New Years Eve Feast

Brett made the kids a fancy dinner before we went out with friends. He is a good Dad! (Liberty was getting ready for work. She probably only ate the rice anyways. Maybe some broccoli. She thinks she's a vegetarian. 😜)

Teenage Noodle Feast

Teenage Noodle Party! Liberty & Shannon got together for a late night movie night while they cooked up a zillion types of noodles. All while staying warm in their cosplay snuggies. Good times!

Uncle Trave's for Donuts & Hot Cocoa

Finished the night with hot cocoa & Krispie Kreme donuts (provided by Grandma Karla) at Uncle Trave's. Fun to see his place and spent time with them. Xo

Chick-Fil-A

mtseamonsfamA quick dinner at City Creek to warm up before we end the night. Yum!!! One of Brett's favorite places ever.

Nagoya with Nielsons

• mtseamonsfamAmazing food! Fantastic new friends! Thanks, Nielsens for a fun night out!

• demerryYay! Thanks for coming with us ❤️

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Liberty & Kandra got together & made Pumpkin Spice cookies from a Youtube video. They turned out pretty cool. Liberty even made a whole batch for her Drum Line Club.

Bread Makers

The kids were trying to come up with something to cook for their Power Boards. They decided on BREAD. Mom had to run errands today so they did it on their own. Oh my heavens! Look how awesome it turned out! They rock this bread thing!!!!

Check out the size of this slice of bread with our home-made jam. Yum!

Father's Day Minus the Father

Brett unfortunately had to go out of town for 10 days. AND it had to be over Father's Day. So we were on our own to make the weekend special while we missed our Dad.
We found the Exotic Fruit section at Super One & the kids had a fabulous time picking out fun things to try.

Then Justice BBQ-ed us up some shish-kabobs. Delish!!!

Missed you, Brett! Wish you were here!

Temple Trip Billings: Dinner with Friends

We met up with a bunch of friends for dinner. (The Lybberts & Steinagels came later to join us) Fun people to be with!

Cotton Candy Machine

We found a Cotton Candy Machine on clearance this month. It's been a HUGE hit with all our visitors. They LOVE it! And better yet- you can make it with a bag of Jolly Ranchers. Easy Peasy! Best $15 I ever spent! LOL

Leap Year Lucky Charms

Happy Leap day!!!!

My kids LOVE Lucky Charms!!! (They take after their dad who loves cereal more than he probably should. LOL)  I thought it'd be appropriate to remember how they eat them currently. It cracks me up! They pour humongous bowls of cereal. They pick out all the marshmallows. They pour some milk and eat all the plain cereal. Then enjoy their enormous pile of sugar as a treat at the end. Silly kids!!

Nativity Cookies

Grammy & Grandpa Randy sent us this fun Nativity Gingerbread Kit for Christmas. We put it together today. The kids helped me make the dough, cut out the cookies, bake them, make the frosting, decorate them and put it all together! It's so fancy!

Glory also helped us make Fancy Christmas Oreos for the Caldwell party! Look at us all Holly Homemaker!!

Food Storage Room

When we moved into our new home, we made a decision that we didn't want the basement to be unfinished for years. So, we recently bought a few supplies to be able to work on it this Winter. We started with our Food Storage room. Can I say.... I'm sooooooo excited!!!?
Our Church has always encouraged us to be self-reliant.
"We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise, and do not go to extremes. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."

So...since before Y2K, our family has tried hard to have some kind of food & water supply. We have gone from a zillion #10 cans & big water barrels to rolling shelves and pop bottles full of a 2 week water supply for each family member. We have learned a lot of what we really use and what would be good just for emergencies. We have learned what we like and what we don't!!! ;) And most relevant to this post is that as we built this home- we planned a place to store it all.
The last week or so, our family dragged everything out of the little room, finished it up with flooring and drywall and then put everything back. It looks amazing!!
I realize that I didn't take a picture of what it looked like with everything in it before. Lame!!! But...
We went from this to this...

And this to this....

And after putting together my new AWESOME shelf (all by myself btw), we look like we are open for business! I have a few more things to get and a lot more stocking up to do BUT I Love it! It makes me so happy!

Muffins with Moms

I was able to join my cute kiddos for Muffins with Moms this morning at their school. I love that they actually ate with me (and wanted too)! They also walked me to my car while linking arms all together. Some of the teachers commented on how cute we were. They sure are right! Thanks kids! XOXO

Sleepless in Seattle

Shauna took us to the Athenian Seafood Restaurant for dinner. From the window we could see the Seattle Great Wheel. We'll have to do that next time. We had some awesome fish & chips! Good stuff! Shauna got Liberty & Justice the King Crab legs and I swear they will forever think she's the greatest!!! They were so happy!

We got to watch the sunset from the window. Awesome view!!

On the way out of the restaurant after dinner, the kids sat at the bench where Tom Hanks sat during a scene in Sleepless in Seattle! Loved that show!! So surreal!

Dingleberries!!!

