Eight Years

A couple from the dating and engaged days.... sorry for your eyes Lace--- I must have posted this before, because I think I remember apologizing for that already. :) I have limited old scans at my fingertips!

The big day...

In Paris, our first and only time to Europe... pregnant with Sophia.

A "romantic getaway" to Coronado when I was pregnant with Mila.

Hawaii... not pregnant... phew.

Just one I like of us. :)

And one of my favorites. There's few things I love like my husband's real smile lines.

Notice there are no photos since I got pregnant with Finn or stayed pregnant-looking with Finn. It wasn't a deliberate attempt at deception, promise. Just an indication that I don't get on the other side of the camera much these days. Maybe we'll take one tonight for documentation's sake. Maybe.

Wish I had time to make a video like I did for our fourth anniversary. Or finish the story of how we met that I started on our sixth anniversary. But we didn't have three kids yet, and my hair didn't used to take a whole hour to make date-ready. And I do have myself a hot date with that handsome man above in ONE hour.

It's been eight really wonderful years. Really. I feel grateful every day that I went to take a nap in the library that day.

Proof that Ross and I were actually at the campout….

and through the eyes of Rachelle's real camera. I can rest so much easier with some sharp edges. Thanks Shell.

And thanks for all of the baby congrats. :)

I woke up yesterday morning to Ross scratching his neck with that nerdy face he makes when he's trying to be funny and nobody else gets his joke...

"what is it?" I ask skeptically.

" I don't know…. but it itches… BAD"

"like seven years bad?… haha. you're still moderately funny…. after all these years."

just kidding…. he really has gotten so much funnier to me every year. for reals.

In the beginning it was purely physical.

I'm kidding…. come on. But when I look back at some of our old photos it looks that way. Kids-- pshaw.

sorry for your droopy eyes Lace. :)

we got married… and started kissing a lot. started…. hah.

In Paris, pregnant with Sophia…

Our first trip to Hawaii…. 1-year-old Sophia in Utah with grandparents…. kissing with experience?

Our second trip to Hawaii…. both Mila and Sophia in Utah with grandparents…. Apparently we've gotten a bit….. rusty. …. struggling.

I thought I'd write--- I've always wanted to finish THIS STORY of how we began. Maybe another day. But for now, I'm a happy girl. Itch smitch--- I have a feeling this will be the best year yet. Love you Ross. Even if you did bring me grocery store Lilies last night when I kindly tell you every year that they're my least favorite flower because the yellow thingy stains and they smell like urine by day 3. It's the thought.

But seriously, write it down somewhere: Trader Joes; gladiolas, peonies if they have them, stalk, or an orchid…. rip up one of their paper bags and wrap them in it (not the orchid, let's be clear). I will love you to the moon and back.

But in closure, I would love you even if you brought me real urine in a plastic bag. I would be terribly confused…. but it would take a lot… I'm just saying. Love you.

7 years today

I had big plans with lots of pictures, but ran out of time…. more on us tomorrow. Whether you like it or not.

Consider yourself warned.

But for starters--- here we are seven years ago. We had just run from Blockbuster back to our resort in Cabo…. on our honeymoon…..

oh I love me a honeymoon.

And yes, that is some long, nappy beach hair.

Again with the archiving...

I know.... he can't keep his lips off of me. Seriously, Ross-- it's a family blog.

Found these ones of my family from when Lacy and Joe came out at Thanksgiving. Sometimes I worry it will look like I was never there, part of all of the fun, because it's hard to get on the other side of the camera these days (and let's be honest-- when Ross tries- I end up deleting them as fast as he can take them.) So I figure when we've got ones of all of us together, they need documenting.

Check.

Part 3

I know you're waiting in anticipation. Here goes.

Day 5: Lamm's went hang gliding.... we explored Waimea and scoped out the Shrimp Station that Shad and Lizzie had read about...


Upon picking up the Lamms, we quickly returned to indulge. Pretty sure this was everyone's favorite meal of the trip. An 11 dollar plate FULL of coconut shrimp and sweet chili dipping sauce goodness.... yum.




I don't think I knew how big my mouth was. Not sure how I feel about that, but it's already in the collage...

Everyone full-- to the brim, but we'd seen Lappert's icecream on the drive in, and I remembered them having my favorite Mint and Chip ever from like 10 years ago. So we had to make a stop. I thought "I'll just get one little scoop." ... she talked me out of that normal little cone into this big waffle cone, and believe it or not, this is the 'single scoop'. We were all sick. In sort of a wonderful, chubby, Hawaiian way.

Heading to the East Side for our luau that night, we stopped at Kipu Falls. This is one of those places I thought was a hidden spot for locals that some friends showed me when I nannied over there. Turns out it's in the Kauai book that Lizzie found on Amazon for the trip. The same book we later saw at Costco. (This explained why every tourist seemed to be on our heels the whole time-- but seriously greatest tourist-book ever. As long as we had it with us we could get anywhere on a moments notice. It's the blue one if you go looking??)

