Hawaiian Adventure Day 1

We did it! We finally vacationed without Mickey Mouse and went to Hawaii instead! We left Thursday morning, along with Dave's parents, and returned home today. The flight was a whopping SIX AND A HALF HOURS LONG! What's even more amazing is that Kate rode on our laps the entire way! Well, that's not completely accurate; she rode on our laps when she wasn't fighting us for our seats.

It felt a little bit like Dave and I had to put on a song and dance show to keep her constantly entertained and well-behaved, but we (and the rest of the passengers) survived! All in all, we were really pretty surprised by how well she did on the flight. When we arrived we were thrilled to see the lush gardens just at the airport alone... especially since we had shoveled about 8-10 inches of snow earlier that morning in Utah. It was hot, sunny weather; something that we were all happy to see.

We picked up our rental car (which took quite a while). Dave and his dad handled the business end, while Dave's mom and I chased Kate around (who, in turn, chased "birdies" around). Kate picked up a new phrase while in Hawaii, which was, "Here boidie, boidie, boidie!"

Once we got our van we headed for the Turtle Bay Hotel. Along the way, we stopped at The Dole Plantation. We had planned on taking an overpriced train ride and eating a delicious Dole Whip, but were disappointed to find that everything had closed early (we've come to learn that this is often the Hawaiian way). Instead, we walked around the gardens, took some priceless photos, and chased some more boidies around.

Once at the hotel, we checked out our incredible views from our rooms. Kate LOVED the ocean. Everytime she'd see it, she say, "There it is. I see it!"

Next, we put on our swimming attire and took a little dip in the kiddie pools and hot tub and watched the sunset. It was a nice ending to the first day of our vacation.

Our Little Bunny

Judging by Kate's candy-rotten teeth, the Easter Bunny paid us a visit. Kate was happy to wake to a trail of eggs leading to her Easter surprises.












Her favorite surprise (although a bit too big for her little feet to pedal) was her new bike.




--Our favorite surprise... that cute hair-do Kate was sporting!






The fun did not end there. We enjoyed 2 dinners and 2 egg hunts at both of the grandparents' houses. Both events resulted in way too much candy, although Kate would tell you otherwise.

Here are two pictures of Kate; one from last year, and one from this year. Can you believe how this little baby has grown into a little girl?

Sunny Day vs. Cold Day

Let's have a moment of reflection, shall we?

A typical warm day...

A typical cold day...

For anyone still having trouble translating...

Cold = Endless episodes of that condescending "Mouse character" and his creepy clubhouse, blogging, and inside recess.

Sunshine = trips to the park, weeding, wagon rides, bubble-blowing, and an early, but enjoyable jogging adventure (thanks to two very fun lady friends of mine).

I am dying for warmth! Someone please take me back to the sunny skies of Pasadena! Kate's dying too. Just look at how much fun this little bean can have when it's warm:

Eat Your Heart Out, Emeril!

No, you're not looking at photos from a cookbook...Dave made these!

Every General Conference Dave's family gets together for lunch in between the Sunday conference sessions. It's a really fun tradition that just adds to the day in such a big way. What's even more fun is that it's always a competition as to who will make the best food. The Blackhurst's are huge food junkies, and every get-together revolves around food; lots of it! Although many of Dave's brothers make for tough competition, Dave's concoctions are ALWAYS the best.

This is pretty much the story of our life. Dave has always been the gourmet, able to whip up the most amazing dinners. Whenever we take food to parties, I'm always being asked how I made it. I then try to fake like I know how or what went into to making the dishes. Don't get me wrong...I love the attention and praise, but often feel maybe a little, teeny, weeny, tiny, schminey guilty for taking the credit for something that Dave did.

Now let's not overlook my abilities completely...I'm the master of a mean, boxed Macaroni and Cheese, spaghettios, Pasta Roni, and lest we forget, a big old bowl of cereal. I've also gained some pretty substantial skills playing the "assistant to the chef" such as: chopping, grating, um...peeling, and um, um...wiping up????

I'd like to say that someday I'll be up to his same level of expertise, but come on...that's not likely.

American Fork Idol

Thursday night made for a real adventure! We took Dave's parents to the Desert Star to see the parody, "American Fork Idol." I had never been to the place, but am now a huge fan. You can't beat eating a greasy dinner while watching community theater!

It was an entertaining show, poking fun at some of my favorite American Idol people, as well as Utah culture. The "Paula" character would have been a dream role to play, although the actress playing her wasn't especially fit the role ("I would have been better," said my inner dramatic voices). Not really...I have no experience in theater.

I especially liked the banner below. You can't really read it, but it says, "Energy Pollutions Arena presents...So You Think You're the Next Hollywood Pop Superstar." It was a good quote that encompasses a plethora of my favorite T.V. shows.

Now You See Them...Now You Don't!

Kate's latest obsession...


Do we REDRESS her EVERY time she undresses herself, or do we give in to nudism? The latter sounds good to me!

Rocks Cease to Be Lame

What's new in the world of second grade? Learning valuable lessons with the use of FOOD!

OPEN WIDE!!

The 8 year olds made their very own version of sedimentary rocks. You know, rocks that have been cemented together by layers of sediment (for the slow). How'd they do it?

Layer 1: sand (graham crackers)

Layer 2: mud (marshmallow cream)

Layer 3: pebbles (chocolate chips)

Layer 4: more sand

A truly delightful combination!

Yesterday they were introduced to igneous rocks (formed from heat or fire). The whole class took a "well-behaved" field trip to the TEACHER'S LOUNGE (kind of nerve-wracking being that it's a "NO KIDS ALLOWED ZONE")! Then we melted some chocolate chips in the microwave. After, we poured the chocolate into little rock forms and waited for them to cool and harden. Who knew boring, old rocks could be so interesting?

On Monday we'll do metamorphic rocks. The kids, however, will not be so delighted by this treat. It involves wheat and white bread being pressurized and heated...not so delicious, but it's edible and teaches the concept quite well.

***In other 2nd grade news...I posted a while back about my class pollinating their plants. Amazing, can I just say?! It totally worked! The plants grew the cutest little pods that were filled with even cuter baby seeds.

The few plants that we didn't pollinate...never produced fruits! I guess I'm slow, but I never really put two and two together to realize that in order for garden plants to grow fruits and veggies, they have to be pollinated! Turns out, bees are not so irritating; they actually serve a pretty big purpose!!! It's amazing the mounds of knowledge you learn from teaching second grade! Go ME!