Chesapeake Bay

Saturday we went on a drive to Chesapeake Bay and took the bikes..., and Logan of course. There is a little trail called the perimeter trail that went around the park and up against the bay. It was a little different than say, Hanauma Bay, but it was still very beautiful. Logan loved looking at the boats.

Just as we always do, we ran into a bunch of dogs, in fact this time it was a gaggle of dogs, big dogs that looked like they were racing dogs. Logan pet each of them and practiced his bark.

Next we played on the playground. Logan loves going down the slide...

At one point during our playtime, a moth landed on my head. Logan thought it was a butterfly and chased it all around the park.

What a cheese-ball

Here is the picture of our little OCD monster. He gets this look of utter disgust when his hands get dirty. What a fun day at the park. We are definitely going to make it back to Chesapeake Bay again.

Jet-lag Therapy

I got home on Sunday and cleaned up the house, picked up Amber and then we unpacked. Monday morning I started back at work and after being home for a few hours, I fell asleep on the floor and Logan thought that it would be fun to treat me like a jungle gym. 4 weeks without Logan was really hard on me. I did bring the web-cam with me so we did get to talk a couple of times, but after hanging up, I wondered if it would have been easier without the camera so I would not miss him so bad. When I picked Amber and Logan up from the Airport, Logan acted really excited and called out, "daddy!" I am not looking forward for 6 more weeks coming up in September. When Logan is as young as he is, 4 ~ 6 weeks is a big chunk of his life.

Smells like team spirit... Kimchi Squirts Forever!!!

While we were in Hawaii, my co-workers competed as a team in the Tinman triathlon. Allan swam, Ann biked and Nancy ran. The guy that won, did all three in about an hour and a half. Our team, "The Kimchi Squirts" did a more realistic time just under three hours. Please excuse the graphic graphic on the shirts, the locals got a kick out of them. I did not compete because I didn't want my co-workers to feel bad about themselves or intimidated in any way.

More Hawaii

Well I know that you were all waiting on the edge of your seats for these pictures... Here they are! Looking at them again I realize what a great opportunity it was to go and see Hawaii. We had a blast and were able to pack quite a bit into the trip. There are some pictures of flowers that I had never seen before, and a few extra pics that fit in with the others that I already posted. Look for the picture of me and my sweet ride for the month, a Chevy HHR! If any of you are thinking of buying one of these, please call me first. I do, on the other hand highly recomend the scooter/golf cart thing. We saw 3 waterfalls on the big island and they were amazing. Enjoy!

Wish I were "on an island"

Not really but this song reminds me of Hawaii and my month in Paradise. Hope you enjoy the tunes, I will post a slide show of the rest of the pictures when I get around to getting off my lazy bum. I can still blame it on jet lag...

Judd's Temple Night

Posted by Amber:

This was a really special night for me to be in New Mexico. I am so glad I had the opportunity to go to the temple with my little bro Judd. I just love this kid and can't believe he is growing up on me so fast. Well we had a babysitter all lined up and my mom went to get her and I went upstairs to get my temple recommend out of my wallet and yes you guessed it I didn't have it. I started balling. I was so sad. I couldn't believe that I left it with Spencer in Hawaii. I was just so devastated..... My mom gets home with this young girl I have never met and I greet them with a face full of tears. Good ol' mom says Amber we will get this figured out call your bishop, I didn't have his number on me so I called Cami and thank goodness she was sweet and her and Jake gave me Bishop's number and our Stake President. I called both of them and neither one of them answered. We decided I was going and we would just see what happened once we got there. I was having so many feelings on my way to the temple. Frustrated with my own stupidity for not remembering to get it. Sadness to know that I was worthy and had just been to the temple a week before in Hawaii and wanting so bad to be there with my family and brother. Sad that they wouldn't just look at me and see that I am a nice girl (I know they can't do that but I was sure hoping.) Well aren't we so grateful for our mothers, I know I am. We pull into this beautiful temple and mom says lets stop and say a pray and ask for help. Okay what a great idea. So my mom said a sweet prayer and then into the temple we went. The front desk guy called for one of the temple presidency counselors and he came down we told him the situation and he looked at me with a tad bit of disappointment that I didn't have my recommend and said I will have to get a hold of your bishop or stake president so wait here and I will go try. Oh my heart sank I was so worried. I held up pretty well until mom left and I sat there all alone and the minutes slowly ticked away. It was probably 15-20 minutes but felt like an hour and no word and the session was supposed to be starting and I just broke down sobbing. I thought to myself I wonder if people who make mistakes and aren't able to attend the temple if this is the sorrow they feel? It was awful, knowing my family was inside but I couldn't be........ Then a nice lady came and sat by me and talked to me and helped me relax. She said he was still trying and they were holding the session for me. Long story still long he was able to get a hold of Bishop Nuss and bless his soul he said I could enter into the house of the Lord. I was one happy daughter of God. And I know he knew the real desires of my heart and I was so blessed that the Bishop answered his phone. Also very grateful for a temple who was accommodating and understood that I wanted to have this special experience. It turned out wonderful and it really made me think how special it is to be a worthy temple recommend holder. I am so happy to have the knowledge of the gospel that I do. It also really made me want to always try harder to be a good person and follow the commandments so one day I am not the only one in my family left out of Gods presence. The spirit was strong and it was a great feeling to be there with Judd who has lived such a wonderful worthy life. He is one special son of God. He knows who he is and he has worked hard to be where he is today. I am so proud of him and happy that he is being such a good example to my little boy. Plus going to Spencers mission what a cool thing. Anyhow we all went to dinner afterwards and it was so fun. Judd you are great. I love you buddy.

