High Five for Friday

It's time to link up with From My Grey Desk for High Five for Friday!  Lots of highlights this week in at the Fisher house.

1. Back to School - OK, I woke up late (apparently, I got jet lag) and wasn't able to drop them off for their 1st day. Also, Mark was still asleep.  M got the boys dressed, fed and drove them to school for us. High Five for Hubby! And he remembered to take pictures...

2. I started going to yoga again and I feel so much better.  A little sore, but the good kind of sore.

3. Matthew had his reading evaluation on Wednesday and he is reading above average.  Ms. Lasater says that he scored a 20 and the average is an 18.  High Five for Matthew! We are still waiting on results for Michael's evaluation.

4. We are home! Tired this week, but happy.

5. Dragon Football starts today! Nothing like football to make it feel like Fall. Go Dragons!

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

I had a coupon code for a FREE photo book from Shutterfly.  What perfect timing! 

Back to School 2012

The boys are back in school! I can't believe the summer is almost officially over.  We've been away from home so much that it seems like we hardly had a summer at all! I have 2 more planned trips to California this month - 1 for Benjamin's 1-month celebration and the other for M's friend's post-wedding reception. Then, I think I'll be done for a while.

Things have been little hectic with adjusting back to the school schedule and getting back to reality from a great vacation. Sports and practices are back in full swing so our daily schedule is going to get fuller. Matthew is playing lacrosse for the firsts time and Michael is sticking to soccer. 

Bedtimes are being enforced again and the boys are not happy about that.

Like I said, school is back in session.  Michael has Ms. Rumpler who seems way too cheery and happy to me, and Matthew has a new teacher, Ms. Lasater. Michael seems to like his teacher and Matthew seems indifferent. 

So excited for the 1st day of school! They look excited anyway. 

August 27, 2012

I can't believe how much older they look this year!

August 22, 2011

This year is the last year that the boys will be in the same school together - after 4th grade, they switch school every 2 years. So this is sort of a mini-milestone. 

Maui Trip Days 5-9

It's been a couple days since we've been home and I think I'm over my jet lag.  Yesterday was a bit of a challenge to get through for a few reasons - but that's for another post.  I wanted to finish up with our vacation recap now that my body has adjusted and it's almost back to normal - as normal as it can be.

Day 5
We spent more time at our resort.  The kids have a lot of fun playing with the kids in the villa to the left of us - Dylan and Tyler.  They are twin boys from Ventura, CA and their parents are really nice people as well.  These are almost inseparable - they play together at the pool, they play soccer in the evening until they can't see anymore, they go lizard hunting and babysit each others' lizard when they have to go separate ways. I think that making friends make their vacation so much more memorable and fun.

Today, we relaxed at the resort and hung out by the beach and the pool.  That evening, we grilled beef kabobs here at the resort and had dinner together. After dinner - there was a game of soccer with our boys, Dylan and Tyler, Emily (boys' little sister), Alister (boy neighbor the the right of us), and a few other boys came by to join in.  It was a great time for the boys and I hope they remember how much fun they had!  It was just so nice to have everyone together.

M and I also walked to a nearby shopping center called Whalers Village and discovered these yummy chocolate dipped shortbread cookies at the Honolulu Cookie Company store.  Delish! We spent way too much money at that store, but I thought it would be nice to buy a few boxes as gifts for the boys' teachers to start the school year off right.

Day 6
M and I took the boys to Ma'alea Marina bright and early in morning to board our boat - the Aqua Adventure -to go snuba diving.  At least that was the plan.  We were all suppose to all do it, but when they were giving us instructions, it was clear that it would be very difficult for Matty to snuba so M and Michael ended up diving on their own.  I was so proud of Michael! He did so well. Matty and I snorkeled.  It was tough getting Matthew started because he complained about his mask and snorkel were not working properly, but by our second stop, he was ready to go.  M helped him out and he was so excited he got to see the sea turtles!

I had a lot of fun watching the kids experience this trip despite a bout of seasickness. On our boat trip back, the boys and I sat on the top deck and enjoyed the sunshine.  The boys were thrilled every time the waves hit the boat and caused water to spray us all the way on the top deck.

We were exhausted after the excursion so we didn't so much else that day. It was my parents' last night there so we decided to grill some chicken drumsticks and eat in. Pretty chill.

Day 7
We started out bright and early again today.  We had to drive back to Kihei (30 minutes away) for Michael's and Matthew's surf lesson by 7:30am.  My parents came with us and we planned to meet my sister and Jeff there so they can take my parents to the airport.

I was so proud of my little boys - they took to surfing like fish to water.  They were able to ride the waves the first time they tried.  The waves were small and calm so it was perfect for beginners. I can tell that they were having a blast out there.  I was amazed how fast they learned. So proud!

