This journey was emotional even before it began.
Hawaii: Hukiku-Kelua Family Reunion
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
It had been eight years since we last visited Lady Liberty. I knew this trip would be a complete blast!
Sunday, August 20, 2023
What could be better than a family road trip to a place where ice cream dreams come true?
Thursday, July 27, 2023
The "Please Touch Museum," is a magical wonderland that sparks curiosity, learning, and play in children of all ages.
Friday, July 21, 2023
Our incredible family camping trip to Green Lakes State Park in Upstate New York.
Monday, July 17, 2023
Picture this: A busy city steeped in history, brimming with artistic treasures, and the aroma of mouthwatering Philly cheesesteaks wafting through the air. Yep, it was a recipe for a fantastic family getaway!
Monday, August 22, 2022
I say this with zero exaggeration: I fell in love with a piece of New York. I didn't think that would ever be possible.
Sunday, May 22, 2022
It's been over two years since we last stepped foot into a children's museum.
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
This trip was a big deal. This was our first vacation since before Covid-19 put our entire lives on hold.
Monday, February 17, 2020
This weekend, we decided to take advantage of the three days our entire family had to spend with one another (and the dry skies) by venturing out towards Tacoma for some outdoor time and lunch.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Last Wednesday, we took a late night flight and flew our family of five to my husband's home state.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
I watched my best gal walk down the aisle to marry the man she loves. I truly never thought I’d see the day, but I am glad that I did. My tribe of five flew down to Las Vegas sick, tired, and completely pooped from our cross country road trip…. none of which stopped us from celebrating the kids’ god mama. The flight was less than an hour and a half long and the weather felt exactly like Northern Texas. Because it was winter, the heat wasn’t terrible, and the sun felt great! We stayed at Circus Circus, which was pretty dated… but the location fit what we needed and it was a “kid friendly” hotel (if you want to call it that). I was unaware just how available gambling is in Las Vegas. They had machines in the airport (literally everywhere), at regular stores, and all throughout the hotels. It’s sort of surreal… and my uptight self was wondering how the heck something like this is healthy for anyone…
After dinner, I headed back to my hotel and gambled with Leeana’s mom and her sister. I only gambled $20, I didn’t win anything, and I quickly realized what a complete waste it was. I am thankful for the experience though. I always knew I wasn’t missing anything with gambling - now I know for sure that I’m not. The next day we spent most of our time with Leeana in her Venetian suite while she prepared for her big day. The morning went by so quickly and before we knew it we were watching her walk down the aisle. The girls made for excellent flower girls and they did a pretty exceptional job. The wedding went by rather quickly and the reception after was at a restaurant in “Old Las Vegas” which is Fremont street? Justin ended up getting sick so we did head out a bit early (I knew he’d get what the rest of us had). All in all our first trip to Vegas was memorable for so many different reasons and while I can’t say we will be back anytime soon, I think its cool that my 5-year-old, 2-year-old, and infant can say they’ve been somewhere that most kids their age have not.
Anyways, I digress. We stayed a total of two days and on the first day we did a little sightseeing, I attended a dinner for the bride to be, and Justin stayed in with the kids while I gambled for the very first time. Seeing the strip was nothing like I expected. I also ubered! Did I forget to mention that? The strip, while full of lights and big buildings was nothing more than that to me. I wasn’t impressed and I came to the conclusion that the hype is far bigger than the actual experience. Bummer! The dinner we had at LAVO was pretty sweet though. It was this ultrachic restaurant that felt so comfortable but professional at the same time. The table was gathered with those that both supported and love Leeana and Frederick… again, such a beautiful sight to see.
After dinner, I headed back to my hotel and gambled with Leeana’s mom and her sister. I only gambled $20, I didn’t win anything, and I quickly realized what a complete waste it was. I am thankful for the experience though. I always knew I wasn’t missing anything with gambling - now I know for sure that I’m not. The next day we spent most of our time with Leeana in her Venetian suite while she prepared for her big day. The morning went by so quickly and before we knew it we were watching her walk down the aisle. The girls made for excellent flower girls and they did a pretty exceptional job. The wedding went by rather quickly and the reception after was at a restaurant in “Old Las Vegas” which is Fremont street? Justin ended up getting sick so we did head out a bit early (I knew he’d get what the rest of us had). All in all our first trip to Vegas was memorable for so many different reasons and while I can’t say we will be back anytime soon, I think its cool that my 5-year-old, 2-year-old, and infant can say they’ve been somewhere that most kids their age have not.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
It took about 15+ hours to get to the Grand Canyon and boy was it an experience.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
We successfully completed our second road trip with both of our girls in tow. I just wanted to share some easy peasy tips that made our trip so much smoother.
