Hawaii: Hanauma Bay

We started our morning off bright and early with breakfast at Denny's. I have a sweet tooth and this skillet caramel banana french toast definitely hit the spot!

As soon as we finished breakfast we walked a few blocks down to catch the city bus to the popular Hanauma Bay for a day of snorkeling. The ride was long, but scenic. I love the different houses and estates along the way. Mostly I loved looking out the window and watching the waves roll in to shore. I love the ocean.

Hanauma Bay is actually a nature preserve. They don't sell food down on the beach to help keep things clean. Once we got through admission we decided to walk down to the bay instead of taking the tram. It was a beautiful day, and the view was breathtaking.

Excuse all the selfies...

I couldn't believe how busy the place already was at 8:00 in the morning. I am glad Mr. Stannix did his research and got us there nice and early!

Just one more selfie...

Snorkeling was a lot of fun! It took me a bit to get into it. I always have a hard time breathing through those things once my ears get in the water. I would make an awful scuba diver. Mike super enjoyed it though! He was a hard guy to keep up to. We had fun swimming with the fishes and observing what goes on beneath the water. We got some pictures on our waterproof camera, but we have to get the film developed when we get back. Once the waves started picking up and the water got rough, we decided to call it a day. It was a great experience!

Hawaii: Home Made

We kept our Sunday pretty low-key being that it's the Sabbath and all. We slept in as much as we could and then walked up to the aquarium. It was nice just to relax and watch all of the colorful fish swim around!

After we finished up there we caught our bus to church. We attended a ward at the Hawaii tabernacle. What a gorgeous looking building. So neat that you have to go outside to get from classroom to classroom. As we were sitting down some sisters were setting up chairs in the front. I figured it must be for the primary presentation since it's about that time of year, and sure enough I was right. Nothing like watching a bunch of kids sing and share their testimonies when you miss your own little munchkins! It was very well done.

After church an old mission companion of Mike's came to pick us up at our hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening with Elder Manoa and his family and are so grateful for their hospitality! It was so great to have a home cooked meal and enjoy good company. Elder Manoa's sister served in Guam with a lady that Mike home teaches! Small world!

I had fun listening to the boys swap mission stories and catch up. I've always been told that of all of Mike's mission companions I am most like Elder Manoa. They got along well in the mission and it was so great to hear about their experiences together.

Hawaii: Parasailing

Today was a full day! We Skyped the kids for quite a while this morning and they told us all about winning races at the cornbust. They are having a blast and well taken care of. We were up super early since the clocks are four hours behind our time. It was nice to get an early start to the day.

Parasailing was first up on our awesome schedule. Did I mention yet that Mr. Stannix did up our schedule in an excel document? A true accountant. Anyways, we were picked up right outside our hotel and brought to the marina. We enjoyed a nice breezy boat ride, followed by an awesome round of parasailing. It was so neat to be up so high above the waves, almost peaceful. Mike only got scared near the end when we reached 600ft.  

When we were finished we opted out of the free ride back and decided to walk along the endless beaches for the day. The weather is so beautiful here, and the ocean is the perfect temperature.

After passing a few surf stands, I had to rent a board! Although the backs of my knees are sunburnt, I can cross suring off my bucket list. It was so fun I probably could have spent the entire afternoon out on the water catching wave after wave. It was not as easy as it looks, but not as hard as people say. I was able to catch on by myself and am hoping to have one more go at it before we leave!

 

 

After we had our fill of the ocean (and our faces were a little burnt) we checked out the international market. I passed by a booth last night and wanted to get something for Camilla. It was worth the money just to watch this guy paint each letter on the paper. Such skill and talent! I grinned ear to ear as I watched in amazement.

After dinner we walked around the beach some more, checking out the sights and shows. These awesome torches line the beach and some hotels and bars. I thought it was pretty neat!

We also happened upon this show outside the mall. I fell in love with the spindly tree and lanterns. The guy had a great voice and who doesn't love some good Ukulele music?

Now we are set to relax our sunburnt legs for the rest of the evening in our hotel room. It's been a long day!

Off with a Bang

Our vacation has started off with a lot of excitement. Yesterday after my parents left with the children I realized my wallet was in the diaper bag still. They were too far away already and it made no sense to turn back around. This morning we packed up our suit cases and my awesome sister drove us to the airport. As we were clearing security I panicked and asked Mr. Stannix if he packed our shaving kit (my contacts, glasses, toothbrushes etc.) to which he responded "No". I definitely didn't pack it. We called my sister and asked her to grab it for us and bring it back. Thankfully we don't live far from the airport. When she arrived at our house she informed us that it was nowhere to be found. We sat in the airport laughing and wondering which one of us ended up packing it. Turns out Mike did, but after his big exam he was having a hard time remembering. Anyways, we've arrived safe and sound!

I love flying! It's so magical being up above the clouds, seeing the little plots of land and watching the ocean go on forever. It's been a super long day. We could barely keep our eyes open at dinner seeing as it's two in the morning our time.

