just a po'alima in salt loko=)

a few days a go mark and i were talking about the jack johnson concert that we were going to and it made us start reminiscing about our vacation to hawaii a couple years back. so we thought we would take the boys up to jordanelle and go paddle surfing. i had to make it on the same day because, being my mother's daughter, i had to make a theme day out of it. (and if we hadn't run out of time, we would have eaten at l&l's.=)) so here is our "hawaii day" which will have to do for now.... a hui hou, beautiful island! 

["i-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t..do you know what that means?"]

[max tipped over on it and fell in. it was pretty cold.]

[i'm stickin him on a surfboard our next beach trip, he's a natural.]

[i said, "max smile!" and this is what i got.=)]

kenna watched the boys for us while we went to the concert. (however, she did not keep up the hawaiian theme we had going on...i should have taken them to timber's and made her do the hula.;))  the concert was awesome, it totally felt like we went back in time. we had so much fun except they wouldn't let me bring in my camera.=(  

["it's as simple as something that nobody knows.."]

learning to fall...

 {"there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." ~winston churchill}

i have always had a hard time when one of our pets have passed away.  i was a mess when my favorite dog died in high school. i think it is the reason i am so hesitant to get any pets for max and mad.  but babes' passing recently was definitely the hardest. even with how much i neglected him the last few years and left my dad with all the responsibility for him.

i have always loved horses since before i can even remember. it may have had something to do with my dad growing up on a ranch and the fact that i have always had a little bit of a cowgirl streak.=)  they are such beautiful creatures, so majestic and graceful. there are few sights in this whole world i would rather look at than horses grazing in a pasture. i sometimes just crave the smell of them and always crave that free feeling you get when you're riding a horse.  i am so saddened that i didn't take more advantage of riding time with babes while i still had him. he was such a gentle soul and so beautiful with his perfectly imperfect star. the days spent with my dad training babes and teaching me to ride were some of my very best. buster and i will miss him greatly and "God forbid that i should go to any heaven in which there are no horses." ~r.b. cunningham graham =)

{"the wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." <3 it.}

"into the arms of florida"

the boys and i were very lucky to be able to spend some of the summer (3+ weeks, 1 with daddy) in the sunshine state. we had so much fun relaxing at the beach house, playing at disney, seeing old friends & family and doing tons of shopping. but mostly we just loved hanging out at my parent's where there was lots of swimming, playing, talking and eating...emphasis on the eating.=) 

[airplane with these 2 is no joke. they should be good at this by now, little stinks!]

[pool time...twice a day.]

["does that make me crraazzy!?";)]

["hata blockas...it's polk county!"]

[babytime]

[so hip to my heart<3]

[little addy jo, love myself a newborn]

[andy and elly..bffs]

[waiting for the bottle rocket show]

["gwamma" and babies]

[precious padgett patch (i was always pretty good with the alliterations...my snake poem?)]

[a boy and his kite=)]

["let them eat cake."~marie]

[forts]

[playtime inside...]

[playtime outside with lots of room...]

[and lots of rain time.] 

[big kid playtime. they love babysitting, i do it for them!;)]

[bedtime with my baby. this is what he picked for his goodnight stories. you can't say no that face.=)]

[my parent's dog, this doesn't even begin to do justice to the size of this monster.=)]

[my 10 year reunion. jill's husband as he watches people dancing, "wow! so this is polk county?" you can only imagine the dance moves he was being exposed to. some things will neva, neva change.=)]

[when we pass this, we're close to home.=)]

the very happiest=)

[1,2, toy story 3..go!]

[our guide=)]

[highlight of elly's day.]

[elle and jonny]

[toy story mania, i can't count the number of times we rode it.]

[pizza planet]

[<3 that face!]

[and these tired babies.]

[i swear it was 400 degrees and i'm pretty sure we spent 100 bucks on water alone.]

["promise me you'll never let me do that ride again!' -max]

[splash mountain! madden's very fave.]

[the boy loved every second.]

[love him so=)]