VBS

Vacation Bible School at Cornerstone took place in the middle of June. The theme was Saddle Ridge Ranch so everyone was in full cowboy and cowgirl attire. Jeremy was traveling to the Mainland all except for the last day, which happened to be parents' night. Jeremy really got put to work on parents night because he was the BBQ grillmaster and cooked up all the hotdogs and hamburgers for the whole crowd.

This is Jillian in her classroom with Auntie Grace and Uncle Matt.

Now for the feature presentation

This is what yummy looks like before it gets to your plate!

The whole point of the summer Alaska trip was to do some fishing (and see friends). Jeremy and Jillian drove to Ninilchik, AK on the Kenai to do some halibut fishing. The scheduled day for the fishing trip got weathered out so they spent an extra night and went out the next day. It was kind of chilly but the weather was good and not raining. Jillian stayed back at the cabin and played with Lara and Allison while Daddy went out on the boat with his buddies. The fishing trip was the last hurrah for the Alaska adventure before it was time to pack up and go back to Mama in Hawaii.

The post Alaska Wildberry sugar rush crash

Energy slowly....... wearing....... down...... must....... rest...... now......

The giant sugar rush crash of June 1st, 2010 occurred in Uncle Tim's office watching cartoons.

The post Alaska Wildberry sugar rush

What happens when you load up a five year old with loads of chocolate and naturally sweet berries? Insanity.

Burning off some energy at the McDonald's play place.

Good food and good fun

Alaska Wildberry Products
This place has yummy treats made of different ypes of Alaskan berries coated in chocolate. WOW!

Here is Jillian, Joy, and Josh hanging out on the bridge over Campbell Creek. This creek empties out at Lake Campbell over by where we used to live.

Here is Jillian enjoying the other half of Jeremy's lunch at The Peanut Farm. The Peanut Farm is an Anchorage staple of good food, a lot of big screen TVs, and cool car shows in the summer.

A beautiful Alaskan Memorial Day

When we lived in Alaska, this was the lind of weather that we waited all winter for. Memorial Day was sunny and in the low 70s so we went to the park to play.

Jillian and Joy playing queen of the hill!

Uncle Tim is giving free pushes on the swing.

On the way back to the house after a long afternoon of playing in the warm, Alaska sun.

Daddy and Jillian go to Alaska

Jeremy and Jillian decided back in February to go to Alaska for some fun, fishing, and some bonding. Mama had to stay at home this trip because of work. The two of them left for Alaska on Jillian's last day of school and flew from Kona to Honolulu and then on to Anchorage for six days. They stayed with our old neighbors: The Burson family (who have not seen Jillian in two years). In this picture, Aunt Joy is giving Jillian some braids in her hair.

A little further pampering from Aunt Joy in the form of a manicure while Uncle Tim looks on.

What do you get when you put Tim and Josh Burson together with a five year old?

Answer: Uncontrollable tickling!

Promotion Day!

Jillian is an official Kindergartener now! We took this picture during the ceremony while Jillian's class was making their presentation. The class sang two songs and during the one, Jillian was a butterfly. Most of the day was focused on the current Kindergarten class graduating to first grade, but that will be Jillian next year. For now: summer break!

Crazy stuff from the Buckeye State

The feast at Ferraro's Family Restaurant.

The forbidden picture.

Uncle Justin was not happy about his picture being taken and less hapyy when we informed him that it would be headed to Jillian's blog.

If you are under the age of 70 then Aunt Eileen's cat does not like you. Needless to say that "Tiger Woods" was not happy with Jillian's endless amounts of energy. This picture is what you get when you don't meet the criteria mentioned above.

Every cloud has a silver lining

In May we had to make a quick trip to Ohio to take care of some family issues. We had not been planning on going back to the Midwest this year, but things worked out differently. It was really great for Jillian to see some of her family on Jeremy's side because the last time we were back was last summer.

