Our Missionaries

Casey is headed to San Diego, California Mission and is currently in the MTC and loving every minute of it. He has prepared (other than financially) for this day since he was a little boy and will make a fantastic missionary. Erin works at the MTC and so she gets to see him just a bit longer than the rest of us.

Adrian received her call two days before Christmas and was shocked when she opened her call and read she would be serving in the Houston Texas East Mission. Not only that, she will be learning Spanish like her older sister Erin. Of all the destinatioins she had tried to imagine in her mind, she never once thought it would be Houston Texas. One man in our community moved to Hawaii from nearby Houston. He told Adrian "If I had a house in Houston and a house in Hell I would rent out the house in Houston and live in Hell." On a positive note, he also told her that she will not find any nicer people than in Texas. Adrian will make a fantastic sister because she loves everyone and also has prepared for some time to serve. She has a strong testimony and is anxious to share it.

Halloween

I have never claimed to be a good Blogger. I feel like I can hardly keep up as it is and so blogging is always the last thing on my list - therefore it rarely gets done. I will try to update things for the last few months. Casey entered the Halloween surf competition along with some friends. The friends rummaged through Adrian's closet for their costume.

Adrian, Erin and Africa

These are the little children from the family that Erin and Adrian lived with in Africa. They grew to appreciate so many things that we take for granted - electricity, running water, a variety of foods and so near the end - safety

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These kids loved Adrian so much that Erin said she had "rock star" status at the orphanage. I wish we could post all of their touching pictures. This was truly a priceless experience for our girls.

The Cook Out

Tanner cooks out often over the firepit he made on our back porch. They go big too - usually steak wrapped in bacon. Once they start all the kids in the neighbor smell it and join in.

Casey and Kaika

Kaika always calls Adrian and wants to play. He is in love with her and so when she is home he spends a lot of time at our house. This day he played so hard at the beach that when Casey put him up on his shoulders and he had a place to lay his head he just passed out.

You've Got to Love Hawaii

Here in Hawaii we just take all of our complaints, threats, and feelings and spray paint them onto a board for display. This is a house we walk by often to hike in the mountains. Next thing you know we might be seeing headstones.

Tanner's Reading Place in the Ulu Tree

Tanner spends most of his days making things. They usually don't last long because he needs the things to build the next contraption.

Mother's Day

Wow! I had the most wonderful Mother's Day! It was so special to have all my kids home, especially my girls home from Africa. The girls also invited my dear friend, Patricia, over to celebrate Mother's Day with me. I decided we are inviting her next year too because she arrived with the crowns and beads to really make me feel like I was queen for the day. The girls fixed a fantastic meal and we ate to our hearts delight and then just sat and visited while everyone did the dishes and cleaned the mess up. I love days like that!

Patricia's son, Alexander, is Cody's friend. We met through the boys and the minute I met her I felt that friendship bond. She is an inspiration to me in so many ways. I have stood in awe as I have watched her face her trials so gracious and positively. I'm sure her lovely bald head (voted by many on the island to be perfectly shaped) is a dead give away that she is beating back cancer that continues to plague her - but look at that smile on her face. Do you see what I mean about her? I find I selfishly try to be around her just to feel of her love and greatness.

Tanner's Midnight Lights Restaurant

Tanner received some money for his birthday and wanted to give back to his friends in the neighborhood so he and his friend, Taimona, spent the day making the Midnight Lights Restaurant. The picture is blurry but I wanted you to get an idea of how they had lights and tiki torches to set the "mood." When Steve and I arrived home from our Friday night date, business had slowed to a trickle but I think every kid on our block was full of soda. (Yuck) They opened again the next day with the left over soda and musubi for lunch. They loved giving away free food.

Last But Not Least

I couldn't ask for better kids! I feel really blessed as a mother. It was wonderful to be together over the holidays after three years. We flew to the Big Island and stayed at the home some kind friends let us use. As I watched the kids playing games, having "sleepovers", competing in basketball games and just talking together I remembered back to earlier years when I felt so overwhelmed with so many little ones at home. Seeing them all grown up and enjoying each other now really was a payback for the earlier hard times.

