Hawaii

I've been meaning to post about so many things that happened the end of last year. Jason and I were able to get away at Thanksgiving, just the two of us. I felt guilty leaving the boys on a holiday, but this was a long over due get away for us. We had a wonderful time. Upon our arrival we were greeted by chickens roaming freely around the countryside. They were everywhere we went. Jason and I decided that chickens in Kauai are like the geese in Boise, viewed slightly as a pest, but still cute.While out snorkeling we came across this Monk Seal taking a siesta on Poipu beach.

We did quite a bit of sight-seeing. Here we are at Spouting Horn, where we had so much fun shopping. I came home with the most beautiful pearls and we found the boys oyster shells to crack into and set their own pearl. We shopped so much our first day there that Jason had a blister by that evening.



On another outing we ate lunch at a darling cafe, I'll have to dig through my binder to find the name of it, and then drove up to Waimea Canyon. The picture of this amazing site does not do it justice.


We went to a great "Luau" but unfortunately we were rained out and the show was moved inside. It was still lovely.

We visited the Kauai Coffee Plantation and tasted several coffee blends.
We found an amazing beach hidden off of the beaten track. I tried to jump in and swim but the current was so strong that I ended up with a bathing suite full of sand. This was a better beach for a picnic than a swim.
We took a sunset dinner cruise along the Napali Coast, but I was not able to get good pictures. We were drenched by the end of the cruise and I was worried about getting the camera wet. We did get to see dolphins chasing our catamaran and they were adorable.

We went to Steelgrass Farms and took a tour on growing cocao and enjoyed an 11-course chocolate tasting tour along with other exotic fruits.



I just had to get a picture of this little bugger, and I wasn't a moment to soon. As soon as my flash went off he was gone. He had to be the biggest frog I've ever seen and he was right outside our condo.
The temptation to snap a few fun photos was to difficult to pass up.

Believe it or not this pay phone actually worked. I felt like I jumped into a Harry Potter film and was going to be transported to the Ministry of Magic.
And of course I've saved the best for last... beautiful and romantic sunset strolls along the beach.


We had a beautiful vacation and look forward to going again someday.

Super Sick

I was so sick this weekend. I've been meaning to get in and get a flu shot... guess there is no need now. What ever I had has got to be the worst of what could possible be going around. I couldn't get out of bed all weekend I was so miserable.

I'm really grateful for my health. Two days of being sick puts a light on how lucky we are to be healthy!!

New Addition

We found out the other day that Devon and JR are having a baby boy. Little Sawyer will arrive this March. Another March birthday to celebrate!! Time to start planning another shower.

Jake's Hitting Game

Jake's hitting game improved this weekend. Batting practice on Friday made a huge difference!!

Applied for Graduate School

I've submitted my graduate admissions application along with most of the admissions requirements. The only outstanding item - take the GMAT. I ordered the study materials, they arrived last week. I have to say that the study materials are quite daunting....we'll see how I do.

Wedding ring mishap

My wedding ring almost ended up in the Boise landfill yesterday. I somehow managed to toss it in the trash can while making dinner. When I started looking for it in the morning I had a sick feeling. I never would have thought to look in the trash had my dad had not prompted me to do so. There it was sitting at the bottom of the garbage bag on the curb of our drive. I felt pretty lucky to find it.

Broncos Vs. Aggies at Romney Stadium

What a blast!! We drove down to Logan on Friday to watch the Broncos play Utah State. I love Boise State fans! It was so much fun to travel for an away game. The weather was perfect, the fans were loud, and the company was wonderful. I had a great time.

4th of July

We went with friends to the Homedale Demolition Derby yesterday. It was a lot of fun. There were around thirty cars and the fun went well into the night. After the derby there was a live band and fireworks. The derby was awesome. The band was fantastic. The fireworks were beautiful and the company was wonderful. This was a very memorable 4th!!

Weekend with Grandmothers

While we were in Spokane I stopped by to see my Grandma Tuckness. I don't get up to Spokane to visit with family often enough, so this was a very special trip. I am so lucky my boys have so many wonderful grandparents to dote on them.

Justin and Dar had a blast chasing Aunt DeeDee's dog around.

Here is a photo of Jacob and Grandma.

Cathey Family Reunion

We had a family reunion up in Spokane this past weekend to celebrate my Grandma's upcoming 85th birthday. It was so much fun to visit with family that I have not seen in so many years. This was the first time I can remember having both my brothers and my sister all together. We pulled our trailer up to Washington and met Dad and Leanne for a weekend camping trip.

