Obviously, I have been extremely lame updating this year!
Oh well, it is a New Year along with a desire to update more often.
I’ll leave you with the one thing we did not leave out this year….our crazy Christmas pic 🙂
Thanks to Allie’s photo shop skills my skin has never looked so good 😂
The main event of our year was Carly and Drew’s wedding. It was such a special day for all of us.
I am slowly working through these posts…we took a lot of pictures and had a lot of fun.
I had to take a picture seeing as Hank very rarely relaxes…
We all went to Waimea Canyon State Park. Hank and I along with John David, Chris and Eric went early to hike farther into the park. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
This hike was downhill almost entirely. We thought going back was going to be really hard but it was not so bad.
Can you see the helicopter? We saw a few fly into the canyon and swoop low very quickly…it looked fun!
This one shows how far down they went!
The area below them is where the helicopters were flying down into.
At the Waimea Canyon.
another of Gardner’s masterpieces 😂
Next on our agenda for the day was a Laua for dinner! I was glad we did it for the experience but it was very touristy and just okay. Halle loved it though!!
Every night before dinner Halle would ask me to fix her hair. She needed a picture each night to make sure I did it correctly hahahaha!
The cast did such a great job!
One more post to come….
Our next stop was Kauai. On the way to the airport we stopped by the cute little town Hale’iwa. We had one of our dinners there and wanted to check out the shops and get some more shave ice of course!
Our flight was super short and our resort was very close to the airport. It was amazing!!
Our 2 villas each had a plunge pool…crazy!
View from one of the balconies!
The girls loved our first meal there and took lots of pictures…
Dukes is a Kauai staple and it was exactly what you would imagine in Hawaii.
Eric sent us this pic the next morning showing he found his way to the lighthouse 🙂
Gardner immediately sends this pic….
😂 😂 😂
Hank and John David made it too…
We had a dinner cruise scheduled for the next afternoon. I believe it was everyone’s favorite. I will finish this post with these pictures because there are so so many. The views were spectacular.
Most of the kids rode up front and got soaked…they loved it!
I hate that this pic is blurry since it is so good of Eric!!
Totally wet!
The peeps who lasted in front the entire sail! They became friends with the annonymous couple of course ha!
Our crew minus Hanky!
Now for the sunset!
So pretty!
You can tell I did not edit a single photo since all the random people in them hahaha!
We had a few planned excursions on this trip. Our first one was to Kualoa Ranch for a UTV tour. Lots of different movies were filmed here such as Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, 50 First Dates (the guides did not tell us this one), Jumanji, Lost, Hawaii Five-O, and Pearl Harbor.
Speaking of Pearl Harbor…Hank told us a story about his friend’s parents working at a pineapple plantation when the planes flew through a gap in the mountains during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He talked about it so much that the entire trip we would all point out gaps in the mountains to him haha! Gardner edited a few pics as well.
He would also just randomly text….
😂 I just noticed that this “gap” picture is applied over the first picture haha!
Okay, back to Kualoa Ranch!
We all felt like we were running late for our ranch arrival time and Hank kept trying to get us to stop for shave ice…we kept saying we don’t have time. Upon our arrival we see a truck across the street. Hank checked us in and off he went haha! Hank was so happy obviously 😂
Geared up and ready to get on 2 UTV’s.
This is where the scene was filmed when the dinosaurs were running through the field as the people were trying to escape.
Halle taking alllllll the pics!
Halle is still learning where to place her fingers when taking a picture 🙂
another example haha…Julianne had so many of these on her phone 🤣
Isn’t that cool!?
Immediately following the tour we went to our good friends Darin and Ann’s house in the mountains above Honolulu. Darin is also a veterinarian who Hank met through a veterinarian management group.
Darin has taught Hank all he knows about Napa wines. He opened 3 of the best bottles we have ever had. All of our kids said our best dinner the entire trip was at Darin and Ann’s house 🙂
The whole group minus Kendyl who took the pic! Darin and Ann were so kind to include our entire family!
I’ll be back with more family fun from Hawaii!
For years Hank and I have talked about taking all the kids, spouses and grandkids to Hawaii when he retires. Retirement from the clinic came in February so off we went…
Our first stop was in Oahu. We stayed at Turtle Bay on the North Shore. It was as awesome as it sounds.
