Check out the size of that knife.
Concentrating really hard to do a good job.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Big Helper
I guess this might gross some of you out. Last night we were cutting up my deer and Ethan said he wanted to help, so Javan let him. Javan gave him some gloves and a knife and taught Ethan how to cut the yucky parts off the meat. He did really good. First thing this morning he wanted to know if the jerky was done.
Check out the size of that knife.
Check out the size of that knife.
Ethan and Ryan
I got this outfit out for Ryan to wear to church yesterday and I remembered that Ethan had his pictures taken in that outfit too, so I dug out the picture. Ethan wore this when he was about 3 months old, Ryan is 7 weeks. We have had a hard time deciding who Ryan looks like but I think he and Ethan do have some similarities. They're both chubby, Ryan just achieved his chubbiness quicker.
Ethan at 3 months
Ryan at 7 weeks
Ethan at 3 months
Ryan at 7 weeks
Hanksville
Javan and Aaron and about 30 other guys from Blanding went to Hanksville on Saturday to ride their motorcycles. This was Javan's dream come true. He had the best time. He has been talking nonstop about their day since he got home. I'm glad he had a fun trip.
This is Aaron taking a jump.
The guys and all their gear.
For Nicole and Heather
My good friends Nicole and Heather embarked on a serious adventure last Friday. They rode their bikes all the way from Blanding to Lake Powell. It's 90 miles. Way to go girls! They are so adventurous. They invited me to come along but I wasn't quite up for the challenge, so they enlisted me to bring them lunch about halfway through the ride. Ethan and Ally were pretty confused about why they were riding their bikes and why we weren't going all the way to Lake Powell. It was fun anyway.
Here's a few pictures.
Yeah Nicole! 
Go Heather!
After this fun trip I was thinking about a few other fun adventures we have had together.
We rafted down the Colorado River. There was Me, Nicole, Heather, Tamia, and Shawn (Nicole's brother). We had no idea what we were doing and ended up flipping the raft on some rapids and about drowning. We all survived and gathered up all of our belongings except for a couple pops I think.
All through high school we said we were going to hike over the mountain. And it wasn't until the year after we graduated that we actually did it. There was me, Nicole, Heather, and Cyndi. It was a 30 mile trip. We hiked 20 miles the first day, then camped and finished the last ten miles the next day. It was so much fun. This was right when Javan and I started dating, he came out and camped with us that night. I had blisters all over my feet because my shoes were a little snug and he helped me bandage them up. How sweet, can you imagine how stinky they were after hiking 20 miles.
Thanks Nic and Heat for the good times. What should we do next?
Ryan
Ryan is growing so fast. It seems like each day he gets bigger and chubbier. He is so fun. He is such a good baby and withstands a lot from his older siblings. He's going to be one tough kid.
Deer Hunt '08
It's that time of year again. This year my oldest nephew Payton was able to hunt with us. He shot a nice 4x4 on opening morning with one shot. It's a nice deer, and his first one. He showed both Javan and I up. Way to go Payt!
Javan and I struggled this year. We had a hard time finding time to go and had to take the kids out with us a few times. Javan was getting pretty frustrated with a wife breastfeeding and two kids fighting in the back seat. We weren't very sneaky to say the least. We shot these two on the last night of the hunt. I shot a 2x3 and Javan a 4x4. Maybe we'll have better luck next year, but we are glad for the meat. Bring on the jerky.
Javan's Trip
While the kids and I were in Hawaii, Javan went on an elk hunting trip to the Uintas with his brothers and step-dad. They took 9 mules and packed all their stuff into where they were camping. Although they were unsuccessful in the elk hunt they all said they had a great time. (I should be having Javan write this. I don't know all the details of the trip.)
Javan on his mule. (A little blurry)
All the mules around their camp.
The beautiful Uinta scenery.
Mike, Aaron and Javan
The Mule Train
Glade and Mike packing up a mule.
Javan on his mule. (A little blurry)
All the mules around their camp.
