Taking a stroll after dinner at Yard house Pub which quickly became our favorite spot. Austin was wiped out after the day of traveling - took him back to Embassy Suites while Dave & the boys checked out all the cool surf shops. Came back with cool Quicksilver caps.. they'd never owned anything but baseball caps so now they were really looking like they were on vacation mode! Stayed 2 nights in Waikiki before heading to Kona to meet up with the rest of the family!
This pretty much depicts Austin - his brothers have tutored him well in the ways of being a "wise-*%*#", especially in front of a camera.
Andrew - illusion that he's holding the water bottle for DJ. How do they think of this stuff?
They liked the beach for a short time... then were ready to hit the pool.
Hanuma Bay - famous snorkeling spot. We were told to get there early to beat all the tourists, which was great, but it was cold in the morning with the wind. Boys saw some cool fish & thought snorkeling was pretty cool!
Pearl Harbor: USS Arizona A solemn tour we were glad we took the time to experience- DJ & Andrew were old enough to appreciate the history.
On board the USS Arizona memorial
On board the USS Arizona memorial Bay club at Waikoloa Beach Resort, Kona 
We love these condos for their spaciousness and for the big grassy area. The boys just have go right out the sliding-glass doors to their own "back-yard" - when they weren't in the pool or beach they were playing whiffle-ball. Austin also discovered Bakugans..
Grandma with her boys! I was impressed 4 of the 6 at least looked at the camera.. Austin and Carter were trying to grab the football under the water. They played keep-away with that ball for hours!
Swimming all day at the Hilton pools next door
Never a dull moment when these 6 get together!
Grandma and Austin
Uncle Pat rented a kayak and took any of the kids out around the lagoon that wanted to go explore.. they saw sea turtles and all kinds of cool fish.
Trey and Austin loved this spot on the man-made lagoon.. there was nice shade to hang out - we loved watching them busy themselves for hours doing their sand castle thing.
Catching Pa right after his siesta.. played 18 holes of golf and took all the boys for a long walk that morning... they wanted to check out the pig being buried in the pit, roasting all day for that night's luau.
A pampered girls-day out! Started with a Spa day at Mauna Lani.. each in our own little grass huts outside - massages while listening to the birds, water.. pure paradise! Followed by shopping - we overtook the dressing rooms and each had to showcase everything we tried on. The fact that Nikki and I both have all boys, we cherish this "girly-time"! Followed by lunch and drinks at Tommy Bahama restaurant.
Aunt Sara (center) with friends Laura & Marjann. We had so much fun - stayed up too late most nights... looking forward to partying with these 3 amigos again.
Buddha Point. A short, but beautiful walk from the condos.. great spot for sunsets or whale-watching. Last time we were here, I was 35 weeks pregnant with Austin. The walking part was much easier this time around!
We love these condos for their spaciousness and for the big grassy area. The boys just have go right out the sliding-glass doors to their own "back-yard" - when they weren't in the pool or beach they were playing whiffle-ball. Austin also discovered Bakugans.. Grandma with her boys! I was impressed 4 of the 6 at least looked at the camera.. Austin and Carter were trying to grab the football under the water. They played keep-away with that ball for hours!
Swimming all day at the Hilton pools next doorNever a dull moment when these 6 get together! Grandma and Austin
Uncle Pat rented a kayak and took any of the kids out around the lagoon that wanted to go explore.. they saw sea turtles and all kinds of cool fish.
Trey and Austin loved this spot on the man-made lagoon.. there was nice shade to hang out - we loved watching them busy themselves for hours doing their sand castle thing.
Catching Pa right after his siesta.. played 18 holes of golf and took all the boys for a long walk that morning... they wanted to check out the pig being buried in the pit, roasting all day for that night's luau.
A pampered girls-day out! Started with a Spa day at Mauna Lani.. each in our own little grass huts outside - massages while listening to the birds, water.. pure paradise! Followed by shopping - we overtook the dressing rooms and each had to showcase everything we tried on. The fact that Nikki and I both have all boys, we cherish this "girly-time"! Followed by lunch and drinks at Tommy Bahama restaurant. Aunt Sara (center) with friends Laura & Marjann. We had so much fun - stayed up too late most nights... looking forward to partying with these 3 amigos again.
Buddha Point. A short, but beautiful walk from the condos.. great spot for sunsets or whale-watching. Last time we were here, I was 35 weeks pregnant with Austin. The walking part was much easier this time around! Had an amazing family vacation, thanks Grandma and Pa for everything. It's great when we get to spend time together. Lots of laughter... check out DJ's flip video.. he was great at capturing funny moments when no one knew was recording.
Andrew's team went undefeated (2 yrs. in a row now) with an 8-0 record. Andrew's a great rebounder (height is in his favor right now), ball-handler and has a mean shot (made a last second March Madness type 3 pt. shot at the half-time buzzer in the last game). It helps that he pratices non-stop. When he's not at school you can find him on our cul-de-sac hoop taking on DJ and his friends. Coaches: Dad and Mr. Simpson.
Favorite thing to do right now: Practice dunks on the adjustable hoop and video tape on the FLIP.
Austin proudly showing me what he made at school.... he really got into Christmas this year! Helping decorate the tree and pointing out which ornaments belonged to who.. basically, any of them he really liked were "his" 
From left to right... Uncle Jim, Aunt Sue, Grandma great, G-pa Steve, and G-ma Peg opening presents together after our Christmas honey-baked ham dinner. The weather was treacherous today and we really thought Christmas dinner with everyone wasn't in the plans. Everyone braved it though and made it here safely despite the scary roads!
My cousin Ashley's & Alan's little girl, Ava. She looked so cute in her holiday dress... same age as Austin & we're so glad they live close by and not 'way over in Seattle' like they used to!
Love this picture of my grandma.. we used to make this 'christmas tree' appetizer every year when I was a kid. Aunt Sara had the great idea to get all the stuff for this year....Very cool to see DJ making this with Great-Grandma. 
He didn't exactly sing many of the songs but he sure looked cute up there!
