a drive on highway 30

Maui is know for this red dirt...the pictures dont do it justice, it is pretty cool seeing it in person, amazing how red it is

this is the view from highway 30 we were traveling on(well, the only highway on maui) the picture is of fleming bay, where the guys like to boogie board and the condo we are staying in is over there too

while we were driving, we past this little turnout and i thought these were the most beautiful trees - it reminded me of a miniature rain forest. we only stayed for a few minutes to take pictures but i still ended up getting bit by some bug about 10 times (misquito?) oh and jackson was sleeping in the car and miles was, um..taking care of business in the outhouse- ewww, so their pictures werent taken :)

mollie doing her new pose - she says "possie" and then does this, with her hands on her hips.....

such a beautiful tree

so i just loved this view - if you look towards the bottom of the picture there is a little hut type house nestled in the forest and valley

after our little drive, it was time to cool off in the ocean back at our condo

jackson taking another little snooze on the beach

grandpa and jackson, who is well rested from his nap

quincy had such a fun and busy day that he couldnt stay awake to eat dinner

we ended our day going on a date, shopping in lahaina and eating at my favorite restuarant in Maui, Bubba Gump!

Fun in Maui

i was trying to get the kids' picture in front of the banyan tree but all they could do is play with the rocks...really??? can my kids just keep their hands out of dirt and rocks for a few seconds....(sigh)

kevin and i waiting to have lunch at cheesburgers in paradise - notice the cruise ship in the background..

kiddos waiting to have lunch at cheesburgers in paradise, they waited so patiently

special...????

kevin and i trying to perfect the 'self picture taking'....

mollie and sophia are having the best time together, i just finished painting their fingers and toes

jackson is doing very well with the boogy board, he has even caught a few waves into shore

here is everyone playing, one of the reasons i love this place is that its like our own private beach...

daddy digging jacksons hole in the sand..

kevin buried all the kids, looks like we are growing little children out of the sand :)

I love this picture of TJ and Kevin

Aloha!!!!

we arrived at the airport at 4:30 am - the kids were so excited that it wasnt hard getting them up out of bed

we arrived in maui and here is quincy waiting curbside

kenton waiting curbside in maui

quincy looks a little concerned :) they had lots of energy to get out since we had 8 hours on the plane

averie waiting curbside in maui

quincys first breakfast in maui

first rainbow we saw in maui, if you look close there are two - just beautiful

Miles has always been a 'little fish' and was right at home here in the pool

The kids took to the pool right away, which we knew they would. we were glad we gave them swim lessons before our trip as i'm sure it helped them feel more confident in the pool - here is mollie and jackson, about to jump in !

mollie and jackson having a blast in the pool playing with aunt kathy, jason, hailey and alyssa

quincy is warming up - (our room is to the right of the red bow in the background. our bedroom deck is the top floor and our living room deck is the same level as that bow)

how many kids can dad carry in the pool :) at one point he had all 4

quincy watching his brothers and sister, uncles and dad play in the ocean - he was content just hanging out on the beach and digging in the sand

kenton having a little snack ...of sand... he sure enjoyed it :)

everyone playin in the ocean - I just love the blue color of the oceanmiles and jackson this year - see photo below

this is miles and jackson in 2008

brothers playing in the sand

quincy....

baby kenton(my nephew) and quincy playing together after dinner

ending our day with a sweet kiss from quincy....

Mahalo! check back soon for more Maui adventures...

We took our annual trip to Hunter Farms! It's one of my favorite 'traditions' we started with our family 3 years ago...

Jackson is 'free' and didnt need a wristband to go in the hay maze and hay ride, but he felt left out since his brothers and sister got a wristband, so Kevin let Jackson wear his - here Mollie's is admiring his wristband since Jackson was very excited he got to wear oneThe Kids

Kinda hard to see, but thats me and Quincy in there

Quincy laying in the straw (and yes I totally had him wear that shirt on purpose)

One of my favorites is the animals - I really love farm animals. It was feeding time and the pig was hogging the food - really, he was snorting at the other animals to get out of the troff

All the kiddos in the hay maze

Jackson thought he was pretty cool way up there

Miles found us

Taking a break

On the hay ride out to the pumpkin patches

Kevin and the 2 boys

When we got off the hay ride the kids spotted a caterpillar

Letting the caterpillar go free (I was very proud of my children, we are working on teaching them not to kill insects, well unless they are spiders in our house)

A group of people were flying an electric airplane and the kids and Kevin were very fascinated watching it fly. I thought it was a cool picture of them all blocking the sun from their eyes so they could watch the airplane

Quincy and mommy

Daddy and Jackson in the pumpkin feild

*We have a 'rule' that the kids can get any pumpkin they want, as long as they can carry it*
Jackson found his pumpkin - hes pushing the 'rule'. Kevin and I think when Jackson gets older he will find the biggest pumpkin, strain with all his might, and pick it up and carry it...

Mollie found hers

Searching for Miles' pumpkin

Now helping Jayden find his pumpkin

Ah ha, Jayden found his

(I didnt get a picure of Miles with his pumpkin (sad face) I dont know why)

On our way out of the pumpkin patch

Strangely enough, Jackson was bothered that his shoes got dirty ( we brought their super cool rubber boots, but Kevin locked our keys in the car and we didnt want to wait for the locksmith to come, so we went out into the pumpkin patch without the rubber boots

And Quincy found the most pumpkins!!

After our super fun afternoon at Hunter Farms we drove to a nearby hatcher *of course* and looked at the fish

We were STARVING so went to a quaint little hamburger joint, payed way too much money, and ate lunch - the food was really good though-

Now the second 'funest' part....

PAINTING OUR PUMPKINS!

Hard at work

Miles concentrating..
Mollie used lots of colors

Jackson, painting the stem

Mollie was singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, very fitting I thought

And they are done! Very fun holiday tradition