living life in a pink world

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-30T15:39:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

From our family to yours....with love

Halloween

2011-11-25T11:28:00.001-08:00

Disney land Trip with Loars and Browns!

2011-11-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

8th Grade Cheerleading

2011-11-25T10:59:00.001-08:00

Ashlyn's 14th Birthday/Party

2011-11-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

Candy Bar Game

We had bunch of cheerleaders deciting to raise Kateyn in the air into a "Full" I guess thats one of the the stunts that high school cheerleaders do. Katelyn went up like a pro. It scared me to death!!

Off the 007

Madelyn's 1st Birthday

2011-11-25T10:48:00.001-08:00

Neighbor Lake Trip!

2011-11-25T10:34:00.001-08:00

Ashlyn,Sara&Kendyl

CLIFF JUMPING!!!!

Super Modelss

Tube Time

Madelyn partying in the boat!

Sara Manganaro, one of Ashlyn's best friends(:

Utah Trip Fall break

2011-11-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

Band/Choir Fall Concert

2011-11-25T10:20:00.000-08:00

New School Year

2011-11-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

Katelyn's 11th Birthday Party

2011-11-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

Macie,Kelsey,Katelyn,Becca and Lauryn after swimming

Yummy fudgesicles!

2011-08-11T22:07:00.001-07:00

This was a great moment. MIKE set up this photo op. He decided to feed my baby a fudge bar. Yummmyyyy... So he said, "Suz, quick, grab your camera." And I snapped away taking many photos and we laughed and laughed as we watched Madelyn enjoy this yummiest treat she had ever eaten in her lifetime. The greatest part of this was that I got to go bathe my chocolate bunny and Mike volunteered to clean her chair which was uber-yuck! Aagh! I love that man! =)

I LOVE this baby! She is my total buddy and I really want to do nothing in the day except to hold her, play with her, and laugh with her. She is so squeezable and lovable and she makes my heart happy. If I am having a tough day, Mike will say to me, "Just go hold your baby and you'll feel better." ha ha And he's correct! One hug from her is all it takes to make my heart full of joy. So Madelyn has adopted a nickname. We call her Madey-Lucci, and often it's just shortened to The Lucci or just Lucci or Luccers, etc. The boys in our neighborhood call her Grandma Lucci, which is hilarious and not sure where it came from but she does answer to it.

She is 11 and 1/2 months old and it's tearing me apart to watch her grow older. Possibly because she's my baby caboose so it's physically painful to see her progress and grow towards the big world of Toddlerhood. I want her to stay little for as long as I can keep her.

My family is trying to teach The Lucci how to walk and I keep tugging on her shirt to keep her down so she won't grasp walking yet, as if this might somehow keep her young a little longer. Despite my efforts, I know she will eventually grow up and grow too big for me to hold her on my lap and in my arms. But for now, she's MY chubby, full of rolls Madey-Lucci and I am enjoying every possible moment with this perfect treasure in my life.

Sad week

2011-08-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

This past week was such a sad week. I attended to two funerals that were both so beautiful and loving tributes to two people that I love and am grateful to have known. I am a better person because I knew Paige and Mary Ann. Heaven just got a little sweeter when it welcomed these two special people in...

The first was for our dear friend's little 18 month old daughter Paige, who died unexpectedly from complications due to her heart defect. She was such a miracle to even be here for 18 months! Which is why it makes it even that much harder to let her go, I think. We had her for 18 months, why can't we have her for 88 more years??? Is that too much to ask? Heavenly Father blessed the Bloomfield family with Paige and HE blessed Paige with her family that fought for her, cared for her, loved her, and they truly enjoyed every minute with her until little Paige earned her angel wings. Please pray for our friends that they will continue to be carried and comforted by our loving Heavenly Father and that their hearts can begin the healing process. We will always remember and love you, Paige! THANK YOU for being such a stellar example of courage and faith to all of us around you. I am a better person for knowing YOU!

You can read about my amazing friend Jamie and her incredible family. You will not even believe how amazing these people are and you will just LOVE them as I love them. And please send prayers their way as they are hurting in a way that I cannot understand and they can use all of the love sent their way.

http://jamie-bloomfieldfamily.blogspot.com

And...

We said goodbye to our dear and ridiculously talented friend, Mary Ann Noorda, who passed away due to complications from an infection she was fighting. It was so unexpected and sudden leaving us all with many questions and in shock. She leaves behind her sweet husband of 16 years as well as her darling 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl. I ask you also to please pray for my sweet friends that Kent and the children will also continue to be loved during this difficult loss of their sweet Wife/Mom as she was the center of her family, the light, the energy, the love. She will be greatly missed by her husband and children and her family so they need lots of prayers to have the strength and courage to carry on and move forward trying to heal their hearts following this devastating loss.

http://maryann-and-kents-family.blogspot.com

and

www.craftingwithmarynn.blogspot.com

I am so grateful for the chance that I had to know both Paige and Mary Ann. It's amazing how Heavenly Father takes the great ones when we so desperately need them here. I trust in His Plan and have faith that HE knows what he is doing. I loved these people both in very different ways and learned a tremendous amount from both, as well. They are truly ELITE daughters of God and they were better than this earth and they accomplished everything they needed to do in order to leave this world and return to live in the loving presence of our Heavenly Father. I am comforted to know that they are both out of the pain they both struggled with and in a peaceful place surrounded by those they love and who love them.

Rest in peace, sweet Paige and beautiful Mary Ann. We will miss you!

Studio Pictures

2011-07-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Lauryn's baptism pictures

Madelyn is turning one soon! We call this "the many expressions of Madey"

These two are just the best of buddies!

So pretty...Brynlyn is five and growing up sooo fast! Can you believe it???

California with the Jensens

2011-07-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

This summer went to New Port with the Jensens! It was a ball! We did so many cool things that were totally new to us! We tried the Huntington Beach Parade! It was very relaxing and fun! We also visited Holly Wood for the first time! On Sunday, we drove over to North San Diego and went to the Mormon Battalion! It was a very spiritual experience.We went to China Town and ate at a very delicious Chinese Restaurant(: It was funny to see the expressions on the girl's faces! (Journaled by Ashlyn =)

Easter pictures

2011-04-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

These are the latest pictures of the girls. (These are for you Anne! hee hee) I snapped a few the other day as we were headed out the door to celebrate their Granda's birthday. They were actually all home at the same time and they were willing participants and so that was worthy of a photo shoot right there! It's hard to believe how fast Madelyn is growing up and it makes me so sad because it's going way too fast and my most favorite time of the day right now is when I get to just sit and snuggle cuddle with her. And her sisters absolutely adore her and she doesn't lack for attention, as you can tell. =) We are so lucky to have these fun five girlies in our family.

CHEERLEADER?!

2011-03-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

So crazy!!!

My 13 year old, Ashlyn, first gets braces now, she is a cheerleader?!Man! She is growing up way to fast!

Here are some cute pictures of the football team when they won the championship game and the cute girls at different games.

