hawaii highlights...

there is no way for me to really capture in words or pictures everything that we did on our hawaiian vacation.  it was so much fun and very action packed.  sarah and i tag teamed when it came to snapping pictures, so you can check out her blog if you want to see a few more pics from our trip.  here are some of my favorite pictures and memories from our amazing trip...

waking up to this view after one the best night's sleep i have ever had!!

we went to this local favorite for a yummy breakfast our first morning.  it was de-lish!! :)

we went whale watching.  it was fun until 6 of the 10 of our family got sick.  :(  the next several pictures were all taken before the seasickness began.  pop, christman, steph, and jack were the lucky ones.

whale watching with my beautiful nieces, abby and kingsley.

jack-jack. he loved the boat ride.

mark and me.

one morning the girls, rara, and myself all went down to the lobby and learned how to make traditional leis.  it was fun!

one the best parts of the trip was just watching these smiles reappear on their faces constantly. :)

 olivia REALLY wanted see a real waterfall.  i think she wanted to swim near one, but this one was too powerful for that.  we drove up to this one.  it was gorgeous and she was satisfied.  

you can't go to hawaii and not have some hawaiian shaved ice!  yummy!!

it was a big as jack's head, but of course we did a pretty good job of  eating them up.

so those are just some of my favorite moments from our week in paradise.  sarah shares her perspective and some more of the fun we had on her blog.  check it out here.  i am so grateful for this trip and to have shared it with my bowlin and fifer family.  the memories we made we will have for a lifetime and the bound that we have is truly one of my greatest joys.  when i think about hawaii, i will think of:  the palm trees blowing in wind and lulling me to sleep each night, driving around the island and seeing beauty in every direction, playing in the ocean with the kids, tubing through caves, hanging out at our amazing hotel, playing at the pool, a luau where everyone was completely exhausted, roosters and chickens everywhere, family pictures on the beach, and every smile along the way.  what a trip!!

aloha (good-bye) kauai!!  hope to experience you again one day.  

mahalo (thank you) to b and pop for this amazing trip!!  

cousin love...

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there. "

~Barbara Bush

trunk or treat, ccdc style...

black cat, ladybug, daphne, and spider

our first costume affair was once again the "trunk or treat" event at our preschool, ccdc. for those of you who might not know what "trunk or treating" is all about, it is basically like trick or treating expect there are a bunch of cars in a church parking lot with their trunks decorated and nice people ready to hand out candy. i love this little event because we get to wear our costumes, take some cute pics, spend a little time with our favorite cousins, and it is short (only takes about 30 minutes) and sweet (we get some candy, but not too much). sounds pretty good right!!

the "bugs" right before the candy collection begins!
"trick or treat!!"
daphne and the cutest black cat in town posing for a picture.

one halloween event down just a few more to go!!

cold, christmas lights, and cousins...

last night the fifers came over for dinner and to look at the christmas lights in our neighborhood. they also wanted to see our house decorated for christmas and we just love any excuse to get together and hang out. the girls had a great time playing and we had fun talking. after dinner we all bundled up, piled in the wagon and stroller, then went on a walk around the neighborhood to look at the christmas lights.

the girls are ready! jack got his own ride in the stroller.

here are the dads with the kids while on our walk. don't they look happy! :)

it was a little chilly (but it is supposed to be cold this time of year) and not quite as glamorous as a carriage ride through highland park, but the girls thought it was great (and so did i).

sweet kingsley

today is kingsley's birthday. happy 3rd birthday KK! i have been so behind in blogging, but i must take time to post about one of the most precious little girls in my life. kingsley, or KK, as she is more often called, is my adorable niece. i have the priviledge of getting to spend lots of time with KK. she is a special little girl to me. i love her with all my heart and would do anything for her. when i think about kingsley i just smile. i smile when i think about holding her on her "birth" day and admiring every inch of her little tiny face. i smile when i think about the way she has always been able to make anyone smile with her priceless grin. i smile when i think about the precious little sister that she is to her sister abby. i smile when i think about how she can melt her daddy's heart with a single look. i smile when i think about the special bond that she shares with olivia. i smile when i think about how she can make her mommy laugh with her adorable personality. i smile when i think about her jumping on the trampoline at "jump- jump." i smile when i think about how much comfort she can find in holding her "na-na" and sucking her thumb (adorable). i smile when i think about how funny she is while performing her latest "trick" in her living room in front of an adoring audience. i smile when i think about KK!! she has the biggest heart, gives the best hugs, and can make any day better with her smile. she is my wonderfully made niece that is lovable, hungry, artistic, hiliarious, sensitive, super duper baylor fan, musical, and precious.