Logans Visit to Albuquerque

Posted by Amber:

Logan had such a great time at my mom and dads. He loved playing with papa, mama, Juudd, Brizzy, Jade, Cam, and, Aunt TiTi. Just a couple fun memories.

* We went to the zoo and Logan slipped thru one of the exhibits luckily it was only the prairie dogs. He sure loved the Polar Bears. He is so funny all the other kids like to stay close to there moms but Logan loves to explore and he is fast. He found a truck unloading things to the zoo and was thrilled to look at the big tires and bolts. He also enjoyed watching the monkeys and the elephants. His best part of the whole zoo was the fun ride on the camels with his Grandma.
* Grandma and Grandpa made there house feel like home with a crib and fun sheets to match. It was nice too my mom and dad had a humidifier for Logan because he isn't used to such a dry climate.
* My sister Briana came while I was in Hawaii and she did her hair curly one day and Logan looked up at her and said "mommy". He loved to call her "izzy" for "Brizzy". They had a lot of fun swimming together too. Wish I could have been here while she was.......
* He loved being so close to his cousin Jade. He can say her name and says house when he wants to go to Jades house. She has a dog and her name is cocoa and he loves the dog too. He calls every dog cocoa now.
* Jade is so gentle with Logan if he falls down she says Logan are you okay? He will say ya okay. Then she will go over and say do you want me to kiss it better? And he says yes and she bends down and will kiss his owie. They are pretty precious together. We drove in the car somewhere and before she got out to go to her house she bent over and gave Logan a big kiss on the lips and a huge squeeze.
* He loves his Uncle "Juudd". They played the piano together, they would swing together, watch movies, and Logan would steal Swedish fish from Judd. When Judd would leave for school Logan was so sad he always wanted to go with him.
* Grandma went to work one day and Logan was so sad. He kept asking for mama all day. Grandma was the #1 care taker while I was gone and she sure got lots of loves. He is going to miss her. Thanks mom for getting on the stinky camel.
* Grandpa is called "papa" and Logan asks for him every morning. He loves to wrestle with papa and get him.
* Logan learned how to pretend to be asleep with his snoring. It is so cute.

The Big Island

The weekend before Amber left to go home we got tickets to fly from Oahu to the big island of Hawaii. The big island is famous for volcanoes, farming and waterfalls. We saw all three!Here we are on some of the lava formations, it looks like puddy. The lava rock was very light in weight and if you look closely at it is full of colors and bubbles, it looks kind of like burnt plastic.

What is amazing is how such a barren place is so full of life. There were times when the air was so full of sulfur that we could hardly breathe, and the heat and dry wind took the moisture from our mouths, and still we would find small patches of flowes and plants.

we followed the old flow of lava to the water's edge and were taken away by the overhanging cliffs. The waves would smash into the walls and send spray hundreds of feet to where we were standing. I felt like the ground was going to give out from underneath me.

About a mile hike from the waters edge there is a special area where natives carved images into the lava. There are figures of men and circles and animals and thousands of quarter sized holes where the natives would put part of a baby's umbilical cord to ensure long life.

We had a blast! I wish Amber were still here but only a few days more and we will be back home. I will post more pictures when I get the time.