Kamrie,Kendyl,Ashlyn

Braces for Ashlyn...1-11-11

2011-01-11T22:00:00.001-08:00

Today was a big day for Ashlyn! She got braces today. I'm not sure if excited is the word to use, but she is grateful to have them on for her teeth's sake. =) Let's just say that Motrin is her really good friend right now. Ouch! I think she looks so cute with them on, also. And she just looks so grown up?! How did that happen?? Way to go, Ashlyn!

Doesn't she look so great?!

Mike's cousin Millie put her braces on. So fun!

Ashlyn's goofy "before" shot. =)

Ice Skating...1-8-11

2011-01-11T21:40:00.001-08:00

Ice Skating with cousin Rinsley was one of the girls' favorite things they did last weekend. Rinsley came to stay with us for a few nights and we all had so much fun having her here. She showed us how it was done on the rink, that's for sure. Rinsley is an awesome ice skater and was just skating rings around everyone on the ice. She was doing these awesome jumps, and landing them, of course. =) And she has a great spin. Thanks for showing us your home territory, Rinsley. We loved it! =)

However, I did have to laugh that the largest advertisement on the wall at the rink is for the Gilbert ER Hospital! Good to know!!!

Paintball!

2011-01-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

Brian, Mitchell, Bryce, Eric, Rick, Rob, Mike

For Christmas, we surprised the guys with a day of paintballing at Westworld in Scottsdale. They spent New Years Eve Day at the indoor Westworld park. Knowing that this would be a fantastic way for the guys to flex a little muscle, expel a little testosterone and get out some of their aggressions, the girls were all for it. The guys were really excited about it and they had an awesome time.

Madelyn is 2 weeks old

2010-09-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

We have been having so much fun with little Madelyn. She is such a great baby and just fits right into the family. These are some of my favorite pictures of her so far...

ASU Game

2010-09-12T09:23:00.001-07:00

Mike took Katelyn and Lauryn to the ASU/NAU game on Saturday. This was their first ASU game ever and they were so excited to go. ASU won the game so that was a plus! Katelyn said "the cheering was way too loud" and Lauryn said "the fireworks scared her out of her mind" but other than that, they loved it! =)

(And thank you, Brett, for the extra ticket!!! )

Go Sun Devils!

Brynlyn and her Piggies

2010-09-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

The other day I was getting Brynlyn ready for preschool and she requested that I put "piggies" in her hair. I hadn't heard her call them by this name before so I said, "You want pig tails in your hair?" She said, "No! Piggies!" And then she started oinking like a pig. It just cracked me up. So we had to show off her favorite hairstyle: her piggies! =)

Madelyn's first week

2010-09-08T10:21:00.001-07:00

We have been having such a great week with our little bundle of love. Madelyn is such a great baby and is even doing OK going through the night, so we're not entirely sleep deprived. This is what she's been up to this first week on earth...

Sleeping on Daddy's chest. I'm not sure who is actually putting whom to sleep. =)

Getting ready to go to our first doctors visit. These darling pink shoes are so teeny tiny. I love it!

And of course she has been held ALOT this week. And she's received tons and tons of kisses from her sisters. She rarely ever is put down when the girls are around. They love holding her every chance they can get.

The Polar Express

2010-09-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

Almost every Christmas season we take a little trip up to Williams, AZ to ride The Polar Express train. The kids love it and it sets a great tone for the holiday season. This is the promotional video that they have posted on their website and our Katelyn is featured in the video! She has a quick speaking part at the very beginning of the video. She says "All aboard to the Polar Express." Thanks to Aunt Janelle for spotting this out for us or else we would never have known. This was taken a few years ago on one of our trips up there. You can see Ashlyn and Lauryn standing in the background. So cute and fun! Check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGejMmr5G6c

Meet our newest arrival Madelyn Jessie Jensen!!!

2010-09-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

MADELYN JESSIE JENSEN

Born on September 1st, 2010 at 4:11 a.m.

8 lbs. 8 oz.

21-1/2 inches long

Big smiles as we're on our way home...Wahoo!

wide awake for the hearing screening test

funniest little smile (I know it's only gas, but still too cute! ha ha)

Brynlyn's face says exactly how she feels about "her" new baby

Lauryn loves holding Madelyn and wasn't thrilled about having to go to school that day

First Family Photo

meeting Granda and Papa

meeting Grandpa and Grandma Sugar

Ashlyn and Katelyn taking their first look at their new sister

I LOVE this picture! This pretty much sums up our life in a nutshell....surrounded by beautiful girls!

On Wednesday, September 1st we delivered our sweet little HEALTHY baby girl, Madelyn Jessie Jensen. She weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 21-1/2 inches long. She is oh so sweet and scrumptious and we are just eating her up!!!

Everything went so well with the labor and delivery, we were truly blessed to have such a wonderful experience bringing this child into the world.

She is named after two of her great-grandmas: Susie's Grandma Madelyn "Dear" Thornock and Mike's Grandma Jessie Jensen. One of the greatest parts to this story is that she is born on Grandma Dear's birthday!!! It has been such a neat thing to have that happen especially when it was so unexpected and I wasn't due for atleast another week and a half. What a blessing and we felt it was definitely meant to be.

We're just so happy that she's finally here with us. =)

Baby Breakfast Celebration

2010-08-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

A group of girlfriends took me to Paradise Bakery for a baby breakfast celebration. It was so much fun and it was really needed on my part. I had such a great time that this should help me to get through the next few weeks of the last part of my pregnancy.

I love these girls so much and they are such wonderful friends!!!! Thanks again, guys. It was such a great morning and I really appreciated it.

Riki, Cydnie, Joey, Katrina, Nicole, Michelle, Me and Miss Brynlyn (who was the official "gift opener" ha ha)

Brynlyn and Jackson's haircuts

2010-08-25T22:03:00.001-07:00

Thank heavens that we have a hairdresser in the family! =) Aunt Connie is always willing to share her talent with the scissors and give the kiddos a trim. Brynlyn needed a trim this day and Connie even had a special princess gown that Brynlyn could wear.

Check out my growing baby belly! Yowza!

Jackson's turn for his haircut. It helped that we turned on an episode of Blues Clues to keep this little ones happy during their cut. Lookin' good, Jackson. Thanks Connie, you're the best!

David and Katelyn's birthday celebration

2010-08-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

My nephew David and Katelyn were born just a week apart and they have been connected at the hip ever since! They are just the best of buds and have so much fun whenever they are together. They even got to celebrate their 10th birthdays with each other. Happy Birthday guys!!!

Mani/Pedi Day

2010-08-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

For a special back to school treat, we went to our local pedicure spa location for mani/pedi's in honor of back to school! Ashlyn's friend Kendyl came with us and we had so much fun. The girls were in hog heaven and we had the entire place to ourselves! Not many people are getting their toes painted on Monday mornings, I guess.

And of course we had to dine at Subway for lunch following this great spa day.

I loved the sign hanging in the salon: Indulge Yourself! And that's exactly what we did!

Katelyn, Kendyl and Ashlyn all went with zebra print on their nails. Cute!

Lauryn went with hot green with a flower. Ooo la la...