Packing: I am notoriously an over packer. Always. This time I decided to only pack a weeks worth of clothing for our 10 day trip. Our rental home had a washer and dryer and I knew I'd be able to do laundry whenever I needed to. So for packing, I didn't pack for each day that we'd be gone. Of course we packed extra undies and things of that nature - but packing lighter is always better on the road. I also brought along special dolls for the girls. Moana for Olivia and Rapunzel for Ava. I brought Olivia's boppy along (total comfort for her), and a no sew frozen blanket I made. I made sure to buy an extra case of diapers and wipes (thank you extra storage stow aways in the mom wagon) and the basic hygiene necessities.
Travel Time: This is personal preference of course, but for us - we love driving during the night. I am the car loader (all bags, essentials, and electronics) and I will usually load the car when my entire family is asleep. Justin heads to bed a little early when we travel at night so he's well rested for the road. This allows me to check things off my list and get the car packed without distraction. I usually don't even go to sleep prior to actually getting the kids in the car and leaving. Driving at night means the girls are STILL asleep for most of the car ride. I love this. Justin loves it too because he actually gets to control the radio for a change!
Easy Access: When traveling, I always keep a backpack stocked outside of my diaper bag. This backpack is filled with underwear, diapers, wipes, seat covers, and a change of clothes. If something happens on the road, I want to get the girls changed or ready to go without taking up a ton of time digging for things. I also made sure to pack their snacks in an easy to reach location, along with their car time activities. This just makes it easier because you aren't digging around a car while driving and it saves you a pull over, so you don't lose drive time.
Entertainment Galore: Because we have a DVD player in my mom wagon - we stock it heavily with the girls' favorite movies. This is great for the day time driving. It gets bored being on the road for hours and hours - the movies help keep the girls entertained when they are getting ancy from being in their carseats. When our car is in park, the front drivers can tune into the movie as well... that rarely happened though, since we were driving! I myself ended up in the third row seat when the ancy was at an all time high! I would give the girls kisses, hold their hands, or tickle them. When we were over the tickles and mom - Justin would crank up the itunes library with all the troll songs and Moana jams possible! Sometimes I'd catch both babies looking at the scenery outside of their windows too.
SNACKS: I try really hard not to let the kids veg out on food that isn't good for them. For this reason I decided to pack snacks - HEAVILY. I brought along bananas, grapes, craisins, and a few other items. This way, they could get something into their little tummies between meal times. I also made sure the girls had a few water containers and cups for our trip. When we stopped, we made sure to stock up on FIJI waters galore so the girls never had to be thirsty.
STOPS: This is probably one of the most important parts of road trippin' in my opinion. You may only be X amount of hours from your destination, but with kiddos - you are going to stop more frequently, so give yourself the extra time. I downloaded a truck stop app on my phone during this trip so we could stop at truck stops rather than gas stations. Truck stops have CLEANER bathrooms (at least in my opinion), more variety of snacks for adults, and they are opened 24 hours a day. It was great to let the girls walk around for a bit while Justin fills up on gas and cleans the bugs off of our windshields! Sometimes the stops were unplanned (Ava ironically had to potty almost every time we were about to get on an interstate) but they never delayed us with our arrival times.
I'm almost positive that pretty much covers it. I LOVE taking road trips with my family and driving from Texas to Florida to Georgia was one for the books this year!
♥- Leilani
Packing: I am notoriously an over packer. Always. This time I decided to only pack a weeks worth of clothing for our 10 day trip. Our rental home had a washer and dryer and I knew I'd be able to do laundry whenever I needed to. So for packing, I didn't pack for each day that we'd be gone. Of course we packed extra undies and things of that nature - but packing lighter is always better on the road. I also brought along special dolls for the girls. Moana for Olivia and Rapunzel for Ava. I brought Olivia's boppy along (total comfort for her), and a no sew frozen blanket I made. I made sure to buy an extra case of diapers and wipes (thank you extra storage stow aways in the mom wagon) and the basic hygiene necessities.