La'ie Temple

Well, here we are at at the temple. It is really pretty, the fountains run down in steps from the temple and you can see the ocean from the entrance. We got there on a Wednesday night and so it was pretty quiet, we didn't think we were going to make the session, and it turned out that we were the session. The workers were all so nice and it was a wonderful experience.

If you were quiet and slow walking around the grounds, you can see these little geckos

The visitor center looked alot like the one in Salt Lake, there was even a Christ statue

Amber wrote: After a very long, traffic congested drive to the temple we made it in two hours. It was so frustrating but once we got there it was well worth it. We were the only couple and then one lady joined us. We were very welcomed and they were so glad to have us come. The spirit was strong and it was so peaceful. It is a small but pretty temple. The temple grounds are just so amazing. It was fun to have a night like that with Spencer. We are so blessed to have the church in our lives. It is amazing what a big difference it makes in our marriage to have a common ground like the gospel. I am so grateful for it. It was so nice to go to the temple. I love you Spencer.

The PCC

On Saturday we got tickets to the PCC and spent the day there watching the shows and eating the food. It kind of had the feel of Disneyland. It was like one big Tikki Room. I had been to the Paradise Cove Luau before Amber got here and now that I have been to both, I definately liked the PCC better.

Upon arriving for the dinner show, we got leied, he he he. The food was great and the show was good too. They sang a bunch of songs and had a bunch of dancers come to entertain us as we ate.

The night show was the best part of the day, the Samoan fire knife dance was incredible and we had really good seats so we really enjoyed ourselves. By the time we got out it was too late to go and see the temple but we plan on going through it on Tuesday after I get off work.

Diamond Head

Here we are near an old piece of lifting equipment, the view was amazing.

At the base of the trail there was a little yellow school bus selling shaved ice so we got some.

This is one of the tunnels that led to the top. We got there about a half hour before they closed the gates to the tunnel leading to the parking lot so we pretty much ran up it and then ran right back down it. The lady that ran the park turned the lights out on us just as we were coming down the spiral staircase from the top tier. It was kind of freaky cause there were spiders every where and the stairs did not allow much room per person to move. Luckily we had our cell phones to light the way...

Here is a picture of the view from the top. Diamond head used to be a small military base so there are alot of old 1950's era leftover pieces or equipment.

We hiked Diamond Head and wow it is so pretty. You look over the whole city. You can see how beautiful the ocean is. I have also been enjoying during the day while Spencer is at work going to the beach here close to our hotel. It is so awesome to lay out on my towel and listen to the waves hit the rocks. I love that sound, it is so relaxing. I am also reading Harry Potter for the first time and enjoying that too. Now I am just like a little puppy excited for my owner to get home from work. It is fun to be here with Spencer. I love him so much.

Amber & Spencer in Hawaii

I am now here in Hawaii with Spencer and having a blast. It was sure hard to leave my little Logan. Yes I was crying I just love the kid. But......after a long, long, flight I am here and am enjoying every minute with my best friend. Spencer met me at the airport with a flower lay. SO cute I love the guy, I thought that was so sweet. It is so fun and nice to be able to give all my attention to Spencer. I guess I didn't realize how busy I am when we have Logan too. We miss Logan and talk to him everyday. In fact while I lay on the beach reading a book I feel guilty knowing my mom is running around crazy after Logan. He is a busy little boy. I sure do appreciate her letting me have this time in Hawaii what an experience. It is so beautiful and relaxing here.

A quick drive around the Island

Today was my first Saturday in Hawaii, my coworkers and I got up early and headed out to a little kitchen called, "Boots and Kimo's" It is famous for its home made macadamia nut pancake sauce. It was delicious. Next we drove to the coast and just kept on going until we made it back to where we started. We stopped at a couple of beaches to take pictures and we also made it to the Temple.

We got snow cones at Matsumoto's, it was very good. Next we went to a Korean festival in Kapiolani park. It was fun and I just kept thinking how cool it would be if Judd could have come and seen it. There was alot of great food and music, as well as a tent set up with historical artifacts. They had a couple of general's helmets from the Imjin war...

The weather was a little overcast and it rained off and on throughout the day. Tonight we went to Paradise Cove for the dinner show. It was amazing, the table was facing the ocean and we got to watch the sun set. The show included a lot of Hula Dancers and an amazing Fire dancer. He was throwing fire around like nothing I have ever seen before. There were also fun games that you could play to win shells, I tried throwing a spear and playing Hawaiian horse shoes... It was alot of fun. I am really excited for Amber to get here. The is so much here that I am sure she is going to love as I have.

