April 26th, 2011

Carter got to have his friend Josh and his cousin Josh over to eat pizza and watch a movie.

James figured out how to make Tron discs.

They had an epic battle after watching the movie :-)

Carter and his friend Josh were a little bit crazy. But they did have a lot of fun!

Carter was shocked and awed when he opened his present from us! He couldn't believe it. Harry Potter Lego Hogwarts!

It only took him two days (a patient mother helper) and 1200 Legos to finish the job.

Pretty darn amazing feat! Go Gryffindor!!!

You can't see very well in the photo, but the kit included a Lego form of Harry Potter, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagal, Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, Filch, 2 Dementors and Lord Voldemort. Also a bat, a rat, a spider, Filch's cat, snakes (for Slytherin), the sorting hat, owls in the owlery, a telescope, books in library, the sword of Gryffindor the Quibbler, the Daily Prophet a knight, a chandelier in the great hall, and the feast too. Those Lego people are brilliant!

Just Because She is Beautiful!

ALOHA HAWAII!!!

Scott got the opportunity to go and do some work at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. I got the opportunity to tag along! Here are a few pictures to share with you. It was hard to choose, we took almost 200 photos :-)

5 am just as the sun is coming up. This is of course, the beach just outside the house.

Moon rise over the ocean. Once again, the beach just outside the house. We are so lucky to get to stay in such a beautiful place!!!

Bird of Paradise flower

Hawaii state flower, the Hawaiin Hibiscus

We went to see Pearl Harbor one morning. It was a great historical site! We learned a lot about the sacrifice that was given that fateful day. December 7, 1941 a day that will live in infamy.

The USS Bowfin (a submarine)

We visited the Arizona Memorial. Above are the names of the people who died. And, below, is the memorial itself. Below the memorial is the USS Arizona. Standing on the memorial, you can see where the ship still lies.

Almost 12oo people lost their lives in that one ship as it sunk. So tragic!

The USS Missouri Battleship. I am always amazed at how big they are!

We got to spend a whole day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We visited as many of the villages as we could fit in.

Samoa

Hawaii

The Canoe Pageant was really neat! We got to see all of the villages represented. They were beautiful!

Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Even got a temporary tattoo :-) Isn't it pretty! It is a symbol of life.

We ate at the Luau and watched the night show. It was called "Ha, Breath of Life" It was amazing! They had fire-knife dancers and amazing artists. I was so tempted to take pictures but the were forbidden. Bummer!

There are wild chickens all over the island. They are just walking along the side of the road, in the yard, and everywhere in between! The first morning I was woken up by a rooster. I thought I was dreaming! I looked out the window and there was a rooster in the middle of the yard. Weird!!!

Scott just chillin by the bay :-)

Waling along the beach we were staying by. It was so peaceful, just sitting and listening to the water come in and out! I could do that all day!

Sunrise out the back door of the house we stayed at. Isn't it amazing?!

We spent about 3 hours at the Laie, Hawaii temple. It was so peaceful and beautiful!

The last morning we were there, we went snorkeling in Hunauma Bay. The dark parts of the water is the reef. It was so beautiful! We had so much fun, but we got so burnt! The plane ride home was a little uncomfortable ;-) It was worth it though!

The Money Pit

Just in case you were wondering about the gaping hole in the driveway, it has been filled and the concrete is redone. It has been working great...that is until the sump pump that the french drain empties to went out last night. 2 hours with the carpet extractor still hasn't gotten out all the water. We have now relpaced both sump pumps. Have you ever seen the movie "The Money Pit" with Tom Hanks? If not, rent it and you will see what it is like to live in our house. Not quite as funny in real life though!