Travel Time: This is personal preference of course, but for us - we love driving during the night. I am the car loader (all bags, essentials, and electronics) and I will usually load the car when my entire family is asleep. Justin heads to bed a little early when we travel at night so he's well rested for the road. This allows me to check things off my list and get the car packed without distraction. I usually don't even go to sleep prior to actually getting the kids in the car and leaving. Driving at night means the girls are STILL asleep for most of the car ride. I love this. Justin loves it too because he actually gets to control the radio for a change!
Easy Access: When traveling, I always keep a backpack stocked outside of my diaper bag. This backpack is filled with underwear, diapers, wipes, seat covers, and a change of clothes. If something happens on the road, I want to get the girls changed or ready to go without taking up a ton of time digging for things. I also made sure to pack their snacks in an easy to reach location, along with their car time activities. This just makes it easier because you aren't digging around a car while driving and it saves you a pull over, so you don't lose drive time.
Entertainment Galore: Because we have a DVD player in my mom wagon - we stock it heavily with the girls' favorite movies. This is great for the day time driving. It gets bored being on the road for hours and hours - the movies help keep the girls entertained when they are getting ancy from being in their carseats. When our car is in park, the front drivers can tune into the movie as well... that rarely happened though, since we were driving! I myself ended up in the third row seat when the ancy was at an all time high! I would give the girls kisses, hold their hands, or tickle them. When we were over the tickles and mom - Justin would crank up the itunes library with all the troll songs and Moana jams possible! Sometimes I'd catch both babies looking at the scenery outside of their windows too.
SNACKS: I try really hard not to let the kids veg out on food that isn't good for them. For this reason I decided to pack snacks - HEAVILY. I brought along bananas, grapes, craisins, and a few other items. This way, they could get something into their little tummies between meal times. I also made sure the girls had a few water containers and cups for our trip. When we stopped, we made sure to stock up on FIJI waters galore so the girls never had to be thirsty.
STOPS: This is probably one of the most important parts of road trippin' in my opinion. You may only be X amount of hours from your destination, but with kiddos - you are going to stop more frequently, so give yourself the extra time. I downloaded a truck stop app on my phone during this trip so we could stop at truck stops rather than gas stations. Truck stops have CLEANER bathrooms (at least in my opinion), more variety of snacks for adults, and they are opened 24 hours a day. It was great to let the girls walk around for a bit while Justin fills up on gas and cleans the bugs off of our windshields! Sometimes the stops were unplanned (Ava ironically had to potty almost every time we were about to get on an interstate) but they never delayed us with our arrival times.
I'm almost positive that pretty much covers it. I LOVE taking road trips with my family and driving from Texas to Florida to Georgia was one for the books this year!
♥- Leilani
Monday, May 15, 2017
Two words. Absolutely breathtaking. Our brief trip to Destin, Florida was nothing short of a dream. The water was a beautiful emerald, the breeze complimented the warm day, and my kids could not stay out of the water. Destin reminded me like a hotter version of Ocean Shores (for all of my PNW readers). Ocean shores is like this nice little nook on the coast - that is what Destin reminded me of - with more established businesses and people. Our first stop after the hotel was Miramar Beach. It was only a 10 minute drive and boy was it completely packed. I thought parking was going to be near impossible, but luckily we found something. There were a lot of people there and tons of activities to do. Beach chairs were available as well - $35 for a set of two.
We actually didn't dress appropriately for a beach day... I don't know why though? I think I just thought we were going to scope out the area for photos? Who knows, but that didn't stop Justin and the girls. They ditched their heavier clothes (Justin took off his shirt) and they ran right into the Gulf. I took photos, watched them, and eventually ended up in the water myself. It was so gorgeous. I don't think I'd ever felt water that warm outside of the Southern and Eastern coast. It was Olivia's first time putting her cute little feet into the ocean as well. I love first moments. Ava is no stranger to the ocean and she went in and didn't want to get out! She's such a fish when it comes to the water.
