This week

This week was busy with school, homework, scouts, friends, etc.. It was brutal getting back into our schedule, when all we wanted to do was go back to the beach!  We are really missing Kauai this week!

The weather has been horrible, and the air quaity is awful.  SLC has been in an inversion all week, making the air unbreathable.  The kids have had indoor recess all week.

Isaac has been throwing lots of fits this week, and really testing his boundaries.  It's exhuasting and hard to deal with him when he acts like this. We thought he had grown out of his fits, but I guess not!

Although he is challenging in a lot of ways, he is adorable and hilarious at the same time. His comments always make me laugh. Here's a few I heard from him this week:

"Mom, I know I'm a big boy because I do really loud burps now!"
or
"I think I'm growing a cold, because my nose is really runny"

He was spotlighted in Primary today.  The teacher asks all the kids questions about themselves and then they share it with the primary. Some of his answers were hilarious, here's a few of our favorites.
-His nickname "Stinker" we all call him "Zeeker" because we call him "Zeke" a lot. I guess he hears Stinker!

-What he wants to be when he grows up " a Pirate"
(the picture above is him so happy to be dressed as a pirate)

-His favorite scripture story is "Nephi and the Grass plates"
I guess we really need to review the details of the Book of Mormon stories a little better.
Ha Ha -he is really a funny kid. Now if only he would be more obedient!

Because the weather has been awful this week the kids have been building lots of forts in the basement.  One day they used all the blankets, mattresses, chairs, pillows etc.. and built one that was as big as the Family Room.  Their friends all came over and everyone thought it was grand! I tried to get a picture of all the kids but they wouldn't come out of the fort.
When it was time to clean up, they all complained-oh well, we couldn't even walk in the room, it had to come down.

We had a few friends over for playdates this week, which was fun.  Isaac and his friend Ollie are so cute together!
Even Lizzie has been having friends over, its fun to see her interact with kids her own age.

Aunt Natalie had a big meet in WA this weekend. She took first place overall! Way to go Natalie!!

Taylor has been busy teaching himself all sorts of songs on the piano; simplified hymns, Coldplay songs from the internet, and more.  He's great at music, and seems to learn so easily!

Lizzie loves her meals, she ate pizza, fruit and arugula salad for dinner.  Then demanded a full brownie sundae with chocolate sauce on top for dessert.  It's funny to see her so independent. She is growing up too fast!

This afternoon Taylor got in trouble bothering the other kids during "quiet time" after church.  He was sent down to his room, to cool off- next thing I know he's huffing and puffing.  I go down a while later and he's totally rearranged his bedroom. He wanted the two twin beds together to make a huge bed.  His room looks weird but he loves it!

It's snowing again tonight, it's expected to snow 12 inches.

We are really looking forward to Spring!

Kauai

We just returned from a wonderful week in Kauai!

We went from a snow, freezing SLC, to paradise in the Hawaiian islands.  The difference in weather is dramatic, but we'll take warm weather over cold anytime.

We were so lucky to grateful to leave the kids at G & G Shields house.  All the kids love staying there, they have their regular routines, friends, and school nearby.

Plus they get spoiled by their grandparents!



We left Friday morning, and headed straight to Kauai.  It took all day to get there, we checked into a hotel near the airport and got some dinner nearby. We were exhausted because of the time change and so we went to bed. 
The next day we woke to the sound of roosters ( they are everywhere around Kauai) and looked out to see the gorgeous beach.  The best part about Hawaii is the warm weather and the humidity! It feels so good on your skin after a cold, harsh winter. 





Saturday we bummed around the beach, went swimming/hot tubbing and then headed north to the townhouse we rented for the week.  We stopped and got Danny a surfboard and bought groceries for the week on the way.
We stayed in Princeville in this new, nice townhome.  It was perfect;comfortable with a full kitchen and access to a pool/hot tub. Plus the bed was comfortable. 

We went straight to Hanalei beach that afternoon/evening and ended the night with delicious Mahi Mahi for dinner. 
The next day Sunday we went to church at the Hanalei branch. It was a great sacrament meeting, and then we did some hiking and exploring.  We stayed home that night and made burritos at our place.


Once we got settled in the rest of the week we were at the beach. 





There are so many beaches that we love but some of our favorite were; Hanalei Bay, Ke'e beach, Tunnels, Brenakee's, Luma Hai, and more.  I can't remember all their names. 
But it was so great to wake up, decide which beach to go to and then go.  We had a cooler at the town house so we'd eat breakfast at home, pack a lumch/drinks for the day and be at the beach all day!  It was the fantastic!





Danny surfed almost everyday, some beaches had nice big waves, and he really had fun! Plus we also got to snorkel, boogie board, swim, body surf, go for long walks in the sand and lay on the beach. It was fun to watch him surf and see him doing something he loves so much! I am not good at surfing but had fun trying.