The beautiful Uinta scenery.
Mike, Aaron and Javan
The Mule Train
Glade and Mike packing up a mule.
Hawaii - Part 2
Wow, so it has been a few weeks since we got home from Hawaii. The kids have asked several times if and when we can go back. I wish it was soon. We had such a good time. I have been so busy with work and trying to get the house in order and the deer hunt that I am just now getting to the blog. I will try not to post the same pictures that Amber put on her blog, so you can look at hers for more pictures too (if you want).
Okay so here's where we left off.
Wednesday, Oct. 8
There weren't very many pictures taken on this day. We went to the Aloha Stadium and the swap meet. It's the greatest place for buying souvenirs and Hawaiian junk. There are hundreds of vendors that go all the way around the stadium and are just waiting for you to spend your money. And we did.
After the swap meet we went to the NEX which is the Navy Exchange. It is like a huge department/grocery store for military folk to shop in tax free. It's great. We had to show our ID to get in and then anything we wanted to get Amber had to buy for us, we were not allowed to make any purchases.
Here's a picture of us shopping at the NEX. (I realized I hadn't taken any pictures yet to document the day so this is what I got.)
This is called the Stairway to Heaven. We drove past it many times on the way to Amber and Steve's house. It goes all the way to the top of that mountain. There are about 3000 steps in all, and they say that a fall after about 2000 steps is fatal. It was originally built by the military (I'm not sure why) and they have continued to maintain it even though it has been closed to the public since the 80's. Steve knows a guy that knows a guy that does security on it that said he could sneak them in to climb it. I am not in favor of this.
Today wasn't a big picture day but we did have a big milestone from Ryan. He gave me his first real smile. Oh my gosh, it was so cute. I can't believe how fast he is growing and developing.
Thursday, Oct. 9
Today we visited the Honolulu Zoo. It was a nice day, not too hot. The kids loved the zoo. Don't they always? I like the zoo too.
Ethan and I at the giraffe and zebra exhibit.
Ethan and Ally by the chimpanzees. Right after this the monkey's started fighting(or playing ?) and chasing each other and making really loud noises. It was pretty cool to watch.
They had a little children's petting zoo called the "Keiki Zoo". You could go in and walk around with these goats and pet them. Just as I was about to take a picture of Ally by the goats they really did start fighting and one stepped on Ally's foot. That was the end of the Keiki Zoo. But here is a picture of the goat.
After the zoo we went to the Waikiki Aquarium. I love aquariums, I think they are so neat. Ethan especially loved seeing all the different kinds of fish and sea life.
Do you think our kids liked this exhibit? There was a shark and lots of other huge fish in this tank.
Here's Ally by one of the fish ponds.
Ethan, Me, Ryan and Ally at the Waikiki Aquarium.
On the way home from the aquarium we stopped at the Nuuanu Pali State Park. This is one of the places Javan and I came to when we were in Hawaii in 2006. It has a beautiful overlook. You could do some hiking here too.
Friday, Oct. 10
Another shopping day. Us Halls girls can't get together without doing a little shopping. So today we went to the Pearl City Wal-Mart. (Hey, it's still shopping.) How many kids can fit on a little quarter ride? I think we got our money's worth.
After Wal-Mart we went back to the NEX to get the items that we thought we didn't need the time before but later decided that in fact we did need after all. This is a water fall just outside the NEX.
That night we went down to Waikiki and walked down the strip. It is a place just along the beach that has tons of shops and stores. On weekends all the street performers come out to try and make a buck.
There was a guy with all these cool birds. He would let you hold them to get a picture taken. My kids were not brave enough to hold them by themselves so I held the birds for them. Why is she making that funny face you ask?
That dang bird was biting me! I didn't dare scream for fear that I would scare the birds and then who knows what would have happened. It didn't hurt, just startled me a bit when he latched on to my thumb.
P.S. If you are wondering where Ryan is in all the pictures, he is tucked safely inside that black sling that everyone got a turn toting around. He gets heavy after awhile.
