Sunday Races

Zack loves to watch anyone play Mario Kart. His love of Mario has started manifesting on Sunday mornings. Every week we load Lexi into the stroller and walk the block to church. Zack likes to push the stroller and race to church. He is always Mario, and he designates who everyone else is. Lexi is usually Princess Peach. I'm sure she is happy with that. Aaron and I usually bounce between Luigi and Yoshi. Once he gets to church he expresses his joy of winning the race. This morning he took it a step further, and on the way over he kept turning around to "throw things" at the racers behind us. Then when we got across the street he ran ahead of us, and when we reached the doors, he turned around and told us, "I was really fast with all the colors!" He apparently won the race with a Star. It was pretty funny. He makes me laugh every day.

Teaching Opportunities

One of the wonders of watching children grow, is watching them learn. And they love it! They soak up information like little ShamWows.

Last night as Zack and I were reading a bedtime story, (Which is one of our favorites. EVERYONE should own this book for their kiddos!) he asked what Pisa is. So I told him after the story I could show him on a map where it was. The internet is a wonderful tool to have for just such an occasion! I pulled up a map of the globe and first showed him where we were. Then I showed him where Pisa is, and Giza (which was also in his story), and Hawaii, where Mom and Dad went on their trip. He pointed at various countries asking, "What's that one?" We looked at that map for about 10 minutes talking about different countries and who we've known that's been there.
Then he asked me where the Tickle Monster is from. I told him the Tickle Monster is from another planet. "I want to see some planets!" I was so excited to pull up pictures of our solar system and take the time to tell him the names of all of them. (He especially liked Pluto, and I didn't have the heart to tell him it isn't a planet anymore.) I love these little one-on-one teaching moments with my little genius!

Spring Storms

Zack frequently fights quiet time. But usually once he's in his room with the door shut he will play for hours even after we tell him he can come out. Last week I put Lexi down for a nap and Zack in his room for quiet time and headed out to finally do some Easter Bunny shopping, since Aaron was home. After I got home I was telling Zack that we needed to clean up so we could dye eggs. He was excited about the eggs, but not so much about cleaning up.

I can see why he didn't want to clean up. This was going to take forever! It seems a tornado came through during quiet time. I thought the nasty spring storms were only outside.

Uplifting Conference

Life gets so crazy sometimes. Crazy enough that we forget to take care of ourselves every now and then. I missed both of Saturday's General Conference sessions, and Sunday morning I was determined to get some Conference in. I am so glad I did that. Sunday morning's session was FABULOUS! It was filled with messages of love and hope and forgiveness. It was calming for me to sit and listen while Lexi napped and Zack watched a movie on the computer. It's also nice to have a DVR so that I can pause when I need to to take care of the kids. What a wonderful invention! I can take care of my kids and still catch everything!

My favorite talk of the session was President Uchtdorf's talk. I adore him! His messages are always so uplifting. Yesterday he spoke of Love and showing love, compassion and understanding to all around us. This is a subject that I have felt strongly about and has weighed heavily on my mind for quite some time. I enjoyed his talk so much that I don't want to wait for the Ensign to come out next month to enjoy it again, so I got online this morning and listened to it all over again. A few of my favorite quotes:
"I hope that we welcome and love all of God's children. Including those who might dress, look, speak or just do things differently."
"It is not good to make others feel as though they are deficient."
"I am not suggesting that we accept sin or overlook evil in our personal life or the world. Nevertheless, in our zeal we sometimes confuse sin with sinner, and condemn too quickly and with too little compassion."
"We cannot gauge the worth of another soul anymore than we can measure the span of the Universe."
"Everyone is walking his or her own difficult path."
"It is unworthy of us as Christians to think that those who suffer deserve their suffering."
"Let us love at all times. Let us especially be there for our brothers and sisters in their time of adversity."

I have always felt that we need to love and support everyone, even when we disagree with their beliefs or actions. I love to listen to an Apostle of our Lord confirm that Love is the only effective way to communicate across all differences, and that we do need to distinguish between the sinner and the sin. Too much of society in general wants to condemn those that don't agree with their own values, beliefs and opinions. And it is so prevalent on the internet, where people feel so safe in their anonymity. I'm tired of those who say if you can't take the insults, or if you find offense in a statement, then you need to stay off the internet. Just because things are done a certain way, and have been for some time, doesn't mean that it is right, or that it needs to stay that way.
I feel that we need to take this talk from President Uchtdorf and live the principles he set forth. Let's be positive influences to those around us. Make a change in how you see and treat people, and we can make a difference in how others see and treat us. A little kindness and respect can go a looooong way!

Trip to Paradise

Aaron and I had a wonderful opportunity to go to Hawaii this last week. It was a great trip to paradise. Aaron won a free stay at a condo on Kauai, so it was not a deal we were willing to pass up. We spent a week there. The greatest thing about this trip was that we didn't feel pressure to do, well, anything! We did a lot of nothing for a week. It was a wonderful break from the usual grind.

