Day Three - Beach Day at Mauna Kea

I didn't take pictures on the camera on Day 2, but there are pictures on a certain phone that is currently in Calgary, CA with my hubby. I decided you could wait to see a couple of Day 2 pictures until another day.

The girls really enjoyed all of our beach days. What's not to love about sun, sand, water and a picnic lunch with the people you love? Tabitha needed a very watchful eye at the beach, since she didn't grow tired of eating sand, sticks and rocks.

The amazing thing about this beach is that the snorkeling is phenomenal all while the beach is very gradual and perfect for little swimmers. The girls were content to play in the sand while two adults at a time could enjoy the snorkeling just a swim away.

pretty flowers and pretty girls... (one who has wild hair!)

These ladies who share their red hair loved the sand!

 And my oldest has come so far from her first trip to the beach almost five years ago. Miss "I don't like sand being on any part of my body" has finally learned to love the sand between her toes.

I love the happy look I caught on this little girl's face :) It makes a good last picture for such a lovely day at the beach.

Hawaii in May - Day One, part two

 

And then we hiked. It is a fairly steep hike down to the beach, and everyone did well on the way down.The sound of the ocean revived and the smell of the ocean breeze refreshed. The Pololu Valley lookout is one of my favorite places in Hawaii.

Hannah only hiked about 10 feet before she asked to ride in the backpack carrier. She wasn't feeling well AND she loves riding on her daddy's back. It was a definitely a Win Win for my middle.

We made it to the bottom! Here they are enjoying the swing.

Hannah and Abigail giggled and giggled as the waves washed up onto their feet. 

 Papa and his eldest granddaughter.

My girls are blessed to have wonderful grandparents! So thankful! 

The hike back up to the top was a bit harder, mostly because Tabitha was hot and unhappy. When she's unhappy, she's not one to keep her emotions to herself. Thankfully, we knew that homemade ice cream awaited us as our reward. Ice cream made Tabitha's tears more bearable!

Hawaii in May - Day One, part one

We needed a quiet first day, after an eventful travel day. All in all the girls did "alright" on the long trip to Hawaii. Hannah spit up on the way to the airport and then threw up on the first flight. Thankfully, her blanket caught most of it followed by a garbage bag. She miraculously slept most of the flight and did well on the second flight. Airsickness and exhaustion did not agree with her little tummy.

I don't have many phobias. I do well with blood, am not afraid of heights, have killed my fair share of spiders, and do okay in the dark. I do not however handle vomiting well. I was a bit of a nervous wreck on both flights, as a result, and was ever so thankful for a calm, cool and collected hubby and mom who took care of Hannah on the flight while I wrestled with Tabitha.

And yes, it was rather like a wrestling match at times. Tabitha slept for about 45 minutes on the first flight and 45 minutes on the second flight. She was a very tired little girl that evening, and I was a very tired mommy!

But we did arrive safely with all of our luggage! Our beds were a welcome end to a long day.

So back to our first day!

We drove to the northernmost tip of the island - our end goal was a beautiful hike and ice cream (which is Day one, part two...). After a delicious lunch we spent some time in the small town of Kapaau. The pictures were taken at the King Kamehameha statue. He was the first Hawaiian king to unify all of the islands.

The girls enjoyed roaming and wandering in the warm sun.

My tree huggers.

 I love capturing the smiles on this little girl that I get to see every day. She still wasn't feeling 100%, so the sunshine and fresh air were good for her little body.

where has the time gone?

Where has the time gone?

I can hardly believe that my oldest is standing so tall and grown-up these days.

I had a treasured moment this afternoon where I just sat and watched all three of my girls happily play. I sat amazed by the miracle of their lives, the blessing of their company, the contagious joy of their smiles and laughter and the wonder and excitement of childhood. It was a thankful moment at the end of a busy week.

I am thankful for Abigail's near incessant joy. She laughs all of the time, but not quite as much as she talks. Yes, she talks all of the time. She sings all of the time, often making up her own songs.  

I took this picture on our first day in Hawaii, which is exciting news for those of you excited to hear about our trip. I'm hoping to sit down and post soon about our Spring vacation.

Happy Memorial Day!

We had a very quiet and productive Memorial Day weekend. We had lots of around the house catch up to do, so three very productive days was a blessing. We completed almost our entire to-do list, spending a good portion of the time together and in the garden. Our garden is almost completely "in", with only a couple of seedlings left to plant (which are currently growing in the basement). I harvested my first rhubarb from the planting we put in our first year here. We also have our first lettuce of the season ready to be harvested. In typical fashion, Rodney's garden is even bigger than the last, which is a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, the girls are old enough now that I can help too. Tabitha has a taste for grass, rocks, sticks and dirt, so she does need a watchful eye, which can sometimes be a bit tricky and often comical. Having three little ones regularly provides needed comic relief, since having three also has its sanctifying challenges as well....

my best attempt at three smiling girls :)

 ....and one last picture of real life. This was actually the first picture I took. Tabitha was not in the mood to sit next to her sisters because she wanted to sit in my lap and resisted being put back in the grass.. Daddy had to come over and assist the photographer.

T is 11 months

We are only weeks away from her first birthday, so I wanted to make sure I put some recent pictures of her up, as the next couple of weeks will be very full. When we get back from vacation, I will start making her baby album. I have a deadline in October!

Tabitha has changed a lot this month. She is now crawling everywhere and pulling herself up in her crib. Before long she will be cruising and pulling herself up on everything. Not sure if I'm ready for that!

She's also eating lots of table food. Yesterday at lunch she ate avocados and for dinner sweet potatoes - both very messy foods! She likes squishing the food between her fingers and smearing the food all over her tray. Like the rest of the Harms family, she also loves waffles and pancakes. Thankfully, she eats almost everything. In fact, I think she eats as much or more than her sisters.

I started weaning her at 11 months and she drinks very well out of a cup, thankfully! She has a taste for apple juice, tolerates formula and drinks water happily. Thankfully, I think we will transition her to whole milk in the next couple of weeks.

Tabitha is quite the blend of her sisters. She is very social and smiles readily. She is not entirely fearless, like Miss H, but she is not worried by loud sounds. For example, she thinks the vacuum cleaner is great fun and crawls after me, trying to get as close to the machine as possible!

Tabitha still takes two naps during the day and sleeps through the night. We are very thankful that she has become a good sleeper!

This little girl brings us much joy, and we are so thankful for her!

Easter with Family

Here are the very last pictures after a lovely weekend, right before they headed home.