeping an eye on her brother during his ride.

Dane and I laugh about how weird it is for a monkey to ride on a tractor.

I wish I knew what Dane was telling Daddy. I'm sure it was something about how the tractor works. He loves to learn about how things are put together and work.

Sydni finally got her turn for a ride with Pa. This was her first tractor ride, and she really enjoyed it, I think. Of course, everything's OK as long as she can suck her thumb.

Robyn did an amazing job making all three of her kids' costumes. Mary Nan was Wonder Woman, Laura was the Queen of Hearts, and J.J. was Woody, of course.

Here's Dane, showing off his tail and banana.

Jed was so cute dressed up as Cookie Monster, and it was so cute to watch he and Sydni enjoy all of their candy and explore the playground at the park.

This girl is a serious Dum Dums eater.

A monkey playing on monkey bars - ironic, I thought.

Relaxing with Uncle Joe David and Granna, as they enjoyed their suckers together.

This is one fantastic Granna, and from the look on her face, I think she was in heaven that night with everybody together. It was such a great day and such a great weekend! I love my family!

Dane's 4th Birthday Party!

2009-10-30T11:02:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that Dane is already 4 years old. Sure doesn't seem that long ago to me. I am so proud of him for so many reasons. He is my only son, and I tell him all the time how glad I am that God gave him to me, and that is so, so true. He is one of the neatest people I know, and he is going to be such a wonderfully talented, caring and special man someday, just like he is now. Four years old is such a special age for a little boy, I think. Four year old boys don't hide their feelings, at least mine doesn't. Of course, that goes for all of his feelings, but more and more, I see him expressing his excitement for whatever he's doing, as well as showing his love. We have always told each other "I love you" frequently, but it has always been initiated by me...until now. In the last few months, just about every time Dane walks through the room I am in, busy doing whatever he's got going, he will stop and say, "Mom, I love you." This happens countless times a day, and I never get tired of it. I sure hope he never stops doing that. He's growing and learning at such a crazy rate, too, which is so neat to see and experience with him.

Alan Dane Brown, I love you so much, and I'm so glad that God gave you to me! Your dad and I are so very proud of you and the fantastic young man you are growing to be.

My nephew, J.J.'s birthday is two days after Dane's, so this year, Robyn and I decided to have a joint party for them at our parents' house the night before Halloween. Joe David, Stefany and Jed came in from San Antonio, so we had their party, followed by our annual Cousin Campout. Dane and J.J. both love Toy Story, so they had a Toy Story cake, courtesy of their Granna, and we had a great time!

All six grandkids together, enjoying a string cheese snack and milk.

The birthday cake!

And the handsome birthday boys!

Getting ready to blow out the candle

First, a team blow!

Then, each of them had their own turn.

This guy got his very first big boy bicycle, and surprise, surprise, it's a Transformers bike! He was so surprised and so excited!

Little sister had fun pushing this little chair around the carport while all of the big kids rode their bikes. She and Jed would take turns doing this.

Fun times at the party!

After hanging out in the tent for a while, the kids headed back in to enjoy watching Charlotte's Web together. Someday, they will actually spend the night in the tent for Cousin Campout. For now, they just play around for a while until they're ready to come in and go to bed.

It was a really good day, and the next day was a good one, too. We surprised Daddy and helped him celebrate his 60th birthday. It was a great weekend to celebrate birthdays, and we topped it off with Trick-or-Treating that night in Hughes Springs. I will post those pictures in the next post.

A Weekend in Iola

2009-10-24T10:17:00.000-06:00

For Dane's birthday weekend back at the end of October, we headed down to Torri & Roger's house to spend some time with the Brown side of the family. Of course, we were super excited to get to see the newest Brown cousin, Colton. He is growing so fast and is so cute! Aunt Torri, as usual, went out of her way to make Dane feel special, and she made a wonderful supper and also made Dane a birthday cake. Nana and Papa got to come, too, and they got Dane his first scooter for his birthday, and he absolutely loves it. In his own words, he loves to "scooter around". And he's actually pretty good at it. We "scooter" over to the corner store near our house, which is lots of fun.

Here's my proud 4 year old boy with his new scooter!

We took a stroll down the road to the store.

The next day, before we had to head back home, we went to a Farm Patch in Bryan and got some more cute pictures of the kids. We took a sweet one of all three kids together, but I still need to get it from Torri. The kids got to wear their Halloween costumes a little early, which was fun, but we ended up taking them off before we left because it was so hot that day.

