Week in Photos: Fun in the Sun!

Springtime in the PNW can be really beautiful at times.  This sunset in particular was amazing:

The day after returning from Hawaii, Greg jumped right back into real life by pressure-washing our extremely long driveway (and destroyed some clothes in the process)!

My mom and I had to reschedule one of our shows because it landed on the Sunday we were in Hawaii - so we had a rare mid-week night out!

We had a delicious dinner at Sitka & Spruce beforehand:

Ben had a picnic lunch with Grandma on Grandma Wednesday :)

Ben's future elementary school had it's Kindergarten kick off night!  We spent an hour doing activities in each of the 4 classrooms and Ben had a great time meeting new friends :)  This kid is SO ready for a new adventure.

Memorial Day Weekend brought us three gorgeous, sunny days.  A lot of time was spent outside and it was great.

 

A new haircut to deal with the warm weather.

 

We spent a morning playing at the park with Kristin and Craig and then had a little picnic at Chateau St. Michelle:

On Sunday we went to a BBQ at Chris and Emily's house.  We hope to spend a lot more time with them this summer as Jaxon and Ben will be going to Kindergarten together in the Fall.  It was also great because many of my elementary/middle/high school friends (Chris, Matt, Artie, Jess, JT, Aaron) and their families were there.  Always kind of surreal to get together with them and the next generations of kids :)

Here are just a few of them having popsicles:  

We had a little BBQ at our house on Monday.  Here are Reid and Pepper!

And their moms!

Meal Planning: May 27 - June 2

Review from last week:

Greek salad with chicken:

Grilled salmon and asparagus:

Spiced cod and summer squash cakes.  So good, and I counted this one as a big win because I convinced Ben to at least try the squash cakes:

 

Meatballs in tomato sauce and creamy asparagus rice.  I'll definitely repeat this recipe:

Crispy chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans:

 

Plan for next week:

Saturday: Salmon Roll Sandwiches

Sunday: BBQ at the Brooks' house

Monday: BBQ at our house!  Grilled burgers, hot dogs, salmon and Antipasto Pasta Salad

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Spring Green Salad with Lemon Feta Dressing

Thursday: Tomato Soup and grilled cheese

Friday: Leftovers with a butter lettuce salad

Aulani 2017 Trip - Video

Aulani Trip 2017 - Day 7 and Coming Home

Our last full day.  It's always a sad time as a vacation comes to a close.  I walked across the street for one last iced coffee and then spent a little time taking in the view off the main lobby.

This is the view you get as you walk through the open air lobby.

Ben had his last activity during lunch time at Aunty's.

From Aulani:

Fish Are Friends
Little ones love this up-close encounter with the colorful tropical Hawaiian fish of Aulani Resort! During this experience, children can:

• Learn how animal specialists train, feed and care for the marine life at Aulani Resort
• Prepare fish food and feed it to the fish
• Enjoy lunch
• Receive a DVD of Disneynature Oceans and a “Fish Are Friends” logo cinch bag

Greg and I hit the beach deck and had some coffee and cocktails before swimming in the ocean, taking a few runs down the water slides and hitting the lazy river:

After his activity we stopped for another picture :)

When we all were hungry again, we walked across the street to Just Tacos one more time and grabbed ice cream on the way back.  

But first, a few more pictures:

Knowing it was his last opportunity, Ben wanted to hit up Aunty's one more time to play in the video game room, lol!  So we went to the adults only hot tub and enjoyed this view.

We decided to book a last minute character breakfast on our last day.  I hadn't wanted to, because it's a buffet and expensive and I wasn't sure if we really care enough to do this, but since it was our last day it kind of felt like the perfect opportunity to fill up before a day of travel - and to get a last little bit of Disney characters!! 

We truly had a MAGICAL and AMAZING trip!!!  I would recommend this place to anyone with kids :)

Aulani Trip 2017 - Day 6

On Day 6, we finally stopped and asked someone to take a picture of all three of us :)

This morning was the same as the rest:

Wake up

Work out or walk on the beach

Coffee at IVC

Pool

Ben had another activity:

From Aulani:

Aunty's Aloha Party
Come visit Aunty as she and the rest of the ‘ohana at Aunty's Beach House share their collection of Hawaiian games, crafts and songs and invite all the kids to join in the fun!

Greg and I had made reservations at 'AMA'AMA, the "fancy" restaurant with the most beautiful views on the property.  We enjoyed a fantastic lunch and watched a couple get married and take pictures with Minnie and Mickey while we dined :)

 

 

 

 

The rest of the day we hung at the pool some more.  For dinner, we went across the street to the Pizza Corner, which allows you to bring your own beer or wine!  The whole meal Greg and I kept marveling and wondering WHY they wouldn't just sell it there??  Seemed like a missed opportunity.  But it was awesome :)

 

 

 
Then we borrowed a movie to watch in our room and called it a day :)