We spent well over an hour at that beach before heading back in to make dinner plans. Justin and I tried a local seafood place called The Back Porch. I wasn't completely sold on their seafood, but it wasn't terrible either. After dinner we made our way back out to Henderson State Park just a couple minutes from the hotel. We did pay like a $6 entrance fee, but it was well worth it. There was an option to camp inside this park as well.. I've never truly been camping but boy would I give it a try if we were in Destin for longer.
We spent close to two hours at this park and it was perfect because golden hour and sunset of course. Taking photos at the beach was a little more challenging than i expected (horizons through heads, crooked horizons, etc.). Even still I had the time of my life watching my family enjoy themselves so much. We couldn't get over how white the sand was. Literally just fell right through your fingers. At one point Ava ended up in the ocean with just her undies on. To watch my sweet girl's spirit just soar like that.. it was unbelievable.
I'm so glad we made the decision to stop in Florida during our vacation. We had so many family milestones. Justin's first time being to Florida, ALL of our firsts for putting our feet into the Gulf of Mexico, and our first road trip since we moved to Texas.
♥- Leilani
We actually didn't dress appropriately for a beach day... I don't know why though? I think I just thought we were going to scope out the area for photos? Who knows, but that didn't stop Justin and the girls. They ditched their heavier clothes (Justin took off his shirt) and they ran right into the Gulf. I took photos, watched them, and eventually ended up in the water myself. It was so gorgeous. I don't think I'd ever felt water that warm outside of the Southern and Eastern coast. It was Olivia's first time putting her cute little feet into the ocean as well. I love first moments. Ava is no stranger to the ocean and she went in and didn't want to get out! She's such a fish when it comes to the water.
We spent well over an hour at that beach before heading back in to make dinner plans. Justin and I tried a local seafood place called The Back Porch. I wasn't completely sold on their seafood, but it wasn't terrible either. After dinner we made our way back out to Henderson State Park just a couple minutes from the hotel. We did pay like a $6 entrance fee, but it was well worth it. There was an option to camp inside this park as well.. I've never truly been camping but boy would I give it a try if we were in Destin for longer.
We spent close to two hours at this park and it was perfect because golden hour and sunset of course. Taking photos at the beach was a little more challenging than i expected (horizons through heads, crooked horizons, etc.). Even still I had the time of my life watching my family enjoy themselves so much. We couldn't get over how white the sand was. Literally just fell right through your fingers. At one point Ava ended up in the ocean with just her undies on. To watch my sweet girl's spirit just soar like that.. it was unbelievable.
I'm so glad we made the decision to stop in Florida during our vacation. We had so many family milestones. Justin's first time being to Florida, ALL of our firsts for putting our feet into the Gulf of Mexico, and our first road trip since we moved to Texas.
♥- Leilani
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
During our visit to New York, we decided to brave the big city with our girls. Let me just say, it was most definitely worth the trip. We decided literally the night before that we were definitely going to purchase tickets to see the Statue Of Liberty and visit Ellis Island. We ended up leaving at almost 5 in the morning and we arrived in New York City a little after 8am? maybe longer with traffic. We found parking much quicker than anticipated - which was conveniently located just 5 minutes away from the ferry we needed to get on. Battery Park was nothing extravagant, but it definitely had character. Lots of trees, tranquil space, and even places for wine + beer for park dining right in the middle of everything. I was so impressed with how peaceful this park was. Especially since we were in the city, I was expected it to be overpopulated and stuffy.
After we got our tickets squared away, we hopped on the ferry and headed to see Miss Liberty. It was an emotional experience watching as the ferry grew closer to the statue. You never know how you are going to feel about something historical until you are actually in the throws of it. I have known about the statue of liberty and ellis island since before I can actually remember. but being able to relish in that kind of history is a completely humbling experience. Having my children there made the experience that much better for me. When we arrived, we were free to roam the grounds as we pleased. We stopped into the gift shops and discovered some pretty cool stuff. We made note of where we could purchase lunch and then we took off to take in the sights.
It was so much warmer than we anticipated and I would be lying if I said that the heat made it almost unbearable with wearing a baby and lugging around all of our stuff. I didn't complain though and neither did Justin - though Ava conned him into carrying her almost the entire trip. Even still, we managed to learn some cool facts, take in the skyline of NYC, and admire the statue. There were so many trees and birds on liberty island and Ava was extremely fascinated with them. We opted out of using the audio tour guide since we had little ones with us and after we made our round around Lady Liberty, we picked up some informational pamphlets and got lunch.