Here's Torri and her sweet little man. Dane and Colton were both monkeys this year for Halloween, so they got to wear their monkey suits together.

Sydni and Aunt Torri sharing secrets.

Here's a few pictures of Little Miss Kitty.

And a few of our crazy Mr. Monkey!

Digging in the corn kernels searching for baby pumpkins.

Pumpkin Patch Pictures-Catching Up!

2009-10-23T09:39:00.000-06:00

Now that I finally have all of our vacation posts finished, I can start to get caught up on everything else that has happened since.

The week before Halloween, we went to a great pumpkin patch near Tyler, and the kids had a great time. They had some great pumpkins to choose from and had so many great places to take pictures. It was a really neat place.

This was the best that we could get of Sydni by the measuring stick.

Here was our final pick from the pumpkins. We loved the silvery-green pumpkins the best.

Sweetie pie, trying to escape the wagon.

They had the cutest barrel train for the kids, and Dane was ecstatic that they had an Aggie car!

Just enjoying the ride

When we got home, we decorated our pumpkins for the front porch.

Sydni's Big Girl Bed

2009-10-15T18:04:00.000-06:00

Each year in November, I have a big garage sale, and this past year, I had my heart set on selling the crib. Not that I was trying to make my baby grow up too fast or anything, but I felt like Sydni might be ready, and the crib definitely would make a good "big ticket" garage sale item. Sydni has always had a queen size bed set up in her room, too, so I just took it off of the frame and set it up on the floor, to be lower. I thought we'd try it out for a few days and see how she did, and she did great! It was a win-win situation - Sydni gained lots more playing space in her room, and I made $50 on the sale of her crib to go toward Christmas gifts!

Here she is in her big girl bed!

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 23-Oahu Day 4-Hanauma Bay Snorkeling

2009-09-23T15:58:00.000-06:00

This was our last day in Oahu, and then we headed back to the Big Island to Shayne & Billie's house to meet back up with them and the kids.

Before we left Oahu, we did a little bit more sightseeing before we had to make our late afternoon flight. We drove to downtown Honolulu and saw the state capitol, which is in the picture below. To me, it looked more like an office building than a state capitol building.

Then, we headed over to do some snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, which is a marine preserve. I was really surprised at how much I really enjoyed snorkeling. I was a little bit nervous before the trip, but I was willing to give it a try, and I'm so glad that I did. I really don't have any interest in scuba diving, but I think that I could snorkel all day long, if I had the chance. This was the best place. Because it is a preserve, they require you to watch a 10 minute movie about snorkeling safety and guidelines to protect the marine life. Of course, this was another thing that made Lane and me start laughing. Anytime we are in a situation that we are supposed to be serious, we usually find things to laugh at. Anyway, we did pay attention, and we made sure to snorkel with our buddy for safety. This place was so pretty. The bay was formed when one of the edges of a dormant volcanic crater collapsed and was filled in with water. Most of the bay is very shallow, with a sandy bottom, and it is filled with the most beautiful fish! It is a completely different world under there, and it is so fascinating - I could have wandered around there all day, if we could have. We ended up staying there about 2 or 3 hours, until we had to start heading back to the airport. We ate lunch that day at Teddy's Burgers, a local burger joint, and it was very good, too.

Thursday, our last full day there, was spent packing and doing last-minute souvenior shopping, and we also went to the Big Island Candy Factory in Hilo that day. They had some pretty tasty treats there, and it was fun. We got some chocolate dipped shortbread cookies there that were so wonderful! We headed back to Texas that night, and we flew through the night and arrived back in Houston around 1:45 Friday afternoon. We were a little bit nervous about how the kids would do on such a long flight in the middle of the night, but they could not have acted any better! Dane literally fell asleep before we left Honolulu, and he didn't wake up until we touched down at the Phoenix airport six hours later! Sydni slept in my lap the whole long six hour flight, and she only woke up 3 or 4 times and quickly went back to sleep after getting comfortable again. Needless to say, the flights were definitely our least favorite part of the trip, but it was totally worth it for all of the great experiences we gained, and I'm so glad that we got to share so many memories together as a family. I hope that Dane will remember all he did, and I hope that Sydni will be able to look back at these posts and enjoy the things she did but probably will never remember. Oh, well!

This was just the best trip, and we are so glad that we were able to go. We had such a great time getting to see Shayne, Billie, Tyler and Caleb, and we really can't wait until we get to go back someday. We fell in love with that place!

