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. 

Sayonara, Japan

At the end of June we finished our assignment in Japan and are officially separating from the Air Force. Here is the fabulous sunset we saw from our temporary living facilities once we were out of our home.

 I'm sure the kids are thinking of the great unknown in their future or maybe about what we are going to have for dessert.

 

Carl loves to stop and smell the flowers, or maybe it's the thrill of tearing the weeds out of the ground by the roots.

Here is Carl in the infamous "Hackett Jacket" which was worn by his father, Ryan, when he was considerably older than Carl and by his grandfather, Richard, before that when he was even more mature. It's a great piece of Hackett history, but the washing machine has not been kind.

 Here is the last picture in front of our flowers with our playground in the park in the background. I was feeling really sentimental. Luckily with four kids you don't really have time to be sentimental.

Campout

Over Memorial Day weekend we packed up our van and headed south for a great camping trip. We started at a cute little aquarium.

In Japan when you pay for a campsite they let you use a wheel barrel to cart all your things to your site. This is a really nice feature when your site is 1/4 mile away from the parking lot. Our friends and our family were the only ones there. It might have had something to do with the gale force winds.

 Camping is even better when there are rocks to climb on!

 It was all I could do to keep up with these little billy goats gruff.

 Here are the pack horses of our adventure.

 These kids would have hiked right into the ocean if I hadn't been there. One more reason to have a mother.

Happy Birthday Jane and Helen

We had such beautiful weather this spring that we had picnics more often than not. I love not sweeping, so I am more than happy to eat outside with kids. 

Jane turned 5, and was treated to a birthday party with our neighbors. 

 Helen just turned 7, and she's demonstrating how they show 7 with fingers in Japan with her Mt. Fuji salad she chose for dinner.

Helen asked for Mango Volcanoes for dessert. I had to scour all the old Japanese thrift stores until I found an ice shaver. (To be honest, I came home with three and then had to test them all.)


Have you ever seen such a beautiful azalea?

Cherry Blossom Season or Two Weeks

Here we our scouring the beach for sea glass. The big tire tracks kind of detract from the feeling of nature, the open air, and pounding surf.

 It's really hard to convince Carl he wants to go the same direction as we do. I can trick him for 30 seconds if we grab onto the same thing.

 I'm sure that Mr. Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday could not look more stalwart and brave on the shore of their island.

 We had wonderful weather for cherry blossom viewing. It is so great that in Japan nearly all the best spots for enjoying cherry blossoms are also parks. The first picture is in a park off base.

 Here we are at another park next to our library.

 Here is our little bike gang enjoying some circuits.

 Another park. These cherry blossoms sure make going to the park seem glamorous.

 Note the small child in the background walking away from the park while his mom is taking a picture.

 Here is a picture of our town home. Ryan gets to walk this way to and from work every day. (That Cougar cuts.)

 Airplanes and cherry blossoms. I mean really, I love cherry blossom season. I can't think of anything that doesn't look better with cherry blossoms.

Everyone participated in a 1K Fun-Run. We were so excited that we trained beforehand for weeks. Mostly Ryan would come home  and say, "Time to practice running," and off we would go.

 At the run I had an epiphany. My kids only run fast when I am chasing them. So I got to join in the race so Helen would run instead of walk/trot. Luckily I had been practicing too, in the loosest sense of the word.