During our Seattle Center Adventure, Shauna introduced us to Dingleberries!!! That sounds gross but they were YUM!!! We found the little Shishkaberry Stand and got to try several different kinds. They were awesome! Thanks Shauna! You're the best!

Lahaina Surfing & Shaved Ice

We took our surfers back to Lahaina to use our free time with boards from Maui Wave Riders. Because of the rains yesterday, the tide was a little crazy. Everyone got a little frustrated with surfing today & only a couple got up on the waves but at least, they all got a longer chance to try it out! And they looked super cool doing it! ;)

The other kids played on the beach and in the ocean.

Most of the families had to head back to Kahului to catch their flights but Trave, Tauni & Ryler got to hang out a little longer. We decided to make the most of it and do a little shopping in Lahaina & share some Shaved Ice! It was seriously AMAZING! Why did we not have one of these every day?????? Probably my favorite part of Hawaii. DELICIOUS!

Ice Cold Coconut Stand

Justice begged the whole week to pick a coconut from a tree. We never found a place we could do that but we did drive by a little fruit stand that said "Ice Cold Coconuts" and decided to quickly stop so we could make his Hawaiian dream come true. ;) The lady was so nice and kept giving us other fruit to try. We totally scored for the money we paid! However, it turns out that Justice learned that he does NOT like fresh coconuts. LOL He was very polite but seriously almost gag when he ate the flesh part and drank from the coconut. Pretty funny! He obviously had a different idea in his mind. But at least now he knows! 

Hukilau Cafe

We wanted to try something "authentic" for breakfast so Brett did a search and found the Hukilau Cafe. It was probably not really authentic Hawaiian food but it had the name and that was good enough for us! ;) It's this little building on a corner in a neighborhood. It was packed!!! You put down your name on a list & then you "Get outside!"  We ended up just ordering take-out and ate it on the Temple grounds. We got Banana Pancakes, french toast, eggs, bacon, potatoes and rice. There was a little Grocery shop next door so we picked up a few "Island"-ish drinks and some Macadamia nut Cookies. Yum!

Polynesian Cultural Center

We took our family to the Polynesian Cultural Center located in Laie on the north shore of Oahu. Brett went there back in High School & it was definitely on his "to do" list for our trip to Hawaii. We chose to do the package that had the Ali’i Luau & the Ha: Breath of Life show. We made it there just in time to be seated for dinner. They present everyone with a lei  (and take your picture) as you enter the arena for dinner.

Dinner was so good! Everyone found something they liked. We even ordered a strawberry smoothie inside a pineapple. So fun!

The Ali’i Luau is arguably the most authentic luau in Hawaii. The Ali’i Luau includes a pig ceremony where a large Kalua pua’a (Hawaiian for pig) is cooked in the imu and presented each day at the luau. The MENU is delcicious! It also includes:
Poi, the traditional Hawaiian staple. It is a starch dish made by pounding boiled taro roots and mixing with water until it reaches a smooth consistency. Taro is one of the most nutritious starches on the planet. Some Hawaiians eat their poi with salt, some with sugar, even soy sauce. Some like it thicker or thinner. Others like it several days old for a little extra tang; and (Malahini, or newcomers), might find it more to their liking at first if they eat it with a bite of the other meat dishes.

The entertainment they put on during dinner was awesome! In fact- when it was over, we were trying to get the kids to hurry so we could go on a canoe ride before the real "Show" started. They were totally surprised and said- "That wasn't the show?" Justice & Glory got to go on stage and learn the hula. And even Brett & I went on stage to celebrate & dance for our Anniversary while Auntie Seeya sang to all the couples. So fun!

Since we spent time at the Temple, we didn't make it to any of the villages at the Polynesian Cultural Center. But we did get to go on a boat ride down the river and see some of the sights before the show started. I hope my kids go back someday when they grown up so they can check out all the other cool stuff they have there at the PCC. {If we had known- they actually would have let us come back the next day to check out the villages but they don't open until noon. Our flight left Oahu at 12:40 from the other side of the island. Oh well. Live and learn!}

Then it was onto the real show!!! We bought all the girls weaved fans because of how humid the night was. There was a storm rolling in and it made it super muggy. But the performance was fabulous! What a fun experience for us to do as a family.

The Polynesian Cultural Center’s Ha: Breath of Life evening show which is a spectacle of over a hundred performers from across the Pacific, drums, dance, all new music and special effects, a fire spewing volcano and a world renowned fire knife performance. The story goes that born just after his parents wash ashore, Mana begins a South Pacific odyssey that leads to becoming a warrior. In the process, he must prove his worthiness to wed the fair Lani by walking on fire. And, ultimately, he must battle to protect his new family from marauding invaders.The tale is as old as the islands, and as new as each breath we take.
{They don't let you take pictures during the performance but I found a few online that look similar to what we saw.}

Ha Breath of Life

55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, HI 96762

(808) 293-3333

http://www.polynesia.com/

$89.96 for Adults

$71.96 Kids Under 12