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 22-Oahu Day 3-Parasailing, Beaches, a Lost Discovery & Dole Pineapple Plantation

2009-09-22T15:30:00.000-06:00

I am finally getting around to finishing the final two posts of our wonderful Hawaiian vacation. Then, I can get caught up on everything else that has been going on since then.

On this particular day, we really packed it full of fun and adventures. We started off the day by sleeping a little late and then grabbed some quick breakfast at Burger King on the way to our 10:00 am parasailing appointment. I was so looking forward to parasailing, and it was definitely worth it. We were able to go tandem, or together, so it was neat to get to visit while we were floating along up 750 feet in the air. I really loved it, and the scenery was absolutely beautiful, and I'm so glad we got to do it! It was a great way to start off one our favorite days in Hawaii!

They dipped us in for a few seconds before we were reeled in.

This one looks kinda scary.

The skyline of Waikiki

Diamond Head - a dormant volcanic crater.

Fun, fun, fun!! We were the only English speaking people, except for the two facilitators. The guy driving the boat was actually from East Texas and now lives in Hawaii. Small world. We sure do wish it was a little bit smaller, so we would go back there more often!

The view from the parasailing boat.

After parasailing, we headed out to search for the "Lost" beach. We are big fans of the show "Lost", and we knew that they film it on Oahu, so on Monday night, Lane got online and researched where exactly everything is. They shoot at several locations on the island, but we headed out to find the beach where the plane crashed. We thought that we had found it at one beach, which happened to be my favorite one, but it actually was about a mile down the road. We drove on down and stumbled upon a YMCA camp, called Camp Erdman, and recognized the yellow houses of The Others' camp on the show. We were very excited, and we just knew that we were going to be cast as major characters for the last season of the show. Unfortunately, no filming was taking place that day, so we just wandered around and took pictures.

Some mountains nearby on our drive to the beaches.

By far, the most beautiful place I've ever been in the world. This is my favorite place, and I just sat and relaxed and marvelled at God's wonderful power! All of the beaches along here were unpopulated, so it was so serene, being almost the only people around.

The mountains behind us at the beach.

As Lane walked along the beach and explored a bit, I sat and relaxed and noticed tons of these little hermit crab holes in the sand. I sat for about 20 minutes, waiting for the crab to peek his head up so I could get a picture, but I always missed it. They are very fast critters!

Here's The Others' village from Lost.

Another shot of our fun car - the Mustang, not the minivan.

These beautiful plumeria trees are all over Hawaii, in several colors, and I never got tired of seeing them.

The assembly hall at the YMCA camp. This building was used for several scenes in Lost.

We saw this yellow lab at the camp, probably the camp dog, but we were convinced that it is Walt's dog on Lost.

This is the plane crash beach on Lost. It was very pretty, too.

Posing for the camera, hoping beyond hope, that we would be discovered at any moment!

I loved these pretty flowers that grew along over the sand.

This grove of trees is just off the beach, and we think that this is where they filmed the camp on the beach after the plane crash.

More of The Others' village

Next, we headed on to the famous North Shore of Oahu, where all of the huge waves are. This is the area where the surfers come, and this particular beach was the Bonsai Pipeline. We were there in September, and the biggest waves don't come until winter time, but they were still too big for me to even want to venture in the water at all. So, I just sat on the beach and watched the surfers. Lane did wade in and let one wave crash over him, and then he joined me on the beach, too. That water is just so beautiful!

After leaving the beach, we started back toward town, and we stopped and ate in Haleiwa, a small beach town, at Haleiwa Joe's, a nice little restaurant. We ate out on the lanai, or patio, and had such a nice meal.

Our last stop of the day, before going back to town, was to see the pineapple fields and to tour the Dole Pineapple Plantation. The fields were really pretty, and the plantation was beautiful, too. It was nice, but was a bit of a tourist trap, we thought. Maybe we were just tired, though. Lane did enjoy some pineapple ice cream, and we went through a maze and went on a little train tour of the plantation. Lane and I just kept laughing on the train ride. They had the corniest music playing on the train, and it was one of those times when everything was making us laugh.

Lane looks so irritated in these pictures. I think he was just ready to go.

After we got back to our hotel, we got cleaned up, dressed up and headed out for a late dinner at The Chart House, which was the restaurant next to our hotel. It overlooked the marina, and we ate at a table on the upstairs balcony. It was so nice, and the food was really wonderful. It was a great last night out in Oahu!