Buddies

Congrats to ELDER ASAY.

We have been waiting 5 weeks for Judd's mission call and it was worth the wait. Yesterday Friday the 13th mom went to the mail box at about 2:30 in the pouring rain and sure enough. A big white envelope and it was the only piece of mail. Elder Judd L. Asay what a cool thing to see. So we got so excited and planned a little get together to celebrate. We got on the phone and started calling all of our friends and family and told them the news and then asked for there guess of where Judd would go. We made a big poster for all the guesses. (the kids guesses were adorable Nathan --California Disneyland or Spain like his daddy, Ben said Finland like Grandma Larsonn, and Jade said Idaho) Just to give you a fun glimpse. Dad ran to the Dairy Queen to get an ice cream cake. Jason hurried home from work to be with Janet and the kids on the web cam. Spencer we didn't think was going to be home from work in time to hear but he got off an hour early and made it just in time to hear the big news. Chad and Emily and the kids all came over. And Cam, Tiff and Jade were here. Bri called about every 30 minutes her and Ryan were wishing they were here and she didn't want us to wait any longer she just said to open it now. But we waited for everyone and at about 6:45 after Judd's favorite pizza dinner, Judd opened his call. The spirit was really strong. It was so awesome. Judd was shaking and I think just a tad bit nervous. He read the call Elder Judd L. Asay will serve for 24 months to Busan, Korea. I couldn't believe it I thought he was joking I had to look at it myself. That is Spencers exact mission. Unbelievable we were so excited. The spirit was amazing and I felt so grateful for Judd leading such a great life and being so worthy to be an example to all of our kids. Nate and Ben will always remember this and Chad and Emily's kids too. It was awesome. I am so glad that he chose to serve a mission. He is going to do wonderful. I know he has lived a worthy life and is strong in the gospel. He will do a fantastic job. Judd is smart and will be able to learn the language. I am so proud of him. It is pretty awesome to have 3 brothers and all of them serve a mission. And then Briana and I both married wonderful guys that have too. Plus our dad. What a huge blessing it is to our family. Judd leaves soon August 29 and we will sure miss him but can't wait for the many experiences he will have. We had a fun night.

Fun, Fun, Fun.....

We are having a great time at my mom and dads. They have been so great to make it feel just like home for Logan. They found a crib, bought a mattress, bought Logan a bed set of cars. They had a humidifier going in his room. (Coming from Maryland it is pretty dry here for him.) They had balloons and swim toys, a swimming pool and big boy underwear waiting for him when we first got here. Plus Grandma and Grandpas house just has so many fun toys. He loves jumping on the trampoline and playing in the pretend kitchen.

He loves playing with his cousin Jade. Everyday they just play, play, play. The other day they were on my brother Judd's water bed and they were wrestling. Logan had Jade in between his legs and he wouldn't let her out. We were laughing so hard how did he learn that move. Then Jade would body slam him, they have a great time. Jade is so good to Logan she will be a great big sister someday. Logan has been playing really well by himself too. He loves the sand box and the slide it is such a fun Grandma house.

We sure do miss our daddy but he is having a blast. We have been talking to Spencer on the web cam but oh he sure wants his daddy when we do that. He was kissing the monitor one of the times.

Logan is so attached to Judd. He is Judd's little shadow the moment he walks in the door. He says "Juuudd". We were out on the front porch one day and Judd walked across the rocks and leaned against one of the pillars on the house and Logan stood up and walked across the rocks and mimic Judd pose exactly. We thought it was adorable. Every morning the first words out of Logan's mouth are papa and Juuddd.

He loves his Grandpa which he calls "pa pa". He always gets so excited for papa. His little voice goes higher the moment my dad walks in the room. Logan just lights up. He loves to wrestle with Grandpa on the floor. One night Logan was playing with his toys and Grandpa was lying on the floor and Grandma said Logan get Grandpa. He stopped and then ran over to papa and started getting him. We just laughed it was so cute. He even lets papa sing to him and put him to sleep.

Logan has just started saying Grandma and is getting pretty attached to her. He loves to read books with Grandma, play games, watch cars and cuddle. Last night he let my mom rock him and sing and then put him to sleep. We have been doing this so when I leave on Tuesday he won't be so lonesome for me. He plays with Grandma all day long. He had a water fight with her the other day and she came out soaking wet. He thought that was so fun. Logan also loves to help Grandma cook and clean. Today Grandma Dana was teaching him how to play bingo and then we listened to music and danced. They sure do love Logan so much. Thanks for all you do.