Katelyn's cute zebra toes

Lauryn's pretty flower toes

Kendyl's flower toes

Ashlyn's flower toes

Aagh...here are my 9-month pregnant bloated and swelling feet and toes. You just gotta love the last month of pregnancy and all of its glory. =) But I do have to say that I love my purple flower toes. They're going to look great in the stirrups as I'm pushing this baby girl out. ha ha

Brynlyn's new VW Beetle

2010-08-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I just love getting a great deal??? I love bargain shopping to the fullest and I found this little automatic battery powered Barbie VW Beetle that works and everything at a thrift store for $8.00! Yowza! This was the deal of the day and Brynlyn absolutely loves it.

Did I mention the battery is rechargeable and comes with its cables and everything? Gotta love bargain hunting. =)

Back to School blessings

2010-08-12T08:50:00.001-07:00

We have a family tradition each school year. Mike gives each of the girls a Father's 'back to school' blessing. If you are not a member of the LDS church, then that simply means that it's a special prayer given from Father to Child for a specific purpose, and in this case it's a special prayer to help them as they prepare for a new school year. I'm grateful that Mike carries this tradition on in our family since it's one that my family did when I was growing up. It always started the year off just right.

First Day of School

2010-08-12T07:54:00.001-07:00

Wow, the first day of school! Summer is over and it's time to buckle down and get back into a schedule. =)

The girls were happy to go back to school today. They couldn't wait to see their friends and start a new year.

Ash, Kate, Lauryn: Meet the Teacher

2010-08-10T07:17:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the Meet the Teacher day at our girls' school. They were each so excited about the teachers they were assigned to and we are looking forward to a great year with them.

Katelyn and Mrs. Munsil. She has her classroom decorated in Aloha theme. She even had Hawaiian leis on the desks for each child. Could she be any more perfect for our Hawaii-loving family??? Katelyn is so excited to be in her classroom.

Lauryn and Ms. Halal. We are new to this teacher so we are looking forward to getting to know her better. Can you tell by the smile on Lauryn's face that she's so thrilled to be in her classroom?

Ashlyn is now going into Junior High and she told me, under no circumstance, was I allowed to take any pictures with her teachers. ha ha

However, I will say this. Ashlyn has such a wonderful schedule this year. She gets to sing in the choir and play her flute in the band. She does NOT have to go to PE at all (lucky girl) and she has 4 of the greatest teachers at the school. She is so excited about her new JR. High schedule.

Katelyn's 10th Birthday/Rinsley's 12th Birthday

2010-08-09T19:55:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Katelyn's 10th birthday and Rinsley's 12th birthday today (Rinsley is our niece on Jensen side). We went to dinner at Cafe Rio (yummmmmm) and then home for birthday cake and ice cream. It was so fun to celebrate this special day with our special girls.

Papa, Granda and Rinsley

Ashlyn and Rinsley

Aunt Candace was showing the girls how to make bead jewelry

Brynlyn's First Day of School

2010-08-09T08:23:00.001-07:00

Today was Brynlyn's first day of school! Wahoo! She was so excited to go and play and have fun with her friends.

Yet, she had a really big day ahead of her. She and Mike left at 7:30 am and drove to PHX to PHX Children's Hospital so she could have the final x-ray of her leg. The x-ray showed that her leg was completely healed. Yeah! She's still favoring it a bit and walking with a little limp, but each day it seems to get a little better. The DR said this is completely normal and expects that it might be even a few more weeks before she's fully using her leg again.

Then, it was home and time to get ready for school. She's excited to ride the bus again this year and was so happy to see it pull up to our house.

She had such a fun day at school today!

Brynlyn's Meet the Teacher

2010-08-07T08:46:00.001-07:00

We went Brynlyn's preschool meet the teacher night at her school. She is so lucky to be in such a great classroom with a wonderful teacher, Ms. Jeana. They all helped out in Brynlyn's classroom last year so they know her very well and they already love her. I feel so relieved knowing that she's going into a classroom where everyone already knows her. She's so excited to start school and can't wait until Monday!

Brynlyn and Ms. Cindy, the classroom helper

Ms. Jeana, Brynlyn and Ms. Sarah (the speech therapist)

Brynlyn, Lauryn and Katelyn wasted no time jumping right into the toy kitchen and having a blast!

Brynlyn was already feeling right at home in her new classroom. This is a great start to a great new year for her!

Lake Trip

2010-08-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

We went to the lake early early in the morning last Saturday morning. It was so beautiful and worth getting up at the crack of dawn to make the trip. There were just a few other boats on the lake and the lake was pure glass. It's a shame that no one was skiing because the water was perfect. We had a fun time feeding the ducks, exploring the back canyons and bridges and tubing. It was a great day on the lake. Can't wait to go again.

Day Ten: Jackson's last day here

2010-07-17T15:55:00.001-07:00

Today is our last day of having another man in the house! Janelle and Eric are flying home today from their oh-so-fabulous vacation abroad (you'll have to click the link to her blog in the next few days because I'm sure she's going to post some amazingly beautiful pictures of their trip to Europe). And since they are dying to see Jackson and he can hardly wait to see them, I guess we have to let him go back to his family. =)

He has been an absolute sweetheart to have around and it was our privilege to have him here and to make such wonderful memories with him. He has even learned to laugh at Uncle MJ's jokes! Go figure! And who is going to call me "Bebe's Mama" 50 times a day? And I'm not sure how Brynlyn AKA "Bebe" is going to react tomorrow morning when Jackson isn't there to wake her up because that's the routine we're in now. She may kick us all out of her room and wait for Jackson to come in! Ha!

These are some of our last activities today before church. Jackson we love you so much and you are welcome back to live in "the pink world" anytime you want, buddy! (Although I'm sure you're not going to let your parents out of your sight for a long while! =)

Waking up Miss Brynlyn ritual

And, his LAST present of the week! Look at that happy look on his face! He knew that when he finally got to the last present, that he was going to see his mom and dad that day. This is one happy, happy boy!

These are my two shadows, especially whenever I wanted to be on the computer. No problem, a little pen and paper and they were two happy clams. This day they were writing their names on the paper. Way to go guys!

How could you not love these two little ones? They're so fun and so cute together.

Jackson, meet The Littlest Pet Shop toys......he loves playing with these!

Day Nine: Jackson here

2010-07-17T15:43:00.001-07:00

Jackson found a quiet moment at our house to catch a quick cat nap. He was so tired after a week of playing with cousins.

So this ended up being the only picture I could snap of Brynlyn and Jackson in the pool together. We went swimming and after 5 minutes, Jackson was done and ready to go inside. I was grateful to snap this one. He's so funny. I've decided that he and his Uncle MJ have something in common: they're like cats! They do not like to be wet. =) Jackson didn't want to play in the pool and he did not like bathtime at all. Janelle, no worries. They do outgrow it. MJ still doesn't care much for the pool and swimming, however, he does take 3 showers a day, so bathtime is okay for him! ha ha

Bug-eyed and ready to open his present for the day.

Katelyn was so excited to read a story to Jackson before bedtime.

Snug as a bug in a rug and ready for nighttime in his cozy PJ's

Tucking Jackson in bed ritual.

Wow, that baby belly is looking large!!! Yikes!

Papa's 70th bday pool party

2010-07-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Mike's Dad, Farrell AKA Papa, turned 70 years old! 70 must be the new 50, because Papa you look fabulous!!! Happy Birthday! It was great partying with you on your 70th! We love you and we're so glad that you are in our family.

