Cory and Kristen, Part 2

Cory and Kristen headed out for a getaway on the north shore on Monday and Tuesday.  I was a chicken and wouldn't take their kids to the water, but could not believe how easily satisfied they were with playing on the front porch swing, jumping on the tramp, and playing in a mini-pool.  Rachel entertained Kate all day long, Walker was a perfect little sleeper, and the kids all got along.  They may remember this as the boring part of their trip...

Wednesday, Brady took a 1/2 day and we went on a little hike to Ha'ula Beach (commonly referred to as "Horseshoe Beach").  We carefully paved a way along a route that--I have now confirmed--does not involve any sort of trespassing.  We had the beach to ourselves all afternoon, and it was perfectly sunny and hot.

We showed the kids the dragon that lives in this blowhole.  They were a little too old to be impressed.

   They played teeter-totter on this make-shift playground:

Ellie hammed it up:

Love their beach family shot:

Cory gave me extra long legs

We raced, and Kristen beat me as always--even with her bum knee.

We believe Cory and Kristen when they say Rach is fast!

I love these pictures of Kate and Brady so much!

  The kids remembered Brady's sandman from a few Christmases ago, so he tried to re-create it. 

 It's not Christmas, though, so instead they made a Halloween Sand Pumpkin:

My favorite picture of the entire visit:

I love seeing cousins playing together at my house.

I also love that neglected toys become incredibly popular when there is demand.

Kate is riding snot-gun (Sorry, Walker, for giving you that cold!):

Kate found an effective way to get clean after dinner.

Thursday afternoon, we went boogie boarding at Waiohai.  Usually there are a few more waves at this beach, but Cory was gracious enough to push all the kids into the waves over and over again.  Zac was delighted to get a chance to "teach them" how.  (Look hard and you can see Kate bobbing around in her little green floatie.)

Oh, we love Walker-man.

At about the halfway point of this trip, Rachel and Zachary buddied up.  She was a gem to him--asked him questions, involved him, let him teach her, etc.  He loves her!!

 Friday morning, Kristen booked us up to go see the Hindu Monastery.  I did not hear much from the tour, but it was interesting and the grounds were beautiful.  I'd love to go back sometime when I am not accompanied by my children. All I heard during this presentation was a fight over plastic geckos (Kate and Zac--not C/K's kids).  I've actually seen this man out and about at Costco since then.

I had a hard time looking at this view and not feeling a twitch of jealousy.  The government gifted them 300 acres...I can't manage to get a .24 acre lot...  Yes, this sentiment is uncalled for and I do certainly appreciate the cultural diversity here, as well as the peaceful life the monks are living just a short drive away.  They are clearly sincere in their beliefs. 

This is the temple they are working to complete.  It will be a few more years until completion, at which time the monastery will likely be closed to the public.

Rubbing the ball for good luck:

On the way out, we witnessed some of their rituals and chants.  I want to go back and watch more. 

Friday night was our big hoorah: Polihale!  You all know my deep-rooted love for Polihale, but just as Kristen was nervous she would not like it much, I was concerned they would not appreciate it either.  It was not too many years ago that we dragged our friends out to camp here, and their initial response was, "So, Karen, what is it that you like so much about this beach?"  Well, Cory and Kristen now claim to like it, so hopefully that is true and we did not waste their time.

The weather was perfect, and the night's conditions idyllic.  We set up camp in record time (seriously, it was easier to camp with Cory and Kristen's family than it ever is without them!), played with the kids in the water and sand, and watched the boys boogie board the shore-breakers.  I felt some guilt as Kristen and I boogie boarded swam through the sunset while the boys watched the kids and got dinner going, but oh, it was so free and gorgeous.

We ate the best tinfoil dinners I've ever had and roasted marshmallows.  Zac asked, "Dad, can I just have ketchup and marshmellos for dinner tonight?"  The kids went to sleep easily.  We watched the moon disappear and the stars blaze, strolled along the beach, and soaked up everything I love about this place.

The boys also played with their cameras.

It is a good thing we loved the night, because about an hour after we went to bed, Kate started throwing up.  (Side note:  I can't believe we have made it 4.75 years of parenting without the stomach flu!!!)  She kept at it for a couple hours, and we realized the best way to handle it would be at home.  She threw up the entire way home, and the rest of the night.  Brady and I were stressed out of our minds over Cory and Kristen's family catching it, but it sounds like they all escaped (I did not...).