This was Ally's favorite part of the night. She loved to see Elmo. I was surprised she knew who he was because we don't watch Sesame Street very often at our house. But was was so excited and didn't want to leave when it was time to go. She waved to him until he was completely out of site. By the way, Elmo wouldn't stand still for a picture until I put some money in his little bucket. Not so nice, this Elmo.
There were all these guys dressed up in various colors and such that were like statues. When you dropped some money in their buckets they would "turn on" and start moving around and making noise and stuff. This was Ethan's favorite part. I think he really thought they were statues that he was turning on.
Saturday, Oct. 11
I tried to get a picture of Ryan smiling. This is at the tail-end of the smile. But you can kind of tell it was there.
Today we went to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. It is a really nice beach with awesome snorkeling. Kind of like shark's cove, it is pretty shallow with lots of coral, but there were tons of fish. My mom and I saw some really cool one's. I really enjoy snorkeling, it's so cool to see all the different fish. This place had a really nice beach too. I couldn't get Ally out of the water. She loved to play in the waves.
I buried all the kids in the sand.
A view of Hanauma Bay from the cliff above.
Ally, Ryan and I leaving Hanauma Bay.
Ethan climbing on the rock display at Hanauma Bay, I think this was against the rules.
Sunday, Oct. 12
Today we went to church with Amber and Steve's family. We even got to hear Taylor speak in sacrament meeting (she told her mom she was supposed to talk that morning). She did great. Everyone was so welcoming and happy to see us. We got lei'd in Relief Society. I love the church, you always have family no matter where you go.
That afternoon we played at the park for awhile, on our last day together, then went home and had dinner, packed up and left for the airport. Our plane departed at 9:30 pm. Ethan and Ally were both asleep before we took off and slept the whole way home. I even had a hard time waking them up when we landed.
Monday, Oct. 13
We arrived in Salt Lake City at 8:00 am. Tif picked us up from the airport, we went and freshened up a bit, and changed our clothes. We came home to what felt like sub-arctic temperatures (40's) after being in Hawaii for 10 days. We ran a few more errands and headed home. It was a long day. I drank lots of caffeinated pop on the drive home to help keep me awake and was exhausted and ready for bed when we got home. But all that caffeine transferred to Ryan and he was up all night ready to go. Oh, I was so sad, and wasted.
Anyway, what an awesome trip. Thanks again Amber and Steve for everything. You were great. We love you tons, and can't wait to come back.
Okay so here's where we left off.
Wednesday, Oct. 8
There weren't very many pictures taken on this day. We went to the Aloha Stadium and the swap meet. It's the greatest place for buying souvenirs and Hawaiian junk. There are hundreds of vendors that go all the way around the stadium and are just waiting for you to spend your money. And we did.
After the swap meet we went to the NEX which is the Navy Exchange. It is like a huge department/grocery store for military folk to shop in tax free. It's great. We had to show our ID to get in and then anything we wanted to get Amber had to buy for us, we were not allowed to make any purchases.
Here's a picture of us shopping at the NEX. (I realized I hadn't taken any pictures yet to document the day so this is what I got.)
This is called the Stairway to Heaven. We drove past it many times on the way to Amber and Steve's house. It goes all the way to the top of that mountain. There are about 3000 steps in all, and they say that a fall after about 2000 steps is fatal. It was originally built by the military (I'm not sure why) and they have continued to maintain it even though it has been closed to the public since the 80's. Steve knows a guy that knows a guy that does security on it that said he could sneak them in to climb it. I am not in favor of this.
Today wasn't a big picture day but we did have a big milestone from Ryan. He gave me his first real smile. Oh my gosh, it was so cute. I can't believe how fast he is growing and developing.
Thursday, Oct. 9
Today we visited the Honolulu Zoo. It was a nice day, not too hot. The kids loved the zoo. Don't they always? I like the zoo too.
Ethan and I at the giraffe and zebra exhibit.