We loved Ke'e beach with the gorgeous scenery of the Na Pali coastline.  The surf was really high this day, and there were no swimming or snorkeling allowed, because of the huge waves.  It was fun to watch them crash into shore. 



On Thursday we headed to the south side of the island and spent the day at the beach. This beach, Brennakee's had a lot of wildlife, we saw dolphins, sea turtles, and a couple of whales.  Plus the surfing was really good. 
We went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant that night and had great Ahi tuna tacos.  I could eat those every night, they were delicious! We walked back to the beach after dinner to watch the sun set, because it was so beautiful. 



As much as we missed our kids it was SO great to spend time together.  It was a relaxing, mellow, fun week- doing what we want to do!
But we would love to save up and bring the kids someday! They would have a blast!

More pictures of the beach, and one of the townhouse. 
My favorite thing to do is just to be outside in the warm sunshine!  It felt amazing to be warm-without wearing layers of clothing.



We found a nearby store that made great smoothies, but our favorite snack was a cold papaya with lime juice on top! It's the perfect dessert or snack. 
 I think we bought 7 or 8 papayas on this trip.





There is no much natual beauty on the island, everywhere you look it's amazingly beautiful!
We left Friday night and caught the red eye flight to LA.  The flight was good, but we were tired by the time we got to SLC on Saturday morning. 
It was brutal getting off the plane into 12 degree weather. 
But we were excited to see our kids, and hear about their week at grandma's. 





We had the best week soaking up the sun. 
I really wish it was Spring! 

Until next time Kauai!



We had a rough time getting settled back into our regular schedule after the holidays.  The kids didn't want to get out of bed in time for school and I didn't want to the regular routines. 
Isaac said goodbye to his best girl, Jesse.  She went back to Ireland until June.  He made her a card, and bought her a little treat.  So sweet, he loves her!!

We had a regular week, but it was a good week.

 Now on to Hawaii!!!

Happy new year!

With the kids out of school all week we stayed busy doing all sorts of fun things.  Danny had to work all week, but he took the afternoon off on Monday.

So On New Years Eve we headed up the Alta to go skiing.  It was a beautiful, sunny day - perfect day to spend in the mountains.  Taylor and Aunt Natalie took off and did some big runs. While Danny and I stayed with Emily and Isaac on the bunny hill. 

The kids did great, they were happy to work on their skiing.  They both really improved and seemed to have fun too!
 By about 4pm it was getting freezing cold and everyone got chilled. So we headed to the Lodge to get some cocoa and warm up. We met up with Brett and his kids too.
It was a successful day of skiing.

After skiing we headed home to celebrate New Years Eve!
We had a picnic dinner in the basement while watching a movie.  The kids thought it was fun.  By 9:30 everyone was tired and wanted to go to bed, so it was an early New Years night.
Happy New Years!!
On New Years day we hung out at home all day, and then went to a movie in the afternoon.  We saw "Chasing Mavericks"- it was  good movie, that everyone liked.

One day while running errands we stopped to get donuts at Banbury Cross Donuts.  Lizzie loved her donut, she devoured it!

On Wednesday we headed to Jump Around Utah with some friends.  The kids had a blast jumping, running, and climbing.  They played hard and it wore them out! 
The weather has been ridiculously cold lately.  The temperature is about 25 degrees for the high! Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. 
 I am so tired of being cold!





Another day we went to the Gateway Childrens Museum downtown.  We got a membership there and the kids had tons of fun! Lizzie especially had a blast, she loved shopping at the grocery store and playing in the house.
We love that museum.

This little girl is such a diva! She insists on wearing sunglasses in the car and then she demands to listen to "Paradise" by Coldplay.  It's funny and really annoying at the same time!  She is such a stinker! But we all adore her so much.

We got a piano this week too!
It was given to us by Goofy Grandma and Grandpa!  We were so excited to get a piano- now to start looking for a piano teacher.
Thank you so much!!

We ended our fun week by going swimming on Friday. 
The kids love to swim, and Isaac even enjoys it now.
We had a fun time swimming and then headed home for Lizzie to nap.  The worst part was going outside, in the 14 degree weather with wet hair.
When will it be spring?

Emily mastered the water slide this time. She has always been nervous about going down by herself, but now she has no fear at all!  Way to go Emily!  Lizzie was a little fearless too-she likes to jump in off the side into my arms, repeatedly!

The kids went back to school today, which was a little sad.  It's good to be back on a schedule,  but we had a great couple of weeks during Christmas Break! 
I think 2013 will be a fabulous year!

Merry Christmas!!!

This week was full of Christmas fun, good food, family and friends.  Christmas eve was snowy and cold.  We ran a few last minute errands and then decided to go ice skating with Brett & Teresa and their kids.  Everyone had tons of fun!  The kids did great and were getting good, by the time we left.

After ice skating we went to G &G Shields house for Christmas Eve Celebrations.  We had a delicious turkey dinner, program, songs, and gift exchange between the kids.