Jackson was convinced that this was the exact plane that his parents were riding on. Mike's parents live under a heavy flight traffic area so we saw about 10 planes that night. =)

Mike using his boy scout skills to get the fire going to roast marshmallows and make smores. Yes we know it was 110 outside! ha ha

Candace and Brynlyn

And there was lots of swimming in the pool...

Rinsley and Ashlyn

And lots of throwing each other into the pool...

Then the girls played in the dress up stuff and put on their own plays for us. The plays were....interesting, to say the least! ha ha

Ashlyn is getting groovy with it...

Lauryn, Katelyn and Rinsley

And Brynlyn and Jackson played their own fun games. They found Granda's Little People toys and had a ball!

Sorry Jans and Eric, but Jackson insisted on wearing this pink heart necklace!

Day Eight: Jackson here

2010-07-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

I will have to say that this "gift giving ritual" has really helped Jackson to understand the timeline of when his parents are coming home. He said this morning with the hugest smile, "I have two presents left and then Mommy and Daddy are coming home to pick me up." It was really sweet. He has adjusted really well to life over here and isn't as homesick as he was the first day or two. Although he is very, very excited to get back home with "My Mama and Dada" as he so affectionately refers to them. =)

Day Seven: Jackson here

2010-07-15T07:20:00.001-07:00

There were some of the happenings of the day...

A glimpse of what dinner time looks like around here...

Jackson started dipping his chips in his yogurt. Yum! I love doing this, especially dipping something salty into yogurt, so it made me laugh when he started dipping away.

And the kiddos played and played and played...(yes in their PJ's all day long. It was my laundry day and this was just easier for me minus two outfits I would have to clean at the end of the day. And they didn't seem to mind at all! =)

Jackson picked up this airplane and said, "My mama and dad go on an airplane just like this."

And of course, the moment we've all been waiting for...day seven gifts: Handy Manny books! Wahoo! =)

Day Six: Jackson here

2010-07-14T07:57:00.001-07:00

We're at day six with our adventures with Mr. Jackson. I thought I'd post a little picture of how where we have Jackson staying while at our house. Is that the cutest little white wood frame bed??? I bought that with the mattress at a thrift store for $10! Bargain of the day! He didn't sleep well the first night (new bed, new house, new room, etc.) But every night since then he has done so well with his sleeping. He is up at the crack of dawn, but it's a good alarm clock for me. =)

And of course we needed to document the official "gift opening ritual" each morning. He wakes up and wants to open his present the VERY first thing of the day, not that I can blame him. I love a good present myself. This day he got 3 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse books. Fun stuff!

Day Five: Jackson here

2010-07-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight was so funny because we finished dinner and Jackson announced that he was tired and that he was ready for bed. (It was only 6:00 pm) SO...I had him lounge on the couch for a few minutes before I put him to bed. This is how he relaxed! Too funny!

We went swimming today. However, Jackson made up his mind that he was finished swimming after the first 10 minutes so I didn't get any pictures of him. I have a few more days to snap some photos, so I'll make it a goal to get some water pics of him.

Lauryn striking a pose

Miss Brynlyn loving every minute of the pool minus the cast!

Day Four: Jackson here

2010-07-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

Today was the day we went to get Brynlyn's cast taken off. There was so much going on that these are the only photos I took. Oh well, atleast we documented the official "gift opening ritual." ha ha Diego Books! Love 'em!

Day Three: Jackson here

2010-07-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

I grabbed this quick "after church" photo shoot! These pictures turned out so cute. It did help that Ashlyn was tickling them and getting them to laugh. Ah, they are so cute!!!

He looks so grown up in these pictures. Such a handsome little man!

Sunday morning started out with his daily ritual: gift opening. More books! It's a good thing that he LOVES them! =)

Day Two: Jackson here

2010-07-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

Of course our morning always starts with the opening of the daily gift. Today he received two Mickey Mouse books! Fun stuff!

I came into the room to find Jackson wearing this crown upside down. Hilarious! They are really cracking themselves up here. They have so much fun together.

Day One: Jackson here to play

2010-07-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

We have the wonderful privilege of having Jackson (our nephew) stay at our house for a little bit while his parents are off enjoying some of the sights in Austria and Switzerland. I will do my best to document atleast one activity a day of what Jackson's life is like in "the pink world." However, it is very very busy around here. There are lots of things that we are doing, but I promise to post atleast one.

We love having him over here and we're excited for the memories we'll make while he's here! Thanks for Janelle and Eric for trusting us with their precious little guy (and you guys have a fabo trip and don't worry about anything. Everything will be great!)

Coloring in the morning with buddy Brynlyn

Opening up gift #1: Bob the Builder book set (These are daily gifts from Mommy and Daddy. They are really helping him to count down the days until they get home.)

Brynlyn's cast is off!!!

2010-07-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah! I'm happy to report that on Monday, Brynlyn got her cast taken off! Wahoo! The only bummer is that her leg still isn't fully healed, but they said it wasn't hurt enough to re-cast her. SO...she still can't walk on it and she still crawls on it wherever she goes. And they say she probably will for atleast this week. Then next week she might try standing on it slowly, and possibly walking on it after about 2 weeks. It makes me nervous to not have it protected with the cast, but she was able to go swimming today AND take a bath and both of those things were so lovely for her (and for me)! She loved it so much that I couldn't get her out of the swimming pool in the daytime and couldn't get her out of the bathtub at nighttime! ha ha

This is great progress for her and we know the end of this ordeal is in sight.

Reading stories while waiting for the x-ray results.

The first moment once the cast was taken off.

So this is what her leg looks like?! I had forgotten. Poor scrawny little leg. Her knees are so hammered from crawling on our tile. Ouch!

Getting the cast cut off. I really think she thought we were cutting off her leg because she was screaming!!! It didn't hurt to have it cut off, but the saw was so loud and Brynlyn despises loud noises! Mike did a good job trying to soothe her during this process so I could get the photo moment.

Using her blanket to cover her ears.

Newport Beach, CA

2010-07-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July, Mike and his Dad, Farrell, took the 3 older girls over to Newport Beach, CA for the weekend. I stayed home with Brynlyn because of her broken leg and with me being 8 months pregnant, I didn't think we'd be too much fun in Cali!

They took their bikes and rode up and down the Newport Pier and then rode from Newport Beach to Huntington Beach. They rode the ferry to Balboa Island. Ate at their fave burger joint, TK Burger. Went and saw the Newport Beach Temple. They had lots of fun with Papa and even met up with the Wilcox family to watch fireworks. They had such a great time in Cali for the 4th!

Beautiful Newport Beach Temple

Mike and the girls riding bikes along the Newport Beach Pier

Taking a break for some ice cream

The girls riding bikes with Papa

Gorgeous scenery!

Ashlyn and her buddies

2010-07-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn's latest fun thing is to have a big photo shoot when her friends come over to swim and hang out. They are always so goofy and have so much fun together. Here are some of our latest photo shoots. =)

Camryn, Sara and Ashlyn

Ashlyn, Sara, Kamrie

Canyon Lake Trip, almost!

2010-07-12T05:51:00.000-07:00

So we decided to head out to Canyon Lake one day. It was a beautiful, hot and clear day. This would be a great day at the lake.

