Markovitz' Cousin's!

This post and the next are, and will be, jam packed with cousin and family fun.  These are pictures from our October 2014 Florida trip.  We couldn't wait to meet these little Marko's!  Miss Mikayla was only a little infant when we left Florida. She's grown up so fast AND had 2 more siblings join her since we've been gone.  

Mason is the sweetest little boy.  He was very shy and quiet but he eventually warmed up to us.  I had such a good time watching them play together.

                              Gotcha, Averie!  She wasn't very happy I got this picture, but I sure was. Ha!  Look at that cute face.  Why so serious, Averie?

This year 3 more kids will join the Marko grandkid's gang. No, the additions will not be from me or Jess, but from his siblings, Halleluyer!!  By the end of the year this crew will be going 13 strong.  We are super excited for the new additions and for the next family get together.  

Meet the Grandparent's!

 Last October Jesse's Grandparents finally met the babies of the family, Salesi and Jem.  The last time we were here Sesi was as big as baby Jem and the kids were checking out Papa Marvin's curl.  It was a much needed reunion. 

                                     Here we are with Grandma Dot's......

 .........and with Grandma June and Papa Void.  Papa Void, still young at heart as you can see! ;-D

Riding in Cars with Kids

Not a bad experience if you are prepared.  Books, crayons, coloring books, movies, video games, snacks, drinks, a few toys and you can't go wrong on an 18 hour road trip.  If you want to pack light and if your kids are anything like Sesi, just take a video game and you won't hear a peep from them the whole 2 day drive. They won't ask for food, or water, just the game and the occasional bathroom break and they'll be good.

We didn't know what to expect on such a long drive, but the kids were great!  They like to travel and it was all very exciting for them.  The 2 youngest boys, no fussing or crying unless they had dirty diapers or were hungry.  I couldn't have asked for better road buddies.

Cleaning Up

I woke up this morning at 3am for a bathroom break and thought, ugh this place needs a good cleaning. So I got out the cleaning supplies and attacked el baño.  Who cleans house in the middle of the night?  Only mom...and now I can add myself to that list.  It was just one of those moments where I couldn't put it off another minute. As I was cleaning a slur of things flew through my mind.  General Conference being one of them.

I love General Conference.  I really do.  It's usually a time of year when I reevaluate  myself.  Self reflect.  Start new resolutions.  Let's face it, anytime is a good time to do good and be better, but rather than starting at the beginning of the year, I like to start new resolutions with Gen. Conference.  That way I can check myself (physically & spiritually) every 6 months (til the next conference) and see if I'm following through with things I started or not.

This morning I focused on the physical aspect of my reevaluation. As I was scrubbing away I asked myself what else needed a good cleaning in my life?  My teeth, for one.  Why? Because I eat so much sugar.  I often hear from my other half phrases such as, "I've never seen anyone eat as much sugar as you do.",or, "You are the sugar queen.", "How does that not hurt your teeth?".  Ok. What else could use a good cleaning?   My body.  My gut.  Why? Cause I made sure to drink enough soda to store  away there for hibernation this winter. Sugar!  My friend.  My enemy.  To get myself ready for Conference this weekend, when I get to clear and clean my mind and spirit, I'm starting a sugar cleanse.  Thank you , brother Sale for bringing it to mind. If I'm going to clean up my spiritual life, it's only fair to give a little TLC to my physical self.  It won't be forever.  It could.  It should be, with all the sugar I've eaten in my 29 yrs of life, I'm surprised I haven't started to sweat syrup.  More details later. For now, I'm doing it, my bathroom is clean, I'm clean-(I can't clean a bathroom without showering, can you?), feeling good, going sleep.

Buddies

    

         

  They're  brothers.  They're happy and they're playing and they're colored.  Give me a high five!  

Vita's bday is in October and Baby J's in November. They are so much fun together! 

Kids on a Plane

                        

Flying from Kona to Texas with the 3 older ones and the baby wasn't too bad.  We had an overnight stay in the LA airport which worked out better than expected cause my only problem was that I hardly got any sleep. Which is normal for me anyway so not a big deal. See? ^^ that's my "this is so much fun I'd do it again" face at midnight.

 We had 2 stops and didn't get a hotel room cause we flew into LA at 9:30 pm and our next flight was at 6am the following morning.  Can you imagine trying to wake up these kids around 3am to get ready to be at the airport after only 4 hrs of sleep? I don't think so.  Besides that, all the hotel rooms were booked that night.  LA is such a busy place! I chose to let them sleep til close to boarding time at 5:30 am. They love to fly and did great. Camping out in the airport was "cool" and "awesome" until they were sleepy and wondered why someone wouldn't turn the lights off and why a lady kept talking loudly on the speakers.  They asked if we could do it again when we were done and  I told them only if I get the big chairs to sleep on next time. 

       

   

Til We Meet Again...

  Best buds, neighbors, classmates, cousins, family and this wonderful place we call home, Aloha 'Oe.  Til next time Big Island!