Here is a picture of Grandma Kay, Jacob, Justin and me.


Here she is with David, Caitlyn and Dar.

Here is a picture of all the grandkids and great grandkids that were able to make the trip.

Is the Season Ever Going to End

Just when I think we are done for the season we win a game and the tournament goes on... It's great that Jake won his game this evening. I was very excited for him but....that means more long nights of roasting in the sun. We play again tomorrow and I'm hoping this will be our last game. Chances are we'll win again and have another round of games. Sighhhhh.

This has been a wonderful season for Jacob, he really enjoys playing and he has improved so much. It is so rewarding to see his progress, I'm very proud of him.

Jam Packed Weekend

We were at the baseball field at 8:00 am for an early morning game that lasted until 11:30. Then Jake, Justin, and I went to an end of season pool party/BBQ. The boys had a blast in the pool. I told Jason that I want a pool when/if we purchase our next home. When we got home Justin was so exhausted he put himself down for a nap.

Justin's End of the Year Party

Justin has officially graduated from pre-school. He celebrated with his class, grandma, and cousin Dar on Thursday, May 28th. They had a fun picnic at Settlers Park on the last day of school.

Jake Vs. Whistle Pigs

Jake one... pigs zero. Jason, Jake, and Kevin, spent an afternoon in the desert and had a blast shooting. Jake is a great shot with his new .22.

Burst Into Summer

My summer is finally here. I finished my last class on Monday night and now I'm anxiously awaiting my grades. With school out for summer I have so much extra time. Last night I made the cutest card for a friend and finished a scrap book page for Jake's book. It was wonderful. I have so many fun things planned and I can't wait to get started. We hope to finish remodeling our master bathroom. I'm going to paint and redecorate my bedroom. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures of both projects. Jason and I are also hoping to get some cute landscaping done in our back yard. I like to dream big so we'll see how much we get accomplished over the coming months. I'm just thrilled about being able to focus on home improvements with minimal interruptions.

Dirt Devils

Jake played an amazing game today! Top of the 1st, bases are loaded, he slams the ball way out to left field bringing home three runs. It was awesome!! Top of the third, his second time up to bat, he drives the ball out again for a base hit. Needless to say this was a really fun game. I wish I had a fast action camera to capture moments like these.

He did a great job catching too. Twice he had two close plays where he almost tagged the runner out. I think he is enjoying the game more this year than ever before. He's had a great season.

Jake & Jillian

Devon came over for dinner on Sunday and I got the cutest pictures of Jake holding the baby. He is so sweet with her. It actually makes me feel a little bad each time he says that he wants a little sister.....but only a little bit.

Updates from March 2009

I know, I know I've been terrible about posting....I'll try not to let it happen again. There is so much to catch up on. So, in March we remodeled our guest bathroom...

My sister in-law had a beautiful baby girl and I'll post a picture of her soon.

Jake started baseball and he is doing fabulous this year. It has been so much fun to watch him progress over the years. He is quite the athlete. Last week we signed him up for football this fall. This will be his first year of tackle….I’m a little worried

Justin is all signed up for kindergarten and he can't wait until next fall. He is quite the ham these days... a few weeks ago I made flan for desert and while it was setting up in the fridge he kept pestering me to try it. The next morning he informed me, "the flan is ready mom." When I asked how he knew, he said, "because I put my finger in it and it tastes really good."

I have two more classes and a final exam before this semester comes to a close. I am really looking forward to my time off from school this summer. That is just about all the news I can think to share. I’ll get some baby pictures and baseball pictures up soon.

My Baby is Five

Justin turned five on Friday the 13th. We celebrated this past Saturday with a small party at home. We had a really nice time with friends and family. Tanya brought Dar and Max. My friend Mandy brought her two boys Noah and Cooper. Plus we had Pam, Devon, JR and Ross over. Needless to say it was lots of fun.

Jake received an award for finishing a keyboarding course last week. He is doing so well in school. I can't believe that next fall he'll be starting 4th grade. Before I know it I'll have a child in middle school, then high school, then driving (ugh).

I'll post pictures of the birthday party later when I download them.

Sometimes School is Rewarding

Alright, my last post contained quite a bit of complaining so I wanted to share a happy thought about school. I received an email today that my diploma is in the mail. They even attached a picture of what it looks like!!