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 21-Oahu Day 2-Sightseeing

2009-09-21T22:56:00.000-06:00

We didn't finish touring Pearl Harbor until about 3:30 that day, so we had to get back on the road and fit in as much sightseeing before dark. Thanks to Daniel, Lane's GPS, we managed to drive to the eastern part of the island to see a couple of beautiful lookout points, Haloma Blowhole on the coast, and the Pali Road and Lookout point. Both were really beautiful.

And, most importantly, it was finally my turn to get to drive the convertible! That was lots of fun, too!

I always look so mad when I don't have any expression on my face!

This was a really pretty stretch of road near the blowhole.

The viewing place to see the blowhole overlooked this beautiful little bay. We had hoped to come back here and do some snorkeling, but we ran out of time. So sad!

Off to the other side was a nice beach in the distance.

Here's the blowhole! They said that at high tide during the winter months, the waves will crash with so much force that the water will be sucked in and blown out up to 50 ft. high. We definitely didn't get to see anything like that. You can see the blowhole near the bottom left part of the next picture. It was kinda a letdown after all we had read about it, but it was still neat to see, and the beautiful scenery around it definitely made it worth the trip.

Then, we headed back inland to see the Pali Lookout, a cliff that overlooked a huge valley below and also had a great view of the ocean to the east. It was so pretty. It also was the sight of a significant battle which ultimately led to the unification of all of the Hawaiian islands under the rule of one king. Supposedly, 400 warriors were forced off the cliff's edge during that battle!

All of the mountains in Oahu are so unique and have these jagged, steep peaks.

Here's the overlook

Way down there is a tunnel in the road. Later on that day, we drove through it and got some pictures.

And, here's the tunnel.

Just some pretty trees

As we returned to town, we stopped at the Ala Moana Shopping Mall, which had tons and tons of restaurants to choose from, and we finally decided on Islands Fine Burgers. I got a blue cheese burger, and it was so good! We had just a great first full day in Oahu.

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 21-Oahu Day 2-USS Missouri Battleship

2009-09-21T21:37:00.000-06:00

Our last stop on our tour of Pearl Harbor was the Battleship USS Missouri. I had never toured a battleship before, and it was so massive! Lane and I really enjoyed this tour and probably spent most of our time here that day. This was the battleship where the Japanese surrendered to the Allied Forces in 1945. I know that a lot of these pictures may be uninteresting to some, but I wanted to make sure to include as many of the details in my posts, so that we will be able to look back some day and remember it better.

As we approached the battleship

I just couldn't get over how big these guns are - they said that a shell shot from one of them could go as far as 23 miles!

A view back toward the Arizona Memorial

After we looked around the deck for a while, we headed into the ship to see the inside.

The next few photos are of the officers' quarters.

Officers' dining

In this area, they had an exhibit with lots of interesting World War II items, pictures, quotes, charts and stats. I took pictures of the things that were the most interesting to me.

The computer room - you can definitely tell that it's been a while since this ship has been on active duty.

The crew's sleeping quarters

A nice little game table.

Not really a great picture, but I liked the tile design.

The next few pictures are of the crew's dining area and kitchens. There were several different kitchens for all of the different areas of food prep, and they were all huge!

Chief Petty Officers' lounge and dining

The ship's library

I don't remember what this is, but it sure looks important!

Another view of the Arizona

The navigation room

This was one of the most heavily fortified areas of the ship, we think. The steering wheel.

There were no windows in this room, and look how thick the door is!

The next few pictures are from the Surrender Deck. We got to look into the Captain's Quarters here, and also got to view the Surrender Document on the spot where it was signed.

There was a group of soldiers touring the ship that day, too, and I thought this was a great picture to take as we were leaving the ship.

Across from the ship is the USS Oklahoma Memorial. The Missouri is docked in the same location that the Oklahoma was docked on the day of the attack, so the memorial is closeby.

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 21-Oahu Day 2-USS Arizona Memorial

2009-09-21T17:54:00.000-06:00

After touring the USS Bowfin sub, we walked over to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. There, they had a bookstore and a small museum, as well as a short film to watch, which recounted the events of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Most all of us have family members who were directly involved in World War II, so seeing all of these places firsthand really helped to put it all in perspective for how life changed for our family members back then.

After viewing the film, we exited the theater and boarded a ferry which took us out to the memorial site. The battleship is still resting where it sunk on the day of the attack, and the memorial is situated over the sunken battleship. Even after almost 68 years, there is still oil seeping out of the ship, so the air smells very heavily of oil, and it can easily be seen floating on the surface of the water. The memorial was done so well, and it is a moving and fitting memorial to those men who gave their lives that day to the cause of our country's freedom. I'm so glad that we got to go and see it.