Ethan and Ally by the chimpanzees. Right after this the monkey's started fighting(or playing ?) and chasing each other and making really loud noises. It was pretty cool to watch.
They had a little children's petting zoo called the "Keiki Zoo". You could go in and walk around with these goats and pet them. Just as I was about to take a picture of Ally by the goats they really did start fighting and one stepped on Ally's foot. That was the end of the Keiki Zoo. But here is a picture of the goat.
After the zoo we went to the Waikiki Aquarium. I love aquariums, I think they are so neat. Ethan especially loved seeing all the different kinds of fish and sea life.
Do you think our kids liked this exhibit? There was a shark and lots of other huge fish in this tank.
Here's Ally by one of the fish ponds.
Ethan, Me, Ryan and Ally at the Waikiki Aquarium.
On the way home from the aquarium we stopped at the Nuuanu Pali State Park. This is one of the places Javan and I came to when we were in Hawaii in 2006. It has a beautiful overlook. You could do some hiking here too.
Friday, Oct. 10
Another shopping day. Us Halls girls can't get together without doing a little shopping. So today we went to the Pearl City Wal-Mart. (Hey, it's still shopping.) How many kids can fit on a little quarter ride? I think we got our money's worth.
After Wal-Mart we went back to the NEX to get the items that we thought we didn't need the time before but later decided that in fact we did need after all. This is a water fall just outside the NEX.
That night we went down to Waikiki and walked down the strip. It is a place just along the beach that has tons of shops and stores. On weekends all the street performers come out to try and make a buck.
There was a guy with all these cool birds. He would let you hold them to get a picture taken. My kids were not brave enough to hold them by themselves so I held the birds for them. Why is she making that funny face you ask?
That dang bird was biting me! I didn't dare scream for fear that I would scare the birds and then who knows what would have happened. It didn't hurt, just startled me a bit when he latched on to my thumb.
P.S. If you are wondering where Ryan is in all the pictures, he is tucked safely inside that black sling that everyone got a turn toting around. He gets heavy after awhile.
This was Ally's favorite part of the night. She loved to see Elmo. I was surprised she knew who he was because we don't watch Sesame Street very often at our house. But was was so excited and didn't want to leave when it was time to go. She waved to him until he was completely out of site. By the way, Elmo wouldn't stand still for a picture until I put some money in his little bucket. Not so nice, this Elmo.
There were all these guys dressed up in various colors and such that were like statues. When you dropped some money in their buckets they would "turn on" and start moving around and making noise and stuff. This was Ethan's favorite part. I think he really thought they were statues that he was turning on.
Saturday, Oct. 11
I tried to get a picture of Ryan smiling. This is at the tail-end of the smile. But you can kind of tell it was there.
Today we went to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. It is a really nice beach with awesome snorkeling. Kind of like shark's cove, it is pretty shallow with lots of coral, but there were tons of fish. My mom and I saw some really cool one's. I really enjoy snorkeling, it's so cool to see all the different fish. This place had a really nice beach too. I couldn't get Ally out of the water. She loved to play in the waves.
I buried all the kids in the sand.
A view of Hanauma Bay from the cliff above.
Ally, Ryan and I leaving Hanauma Bay.
Ethan climbing on the rock display at Hanauma Bay, I think this was against the rules.
Sunday, Oct. 12
Today we went to church with Amber and Steve's family. We even got to hear Taylor speak in sacrament meeting (she told her mom she was supposed to talk that morning). She did great. Everyone was so welcoming and happy to see us. We got lei'd in Relief Society. I love the church, you always have family no matter where you go.
That afternoon we played at the park for awhile, on our last day together, then went home and had dinner, packed up and left for the airport. Our plane departed at 9:30 pm. Ethan and Ally were both asleep before we took off and slept the whole way home. I even had a hard time waking them up when we landed.
