To The Falls

You know any hike that starts with an entrance like this one, is going to be fun!

The bamboo was amazing!

  And who knew a guy as big as Josh could have mad bamboo

climbing skills!?

We followed a "path" through the bamboo forest and crossed over a few little streams before we came to the first waterfall.

We knew there were several waterfalls, each more a little more difficult to reach.  We found the wooden ladder and knew we were in for an adventure!

We found the next waterfall...

And the next set of challenges...

We found the third waterfall, but to reach it, we would have to swim.

So, we swam!

The last waterfall was barely a trickle and a stain on a rock, but still quite beautiful.  I don't think we would have made it as far as we did if it was during the rainy season and the falls were full.

It was a gorgeous hike!  Lots of fun, lots of laughs and a great way to spend and afternoon in Maui!

Aloha!

We love Hawaii!  We were happy to get away in January, take in the beauty, enjoy the island pace and have sometime together and with great friends!

This was the view from our room.

These trips are always filled with so much fun stuff, that its hard to narrow down to what to post.  Here are the highlight from the first few days.
Whale Watching

You can't go to Maui in the winter and not go whale watching!  It's amazing!  I don't think I will ever get tired of it.

And I'm out of time!  More of Hawaii to come...

Happy New Year!

For some reason, New Years was a turning point for me.  I really started to feel old! Haha!  I officially feel like a grown up and part of the "old" crowd.  Funny how that happens.  One day you are a kid and the next thing you know, you are a mom of five! 

The Lawrences were having an after party for the kids at Skywalk and needed help getting the kids from the Stake Dance out to Skywalk and then back home again at 2AM.  Of course we were happy to bring Miss B Haven and be part of the fun!  Jason put our big speakers under the seats of the bus and turned the music up to get the party started on the way there.  The kids loved it!

I think it was seeing how old the kids are that made me realize how old we are. This was also the first year that WE weren't out celebrating New Years with our friends. We were being the parents and the drivers. Strange, strange, strange.  I always wondered what that would be like...

It was fun to watch the kids have such a good time with their friends.

Jason and Case held their own in a game a Dodge Ball, proving that we are not THAT old!

The Whole Hurd

This was the first time for a few years that our whole family was together for Christmas!  We decided to take advantage of the opportunity and get a family picture.  Shelley was nice enough to come over on Christmas Eve (our Christmas day) and shoot some pictures for us. 

Just before we were ready to take pictures, Sterling's wife, Katie, got really sick and couldn't go.  Luckily, Janelle has AMAZING photoshop skills and was able to put her right in!

My parents wanted a picture with all the grand kids.

It was way too funny not to get a picture of the parents trying to get all 18 kids to not only look in the right direction, but to smile too!

My Parents.  The two that started this crazy clan.

My Dad and Granny

The original Hurd

Goofing around

Jeff and Brynne

Jason and Paige

Austin

Christmas

We celebrated Christmas morning at home.

The kids were just as excited for each other to open the presents that they bought, as they were to open gifts given to them.  Lauren was so excited about her Justin Bieber Calendar that Austin got for her.

Jessica made the cutest post for Jason for Christmas.

Ashlyn was so excited to open her Fur Real dog Cookie. 

Austin got new snow gear.

Paige was just happy looking at all the shiny paper!  She open a few little toys with the older kids help.

Jessica decided that name brands are the only acceptable "cool" clothes to wear, so she got a lot of clothes and anything related to Twlight. (She says she is Team Jacob.) 

After we opened presents at home, we went over to my parents house to exchange gifts with the extended family and have breakfast in our jammies.