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May

01

hawaiian vacation {in photo & video}

Two years ago our group of friends were out to dinner and we realized that we all shared the same wedding year {well, except for me and Ryan – we are one year behind}. Someone threw out the idea of taking a 10 year anniversary trip together to renew our vows in Vegas. It started as a joke, but soon the guys started talking and decided that a Hawaiian vacation was a much better option for the 10 year anniversary trip {well done, men}. So this trip has been in the making for the past two years and I think we were all pleasantly surprised that it actually came together.

{our group on luau night}

Between the six couples, we have 17 children – all under the age of eight. Coordinating our calendars to fit in a week+ getaway and finding childcare for our many small children sounded like it would be a challenge, but somehow it all worked fairly seamlessly. We were all so thankful to the grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and friends who took care of our babies while we enjoyed this much needed vacation.

The best part about traveling with a group was that we were able to spend time as a whole group, time by ourselves or time to break off into smaller groups for dinner. Because we usually have 17 kids around, it was so nice to be able to start and finish a conversation in one try!

At the end of the trip, the last few couples sat around the pool asking what the most memorable part of the trip was. It was SO hard to answer. I think I could come up with a favorite part for each day. Seriously, it was the best trip ever.

So, I’ll just highlight some of the favorite moments:

On our first full day in Maui, Ryan and I went to dinner with our friends and then out to the only dance club on Maui. For the record, I like to dance, but I’m not a clubbin’ kind of girl. I stressed for weeks about what I could possibly wear from my closet to a club. But I pulled it together and the night was quite possibly the most fun night of my life. I’m not even kidding.

{at the club}

We ate that night at my favorite restaurant of the trip, Hula Grill in Kaanapali. The food was great, the atmosphere was even better, and I might have developed a small crush on the ukelele player who was entertaining us.

Those Hawaiian men are charmers.

The next day, we took a drive up to the north shore of the island.

Then up a long, winding and perhaps dangerous road to catch this view:

There is actually an estate on the top of that hill on the left. Can you imagine?

Once our entire group made it to the island, we had three full days of activities planned.

DAY ONE: poolside hangout at the Makena Golf Resort & luau at the Wailea Marriott

{heaven}

DAY TWO: zipline & dinner at Taqueria Cruz for taco tuesday and BYOB {seriously}

Ziplining was fun – best if done with a group since you are all roped in together for the morning.

Here I am on the first zip down:

Taqueria Cruz is this hole-in-the-wall taco place in Kihei that we loved. Especially the live music.

DAY THREE: snorkling trip to Molokini & bbq at our condo pool

We took the Pride of Maui snorkling tour … nothing fancy, but the crew on the boat were great and we had a fun time. The snorkling was not quite as good as we all expected but the experience was worth the trip.

A few months ago my parents bought a condo in Kihei so Ryan and I had a great place to stay and entertain our group for a bbq one night.

{the view from the condo pool}

Once our busy days were over, we tried out different beaches.

{perhaps my favorite beach – in Napili}

{cool lava rock beach south of Makena – best snorkling ever! Awesome coral, lots of fish and turtles, too. Called the dumps by locals}

{hawaiian green sea turtle with lots of pretty coral}

For your viewing pleasure, here is a video of this big guy:

And of course Big Beach {Makena} which is an island favorite

My girls are going to kill me for this, but I have to post it anyway.

A few things about this photo:

1. I wore a bikini. Check that one off my resolution list.

2. Notice how nicely tanned all my girlfriends are? I’m jealous.

3. For having 17 children, I’d say we look pretty good!

So many amazing memories, beautiful scenery, laughable moments, breathtaking views, the best food and friendships deepened.

But most of all, I loved having some time away with my love.

Even though he lost his wedding ring in the ocean.

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Posted by emily | 43 comments

Apr

29

Aloha

Ryan and I just made it home from our stay in Maui.

10 days

5 other couples {some of our closest friends}

0 children

It was delightful.

In honor of our beautiful vacation and the island we called home for the past week and a half, I’m dubbing this HAWAII WEEK. Each day I’ll share a little something from our Maui experience.

:: photos of our trip

:: our favorites of the island

:: food we ate {yum}

:: fashion

:: and the highlight moment of our vacation {at least for me}

Stay tuned …

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Posted by emily | 8 comments

Apr

06

weekly wrap-up

Let’s start this week’s Instagram snapshots with this pretty image.

One of the best parts of living where we do is the abundance of daffodils – which makes them very cheap. And that makes this girl very happy.

After church last weekend, the kids and I spent the afternoon at my happy place.

No. 2 gave modeling a try:

{cutie}

and I couldn’t help taking a photo of the Trophy Cupcakes window display.

Pretty, pretty confetti.

Afterward, we had dinner with Ryan’s family and did a little wii dancing.

Even great-grandma got in on the action. Fun times.

Remember how I mentioned wanting a white watch in this post? Well look what my sweet husband ordered for me.

I should mention wanting things more often …

It is fun watching a friendship form between No. 3 & No. 4. Because their big brothers are often away at school, they spend most of their days together.

As much as I moan about how tiring this phase of parenting is, I will miss the days of putting puzzles together at the library with little ones. This is a really sweet time in our lives that I don’t want to forget.

