It has been such a fun treat to have my parents staying with us since the beginning of the month. They have made life a lot more fun and easy with watching kids and keeping the house all clean- more so than it has been in a long time. I've been busy with school and dishes and housework are the last on my list! Anyway- my mom talked to her mom (my grandma) and invited he to come to Hawaii over Christmas break. We've never had a great-grandparent visit-- ever! I was excited for the kids to spend time with my grandma and I hope that they treasure the fun that we had while she came and stayed with us.
One of our favorite things here on Oahu is to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) and we knew that grandma would enjoy it as well. As a side note: I tried to take as many pictures as I could, so that I why I'm not always in the group photos. But just look at this happy family!
I really like this picture of Ben and all the kids. They really are growing up and I just love them all! Cannon was a little distracted with the map, but he is a planner and wants to know which show we are going to see next... right?
CHRISTMAS MORNING
I know that there are more pictures of our fun Hawaiian Christmas morning, but this is the one good picture that I took on my phone (and the lighting isn't even that good). The kids had a fun morning filled with new gifts and surprises. Cannon got a large gumball machine that has lights and songs playing while the gumball rolls down the spiral ramp to the bottom. He would wrap his arms around machine (it was nearly the size of him) and walk around, turn the knob to start the song and wait for the treat to land. We couldn't get him to really open any other presents because he was content with what he had! Brielle's morning was filled with beads and new markers, crafting supplies for her "art station". The girl loves to color and create.
We also went snorkeling at Sharks Cove on Christmas Day. It was a warm and lovely time at the beach playing in the sand and checking out the fish.
CONNOR'S BAPTISM 12/30/21018
Since his birthday in October, Connor has been anxiously awaiting the day that he would be baptized. His enthusiasm turned into frustration as more time passed between when he could be baptized and when he finally was. The reason we were waiting occurred when we realized that my parents were going to be here and got postponed even further when Grandma Ivory confirmed that she was going to be coming over the Christmas holiday. These types of family events really are special when your immediate family can be in attendance- I hope that Connor looks back on this special event fondly. It was a very special service and the spirit was strong. I love Connor! He really worked hard to memorize the Articles of Faith and that he is trying to do what is right in living the gospel!
KAENA POINT
The hike along the shore is not very hard, but I think we went too far for Grandma. There is just a certain beach where I can find treasures (cowrie shells and coral) that have washed up on shore. Ben and my Dad took the boys on bikes and made it to the point and bird sanctuary and they saw a monk seal resting on the beach. I carried Cannon most of the way and Brielle was a trooper stomping along with us "old ladies".
FUN AT HOME
What a cute shot of Cannon with his Grandma and Great Grandma. It isn't Christmas break without delicious sweet and salty popcorn. I loved that Cannon could always be found helping in the kitchen helping to make cookies or other goodies. He loves to scoop and generally makes more of a mess while in there "helping", but I don't think these ladies minded having such a cute little boy around.
WHALE WATCHING
With the whale watching season here in the islands from December-March, we thought a fun adventure would be to ride on a nice boat and go see for ourselves. We didn't order the meal that was offered, and the kids were complaining most of the time about that. We had almost gone the whole tour (about 2-3 hours) without seeing any whale action, when a tiny spout was seen way off in the distance. The boat headed in that direction and a few more spouts went off and then disappeared as the creatures dove deep underwater. The boat this started heading back into port but it was this additional time that I was starting to feel queasy with the ocean ride, but I thought that I would be okay. While making a flower headband lei I couldn't hold it back any more and I had to quickly find Ben to take care of Cannon so I could run off! At least we mostly had a good time on this whale watching tour!
WAIMEA FALLS AND GARDENS
We don't usually go up to Waimea Valley because it cost money, but it really is a lovely area with beautiful gardens and cultural sites to explore and learn about what life was like for the early inhabitants. The path is paved all the way up to the waterfall, so it would be easy for Grandma Ivory to get there. For some reason we wore terrible footwear (slippahs or flipflops) so it was more treacherous for an 80 year old woman and for myself carrying my 2 year old Cannon-- but we made it! It was late in the afternoon by the time we arrived and so the sun was slowly disappearing and getting blocked out by the mountains. The water is very chilly, but I made sure that all of the kids went out to the waterfall and Cannon was holding on tight and laughing- which was better than if he was crying in the very cold water. I need to remember to get there early so the sun is still shining while swimming in this beautiful waterfall.
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