Our fist day there we went to the local Costco and the grocery store to pick up some food so we wouldn't have to eat out every meal. That is one of the nicest reasons to stay in a condo instead of a hotel. One night we made our own lobster tails, at a quarter of the price it would have been to eat out, and they were FABULOUS! We really got use of the grill there. With our lobster we grilled up some squash and zucchini with some oil and garlic salt. They were heavenly. We ate well!
The next day we drove up the coast to the North Shore. There were a lot a beautiful sights along the way. We stopped at the lighthouse and wildlife preserve and looked out at the beautiful ocean. Well, we looked out at the beautiful ocean a lot. One of my favorite sights of the day was the overlook of Hanalei Valley. Gorgeous! Along the way we also stopped to see some caves. When we got to the end of the road we thought about snorkeling for a while before heading home, but it was pretty rainy and chilly, so we decided to just call it a day and head home. It was a beautiful drive.

The first day we went to the beach to swim, we forgot to make sure our camera was set up properly. Aaron got a waterproof case for our video camera so we could take it snorkeling with us. But since we didn't set it up before we got to the beach we didn't take it out with us the first time. But we made sure it was set up before we went out to the beach the second time. The second day we were at the beach we went out snorkeling twice, but between times the camera got a bit fogged up, so the second time the pictures didn't turn out very well. That was a real bummer because when we were out that time we saw a huge school of fish. There were tons of them, and all so close we could reach out and touch them! It was truly amazing to see.

I think the highlight of the trip for both of us was the day we went out on an ATV tour. We rode out on a ranch where they have filmed a few movies. We got to see the field where dinos ran through Jurassic Park, the trees the monkeys hung out in in Outbreak, and the river that Indiana Jones escaped on in Raiders of the Lost Ark. We even got to swing out and swim in that river, right where Dr. Jones did. Normally, the trails kick up a lot of dust and they tell you to wear a handkerchief over your nose and mouth to keep out the dust, but it had rained all morning, and it was pretty muddy. Aaron had a blast plowing through the puddles and splashing muddy water all over. Ok, so did I. At the end of the trip we got to clean off in a waterfall. The pond and falls were in the shade, so the water was pretty cold. It would be lovely after a hot summer day ride, but after a cool spring day, it was a bit too chilly.

After our ATV tour we hurried back to the condo, showered, threw our clothes in the wash and went down the street for a luau. The food was fabulous! The Hawaiians really know how to throw a party. The dancers were beautiful. It was fun to see and hear some of their traditions and legends. Aaron loved the fire dancer. It was pretty cool to see him dance with the fire. I can't imagine the discipline it must take to master something like that. What a busy and fun day!

The next day we drove up the west coast. Our first stop was Spouting Horn. Here where the lava met the water, lava tubes were created. When the waves crash on the shore here it pushes the water through the tubes and makes a kind of geyser. One of the neatest things about it is the sound it makes when the wind and water rush through the tubes. The old legend is that a brave warrior was out fishing on the shore when a dragon showed up. They fought and went into the tubes where the warrior escaped, and the dragon got stuck. The sound you hear is the dragon roaring, trying to get out. And it really does sound like a dragon roar! We hung out there for quite a while, and even saw a turtle in the water.

We drove up the coast to Wimea Canyon. They call this the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. I did not even think such a huge wonder could fit on such a small island! The drive through the mountains almost made me feel at home, but Aaron reminded me it smelled too green for it to be home. The only bummer about our drive up the canyon was it poured. So we didn't get to see as far as we would have liked. The good thing about the rain was the waterfall we could see, that wouldn't have been there if not for the rain. And we both love waterfalls! This was the most gorgeous drive we took. I loved it.

We had such a wonderful time! However, we missed Zack and Lexi a lot. One night we sat there just pulling up pictures of the kids on our phones and giggling at how cute they are. This trip made us realize that we don't want to take any more vacations without them. If there is a trip that we don't feel comfortable taking them with us, it will just have to wait. But we are glad we went on this one.

Keeping Us on the Straight and Narrow

Ah, the innocence of kids! Zack amazes me sometimes with the things he retains. And sometimes it can be a great reminder for us.
When I started getting to work by 7 a.m. a few months ago, Aaron and I decided to do our own prayer together in the mornings rather than wake up the kids that early (Ok, we tried it once, and realized it doesn't work...). A couple of weeks ago Zack woke up and came out of his room while we were praying. He stood in the hall just looking at us until we finished our prayer. The second "Amen" was said, he flipped. "I wanna have family prayer!" He was sooooo distraught that we prayed without him. It was a wonderful chance to tell him that we can pray as many times as we need to. It was an easy fix, just say another prayer. Unfortunately, his screaming and crying woke up Lexi too, and she woke up crying. So we had to divide and conquer.
This morning we had to have a second prayer as well. No screaming fit, but he was pretty upset that I almost left without having a prayer with him.
There are a few times on the weekends when Zack will come in and wake Aaron and I up to tell us that it's time for family prayer. I love this! It's good to have reminders every now and then that at least I'm doing something right. And it's good to have a reminder to take care of business before going about my day.

Reading Time

One thing that Aaron and I have been very grateful for is Zack's love of books and reading. A great joy we have is that Lexi is following in his footsteps. We are very frequently asked to read to her, and she likes to sit in the "Lexi sized" chair and read her books.

She's cute, huh?!

Another great thing to see is Zack reading to her.

I really hope that we can foster this love to last their lifetimes!