A beautiful mural of the USS Arizona, which was in the Visitor Center.

A wall of "Pearl Harbor Survivor" license plates from many states.

Of course, here's the one we were interested in.

The ferry that took us over to the memorial site.

The memorial, as we approached it.

As we entered the memorial, we passed through a flag room, with flags on either side on the walls.

These plaques were in the memorial

At the other end of the memorial, they had a wall with the names of all those who died on the Arizona.

The following pictures are of the views we had of the actual battleship. You can definitely see the seeping oil on the surface in some of these pictures. You'll see how it is iridescent. You can also see in a couple of pictures the USS Missouri battleship docked in the distance. It is docked where the USS Oklahoma was on the day of the attack. The Oklahoma was struck by a torpedo and capsized.

The day that they commemorated the memorial in 1950, they raised an American Flag on this new pole to honor those who died and remained entombed within the battleship below. I thought this picture turned out so pretty.

Back at the Visitor Center, we walked through the museum area and looked at several items of significance to the Arizona.

This is what the ship looked like when it was first commissioned.

This is how the ship looked in 1941. It had undergone a facelift and modernization.

A letter of condolences from the Navy to the family members of one of the fallen sailors.

A Purple Heart medal along with a certificate.

A Christmas greeting from one of the crew of the Arizona, which was delivered to its recipient after the attack had already taken place.

A clock that was recovered from the ship, which stopped at the precise moment the ship was bombed.

A diving helmet that was used in the recovery efforts of Pearl Harbor. This was prior to the advances of modern scuba diving equipment, so diving was a very limited and dangerous endeavor.

A torpedo found near the capsized USS Oklahoma, which was launched from one of the Japanese mini-subs.

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 21-Oahu Day 2-USS Bowfin Submarine Tour

2009-09-21T10:47:00.000-06:00

On Monday morning, we started off with a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant. They had a very good buffet, and we had a nice table by the window, which overlooked the marina. From there, we headed out to spend the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon touring Pearl Harbor. We chose to go on three of the tours they offered, the USS Bowfin submarine, the USS Arizona Memorial, and the USS Missouri Battleship, in that order.

The Bowfin submarine was really neat, and Lane and I both agreed that we would not like to be stationed on a sub for any length of time. Everything is so small and cramped.

Here are some road signs on the interstate, as we got closer to Pearl Harbor.

The area around the submarine was interesting, since there were lots of torpedoes and missiles on display. Those torpedoes are enormous.

The view from the dock. Isn't the sky pretty?

Some views from the deck of the sub.

Some pictures of the officers' quarters.

This was the area of the sub that controlled the speed and depth of the sub. There was a ladder that led to the area with the parascope.

The main galley for the crew.

The menu for the crew. They said that the menu on a sub was typically better than on other ships, due to the confined quarters and stress the sailors had to endure.

The hand-written memo to the crew, regarding the approaching attack on the Japanese at Tokyo Bay, which led to the ultimate surrender of the Japanese to the Allied Forces.

The same memo, typed out.

The crew's dining quarters

The crew's sleeping quarters. The beds were called hot beds, since the crew worked around the clock and once one person got out of bed another hopped in.

The small doorways. They said the average height of a sailor on board was 5'7".

The main engine room

The electrical controls and gauges.

This was my favorite part of the sub tour - the torpedo room. Everything was so shiny and huge! There was one of these rooms on each end of the submarine.

Back up on deck

I thought this was a neat shot, in the distance, you can see both the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri Battleship.

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 20-Oahu Day 1

2009-09-20T08:58:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, we went to church with Shayne & Billie in Hilo, and Lane did another great job preaching. After church, we ate lunch at KFC, and then headed back to the house to get packed for Lane and I to head out on our 3 day trip to the island of Oahu. Shayne and Billie were so gracious to, not only let us stay with them a whole week in Hilo, but also to keep our kids so that we could get away for an early 10 year anniversary trip. Thank y'all so much for that - it really means a lot, and we know that the kids had such a great time with you!

We flew out about 4:30 that afternoon, and arrived in Honolulu at 5:30. We picked up our rental car at the airport and made our way to check in at our hotel, the Hawaii Prince Hotel in Waikiki. While we were researching all the different tours in Oahu, we found that, even though most tours provided transportation from our hotel, they were all very expensive and also took too much time. So, instead, we decided to spring for a convertible mustang for our rental car, and we were able to drive all over the island and see everything that we were interested in seeing. It was so much fun, and it was a wonderful time together. I am so grateful that God brought Lane into my life to be my husband, and I am especially thankful for all of the wonderful blessings and opportunities that He has blessed our marriage with during these past ten years.

