Fun in the sun

View from our balcony: pools and ocean.

 The kids spent HOURS at this pool.  Ruth especially loved it, asking to go there multiple times a day, and throwing fits when it was time to leave.

Ruth's daily uniform: floatie, tube, and goggles...all insisted for.

Grandma and Emmy enjoying poolside service.

Cozy chairs and shade: what more could you need?

Sunday excursions

Maybe too many pictures of the blowhole, but it was so fun to hike over raw land and then look back to see the gorgeous coastline.  

The boys are really into Lava these days, so James got his picture with a lava rock.

 Ruth would not go near any water (except the baby pool) for the entire trip.  Hence, her safe spot behind Joseph.

We also took a hike to the back of a bay.  The trees were really fun and so were the mosquitos!  Funny how my kids didn't even know what a mosquito was- California really spoils you.

Hawaii here we come!

After a very lazy summer, we finally got to embark on our family vacation.. to Hawaii!  We felt very fortunate to be able to share an entire week with my parents in their time share in Maui.  It was the perfect vacation: beach, pools, yummy food, and family.  

Emmy is at the perfect age for travel: she can't complain too much and she can't run away.  This was her hang-out spot.

The first morning of the trip, the kids woke up at 4:30 am.  Since we were all awake, we had a morning snack and then headed down the beach for the sunrise.  Joseph and I agree that this was perhaps our favorite moment of the trip.

The children especially enjoyed watching the sandcrabs, which were more than 10x the size of those we find in California.

Welcome Home!

Grandma and Grandpa Larsen made it back from South Africa!  We love them dearly and are so happy to have them safely home!

Randoms

I am realizing that these postings are a mostly about Ruth, as the boys are not with us for much of the day.  By the time David gets home at 2:30, we are engrossed in piano practice, homework, lessons, and dinner.  I am still working on a solution toward making our afternoons less stressful!

This is Ruth and James at the park during David's piano lesson

The kids were so excited about the sweatshirts at Kohl's.. can you tell they're a little starved for fun?!

Ruth got her own outing to the pumpkin patch.  We were the only one's there, so she got to ride the train as long as she wanted.

Emmy continues to grow.  She has figured out that if she cries hard enough, mom will pick her up.  Our battles start when I can't do my work and hold her at the same time!

Bunny and me

Ruth and her bunny are quite the buddies these days.  Their latest adventures have been swimming, dressing like princesses, and only occasionally napping.

Matchies

So begins the fun of matching outfits on my little girls!