Aloha!

Well Chris and I have been in Kauai since Friday night so I thought I better give a little update this morning so I don't have so much to share by the end of this trip. First off, can I just say WOW! We flew in here and met my parents as well as Chris brother and sister in law, Sara. We flew in right about the time the sun was going down and the view was perfect. I can honestly say this is one of the prettiest islands that I have ever been on. The view from our room is amazing and I just love the breeze that we feel everyday here.... So I will just get to it and start getting into some pics and giving you a little taste of our time here so far.

The first day we got here we were all a little tired from the long plane ride and the litle bit of jet ride that we had so we headed to Poi Pu Beach. It was a great spot for snorkeling and of course just hanging out in the water. The boys got a lot of snorkeling time in and saw both sea lions and sea turtles, and of course lots of cool little fish. After that we headed home and rested then headed off to the County Fair. There was LOTS of yummy food and great local entertainment.

Chris and Chase just playing in the water. Dad just loving the water! He said he is ready to retire and pack up and move here!The next day of course was Sunday so we headed to church and yes....we stayed for all 3 meetings. :) It was a fun to go there and spend just a little time with the locals in a relaxed place.

Chase and DadAfter church while looking for a place to eat we came across this little town call Hanapepe. It is a cute little place thsat looks like a little western town almost. One of the cool sites of this little town was a swinging bridge that they had there so of course you know we had to go cross it.After our yummy lunch and our visit to Hanapepe we headed home to get our grub clothes and on headed to look at what they call the Grand Canyon of Kauai. (Wamai Canyon) It was amazing and one of the first car rides I have ever gotten sick in because the road was so twisty. (Is that even a word?)
After our fun little ride up the canyon we headed off to one of the off the treck beaches to watch the sunset. It was a little bumpy ride in a mini van to get out there, but well worth it. We watched the sunset and just relaxed.

I think Chase enjoyed the sand more than the sunset.Chris and I and the great view off the Napali coast.Chase loved playing in the waves.

There are so many more pics I could show of this coast, but I have to move on due to lack of time.....On Monday we decided to hit the pool for a little lay out and pool time. After the pool we headed to see the island by helicopter......WOW! It was an amazing way to see the island and fun just because it was my first time in a helicopter. Grandma and Chase heading for the helicopter. Chase has a cute little life jacket on and slept through the whole ride.Well there are TONS of pics from the helicopter ride that were so amazing, but I think I will stop here for now since this blof has gotten way to long. As you can see we have packed ALOT in just from Saturday to Monday. I will try to post more later, but enjoy these pics for now! :)

Catching Up!

Well I am working on playing catch up right now so beware of all the pics and news to come! Not like we have had TONS of BIG events going on, but a few things here and there I thought should make the blog! Well as you can see from the last post Chris had a great motorcycle trip, it is something that he looks forward to every year and I love that he has that time to get away with the boys. The day after he got home though a KIDNEY STONE hit...No Fun! Poor Chris was the most sick I have ever seen him so we headed to the ER to see what they could do to relieve the pain. They did let us know it was a bigger stone which gave an idea of why it was so painful. For 2 weeks after the first attack we waited and waited for it to pass, and Chris just waited to see when he would feel that horrible pain again. With 2 ER visits and lots of pain medication it finally passed this Friday. No more waiting... Chris was very excited to be done with this ordeal. Just a few pics of this little thing that caused so much pain. It was about the size of a Nerd (You know the candy) And it mostly causes pain when going through the ureter which is like the size of dental floss. I am sure you all love all the fun descriptions! Needless to say we are very happy that Chris is done and will not have to worry about this while we are in Hawaii! On Friday night we headed over to SUNDANCE and watched, A Mid Summers Night Dream under the stars. Although it was very hard to understand we enjoyed the company and stayed until half time and then headed for home. The best part of the play was again, the company and snacking on Jed and Nalani's, and Meredith and Cody's candy apples from that Rocky Mountain Candy shop! Too Good! I have been craving it ever since. Cody and Meredith
Nalani and Jed
With the stones gone and life back to normal without having to worry about it hitting at any given time, Chris decided to hike Mt. Nebo with his brother Ted, and Colby and Shelby. It was about a 9 1/2 mile hike and had a lot of vertical inclines. Chris said it was a tough one with a few sketchy areas with loose rocks, but was so happy when they got to the top and had the PERFECT VIEW. They were so proud of the kids and what they had done. I wish I could have been there, but also knowing that I do not do well with heights and vertical inclines it was probably best that I did not hit the trail and I think the kids would have embarrassed me with how well they did. Way to go guys, you did GREAT!

Colby, Ted, Shelby, and Chris ready to take off to the top of Mt Nebo

They are heading to the peak right behind Chris....look at that incline!
Taking a breather...Look at that view!
Chase also got to experience his first HAIR CUT. Now many of you may be thinking that he does not have TONS of hair, but believe me the back was getting a little too long so we decided we needed to trim it up. Chris got out the clippers and went to work. Chase sat so well, and I think he enjoyed the hair cut. He was smiling the whole time and kept making a buzzing sound like he was imitating the clippers. In the end we were happy with the results. Chris did a great job and so did Chase! You are my little cutie!

