Let's Do The Monster Mash!

Today is my favorite 5 year old's birthday! Happy Birthday Crew!

We celebrated this monumental occasion on Saturday with a Monster Bash at our home. This was not the original plan. We were going to take a few friends to Jungle Jim's  but when Crew found out that he could only take a couple of friends that idea went kaput  He insisted that he invited all his little friends from school so a home party it was. It actually turned out really cute and I think all the boys had a great time. 

Crew chose the theme and I found some fun ideas online and we went all out. We had the yummiest monster food, One-Eyed Cupcakes that the boys decorated with eyes and teeth or smiles, Slime Juice Boxes, Monster Pops, Mini Bites, Monster Horns, Monster Fingers and Monster Munch. Delish! it turned out really cute and pretty yummy too.

We turned the living room into the Monster Zone where all the games took place. We played Monster Mash, Pin the Eye on the Monster, Monster Stomp, Build a Monster and of course had the Monster Pinata. 

Crew loved his cake and loved that everyone was singing for him. He couldn't have been more happy that all his friends would come to his party. I think that was the best present of all. Sweet boy! Seriously love how loving he is.

And of course, what party is complete without the classic photo booth? At least these days, right? So we all had a good time giggling with our monster grins. Such cute boys. Crew is so lucky to have such good friends!

Hawaii part 3 - Oahu Temple

The Oahu Temple is by far one of my favorites. I had the opportunity many years ago to live just down the street from this beautiful temple and being there again made me feel so good. Hawaii alone is such a beautiful place and then to stand on the temple grounds and feel the spirit of the Lord and look around the beautiful island is an experience I hope to have over and over again in my life. We had a great time after church to run around the grounds and soak in its wonderful spirit. I could have stayed there all day. Love. This. Temple.

Hawaii part 2 - Disney Breakfast

Our hotel was just down the beach from the new Disney Hotel. We took many strolls down to visit all that their resort had to offer. It was so much fun! On Saturday mornings the Disney Resort has a character breakfast. It's not quite as big as at Disneyland, but we had a great time. We got to see Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. It was tons of fun and my kids were in heaven.

My kids are so funny. They each handled the situation so differently. Crew couldn't get enough of the characters. He wanted to hug them and hold their hand. Reagan was very nervous. She wanted to watch them but she didn't want to touch them and she certainly didn't want them to touch her. Since when was she shy? Cache was petrified. He didn't want to be anywhere near them. He would cry if they looked his way. So funny. But as you will see Reagan soon warmed up to them and I think gave her a few reasons not to be afraid.

So glad we had the chance to go to this fun breakfast.

Hawaii 2011

Yep, that says Hawaii 2011. Which means this post is long overdue. I really can't keep up with it all but I refuse to give up because this blog is the only way I am keeping track of all the things our family is doing. I make it into a book each year and I really want to try and keep it updated, even if I'm a little late about it.

Last November my parents took the whole family to Hawaii! It was such a highly anticipated trip and it lived up to every expectation! Our hotel/resort was amazing! So beautiful. So many fun things for the kids. The time we spent together on this gorgeous island was precious and I am so glad we did it and that everything went so well.

Here are some pictures of the view from our balcony...

My parents signed us up for a luau, or Fia Fia as they called it, one night at the hotel. It was such a blast! The kids thought it was awesome and I have to say I did too. Towards the end of the show they invited all the kids up to the stage to do a dance. Crew raced up to the front but Reagan was too shy and wouldn't leave our table. (I know, we were shocked too). They went down the row of children asking their names and where they were from. Crew was at the end of the line. I turned to Steve and said poor Crew would probably introduce himself as Crew Bud, which I didn't think anyone would understand, and he probably didn't know where he was from. So Steve should be ready to go up and help him. To our surprise when they asked his name he simply said Crew but the best part was when they asked him where he was from he paused for a minute to think about it then responded "My mom and dad". Everyone laughed and he grinned from ear to ear. The guy asking him laughed and told him he was exactly right. That's where we all came from. It was awesome. I wish we had it on video.

We spent a lot of time on the beach. Of course the kids loved it and really so did everyone. I could have sat on the beach all day everyday. The day I took the pictures below we went to Waiamea and the waves were really strong. We were warned by the life guards that we couldn't go into the water very far and we weren't allowed to use boogie boards. So we splashed around near the beach. It was still great for the kids but I know the bigger kids (Steve and Sky) were disappointed because they wanted to get out there and catch some waves.

There was a surfing contest going on down the beach and we stopped to watch for a bit. It was pretty cool. The guys in particular thought it was cool.

I have so many pictures still of our breakfast with Minnie Mouse and Goofy at the Disney hotel down the beach and of the temple. They will have to be separate posts. But enjoy this first installment of our fantastic vacation!