Our only picture of our travel day 😂
Janie can sleep anywhere!
The view from our hotel lobby 😍
View from our balcony
Only on vacation can you have a lunch drink!
Halle living her best Hawaiian life!
Kids playing at a restaurant…only in Hawaii right?!
Goodness Hawaii is absolutly gorgeous!
This was on a hike to Waimea Falls, such cool little hike!
The foilage was so beautiful!
The oldest and the teenagers skipped the swim…
Our most adventurous kids, Allie and John David, convinced Madeline and Janie to go night snorkeling with them. They had the best time.
A beach walk with Hank, so pretty!
Hank and I walked as far as we could go. Allie, Eric and John David got to the same point and said “whaterver” haha.
John David made it all the way to the farthest North tip of Oahu 🙂
They saw baby seals, which is why the public isn’t allowed out there….according to the sign.
A glimspe into our first few days. Lots more to come 🙂
I know we are all aware of how quickly the years pass…but when you are raising kiddos at close to retirement age, is goes by lightening fast 😂
I truly cannot believe my Madeline is 18!
In no particular order…photo dump!
Oh my, those poor chickens! Since her hair is shorter this was definitely during her days of secretely cutting her hair. The 3rd time she cut it, I knelt down next to her saying, “Madeline you know you should not do this, so why do you continue to cut your hair?” Without a beat she whispered “cause it’s fun”.
Still makes me laugh!
Always the master of pumpkin carving…the past few years the girls have not been interested 😞
The one and only time she hunted with her Daddy, goodness she was proud!
Madeline is still my girl who loves to cook and make her own recipes in the kitchen.
Madeline has always loved her books! She has a few shelves in the playroom totally devoted to her favorite books.
Madeline has been the master of planning her party since she was 4 and planned her own tea party. Just this past weekend she had her besties over to go to a Korean hot pot/barbeque restaurant and spend the night. They had the best time.
Goodness those days of dressing the girls the same is so very gone!
They each have their own styles these days.
Madeline still loves all her animals and is taking her cat with her to college 🙂
She continues to create and has some amazing art that she is working on in AP Art this year.
Those eyes 👀
That one year Madeline was mad about our Christmas pajamas😂.
She looks so very sad.
I make sure she approves every year now!
AND stuck in the middle of the years look who I found!!
How cute is my baby girl?!
Madeline is about to give her 5th grade speech…one of the things we knew would be hard for her.
And of course, she did a beautiful job 🙂
Oh my heart, what a cutie!
Madeline named every single chicken we ever had!
Madeline fell in love with Arthur the minute she met him.
He was supposed to be John David’s pet but quickly became Madelines ha!
She is proud of her new color for her braces and rubber bands.
This girl will follow the rules and do exactly what any doctor tells her to do…dream patient!
A year Madeline approved of our family pj’s 🙂
Changes are hard for Madeline. She was so concerned that she would not be a good aunt to her first neice. She is the best! She is the first at the door when I come home with Halle and Eli and is so good with them.
Awwww baby Halle!
Goodness she misses her brother away at school and is filled with excitement when he is traveling home.
Eighth grade graduation…
And now Madeline loves our Lottie.
Lottie however has become Janie’s sidekick when she is not at my side.
I am loving the girls getting older and taking girl trips together!
Madeline and I took this selfie because she overcame her fear of heights. Our hike was very steep, scaring her so badly that we had to sit by the side as people climbed over us. I knew we would just wait until the rest of our crew came down. All of a sudden she decided she would try to push through, and she did it. It was such a sweet moment. So many things my girl is uncomfortable with but is able to overcome her fear. I am so very proud of her.
One of my favorite pictures ever of little Madeline!
Madeline was also the one who pushed to move to a new school…best decision ever.
They are loving it and have made so many friends.
Another girls trip, this time to NYC because Dad does not want to go haha!
She chose a nice ring instead of a senior ring at the urging of all her brothers and sisters😂.
Junior prom…only one more for this girl!
Summer hair cuts.
Signing the wall for Senior pictures.
First day of Senior and Freshman year.
First fall dance.
Last Fall Break together.
Winter formal
Madeline and her besties at Breakfast with Santa.
Happy happy birthday my Madeline Nian! We are so proud of the sweet young woman you are.
You are loved more than you can imagine dear girl💕