When we arrived at the lake, there was a monsoon storm that was brewing at the time. In fact, we still launched the boat, but as soon as we did the lightening started and the wind and rain really kicked in (and started pouring down). Not such a great day at the lake, afterall. We were all bummed and didn't want to go home, but we didn't want to risk braving the storm either.

I snapped these pics of Ash and her buddies Kendyl and Kamrie, who had come with us. They were all quite disappointed, but we assured them that there would be another lake trip for sure.

Then as we were driving out, we saw these two rainbows in the sky. A promising sign that everything would work out in the end.

So much for our "almost lake trip."

(These pictures look so clear, but it was starting to rain hard while lightening as I was taking these pics. We were all anxious to get back in the car. They were troopers for letting me snap a few pics of these cute girls.)

Brynlyn's 4th birthday party

2010-07-11T18:22:00.001-07:00

For Brynlyn's 4th birthday party, we had our family over for dinner and a swim party. Brynlyn wasn't doing any swimming, but that doesn't mean that the party can't go on! =)

She had been telling us for the past 4 months "my birf-day is toming up." So I figured that we'd better throw her a shin-dig to celebrate her fourth year.

We ate Brynlyn's favorite food: hot dogs, watermelon and ice cream.

She loved all of the attention and she had a great time!

Brynlyn sitting in her temp "roller chair" being "Queen for a Day."

The cousins helping Brynlyn to celebrate

Our Birthday Girl

Opening up presents and loving every minute of it

Brynlyn's bubble gum pink cast

2010-07-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Once we arrived home from Utah, we set an appointment to go to see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at PCH. We saw him exactly one week from the date of her fall and so she was tired of her temporary cast and we were ready to find out what was going to happen to her leg.

After reviewing the x-rays from the hospital in Utah, he assessed that Brynlyn had a spiral fracture on her right tibia and it was a common break that they often call the "toddler fracture" because of how common it is with toddlers obviously. SO...he put a bubble gum pink cast on her leg and sent us home to recover.

She was in a lot of pain for the next 2 weeks, but the pain started to subside and healing set in. Now she crawls all over the place, cast and all. And she's even climbing all over the place, all over the furniture, up to the kitchen table, etc. She'll occasionally stand on her cast, but she hasn't dared to walk on it yet however brave she is getting.

We actually go in to see the DR on Monday (7-12) and he'll see how much longer she'll have to have the cast on. We're hoping not too much longer!!!

Through all of this, she's been a real trooper and hasn't let it slow her down.

Brynlyn's broken leg

2010-07-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

So you know how I was saying early (about our vehicle tires) that things don't usually go "as planned" in life. Well, here is one more example.

On Tuesday while at Aspen, Brynlyn was playing on the playground equipment (that she'd been playing on for the few days before.) She missed a step and fell about 3 feet and landed right on her legs. After I had picked her up and was sitting down with her trying to console her, I started to figure out that something else just might be going on. My brother Brian pulled out his video camera and he was replaying video footage of Brynlyn trying to distract her and make her smile. This usually would have completely worked with her. And the fact that it wasn't working, lead me to believe that she might have really injured her foot or leg.

So Grandma ran to get Mike (who was watching the Lakers/Celtics Game 6) in the lodge at the time. =) We tried to take her back to our room to calm her down so we could examine her leg. She was wearing jeans so it was hard to tell, but she was not letting us move her leg at all. So we picked her up and drove down the mountain to Mount Timp Hospital ER.

By the way, we saw this deer on our drive down the canyon. We had to stop and take a picture of it, of course. =)

Our experience at the hospital was so ideal and could not have been more perfectly planned for Brynlyn. We didn't have to wait in the waiting room at all. They immediately ushered us into the triage area. The nurses were so great with Brynny and even managed to find some ice cream for her. =)

The ER DR was great and within a few minutes we were having x-rays taken and had results back. Sure enough she had a spiral fracture on her right tibia. They put a temporary cast on her leg (which can be seen in some of the other pictures) and they sent us on our way to fill our prescription. We made it to the pharmacy with 10 minutes to spare. And we were on our way back up the mountain by 10:00 p.m. Wow, talk about having a great experience at the ER if you absolutely have to go in!

And Brynlyn was such a trooper the entire time. Although I think she recognizes the red/white hospital sign by now because as soon as we pulled into the parking lot of the ER, she started saying, "No doctors, no doctors." I guess that's what months in the hospital will do to you.

Visiting with Grandma Dear

2010-07-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our trip is going to visit Grandma Dear (Susie's grandma.) She's quite elderly and still lives in Provo. She will turn 98 years old this year! And we are naming our baby girl after her; her name is Madelyn. We're hoping she's born on Grandma's birthday in September even. It was neat to be able to share this with Grandma and to see her reaction. She was genuinely pleased and excited about this new baby's name. Grandma looked great and it was a priceless moment for our kids to spend with their Great Grandma Dear.

Aspen Grove June 2010

2010-07-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Provo Canyon at Aspen Grove with my side of the family. Everyone except for Rick and Rob and their families were able to make the trip. It was a true party "Thornock" style and we made some wonderful memories.

Ashlyn's Age Group playing badminton

Katelyn with one of her group leaders

The family playing the water games "Family Follies" with freezing freezing cold mountain water. Yikes!

Bryce and Mike playing shuffleboard

MJ restocking our toiletries

Grandpa Sugar with Jackson, Brynlyn and Emilee

Brynlyn's Age Group Leaders

MJ and Grandma each working on their "domestic projects"

David and Katelyn, on pirate day! Aarrrrrr!!

A bunch of the grandkids heading off to their age groups

Our little family

Our Big Family (we're still missing 8 people here. What a group!)

Katelyn ready to climb the rock wall

Ashlyn is ready to do the ropes course

Ash, Elli and Kenzie

Grandma Sugar and Brynlyn

Beautiful Mount Timpanogas

Brynlyn and Abby

Emilee, Kerrigan, Rachel, Lauryn and Madison. Heading out to their age groups

Playing Ninja Domination

Grandma Sugar and Ashley and lots of popsicles =)

Cousins at lunch

2010-07-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to make it to Utah for a fun lunch gathering with the Jensen clan. All of our UT cousins and family were able to come. We met at Fuddruckers for some lunch before we headed up the mountain to Aspen Grove. So fun guys! Can't wait to see you all at Thanksgiving!!!

Good times...

Aunt Kim and Ashlyn

Breanna, Dallas and their puppy

Ash, Zjanelle, Mariah, and McKenzie

John, Kristen with their kiddos and our fam

The cousins

Mariah getting a little snuggle from Brynlyn

2010-07-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

In June we were so excited to go up to Utah to spend a week with my family at the Aspen Grove Family Camp. This would be our 2nd stay there and we were looking forward to the family bonding time with my fam.

But you know how life can be sometimes. Many times there are bumps in the road and "changes in your plans" that are unforseen and the only thing to do is to say "It is what it is" and Deal! This was one such experience.

