Penelope

Just trying to fill her dad's shoes, well socks and shoes.

P.S.

I forgot one of the biggest highlights of my parents' visit. One morning we went up to the North Shore to hit the beach and my dad noticed some people cliff-jumping off some rocks on the side of the beach. He asked the lifeguards if it was safe and they said while they don't condone it, as long as we aren't inebriated and don't jump onto someone already in the water, we should be fine. Now, as some of you know, I have been known to jump off some cliffs in my day but since I had kids, I haven't done anything of the sort. Well apparently I got my adventure genes from my dad because a little later in the morning he said, "Come on, lets go jump off those rocks." So he and I trekked over there and climbed up the rock. It was about 25 feet up according to the lifeguard although it looked A LOT higher from the top! My dad went first and then I was up. I knew I couldn't stand there and look down for long so I counted to three and jumped. It was really fun and exhilarating. I still can't believe we actually did it. I wish I had pictures of it but Tory and my mom were busy keeping the kids corraled so I just have to be happy with the memory. Thanks for jumping with me dad!

Grandpa and Grandma are gone :(

But we had a wonderful time with them. We did tons of stuff and they even survived watching our kids for 2 days and nights while Tory and I explored our new island home sans kids! I won't give a complete travel log, I'll only hit a few highlights of their visit (besides just having them here). One day we went to Hanauma Bay. I had been there years ago but we hadn't gone since we moved here. The trip didn't start that well. The parking lot was already full when we got there and Penelope fell apart when her dad left us to go park the car and we had to walk in without him. It was not pleasant. Then we had to wait around forever to watch an educational video of the bay (it was mandatory). FINALLY, we got to go down to the bay. It was AWESOME!! We took turns snorkeling, the kids played in the water. We broke for lunch and ate sand infested sandwiches, chips, fruit and brownies. Then a few of us snorkeled a little more, which, by the way, was AMAZING. Then we packed up and headed back to the car. While the start of the day was a little stressful, it ended up being so fun.

The only sad thing was the snorkelers didn't apply enough sunscreen on the back of their bodies which we paid for over the next few days.

Another day we hiked up to this lighthouse. I had heard about the hike (really an uphill walk, we were able to take our double stroller) from some friends. You can't actually get to the lighthouse but the view at the top is gorgeous.

*A typical 'family' photo!

Another highlight of their visit was celebrating my mom's birthday. The twins are all about birthdays and were SO excited to celebrate with Grandma. Parker especially enjoys the cake and ice cream.







Another highlight was when my parents graciously offered to watch our kids for a couple days while Tory and I got some time away. We hiked, swam, snorkeled, went to the temple, slept and ate, ate, ate! It was a glorious 49 hours! Thanks mom and dad.

Then the sad day arrived. We had to say goodbye. Here are a couple 'goodbye' photos:

Thanks so much for coming to visit us and for putting up with our crazy family.

Grandpa and Grandma are here!!

My parents are here at long last!! We have been looking forward to their visit since we knew they were coming. Unfortunately, we all got sick as soon as they got here. Poor Parker and Penelope had fevers, then I caught it and finally Tory. Luckily it was only a 24-hour bug and we all recovered quickly. Besides my parents were working through jet-lag (they flew in from China) so they were ok with not doing a whole lot their first few days. But we are all better and enjoying their visit a ton. Penelope and Parker LOVE that Grandma reads to them:


And bakes with them:

And every night after scriptures Grandpa tells Parker and Penelope a story before they go to bed. They LOVE it!

And Oliver has even warmed up enough to snuggle with Grandpa in his bed:
We went to Dole Plantation to ride the train and Penelope loved sitting between Grandpa and Grandma:

And we had the best 'Christmas in June' when Grandpa and Grandma gave us all wonderful presents from China. All the kids got new pajamas:
Their first week has flown by and these next two are sure to do the same (although a couple days will probably feel like eternity to Grandpa and Grandma when we leave the kids with them while Tory and I sneak away!). We are SO glad they are here.