The only downside to the trees and the birds..bugs! Bees were swarming all around while we tried to eat. We actually ended up moving inside, but this was truly the only downside to our visit. Especially since it was so warm outside.I really liked being able to board the ferry at our own leisure as they were arriving in 20 minute intervals to head over to the next stop. I think we spent 1.5 hours or 2 hours on liberty island before we boarded for Ellis? Maybe a little longer?
Ellis island was incredible. I soaked in the architectural charms, the history, and the information that was provided for us. Olivia was asleep at this point but I know that Ava was getting restless. She wanted to jump, run, and move around like we had on Liberty island. Even still, she managed to go through each room with us as best as she could. We couldn't ask much more of her, she did pretty darn well for her preschool self! We didn't stay at Ellis as long as we would have liked, but we definitely got to soak in that culture and surroundings.
Overall the trip was one for the books and I was so impressed with how my little family tackled NYC with ease. We will most definitely be back and this was a trip I will never forget! I am completely backed up on editing photos from our New York trip overall, but I thought I'd share a few shots I got.
♥- Leilani
After we got our tickets squared away, we hopped on the ferry and headed to see Miss Liberty. It was an emotional experience watching as the ferry grew closer to the statue. You never know how you are going to feel about something historical until you are actually in the throws of it. I have known about the statue of liberty and ellis island since before I can actually remember. but being able to relish in that kind of history is a completely humbling experience. Having my children there made the experience that much better for me. When we arrived, we were free to roam the grounds as we pleased. We stopped into the gift shops and discovered some pretty cool stuff. We made note of where we could purchase lunch and then we took off to take in the sights.
It was so much warmer than we anticipated and I would be lying if I said that the heat made it almost unbearable with wearing a baby and lugging around all of our stuff. I didn't complain though and neither did Justin - though Ava conned him into carrying her almost the entire trip. Even still, we managed to learn some cool facts, take in the skyline of NYC, and admire the statue. There were so many trees and birds on liberty island and Ava was extremely fascinated with them. We opted out of using the audio tour guide since we had little ones with us and after we made our round around Lady Liberty, we picked up some informational pamphlets and got lunch.
The only downside to the trees and the birds..bugs! Bees were swarming all around while we tried to eat. We actually ended up moving inside, but this was truly the only downside to our visit. Especially since it was so warm outside.I really liked being able to board the ferry at our own leisure as they were arriving in 20 minute intervals to head over to the next stop. I think we spent 1.5 hours or 2 hours on liberty island before we boarded for Ellis? Maybe a little longer?
Ellis island was incredible. I soaked in the architectural charms, the history, and the information that was provided for us. Olivia was asleep at this point but I know that Ava was getting restless. She wanted to jump, run, and move around like we had on Liberty island. Even still, she managed to go through each room with us as best as she could. We couldn't ask much more of her, she did pretty darn well for her preschool self! We didn't stay at Ellis as long as we would have liked, but we definitely got to soak in that culture and surroundings.
Overall the trip was one for the books and I was so impressed with how my little family tackled NYC with ease. We will most definitely be back and this was a trip I will never forget! I am completely backed up on editing photos from our New York trip overall, but I thought I'd share a few shots I got.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Let me just say, this was the highlight of our visit to Denver. Seriously. I got to see Justin light up in so many ways. Here I was watching my 26 year old husband cross a major bucket list location off. Justin's first love in life was football, so being able to stand on the field where his favorite football team plays... I'm sure that was nothing short of incredible for him. We originally showed up on Memorial day... but the tours and team store were closed for the holiday. We showed up the next morning (bright and early) and we were able to get in for a tour of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the entire Mile High Stadium, and an exclusive look at some of the suites/locker rooms inside the facility. We weren't allowed to use our cell phones, but I brought my big girl camera with us. It was so incredible being able to experience this as a family. We learned so many new things about the team, their history, and the owner.
Denver will definitely be a location we visit frequently from here on out. There is nothing like feeling at home at a place you'd never been before. In the early years of our marriage, we talked about residing in Denver quite a bit. Looks like this very well might be our forever state someday.