Lane got to drive first, but we really did share and took turns driving each day. It was really fun! These pictures were taken on our drive from the airport to the hotel.

We arrived at our hotel, and we were very pleased with it. We booked it through priceline.com, and we were very pleased with both the price and quality in our reservation. The hotel is situated on the far west end of Waikiki, which gave us easier access to other areas of Honolulu, without having to drive all the way through Waikiki and its traffic. It overlooked the marina, which was very pretty and made a nice picture out our window. We were on the 12th floor, in room 1212.

As we were getting ready to leave for dinner, I took this beautiful picture of the sunset from our hotel room window.

We had a hard time deciding where to eat dinner that night because there were so many choices. We parked our car down by the beach and walked up the main strip of Waikiki, along the beach and then by all of the restaurants and shops, until we finally decided on Jimmy Buffett's Beachcomber restaurant. We figured it would be fitting to have a "Cheeseburger in Paradise", and it was a great choice. I actually had one of the specials, a grilled flaky white fish, covered with a spicy lemon butter and garlic sauce. By far, the best fish I have ever eaten! Lane had a blackened fish sandwich. We sat up on the terrace upstairs, with no wait for a table. We also got to sit and enjoy some great live music. After dinner, we walked through an international market, where we negotiated a great price on a cute Hawaiian tote bag for me. It really was a nice way to start our Oahu getaway!

A view of the Waikiki nightlife from our terrace table.

Too bad this one turned out blurry. I was having major camera issues that night.

Our great dinner entertainment.

All along the sidewalks of Waikiki, there are street performers, and we had to take a picture of Elmo to show Dane and Sydni!

This is the best that I could get of Waikiki Beach. We walked along the beach on our way back to the car. It was so pretty!

A couple of statues that we saw along the beach.

Lane and our sweet ride

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 19-Kona Day 3

2009-09-19T08:42:00.000-06:00

Saturday was our last day in and around Kona on the Big Island. On our schedule for the day was Lane's morning scuba dive, followed by more beach, then make our way back to Hilo.

While Lane was scuba diving, the kids and I got all packed up and checked out of our condo, and then just ate some McDonald's for lunch, went to Wal-Mart, of course, and then drove around until time to pick Lane up at 12:30. This was Lane's first open water dive, so he was both very excited and a bit anxious, too, I think. He had a good time, despite the fact that the group got caught up in a drift on their 2nd dive, which caused them all a bit a trouble and were unable to move around much. Everyone was safe, though, and it was a great experience for him.

That afternoon, we headed north of Kona and went to Hapuna Beach, which is one of the more popular beaches on the island. It was really pretty and very big, and for some reason, I didn't take any pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it that we actually went there. Billie, Tyler and Caleb stopped by for a few minutes, too, so they can vouch for me! As usual, Dane built sand volcanoes and lava tubes, and Sydni walked around looking for rocks. We had a great time, until Sydni suddenly decided that she wanted to start running directly into the ocean. So, after chasing her for about 10 minutes or so, we headed on out and made our way back to Shayne and Billie's house.

Here are some of the pictures that Lane took while diving.

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 18-Kona Day 2

2009-09-18T09:41:00.000-06:00

Each morning in Kona, it was so nice to sit out on our porch to eat our breakfast. It was great with the kids because we didn't have to worry about getting the dining area in the house messy, and they also loved running around out there.

Here's our view from our porch.

Lane, fixing his morning coffee

Sydni loved working her self onto the rail to sit. She would work and work to get situated just right.

Before lunch, we headed out to find the perfect beach, and we found a great one. This one was White Sands Beach Park, and it was so pretty. The sandy bottom went way out, the water stayed shallow, and the waves were pretty calm here. It was so peaceful just floating out there. Lane did a little bit of snorkeling, too.

Another one of his great sand volcanoes. And this beach had this shady area, so I didn't have to worry as much about the kids getting sunburned.

Sydni was enjoying soaking up a few rays.

Just another pretty shot, and interestingly enough, that man sitting over there had grown up in Oklahoma! He heard our Texas accent and knew we weren't from Hawaii for sure.