After getting a super early start, we filled our car up with gas and off we went. No sooner than 5 miles down the road, we felt a tire go and soon we were off on the side of the road. I try my hardest to look at the "cup half full" in life. I am not always successful and I was REALLY trying hard with this one. The drive to Utah can be brutal and so I always insist we get an early start. I knew this was going to drastically delay our plans, but what are you gonna do???

One of the many "cup half full things" I thought of: My in-laws live 5 minutes away, so after a quick call to my mother in law, she came and picked me and the girls up and took us back to her house to wait while Mike figured this situation out. The girls ate lots of food, watched their fave TV shows, played with toys, swam in the swimming pool, and were entertained for 5 hours by Granda and Aunt Janice. Whew....thank heavens for that as opposed to the tire blowing anywhere else on the road where things would not have been as comfortable. So for THAT, I am truly grateful.

Mike dealt with this as quickly as he possibly could and 5 hours later, we were on the road again. We decided to drive straight through because we had plans to meet up with Mike's sisters and their families the next day for lunch and we didn't want to miss out on a Jensen clan reunion. So off we went to Utah with some new tires...

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

Just giving Mike a shout out to thank him for being such an incredible father and role model to our girls. They adore him and I'm grateful to him for the wonderful leader of our family that he is. We sure love you!!!

Hoping all of you father's out there have a SUPER Father's Day!!!

Meet my newest nephew Dallan!

2010-06-05T11:56:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Rick and Barbie on the birth of their oh so sweet baby boy, Dallan Russell!!! We are thrilled to welcome another nephew into our family. And he's so cute and is a little Ricky Mini-Me!!! =)

Brynlyn's last day of school

2010-05-29T07:31:00.001-07:00

I know I've already posted about Brynlyn's end of the year, but thought it would be fun to see how she has changed this year. I think all of the girls have gone through their changes this year, but this one has really grown up! It's amazing to compare these pictures and see how she has changed. It's so great to see her growing and developing as she gets older.

With Mrs. Erin, beginning of the year

End of the year...

Lauryn's last day of school

2010-05-29T07:29:00.001-07:00

Lauryn really enjoyed being in Ms. Morris' classroom this year. She thrived and learned so much and had a suberb year.

Ms. Morris, best of luck with your baby boy in the Fall! We'll miss you next year!

Beginning of year...

End of the year...

Katelyn's last day of school

2010-05-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the year, Katelyn's teacher had a family emergency and had to quit the week before school started. So she had a substitute in her classroom for the first few weeks. Then they hired another teacher who was wonderful, but had to quit mid-year because of a health crisis. So sad! Then they hired Mrs. Tate, who also had been Ashlyn's 4th grade teacher and we love her.

Katelyn had a great time in Mrs. Tate's class and we really appreciate everything she did for Katelyn! See you next year, Mrs. Tate!

Beginning of the year...

With Mrs. Tate, end of the year...

Ashlyn's last day of school

2010-05-29T07:23:00.001-07:00

Last day of school for Ashlyn. I thought it would be fun to post a beginning and end of school yr picture with her teacher, Ms. Worthen.

Always amazing to see how they have changed throughout the year! Thank you to Ms. Worthen for a wonderful school year. Ashlyn really enjoyed your class.

Beginning of the year...

End of the year...

Preschool Graduation Party

2010-05-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today was Brynlyn's Preschool Graduation Party. She really isn't graduating to Kindergarten yet. She still has 1 more year of pre-K, but most of her classmates are moving on up. It was so fun to be there in her classroom and to see their music performance. I will just say this, my little Brynlyn is the biggest ham! She thought it was so great to be up there in front of all of those parents are show off her moves. I hope she always has that sense of confidence!

We will really miss her teachers Erin and Sabrina. They have been so wonderful with her and we're sad they won't be with us for next year. We feel really lucky that they were such a huge part of our lives this year. Thanks a million gals! We sure love ya!

Brynlyn with Ms. Sabrina

Brynlyn with Ms. Erin

Brynlyn's class in full performance mode

Brynlyn and the Bus

2010-05-22T13:43:00.002-07:00

This is Aunt Rosie and Uncle David. They have accompanied Brynlyn on the bus every day to and from school for the past 9 months. They are so darling with her and she adores them. David lets all the kids give him "five" as they are getting off the bus and then he fakes "ouch" as they smack his hand and then the kids laugh and laugh.

Rosie has comforted Brynlyn more than once when she was too sad to go to school (which wasn't too many days, I'm happy to say). She always gets her calmed down and ready to hop off to school. I always know she's in good hands with them and I'm so sad that she only has 2 more days with them until school is out! It's just too sad and we're going to miss them so much.

Ashlyn's science project

2010-05-22T13:43:00.001-07:00

Whew...last project of the school year. Ashlyn did her science project on testing cooking sprays. Why didn't I ever think of that? Her title: "My Cookies Have a Sticky Problem." She was able to make 4 pans of choco chip cookies. Yummm...not the most scientific, but sure alot of fun!

These are the results of her cute project. Good job, Ash!

Fetal Echocardiogram

2010-05-17T21:54:00.001-07:00

Last week I had an appointment with Dr. Stock (Brynlyn's peds cardiologist) and he performed a Fetal Echo on our baby. Dr. Stock was the very first DR we met when we arrived at St. Joseph's Hospital with Brynlyn. We have such a great history with him and I felt really comfortable going to him for this test.

I am happy to say that everything looked great with her heart! Wahoo! Dr. Stock was so great and I really appreciate him and his office staff. They are like another set of family to us. We are feeling so happy and relieved just knowing that she's developing like she should, so far. We have not done any further genetic testing. Because the fetal echo looked great, we have decided not to do an amniocentesis on the baby just for the risk factors that can be involved. So the only information we have so far is of her heart which looks great as well as the other U/S tests that our OB has performed. So far so good and everything looks great. We're going to just keep praying for our little one to continue developing and growing as she should.

Information: What is fetal echocardiography?

This is a test using sound waves (ultrasound) to show the structure of an unborn baby's heart. An obstetrician may get a limited view of a baby's heart during a routine pregnancy ultrasound. However, a specialist in fetal echocardiography can study a baby's heart in great detail using a fetal echocardiogram.

Some pregnant women are at higher risk of giving birth to a baby with a heart defect. They should be considered for referral for a specialized fetal echocardiogram. Indications include

* a family history of congenital heart disease

* an abnormal fetal heart rhythm

* fetal heart abnormalities detected during a routine pregnancy ultrasound scan

* abnormality of another major organ system

* insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes mellitus

* exposure to some drugs in early pregnancy. For example, some anti-epileptic drugs can damage the developing heart.

* abnormal amniocentesis (AM'ne-o-sen-TE'sis). This is abnormal amniotic fluid in the woman's uterus.

The ultrasound scanning may be done through the vagina or through the abdomen. There are no known risks to the mother or fetus.

Me and Dr. Stock. Check out that growing belly!!! Yikes!

Mike's 39th Birthday

2010-05-10T07:24:00.001-07:00

Happy 39th Birthday Mike! We had a few parties to celebrate the occasion.

Here is Candace and Brynlyn sharing a fun moment at our house.

Brynlyn is giving her Daddy a special birthday kiss.

Mike being silly blowing out his candles.

Monica decorated Mike's office in Hawaiian theme. The room looked so great and he loved it! Thanks Monica, you're a sweetheart!