here are a few (well several) pics of KK and her smile...

kk's visit to the pumpkin patch her first halloween. she loved the straw. it made for a cute pic.

see told you-- she melts her daddy's heart!

this pic is so KK to me. well baby KK. i love the look and how she is sucking her thumb.

kk first birthday party. i thought she was so big, now she is three and turning into a little girl! so sad, yet such a blessing that i get to be apart.

i love this picture because it shows the funny side of KK.

i love this picture too. like the thumb pic, this is soooo KK to me.

kk at "jump-jump." she loves it!!

she also loves her cousins, jack and olivia...

kingsley, i love being your T. i cherish all the special memories that we get to make together and i can't wait for what is still to come. i hope your day is as special as you are. i love you so much. happy birthday sweet girl!

trampolines, balance beams, tumbling, oh my!

tap and ballet shoes have been replaced (at least for the fall semester) with trampolines, balance beams, bars, tumbling, and a huge pit of foam! olivia loved dance class the summer, but we decided to try something new for the fall. we are doing gymnastics with her cousin kingsley. she loves it!! i was a little nervous that my reserved, cautious, and nervous toddler would just sit back and watch everyone run, jump, balance, and bounce around. i was so wrong! she participates in everything and is often running to be the first in line. what??? she is still not so sure about swinging on the rope solo, but she will do it with her aunt. i'll take it! it has been so fun to watch her take more risks and have so much fun doing it. now all that said, this does not mean she is coordinated. i am not thinking we are headed to the olympics as a gymnist, but we are having a blast!!

they love the bouncy floor. maybe one of the reasons why they both call gymnastics, "jump, jump."

sweet cousins. kingsley and olivia.

goodness sakes alive, abby is FIVE!!!

happy birthday abby!!
my adorable niece is turning five today. it is unbelievable that five years ago today i was sitting the hospital waiting room (for several hours, poor sarah), surrounded by family all waiting to catch the first glimps of the new baby. on that day we didn't know if it would be abby or luke? soon we found out that it was abby!! her daddy proudly rolled her out and showed her off to everyone. i fell in love instantly!! i knew abby would be a special part of our family and our life, but i don't think i truly knew what a blessing she would be. so now after five years of sharing life together with abby, i am even more in love with her today than i was the first day of her sweet life. she is one of the most special people in my life so today this entry is all about her! abby is funny, sweet, creative, compassionate, sensitive, talented, and loving. she always makes me smile with her hugs. she makes me feel good about myself with her sweet compliments. she adores her cousins, olivia and jack. she loves her family with all her heart. here are a few of my favorite pictures of sweet abby...

i love this one because you can see abby's fun personality.

this picture is great because it shows abby being the big girl. she is such a great big cousin and big sister!! kk and olivia are so lucky!

this is abby on a ride all by herself. she is so brave and adventurous.

this is just abby! my very favorite picture of her. totally natural. totally beautiful.

abby i hope you have the very best birthday! i can't wait for more lunches at chick fil a, trips to the mall, weekends at the lake, holidays, trips to the beach, and just being with you. happy birthday!!!

just add water

today we were invited to my sweet niece's birthday party. abby is turning 5 and wanted to have all of her friends and family over to celebrate. this year abby decided to have a flower party. the kids had so much fun playing on the BIG water slide, painting pots, planting seeds, and eating yummy cupcakes. here are some pictures from the fantastic flower party!

here is the birthday girl on the water slide. she is getting soooo big!

olivia was playing on the rocking seal while ALL of the other children had fun in the water. she is not a fan of the BIG water slide. :(

abby helping olivia plant her flower seeds in her freshly painted pot.

olivia's favorite party of any birthday party- juice boxes and cake! mmmmmm!

sarah and abby reminded everyone to just add some water to their pots when they get home and soon they would have some beautiful flowers. it might also be true, that when you add water to any event with kids (well, unless your name is olivia bowlin) that there will be laughter and smiles. abby, thanks for including us in your fun day!