After lunch, Lane, Dane, Tyler, Caleb and I had reservations on an Afternoon Dolphin Sighting and Snorkeling Cruise through Body Glove Cruises. Billie was so nice to stay at the condo and watch Sydni while we were gone. It was about a 30 minute boat ride out to the snorkeling sight, and along the way, we were able to see tons of spinner dolphins. They are just so pretty and graceful, and I thought it was neat that they usually swim in pairs. I saw a tiny baby dolphin swimming next to its mother, which was cool. Dane loved seeing the dolphins, but he was very disappointed that the dolphins didn't come swimming with us at the snorkeling spot. As we were headed back to shore, I got back in the boat and found Lane and Dane, and I saw that Dane had tears streaming down his face, and I asked what was wrong, and he said, "I wanted to hug a dolphin." So, trying to be a comforting mother, I said, "I'm sorry, I'll give you a hug." And, still crying, he said, "No, I wanted to hug an animal." So, on the bright side, Dane definitely does not consider his mother an animal! He really did so great, and he went out twice to snorkel, and the only problem he had was that he loved looking around in the water so much, that he would try to look straight down, and his snorkel would fill up with water. Next time we get to snorkel, we'll make sure that we get him a dry snorkel set that has the cap on the top to help keep water out. Anyway, he was on his way out for a third time, when they called us all back to the boat to leave. He also went off the water slide into the ocean twice, and it had about an 8 foot drop from the bottom of the slide down into the water. Very brave, we thought! Anyway, I also enjoyed it so much, and I wish that I had known how when we were at the other beaches, so that I could have explored a little more. Tyler & I were able to see a manta ray swim by.

Enjoying the boat ride

This is the submarine that all the boys rode on the day before. We saw it from our boat.

Here's a video of the dolphins that we saw.

A few dolphin pictures.

A picture of the coastline.

Not sure what Tyler and I were pointing at, but we were having fun!

He was really paying close attention to the boat pulling back into the dock.

On our way back from dinner, we were able to capture this beautiful sunset in front of our resort entrance. So pretty!

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 17-Kona Day 1

2009-09-17T20:46:00.000-06:00

On Thursday morning, we, along with Billie, Tyler and Caleb, left Hilo to spend a few days in Kona, which is on the west side of the Big Island. It was about a 2 hour drive. Once we got there, we found our condo and found out when we could check in. We were so pleased with our accommodations there at the Kona Coast Resort. I booked it through Priceline.com, and we only paid $77 a night. It really worked out so well for us, especially with the kids. Dane had his own hide-a-bed in the living room, and there was a full kitchen and washer and dryer. So, we were able to eat breakfast and lunch there at the condo, which helped save us more money.

After finding our resort, we quickly ate lunch and rushed over to the pier, where Lane, Dane, Tyler and Caleb had reservations for a submarine ride. They said it was lots of fun. The area around the pier is so pretty, and the water is so clear and blue. Billie, Sydni and I spent some time window shopping nearby while we waited for them to return.

Dane, with his sub card

Then, we headed back to the resort and were able to get checked in to our condo. Here are some pictures of it.

That evening, we went to one of the local luaus, and it was neat, and the food was good. Well, some of it was weird, but the rest was pretty good. The luau started at about 4:45 and lasted until about 8:30, which ran into Sydni's bedtime, so we ended up having to leave about 30 minutes early and missed the fire show finale.

This is the pit that they cook the whole pig in. It tasted really good, I thought.

They had a little royal procession and told some of the history of Hawaii.

We forgot to take our picture at the luau, so we took this one when we got back to the room.

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 16-More Sightseeing Around Hilo

2009-09-16T18:59:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, we stayed close around Hilo, took in a few sights, enjoyed the beach a little, and got ready to leave for Kona the next morning. We went to a local coffee mill, Hilo Coffee Mill, that morning, and got to see where they roast the coffee beans, tried different coffee samples, and shopped a little in the gift shop. This is where I discovered my favorite coffee ever, which I am still getting to enjoy. It's chocolate macadamia nut flavored coffee, and it is so good! So, if you'd like to try some authentic and very tasty Hawaiian coffee, you can buy it through their website online. Like a lot of places around there, they also had a nice little garden area out in front, with a few chickens roaming around, too. Lane and I have decided that even the people who do nothing to keep up their yards have spectacular yards because even the weeds are amazingly beautiful.

It smelled so good in here.

A banana tree

After lunch, Lane took the kids and I back to the beach park in Hilo that he and the kids had gone to on Saturday. It was so much fun, and we played there for a couple of hours.