I haven't blogged for some time and so I can't seem to delete one of these pictures. I guess you will see the serious one and the one when we are acting silly.

We recently had family pictures. We had these a couple of days before Adrian and Erin left for Africa. We were worried they wouldn't still love each other like this after living in Africa together but they are having the time of their lives and I think they love each other even more.

Casey used to babysit this cute little kid. In fact, Erin babysat him before Casey. They both just fell in love with him. He is such a "little man." Since Casey got his construction job he quit babysitting but he picks up his construction pay check at "the little man's" house and so he gets to see him often. His other siblings are as cute as he is too!

Matthew's Return

Well it has been over a month but I'm finally getting it on the blog. Matthew returned home and stayed a couple of weeks and then left for the mainland to see Erin and a few friends and companions for a couple of weeks. We felt like he never came home. We are glad he is here to stay for a bit.

And I thought Hawaii was Paradise!

We stayed at this beautiful Bed and Breakfast in Washington. My sister and brother-in-law own the place, Cameo Heights Mansion. It sits on a bluff overlooking their orchards and a river.
If you want to see it better go to http://www.cameoheightsmansion.com/ .

Nine of us siblings attended the Columbia River temple where we did some family names and sealed children to parents and sealed spouses. What a treat! It just gave me a little vision of what the Celestial Kingdom will be like.

This is the view from Steve and my room. We were even able to walk through the orchards and eat our fill of apples. I ate so many I was almost sick. That brings me to the food -- we ate the most delicious food I had eaten in a long time. This place is really unbelievable.

Each room has these warm fuzzy robes. Great to throw on after a cool swim even though they make you look twice your size. My youngest brother and his wife are the only ones missing. Mayree fell and had a very bad sprained ankle and couldn't travel. We really missed those two because they are still young and are usually the life of the party.

Since we couldn't all fit in the hot tub we had to take turns.

This was just a small view of the French Room that Steve and I stayed in. I told Steve my dream is to one day own a king size bed so that I can roll over in the night without knocking into him. These beds were heavenly! It reminded me of the mission field and the new futons we got that just sucked us in. It makes it awful hard to get up in the morning.

Tanner's Way of Recycling

Tanner is a great recycler. What do you get when you combine the cardboard from a Soy Milk box and Tanner's imagination? That is right! A Mongol's armor - a breast plate. What do you get when you combine Honey Bunches of Oats box and Tanner's imagination? You guessed it again - The helmet of a battling Mongol. What do get when you combine the fin from broken surf board and a broken hockey stick? A weapon that every battling Mongol could use!

Tanner loves reading about battles. He loves any history that is about battles. Should I be worried? I think he only likes historic battles because he couldn't tell you about any battles that have occurred since the Civil War.

The kids in the neighborhood love his creativity and are always asking him to make them a variety of war items.

Steve and I both wonder what he will study in college and what profession he will choose.

I guess you don't always need a picture, right?

I haven't posted because I don't take too many pictures but Steve reminded me that we don't always have to have a picture.

Life has been anything but boring at our house. Adrian returned home for six months from BYUI and has been working feverishly to earn enough money to pay her parents back from last semesters loans and earn enough that she will not have to work during 2010 school year. She works four hours a day at a local family video store and another four hours a day with Skyler, an adorable autistic five year old. He is a brilliant boy who sometimes gets us laughing with the funny thing he says. He is intelligent and very curious. He is happy to help anyone do anything around the house.