We went to Kihei Cafe (AGAIN) for brunch and then it was time to say good-bye to my parents. We were all tired so we decided to make a simple dinner of spaghetti that night.  Jeff's nephew, Cruz, was able to join us for dinner.  The boys were thrilled to see him again.

Day 8
Friday started off slow.  We didn't do much during the day.  Me, M and Sandi went to dinner at the Plantation House.  It was delicious, of course.  We had a nice view of the sunset. Then it was time to start packing that night.

Day 9
This was our last day in Maui.  The morning was filled with packing and preparing to get to the airport.  We stopped in Kihei for lunch of Pho and headed out to catch our flight back home.  Marky didn't do as well as on our way there - there was some crying and general unhappiness, but I thought he did OK for a baby. We because of the time difference, we didn't get home until almost 6 in the morning.  Needless to say, we were all EXHAUSTED and so HAPPY to be HOME!

Maui - Day 1 to 4

Aloha! We are in the midst of Paradise and I'm so enjoying it.  This was my view this morning from our balcony having my morning coffee. 

And I have 4 more to enjoy.

Us waiting for Daddy at the airport.

We've had such a wonderful time here.  So far, lots of beach and pool time.  We arrived Thursday afternoon and that night we went to dinner at Mama's Fish House.  Oh my gravy, it was delicious. Even the boys devoured their dinner and if you know my boys, that is an accomplishment for me to get them to eat.  Oh and the view? AMAZING!

Michael and Matthew hamming it up with the tiki before dinner

This was the view and because we couldn't resist the lure of of the ocean, we went down to see it after dinner.

The second day, we had breakfast at a local cafe in Kihei. We went there 3 mornings in a row. It was that good. This was our view at breakfast.

Then we checked into the Grand Wailea Resort and Spa.  This resort is STUNNING - there's no other way to describe it.  The grounds were immacculate and beautiful, the view was breathtaking, and the beach was the best I have been to.  The sand felt like powder underneath your feet and the water had no undertoe so it did not freak me out to be in the ocean.

 The boys wearing their welcome leis

We did a lot of swimming and playing by the beach.  My sister and Jeff also flew in from CA and we met up and just hung out at the resort.

That night, M and I left the boys with Sarah for our date night at Capiche? We had an amazing view of the Maui sunset. And I had an amazing evening with my Honey.

Day 3, my parents flew in and we just hung out. The boys were sooo excited to see their Poh-Poh and Gong-Gong.  We all met up for dinner at Tommy Bahamas that night.

Day 4, we checked out of the Grand Wailea and drove to Kaanapali to check into our Marriott Villa. Love our villa. Love that it's on the ground floor so we have easy access outside.  Love that the beach is right outside the door. Love our view. Love that our kids met other kids and are having so much fun with them.  Love this boy who everyone mistakes for a girl.

We pretty much hung out by the pool and the beach again all day.  We had dinner at "home." Our vacation has been great so far and I'm so happy that my sister and my parents are here to enjoy it with us!

Show and Tell - Week 1

Today, I'm participating in another link-up with Becky @ From Mrs. to Mama.  I love reading her blog because she cracks me up!  Sounds fun, right? So here we go.  

If you were searching for a home now, tell me what would be on your "MUST" list.

I'm not searching for a home right now.  The home we are in meets all our MUST list, but there are a few things that I wish we had.

1. A larger laundry room with a sink.  This is the room that we enter the house through and I wish that there was enough room to use as a mudroom.  
2. A 5th bedroom would be nice now that we have three boys.  When the boys are old enough to want their own rooms, we will lose our guest room. 
3. Gas range - we have electric

Show me your favorite room in a home {either your home, or any home, i.e. kitchen}.

This is my favorite room in our house. This is looking from our kitchen.  I love our open floor plan.

This is the view from the windows.  I love that little alcove next to the TV.  We shoved all of Marky's play things in there.  He plays while we watch TV or just hang out.

Marky in action.

If you could have any room redone, tell me which one would it be and what would you like done?

I would have our laundry room redone first because I would love a bigger one.  I would add a sink, more cabinets and counter space.  I would make it 3 times bigger so I can fit another fridge in there and put in a mudroom with more storage space. 

Tell me where your favorite stores are to shop for home decor.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Homegoods!  Lots of my decor and accessories come from there.  I love going there every week because they always have something different.  The one by where I live get stuff in on Mondays and Thursdays so I try to go on Tuesdays or Fridays.  I know, I have a sickness. 

Show me your dream home {it can be your home, if you already have your dream home}

My home is my dream home within our budget - but since I'm playing, here's my dream home. I bet it doesn't have a killer laundry room but can you imagine waking up to this view every single morning?