The kids were all really crazy and hyper, so excited for Christmas Day!  Taylor and Danny played their ukeleles for everyone.  They are getting good, and sound great.




The kids opened some gifts from Grandma & Grandpa and then opened their cousin gifts.  It was a lot of fun!

After the party, we headed home to continue the fun.
The kids opened their gifts from "The Elves" which were new, cozy PJ's.  We tucked everyone in bed around 9pm, they were all worn out from the fun day.



Christmas morning came a little too early, the kids woke up at 6AM.  But we didn't start gifts until around 7:00.  Poor Lizzie was drug out of her bed and she had no idea what was happening.  Everyone was so excited, they were too anxious to wait for Danny to make the fire.  But we made them wait!

We opened gifts and then sat around in the mounds of paper, and boxes.  Lizzie was tired by 8am, so she ate breakfast and went back to bed. 

Lizzie got a doll, with highchair/carseat/accesories and some new clothes.

Isaac got his beloved bow & arrow.  He was SO excited about it! He also got some shoes, clothes and Legos.

Emily got a red ukelele, some clothes and an easy bake oven. She played her ukekele all day- and we made a couple batches of tiny cookies in her oven.  She was thrilled!

Taylor got a new bike, a cool circuit board set, shoes and clothes.
He was so happy to see his bike, it has gears and a device that tells how far and how fast you ride. 

Everyone was very happy with their gifts.  It was a magical time seeing the kids unwrap their presents and get so stoked about their toys etc.. 
Elizabeth didn't understand what was going on, but she loved getting new toys, and eating candy from her stocking.  She is at such a fun age!!!

We spent a nice, relaxing day at home. G & G Wall came to visit and we ate lunch with them.  Grandpa Wall helped Taylor build a radio from his ciruit board set, and it was really cool!
We basically stayed in our PJ's all day, it was so nice!

The next day it was snowy again, so we went bowling ( unfortnately I didn't take any pictures. )

Thursday it was still snowing and we decided to go sledding.  I took the kids to Sugarhouse park. The kids all loved sledding down the hill, even though it was freezing cold.

Taylor and Jeffrey were standing on their sleds and going over the big jump.  They landed it a few times, and thought it was so great.
It was a great way to wear out all the kids. 

That night we did a cousin sleepover. We had Jeffrey & Spencer sleep at our house and Emily went to Mary's house. 
We got pizza and watched a movie.  The boys all stayed up late and slept in a fort.
The next day Isaac and Spencer played Legos, magnets and ran around in the snow.
Taylor and Jeffrey played games, and made a snow fort.
 Emily and Mary went to "color me Mine " and painted cups.
It's so fun having cousins nearby to do these fun sleepovers!!

Later that night we went Springville to see aunt Jennifer and Kari and Paul and their kids.  Unfortunateyl I didn't take any pictures!.  After visiting there we went to the extended Shields Family Late Christmas party. 

It was a fun night, dinner, talent show and white elephant gifts exchange.  This party is a crazy one, and it goes really late. We left around 9:45 and we were the probably the first family to leave.  Here's everyone getting organzied for the talent show.

Becca sang "White Christmas" for our portion of the talent show, it was so cute!

Grandma Shields was loving every minute of this party, she is a lot of fun to be with!

Overall we had an amazing Christmas week celebrating the birth of our Savior.  We feel so grateful for all of our many blessings. 

 It was so nice to have the kids home from school all week, and get to relax and do fun activities. We have another week of school off, so this week will be another fun week.

Merry Christmas!!!

Elizabeth is such a funny girl.  She loves to climb on the counter and get treats out of the cupboard.  When I catch her doing this she says " I need a bite."
She is obsessed with "frosty the Snowman", her baby dolls and looking cute.  When she gets dressed in the morning, she says  " I cute!" And she usually is really cute!
I love this leopard coat on her she looks adorable!
This coat was Emily's and I am so happy it fits Lizzie perfect.

Isaac and Becca have been playing well lately.  They love to do crafts, and play games. 

Taylor's been working on his science project, here he is testing static electricity on this metal pie pan.
He is doing great in school and really likes his ELP teacher/class.

On saturday we went to Springville to see Adam & Katie.  We really miss seeing them more often!
They spoiled the kids with some fun Christmas gifts, and treats.
Lizzie was really nice to everyone which was a nice change from how Emily acted when she was a toddler.  Emily HATED men , all men- even Danny.  It made is really stressful to go to family parties etc..

Lizzie is a friend to everyone.  She's a social butterfly-
who loves attention!

We also went bowling-which was a lot of fun! Emily won, and she was thrilled with her score of 107.
Isaac looks so cute in his bowling shoes and new puppy hat.

Taylor tried this fun ropes course, he did great!

It was so great to see Adam & Katie!

The kids are counting the hours until Christmas!  This is going to be a wonderful week!
Merry Christmas! Tis the Season!!!