Happy Birthday To Me

I celebrated a birthday last week and while my 'celebrating' was quite different from the twins' celebrating, I think I had just as good, if not better, day. My day was simply lovely. Tory was off work so it started off right with me getting to stay in bed when the kids woke up at 6:30am. It is SO nice to not HAVE to get up. I was still awake when I heard them but I lounged in bed for a little while before heading downstairs. Not having to get everyone's breakfast was another lovely part of the day and Tory even made me breakfast, eggs, bacon and toast! We all got ready for the day and Tory packed the kids in the car to head to Target while I had the arduous task of getting a pedicure. Tory had researched and found a place with the best reviews, called and made an appointment and even confirmed the day before for me. It was awesome! And every time I catch sight of my toes, I just smile, it makes me so happy. Then I headed off to do a little shopping, by myself, for myself. I spent over an hour in ONE store and spent some quality time trying on clothes and bought some new dresses, shirts and shoes and I love my new purchases! After some lunch, Tory whipped out a yummy ice cream cake and then kids sang to me, they were SO excited for me to have birthday cake:



After naps we all went to beach and I even snuck in a few minutes of reading my book while lounging in my beach chair.

Then it was home to get the kids ready for the babysitter and get myself ready for my night out. I got to wear one of my new dresses and new shoes, its fun to get all gussied up every once in a while. We went to this really nice restaurant I had been wanted to experience and it was great. The food was fabulous, the service great and the company perfect!!

We didn't stay out too late, we are all about sleep in this house. So I got to go to bed at a decent time - it really was a perfect day. I love my husband and how good he is to me. He really orchestrated the whole day to make sure it was just right for me. Happy birthday to me!!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Today Parker and Penelope turned 3. We have had a couple of really fun days to celebrate. Yesterday we woke up, ate breakfast, threw on our swimsuits and hit the beach! The beach just keeps getting better and better every time we go, its so fun!

Then after a quick trip to Costco, we headed home for lunch and naps. After naps we jumped back in the car and drove to the mall. Now, we had considered doing a birthday party because Parker and Penelope LOVE bounce houses and so we could have rented one and had a big she-bang. But, I just wasn't up for the stress of it and frankly, I don't think the twins really would have cared, other than the bounce house. So, instead, we headed to the mall where they have a big ole room filled with a bunch of bounce houses and let the kids have at it. Parker was absolutely thrilled to see they had a fire truck bounce house and spent most of his time there. Originally we weren't going to buy a pass for Oliver but he was NOT going to be left out so he joined in the fun:



After we got home we decorated some cupcakes for their friends at church and then it was bedtime. Sunday, their actual birthday, they awoke to a decorated house and presents. They each got a Thomas the Train backpack.
We gave them the backpacks with some toys in them for them to take to church to keep them quiet. After some presents and breakfast, we got ready for church and then took some pics in the backyard. Penelope wouldn't even take off her backpack for the photo shoot :)
Then we headed off to church. At the end of their nursery class, Tory and I went in and took cupcakes to give to their friends. Parker and Penelope loved when their friends sang to them and they enjoyed giving them cupcakes.



After church we headed home for naps (Oliver was actually already asleep, he had a ROUGH day at church and fell asleep about 30 minutes before we headed home and luckily he stayed asleep after we put him in his bed). Tory decorated their cake while they napped and Parker was tickled to death when he saw the cake:
After Penelope got up, we opened the rest of their presents, had dinner and then cake.

Penelope actually blew out the candle this year which was exciting and Parker LOVED eating his cake. Penelope just picked off the candy, she is not a cake lover. After sugaring everyone up, we decided to go take a walk on the beach to burn off some energy. I need to remember that even though we don't plan to get in the water, there is no stopping our kids.

Now the kids are in bed after singing 'Happy Birthday' a million times. All in all, I think we had a great time celebrating Parker and Penelope's birthday - here's to hoping their 4th year with us is even better!!

Pigtails!!

Guess who lets me put pigtails in her hair sometimes? Miss Penelope!! Now, it isn't easy. It requires bribery. I give her a piece of chocolate to hold still and let me put 'bows' in her hair. And I invested in some teeny-tiny plastic hairbands that are hard (for her) to pull out of her hair. This first picture is the first time she let me put pigtails in:


She pulled them out minutes later. But the more she wears them, the more she leaves them alone. And I think they are just so cute!