Jog-a-thon time has come again. I like to go up to the school and watch the kids run and the little kids like it too because they get to run with the older kids.
B was such a good brother and even took D around a lap or two.
Then they got to run again but with A.
A and her teacher did a lap together. He was one of the few teachers who ran the whole time with the kids.
Everyone had a great run!
The night before we left for Hawaii the family finished reading the Book of Mormon. It took us about 3 years but we did it! We told the kids when we got back we would do something special to celebrate. 
While in Hawaii I came up with the idea to have a luau. We bought leis, a pineapple, Hawaiian bread, chicken instead of pork because I was to tired to slow cook it, and we had fruit smoothies. We went to the pool before our Hawaiian feast and after we looked at all the pictures we took in Hawaii. 
Everyone had a great night and they got super excited for when they get to go back with us.
One day after the guys finished golfing we grabbed lunch and found a great spot to watch whales. Our Feb./March timing was perfect for whale watching. They were all heading back north. We saw so many! 
On our way home we made our lay over in Oahu a few hours long so we could do a little sight seeing there. We made it to Pearl Harbor and took the fairy out to the monument. 
This is a part of one of the ships that was sunk. 
Here is an army ship. 
Us looking over the harbor. It was a great trip and I am so glad we went. I also can't wait to go back with the kids. I told them we could go back as soon as D is potty trained, doesn't nap and can swim. Well C asks about once a week if D is ready to go to Hawaii yet. Hopefully we'll all get back there one day. 
On the other side is also where the volcano is. This is the crater and you could see steam during the day and a red, orange glow at night. 
We found some of the steam vents. I was shocked at how hot the steam was. 
This is when we were in the lava tubes. 
This was in the lava tubes also. I wish we would have had more time at the volcano but I guess that means I have a reason to go back. 
First I just need to say sorry for all the Hawaii posts but every year I turn my blog into a book and I don't want to leave anything out. This picture is just another beautifull beach we came across and Big B is taking the time to ponder life. 
We did one day on the other side of the island and that is considered the wetter side. So we saw some waterfalls. 
There was also some crazy trees that the boys loved to climb in. My kids would have loved the trees. 
I guess I loved them too. 
Here is another waterfall we saw. 
We made sure to go to a Luau. It wasn't a traditional one but the food was good and the entertainment was alright. 
My SIL and I wanted to do a session at the Kona Temple when the boys were golfing but it was just to difficult to make the timing work. We still managed to go see it. Just like all temples I've seen, it was beautiful. 
We found a great shaved ice place and for anyone who knows me well knows I love my shaved ice. I shouldn't admit this but I ate 2 of these one right after the other. YUM! 
This is a hike my SIL and I did while the boys were golfing. It's the other side of the 4 wheel drive we did. In this picture you can see where all the valleys are. 
Here I am at the bottom of our hike. 
My SIL has a friend on the Big Island and we were lucky enough to have them spend a day with us. They took us to a beach where you had to have 4 wheel drive to get down to it. As you can see the sand was a beautiful black.
This is a picture looking back up the road. It was actually a great drive. We saw a little village, if you could even call it that. There was also a little waterfall and river. It was gorgeous! 
This was the overlook before we headed down. On the other side of that mountain is more valleys that you can only get to by boat or taking a 3 day hike. 
This was one of the nights we cooked at the place we stayed. Yummy stake dinner! Outside was the only place we ate when we ate at the condo. We only used the dinning table inside to put all our maps and things on. 
This is usually how the night would end. The girls would make it to their beds but the boys would fall asleep watching sports center. I guess even in Hawaii somethings just can't be lived without. 
These next pictures are while we were snorkeling. Big B found what he called a cave to dive through. It wasn't a cave but it was fun to swim through anyways. 
This is Hawaii's state fish. It's called Huma for short. 
I know I've posted a ton of turtle pics but this one we saw while snorkeling and we chased it for awhile. 
One of our two snorkeling spots was Cook's Monument. You had to rent kayaks and go a mile out to this point. You weren't suppose to get on the land because it's sacred. The snorkeling is good and it was a little history lesson. 
Just having fun with the underwater camera!