After 2 days at sea we were ready for our first port-of-call….JAMAICA.  The Larsens joined us on our excursion and we all had a great time on our Tranopy Adventure.  I highly recommend the Tranopy Adventure…Canopy Chair lift, Jamaican bobsled, and ziplines…SO MUCH FUN!  Plus, dancing with the locals.  The excursion started off with a 90 minute ride and our own “tour guide.”  She pointed out the various spots of interest…like were Usain Bolt went to school.   This was the first time that my sister ever experienced association with people from an underdeveloped country.  She tried to bargain shop but left with just some maracas and a bad taste in her mouth about shopping in Jamaica!

Chair Lift on our Tranopy Adventure

Larsens on the Jamaican Bob Sled

Farleys and some Crazy Jamaica Tree

See video footage and more photos in our 2010 Caribbean Cruise

Everyone probably wants to have my sister in their family, especially since she was the reason why we went on a cruise.  My sister is known for finding great deals…and that is exactly what she did for all of us (Larsen, Hansen, Farley) to go on a cruise together.  Thankfully we all have terrific friends in our church who watched all of our kids so the adults could be together for a week.

Getting ready to board the ship

Matt giving Freddy, the Carnival Tail some love

Antoine Dawson does kareoke on Halloween Night

Girls sing kareoke

Mini golf on the cruise ship

Playing some doubles volleyball on the ship

ice cream 24 hours a day

2nd formal night

Matt as the Carnival Legend Sir Elton John

Beautiful sunset

We spent time together eating, dancing, singing, sleeping, talking, playing and eating again!  View more of our photos on the ship here.

For the past 18 months I have been the activities chairperson for our church/ward.  And let me toot my own horn and say that I have planned some FABULOUS parties!  Kalani told me that I have the best job at church…that I am the party planner, so she is the luckiest kid at church since I am her mom.  We had the normal trunk-or-treat last year.  But for Christmas I wanted to do a luau so that is what I planned.  I taught everyone a dance and made Kalua pig and had some fabulous decorations.  I think that we had around 250-300 people show up.  Then in May I threw a Talent Show.  Really, if you give people (or maybe just the Farleys) an opportunity to be on stage with a microphone there will be fun times had by all!

Halloween 2009 at the Trunk-or-Treat

Christmas Luau 2009

Looking at the calendar I saw that Halloween would fall on a Sunday this year, so I knew I wanted a really fun and BIG activity so the kids wouldn’t feel like they missed out on anything.  I had a great committee and we really out did ourselves.  There was a photo-op area when you first arrived in the foyer to set the mood.  And then you followed the mice down the hall to find the food.  Each table was covered in black with cobwebs over it and different table decorations.  The food was served out of 3 coffins that my uncle made for me.  Ghost milk jugs lined the stage and some ghost hung from the ceiling.  Oh and the ceiling!  I bought table cloth rolls from oriental trading and dropped the ceiling with the table cloth and fishing line.  7 hours later and we had one fabulous cultural hall.  Strangers (to me) came to clean the building in the morning and then returned later that night just to see the decorations again during our party.

Dropped Ceiling

Ceiling and tables

Follow the mice to find the food

Food inside the coffins

After dinner we had a pie eating contest, got to know our bishopric a little better and then had a dozen various activities that the kids could do for an hour.  Games included: “candy” walk, BINGO, milk jug throw, pin the tail on the donkey, marshmallow throw, marshmallow guns, face painting, haunted house, etc.  And then to finish the night the kids went to the different classroom doors to trick-or-treat and could take home their own freshly made kettle-corn popcorn.

Trick-or-Treat ... decorated classrooms

It was so much fun to get it all ready and then to see the children and adults completely enjoy themselves.

Hide your kids, hide your wife ... and hide Sleeping Beauty too

Matt had to go to California for work and had the brilliant idea to take Mason along with him since both of our parents live in California, and Mason is still FREE to fly.  The grandparents loved the opportunity to be with their grandson who they really only met at Christmas last year.  So that meant that Kalani and I would have a week of doing “girl things” or at least things that would be difficult to accomplish with 14 month old Mason!

So, here is what our week consisted of; plus some eating out and Kalani swimming at our aunt’s house:

Sunday – Kalani had her cousin Olivia spend the night

Laundy room painted with bead-board and trim

Monday – Kalani and Olivia watched my niece Jaedyn while I painted and put up bead-board and trim in my laundry room.  It turned out pretty well, especially since I didn’t know what direction I really wanted to go when I started.  Went to blockbuster and Baskin-Robbins to end the day.

Tuesday – Painted Mason’s room…nothing excited just the same color as the rest of  the house.  Attended a Hawaiian Family Culture class in the evening…going to try to learn how to make some of the traditional Hawaiian crafts.  And Kalani had her cousin Caleb spend the night

Toy Story 3 in 3-D

Wednesday – Watched “Toy Story 3” in 3-D and then went SHOPPING!  Kalani has been wearing the same 3 shirts and 3 jeans for the past 5 months…hopefully now she will change her wardrobe a bit and actually wear some shorts in the hot, humid Texas August!

1st fondant cake decorated

Thursday – My wonderful sister watched Kalani so I could attend the temple.  Then I took advantage of my alone time and finally used the massage gift certificate that I have had since I was pregnant with Mason.  After I picked up Kalani I went to a friend’s house and learned how to decorate a cake with fondant.  So, easy and fun…I think I may have cake decorating a part of our homeschool curriculum this year!

Jedi Kalani...or maybe a Bounty Hunter

Friday – Our year pass expires at the end of the month so we went to NASA for a couple of hours.  This summer they were showcasing Star Wars Clone Wars and Kalani was excited to try to be a Jedi.  I then had lunch with a friend from California and her daughter while we were down by NASA.

Kalani's idea of fun while I was being pampered

Saturday – I got a free facial at ULTA and then spent the day cleaning the house and doing laundry.  My reward for my hard work and for Kalani being such a good kid this week we went back to the movies and saw “Despicable Me”

Sunday – Matt and Mason got home and we are a happy family together once again.

I wore her out with all of our mother-daughter time