We miss our kids terribly. On our second flight there was a baby chattering away and my heart suddenly ached for Joe. I'm hoping we keep busy enough that I won't have too much time to think about it!

The Beginning of the End

After six years of hard work Mike's post secondary education came to a close today as he completed day three of the UFE. It's been a day of celebrating in the Stannix family. We are all excited to have him back after all of his long evenings spent studying and working so hard for us. Education is such a blessing and I am so grateful for a husband who values this. I hope that our children will learn from his dedication and hard work in this area of his life, as well as others.

My parents came up today to pick up our littles since Mike and I are flying out on vacation tomorrow sans short people. It's been a hard day for me, anticipating being separated from my dear children for seven whole days. A normal Mamma would probably be jumping up and down with excitement, but I can't stop thinking about how much I will miss them! Just after lunch we all headed over to cheer and congratulate our favorite Daddy as he emerged from his rigerous three day exam. Tears totally welled up in my eyes as he came through the doors. I am so so proud of him! We then enjoyed pizza lunch with his firm and the other UFE writers. Every writer gets a happy meal. All of the writers gave up their awesome toys to my kids, so we now have a bunch of happy meal toys kicking around. Being the only kiddos there, they got a lot of attention.

 

Camilla and Hyrum were pretty excited to go to the acreage for the week. I put Joe in his "Off to Gramma's" shirt for the occasion. I spent the morning soaking in some play time with them. We played Hide n' Seek and soccer in the backyard. After the festivities, Mike and I switched over the carseats and loaded up their bags. We squeezed them each tight before buckling them in. We stood on the sidewalk to wave them off. Mike put his arm around me and held me close as he knew it would be difficult for me. I cried as they drove away, and my eyes remained wet for a while after I went into the house. I told Mike I would get it all out of my system before we left so that we could have fun!

We went out with his firm tonight for more celebrating. We didn't stay too long though. We wanted to take advantage of our time together and decided to hit up a movie. After half an hour of waiting in the theaters, just before the previews evan began we decided we were too tired to stay out so late and exchanged our tickets for passes to come another night. I am looking forward to some much needed sleep, and praying my Mom gets the sleep that she needs tonight with Joe.

Autumn Afternoons

I am loving the refreshing Autumn air. We've had fun outside lately! Both Hyrum and Camilla have been playing in the garden and come in covered in dirt at days end. After dinner we fill the bath up and when we drain the water it is black. I am glad they are having fun being kids, and love watching them play so well together in the backyard. Next Summer we will have an awesome little sandbox for them to enjoy instead. Camilla has been a super helper lately with Joseph. I had to giggle when I found them playing together.

One of my favorite things about Autumn is the colorful leaves contrast against the bright blue sky.

Joseph is getting good with his balance! I love watching him learn.

After Daddy got home we ran some quick errands. We ended the evening by playing together. We dug out the race car and the children each took turns racing. Hyrum was pretty posessive of the remote and his car. It sat on his lap the whole way home and he even wanted to sleep with it!

It was such a gorgeous evening! I love being together as a family. I love watching the children giggle and Mike show off his awesome race car driving skills. Happy memories.

Baking with Little Boys

Ya ever wonder what baking with little boys looks like?

Making cookies with the children is one of my favorite things.

I especially love Hyrum's sound effects.

Balance

Mr. Joseph has started standing on his own. I am so excited for him, but at the same time wish he would slow down already! My only hope is that I don't miss his first steps while we are in Hawaii! Mike begins his first day of three writing the UFE tomorrow. He's had a tricky few years and has succeeded so well at balancing everything. Over the summer he has been studying day in and day out  (over 150 hours) for this big exam. I am so proud of him and his dedication to church, family and career. It hasn't been easy, but it sure feels good to finally be at this point! Sending luck and prayers his way this week!

Cupcakes

Today wasn't your average Sunday. I woke up pretty tired after a rough night with Joseph. I could hear Camilla and Hyrum whispering downstairs. I smiled to myself as I listened to Camilla prepare breakfast for her brother. I've never been more proud. She pushed a chair around the kitchen and managed to get the cheerios, two bowls, spoons and pour the milk. She was pretty excited when I came downstairs and grinned ear to ear as we highfived in our jammies. After church I found myself in need of a chocolate fix, so the littles and I whipped up some chocolate cupcakes.

We spent the rest of the afternoon decorating them with sprinkles.  Camilla was pretty in to it, and looked darling with the halo of sunlight over her head.

Just before dinner Hyrum rediscovered the toilet and in went his flashlights and almost my oven mitts. By then I was pretty much ready to throw in the towel.

But I still love the guy!

Joseph ate more for dinner then Camilla and Hyrum combined. They were probably full of chocolate cupcakes or something like that. "Basagna" is Hyrum's favorite and he hardly touched it. At least Joe liked it!

 

My Little Smurf

Ever since Joseph's hair has started growing in, it's always had this funny cowlick in the back.

The other day after his bath it dried perfectly.

Love this little dude.