Utah Fun

Working our way east across the globe, we made a long over-due stop to Grandma and Grandpa Hackett's in Sandy, Utah.  In addition to being together and catching up on stories, everyone had their favorite part about being at Grandpa's house:  Ryan = lots of chocolate snacks, Michelle = lots of naps, Helen = making ice cream with Grandma, Jane = wading pool in the backyard, Alice = sidewalk chalk, Carl = new kitchen cabinets/drawers to empty.

We were so lucky that Royce could spend the weekend having fun with us too.  I don't know if he's ever explored the "Princess" children's books at the library so thoroughly.

He also took us on a great hike up Big Cottonwood canyon to Donut Falls.

We spent a day up in Salt Lake too, and started with a visit to Great-grandma Johnson's home.  She had the best motorized toy cars, lots of family pictures, and we really enjoyed lunch together.

Next we spent some time seeing the conference center, temple square, and the visitors centers.

Daily dips in the backyard wading pool was a huge highlight for the kids.  Carl is definitely not supposed to be in the "big kid" pool, but he's a tough guy to keep track of.

The hammock also kept the kids giggling, especially when Grandpa would pretend to not notice they were occupying said hammock as he rolled it up.

Aloha

In the second half our our trip we learned how to make leis. The girls and I loved it. Carl spent the whole time wandering from one piece of mischief to the next while Ryan watched him like a hawk.

Here we are on a hike to Akaka Falls. We were all so excited to see bamboo that we stopped to take a picture. It's the little things.

 It was tough to get this picture without any tourists wandering in a out. We can assume that our kids photo-bombed any number of other people as well.

 We took a tour of a chocolate farm and factory -- certainly a highlight for Ryan. Those are the cacao pods hanging off the tree which Jane is so elegantly pointing out to us.

 Wading with small children is not fun. The independent attitude + slippery rock + waves is a recipe for disaster. After about 10 minutes of extreme wariness we let the kids play on the beach far from the tide pools. Carl was just as happy piling sand on his legs. The feel of the sand on his body (and slipping into his diaper and waistband) had a hypnotic affect on him.

 The girls and I created this fabulous coral garden.

 While in Kona I got to go to the temple while Ryan watched the kids. I loved it! It reminded me of the Columbus Temple where Ryan and I got married.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

En route to the mainland soil we took a brief stop in Hawaii to visit the most active volcano in the world. We've spent the last year reading all the books on volcanoes at the library and jumped at the chance to see one up close and personal. Here we are on the bird hike in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We never actually saw any birds, but we heard them and saw a strategically placed feather on the trail. I suspect it was a plant by the park ranger. 

 Here are the girls on Desolation Trail. Helen made sure we stayed in the right place.

 Here's another fine trail with great steam vents. I was really happy we brought a baby carrier when I saw the "fence" keeping my children from falling into the crevice below.

We made it - the actual crater! It was freezing and raining, but we are happy. (This was mere hours before a gastrointestinal virus struck our family, leaving us quarantined in our military base cabin for two days.)

 The girls came back at night later that week to see the glowing vapor. 

 Ryan, Helen and Jane got to explore some lava tube caves while the rest of us were still prostrate will illness. 

The kids loved the zoo in Hilo, especially the benches.