Monday, Oct. 13
We arrived in Salt Lake City at 8:00 am. Tif picked us up from the airport, we went and freshened up a bit, and changed our clothes. We came home to what felt like sub-arctic temperatures (40's) after being in Hawaii for 10 days. We ran a few more errands and headed home. It was a long day. I drank lots of caffeinated pop on the drive home to help keep me awake and was exhausted and ready for bed when we got home. But all that caffeine transferred to Ryan and he was up all night ready to go. Oh, I was so sad, and wasted.
Anyway, what an awesome trip. Thanks again Amber and Steve for everything. You were great. We love you tons, and can't wait to come back.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Aloha!
Hello, from Hawaii!! My mom and I came to Hawaii to visit my sister and her family for a week or so. We are having the best time. The kids were so happy to see each other and are having so much fun catching up. The weather is really nice, in the high 80's and low 90's, and a little humid, but very nice. We have only been here for a few days and have done lots of fun things and seen some beautiful places. Javan said he and his mom wanted to see some pictures so I am going to post lots. It will kind of be travel log style (also to help me remember everything we have done). So enjoy.
But first, Ryan is one month old. In their scrapbooks I always take a picture of them on their one month birthday, in their diaper and dressed, in the same place on the couch, so I can see how they have grown. So I will post them on here too. Here he is, one month old. He weighs 10 lbs 15 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long.
Friday, Oct. 3
When we arrived Amber and her family "lei'd" us, as customary. (I don't know how to spell that.) We just hung out and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Hawaii is 4 hours behind our time so it was a pretty long day.
Saturday, Oct. 4
First we visited the Laie Temple. We walked around the grounds and toured the visitors center. It is a very pretty temple and the grounds are absolutely gorgeous. This is all of us at the temple.
In the visitors center the kids all sat down and listened to the Savior teach them. I love this picture.
Next, we went to Shark's Cove. It is an area that has a lot of lava rock that lots of fish like to hang out in and it is pretty shallow so you can wade out in the water and see all the fish. It was really neat. We saw lots of fish, some crabs, and other sorts of sea life. I didn't really get any pictures of the cove I guess. But here is Ethan running away from the camera. (He is already sick of me taking pictures of him. Oh great, we're not even half way through our trip.)
I asked Ally to let me take her picture for daddy and she laid down in the sand and said "how 'bout like this mom." So there ya go, I guess she's a swimsuit model.
As we were driving along the coast headed to the North Shore we saw a big group of people all gathered around on the beach. I guess this is a place where turtles come up a lot to sun on the beach so we stopped to see the turtle. He was just trying to get warm in the sun and was just laying still so Ethan and Ally were asking if it was dead. They thought it was neat that it was so big though.
Next we went to the North Shore. This is the place they have a lot of surfing competitions in the winter because the waves get really huge. I was nice on this day because the water was pretty calm and the kids could swim without getting pummeled by the waves. Ethan tried out the boogie board, but only for a minute until he got knocked off it by a wave.
Ryan has been a sweaty little fat man while we have been here. He has a heat rash on his face but has been a good boy. Here he was relaxing on grandma's lap and cooling off in his diaper.
Playing in the sand on the North Shore.
A "must do" on the North Shore is getting shaved ice. Ethan got a small, it doesn't look as big in the picture as it was in real life, it was the size of his head, it was huge. He ate the whole thing too. Yum, yum, it really hit the spot after a long day at the beach.
Sunday, Oct. 5
Amber wanted me to try and take some family pictures for them while we were here so we went to the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens to do it. I hope there are some that turned out okay.
Here are Ethan and Ally in some kind of tree.
Here we are at the gardens.
It was so beautiful at the gardens. There were so many crazy kinds of plants and flowers. This is just one of the views.
Grandma and all the kids taking a rest on the bench.
Ryan, worn out, and resting from a long day (and from the kids).
Monday, Oct. 6
We visited the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Oh man, the fresh pineapple is delectable. I could probably eat a whole one myself.
We took a train ride and tour of the plantation.