♥- Leilani
Denver will definitely be a location we visit frequently from here on out. There is nothing like feeling at home at a place you'd never been before. In the early years of our marriage, we talked about residing in Denver quite a bit. Looks like this very well might be our forever state someday.
Friday, March 25, 2016
We FINALLY made a trip up to Mount Vernon for the Tulip Festival here in Washington State... let me just tell you, WOW. It was an amazing experience for my family of four. We live about 1.5 hours away from the tulips, so we started our trip at around 9AM. We got there a little after 11AM (due to directions to the admin office in town instead of the fields of flowers). I made sure to pack lunches, snacks, and extra clothes the night before (so glad I did) because I had no idea how long we'd be there. It had also been raining for almost a month straight prior to our trip, so muddy land was a given. It cost a total of $4 per person (kids 5 and under are free), and that was with Justin's military discount. Not a bad price for everything you get to do in Roozengaarde.
Once inside we immediately made our way to the fields. It was such a muddy journey. I am so glad my family wore appropriate shoes. We saw people in flip flops, heels, and open toed flats.. I felt bad for them as we were walking. Mud in your toes isn't exactly my idea of a good time. Ava was a little apprehensive about walking on her own through the mud, so Justin carried her a good chunk of the way down. Once we were near the flowers she immediately wanted down and she allowed herself to get SUPER muddy. She even fell a couple of times... her initial reaction was not very pleasant, but once she realized it was okay.. she totally played around in the dirt/mud.
Justin and I laughed pretty much the entire time. When we first got there, Justin was babywearing Olivia in the Lillebaby we got this past fall. I hadn't nursed her since the car ride, so I wasn't surprised when she woke up hungry as soon as we paid for our tickets. We ended up switching roles (I carried Olivia, Justin looked over Ava) and I was able to nurse very comfortably in our carrier. This trip was our first time using a structured carrier with Olivia.. I LOVED IT! It was a rather warm day, but Olivia had no discomforts. She pretty much slept the entire time we were there, and she nursed as often as she wanted.
After looking at all the pretty colors, flowers, and soaking up the beautiful day, we headed back to the start of the gardens to pick out our own bunches of tulips to take home. We also stopped for food inside the gardens and we picked up some snickerdoodle fudge from a local vendor! This trip did not disappoint at all. I was so glad we were able to do this as a family. We wanted to go last year, but it seems the ARMY likes to give Justin school dates/training dates in the start of Spring.
Since we move soon (blog post on this coming soon), I am really glad we were able to check it off our bucket list for the PNW.
♥- Leilani
Once inside we immediately made our way to the fields. It was such a muddy journey. I am so glad my family wore appropriate shoes. We saw people in flip flops, heels, and open toed flats.. I felt bad for them as we were walking. Mud in your toes isn't exactly my idea of a good time. Ava was a little apprehensive about walking on her own through the mud, so Justin carried her a good chunk of the way down. Once we were near the flowers she immediately wanted down and she allowed herself to get SUPER muddy. She even fell a couple of times... her initial reaction was not very pleasant, but once she realized it was okay.. she totally played around in the dirt/mud.
Justin and I laughed pretty much the entire time. When we first got there, Justin was babywearing Olivia in the Lillebaby we got this past fall. I hadn't nursed her since the car ride, so I wasn't surprised when she woke up hungry as soon as we paid for our tickets. We ended up switching roles (I carried Olivia, Justin looked over Ava) and I was able to nurse very comfortably in our carrier. This trip was our first time using a structured carrier with Olivia.. I LOVED IT! It was a rather warm day, but Olivia had no discomforts. She pretty much slept the entire time we were there, and she nursed as often as she wanted.
After looking at all the pretty colors, flowers, and soaking up the beautiful day, we headed back to the start of the gardens to pick out our own bunches of tulips to take home. We also stopped for food inside the gardens and we picked up some snickerdoodle fudge from a local vendor! This trip did not disappoint at all. I was so glad we were able to do this as a family. We wanted to go last year, but it seems the ARMY likes to give Justin school dates/training dates in the start of Spring.
Since we move soon (blog post on this coming soon), I am really glad we were able to check it off our bucket list for the PNW.
♥- Leilani
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