Casey decided near the end of the summer that he would just like to take the GED test and move onto college a little early. He is working towards goal right now. He is also working very hard trying to save money for college in January and also to prepare for his mission. He can put his papers in about this time next year. He currently works at Subway and babysits two adorable children a couple of mornings a week for Elika. He comes home with cute stories about these kids each time he babysits. I think the oldest is three or and the youngest is just a year old. They will be getting a new baby in their home at anytime now. Elika was good enough to pass Casey's name along to the home builder that her husband works for. He has had Casey doing odd jobs until he finishes his two weeks at Subway and then he will begin construction. Elika probably regrets passing his name on since she will be out a babysitter. Cody is begging to take over but we will see what happens.

Cody and Tanner have started school and once again will be homeschooled. I guess it is just semi-homeschool because we drive to classes in town one day a week. The rest is done at home. The curriculum (K12) is fantastic. I love learning with them. Tanner has tried several busiensses and is learning a little about failure. His shave ice business flourished for a couple of days and then fizzled. Both Tanner and Cody are hoping to get on a tennis team this next week. They have also started piano lessons this week with Jessica who lives in our neighborhood and is one of my seminary students.

I started my 4th year of seminary this year - teaching the Book of Mormon which I love so much. Because Adrian still doesn't have her drivers license I have been driving her to pick up and take home Skyler each day. It is about two hours a day on the road. Her drivers tests is next Tuesday and we are all praying she will pass so I can get some free time. We purchased a 1992 Honda Accord for her to drive. She and Casey feel a new freedom with that car.

Michelle is going nuts with Cash For Clunkers. It has really gave her a great love for our federal government:) She is awaiting Puna the first part of September so that she won't be so lonely by herself over there. Her man, Korver, is growing in leaps and bounds but oh what a cutie he is.

Erin got a job teaching at the MTC and is finally putting down some roots this weekend. She has been living out of a suitcase for two years now.

Matthew will be returning home in just under two months. He is trying to figure out what to do with his life after the mission. It will be nice to have him home. We are all counting down.

Steve keeps busy with the university budget and being a bishop. He seems to do well at both of those. He is really pushing to finish the budget because he will be flying to Salt Lake to present the budget the first part of September.

Other Highlights

We were able to go to our daughter Amanda's grave in Pleasant Grove. I remember taking walks down there every Sunday when we lived there and just sitting around it with the kids and talking. I miss those days.

We were able to take a tour of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. It made us excited for the Open House of our Laie Temple. It will be great to play a part in that.

After being gone for one month we knew it was time to return home and face our responsibilities. I did learn one thing - I would like to vacation like this every year:)

Lagoon

We hadn't planned on going to Lagoon but our dear friends, the Harris family, were able to get some great discount tickets so we decided to go. Cody was the dare devil and went on every ride that was wild. Tanner (Mr. Motion Sickness) went in every haunted house there but few rides. Good old Mom even braved the "Wicked" ride which you see above. You go straight up and then dive straight down. Believe it or not, we ran into our friends from Laie at Lagoon. What is the chance of that????

The Harris and Tueller Family

On to Idaho

We moved on to Idaho to see friends and family. We stayed in Idaho Falls with my brother and his family. We had so much fun seeing them and their kids. They just moved to Idaho Falls from Tenessee and so we rarely got to see them. It was so fun to see old friends again and spend time on the weekend with Adrian and Erin who are at BYUI - Erin working and Adrian studying.

Our dear friends from our Idaho Falls ward, the Griffiths, invited us to their cabin in Island Park. Everytime we go they treat us like royalty. John takes the kids down the river in the raft during the summer and in the winter he takes them sledding down the stairs to the river. Bobbie has all kinds of treats for the kids. The highlight is when we do smores around the camp fire. We always have a wonderful time with them.

This is a game the kids love to play while there. Tanner doesn't like the competition so he chose to chop wood after a swim in the freezing river instead.

Bobbie feeds the rock chucks daily and so there is a whole family that now camps on the back porch. I think they have even let the aunties and uncles in on the good deal because the next day there were even more of them. The view from the cabin is fantastic. At night as we looked across the river we saw deer. The next morning when we had breakfast on the deck we could see otter in the river. I love the peaceful feeling there.