As you can see, Chase is enjoying his hair cut. Of course Chase is 14 months old and the cutest little guy in the world. He has made me so happy and I just cannot imagine my life without him. I know I have said this about every stage of life, but I am loving this stage. It is crazy because since he turned a year old he has just started mimicking more and more and I cannot help, but laugh. I love that he pretends that he is putting the soap in his hands and will rub his little body and hair down. He is just picking up things so quickly now. He eats with a fork now and thinks he is such a big boy for doing it. He does not want any help with eating his dinner. He has also learned to climb up on all the couches and chairs. He is a very persistent little one and will continue to do something until he gets it down. It is so funny to watch him...he gets so mad when he cannot do it and will look at me to figure out what he is doing wrong. It is just amazing to Chris and I how far up he can get that little leg. Kids and there flexibility is amazing! He is just such a cutie and the best time of the day is waking up to his cute little smile and knowing that he is so excited to see me....Really I do not know what could be better! I love his smiles, his little prayers, his 24/7 talking, watching him at the pool splashing in the water, and just that he is such a cuddlier. (Here you go mom! I hope this gets you even more excited to see him in Hawaii)

Chase had his girlfriend Payton come over one day and they had a great time. Lani and I could not resist to get footage of there dance moves

My little cuddle bug! I woke him up from his nap and then we both fell back asleep! I love that he loves to cuddle and I take it all in while I can.

Chase LOVES to try on shoes latley. Everytime I turn around he has shoes out putting them on his feet. It is so cute!
And last, but not least today we are celebrating Chris' Dad, Vics birthday. Carolyn went and picked him up from the Veterans home and we ran over to the good ole', Chuck O' Rama to eat and celebrate. As always, it was a good time to spend with the family. I never knew the Vic Cameron that raised Chris, but I am so proud that my son carries his name, and that Chris had a Father that he was so close to and looked up to so much. I know that he was a man of great characther and strength and helped Chris become the great husband and father he is today. He was strong in his testimony and never waivered in his faith. What a great example he was to so many....I have heard numerous stories of his charity, his strenth, and even his silly side. I only hope that Chase can live up to that great name and will always make his grandpa proud of the what he does in his life.

Happy Birthday Vic! We love you! The Grandkids with Grandpa and Grandma

The BIG Bike Trip!

The guys took there annual bike trip this year! They decided they would do a different route and headed to CO. They hit LOTS of rain, but great scenery as well, and had a good time as usual! Here are just a few pics from the big event that Chris likes to refer to as his, "Christmas"

Before the trip Chris had to go get his new do....Chase did not know what to think!And there off....Waiting for the ferry to arrive...along with that big semi in the back. The boys got on, the semi did not!Chris and Kelly and there scenic view from the ferry.Chris and Ted at Four CornersBiggest Porta Potty Ever!The whole crew this year!Chris and Bryan in there rain gear! Sounds like they wore this a lot this year!Sounds like this lady was a load of laughs. She just had to get her picture taken with a bike and her dachshund. What a weirdo...One last pic of the guys and there bikes! PRECIOUS! Just a little bit of what we were missing out on! No thanks for the sore butt for me, but I am glad the guys had a great time!

YUMMO!

Well for those of you who hit the Paradise Cafe with me this past weekend you know that I found my new favorite! Sometimes I will get something and then never vear away in fear that I may not like what I get as much as the "regular", but I decided to get something different this time and fell in love with there Blue Cheese Craisen salad, all I can say is.....YUMMO! I loved it so much since that I have not been able to get it out of my mind, so I did what anyone would do...I began my Google search for what made it so great. What I found made it so good was the combination of the craisens, and the blue cheese, and what topped it off was the dressing. So I looked up a few things and this is what I found. I made it today and this is it! Of course everything taste better when someone else makes it for you, but this is dang close with the dressing. I found it in a blog called Prudence Pennywise and I recommend this blog! It is great she give ideas for meals on a budget and tells you how much you will spend. Hear you go! We are having it for dinner tonight so I will really tell you how it taste when it is all together since I kinda just pieced it together for a "Taste Test". Enjoy!

Bike Trip Pictures to Come Soon!

1 (6 ounce) bag baby mixed greens
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 ounces (1/2 cup) crumbled blue cheese
For the Dressing:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Layer greens, cranberries, seeds and blue cheese in a medium bowl. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Slowly add oil and mayonnaise, whisking until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Taste dressing with a leaf of lettuce and adjust sugar and vinegar to your liking. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Whirlwind of a week!

Well this past week was fun, and packed with activities, and of course just a little crazy! (That is what happens when the Coates family gets all together) Dana and Jeanette got married this past week so we had lots of family in town. As always it was lots of fun to get together and to see each other and it was a beautiful wedding. Here are a few pics of the big weekend! As always I do not take my camera out and catch all the pics I would like too.

The Happy CoupleThe Luncheon
Ry, Amy, and Jardee Jays (Dad)Ry and ChrisAnother happy couple :)The view from the luncheon....Love it!The reception was at La Caille and that place is just AMAZING! I really wish we would have taken more pics there with how beautiful everything was.....

My cute boys waiting in line at the reception....Thanks to Derek we went in the back way and did not have to wait.
Chris and IChari and Sam with CashMy Dad with Chase and Noah. They were so cute together and even got mistaken a few times for being twins.Kim, Nalani, and NikiThe Saturday after the wedding we decided just to chill and have some family time with a little BBQ in the backyard. It was so nice and so relaxing. My Dad introduced Rylee and Chase to his famous blanker rides that he gave to us when we were kids. Chase was not to sure about it, but Ry loved it and asked for more. It was fun to see that and reminded me of our childhood and all the fun things that my Dad with us. Thanks Grandaddy for a fun time! We loved having you here!The girls just relaxing on the porch in this posed pic. :)Grandaddy and ChaseBlanket Ride Time

On Sunday morning my dad left, so later on in the day we decided to go take a little ride up the canyon to Cascade Springs, and do a little off roading as well. It turned out to be quite the long drive since we were on some rough terrain at times, but was lots of fun for a Sunday afternoon!

Chris and Chase enjoying the little walk.Family PicSistersAunt Melissa and Chase in the back.It was a fun night and we had a great time. We saw a little bit of wildlife and hit the very bumpy trails. We worked in making it up some steep hills and had a great time all and all!