Hawaii (cont.)

. . .watching the dolphins play in the ocean, 

eating coconut shrimp, fresh pineapple and shaved ice, 

and a sunset cruise along the Na Pali coast.  

Needless to say it was a vacation I will not soon forget.  

Thanks to my Mom and Scott who provided accommodations and planned the event.

Hawaii

view of Ke'e beach from Kalalau trail

Craig and I had the opportunity to go to Hawaii with some of my family this summer and thanks to my mother in law for watching the kiddies.  We flew into Arizona, visited with family then left the kiddies and flew to LA where we took an optional bump and hung out with my sister for 24 hours.  From there we flew direct to Kauai where we were staying for the week.  The week included many adventures like 

kayaking,

hiking to Hanakapi'ai falls,

The trail that leads around the Na Pali coast

On our way to the waterfall we ran into Will Smith

It was cold but we couldn't resist swimming under the falls

8 mile hike but it was certainly worth it

relaxing on Hanakapi'ai beach

enjoying the sunset on Ke'e beach,

snorkeling with turtles,

 driving up Waimea Canyon, 

Craig roaring like a tiger

AND . . . 

Learning the ropes

Lately Craig has been working on my poor little car trying to get it in working condition.  The other Saturday while he was out working on it I looked out and saw Liam out helping him and handing him some tools.  I am so thankful to have a husband who knows how to work with his hands and work on cars and especially thankful that he is already starting to teach my son some of those skills. 

Mother's Day Flowers

 Yes, I realize Mother's Day was almost a month ago.  Craig bought me my favorite flowers, stargazer lilies the day after Mother's Day and they bloomed and smelled so wonderfully the following couple of weeks.  I love getting the buds and being able to watch them bloom for a few weeks.  I finally took a few pictures of them in full bloom and am just now getting around to posting them. 

 A few days after my husband bought me these beautiful flowers, my daughter climbed up on his lap and said, "Daddy will you bring me home so flowers?"  She was so cute he could not resist so a few days later he surprised her with some daisies of her own.  I forgot to take any pictures of them but she absolutely loved them.  She is all girl and already know how to get what she wants.

Hockey

Lately my husband has been out enjoying street hockey.  He skated a lot as a teenager and since moving here he has found an outside hockey rink to play on.  He loves getting out and it is a great release from the stress of working all week to go play on the weekends.  He has been taking my son with him and my son has really been loving it.  A few weeks ago though my husband did accidentally hit my son in the leg with a hockey puck and after that decided we needed to get him some pads.  So we went to the sports store and bought him a set of shin guards, knee guards, and hip and thigh pads. We brought them home and tried them on and he looked so grown up in them that we wanted to get pictures of him.

His mean face

this is as mean as he gets

Now all we need is a helmet and some skates and he will be ready to play with the boys next year!!

Caitlyn's First Date

With Craig being gone for the past week, we decided this weekend he needed to spend some alone time with both of the children.  This morning he and Liam went to the park to play some hockey, watch some hockey and play on the playground.  They had such a great time.  Tonight, he and Caitlyn went on a date.

I did her hair all crazy, like a princess so she sits still, and dressed her up in a little dress.

I told her to make sure Daddy opened her door and paid for her ice cream and that she be on her best behavior.  She was so excited and so cute about being able to go with Daddy.  They went for some ice cream and little shopping, buying some sunflower seeds because that is her favorite thing to eat with her daddy.  (and Mommy ate the rest of the other package while Daddy was out of town).

 I love seeing their relationship develop and am so thankful for a husband who is willing to spend time doing girl stuff with his little girl.

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

Random is how we came about picking Harper's Ferry as the place of our weekend getaway.  I was simply looking for nearby KOA's and it was the easiest and closest.  I really didn't know much about it other than it was in West Virginia and a co-worker of Craig's lived there.  I did a little research before we left to find out that it was near a National Historic Park so I figured we would have plenty to discover.  We left early Friday morning to allow Craig to play a round of disc golf and the kids and I play at the playground then headed on further to Harper's Ferry.  As we were leaving Virginia we came across a big river which from a sign we learned was the Shenandoah River and across from it we saw a beautiful old chapel and town right near it.  We were both intrigued by it but at this time did not know this was actually Harper's Ferry.  We found the KOA and National Park and across from the street a tourist center.  We stopped by the tourist center first to find out that the National Park was the actual town of Harper's Ferry and some of the surrounding areas.  She told us the town played a significant role in the Civil War and in the Industry movement.  We took a shuttle from the Park visitor's center to the town and walking around several of the buildings provided the history of this town. Basically, Harper's Ferry was the location of the second armory that George Washington had built.  Washington had surveyed much of this land and his brother Charles, founded a town about 5 miles away.  Harper's Ferry is unique in that right at the point of the city is where the Shenandoah and the Potomac Rivers meet and combine into the Potomac that flows into the Atlantic Ocean.  A town with a lot of industry due to the rivers being a valuable resource for movement then the railroad was also built running through the town.  Thomas Jefferson also visited this area and wrote how amazing it was to view the two rivers meeting together.  The rock where he sat still stands today and we hiked to it to see the same view he saw.  That trail we hiked on is also part of the Appalachian trail and as we learned more about it this weekend it is now a goal of Craig's to hike all of it in parts.  Maybe when we retire we could take the 6 months to hike the entire thing at once - it is just over 2000 miles and runs from Maine to Georgia.

