Grandpa Porter's Visit

Grandpa came to visit us for a week.  He was the first family or friend we've seen in four months!  It was so nice to have him come.  Although, I'm sure after his first step into our house he may not have been thinking the same thing....

Just before stitches were removed

...on his way in he tripped and he fell on the hardwood floor.  We had a trip to Ko'olauloa Health Center for seven stiches.  But, everything went uphill from there.

First fun stop was at Pearl Harbor.  We visited the USS Arizona Arizona Memorial

This is the Memorial built over the Arizona.  One of the many ships that sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack.

Taking the boat to the memorial:

Looking down through parts of the floor you can see a bit of the ship

Front Veiw:

The younger boys had a great time spending time around grandpa while the kids were at school.  We were able to see some fun things while we were here. The two younger boys went with Dad and Grandpa to the Dole Plantation.  They rode the train and ate yummy pineapple ice cream.

We also went to a parade for the 150 year celebration of the church in Laie.  This is the only pic from that:

Jackson with nine of his suckers stuffed in his mouth.

Of course, we had to stop for a snow cone...

Okay, we may have stopped at a couple of places

Best snow cone yet!

The last night Earle was in town was Bo's birthday.  We went to a Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center to celebrate.  It was really fun and they put on a hulu show while we ate.  

I love this picture.  We were getting a picture of Con and Grandpa because Conrad had a stye and it looked like he had a black eye.  But, it didn't she up.  Caleb photo bombed it!

 It's such a long trip to come see us but thanks so much for coming to see us Earle!  We love you!

Missionary Letter and Tags

We got this letter a while ago but just got our tags. Just posting for our family history.

Halloween 2015

Halloween in Laie is a bit different than back home.  Everyone goes to a certain block and trick-or-treats there.  I can only imagine how much candy they have to buy to have enough for the kids.  But, it was fun to see so many people dressed up.  When we got done I was sweating!  I checked the tempurature and it was 80 degrees and 90% humidity,  No wonder.  I am still fooled every time the sun goes down.  I always think it will cool off.  But it's not Idaho.  It is warm no matter what: rain, wind, sun, overcast, or nighttime.

Caleb was so tired that he rode most of the way on Bo's shoulders resting his head on Bo's.

Halloween was once again a success!  The kids had a great time and got waaaaaaaaay toooooo much candy.  Hailey went to a trunk-or-treat with a friend the night before our ward party and brought home at least 5 lbs of candy.  Then we went to our trunk-or-treat.  The kids got a good amount there too.  By then I was thinking we were good and we hadn't even had Halloween!  They got even more on Halloween of course.  I think we'll be good until Easter!

The Mad Hatter

Skeleton:

 Freddy Freeman of the Atlanta Braves: (Conrad refused to let me wash his pants because dirty pants make a better player!)

Spiderman:

 Bumblebee:

 These kids aren't excited for their haul, are they!?

Hailey's had a Birthday!

And our oldest is eleven!  Crazy!  Bo and I were talking about that yesterday.  Bo asked me when I look back on my childhood when do my memories really begin.  Of course, I remember some things from a younger age, but I said probably forth and a lot more in fifth grade.  He said he was the same way.  I know lot of people that are the same way.  We then realized, we are not in what we call the "grace period" anymore.  We feel like the mistakes we've made up to this point won't really be remembered by our kids.  But, as they hit age ten or eleven that will change.  I think kids will remember gospel principles from younger ages, but that is more because they are taught more by the spirit as they attend church or when we study at home.  But many actual memories are harder to remember.  It's kinda overwhelming to think about and to add to the pressure Hailey is getting older and harder and as hormones, peer pressure, and drama begin to develop.  But, thankfully we can get help for our shortcomings.

Recently as we tried to adjust to this new life I've come to understand a little more about how Heavenly Father helps us when we seek it.  I've come to realize that Bo and I really need help and guidance from the Spirit,  Parenting is hard and we can only do our best.  But if I seek help and guidance from the Spirit, then follow it.  I will be able to say I did my best.

Anyway, back to the Birthday. Hailey's birthday was yesterday but she wanted to celebrate on Saturday. We were good with that. Being here in Hawaii, I was really having a hard time deciding what to get Hailey and decided to see if she wanted a shopping night with just her and me.  She loved the idea so last Wednesday her and I drove 45 minutes to the closest mall and shopped.  It was so fun!  She picked out a lot of fun stuff. Mostly accessories at Claires which she wouldn't normally get.  I told her she had to wait until her birthday to have them.  So, I wrapped them up and she couldn't wait until her birthday to actually get to keep them.

We started the morning with her favorite. Crepes filled with chocolate pudding, strawberries, and cream.  I know, super healthy.

We then opened presents!

Before

After

This was a surprise to go with her candy bar molds.  She was super excited!

That afternoon she invited her friends from school to the movie Pan. We had cake and ice cream before and the girls colored their hair with hair chalk.  If you need something to take up about 25 minutes of time with girls; hair chalk is great.  Although we learned the hard way that it is kinda hard to get out.

We had cake and ice cream with the family tonight.  She was too sick from the treats Saturday, she couldn't eat any more treats.

At age 11 Hailey loves:

TV
Reading
Chocolate
Friends
TV
Drawing and art
Sea Turtles
Idaho
Did I mention TV?
Swimming
Baking

We Love:

How helpful she is
How great she is as an older sister and loves helping with the younger boys
That she loves babysitting
Shopping with her
Going on Dates with her
How well she is at baking
She is really sweet when she wants to be :)
How creative she is
She's a free spirit and doesn't care about what others think.  She makes choices for herself.  Not others

BYU Hawaii Newspaper

Bo is trying to get his name out there to students for a new class next semester. So, he was able to have an article done.  It was published in the Ke Alaka'i BYUH's  school newspaper. 

Here's a link. That pic isn't very clear. 

https://issuu.com/kealakai/docs/issuu_82ec4f90b93ba7/15?e=2535991/30661977