Floral/Hawaiian Fabric

I've been sewing a lot, lately. I've been inspired by all of the beautiful floral fabric available here, so sewing has been my creative outlet.

Happy Valentines Day!

Love, Ella

Chinese New Year celebration in Hilo

The fam went to the Chinese New Year parade and festival this morning in Hilo. We had a great time watching the dragons dance and listening to the thousands of fire crackers.

Ella and I went to Richardson's Beach

And we had FUN snorkeling, swimming, and seeing lots of beautiful fish!

Why?

Why do children think the weirdest things are also the most fun things?
I found Lucy playing under the house in the dirt with the dogs having the time of her life.

We have EGGS!!!

It may not seem like a big deal, but we are love having fresh eggs everyday!

Landscaping

Mark and I have been trying to do a little landscaping. We've been using the abundant lava rocks to form the perimeters of the beds and planting only those flowers and plants that we know likes our rainforest climate. Finally, Impatients that I don't have to water twice a day(like in Alabama!).

Cool Rider

Lucy likes to ride in the front seat of the car on our short drive to pick the kids up at the bus stop after school. She also likes to wear sunglasses like her mama. I must admit she looks way more cool than me. She also has a poker face like a pro.
See for yourself:

Running trail

I like to go running in the Volcano National Park sometimes. Here is the view from the trail:

Our stops yesterday

On our way to Kona yesterday, Ella and I made a couple of stops:

We stopped at a black sand beach.



And we stopped at Waipio Valley:

Trip to Costco= all day

Ella and I drove to Costco in Kona today. As you can see from the map it's quite a trek. It's literally on the exact opposite side of the island than we live. So, on the way to Kona we took the northern route and stopped at Waipio Valley(will post pics tomorrow), and on the way back we took the southern route, making a complete trip around the Big Island in one day----exhausting to say the least.

Good News!!!

We are no longer home owners in the state of Alabama!
We are so thankful that chapter of our lives is now closed and we can completely focus on life in Hawaii.
God is good.

"He will cover thee with His pinions.
And under His wings shalt thou take refuge."
Ps.91:4

Back to the Aloha life

We are now readjusted to life here. What I mean is, we have started to do the things that we used to do on the island before our long stay on the mainland, such as swimming, having picnics at parks, hanging on the lanai, eating lots of papayas, and working and playing in the yard with chickens, dogs, and tropical plants.

Lucy's 2nd Birthday!!!

Lucy turned 2 today. She is such a sweet girl, always curious and ready for a thrill. We are ever thankful for her!
Here she is with her new grocery cart that she got for her Birthday from Grandma and Grandpa.

Let's rewind with some pics

Pics from Christmas dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house.




Lucy loves swinging, so whenever we had to go over to our old house, she enjoyed swinging on the front porch.



Play time in Starkville with Mimi and Poppy, Denver and Joanna and family.



Abby and Mason and Lucy had a wonderful time playing together at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Back to life on the BI

After almost a month in Birmingham and a few fun days in LA visiting Matt and Ellen we are back on the Big Island. The day after we returned, the kids school began again. We had to drive them into Hilo because the school bus had broken down and we took these pics right after dropping them off.

Our Holiday in the South

We've been in Alabama and Mississippi for the Holidays this year. We've really had a wonderful time seeing our friends and family. It snowed in Birmingham on Christmas day for the first time in recorded history, and we are glad we didn't miss it.

Ella and St. John at school

The kids are becoming more and more comfortable at their new school. I wanted to take a picture of them with their teachers and classmates.
I didn't get a chance to get a picture of SJ with his friends, but some of his best friends are Santiago, Zaccheaus, and Uriah.
Here is SJ with his teacher, Ms. Miulan. She wears muumuu's everyday. SJ really likes her.


Ella is friends with everyone in her class. Her teacher, Mrs. Cabral, is a real character. Mrs. Cabral collects pig statues and was born and raised on the Big Island.
Last week Ella came home and said she wanted to dye her hair black. I asked her why and she said because all of her friends have black hair and she thinks it's pretty.

Leaving the Islands

We are flying to Birmingham for the Holidays and won't be back on the Big Island until Jan. 7th. David is going to be staying at our house, taking care of our dogs and chickens. I've learned that it's FREEZING in Bham and I'm not really sure how my body is going to react. I'm planning on overpacking, which is good because I usually underpack. Now I just have to find all of my warm clothes that haven't been worn since we moved.
We are really looking forward to seeing everyone!

Might as well post a couple of silly pics, too.

Christmas Wreaths

Ella and I went to a friend's house yesterday and made Christmas wreaths! All of the materials we used to make the wreaths were picked in the neighborhood. You like see?

Random fun pics

We aren't doing much Christmas decorating considering we aren't going to be here for Christmas, but we couldn't help putting up some colorful lights on some of our ohia trees. Putting up Christmas decor in shorts can't be beat.


Lucy in her 80's workout attire.



The kids went to a birthday party yesterday and Lucy would not get off of the swing. Mark is now searching for a perfect place in our yard for a swing.