Thanksgiving in Chicago

Catching up! We visited Jon and Laurie in Chicago for Thanksgiving in 2013. We loved spending time with them in their new city, making a full gourmet Thanksgiving feast for the 4 of us and sucking it up to walk around the cold cold city:)

Karrens in Kauai

Shortly after arriving home from Tahoe, we packed our bags again and headed for a slightly warmer (albeit wetter) destination. With one family vacation down, we had one more still to go with the Karrens. 

My mom rented a house on Hanalei Bay on the beautiful northern shore of Kauai. It could not have been a better location or a nicer one! The house fit all 9 of us perfectly and there are some beautiful views from the dinning room of the mountains. 

Shortly after arriving in Kauai, Kyle posed for a picture. He was really feeling the island spirit!

We enjoyed Tunnels Beach where two reefs leave plenty of space to snorkel. Not to mention the great view!

Peter and Kyle enjoying the view... Well, in reality, we all were taking couple pictures and they felt a little left out;)

Then we stopped at Wishing Well shave ice for some yummy Hawaiian shave ice:)

We stayed in a beautiful place!

The next day we hiked to Hanakapi'i Beach along the Napali Coast and then inland to the falls. We all agreed that it was well worth it, but the 8 mile hike on Hawaiian trails is much more difficult than 8 miles on the mainland. 

Proof we were there!

Half way!

We made it to the waterfall! And even though it was (super) cold, we swam in the pool beneath it.

Next, we enjoyed Ke'e Beach and more snorkeling! Ke'e is at the very end of the road on the north shore of Kauai, mile 10 out of the little town of Hanalei and also the start of the Napali Coast. Kyle and I went walking just a ways to get this great view of the coastline we had hiked the day before.

The Hawaiian Sandcastle Competition was on the beach in Hanalei on Saturday. Amateur locals and tourists alike competed in one of four groups. My friend Elizabeth and her husband, Dave, competed at the group level last year and this year, Dave took on the individual level. He completed third in that division! 

Sunday we went to church at the Hanalei Branch and then drove to Elizabeth's house for lunch. They live in a cute historical home with great character. We will have to go back next year to see their new home after they move in!

Then to Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific! (Aren't we just a great looking family?)

That is better:)

Isn't he cute? 

We love that red dirt!

This is a close up of the sand at our favorite beach, Hideaways. It is super course and if you look closely enough, you can see little shells and coral bits.

The boys digging on Hideaways Beach. This was after they were playing "beached whale" in the surf and before burying Kyle and doing flips into the waves. 

So relaxing!

Our last night we spent on Hanalei Bay watching the sunset and walking the beach.

This was where we called home for the week. Surrounded by banana trees, orchids, and a beautiful mountain view out the back, this was a perfect vacation rental!

Walton Tahoe Family Reunion

This last week was the first Chuck and Liz Walton Family Trip after their mission! With all of the siblings, their spouses and kids in tow, Chuck and Liz rented a cabin in Agate Bay at Tahoe. From Wednesday until Sunday morning, we enjoyed the best kind of wake up call from our nieces and nephews. 

On Thursday, we floated down the Truckee River and had a themed dinner where we all came dressed as famous couples (from history or film). There was Napoleon Dynamite and Deb; Clark Kent and Lois Lane; Mary and Joseph; Frodo and Gandalf; the World War II kissing couple; a pair of clowns; Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker; and lastly, a pair from The Goonies! 

We spent Friday at Sand Harbor and soaked up the sun. In my case, I soaked up a bit too much and have lobster legs to prove it :/ We staked out a spot shortly after the beach opened at 8:00 AM. We were the second group on that stretch of beach for about 15 minutes. Soon the beach was crammed with people! So much more crowded than the Walton family remembers it being in the past but luckily, we had a spot partially surrounded by boulders to shield us from the crowded part of the beach.

We kayaked around the rocks, floated in inner tubes, lounged on the beach, built sand castles, and jumped off of the rocks in the harbor (large and small). It was a fun day out in the sun and we didn't want to leave!

Jon and Laurie shared their pictures from their cross country trip this summer and we snacked on Dan's speciality: chocolate covered pretzel rods... Yummy.

Saturday was our last full day together and after sleeping in late and playing a few invigorating rounds of Sardines (adults included), we headed to Tahoe City and the pier for crawdad fishing. 

After a little swimming at the Sun Club, we had a Family Variety Show! It was so much fun seeing everyone's talents and skills and learning a bit more about each other as well!

Sunday morning came much too quickly but by 11:00AM we had all packed up our cars (to the brims) and set out for home.

We already look forward to the next family trip!

The Beginning of Another School Year

With the end of July coming quickly, I have been thinking about the new school year quite a lot. Well, I have never really stopped thinking about the next school year all summer but with our Tahoe trip this week and Kauai the following week, school will start before I know it! 

I took advantage of today, knowing I wouldn't have a lot of time in my classroom over the next 3 weeks, and got things set up. 

When I walked in a few weeks ago, the summer school class was still in full swing, so all I could do was grab a few books. The carpets were cleaned and tile floor mopped and polished last week so I went in today to move the desks and tables back to where I like them. After 5 hours, things look pretty good!

Callie's Baptism

This weekend we went to Utah for Callie's baptism. It is hard to believe that she is already 8 years old! Here are a few pictures from this fun weekend with Callie, Tessa, Kelly and Dan.

What trip to Utah in July is complete without a few fireworks?! Just some small ones with the girls but still fun. We even got a view of some larger arial fireworks that neighbors were setting off.

Cover your ears!

Callie's Baptism day! What a cute, big girl! She had a hard time that morning with all of the attention, but when we arrived at the church, Callie was nothing but smiles. She was attentive on the front row as both Grandma Layton and Grandma Walton spoke on baptism and the Holy Ghost respectively.

The whole family. Dan did a great job and didn't forget the words for either of the blessings. Matt and I both agree that we had never heard a better confirmation blessing. Great work Dan!

These girls were so fun to wrestle with, tease and tickle. Even if the fun ended in tears... (Cough cough... Matt and Dan...:)

On Saturday, as the thunderstorms and rain came in, we went to see Despicable Me 2. Liz usually doesn't like cartoons but she watched the first Despicable Me movie with the girls on Friday and liked it (especially the minions). 6 adults and 2 kids crammed into a row in the theater and enjoyed a fun, laugh out loud movie while the rain pounded and the thunder rolled outside.

A very fun weekend and we didn't want to leave!

Jens & Shan's Wedding

What a fun weekend! My younger brother, Jens, was married to his sweet fiancé, Shan, on June 14! The days leading up to their wedding at the Oakland Temple were packed with dinners with Shan's family, a family and friends BBQ at the park, the wedding, and reception.

Thanks to the hard work by my dad, brothers and Matt, my parents' backyard was beautifully landscaped. A family friend (who also did flower arrangements and reception decor for our wedding) did a beautiful job polishing off the space. I am sad that I did not snap a picture of the yard!

The happy couple right after the wedding ceremony.

No family get together is complete without a jumping shot! (Thanks to Kelly for starting this fun tradition!) We are just sad that Shan was occupied with the photographer and couldn't be in this one.    We will have to get one with ALL of the siblings in Kauai in August!