When the United States was in conflict about the issue of slavery an abolitionist by the name of John Brown raided the armory with the intention of arming the slaves and free them but the raid failed with several of his men killed or captured by local farmers and US marines under the command of Robert E. Lee.  John Brown was tried for treason against the State of Virginia and for the murder of 5 pro slavery Southerners and subsequently hanged later that year.  Many believe that his act is what triggered the tensions to increase and a year later the secession of the States and start of the Civil War.  The town was valued by both the North and South soldiers due to the railroad and supply lines so it was a scene of several battles, trading hands between the North and South about 8 times.  During one of these times the Union soldiers did not want the Confederate soldiers to be able to use the weapons from the armory and destroyed several weapons and most of the machines used to create the guns.  Stonewall Jackson was one of the leaders who tried to maintain Harper's Ferry for the Confederacy but eventually the Union did gain control of Harper's Ferry and Abraham Lincoln came to survey the troops.  We were able to stand on the same field where he stood to do this.  After the devastation from the Civil war and several floods the town was never really the prominent town it once was. 

We also found out that Harper's Ferry happens to be the most photographed town in the United States and of course I forgot my camera.  I can definitely see why with the historical buildings and the river fronts and bridges, very unique backgrounds.  The city is pretty much a tourist town now with cute shops and restaurants and the lower buildings being maintained by the National Parks service, but one that I would want to visit again, with my camera this time.

Camping - well sort of

With all the craziness that's been going on for a while Craig wanted to take a weekend and do something fun with the family.  We decided since he had Presidents Day off that he would take Friday off also and we would have a long weekend to spend.  With the weather being in the 70's a few days before we left, he decided it was time for some camping.  Knowing how February can be with short lived warm weather I looked for KOA's nearby with some cabins.  We found one at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia for a really good deal.  We decided to jump at the opportunity and started the packing.  I packed clothes and some games and fun things to do at the cabin, however was not really thinking actual camping so didn't bring much camping gear.  I also forgot my camera, which I was so sad about, Craig teased me about forgetting it since I always have it around my neck but with my scatterbrain I did forget to grab it.  When we arrived at the cabin we found no bedding - luckily I had brought the kids sleeping bags and a couple of blankets but no pillows.  The cabin did have a light which was good since I packed no flashlight.  We headed to Walmart to pick up a few things and Craig and I were talking about missing our pillows and I mentioned we could buy a couple unless Walmart had $3.00 pillows then we could buy 4 or 5 for us and the kids.  Ironically just as I said that and turned the corner there was a sign for $3.00 pillows.  Yay!!  We bought some firewood and hot chocolate, marshmallows, and chocolate for the kids first experience with smores.  We enjoyed some hiking and discovering the history of Harper's Ferry.  More on that in tomorrow's blog.  The nights did get pretty chilly but with our heater in the cabin we were all toasty and warm.  We really enjoyed a nice long weekend with just our little family and no tv or distractions just games, relaxing and nature.  The perfect way to rejuvenate for the weeks ahead and recovering from the crazy weeks now behind us. 

playing Wii

Jumping to serve the ball in table tennis

Beating Daddy at sword fighting

With all my packing I will admit that the children have been left to entertain themselves more lately.  My son likes to play the Wii.  The last couple of weeks he has really improved at his Wii skills and it is fun to watch how excited he gets especially when he wins. 

Look at the concentration

My daughter tries to play with him but she does not get quite as excited about it.  She pulls some pretty funny faces when she is watching her bowling ball trying to hit some pins.

Tonight my son was especially excited about Daddy coming home to play with him.  He was ready to show off his skills.  Daddy was very impressed with his improvement.  Especially when he did win a couple of games.

Bowling

He likes to jump when he plays tennis

His best sport is the sword fighting.  It's a little scary how quickly he knocks his opponent off the podium.  He definitely does not show any mercy to his sister either.  I told him to try to go easy on her but he wouldn't.  I also told him to not be a sore winner and he said "But Mom, I didn't say NaNaNa".  I guess that is all I can ask for. 









I love watching the family.  Everyone has fun playing together.