Maui - Pool Time

The Marriott where my parents have their timeshares has an awesome pool with waterfalls, water slides and pirate ship and two hot tubs!! Fun stuff. These are some pics from pool time play!

Brie just LOVED the water!!!!
He is sooooo CUTE!
He is soooooo FUNNY!
This is the swim outfit we got her while in Maui, we realized that with her skin the more covered she is the BETTER!!! This cute suit prevented some major sunburn!!

Soda and swimming pool, what more do you need?

The water balls were oh so popular this year! Riley had tons of fun!

Maui - Reef Dancer

We wanted to go on a submarine, but they had height restrictions and we wanted to do this as a family. So, we went on a semi-sub called the reef dancer. It was fun, the kids loved it. We all got kinda sick, but each diver (there are two) found an octopus.

The diver with an octopus
The thing in the middle is it's beak.

Funny diver, the smaller octopus kept inking, it was cool.
Riley was very happy, isn't that what it is ALL about?!?!?!

Maui - Cool Tree

We went to Lahaina to go on a semi-sub (that blog post is next), while we were waiting we found this cool courtyard with this huge tree and others grafted into it to support all of the extending branches - hard to explain - you get it, it was SUPER COOL!!

Ry and Rick's kids - Kaleigh, Ace, Cade, Jett and Drake

The SUPER COOL tree!!

Shave Ice

Every year when my parent's family goes to Maui, they take this specific drive (no clue what the name of the road is), they call it the shave ice drive. Anywho, the road goes along the coast of the island and is very scenic and beautiful but extremely narrow and a little scary! The locals fly down the road and that gets a little crazy on the blind corners!!! We all made it there safely, only Cade puked (which he did very tidily in his Ziploc baggie - I was impressed!!!) We had the best Shave Ice EVER and took some pictures. After we drove to da kitchen (local restaurant) for the best dinner!!!!!!! Good times!

All of us, the pic is a little dark, the shave ice lady took it for us!
Our little family!

Maui - "Helicopter Fly-er"

This is the volcano crater from the air
The shore of Hana, this is definately the way to see Hana, the "road to Hana" should be named the "road to Pukville"!

So we totally splurged and Ty, Ry and I went on a helicopter ride! It was awesome and we will be doing it again! Ry and I were in the front and we had the best views! Ry was excited and dancing around the 2 days before and up until about 10 minutes before we got on the copter. He kept asking, are we going yet?, Let's go mom!, and so forth. Then 10 minutes before it was time to get on when they gave us the life vests to put around out waist, he was so NERVOUS. He kept saying, "mom, we don't need to go. I think I will just stay here and watch the helicopter take off and land". (Ty and Ry often go to the small airport and watch planes). We coaxed him on and he sat sooooooooooooooo still with his head down for about two minutes CLUTCHING my hand! It was kind of funny!! After that he wouldn't stop talking into the microphone - HE LOVED IT! He kept saying the whole trip, "Mom, I am going to be a helicopter fly-er"!!!! It was awesome!!!!

Air vent holes from when Haleakala erupted
Pretty Waterfalls
Me in my gear
More waterfalls
Our helicopter. I will do another post when I find the rest of the pics!!!

Maui - Haleakala Volcano

Okay, time to move on with the "Great Summer of 08" update. We did A LOT in Maui, so I am breaking out trip up into different blogs.
We were there on a Sunday and slept through the 9am church (oops)!! We didn't feel like swimming and playing in the pool, so we took a nice drive - as we often do on Sundays. We decided to drive up to the top of the Haleakala Volcano. The drive was a little long and windy, but it was worth it. The views were amazing and it was a breezy 55 or 60 degrees up there!!!! We had fun and stopped to buy some really pretty flowers on the way down for me and my mom. The elevation was really high so we were a little light headed. Very interesting experience. Not too many pics, we have some better ones of the volcano from the Helicopter ride.