Mike posing with his Hawaiian decor.

Me, Pat, Farrell and Mike at his office luncheon.

The office staff threw Mike a surprise Hawaiian Luau Luncheon for his birthday. It was so much fun with delicious food. Thanks for the party guys! You're the best!

Mother's Day stuff

2010-05-09T00:21:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day was a really fun and busy day! We had a Thornock Breakfast at Janelle's house (new tradition) that morning. It started the day off just right.

Then we got dressed and went to church where I was fortunate to be asked to teach the RS Mother's Day lesson.

Then we had the Jensens over for dinner that night for another fun party.

Whew...what a day!

Me with the girls at breakfast. These girls are four of my most favorite people on the earth. They are tremendously sweet and fun with lots of sass and kick to them. I consider myself extremely blessed to be their Mom! Just think, the next mother's day picture we take, we'll have another baby girl! Yikes!

The Greatest Mom in the World is modeling the Hawaiian apron we brought home for her from Maui. Lookin' good Mom! We love you!

Me, Mom and Janelle. We are missing Tanya, who was at church with her family.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T00:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mothers out there! I am truly grateful for the examples that you are to me.

Enjoy this special day!

Photo says:

We hope you have a splashing good Mother's Day, full of sunny skies and clear blue water!

Love, the Jensen Fish
Maui, Hawaii 2010

Brynlyn and Ms Erin

2010-05-08T00:43:00.003-07:00

Ms. Erin is Brynlyn's Preschool teacher whom she dearly loves! Brynlyn loves loves loves going to preschool every week and with a teacher as fabulous as Ms. Erin, who can blame her???

We went to her schools' Night of Learning the other day where the families are invited into the classroom to see all of the wonderful things that the kids have done throughout the year. It was so much fun to see Brynlyn in her element and to see her so happy and natural in her very own classroom.

Next year, the district is rearranging alot of things and we are switching schools which means switching teachers. Aagh! I can barely stand to type this because I'm so sad about it! We have been so fortunate to have Erin as Brynlyn's teacher and we'll never, ever forget her. She's the best!

Madison's Baptism, May 8

2010-05-07T23:20:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, my niece Madison was baptized. It was great to be there with the family and see this wonderful day in her life. Congratulations Madison! We love you!

Madison with Grandma and Grandpa Sugar (or should I say Elder and Sister Thornock--serving in the Arizona Tempe Mission)

David and Katelyn, best buddies got a hold of the camera

Three Stages of Pregnancy with Three Sister in Laws: Emily (and Robbie) with ??? (13 weeks) Susie with a girl (22 weeks) Barbie (and Ricky) with a boy (34 weeks). So fun girls! Lookin' good!

Fun Cousins share the year of the baptism: Emilee (in August) Madison (in May) Lauryn (in November). (We're missing Rachel in the picture who was baptized earlier this year.)

Mother and daughter: Connie and Madison

Mike, Connie and Madison

Mike and Connie's cute family

The group following the baptism (only missing Jeff and Brian's families. Missed you guys!)

Maui, Hawaii-Ahihi-Kinau Reserve in Wailea and gorgeous scenery

2010-05-01T16:04:00.001-07:00

We took our summer vacation this spring and headed over to Maui for a week. Brynlyn stayed with Janelle and Eric, her home away from home. She ended up getting sick for the entire week and Janelle nursed her back to health. It was a tough week for them and we really appreciate all of their help with Brynlyn. They did a great job!

Our favorite place on the planet is Maui and if I had to describe it in one word, I would say Healing. It's an amazing place and we were so grateful for the chance to go back.

Warning: some ridiculously gorgeous scenery is about to be shown.

We visited the Ahihi-Kinau Reserve in Wailea. It's so gorgeous and the scenery is such a stark contrast with the clear blue water against the black lava rock. They have great tidepools here and it's always fun for the girls to check it out.

Scenery near our hotel. Every time I go to Hawaii, I always ask Mike to bring back a plumeria plant so he can plant it in our yard. And every year he has told me that it just wouldn't survive in our heat. I continue to ask though because it's my favorite flower!

Our hotel resort. We affectionately call it the Pink Palace. It is pink in honor of the Hawaiian royalty. =)

This is a beautiful Japanese garden in the courtyard. I love going and just sitting in the courtyard because it's so serene and peaceful.

If you ever go to Hawaii, do not leave home without the Hawaii Revealed tour book! It is the best and becomes our favorite guide book for the islands.

Maui, Hawaii- Things we'll only see in Hawaii

2010-05-01T16:03:00.008-07:00

We were on this kick of taking pictures of things we'd only see in Hawaii. Check it out...

Paia Fish Market. Yummm.....

Island Paperie Scrapbooking Store in Kahului. You even get a free die cut just for going in and checking it out.

Oh no McDonald's, Thank you!

This Santa has "Aloha" written all over his outfit with hibiscus flowers. And he's wearing a flower lei! Mele Kalikimaka Santa!

This is an evacuation alarm at the top of this street sign, to alert the residents in case of emergency (like tsunami)

Love this tribute overlooking the ocean. Loving the Hawaiian leis on the cross.

Gold Kuuipo jewelry (means "Sweetheart") being sold at Maui Costco.

Fresh Fruit stands on every corner. Love it!

How do you think this sign would go over in the East Valley?

Mike playing the Ukulele. You don't see this every day.

We'd love to rent this surfboard, if only we had a place in AZ to surf!

Gotta love Surf Lessons.

This cracked me up. Buddah has a football in his lap.

Mike is trying to pass this idea along to our HOA. An Aloha sign in flowers at our entrance. Do you think it will pass?

Maui sign, in flowers

I loved the sign on this tree. It lists how many steps to various places from this tree. Example: 36,000 Steps to Kauai. (But you might want to bring a boat to get there also)

Hula Pie. Need I say more???

Aaahhh...beautiful Napili Bay...

Hawaiian for...huh....?

Evacuation Route signs.

Loving Maui Tacos. Taco Bell, eat you're heart out! =)

I love this sign and I need one in my front yard.

It says in (Japanese and) Hawaiian: E Ho'omaluhia Me Ka Honua
Translation: May the World Be in Peace

If you've been to Hawaii, then you know the ABC Stores quite well! Fun and cost-effective shopping. =)

Ashlyn saw this huge shark skeleton jaw in this store on Front Street and had to act like she was being eaten by it.

Carving Tikis

This guy was totally asleep on the bench...Completely Out...Not to be disturbed. The funniest part of this picture was that in his other hand, held his car keys. Just dangling on his fingers. You can only find this in Banyan Tree Park.

This cruise ship was on a Transition Cruise. It was a 21 day cruise and they had already been to Australia. Tahiti. Fiji. Hawaii. Their final destination was Vancouver, BC. So cool! We met a bunch of the cruisers out and about because the ship was docked in the harbor for 2 days.

The Aloha State

Anyone for a pineapple tour?

This is another memorial cross/sign. This cross was surrounded by different kinds of shoes and "slippahs."

Lots of superstitions over here. We completely obliged. Not worth taking the risk. =)

This was the Crocs store on Front Street. Loved how these crocs formed fish and turtles.

