Andrew's Baptism

Andrew was SO excited to get baptized. 

We were blessed to have all 4 grandparents there. 

Grandpa Stott talked about the baptism.

Grandma Hobbs talked about the Holy Ghost. 

We sang as a family, Families can be Together Forever.

Doug baptized Andrew and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost

I was the member of the primary presidency that welcomed him to our ward.

We had many wonderful friends and neighbors who came to support Andrew.

The Hess Family all came. 

From the ward: Salisbury's, Brother Braun, Kachers, Brother Bringhurst and Greenwoods all came too.

We had cookies after the baptism.

We headed home and changed our clothes and then went to Red Robin for lunch. 

It was nice to come home after lunch and enjoy the sweet spirit that was in our home. I'm so proud of Andrew and the good example he is for his little brothers.

 Andrew also got some really nice gifts. Our neighbors the Bach's were unable to come, so they gave Andrew 2 books and $20.

We really have the best neighbors in the whole world!

Grandma and Grandpa Hobbs gave Andrew a nice picture for his room. 

Grandma and Grandpa Stott  gave him a memory book about his baptism.

One really BIG weekend!

Andrew turned the big 8 years old.

Michelle, our neighbor, made a Bowser cake for Andrew. We waited to have the cake until all of our grandparents got here.

Grandpa Stott flew in on Thursday. Grandpa and Grandma Hobbs drove out and arrived on Friday. (Grandma Stott was still here from watching the kids while we went to Hawaii.)

It was so great to have the house full of everyone so excited for Andrew's big day on Saturday.

The Easter Bunny always comes to our house on Saturday morning. We had to get an early start so we could get to the church for Andrew's baptism.

Andrew, Danny and Jacob looking for eggs.

Looks like they found plenty of Easter eggs!

Nate found his Easter basket.

Later in the afternoon the boys found the eggs from Grandma Hobbs

Love this picture...looks like Danny turned into a chicken:)

Day 5 in Paradise

Our last day in Paradise!!!

We knew that we would be up all day and night, because our flight home didn't leave until late that night.  We didn't get a very early start on the day. Since we didn't get to Pearl Harbor early we didn't get to go out on the boat and see the Arizona Memorial...I guess we saved something for the next time we go.

We loved walking around and reading all the displays that were there. I came home wanting to learn more about what happened on that day.

What a beautiful memorial to all those who gave their life on that day!

We went downtown to Honolulu to spend the rest of the day. This cool tree was in one of the parks. It was cool to see the roots growing out of the ground.

I had to take a picture where we ate breakfast every morning... McDonald's. I had oatmeal every morning and Doug had 2 breakfast burritos. We really lived it up:)

We went out on a submarine to see the bottom of the ocean along Waikiki Beach. It was Atlantis Submarine tour. 

Looking back at Honolulu from the boat that took us out to the submarine.

Going down inside the sub.

An old ship that was on the bottom of the ocean. There was a sea turtle sitting on it.

Lastly before we went to the airport we went to the mall and walked around. We saw these fish. I remembered them from when I went when I was 10. 

It was fun to enjoy just walking around and being together.

We had a wonderful time in Hawaii. I hope I don't have to wait until our 20th anniversary to go again!

Day 4 in Paridise

Day 4 was our FAVORITE Day!

We went dolphin watching and snorkeling on the Hoku Nai'a boat tour.

We went out on the boat in the morning. It was beautiful to go along the coast of Oahu.

We learned that the dolphins stay on the south, west side of the island because there is little runoff from rain into the ocean. Because of this, the water is very clear, which is what the dolphins like.

There was a pod of  about 30 dolphins that we were able to see. We also saw a sea turtle while we were watching the dolphins.

It was so fun to see them swim around the boat. They also jumped out of the water.

We stayed in the area for about an hour and watched the dolphins.

After we were done, we headed back to the shore to take some of the people back. We had yummy burgers that they cooked on a huge grill on the back of the boat.

After dropping of some of the passengers, we headed back out to snorkel.

I was definitely nervous to be out in the ocean with just a little vest on to keep me safe. 

When we got in, it was really cold, but it didn't take long to get use to the temperature and really enjoy all that we were able to see. Right when I got in I looked down and saw a sting ray on the bottom of the ocean. Doug and I stayed close together. 

Soon after we got in, a turtle swam up to the top. Doug and I quickly swam over to the area that it was at. The turtle swam right at Doug and I. Our guide told us not to touch it because it was against the law.

Doug and I tried to get out of the way. It swam right between us. It was so close to us... UNBELIEVABLE!

We were able to swim around for almost an hour and just look down and see lots of different fish.

We got back in the boat and headed to a different area to try and see more dolphins and get to snorkel more. We were able to swim for another 45 minutes in the water.

This was definitely the highlight of our trip!

One of the guides swam down and got an octopus to show us.

Doug coming up out of the water...great adventure!