A few weeks ago, Mahele (a really good friend) and I took the kids and headed to Pearlridge Mall to check out the big bug display they were showing there. The kids loved it. They had 5 different bugs displayed, a few fact stations, and a safari train ride. We skipped the train ride, but checked out all the bugs and rode the monorail. It was a lot of fun just hanging out, and then we stopped at borders and read for a while before heading home. Here are a few pics from our outing.

L to R: Kason, Karter, Kiara, Kiera, Maka in front of the leaf bug
Maka, Kiara, Kason in front of the praying mantis!
Looking at this one, I could understand why some kids might be a little frightened!
The Locust Cricket
L to R: Kaylen, Kyla, Kiera, Maka, Kiara in front of the Atlas beetle display. The beetles were actually moving a little and battling each other.

All the bugs moved which made the display even better for the kids. The only bug I didn't get a picture of was the paterpillar, which was supposedly the coolest one because it stretched to be about 20 feet long. It happened to be broken that day:( Oh well, it was still a blast! Thanks for Mahele for inviting us to tag along!

Family Camping Trip- Malaekahana Park

Last week, Wednesday to Friday we went on a family camping trip to Malaekahana State Park up on the North Shore. It's one of our favorite beaches, also known as Castles. It was Maka and Alana's first time camping, and it was so much fun! Some of the highlights were:

• Setting up camp while Kiara and Maka chased the wild chickens
  
• Collecting dead wood for the campfire, and Kaelene stepping in an ant hill and getting bit up a bit
• Forgetting a lighter and something to warm water in! (Live and learn) Luckily there was a store near by.
• Kiara asking if she could start the fire. No WAY! We might have a pyromaniac on our hands:)
• Being right next to the beach and enjoying as much time there as we wanted!
• Being woken by the wild roosters
• Kaelene being chased down by a hen protecting her chicks that she had accidentally gotten to close to
• Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows
• Making SMORES!!!! Kiara loved the smores, and Maka loved the marshmallows. Maka tried roasting them once, but decided that he didn't like that too much. So from then on, he put them on the stick and ate them off like that.
• Going on a treasure hunt with Grandma Harrison, who came and spent the night Thursday with us!
• Playing in the dirt as much as the kids wanted
• Having a slumber party all together in our new tent
• Kaelene getting stung by a blue bubble jellyfish:(
• Taking a trip down memory lane, driving through BYU-Hawaii and remembering some great times (while the kids napped)
• Checking out the temple visitors center together
• Staying up late playing card games with Sanoe and just talking, without any interruptions!
• Yummy foil dinners:)
• Watching Kiara body surf on Sanoe's back and play in the water, watching Sanoe surf, and making sand balls with Maka and throwing them at the waves. Maka is still a little afraid of the waves, so he is very content to play in the sand. The kids made a sand birthday cake and sang "happy birthday" to everyone. Kiara is our water baby! And Alana ate so much sand I thought she might have some bowel problems, but no problems. She loves the beach as well.
• Kiara's friend Nia spent Friday morning with us at the beach, which made Kiara so happy.
• Watching Alana and Maka wrestle and roll all over the tent playing with each other. They were giggling like crazy!
• Trying to deal with Alana's frustration that Mommy wouldn't let her get down and crawl all over the place like she's used to at home. She got so mad at me!
  
• But the best part was just being together as a family, away from the stresses of school and everyday activities!