Hawaii 5-0!

We had the great fortune and blessing of visiting Auntie Becky and Uncle Eric in their beautiful Hawaiian home in Kona on the Big Island!  Auntie Katie, Uncle John and Lou were there too, making it  the first time that all of us had gotten together, just us!  If only we could do this all the time!

In her very own seat on the airplane (and worth every penny!!).  She did great!

Such a big girl!  Norah toted her suitcase all over the airport like it was her job and she'd been doing it forever!  She turned a lot of heads!

Sleepin on the lava rocks at the Kona Airport after a long journey.

Hapuna, an ancient place of refuge and our first Hawaiian beach!  Great snorkeling!

Norah picked up right where she left off with her Auntie B!

It really is amazing that we were able to steer this crazy crew to all the amazing places we went!

Little ocean dwellers!

The sweetest fishies in the sea!

Baking 101 with Auntie B in preparation for Lou's big day!

Lou and Norah were naturally in charge of the frosting!

This little princess turned SEVEN years old!!

Love it!  Norah at the beach, in the shade with a bag of potato chips... she is her father's daughter!

What a dream family vacation!

Norah became so attached to her suitcase that it ended up doubling as our beach bag!

Windblown baby in the Jeep!

Greg rented himself a sweet ride and pedaled himself to the top of the island!

Norah checks out the cool volcanic lava flows at Volcanoes National Park

Since this is technically our honeymoon...

The Thurston Lava tube!  Norah loved making echo noises!

Dude Crush

Norah spots the sea turtle taking a nap on the beach!  

A colorful blanket snuggle with Auntie B at the black sand beach.

Hangin loose at ladies night!

Beach 69, full of shady respite and crazy waves!

Lou was a brave boogie boarder in this crazy surf!

Norah got up close and personal with some pretty big waves!

Look behind you!

Beach 69 was our favorite!

Slathered in sun and SPF!

What do you want to do after swimming in the ocean all day.... swim in the pool... NATURALLY!!!!

The only group shot that we got!

Ohana. 

Girls club!  (I can't believe I caught that smile in a self taken!)

M.F.E.O.

These girls never missed a beat!

Catching our last rays of Hawaiian Gold before heading back to the rainy grey of Oregonian spring.

Aloha Hawaii, we can't wait to visit you again!

Go Go Gaga Times!

Gaga was able to come for a special visit for a long weekend.  It was quite an action packed four days... Day One:  Greg and I got to run away for some adult fun at McMinemin's Grand Lodge for a night while Norah and Gaga had fun back home.  Day Two:  We had lots of fellow Packers fans over to whoop and holler as the Packers took the Super Bowl.  Video to come!  Day Three:  Mom and I put our project hats on and remodeled our bathroom, bye-bye shower doors, hello spacious bathtub and stylin shower curtain!  Day Four:  (my favorite)  Norah, Gaga and I enjoyed some good old fashioned Oregonian recreation.  We hiked to Sweet Creek Falls and visited the coast and watched the sun sink into the Pacific.  It was such a great visit, I wish we would do it all over again right now!

Thanks for the good times Gaga!

We, of course, had to make a stop at the Hideaway to enjoy the best breakfast in town and the most happening sand box around!

Norah can't get enough!  Finger lickin' good!

On Gaga's last day we decided to make the most of the wonderful Oregon scenery and weather!  We headed out to Sweet Creek for a sweet hike to a sweet falls.  It was a great hike, and Norah hiked the whole thing all by herself!  She is getting so big and just loves to run around outside.

Ready or not Gaga... here I go!

On the boardwalk, we'll be havin a ball

Norah loved having her Gaga around!

Fresh face to the world!

It was a great day for a walk in the woods!

Three generations of wild women!

Girl on the GO!

Bishop can't wait to jump in!

We made it, Norah hiked all the way to Sweet Creek Falls, and all the way back... that's two miles!

Norah checks out the waterfall up close

Taking it all in...

Gaga and her girl!

Hold on Gaga, here we go!

We stumbled upon a herd of elk who were enjoying the sunshine after the rain.  The buck in the back was clearly in charge and they were watching us very closely!

Norah spots the rainbow and tells us all the colors she sees.

Norah tried to climb to the top of the dune, saying 'Sane bots' the whole way up.  For cute!

Norah found her lucky charm at the end of the rainbow... it's Gaga!

Beach Bummin with Gaga

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!

A perfect day to end a perfect visit!

The Universe Provides

Thank you, Noah, for making this wish come true!  

This is even better than I had ever imagined!

It's a Jungle Out There!

 We took Norah to the Wildlife Safari in Roseburg to get an up close and personal look at some of her favorite animals.  It's a drive through zoo where the animals co-mingle over sprawling acreage that allows them ample freedom.  The lions and tigers and bears all have separate habitats, but they are equally spacious, and they have one of the best cheetah breeding programs in captivity (we didn't get to see the baby cheetahs though... maybe next time!)  Norah just loved getting up close and personal with the animals.  She also loved sitting in the front seat and pushing buttons, locking and unlocking the doors and rolling the windows up and down.  It was a great day!

I really wanted to crop Greg's face into the zebra... 

alas I am not that computer savvy... or patient, 

so just use your imagination!

Some Wildlife Highlights

 

    

    

   

      

 The Giraffes were Norah's favorite

After the zoo we played a round at Whistler's Bend.  

It was beautiful as always!