MELE KALIKIMAKA!!!!

Mele Kalikimaka or Merry Christmas!

We just got back from Hawaii! It was our biggest Christmas present ever! We left on December 10 and got back December 16. We wish we could have stayed longer but airline tickets were a lot more after the 16th. We flew nonstop from Las Vegas to Honolulu. I was really worried about flying with four children (especially with Savannah) but they did quite well. It their first time flying so it was pretty exciting for them.

Nate and I love Hawaii. I've been there four times now and this was Nate's third. We have special memories of Hawaii because ten years ago we adopted our first daughter, Madison Kulia, there! We have wanted to take her back to her birth place for years. For some reason, the timing just felt right this year. We have a special relationship with Madi's birth grandparents. They visit us at least once a year and have asked us to come to Hawaii for years. Their wish finally came true! We love this special family so much. They showed us so much love and kindness while we were there. We truly enjoyed every moment we had with them. Madison seemed to bond magically to all of her Hawaiian cousins. Ashley, Parker, and Savannah did too!



OHHH! The sand!!! I loved the fine warm sand of Hawaii. I'd love to be back there right now! When we left Richfield, it was -10 F. Hawaii was in the upper 70's to 80's the entire time we were there. I think it rained 10 drops. It was PARADISE!!! My favorite things about Hawaii are the people, the weather, the smell of flowers everywhere, the sound of the ocean, sunsets, and definately snorkeling!


We went to the Hawaii temple visitor center after church and took lots of family pictures with our adopted Hawaiian family.

There are six siblings in their family. They are all married and have kids.

Lots of beautiful Hawaiian Babies!

Our Hawaiian Beauty!

We can't believe that ten years have passed by so quickly and that Madison is so grown up! We feel this vacation was important to her to know where she was born, learn more about Hawaii's culture, and feel first-hand the love and support of her birth family.

Sunset Beach!

Our Hawaiian Grandparents!
Look at that white boy playing Rugby!
We went to a park in Laie on Saturday and had a big picnic, played at the beach, played Rugby, etc. The had a big blow up toy the kids played on too. It was a great day!

Savannah's catching a wave.

The kids ready to go to the Polynesian Culture Center.

Thanks Grandpa for this special day!

We sure had fun trying to learn the hula and other arts at the PCC.

Sweet Savannah! She seemed so grown up trying all these things.

A beautiful waterfall.

Hawaii's Christmas lights! The pictures never do it justice. Their lights were so beautiful on these big palm trees. It was a neat feeling being there during Christmas.

At the luau. We had such a great time! The food and entertainment were spectacular. I loved their new show, "The Breath of Life." It was so amazing! It had me in tears.

The pool by our condo. The kids loved it.

Hawaiian cousins at the luau.

Parker was so tired by the end of the night. It didn't make him any happier to be the lei holder.

The beautiful beach by our condo at Turtle Bay.

Nate and Savannah.

Ashley Baby.

Madi Baby.

Parker Baby.

Savannah's little footprint.

Wow! We loved this vacation. It was truly a trip of a lifetime.

This is only a few of the 300+ pictures we took, so I may have to do another post later.