Big Island- no kids

Jesse and I flew to Hilo Wednesday morning to enjoy a few days kid free.  We made the most of our time and had a blast.  A true vacation

Lava formations look like brownies, so wanted to eat them

hotel grounds

steps from our hotel was the Liliuokalani Gardens, right on the ocean.  It ranks #1 in Jesse's book, it was unbelievable

Safari Helicopter Lava and Waterfall tour

Getting ready, 1st helicopter ride for me

 Where the lava reaches the ocean

 Lava

 Waterfalls

And a Rainbow

Great way to see the Big Island with pilot Kyle

 I heard there were some caves that you needed to bring your own gear to explore.  So we did, it was awesome, miles of lava tubes to explore and untouched

Rainbow falls

Hiking up past Rainbow falls we found another small waterfall and some cool sites

Carlsmith Beach Park was a cool snorkeling spot.  The turtles were not scared, as I got into the water a turtle bumped into me and wouldn't move

We drove through lots of lush rainforests while exploring south

Boiling Pots  You aren't suppose to go down to the water, but we jumped the fence and bypassed some signs to get down here.  Lots of locals have died here but we did our research and were careful

Then we noticed a waterfall upstream and went for it.  It required some river crossing and swimming, and were stoked when we got around the big rock

There were 3 falls you couldn't see from the lookout.  The main one is PeePee Falls

We swam under the falls and jumped off some rocks

It had to be the prettiest place I have ever been

We visited some Botanical gardens.  I've never been to a garden that had birds, waterfalls, an ocean and so many crazy flowers

We were so spoiled earlier that this waterfall in the gardens didn't impress us

Checking the surf, the water was so blue

 We went to a black sand beach that was

clothing optional and boy was it!

Truly relaxed back at the hotel

awaiting the kids arrival

Like mother, like...

Western States Championships

Both kids teams qualified for the Western States Championships which was in Carson City, NV.  It's as far as a team can go in Extra AYSO and they both did it the same year.

We got to Reno a day early to relax before the soccer frenzy and I'm glad we did because the pool and arcade were amazing

 Hailey's team played both games on Saturday and it was gorgeous

 Shane and Ethan being good siblings and doing the tunnel

 These girls played so well as a team and won the whole thing

Champions

 After party for the Crushers was fun

Girls celebrating in the arcade with their wins

Shane's Pre game dinner Saturday night.  So great that both kids got to enjoy their friends at the hotel

 The next day was another story, it was really cold and Super windy.  The Parks, are such dedicated friends and were the only ones to come watch Shane play from Hailey's team. 

 Shane and Ethan.  Ethan is on Shane's basketball team but his sister is on Hailey's soccer team.  They are family to us, we are together every weekend and very compatible

 Shane's team lost both their games by 1 goal but I was so proud of Shane.  He played the best soccer of his life and it was fun to watch, win or lose.  His team played well

As soon as Shane's game was over we hopped in the car for a long drive home, we got in at 1am but so worth the memories! 

school stuff

I told Hailey for her spring photos to try and do a really cheesy photo, she knows I don't buy them.  This was all she could pull off, they were retaking them like crazy.  Just trying to be like her cousin Luke

 Hailey as Betsy Ross for the Walk Through California.  It's like a live game show done by a professional

 Hailey has been getting to school 45 minutes early every Tuesday morning to do Chorus.  For someone who loves her sleep, we are shocked she wanted to do it.  Here she is performing at the Norris theater

Track and Field Day at School.  Shane qualified in the long jump, triple jump, high jump and a few sprints.  You can only participate in 3 events and he chose the 3 jumping events.  He got 1st in high jump almost beating the school record and 2nd in the long jump.  I predict he will do hurdles in high school