Thursday, May 15, 2008

Swimming lessons!!!!



Well, swimming lessons started on Monday and I have been so busy that I am just now posting about it.First off can I just say how much stinking FUN I have had with all those fun kids??It is fun and rewarding to see the kids stop crying and start swimming.I also like seeing the parents excitement of their kids accomplishments.I love teaching.......SERIOUSLY!I have had a blast (besides being cold from cruddy weather)and I am excited to get in the pool on Monday (although I will enjoy my pool free weekend....I am in there for 8 1/2 hours a day)I love every minute of it and I couldn't ask for a better group of kids!!!!!I love every one of them especially my little stinker Tatum.She did pretty good and remembered how to swim for the most part.I am however worried about her ears.Last year she had tubes put in right when the summer ended.I can't for the life of me get her to keep those darn earplugs in so we just swim without them.I have heard that if the pool is well kept that it should be fine but she is now afraid of swimming through the hoop in the deep end and afraid of getting the rings(which she loves loves loves!!!!!)I am sure she will come around and we will figure out a solution.She will have to because she is such a water bug just like her mom.....I LOVES IT!!!PS(I have no idea who this little girl with the goggles on is.I got it from an image search because I have not taken any pictures.I will have someone take some and then I will post them!)

Friday, May 9, 2008

A trip to Hawaii!!

This last week Shane,Tatum and I went with my parents to take my little sister Megan to BYU Hawaii.We had loads of fun I don't even know where to begin.It is so pretty in Oahu.We stayed in this little beach rental on North Shore right across the street to Sharks Cove(the best place I have snorkeled ever...so far)Also right around the corner was Waimaia Bay.We were able to ride the beach cruisers everywhere.SOOO FUN!This post is really long and I didn't even get to post all the pictures I wanted because some of them are on my mom's camera but I got some good highlights of the trip.


The plane ride over was just fine with Tatum.She was pretty darn good with very few fits.Shane and I were surprised that she did so awesome.She slept,put on lipgloss for about 30 minutes(really!),watched a movie, and ate her favorite thing in the world...Cheetos.She kept saying..."wen non a plane to Hawaii!"

Ok.This was hysterical.I bought Tatum this suitcase and packed her a purse for the plane ride.These things were jamb packed with treasures I found for her that she loves...a little horse,polly pockets,5 lipglosses,a mini puppy,littlest pet shop toys,tic tacs,gum,cheetos,candy,coloring books,stickers,dvd player...the works.She would not let go of these two precious packages.Plus you know that suitcase is just so fun to wheel around.If you you Honolulu's airport you know it is the longest walk ever to get your luggage.She wouldn't let us touch her things and was soooooooooo slow...Shane was so mad at me for getting her that suitcase.I was just laughing and took lots of pictures.Eventually Shane did get a hold of that pink suitcase towards the end of the airport and so I took a picture.He looked so cute with it.


Megan and her friend/roomie holly.Tatum calls them Gagon and Cholly.Now that is what they call each other.Cute!(I don't remember why Tatum is almost nakee)


OH!I just had to take this shot so I would remember the view.When I am having a hard day i can go straight back to this happy place in my head.


We went to Hukilau beach with our cousins(Natalie and Ritchie's boys)They are our second cousins and boy did we have fun with them.There is Cardon(with his tounge out)Raleigh is almost five and Lincoln is the baby bum.He is so sweet I wish I had a better picture.Those boys are so wild and fun Tatum had such a blast with them doing boy stuff.Cardon showed Tatum how to pick up a cockroach. Gross I know.See the videao at the bottom..it is pretty funny I think!
We told Cardon to hold on to Tatum so we could take a picture and so he grabbed her bum.Priceless photo!
The highlight of the trip for me was when we went to the sea life park.My dad and I went swimming with dolphins....a life long dream of mine.SOOO stinking fun!I wish I had more pictures but they wouldn't let us take any because they wanted us to buy the ones tha they took.So take a moment and imagine me riding on a dolphin.........kissing a dolphin and swimming with them. 
me and dad at orientation
Shane managed to get a picture of the dolphin we played with


Ok this is the coolest tree ever.We went to a secluded beach/bay by Turtle bay and later found out that they filmed an episode of Lost right where we were standing.Cool huh!!The trees were huge and so beautiful.Unlike anything I have ever seen(well except the last time I went to Hawaii to visit my friend Lydia)
Tatee looks so very small in this picture because the trees are so huge!

My mom is so cute!
Here we are at Sharks Cove.Tatum was scared of the waves and the water until this picture when I handed her a net and said do you want to catch a fish?She warmed up and decided it was ok if she was going to try to "cat a phishh"




Tatum is scared of waves and so here she is at the beach...hiking up to "go home" because there was HUGE scary waves at this beach.My daredevil dad decided he would go snorkeling in this turbulent water and so I took his picture next to the warning signs they put up.He didn't want Shane or I to go in with him because it is too dangerous and he is really a pro..you know?


Ahhhh the view.I can smell the sea mist from the waves right now!
Our trip had to come to an end.Before we wet to the airport, we ate and the now famous Hukilau Cafe(from 50 first dates)best banana pancakes ever... and then Gagon and Cholly took Tatum to their studio apartment while we paid the bill(those silly sidewalkers!!!).Here they are swinging her as they walk.We really had such a good time and will miss Megan a lot.She will be home in 4 1/2 months.We love Megan so much!
Picking up the cockroach..ewww sick.I actually didn't know what it was until after I had filmed this.I about died when someone said that the bug they were playing with was a form of cockroach.Oh and should I mention Tatum wouldn't get near a bug until she encountered this one.Too funny!Maybe her cousins could teach her to eat vegetables?