Anyway... here we are on the little "hike" into Kipu Falls. I was seriously closing my eyes and ploughing through.... the grass was so high and thick. Amazing.

We found it. We assessed.

Did you think that was four of the same photo? Look again. I told them to be boys... I thought it was too funny that Ross didn't move an inch. I don't think he took a breath even. But seriously, look at those muskulls. Mission accomplished babe.

Shad and Lizzie... ok so it's mostly Lizzie, but really have you seen a cuter pregnant girl?

Killing time before the luau, Shad was determined to crack open a coconut to drink the milk. I don't think it's what he expected...

Uhhh... some straggler pictures I guess...

That evening... luau... luckily we got out of the food portion when we were still stuffed from shrimp and ice cream, and realized we'd be paying 75 bucks for other people's drinks at the open bar. So we just saw the show that night at Smith's Luau... eh--- not my favorite. But we sat next to some really entertaining drunk people.

Day 6: Mission: Relax. Sleep in, walk to Starbucks for egg sandwiches, head over to the other Marriott beach so the boys can surf. And the girls can lay.

I feel like I should confess that Lizzie and I managed to squeeze a lot of this in. A vacation isn't a vacation to me if there isn't a lot of laying in the sun. It's my mom's fault... she was raised in Hawaii and you can still see her soul warming in some good fresh air and sunshine. And of course the air and sunshine is SO much better in the islands. I can smell it just blogging about it.

Did I mention that this was our rental car? Fun right?

All blog-puffery aside, it was heavenly.


Back to diapers and carpools, and photo-walls and upholstered chairs. The things of this world.


Ok but the snuggles and dimples and i-love-you's and midnight giggles from a very sleepy Mila when she squinted her eyes open for a moment and saw me after 12 days (I just counted that for the first time--- HOLY COW! )---- those are SOOO out of this world. Even the heavenly polynesian one.

Happy to be home.

The End.

Hawaii!! Part 2

(For My Record)

Day 1: Loaded up on Chocolate Mac nuts and other essentials at Costco- then relaxed... then ate burgers at Bubbas... didn't pull out the camera just yet...

Day 2: Shad and Lizzie did the boat tour of the Na Pali Coast, Ross and I hiked to the first beach on the Na Pali coast. Pictures on previous post. I think I'll go make a piece of toast. what? (got carried away with the rhyming...)... when we reached the beach and planted our resting spot, we didn't wonder why no-one else was really lounging on the sand... until the water shocked my resting eyelids and completely submerged my camera. Yup. It was the old one-- the d40. And it seems to be alright... but honestly, if I had time for blog catch-up, you'd hear another story and wonder how I can justify spending money on cameras I can't seem to take care of. yikes.
Cleaned up--- went to Roys. yum.



Day 3: Off to a new beach.

I love him. Can you tell? We're planning to move to Hawaii. Anyone want to buy our houses for what they were worth before we were buried under miles of water?

Day 4: Lamm's go on a helicopter ride that we were too cheap for, while we slept in and swam in the ocean... afternoon, we borrowed kayaks from the Allens (the family I nannied for summer 2002) and kayaked up the Wailua River... then jumped out and hiked as fast as we could to the falls.... Ross was in charge of keeping time so we wouldn't be hiking back down in the dark... we pushed it a little.

As it turns out, starting late was the best move we made all week. We saw nobody as the river narrowed and the trees closed in... It felt like a quiet dream... our hike, a treasure hunt-- like we were the first people to discover this beautiful, cascading, MAGnificent waterfall. We didn't think we had enough time... but figured five more minutes to jump in and swim under the falls would be worth it. It was SOOO worth it. A unanimous highlight of the trip. Our only regret is not having more time to soak it in, and not having a camera to capture it! We couldn't risk it getting wet (uh... again in my case), or getting stolen out of the car (what? all the tourist books warn of it, and I'm thinking bright yellow jeep might whisper "tourist"...)

We planned to have sushi on the way home. Lizzie didn't plan on her clothes getting wet. Poor thing almost bought a t-shirt with a picture of a chubby, half-naked polynesian surfer-girl to get through dinner. This accompanying my too-big running-shorts. Shad couldn't stomach buying such an awful shirt, so he took Ross' over sized, half-damp t, so Lizzie could wear his. We were quite a sight. And by "we" I mean you, Liz. Just kidding. :)

I just looked at the clock... WHY does this always take SOOO much longer than I think it will? I'm husband and kid-free. and NOT loving it. We flew in to LA yesterday, drove to SD, slept over. Ross flew out of SD to Utah this morning to pick up the girls (Thankyou nana and Grandpa B!!! and everyone who helped!) ... and they drive home tomorrow. If I can ever get myself upstairs in my bed and ASLEEP.... I'll be dreaming all night of snuggling those precious girls. This is the longest it's ever been. And it's a little too long.

Guess there will be a part 3. SO MANY PICTURES. Sorry for those that prefer words. Or just a little less of our faces! I told myself I'd just to a link to my flickr.... but then I got going and forgot... and then it wouldn't be in my blurb book... anyway--- I'm warning you... more tomorrow.