A shout out to Oma...

...and the rest of the Tennessee Hutch family!!

We miss you guys!! Thanks for the sweet duds!

We looked out the window and what did we see...

We decided to go for a walk after a huge down-pour and this is what we found just creepy-crawling down the road.
I think it got washed up from the drains in the road? Not sure. I didn't think Ohio had baby lobsters but, I guess I can learn something new everyday. We thought about keeping it, but then I kinda wanted to barf imaging having to look at that everyday so we pushed it back down the drain....after we messed around with it for a while.

Hawaii #1

Life is crazy right now. Vacation recovery is tough. It's about time I posted some pics for our sweet-as-can-be vacation to Oahu Hawaii.
The pics are somewhat in order. Here we go.......

Being the frugile students we are, we opted to fly out of Las Vegas to save a few hundred dollars. So, off we drove for about 7 1/2 hours from Cache Valley to Las Vegas. Our flight didn't leave till after midnight so we decided to catch a show while we were there. We saw "Mystere" at Treasure Island. The tickets were "breep" expensive, but the show was fantastic and it set a great tone for the rest of the trip (didn't I just say we were trying to be frugile? oops, that didn't last long). We boarded our plane around 2:00am. With neck pillows in tow, the lights went out and next thing we knew we were in OAHU, HAWAII!!

The first hotel/condo we stayed in was super nice. With this entire trip being so last minute I was worried about the accomodations, but much to our surprise is was perfect. (just don't peek into the large gaps between the bathroom doors). All three couples stayed there the first two nights. We lost T.J. and Erin on night 3 & 4, but still caught up with each other during the day.
While staying in Waikiki we did the following:
Waikiki beach: Of course... with some great games of volleyball and a jellyfish migration scare that kept us out of the water for a day or two.
Dole Plantation: The BEST pinapple ice cream EVER! We also picked up some coconut syrup for pancakes the next day.
Haleiwa: We stopped at this town to eat Yummy burgers at Kua Aina Sandwich and had to stop for Matsumoto's shaved ice! Matsumoto's was so good we went back a few more times before the trip was over. The best part: you could get a large shaved ice for just $2.50 - now that's what I'm talking about...stop ripping off the tourists everyone else!
Waimea Bay: This was so fun. Right when we got there it started to sprinkle rain, but while we were waiting for the sun to return we saw a SEA TURTLE. So cool. We saw another one later and J.R. tried to swim after it, but wasn't quick enough (I think he was a bit nervous about getting his fingers bit off) The waves were really fun. We had a great time playing in the water right at the break of the waves....J.R.'s interpretation of a fish out of water was Hillarious! What a nerd!
TBC.....

diamond head

Steps at diamond head...maybe flip flops weren't the best idea, but hey we're in hawaii.

Our humble abode.

The kitchen was great to save on time and money by just eating bfast at home. The coconut syrup was a hit. We downed the whole bottle.

Our first stop at Motsumoto's.

Sorry T.J. and Erin, we just couldn't wait!

Hawaii #2

The Arizona Memorial: J.R. and I love learning about WWII. I think it stems from our time in Sunburst. We loved this stop on our trip. We were the last to leave and still wished we could have stayed a bit longer. The audio you can listen too is very neat, I would recommend it to anyone visiting. Very cool. It really made it come to life to see the oil still seeping from the ship. History is just incredible.
Polynesian Cultural Center: Thanks so much to Brett and his buddies connections we got a screaming deal on tickets to the park and to the show at night. Both were a lot of fun! Memo to self: if I had to pay full price, it probably wouldn't be worth it to go again. Once is enough.
TBC......

Oil seeping from the ship

Snorkling and turtle watching at Waimea Bay

This guy is funny. Weird sense of humor, but still pretty entertaining.

Beautiful waterfall at the PCC

Hawaii #3

Pipeline Surfing: Okay, so we didn't actually surf at pipeline, but we were just one beach away from it. We did watch a sunset from the pipeline beach though. It wasn't the season for the massive waves, but they were still pretty big.

Brett was nice enough to take us out and give the boys a surfing 101 lesson. Although no one actually rode a wave all the way, there were some very close calls. I bet if we would have had just one or two more days to practice, it would have happened. And YES, I did actually paddle out on a board and rode the SWEETEST wave all the way in. Too bad I was just on my belly the whole time :) Can you say "sand in your pants?"
Ted's Bakery: This was a very yummy stop at the North Beach area. We ate here twice. A bit slow, but good BBQ chicken.

Day two of surfing!

J.R. and T.J. admiring the beautiful water and view...actually they are just resting up between sets of waves. It really take it out of you, if you really don't know what you are doing.

J.R, T.J. and Brett (day one of surfing...J.R. hadn't figured out, yet, how badly he would get burnt by not wearing a rash guard)

Emily, me and Cassie (and Jack) watching from the sidelines

yet another stop at Motsumoto's
T.J. had to have two - for business purposes of course. One with beans and one without.
Word to the wise: go without the beans

Dinner at Chucks.

(this was actually at Waikiki - sorry it's out of order)

You can't see it because it was night, but our table here was on a balcony overlooking the ocean. Beautiful atmosphere! Awesome company!
We had such a great time getting to know the Johnsons' better. We sure love you guys!

