Wordless Wednesday: Besties!

Maui, Round 1, The Kids

For those of you who did not know, we have spent the past week or so in Maui.  We loaded up the kids, our friends, their kids and way to much luggage and headed west through the Pacific.  It was a wonderful time.  The weather was great and the kids were exhausted every night.

We went to Maui with Lora, Brad, Nolan and Andrew.  Yes, 4 adults and 5 kids!!  There was a definite need for Mai Tai's!  Here is round one of pictures, mainly the kids.

We started the trip with a stop at the Aquarium.  The kids had a great time looking at the colorful fish.  We thought it would be a good idea to see the fish and their names before we went snorkeling the next day.

The second full day was all about snorkeling.  We took a boat out to Molokini, a crescent shaped crater just a little way off the main part of the island.  The snorkeling was supposed to be great here, but we were not overly impressed.  Th kids had a great time though.

Nora Beth was not big enough to use the real snorkel gear, so they had some floaties set up just for the little ones to float and be able to see what was under the water.

The boat captain let all the kids have a chance to steer the boat on the way back to dock.

We stopped and let the kids see the largest Banyan tree in the world.  It was an amazing tree that took up a whole acre.  The girls were really amazed by the tree.

The whole group of us went to see a luau.  Yes, very touristy, but the kids loved it.

It was a very muggy night, so Calum's hair was very receptive to the mohawk.

We did the long, windy drive to Hana.  On the way we saw these amazing Rainbow Trees.  The bark was such beautiful colors.

Lamar got Nora Beth a lei one night at dinner.  She was so happy to have these flowers.

Nora Beth is 5

Today my little girl turns 5. It seems unreal how fast she is growing up. It seems just like yesterday that we were welcoming her into our family. Her world revolves around princesses and the color pink. She is such a good mommy to her baby dolls. Nora Beth is always providing entertainment with her singing and dancing and loves to tell funny jokes.

Lora did another amazing job with pictures. We went to some local parks and Nora Beth had a great time twirling in the tutu's.

Family Photos

While Lamar's parents and grandma were visiting we decided to go have some family pictures taken at the Deepwood Estate. We are so spoiled to have Lora take our pictures again. She does such a wonderful job. (Mary Ann - don't worry, you will have your CD with pictures soon!)

Here is just a sampling of what we had taken.

100 Days of Calum, Day 23

Auntie Lora is making it all better!


Telling Dad all about it! I have a lot to say since I am 4 weeks old today.

Cabin Fun

Shianne, Nora Beth and I decided to go to the cabin over the weekend to hang out with Lora and her family. Lamar had to stay behind and do inventory at work. The weather was hot, so the river sounded like a great place to be.

The water was so inviting. The girls made it into their swimsuits in record time and spent as much time as possible in the water. I stayed on the deck and relaxed.

Nora Beth was so excited to be in the water with the big kids this year.

The kids borrowed the floating island from the neighbors and had a great time. They even made friends with the neighbor kids.

The kids wore all the adults out in the water so we had to come up with an activity to keep them happy out of the water. Lora had brought up some special powder used for pedicures that gels up water. The kids found this fascinating and this kept them occupied while we got some rest.

Nora Beth had a great time with our friend Scott. He was happy to take her from one side of the river to the other.

Shianne had a great time floating. She got out the snorkeling gear later and spent hours looking at all the creatures in the water. Unfortunately she got a little red on her back side and is paying the price today!

Pregnancy Photos!

This pregnancy is going by so fast. I am in the final month now. Our little guy will be here soon. Today is the last day that Lamar and I have off together without other plans so we are going to spend the day doing baby stuff. We are going to register for baby stuff today. I have been very reluctant to do this. We are so fortunate and really do not need anything outside of a few baby basics, but there has been an overwhelming request for us to go do this.

I am feeling good. Baby is so active, my most active child so far. He has been very happy to be in a breech position, either Frank breech (butt down, legs up), or transverse (laying across my belly). Both are very uncomfortable for me. I have felt like I have a bowling ball resting in my pelvis. So much discomfort in my lower back. No position is comfortable. I am also carrying this baby so low.

For my birthday, baby gave me the best present of all. He moved!! After crawling into bed he had this episode of extreme movement. Lamar and I were just in amazement of what he was doing. I eventually fell asleep and when I woke up I had a butt and feet in my ribs. He finally went head down!! Do the happy dance. I was suddenly so much more comfortable. Lets hope he stays this way. He has moved a few times in the past two days, but he goes back head down after a few hours. I will stay on top of this situation.

I am really tired. I remember having so much more energy with the girls. Maybe because I am older this time or I just have more things on my plate. I am waiting for that nesting urge to kick in, maybe I will have energy then. I could literally spend the whole day sleeping right now - in fact, some days I do. I just got out of bed an hour ago and I am already looking forward to my morning nap.

I am ravenously hungry for hamburgers and fresh fruit. I think I am eating half a watermelon a day now. They taste so good to me. Berries are just coming on this week, so I am sure that I will be buying those on a daily basis also.

I went and did some maternity photos with Lora last week. Here is the sampling, as promised. I can't wait to see the rest. We went up to her family cabin in the woods. It is a beautiful setting with trees, open space and a river.


Here I am sitting next to the old wood shed.



There was a patch of clover next to where I was sitting. I plucked one leaf since it had a heart shape.


We climbed down the rocks to the river. The girls had so much fun doing this.



Lora got me to laughing and quickly snapped this one. I just love it.



This one makes my belly look HUGE! Well, I have to admit... IT IS! But I do not have a double chin in the picture, so it is a winner..LOL!