Out for a nice stroll with his dogs, barefoot. Not in AZ, or else 3rd degree burns on your footsies! Ouch!

This lady cracked us up. She was ready for a day on the town.

Ahhh, to have a surf shop in our town. Mike would be in hog heaven.

Leis sold in Costco. And yes, the prices are better here! =)

Yes, this is McDonald's and it shows them selling the Spam, Eggs and Rice breakfast. Spam is the chosen meat of Hawaii, you know! Loving those spam spuds. =)

Maui, Hawaii-Snorkeling, Swimming, Sunsets, Movie Night

2010-05-01T16:03:00.007-07:00

Once a week at night our resort does a "movie night by the pool." It's so much fun because everyone brings take out for dinner and parks a lawn chair in front of this huge movie screen. This night they were showing "Avatar." Mike and I had already seen it, so we approved and let the girls watch it. Katelyn and Lauryn were asleep before the movie was even 1/4 through and Ashlyn loved it! We love this little tradition.

One of my favorite things about going to Maui is their incredible sunsets. Ahhh...they are spectacular. Everyone gathers around the beach at sunset to enjoy in these beautiful sights.

This is Black Rock at the Sheraton. Every night at Sunset, they have a cliff diver that lights the tiki torches along his path to the edge of Black Rock and then takes a dive off the rock. It was neat to see.

At dusk, the girls met up with the official "lighter of the torches" around our resort.

One night we met this Father/Son Duo who were lighting the torches that night. That little boy was so cute!

Spectacular skies. This is the view that I was looking at as I lay on my beach chair while the girls enjoyed their last swim in the resort pool, play on the beach, and swim in the ocean on our last morning in Maui. It was really at this moment that I realized that I absolutely did NOT want to get on that plane that night to come home. Frankly, Brynlyn was sick and had been for the week while sweet Janelle and Eric watched her and tried to nurse her back to health. Had she not been sick, then I might NOT have gotten on that plane. Can you blame me???

Me, Emily, Rob and Mike. They came over to our resort to hang out with us for the afternoon. We loved that they were in the islands at the same time that we were. Good times, guys...

Mike bought this Bloody Mary drink, virgin, of course. I love these! And I always get these on airplanes during the flight. Tastes like a delicious Spicy V8 juice. Yummmm... And as you can see, I'm trying to protect myself from any more sunburn.

Robbie, Emily, Ashlyn, Katelyn, Me and Lauryn preparing for an afternoon of snorkeling at the reef along Ka'anapali Beach.

The kids found this sand crab and named it Sandy. They had so much fun playing with it and building her lots of huge sandcastles.

Robbie and Mike helping the girls get situated with their snorkel gear at Napili Bay.

Katelyn, Emily and Ashlyn being washed away with the waves

Swimming at Napili Bay

Maui, Hawaii-Church, Banyan Tree, Front Street, Iao Valley

2010-05-01T16:03:00.005-07:00

We took a little trip to the Iao Valley and the Iao Needle and it started pouring rain on us. So THAT'S why this area is always so green. =) It's always a fun place to see and check out.

Tradition to take the girls to get Hula Pie at Whalers Village on Ka'anapali. You can see that it really doesn't last long. They love it!

Walking along Front Street in Lahaina. You can see the island of Lanai in the background.

Walking along Front Street at night, the girls find all sorts of interesting things to see and do.

Our traditional Banyan Tree picture.

The girls are all dressed and ready for church in Lahaina.

met a new couple that lives in our town also, Rick and D'Ann. Hi guys!

So we had the neatest experience at church on Sunday. We all arrived at the church at 9:00 when it was supposed to begin. They had a sign posted on the door that said "Stake Conference today at 9:00 in Kahului." That is about 45 minutes away from where we were. So rather than all of us leaving and going on with our vacation, we decided to gather as a group of tourists and have our own little sacrament meeting, minus the sacrament. The church was all locked up obviously, so we just sat around the courtyard area with the ocean in our view, feeling the breeze. It was a great way to have church. =) We ended having over 50 people there, whom none of us had ever met before. We had a 2 hour testimony meeting and everyone who felt the desire to, had a chance to share their testimony. It was so neat and the spirit was very strong. We met so many neat people coming from all walks of life and from all over the world and we were able to have this small connection with them for just a few moments in life. We were so bonded after that, that one man suggested we name our little group "The Maui 6th Ward" and another man said, "Well where are we meeting next?" The response: "Kauai!" Oh how I wish, my friends...

Thank you to everyone who shared in this experience. My testimony is stronger because of this wonderful experience that I nor my family will ever forget.

Check out this blog for another experience at church. We met them at church and I just love her blog post on her church experience. They are tremendous couple and it was so great getting to know them. I love her already! She's awesome!

http://is4everenough.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-05-10T16%3A10%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

Maui, Hawaii-Surf Shop Mecca

2010-05-01T16:03:00.003-07:00

Maui is a shopping mecca full of surf shops! We love to sit by the pool and soak in the rays, but Mike prefers to soak up the atmosphere at the local surf shops that he regularly frequents. Even if he walks out empty handed not buying anything, he just loves being in there. Here are a few shots of our surf shopping experiences...

This mural was painted outside of a building and we couldn't resist the photo op. The funniest thing about it was it directly faced a busy street, so all of the travelers watched us make our goofiest surfing poses as they passed by us. We were sure entertainment!

Ashyn was loving this, as you can tell.
\

Whoa...Pacific Ocean here he comes. Check out that surfing form. This guy was made to ride a surfboard...

Katelyn decided to "hula" on her surfboard

Lauryn also striking a hula/surfing pose. This is really how the pros do this in Hawaii. =)

Mike wants to learn how to Stand Up Paddle the next time we come. This is all the newest rage.

Slippahs, more Slippahs and even more Slippahs. This is where I belong. I bought 2 pairs of Cobian new flip flops for 75% off. Bargain hunting, even on Maui. =)

Maui, Hawaii-Swap Meet and more shopping

2010-05-01T16:03:00.001-07:00

We took a trip to Hilo Hatties and Ashlyn took the opportunity to find a pearl in an oyster. She even chose out her own oyster. Nice, Ashlyn....

Hats galore...

Katelyn's shell flip flops. She is so in love with these.

We love perusing the Maui Swap Meet at the Maui Community College every Saturday morning. It's so much fun! And so much more exotic (and much cooler) than the ones we find here in AZ. =) It's a photo mecca...love it.

Yes, we did have to buy another suitcase to store all of our fun goodies from the islands. Even beach sand from Ka'anapali Beach. Just ask Mike to tell you how he felt being searched at the airport on the way home because we were transporting sand home. Hmm...note to self, don't bring sand home next time. ha ha (But yes, they still let us take it on the plane. I guess we didn't look that scary. Just silly tourists.)

Katelyn was modeling this new hair clip that I just love now! It's going to come in very handy in hot hot hot AZ this summer.

I finally found someone who was selling Pickled Mangos. Yummm....

Enjoying some sno cones. The Lahaina Sunset flavor was the best!

Hand stringing leis, right there. You don't see that every day. =)

Our little rental car. The girls named it: The Red Racer. (Again, thanks Chris for hooking us up. You just didn't want us to get a compact again, right??? Good call! ha ha)