We went for a hike up in Kunia, which is mostly agricultural land. It is very dry there and has huge boulders for the kids to explore on.
The view down the dusty road is so beautiful. The kids loved walking around the quiet mountainside. It is away from most of the busyness of the big cities here.
Some of the girls in the church ward have been asking me to dye their hair, so with their parents' permission, we did. It was so much fun.
Hannah only wanted the underneath part to be purple and a fishtail braid looked amazing! That night we all hung out as a family over at my friend Hollie's house, with her girls (4 of them) and the Hunt family came too. It was a room FULL of people, mostly kids. Then we got to playing with hair. It was so much fun. I felt like a little kid again, braiding each others hair.
Star did my hair. Fancy huh?
These cars light up and the tracks glow in the dark. Needless to say, but Sully was in LOVE. It was so so much fun for him.
Ash and Ranger brought the family a gift wrapped in Kiwi wrapping paper (clever). I drove them to the airport. It was hard to say good bye, as we always do, but it was such a lovely trip. I'm so happy to see them both so happy. I hope we don't have to wait so long next time. We love you guys!
The gift was a puzzle of birds only found in New Zealand. It was really cool and we sent this picture back to them again to say thanks!
We took Ash and Ranger to Turtle Beach for their last adventure. It was a perfect day and we saw a few turtles too. Lullaby showed them where the turtles favorite seaweed grows. It is amazing to see them swim.
Then we walked the channel to the smaller more private beach. The kids loved having them there.
Ranger had his birthday while he was here, and we celebrated by surprising him with a room full of balloons...
And a fancy cake...
And he taught us how to make a favorite meal of his with buffalo meat and curly fries on the grill. So tasty. We ate on the beach until dark, then we went home for cake.
Who doesn't love it when your best friend shows up for a surprise visit, and then send you and your hubby out on a date so they can watch the kids and get them to bed. Seriously. Ash and Ranger are the best. They prepped for their kid date and made pizzas.
It was on a Wednesday, so we snuck out to the farmer's market for dinner, then to the hot tub to soak for a bit. So much fun. Thanks Ash and Ranger for a great night!
We brought them goodies from the farmers market, including some rambutan fruits to try. They are red with spikes on the outside, and soft and white on the inside. Very strange, but they taste SO good.
For Christmas, several of the Grandpas and Grandmas sent us money, for an adventure. So, we went whale watching! It was so much fun just to be out on the water. But before leaving the marina, the wind blew the tickets under this porch. It was in a VERY tight spot and we needed help from the captain of the boat to get it. Good grief. It's always an adventure.
We made it onto the boat and loved it! The kids particularly loved the trampolines in the front. If we were to ever buy a boat, it would be a catamaran. We had a great time.
We were out searching for whales for 2 hours, and didn't see one. Bummer. But the guys on the boat gave us tickets for free to do a re-ride and try again. It was still such a lovely day, and who doesn't love an adventure on the water?