You know what else I don’t want to forget? That Easter is more than just about this madness:

My bible study girls decided to watch The Passion of the Christ this week. It was my first time.

There were lots and lots of tears. A little hyperventilating, maybe. It is seriously such a hard movie to watch. I’ve been holding out because I knew it would take me down an emotional path that would wipe me out. And it did.

But it is such a good depiction of what we hinge our entire faith on – the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. I wish I could comprehend what He did and make it tangible in my every day life. I get so distracted and go about my day keeping Him to the side. I wish I didn’t do that.

This week I’ve been reading the story of His last few days on earth from the perspective of each of the gospel writers, and in a few different versions. It is not a happy story. There are terrible characters who do unfathomable things to a man who is innocent of all accusations – and yet He takes it. Not because He is weak. Not because He didn’t have the power to come down from the cross. But because He did it knowing it would save us.

You and me.

I don’t understand it, I’ll be honest. But I love it. And am so grateful.

The last words Jesus offered on the cross are my favorite:

It is finished. Even death couldn’t hold Him down.

May you have fun at the Easter egg hunt, enjoy the Peeps {I’m a fan} and Cadbury Creme Eggs {also a fan} and know that you are treasured by the God of the universe.

Happy Easter!

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Posted by emily | 35 comments

Mar

25

indeed

My husband makes fun of me because every time a new holiday comes I adamantly declare that it is my favorite.

But Easter really is my favorite.

Christmas gets all the attention. We spend months preparing, decorating, shopping for the beloved holiday. Christmas is great, don’t get me wrong. And without Christmas we would not have Easter. But sometimes it gets a little carried away.

That is what I like best about Easter.

There isn’t a lot of fanfare with this one. No crazy parking lots filled with anxious shoppers. No long post office lines. No wishlists or shopping lists or holiday card lists.

Growing up, our Easters consisted of Easter basket scavenger hunts, Sandi Patti playing on the record player and fancy Easter dresses made by my mom. We ate breakfast {baked blueberry french toast} in the dining room with real cloth napkins and fresh flowers on the table. We wore our new dresses to church then on to a big family gathering where the cousins overdosed on candy and dirtied our pretty pastel outfits. Sometimes we did an Easter egg hunt, sometimes not.

But ALWAYS at some point in the day we heard:

“He is Risen!”

to which we answered back:

“He is risen, indeed!”

Did you grow up saying this too? Doesn’t it just make you smile? There is something so happy about that phrase. Spiritually, of course. But also the idea of a fresh start, new life, a sense of hopefulness and excitement that surrounds this time of year.

I was thinking about the phrase a few weeks ago and asked if Lindsay would create a print for us for this Easter season.

What she created is so beautiful – both in design and spiritual truth. I am so excited to share her creations with you today.

Because sitting down for breakfast at a special table is a favorite memory of mine, I decided to set a few Easter tables of my own {using Lindsay’s artwork as inspiration}. There are lots of do-it-yourself ideas here as well as simple ways to set a pretty table. Perhaps it can inspire your Easter decorations this year.

{P.S. Before setting these tables, I had to google ‘how to set a table’. That’s how fancy I am.}

linen + white + industrial basket + vintage glassware

and the perfect little place cards

printed paper + ribbon-tied napkin + coordinating chocolates in a pretty dish

with a lovely print to send home with each guest

fresh flowers + pretty china + playful polkadots

paper plates + candy appetizer + crepe paper flower

a name tag tied to a flower makes a special party favor

. . . . . . . . . . .

So does that give you any ideas for your Easter table?

If you would like to use Lindsay’s artwork as part of your decoration, we have put together a great collection for you.

This is a printable file with each of these designs in all three colorways {teal, green, navy}.

You can print as many as you need, give them as gifts or use in your own home.

. . . . . . . . . . .

table setting sources

Happy Easter!

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Posted by emily | 26 comments

Mar

02

she’s two

In January 2010, this blog was born. It had been around for a few months prior, but it really came to life right around the new year. I was very, very pregnant with No.4 – our first girl – and those first few posts often centered around her. Her nursery, her name, girlie projects and sharing the emotions all mommies go through at the end of their pregnancies {excitement for the new babe, nervousness about change, impatience with just wanting to be done}.

The blog was started when she was growing inside me and in a weird way, I feel like she is what inspired it. For some reason, having a daughter awoke a greater sense of creativity in me that I wanted to share. I suddenly desired to expand beyond stationery design into sewing and crafting and creating as many flowers as I could figure out how to make.

I love this little girl and all the ways she has changed our family … and especially me.

Many of you have been here from the beginning. You remember those first posts, the frequent photos of our sweet newborn girl wearing yet another headband. You’ve heard stories about Audrey and watched her grow along side of us.

Every once in a while I meet a reader while out running errands. The way they recognize me is almost always because they recognized Audrey first. That makes me smile. I like sharing her life here on the blog – someday she will protest, but for now she’s my little companion and muse and favorite spunky/sweet two-year-old and I just can’t resist sharing her with you.

Audrey-girl turned two a few weeks ago, which means the blog did as well. They are both growing, changing, and bring me {and hopefully you!} such joy.