Tuesday, Oct. 7
We stopped to view the Halona Blow Hole. The waves weren't really big today so it wasn't blowing out very big but the view was beautiful.
All the kids at the blow hole.
After the blow hole we went to Kailua beach to swim and play in the sand. Ally and Havyn burying themselves in the sand.
I made a sand turtle! (My dad would be so proud.)
Ahhhh, doesn't this look relaxing. Ryan thought so.
Amber, Ally, and Havyn catching some waves.
Ethan and Cole having a water fight.
Family photo (minus the daddy) at the beach.
But first, Ryan is one month old. In their scrapbooks I always take a picture of them on their one month birthday, in their diaper and dressed, in the same place on the couch, so I can see how they have grown. So I will post them on here too. Here he is, one month old. He weighs 10 lbs 15 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long.
Friday, Oct. 3
When we arrived Amber and her family "lei'd" us, as customary. (I don't know how to spell that.) We just hung out and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Hawaii is 4 hours behind our time so it was a pretty long day.
Saturday, Oct. 4
First we visited the Laie Temple. We walked around the grounds and toured the visitors center. It is a very pretty temple and the grounds are absolutely gorgeous. This is all of us at the temple.
In the visitors center the kids all sat down and listened to the Savior teach them. I love this picture.
Next, we went to Shark's Cove. It is an area that has a lot of lava rock that lots of fish like to hang out in and it is pretty shallow so you can wade out in the water and see all the fish. It was really neat. We saw lots of fish, some crabs, and other sorts of sea life. I didn't really get any pictures of the cove I guess. But here is Ethan running away from the camera. (He is already sick of me taking pictures of him. Oh great, we're not even half way through our trip.)
I asked Ally to let me take her picture for daddy and she laid down in the sand and said "how 'bout like this mom." So there ya go, I guess she's a swimsuit model.
As we were driving along the coast headed to the North Shore we saw a big group of people all gathered around on the beach. I guess this is a place where turtles come up a lot to sun on the beach so we stopped to see the turtle. He was just trying to get warm in the sun and was just laying still so Ethan and Ally were asking if it was dead. They thought it was neat that it was so big though.
Next we went to the North Shore. This is the place they have a lot of surfing competitions in the winter because the waves get really huge. I was nice on this day because the water was pretty calm and the kids could swim without getting pummeled by the waves. Ethan tried out the boogie board, but only for a minute until he got knocked off it by a wave.
Ryan has been a sweaty little fat man while we have been here. He has a heat rash on his face but has been a good boy. Here he was relaxing on grandma's lap and cooling off in his diaper.
Playing in the sand on the North Shore.
A "must do" on the North Shore is getting shaved ice. Ethan got a small, it doesn't look as big in the picture as it was in real life, it was the size of his head, it was huge. He ate the whole thing too. Yum, yum, it really hit the spot after a long day at the beach.
Sunday, Oct. 5
Amber wanted me to try and take some family pictures for them while we were here so we went to the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens to do it. I hope there are some that turned out okay.
Here are Ethan and Ally in some kind of tree.
Here we are at the gardens.
It was so beautiful at the gardens. There were so many crazy kinds of plants and flowers. This is just one of the views.
Grandma and all the kids taking a rest on the bench.
Ryan, worn out, and resting from a long day (and from the kids).
Monday, Oct. 6
We visited the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Oh man, the fresh pineapple is delectable. I could probably eat a whole one myself.
We took a train ride and tour of the plantation.
Tuesday, Oct. 7
We stopped to view the Halona Blow Hole. The waves weren't really big today so it wasn't blowing out very big but the view was beautiful.
All the kids at the blow hole.
After the blow hole we went to Kailua beach to swim and play in the sand. Ally and Havyn burying themselves in the sand.
I made a sand turtle! (My dad would be so proud.)
Ahhhh, doesn't this look relaxing. Ryan thought so.
Amber, Ally, and Havyn catching some waves.
Ethan and Cole having a water fight.
Family photo (minus the daddy) at the beach.
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