Maui

We were able to sneak away from the kids again in June. We spent a week in Maui. I guess it's a given that we had a great time. We rented a condo in the Kaanapali beach area and played in the pool, went to the beach, snorkeled with sea turtles at Black Rock and Lanai, went on a catamaran ride and watched wild dolphins play in the ocean, rode bikes down from the volcano at sunrise, sat in a 90 minute time share presentation, enjoyed a luau, ate too much Hawaiian ice...actually just ate too much period(I came home 7 lbs. heavier!). And we took lots of pictures on the beach with the beautiful sunsets. You'll see!

Gavin in front of the condos --Honua Kai

Kipp, Gavin and Adam enjoy some boogie boarding on our first day

Gavin takes a break from boogie boarding to declare his love to me

We took a bus up to the Haleakala visitors center at 2 am to watch the sunrise at the volcano and then rode bikes back down the mountain. It was really cold and windy but warmed right up after the sun came up. It really was a spiritual experience to be up above the clouds and watch the pre-dawn colors and the sunrise. The lady chanting her love for creation and the sun in Hawaiian probably didn't hurt the experience either.

Pre-dawn colors
The first peeks at the sun

Hanging out with Cami
Getting ready for the bike ride. I was a little speed demon down that mountain.

My cute husband!

Me, Cami and Adam--my patient friends that didn't mind sitting on the edge of the road resting while they waited for me to finally make it down the mountain.

We stopped at this lodge about half way down for breakfast and yummy hot chocolate

Getting ready for the luau

Gavin gives this guy his autograph (aka Tobey Maguire).
Cool Cat Cafe

Every morning we ate homemade omelets out on the lanai

Pacific Whale Foundation snorkel and wild dolphin adventure out to Lanai. Holding Zack gave me my 'Mia fix' for the day.

Enjoying the catamaran ride

Cheeseburgers in Paradise!
(I think I already mentioned I gained 7 lbs.)

Out to dinner with Chad and Jill at Kimo's in Lahaina

Adam rented a truck and was excited to find out it was legal in Hawaii to ride in the back of a truck. So here we are making Adam happy by riding in the back of his truck to go get Hawaiian Ice.

A little Hawaiian Ice

And finally . . . the beautiful Hawaiian beaches and sunsetAdam, Cami, Heather and Gavin

Wicked trip to San Francisco

In case you haven't noticed . . . I love San Francisco! It is the perfect city. Shopping, dining, Broadway, bridges, piers, eclectic people and all within walking distance. And it's not a long or expensive flight from SLC. We decided to go for an extremely quick (36 hours) getaway with the Wares. It was just enough time to get some lunch on the rooftop at Cheesecake Factory, shop at the stores in Union Square, see Wicked, sleep at The Westin St. Francis right in Union Square, get yummy oatmeal for breakfast, walk around Fisherman's Wharf, eat clam chowder and seafood for lunch, walk along the piers, shop and see some seals (some might call them 'sea lions'). And get home quick enough that the kids barely had time to notice we were gone.

Eating lunch at Cheesecake Factory

Wicked was SO great! Even Adam (who HATES theater of any kind) enjoyed it.

Adam, Cami, me and Gav

Hanging out on one of the piers

We had fun making our own sea salt bath stuff and took one home to our wonderful babysitter. Shout out to Sophie!

Look closely and you can see the seals behind the Seals

Trying on "silly hats. I wear it on my head because that's where it's at. And I know it looks as silly as can be." (Name that tune or singer)

Loved this hotel and location. Once again...a great find on hotwire.com

I'm not sure when I'll get back to this fun city. I've been lucky enough to have visited SF 4 times in the past 2 years and it might be time to mix it up a little. We'll see!

Memorial weekend fun

We spent Memorial weekend at Bear Lake with a few families from our neighborhood. We took our boat up and Gavin was determined to take it out on the lake even in the cold and wet weather. The kids didn't seem to mind and even got mad that we wouldn't let them get in the 50 degree water!!!! We had a fun time playing games, watching videos, eating pizza and raspberry shakes, playing at the park, swimming, miniature golfing and riding bikes.

Morgan is having a great time playing with Hadley in the boat

Fun at the park

Boating in the cold and rain

Big smiles from Mia

Hadley and Mia

Bear World

Our view of Henry's Fork River

My kids with a few of their cousins

We spent the last day of our Yellowstone Vacation at Bear World. We saw lots of bears--papa bears, mama bears and even baby bears, bison, deer, and a variety of animals in the petting zoo.

One of the baby bears -- So cute!

Ryan was daring enough to pet this wild, grunting, sleepy boar

Griffin checks out the deer while keeping a safe distance

Jack was the only one quick enough to catch this rooster

Hadley in the chicken coop

Morgan loved seeing all the animals

Gavin and Mia

Bear World also has an amazing amusement park...at least that's what the kids thought!

Ryan, Nixon, Matisse, Noah, Griffin and Jack

It's hard to tell in this picture, but Morgan LOVED this ride!

Bringing sexy back to the lake

Not sure Jack's friend would have been able to come if his parents had known my boys' favorite song to listen to on the boat.

Who's your sexy now?

Penis envy at it's finest

Everyone told me that it would be a help to Morgan with the toilet training if I was able to toilet train a sibling at the same time. Well Griffin will be 3 next month and has been showing all the signs of being ready so I decided to go for it. It couldn't take up that much more time. I already spend half my day in the bathroom with Morgan. What's another few minutes?

The first week was a little crazy. I think a sibling with similar anatomy may have been a better choice for Morgan. Both of them have been very focused on 'the penis' and Morgan was adamant that she had one and could stand up to pee just like Griffin. She insisted on standing up a few times and letting pee drip down her legs and onto the floor. We finally convinced her that she could sit backwards and that that was almost the same as standing up. Luckily she is now content to do it the old way.

Griffin is still working on getting fully potty trained but it has been so much easier than Morgan. How did I ever complain about potty training with my other kids? It has helped Morgan to have Griffin doing it at the same time. She has made great progress and now tells us when she needs to go (about 80% of the time) "I go potty" and can go 2-3 hours in between bathroom visits.

The penis envy has slightly subsided now but we do still get the occasional "cool penis, Griff" to which he politely says, "thanks" (he knows it's extremely cool and that Morgan can't have one!) as he finishes his business.We've also finally been successful with teaching Griffin he does not have to stick his head through the lifted toilet seat and put his hands all over the toilet bowl.

Pictures for NYC Buddy Walk

Show Your Photo to New York

19/06/2009 - Callouts/Grants/Competitions

Call Out : National : Deadline 15 July 09: National Down Syndrome Society in New York invites submissions of photos showcasing individuals with Down Syndrome for Time Square Video Contest.

Video compiled from images from all over the world will be aired on a jumbo screen in the heart of New York - Times Square on 26 September, 2009 at 10:30 am. The New York City Buddy Walk, that will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year, immediately will follow the video presentation at the Great Hill in Central Park.

Each year The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) receives thousands of photo submissions for the Times Square Video Contest. Because the Buddy Walk promotes acceptance and inclusion of individuals with Down Syndrome, the winning photographs feature children, teens and adults with Down Syndrome working, playing, and learning with friends and family.

One photo per individual can be submitted.When: Deadline for submitting photos is 15 July 09, the show is 26 September 09.

Where: Times Square, New York, USA

Who: General public

More info: Contact Rebecca Switalski, National Buddy Walk Director, NDSS at timessquarevideo@ndss.org

http://www.aarts.net.au/news/428/51/Show-Your-Photo-to-New-York/