I feel so blessed to have such a great family. I appreciate them letting me come and stay and play while Spencer is away. It helps me not to be lonely. They are so great with Logan they love him tons. I also appreciate them letting me go to Hawaii for so long. I am going to miss my little man but we will have a great time. Lets hope Grandma and Grandpa survive.

한국 만세!!!

Today is a happy day!! Amber's little brother, Judd got his mission call to Busan Korea! that is the same mission that I served in. I am so excited for him to get to know and fall in love with Korea. He is leaving for the MTC on August 29. From then on he will be known as 에시 장로!!

김치를 많이 먹고 공부 잘하면 한국 과 한국의 문화를 사랑하게 될것이다!

Pictures from Paradise

One of the first things that I noticed when the plane was landing was how clear the water is. Once I had the chance to experience the water up close, I was amazed how warm the water is. If you look close in the above picture you can see little fish. There are millions of them and if you don't move for a while, they come up pretty close.

Please excuse the extreme closeup, I was alone and it was dark and I wasn't prepared to lose my camera on the first day at the beach...

The pictures don't do this place justice, it is so beautiful and perfect here and this is not even one of the really scenic beaches. Today was much better than yesterday and the jet-lag is starting to ease up. My first day a work I really had to fight to stay awake. It gets dark here earlier than in Maryland so there is not a lot of time between work and nightfall to do too much, but this weekend I plan to go out and see more of what the island has to offer.

ALOHA!

After what felt like a lifetime on a plane, I am finally here. It is beautiful here and I still can't believe that I am really here. Here is a pan from the balcony. Work starts tomorrow and I don't really know what to expect, but I don't think anything will be able to keep me from having a great time. The only thing that could be better is if Amber and Logan were here. I am really tired so I am going to get some sleep.

Cousins having bonding time. Grandma Dana taking picture they say "cheese" but really just want to watch Shrek.
Logan chowed down on his popcorn. This was a fun new first experience to have at Grandma and Grandpas house.
This is what I call lounging after a fun filled day.
I couldn't resist this cute shot.

We made it!

Hey Spencer and friends,
After a long flight but very helpful, happy flight attendants we made it. Logan was awesome, he is one great flier. We made it to Albuquerque and are having a great time. Mom and Dad have painted the house and it looks fabulous. Logan has been having so much fun. He is running around playing with all of the fun toys at Grandma and Grandpas house. Logan and his cousin Jade are enjoying having each other to play with. They played inside chasing each other, outside on the tramp, swimming pool etc. We will post more pictures of all our fun adventures soon. I finally got him to go to sleep at 8:00 which is 10:00 Maryland time. Jade and Logan were having fun eating popcorn (a first) and watching a movie while holding there special monkeys and blankets. Too Cute. We miss you so much already though.
Amber

Take me to Hawaii

Tonight we did a test run on packing for Hawaii to make sure that we fit, and Logan decided that he didn't want to be left out so he hopped in. I still can't believe that the trip is already here, I have known about it for so long and have been waiting for so long that it feels like it shouldn't be here yet... I am looking forward to white beaches and postcard sunsets, but I sure am going to miss our little monster.

Breakfast with the Ward

The morning of the 4th, the weather was perfect. We woke up early to make a delicious breakfast dish. It was so hard not to eat it as we cooked it, I am a big sucker for breakfast foods... We met up with the ward at Laurel Lake. We had never been before, but I am sure we will go again. The lake is a tad smaller than Elkhorn and there are apartments right on the water's edge. Just like every other park we've gone to, the play ground was amazing, and Logan and all of the ward kids had a blast playing. Logan is so funny when it comes to Ethan and Jeffy, the whole trip to the park he kept saying, Zefsy. He calls Ethan and Jeffy, Zefsy. Ethan is a great substitute older brother.

Down on the bank of the lake, there was a semi-gaggle of geese. (I have always wanted to type gaggle...) Okay there were only a hand full but still... Logan can't really distinguish between ducks and geese so when ever he sees one or the other, he starts quacking. He got a little too close to the white one though and it came after him. Logan put his arms out like he was going to give it a hug and thats when I grabbed him and ran away like a little girl. When the geese saw my running skills, they became intimidated by my "superior" size and abandoned their territory. Logan smiled and kept saying, "bye bye" as they waddled away.