The Everyday

We went Easter dress shopping today! It was fun be in Utah and go Easter shopping with my mom like the good old times;) We went to Ivy City Co because they have cute mommy and me dresses, but I ended up getting different dresses for Emi and I. However, my mom and I got matching skirts, so I guess we still achieved a mommy and me matching..? haha. In the afternoon we stopped by to see Grandma Shaeffer (and Kee-shaw) and then came back in time for dinner. Pretty soon it was time to pick Marty up from the airport. It's starting to feel more real that we're going to France tomorrow! Grandma and Emi playing the piano.

After over a year of blogging (yay!) I finally have a name for my blog. The Everyday. I think that's the goal of my blog--to document the everyday moments in my life. Thanks for following along:)

We met Jackie and Bubs downtown for lunch today. Seigfried's didn't have a high chair, and Emi was being especially wiggly so we were all trying to keep her close to our table and happy. It was a full time (4 person) job. I think it's so fun that both Jackie and Bubs work downtown. They're so legit with their big-girl jobs;) Some downtown fun with grandma. In the afternoon, Emi went down the Little Tykes slide at my parents house over, and over, and over again. She is in a slide-loving phase! Emi also captured this picture of Winston--or should I say Kee-shaw. She calls every dog Kershaw now. haha. Isn't it impressive that she captured this, though?

 Emi and I made it to Utah after an almost 3 hour delay. Glad we made it!

Girl Scout cookie season is dangerous here. It seems like everywhere you turn there's cookies. And I have the hardest time saying no to 1. Cookies and 2. Small children asking if I'd like to buy their cookies. 

Marty and I both had church meetings in addition to church today which made the day go by fast. In the evening, we had the Kirsten and Jason B. family and the Summer and Ryan P. family over for dinner. Between our families we had 6 little munchkins. Our house became one big playground and was full of the best kind of chaos.  Feeling grateful for friends in Colorado. After having some lonely times over these past (almost) 2 years, it feels good to finally have a handful of friends here!

This morning I had Stake Women's Conference, so Marty and Emi had daddy-daughter bonding time. They went to My Gym and the park together:) In the afternoon we had a superhero themed birthday party for Emi's friend, Ruby. It was so cute. Of course Emi cried during "Happy Birthday" again, but other than that she had a good time. My favorite part of the  party was when one of the other kids, 4 year old Riley, yelled out to her mom "Hey mom, look I'm sharing!" And there she was with her arm extended with a lollipop in it, and the lollipop was in Emi's mouth. We were dying. haha. In the evening we went out to Indo Curry, and Emi was hamming it up with our waiter. She even fake coughed at one point to get his attention. haha. The waiter ended up bringing her out her own special mango lassi (because of course Marty and I ordered one for ourselves but not for her haha). It was so cute!

Today was my Dad's birthday. Emi and I called this morning to sing "Happy Birthday" to him, and I learned she's still scared of the song. haha. She had a complete meltdown.  Something I love about my Dad is that he is really good about serving others. I noticed when my parents came most recently, that my dad is really good at seeing a need and helping out.   It snowed, and he was outside shoveling not only our driveway, but our neighbors' walkways too.  At My Gym, Emi enjoyed chucking the balls from the ball pit and my dad would go and retrieve every one she threw and give them back to her.  It's those little things that make a big difference. Love you, Dad!

Emi woke up at 10 this morning. And then she took a 2.5 hour nap (I had to wake her up or else she'd sleep longer)! I'm feeling grateful for the red eye. haha. Besides sleeping, Emi and I went to My Gym and the park. It was good to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

We made it home at 6 this morning, and we're just in recovery mode. By we're I mean me and Emi. Marty headed to work for the day (bless him!). Look at Emi's hair after the flight last night. haha. She slept 4 hours in the snuggle me!

Dan and Angela watched Emi while Marty and I headed out on sea kayaks this morning. At first we weren't getting a lot of whale action, and then right as we were about to go in we got a bunch! It's amazing seeing the whales up close. We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon at the ocean and pool. (Emi didn't love going in the ocean, mainly because she was not a fan of the life jacket.) And of course we took a nap! Emi found the chocolate covered mac nuts and chocolate covered pretzels. Emi's loved following the chickens and roosters around this trip. She gets up close and waves at them. Dying at the mineral sunscreen haha (Maui passed a law that only allows mineral sunscreen now to protect the reefs). We all look like ghosties! Then Dan and Angela headed to the airport, and pretty soon it was time for us to head to the airport. Maui, you've been good to us! See you next year.

I think one of my most favorite things in Maui is the Island Star. You get to go whale watching, snorkeling, and eat yummy snacks.  Emi unfortunately did feel the same way I do about the Island Star (mainly because she had to wear a life jacket). After the Island Star we headed to Coconuts for lunch (we also had it when we arrived). Coconut's fish tacos and shrimp are soooo good.  As soon as we got back to the hotel we said our goodbyes to Courtney and Michael and put Emi down for a nap. After she woke up, we went to the beach with everyone (minus the New Yorkers who were headed home). After the beach, Marty and I snagged dinner with Nick and Chris (grandma and papa watched Emi), and pretty soon they were headed to the airport. And that's the story of how we went from 9 to 5.

Sunday: Breakfast buffet, Pickle ball, Zoom church, shave ice, beach, steak dinner, and games.

In the morning we had a surf lesson. Even though we've done a lesson together before, I was still nervous at the beginning of the lesson...but it ended up being so much fun! I for sure want to do this again in future years. While we were surfing, Dan and Angela watched Emi for us. Emi loved getting to play on the beach with grandma and papa. We went to Kihei Cafe for breakfast and spent some time at the pool. Last year. This year. In the afternoon the boys went golfing and the girls chilled. Emi was in such a weird mood I couldn't figure out what was going on, but it turned out she was just tired.  It's so rare for her to fall asleep in my arms, I was soaking in every minute. We tried to catch sunset (some clouds were blocking it), and then had dinner at Paia Fish Market.  We finished off the night with ice cream at Lappert's.

We went to the breakfast buffet at the Fairmont in the morning. My favorite part is loading my plate with all the yummy fruit they have. (Papaya and Hawaii just go together.) Emi loves clenching her fists and making a funny, strained face. haha. We took a walk down to the beach before heading to Twin Falls. It was pouring rain when we got out of the car at the start of the hike, and I wondered what the rest of the hike was going to look like, but it ended clearing up at just the right times. I love how Emi has curls in Hawaii. On our way back we stopped at some food trucks and came back to relax before dinner time. For dinner we went to Nick's Fish House. This place is special to Marty and I because it's where we got engaged (and their Macadamia Nut brownies are top notch which adds to the special-ness). In the evening we went back to our hotel room and watched an episode of "The Floor" before heading to bed.