Us at the lookout point. Brie does not like to cooperate!!
I think that is the Island of Oahu!?!?!?! Maybe the big island of Hawaii. I can't remember! We were above a lot of clouds, it was really cool!
My boys, behind them is the crater.
Riley is a ROCK collector. To this day he still has all of these volcano rocks in his backpack. He finds them every once in a while and gets really excited!!!

Please do not be offended!!!

So, I finally took the time to make my blog oh so pretty!! I love it, except for the fact that I lost my bloggin' buddies list in doing so! So I am trying to update it, PLEASE do not be offended if you are no longer on the list - I am trying to find everyone an put it back together!!!
Laters!

Tyson Graduates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! Tyson has his Masters of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies. All of the hard work and LONG hours have paid off. It was awesome. I want to say that I am extremely proud of my husband for all of his hard work and still making time for me and kids through it all! He is a very smart guy - but he REALLY does not like school!!! He did very well and I will not be hiding his college transcripts from the kids (just his high school ones!!!!) He attended a Catholic school, so there were lots of read prayers and such (not what we are used to). It was a very nice ceremony in a beautiful room at Marywood University. Ry and Brie are very proud of their daddy too!

Ty and two of his biggest fans!!!
Next to the podium with his Certificate of Completion, we are still waiting for his diploma to come in the mail.
This is Lori, she is his good friend from the program.
Ty and his mother.
All of us! We did it!! 4 long years of school with kids, finally OVER!!

Carpinteria 2008

Okay, so every summer the Cluff family ( and like 100 other people from the Collings family line) go to Carpinteria for a family reunion. They have been doing so for almost 60 years and though I hate camping in tents with dirt and sand and hot and sunblock and sunburn (you get it yet) I still go because it is a tradition and my kids LOVE it. What am I to do, I am a mom now and life is SO NOT about me. Anyway - My mom went with me to help with the kids because poor Tyson had to go to Pennsylvania for testing and all that jazz to finish up PA school. I didn't get many pics, but I did remember to take my camera to the birthday party. We celebrate the all of the kids under 12 I think and all of the zero birthdays and since this just so happens to be my mom's 50th bday year - she was included!!! Very fun.

Mom in her Bday hat, she pulls it off!!!
Mom and my bro-in-law (mom's bishop no less) David Cluff he is 40!!!
Riley was soooooooo excited to get his treats!!!
He totally ran up there when they called his name. Funny kid.

Well we do a lot more at Carp. This year we had Olympic competitions since it was an Olympic year, we had a Pioneer Trek because we were there on Pioneer Day, we go to the beach most days, I always go to the outlets at Carmarillo one day (which mom and I did - can't buck tradition!!!), campfire every night (that was fun) and lots more fun stuff. I am sure I will have way more pics in 2009, my photographer, Tyson, will be there!!

Here It Goes

Let me just outline our summer for you. IT WAS CRAZY!!!!!! We had a very good time, just way too long to be living out of bags!!!
1. We drove to California, a few days later Ty flew to Pennsylvania
2. The kids, Maga (Sherri Jackman) and I went camping at Carpinteria with the Cluffs for family reunion
3. The kids, Grandma (Marsha Cluff) and I flew to Pennsylvania to meet up with Tyson and attend his graduation.
4. From PA Ty flies to Chicago for a week long Board Exam review.
5. Two days later the kids, Grandma and I fly back to Cali.
6. Ty flies back to Cali (1am Saturday of Matt's wedding)
7. Matthew and Raechel's wedding!!!!!!!
8. Tyson, the kids and I (along with many Jackman family members) fly to Maui, Hawaii
9. Fly back to Cali - Tyson studies day and night and then takes the Physician Assistant Board Exam and PASSES!!!!!! We all go to PF Chang's to celebrate.
10. Drive back to Utah and apply for jobs and interview, etc, etc, etc, etc.
That is it for the summer. I will blog the main highlights with pictures, then on the our good news for fall!!!!!!!! TO BE CONTINUED.