Another Guava Nectar picture

Later that afternoon, while Sydni was napping, Billie, Tyler and I went to see Umauma Falls and the World Botanical Gardens. This place is privately owned, so I had to pay, but it was totally worth it. Everywhere you look, there is something beautiful to see. We saw the falls, then walked through a rainforest area, then walked through the botanical garden area. There was a lot to see, but I could tell that they are working to expand it even more. As you can expect, I took literally hundreds of pictures, and tried my best to narrow my selections down to only my favorites. So, beware, this is a very, very long post, with loads of pictures of flowers and plants.

You can see the rain over the ocean in the distance.

The state flower of Hawaii is the hibiscus, and I would give anything to be able to grow one like this here at home. This bush was about 8 feet high and over 10 feet across. Amazing!

These pictures were all taken as we drove down to the rainforest area.

These next pictures are from the rainforest walk.

Before we entered the botanical garden area, I took some time to get to know this nice cat that was sitting in the gift area. It had one blue eye and one green eye. I think that Billie and Tyler were wanting me to hurry and come on and quit playing with the cat!

These last pictures are from the botanical garden area.

I have two of these same shrubs in my backyard, but they are only about a foot tall.

An autograph tree

Another really fun day!

Hawaii Vacation-Sept 15-Punalu'u Black Sand Beach & Southpoint

2009-09-15T16:52:00.001-06:00

On this day of our vacation, we had a very full day. Shayne and Billie were so nice to let us borrow one of their cars for our many excursions while we were there. We started the day out with a tasty can of nectar. There are two main brands of this nectar, one is Aloha Natural, and the other one is Hawaiian Sun, but they're basically the same and have most all of the same flavors. My favorite was the Pineapple Orange nectar, and Lane's was the Guava nectar. On several occasions, Lane had me photo document him drinking his favorite pink drink!

We explored the south part of the Big Island on this day, and we hit three main destinations: The Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park, the Punalu'u Bakery, which makes and sells the wonderful Hawaiian sweetbread, among many other sweet treats, ice cream, and lunch entrees, and our last stop of the day was at Southpoint, the southernmost point in Hawaii and also in the U.S.A.

The black sand is formed from the volcanic rock this is found all over this area. This beach is about 30 minutes southwest of the lava fields we had walked all over the day before. The beach was so pretty, but the sand was so hot. The individual granules of sand were extremely shiny, and it was really fun to play in. Lane did a little snorkeling with some sea turtles, Dane caught some (well, one) wave on his boogieboard and made sand volcanoes, Sydni took a nap and then ate sand, and I just sat and enjoyed the scenery and played in the sand. We actually got to see a couple of sea turtles swimming near the beach, but didn't get to see them out of the water. Shayne and Billie and their sons went back there recently and got to see some on the beach, which I'm sure was really neat.

She slept for at least the first hour we were there.

Important instructions, I'm sure

Dane's one and only boogieboard attempt. I'm glad I got it on video. Fortunately, money wasn't wasted on it, since it also came in very handy as an extra floatation device.

Here are the best shots I could get of the turtle

One of his great volcanoes

Sydni was looking especially cute, hanging out on the beach, so we had a little photo shoot.

Our next stop was the Punalu'u Bake Shop...so good! We ate a late lunch there in one of the gazebos out back near their little botanical garden. This is such a pretty place in a little bitty town. I'm so glad we got to go there.

On to our last stop of the day...Southpoint. On the way, we saw lots of windmills. It is very windy down there, so I'm sure they're very useful there.

A random bull that had gotten out of the fence.

A view from the ocean back up toward the windmills.

Once we parked, we had to walk about 1/2 a mile over to the southern tip of the island. Dane and Sydni did so great walking so far and took breaks up on our shoulders, too.

On our walk, I took some pictures of the ocean.

This gravesite was at the southpoint, and a few days later in Kona, I noticed that one of the main roads there is named after this man.

Lane was determined to walk out as far as he could on the rocks, so that we could stand as far south in the U.S. as possible. It was a little scary with all of the waves crashing around and carrying the kids. But we did it! When we got out there, we stopped and took a couple minutes to sing "Blue Skies and Rainbows", which was a special family moment.

A video of the waves while we were out on the rocks.

Lane and Sydni, as they were about to get swept away, not really, but he did very quickly back up some.

We managed to finally get one picture of us all together, and wouldn't you know it, Sydni's picking at my teeth!

I really like this picture.

This was one of the scenes we saw on our drive back to Hilo. The picture doesn't do it justice, it was so breathtaking.

We had a really fun and tiring day, and we rushed back to have a homecooked meal up at the church building with several families. So nice!