Tsunami or not so Tsunami

First I wanted to thank all of my friends and family members who were so worried about us. We appreciated all of the phone calls and messages trying to warn us. It was a pretty crazy morning in Hilo with sirens going off every hour, people freaking out in grocery stores and gas station lines. Its a good thing Hawaiians are so laid back! People were a little more aggressive during the Hurricane Rita evac when we lived in Houston (guess we manage to follow natural disasters). However, because most of the shortages we experienced in Tx were from people using up resources I thought it might be best to make sure we had a full tank of gas, milk, water and diapers. One thing we learned about living on an Island is that when the grocery stores run low it can be a while before a shipment arrives. So THANK GOODNESS we got spared.

Alot of people were really concerned about us because they new we live downtown bay front in Hilo. So I thought I would post pics of just how close we could have been to

disaster.

We really didn't see much action. Here we basically saw the water pull back and push forward at a really slow rate over the break wall.

Look who came to Hawaii

Ben's brother Noah and his family just popped into Hawaii last week (literally-- they caught a Mac flight on space A--something to do with Military). But we went to Oahu and stayed with them a few days and had a blast. It was really great for our girls to hang out with their cousins. Presley loved every min of it. Plus we got to see a few sites I hadn't seen before. Thanks Noah and Kathrine for letting us crash with you:)

These pics are all taken at Hanauma Bay (one of the best snorkeling spots in Oahu)

Valentines day with the Clouds

Ben and I aren't huge celebrators of Valentines day but we decided to cook ourselves a really good dinner and put the girls to bed early on Sat night. Since we can't ever go out to dinner without the girls, preparing a new special recipe always feels like a treat.

I found a SUPER yummy Beef Tips with Mushrooms in a Red Wine Sauce served over Sliced Baked Potatoes and a even yummier White Chocolate Almond Pie recipe. We topped it off with a sparkling grape juice and a little "Sam Cooke" music to set the mood. It was really relaxing and truly felt like we were eating somewhere else. The only thing I was missing was a waiter to refill my glass and serve me dessert LOL. Guess we can't have everything.















Then on Sunday we packed a picnic lunch and took the girls up to Akaka Falls. Its one of the Big islands most beautiful natural wonders. Huge waterfalls set in the rain forest. The girls loved it! I also got Presley twinkies as a V-day present. It was her first time eating one and she was instantly in LOVE, she ate 2!!

New Year Update

Presley loves playing with Layla. She acts so grown up, she even never lets me take a good pic of her, she will make faces or turn her head (no idea where she learned this). She is also talking up a storm and can count to 10 and say part of the ABC's, plus she is pretty much potty trained--hurray P lady:)

Layla is crawling everywhere and trying really hard to walk by holding on to anything taller then her and scooting along (ie the sofa, chairs, beds, side tables- you name it). She LOVES to follow Presley all over the house and play with her, she even tries to eat the food Presley is eating so I have to put Presley's chair up high-LOL!

Ben is doing great in school, his first test started off well and he is now training to run in a mini triathlon. He ran 6 miles tonight, its even motivating me to run more so I hope he keeps it up:) We will be running in a 5K together in March.