a few quotes...

from the book "Small and Simple Things" by: Marjorie Hinckley

The trick is to enjoy life.  Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.

Be kind.  Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

and few others quotes in the book by others:

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.  

Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?

George Elliot

On that note, THANK YOU Melissa for taking care of my laundry!

While I was out in the pouring rain trying to hold garbage in one hand and the laundry card and drier sheets in the other, all in one motion I was throwing my garbage in the dumpster and sort of slipped, half my garbage made it in, the other half did not and my laundry card had disappeared.  After cleaning up my garbage and looking intently for my laundry card that still had like $15.00 on it, there was no hope.  I could not find it.  I ran upstairs and crabbed another card and more money to put on it.  I felt like I should go look one more time for the card just to make sure I just hadn't over looked it.  Was it in the garbage, no.  Sure enough it was right on top face down.

Sweet!

On my way to the laundry room, I walk in and Melissa is standing there just finishing up.  She had put all of my clothes in the drier and paid to dry them for me.  She even pulled out all of Aaron's shirts that EVERYONE in E house knows have to hang dry.

I am pretty sure my mouth just dropped open.  

MELISSA YOU ARE SO AMAZING!  THANK YOU THANK YOU!

worst case scenario

We have been going through Kali's room and getting things cleaned out and trying to figure out what to sell right now and what to keep until we leave.  While we were doing this, Kali said several times, "Worst case scenario, we could just buy another one in Washington."

Kali loves to carry her baby with her everywhere we go.  She is such a good mommy!

I believe if you are curious what you sound like to your child or how you parent, just watch how your child interacts with her toy baby.  It is quit comical :)

Kali put on this wig the other day and said, "Look mom, I am a Jonas Brother!"

today I love...

these lighting photos taken by a friend whom I miss so much, Noelle.

and this quote:

“I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed some one's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."  ~Marjorie Hinckley

I found on Stephanie's blog, thank you Stephanie for the reminder.

and finally, this post found on Susan's blog, entitled:

ONLY IN HAWAII

After living in Hawaii for a few months, we've discovered a few things that make Hawaii unlike any other place.

Only in Hawaii...

Does the town's only grocery store not sell frozen carrots. Or Hawaiian punch.

Can you see a XXL string bikini in use on a regular basis.

Does the hospital have an outdoor waiting room.

Do you welcome the geckos inside because they eat all of the other bugs.

Can it be pouring rain while the sky above is still mostly clear and sunny.

Will you see people drinking hot chocolate and wearing jackets & scarves on the beach because it has gotten down to 60 degrees that night.

Can you pick out a tourist by what car they are driving.

Can you look at the 10 Day weather forecast and see the exact same prediction for every day.

Can you experience what we call "Aloha Drivers" who will slam on their brakes in the middle of the one-laned Kam Hwy, causing the 15 cars trailing them to screech to a stop and/or swerve onto the shoulder... just to let a single car turn onto the highway from a side street.

Can you buy a gallon of milk for over $7.

Can you take the wrong highway 3 times in a row and still have a way to get home.

Can you take your rotting food to the ward farm to feed the wild pig that someone caught, only to hear rumors of an upcoming ward luau featuring ground-cooked Kalua Pork as the main dish.

Can you get splashed by a few drops of a wave while driving in your car. 

Can you experience "vog," a type of smog that clouds the skies when the trade winds blow the volcano smoke over from the big island. 

Do all of the trees have marks in the trunk from people climbing them to get to the coconuts.

Does the grocery story become the most popular destination in town as soon as the sun sets.

Can you go to a Chevron with 6 gas pumps and have to wait in a line because 4 of the pumps have been out of order for months and nobody cares to fix them.

Do chickens actually cross the road (I always wondered where those jokes came from...).

Can you spend $8 washing a single load of laundry.

Can you whale-watch from your kitchen window.

Can you watch the hole on Kam Hwy get to be a foot deep before anybody fixes it - and when it does get fixed, you realize that someone just filled it in with dirt and it all washes away with the next storm.

Do you get to experience creativity at its finest through store names such as "Foodland" and "The Hair Cut Store."

Do you feel like you are driving uncomfortably fast as soon as your speedometer passes 40 mph.

Should you rewash your clean dishes right before use because you never know what just ran over them in the cabinet.

Thanks girls for all of these wonderful, inspiring posts :)

Howard Newborn

This little man was so easy to photograph, flashing smiles and just chillin.

HE IS ADORABLE!

Congratulations Howards!!

To view more of his photos visit

shanaejonesphotography.

"We need to get our energy out"

That is what Kali says when she wants to play outside.  Mom, I need to get my energy out.  A lot of times in the evenings this is where they get their energy out. :)

babies, babies, babies

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!

to

My sister Janica and her husband Seth,

they are having a little boy in November.

My brother Brandon and his wife Veronica,

they are having a little boy in December.

and to Aaron's brother Zach and his wife Rachel,

they are having a little girl in November.

WE ARE EXCITED FOR ALL OF YOU AND CAN'T WAIT TO MEET ALL OF THE LITTLE ONES IN JANUARY!

Never a dull moment...

when Cori is around :)

I was going through some old pictures and came across these from Janica and Seth's wedding.

I MISS YOU CORIANN!!!!