Lunch at Ted's Bakery
(ps: chacha- who is Ronnie Burns and why is he famous?
He was a world renown surfer who died of an asthma attack....boring)

Hawaii #4

Turtle Bay Resort: Just beautiful! Thanks to the Lee's we were able to stay here for two nights for a very good price. The rooms were gorgeous and the view breathtaking!! Loved it!
Beach time: To me there was nothing more relaxing then laying in the sun and reading a good book. I started and finished "The Hunger Games" while in hawaii. The book was pretty good, but the time to relax was AWESOME! I really couldn't get enough.
Golf: I'm sure J.R. would say that it isn't a vacation with out a round of golf. Luckily Brett made that dream come true. The Turtle Bay course was beautiful. Just off the 17th hole they saw a whale spouting out in the ocean. Although playing with borrowed clubs isn't ideal, the company was great and a bad day golfing is still better then a good day working right?

The fountain in the entryway

Girls just goofing off, doing a big of sea side Yoga

J.R.'s personal heaven

"These are a few of my favorite things"

Other cool things to note:

*We saw a whale jump out of the water while surfing on north beach.

*A sea turtle bumped into T.J.'s surf board while he was waiting for the perfect wave

*We scared an octopus into a cave in the reef while snorkeling, then dared each other to reach in and touch it....later we found out that octopus really can't hurt you, actually Brett has caught several and taken them home as pets. We're such wimps!

Hawaii #5

The sunsets were gorgeous.

The weather was perfect.

The company was ideal.

The food was delicious!
We really couldn't have asked for a better and more fun last minute Spring Break vacation! T.J. and Erin we miss you already! Emily and Ben, you guys Rock! You are the best vacation buddies a couple could ask for! When can we go back?

The view from our hotel room balcony

Sunset at Pipeline (this actually was pipeline)

Me & my sweet cousin Cassie
THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU!
You're such great hosts and so kind to show us the ropes. Thanks for all your connections and letting us get to know your beautiful family. We miss you!!

Ouf fairwell breakfast at Hukilau Cafe. The best banana pancakes!

Thanks sweet heart for taking me on my dream vacation! You're the best!
Such sweet, sweet memories!

Hawaii was AMAZING!

More to come.....

Independence

Yes, he has his own mind and agenda. The other morning I got him dressed, but he was not satisfied. He insited on adding his own touch to the outfit. Bottom layer of jeans and polo shirt (what I originally dressed him in) middle layer is his Spider Man Pj's and the top is his C-mas eve jammies - the skin-tight type. Don't forget his new sandals too.

He totally looks like a little chubby kid. His body now matches his big cheeks. You'd think he'd get hot or annoyed by all the layers, but he left them on for about 3 hours till I sneakly took them off before his nap.

Such a funny kid!

"Bubbas pease"

J.R. lovingly introduced Elliot to bubble baths and now I never hear the end of it. As soon as I say it's time for a bath I hear "bubbas pease" the whole way up the stairs. So cute!

(turns out my new camera has a bright orange light that shines right before it snaps the picture...hence, the funny squinting face)

Warm weather = Messy face

It was warm. I was trying to clean out the garage. Elliot was thirsty.

What do you get? STICKY MESS and a big smile!

The end.

To poop or not to poop

What is going on down there? It's so deep!

So, Elliot was in the bath the other morning and I saw him start squating in the back of the tub sort of quiet like.....I knew exactly what he was doing so I grabbed him and sat him on the toilet. He thought it was pretty cool, but didn't do any business. It started to get cold so I put him back in the tub. I turned around to find his towel and PLOP....AAAHHHH......I snatched him up again and maybe not so smoothly put him on the pot again. I must have made him nervous cause he wasn't happy about sitting there this time. Luckily he did do half his business in the potty, but regretibly there was still business to clean in the tub. "J.R, could you come help me???" :)

Poor kid isn't even two yet.....no way he's ready to venture into the world of the potty, but it was fun to experiment with the idea.

Better luck next time - mommy needs to learn not to have bath time right after breakfast. Oops!

Calling all Digital Scrapbookers!! HELP!

I am in desperate need of help. I have been gathering TONS of digital scrapbooking stuff, but can't seem to figure out the easiest way to ORGANIZE everything. I have everything separated into folders called Kits, Paper, Embellishments, etc...but everything in those folders stays zipped till I use it. I've googled ways to organize, but am totally confussed and not sure what is the fastest and easiest. ANY IDEAS?

*Is there a way to keep the folders zipped but be able to see and know what's in the folders?

*Do you leave all the folders unzipped? Doesn't that take up a lot of space?

*I'm using Photoshop Elements 5.0 - I know there is a way to organize through the program, but I think you have to leave all the folders unzipped.

Any suggestions would be WONDERFUL! Thanks.

A Camera...FINALLY

We are so excited that Circut City is going out of business........that sounds weird......we're just pumped to get a camera we've been looking at for MUCH less then expected! Hooray for 40% off!
Needless to say, we're back in business and can continue our photography journaling.

I just LOVE

Here are the photos that we had taken while in Utah. Bodie Brower is incredible. See the rest of our photos and more of his work HERE.
Unfortunately Elliot was having a harder then normal day, so getting a smile was quite the trial. The tears did make for cute, grumpy close ups. The snow was beautiful! We had a fun time!

Oh, how much I love my family! Words just can't express my affection.
J.R. and Elliot: Where would I be without you? You bring me more joy then I can express. In the words of our favorite night time story...I love you as wide as I can stretch. I love you as high as I can reach. I love you all the way up to my toes. I love you as high as I can hop. I love you across the river and over the hills. I love you all the way up to the moon AND BACK! You are perfect for me and you are MINE.
Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines is a great time to remember all the reason's why I love the people I love. If I listed all those people this post would go on FOREVER! Just know that I love you and think you're great! Thanks for being such a great friend, sibling, husband, cousin, mom, dad, inlaw, college roommate, high school pal, and on and on! Here's to you!

I LOVE YOU!