Overall, the stomach flu was not nearly as disastrous and awful as I thought it would be.  4.75 years of dread built it to a level of catastrophe, and really, it was not fun but also not the hardest thing to handle.

We didn't want Cory and Kristen to be responsible for Zachary that night, so we dragged him home with us.  The entire way back, he would wake up, cry a little that he was not camping with his cousins, and then go back to sleep.  We assured him that he would get to go back in the morning.  He came in several times to wake us up and ask if it was time to go see his cousins yet.  This is one of my favorite memories of the trip.  I love how much he loves his cousins, and how sweet and attentive they were to him.

We kicked around that night at the house, cleaned the cars and gear, and settled in to watch another close defeat for the Cougars.

Sunday, we said goodbye.  We are so happy for the memories--filling every minute with activity, playing with cousins, eating a lot of food, putting my kids to bed and coming back to a perfectly clean kitchen, runs, night conversations, picture-taking, and realizing how lucky it is to not just love, but like your family!

Family Pictures (*groan)

I don't see a need to put these in any particular order, so have at it.  We took turns getting ocean photos with our families on Sunday.  2 Regrets:  First, that I don't have video footage of Kristen jumping up and down to get my kids' attention.  She said at the end of the night that she was tired, and I'm telling you there was some major acrobatics involved behind Cory's lens.  Second, that I had to return Kate's dress immediately after these pics were taken.  It got snagged within an hour, and the dress I loved so much is now back at Macy's.  Sad.

Just stating the obvious:  Cory and Kristen have several more people in their pics but somehow they are all looking, while that is not the case in our family (despite Kristen's very best efforts!).

Oh, how I wish this was our family shot, for Kate's little pose.

Our #1 favorite:

Love this one:

Our #2:

My favorite part of this picture is Zachary's sandy chin.

Cory and Kristen Come to Town, Part 1

 Zachary talked about his cousins coming to town for a month before they got here.  He planned out activities for them, and wondered where Scout (their dog) would sleep.  He couldn't wait to introduce them to the green belt, take them to his soccer game, and teach them how to boogie board.  He most importantly couldn't wait to camp with them and share his glow sticks.

Here are a couple hilarious baseball shots that have no other home.  This is how we killed time waiting for them to come.  (Zac was signed up for t-ball this year but we bailed when we found out it was a 2+ hour a day, 6 days-a-week commitment and practices/games are a 20+ minute drive from our house.)

This is how exactly how coaching soccer looked for me, minus the bat and plus a soccer ball and orange cones.

The first day they were here, Kristen and I took the kids to Poipu Beach for some snorkeling.  I was so flattered Rach let me pal along with her in the water, and completely impressed at her bravery when we lost her fin and she had to trust me in the deep water.

 Brady busted out his fancy guitar for them that night and played some tunes while we talked the night away (and by "talked the night away," I mean until Cory and Kristen both fell asleep at 8:30pm).

 Walker was not a fan of the time change (awake most of the night the first few nights), so Cory and Kristen took advantage and caught some sunrises.  I'm almost certain this was the first time I've seen the sunrise in Poipu... 

That day while Cory worked, Kristen and I went to Baby Beach II on Lawai Rd.  My friend Megan told me you can take fish bait and throw it into the rocks, and you might see eels.  I was afraid I raised expectations when I told this to Kristen, but we were not disappointed!  Blake spotted an eel and we saw him eat up the shrimp.

 The first two days of their trip, Kate cried a lot, but at this beach, she was a content little lady.  She twirled around independently through the water in her green floatie and kept saying, "WEEEE!"

 Soccer season ended while they were here.  Zac played his last game that Saturday and was back to Mr. Aggressive.  He defended, chased that ball all over the field, and had two goals where he had to dribble the ball halfway down the field before shooting.

 Victory Dance:

 Still doing the victory dance:

I love his cherry cheeks:

 Victory Pose after Goal #2:

 Hamming it up as he walks back to center field:

 He was so proud to have Ellie there:

 Cory and Kristen took Rachel and Blake on a catamaran trip to Ni'ihau for the day, so we got to show Walker and Ellie the best park on the island.  Peer pressure does our daughter a lot of good, we decided, because she chased him around the entire time, saying "Wa-wa" (for Walker).

Zac and Ellie eating their snacks:

Walker is such a boy, and it blows my mind how much more physical he is than my daughter (especially because they are separated in age by 10 hours).  That's okay by me--I already had a very physical boy at this age! 

Ellie swam at Lydgate, and we capped off the day with a lovely trail run, a BYU game, and a nice dinner together.