Emma is Seven!

Aiden and Ella celebrating.

The birthday girl is very excited to get her Pixos!

Emma

When we arrived back into Kansas City Ella and my mom greeted us at the airport then we headed to my Aunt Carol's house for Emma's birthday party. It was nice to see everyone and celebrate Emma turning seven. It is hard to believe that she and Sam are getting so big!

Kauai- Friday and Saturday

One of the many waterfalls in Waimea Canyon.

Waimea Canyon

Sunset view from our lanai.

We decided that Friday would be another relaxing day by the ocean. We did a little bit of snorkeling in the morning then lounged the rest of the afternoon. We watched our last sunset from our lanai. That was one of the things that we tried not to miss each day was the sunset from our hotel.

Saturday we packed up our belongings. We were anxious to see the kids but not ready to leave the peacefulness and beauty of the island. We traveled to the west side of the island to see Waimea Canyon. It was absolutely stunning. We had a wonderful vacation!

Kauai- Wednesday and Thursday

John teeing off at The Prince Course.

One of the dancers at the luau.

Us after our helicopter tour.

On Wednesday we started the day with a helicopter ride. The views were absolutely beautiful! It was a great way to see the island. After our tour we went by a local waterfall. That evening we went to a luau. The atmosphere was a little cheesy but the pork was good and the show was very entertaining.

Thursday we headed to the north side of the island to look at the sights and so John could play golf. I rode around with him while he played The Prince Course situated between the mountains and the ocean; it was beautiful. He had a good time and played very well on a difficult course.

Kauai- Days 1,2 and 3

After our night out we stopped for a pic by the pool.

Me by the Norton Figs filmed in Jurassic Park.

The view from our lanai.

John and I took a trip to Kauai to celebrate our ten year anniversary. It was more beautiful than either of us could even imagine. We stayed at a resort called the Koa Kea which was right on the ocean. I loved waking up to a view of the waves and reading on the lanai each morning.

The first day was filled mostly with travel. It was seven hours from our stop in Denver to Kauai. The second day we spent relaxing by the pool/ocean which was very peaceful. On the third day we took a trip to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. We saw some beautiful plants and trees and even got to see where they filmed some of Jurassic Park. That night we had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.

Good Times with Good Friends

We met our friends Tracy and Alan in Columbia for the MU Tigers game. While the game was a complete disappointment the company was great! We always enjoy our time with Tracy and Alan. We tailgated both before and after the game.

Trick or Treat

Ella with a sticky face and all of her loot.

Sam waiting at the door across the street.

Lady bug and Indiana Jones

Posing for a pick before we trick or treat.

There was a lot of excitement last night while trick or treating! I couldn't get Sam to slow down to wait for his sister he was so excited to run from house to house. Ella was absolutely thrilled with each "treat" that she received. She would say, "Mommy look at my treat!" She tried her hardest to keep up with her cousin and big brother. When we got near the end she kept telling me she didn't want to stop and just one more house.

FIrst we trick-or-treated with Cousin Caleb and some of their friends then we came home and trick-or-treated around our neighborhood. The kids got as much candy at about six houses in our neighborhood as they did at 20 or so earlier in the night. We don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters so people were trying to get rid of their candy. Ella and Sam both have large bowls full of treats.

Jack o Lanterns!

Yoda jack o' lantern

Ella and Sam with Ella's jack o' lantern.

Sam getting ready to scoop seeds.

Ella's look when I told her we were going to scoop out the seeds.

The kids had a blast carving pumpkins this year. Ella wasn't sure about digging out the seeds at first but once she got started she did a great job. We got the pumpkins all cleaned out while Daddy was at work and then carved when he got home. Ella wanted a happy face jack o' lantern and picked the shapes for the eyes and nose. She had so much fun and was proud of the way her pumpkin looked.

Sam wanted Daddy to help with his so they headed to the computer to choose a Star Wars template. They decided on Yoda and I think it turned out very well. They had a little trouble with some parts wanting to fall off but it was nothing a few toothpicks couldn't fix.