Oh the Bliss!

What a sight to behold. The sunset, that is. :) Here's our room with a view. We slept with the windows open last night and woke up to another gorgeous day. Straight down we have a nice view of the Koi fish pond and gardens. Something I'm sure Carrie Prince is jealous that she doesn't get to look at everyday, considering her passion for koi fish. This was Mark's dinner last night. Looks appetizing...

Aloha! We're here in Maui and it's breathtakingly beautiful. We've already eatten excellent food with the promise of gaining 10+ pounds while we're here. I'm so thankful for this time to be with Mark. What a gift! Ben is having a blast at "Camp PapaGma" so we're not worried a bit. We're off to dinner now... much love...

Today I am thankful for... 1. Lauren's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN! Too bad we'll have to wait so long before we get to celebrate, especially since I've had her gift forever, but it's something to look forward too. 2. so thankful for Amy and the boys safe travel here with Gma along to help out. 3. our time in Simi this weekend. Ben and I went up to visit so I'd get to see Amy some before she has her little girl. :) 4. getting to see Karrie, Will and the new baby Kate! So cute! 5. Breakfast and a fun morning with Ali. Ben LOVED her HUGE fish tank, spent about an hour staring at it. (It's no average fish tank, mind you.) 6. Michael's sweet and plentiful words, they're music to my ears. He does call me "Uncle Sarah" but I'll take it! 7. Little Daniel's perfect demeanor! He's so sweet, all the time, just a little love bug. And he eat's everything in sight which is really funny to watch. 8. getting some face time with Taylore and...

(Posting two days in a row? Wow!) This pretty much sums up Ben's thoughts about our time at the academy graduation. I would like to add, on his behalf, that he felt this way because we had woken him up at 6am, he was hot, tired, wet, hungry and very dirty. So when asked to "say cheese" this was the best he could muster. Bless his heart. Today I am thankful for... 1. getting to see Heater after her 5 week trip to Asia! So thankful for her safety for sure. Also, she brought gifts for the whole family, which I thought was really sweet of her. 2. Exercising this morning. 3. Marie's comment yesterday. :) 4. my weekend plans with the Fitzpatricks. 5. Ben easily going back to his early bedtime after staying up late a couple nights in a row. (Keep in mind "late" for him is 8:30pm). :) 6. my clean kitchen. 7. Mark not having to stay too late last night after yet another fatal. Seriously people, can ya just stop drinking and driving for crying out loud. 8. my new clot...

Three steps of Ben's bedtime routine: Step #1 - Very serious milk drinking time. Step #2: Get "D" ( blanket) and walk to room, continue serious milk drinking. Step #3: Out for the count. It's a beautiful process. Today I am so thankful for... 1. a lovely visit to my ob and getting to hear the baby's heartbeat again. It never gets old. 2. going to San Diego with a bunch of friends, having a really good dinner out and then watching the Padres vs. the Dodgers baseball game. 3. Lisa's perfect ultrasound today! 4. Lauren watching Ben for us Monday night! She did such a great job, I'm so very thankful for her. 5. Taylore's baby shower on Sunday. I'm so happy she's having a BOY!!! 6. Mark and Joe taking Jason out yesterday to get a special b-day/graduation/you're a guy so you should have one gift; a shotgun. 7. Mark making the sweetest decision not to buy himself a shotgun, even though he's wanted one for a long time, so that we could afford ...

I have a really funny picture I'm going to post soon, you all will love it. We've had so much lately to be thankful for... The biggest being Jason's graduation from the Academy! What a neat time that was. I am so extremely proud of him AND Carrie for all of the sacrificing they have done over the last 32 weeks - and 3 years really. Jason looked so perfect up there, so strong and in his element. He is exactly the type of man LA needs and I am confident he will bring much more than his strength and knowledge to his new job. I honestly don't feel like making a list because there are really so many things that would be on it. I'll admit, I'm a wee bit tired and that could be playing into my lack of true effort here tonight, but soon enough I'll catch my breath and be back the old me. :) Until then...

Why my kids will not have Gameboys, and why I never had one growing up either. It was a beautiful day at the park, not that these kids noticed. I laughed as I saw them sit on a bench for a least 30 minutes without looking up once- noses inches away from tiny black screens. (Actually, they were probably colored. Do they even make black and white screens anymore?) I wonder if their mom said something like, "It's a beautiful day outside, why don't you guys take your gameboys to the park to play." Perhaps it was the only way she'd get them outdoors. That wasn't how it was for me. I never had video games. Maybe Atari (sp?) But I vaguely remember it. My parent's never once gave us any hope of ever getting Nintendo. It wasn't open for discussion, no matter how many chores we'd do or good grades we promised to get, the answer was always a definite no. What ever did I do with my time? Did my mother actually have to engage with us? How did we survive the su...

Happy Birthday Gavin!!!!!!!!! He turned three today and I hope he had a GREAT birthday. Yesterday we celebrated with him and a bunch of friends and family at his party. He is a lot of fun to watch because he LOVES his birthday (well done Carrie) so everything at the party was special for him. Right down to the Nilla Wafers he picked out as a special treat. :) Love that boy. Today I am thankful for... 1. three years ago today... waiting in the hall of Hoag hospital and hearing Gavin's first cry. It was so neat that I got to be there. 2. all the time I've spent with family these last few days. Sure we're messy and we still bicker a bit, but it's so worth all the laughs and memories made when we're all together. However, we did miss Jason and Mark, but duty calls. 3. my parent's welcoming us over anytime while Darren and Pam were here even though it meant more work for them. 4. Gavin's arm miraculously feeling better at his party so he didn't have to go t...

The 5 Prince Grandkids! What a treat for us to have Darren and Pam and the kids down for a few days. We got the kids together for a morning at the park... GOOD TIMES! Today I am thankful for... 1. the pictures on the other post of Lisa with Ben and then Mark with Ben. They are cute ones. :) 2. getting to see Jesse and Luci, who have to be two of the cutest kids I've ever seen. Little Luci is such a girl! I love being with them. 3. time with Darren and Pam tonight at my parents house. Even though we all had a long day, (Ben did NOT take a nap, for the second day in a row, what happened to my miracle sleeper?) it was nice to see Darren and spend time with him. And Pam is a hoot, really she's quite funny. I love her! 4. the MUCH cooler weather! 5. the local library, I love it and Ben loves it and it makes us both happy. 6. talking with Amy for a long time last night. Just counting down the days for her and the boys to arrive. 7. OH! My new cell phone! And it's PINK and I love...