April 2013

In addition to Mom and Dad's trip to Hawaii, there were some other adventures in April!

The girls finished their session of ice skating lessons.  It helped so much during the winter to be able to get them out to go skating.  They had fun learning and practicing too!  On a personal note, it's awesome to have something active for us to do outdoors!

We went to Samantha's school carnival and got goofy!

I took Samantha and a friend to the Mall of America for window shopping and rides.  Best of all, Samantha paid for part of it to get me to do it.  Have I mentioned how proud am I of her for being willing to learn the lesson that the parental bank isn't always open?

Nana and Grammy went to watch Samantha's class play.  She was a narrator and was one of the few who memorized her lines perfectly!


Grammy helped out when Daddy was traveling and stayed to watch a movie with us.  Sofia loved cuddling with her!

A few months ago Samantha wrote a letter to the President of the United States suggesting more searches for dinosaur fossils and flags to mark the places they are found.  (I opted to be supportive and sent her letter.)  She was ecstatic when she got her letter and showed it to everyone!

We finally got to feel some spring warmth in April!  I took Samantha and a friend to a park to play while I walked Ely.  It resulted in a funny picture!

We went to Minnehaha Falls to enjoy the good weather and got to eat at Sea Salt.  The food was awesome and the time as a family was even better!

Mom and Dad's trip to Hawaii

Daddy and I finished celebrating our 10th anniversary with a "honeymoon" trip to Hawaii.

We stayed right on Waikiki Beach on Oahu for the first 2 nights of our trip.  This was the view from our balcony.

We toured Honolulu and the Pearl Harbor Memorial.  It was an emotional trip where we learned more about our country's entry into World War II.

The next day we flew to "The Big Island" and went to a luau.  The morning started with a stroll around our resort where Daddy spotted whales breaching in the ocean and turtles on the beach.  Another amazing moment.  We spent our first day in a rented convertible driving around the coast of the entire island.  There is the dry side where we stayed and the wet side where the rainforest is.  We took a few hikes to view the foliage and toured Volcanoes National Park.  To say that it was gorgeous is an understatement.  The beauty is intense enough to literally take your breath away.  It's just incredible!

Our second day brought another tour of the entire island though this view was by air.  We took a helicopter tour.  We got to see the lava hitting the ocean and see parts of the island we wouldn't be able to see any other way.  The cliffs and valleys especially looked like something out of "The Lord of the Ring" movies.  It was hard for me to believe it was real.  We were fortunate to see another whale and turtles on the beach and another in the water during my snorkeling practice.

Day 3 started early with a snorkeling tour.  I didn't want to come back to the boat and was mesmerized by the fish and coral.  It was another magical experience for me!  Daddy and I agreed that it was our favorite activity.

It was a wonderful trip and though it's important for Daddy and I to take time for ourselves, we missed the girls terribly.  We are so grateful that Nana and Papa did a wonderful job caring for them and even better, they enjoyed it!  Our family continues to be blessed.