Jillian with Aunt Eileen

Jillian and Papa Dan all tied up with the dogs (they were a load of fun)


Jillian and Nana headed out for a walk

Jillian and Aunt Krissy (she has lots of fun stuff in her room)

More unlimited fun

The neighbor boys have scooters of their own (in boy colors) and Jillian loves to borrow one and ride up and down the street. We used some leftover birthday money and got Jillian one to ride around with. We thought that the first thing she would want to do would be to go ride it on the street, but she likes using it in the house instead. Surprisingly, the scooter has become a permanent inside form of transportation for Jillian, Jeremy, and Jennifer. :)

Deja Vu

Jillian at the Dole Plantation

Jillian eating pineapple yogurt in 2010


Jillian eating pineapple yogurt in 2005

Pineapples, a train ride, and a new set of eyeballs

This is a picture of Jillian next to a baby pineapple at the Dole Plantation on the island of Oahu. We had some extra time after we checked out of the hotel and before our flight left to have a little fun. We drove upcountry to the Plantation to get some pineapple yogurt (More on that to come in the next post).

We had a coupon for the Dole Plantation train ride so we got on their little train and rode it through the pineapple fields. It was cold and rainy this day. The train cars had fold down sides but all the tourists wanted them up to take pictures of trees and plants that we see every day so we were outvoted on putting the sides down. We were very cold and got rained on! Here is a moment of happiness just before the train left the station.

The whole trip to Honolulu was so Jennifer could get Lasik eye surgery and would not need glasses or contacts anymore. The surgery was a success! Jen had to wear these funky glasses for the rest of the trip to Honolulu so that her eyes were protected and Jillian thought they were funny looking.

The swingset of unlimited fun

Jillian's birthday present from us got put up almost a month late, but it eventually went in to the backyard today. We had been waiting for a different one to be in stock at a store in town, but this one showed up and we liked it even more. Jeremy put the swingset together a little bit each day and Jillian would nag him to get it done faster. Jillian loves to swing, but hasn't mastered the ability to swing with her own momentum so she is constantly asking for someone to push her.

Princess Party at the house

We borrowed a bounce house from some friends for the kids to play in. It was a big hit!
All of Jillian's school friends were invited to the party and the parents were told to bring a swimsuit and a change of clothes. We set up the pool for the kids to play in. Jillian loves her pool!

Here is a group shot of Jillian opening presents. Some of the kids were very anxious to help Jillian open her presents so they went ahead and opened their own for her and then gave them to her. The kids all had fun and Jillian got a lot of great stuff for her birthday.

F - I - V - E

Jillian turned five years old and it is tradition that whoever has a birthday brings in goodies for the class. Jennifer and Jillian stayed up late to bake some muffins and cut up fruit for a fruit salad. Jillian's preschool class really enjoyed the yummy treat!

Here is Jillian handing out the muffins. The fruit salad was in the little cups, and as you can see it was devoured.

The Hamakua Coast

Here is a shot that we took from the helicopter that shows most of the Hamakua coastline. It was amazing!

The Waipio Valley

We didn't think that anything would top the volcanoes from the air until we got up to the Hamakua Coastline. The waterfalls stole the show! We saw lots of waterfalls and they were beautiful. The pilot flew us back into one of the valleys and hovered near the back of the valley where three waterfalls fell almost 2,000 feet to sea level. The pilot had us at about 1,000 feet and so when you looked out the window you could not see the top of the waterfall because it was so tall. We never knew that these waterfalls were here until we took the helicopter ride. It was a great trip!!!!!

The fire down below!

Here is the primary cause of all of our vog! The carbon dioxide that is being emitted from the vent is toxic to plant and animal life. You can't get near the vent or it will make you sick. Scientists have studied the increased output from the volcano vent and assured the residents of the Big Island that the toxic fumes have mostly dissipated by the time it gets to Kona and it is water vapor that we breathe in. We're not so convinced.

A skylight of a lava tube that leads from the vent to the ocean. We could see the lava flowing through the skylight.

Here is an active surface flow of lava where it had come out of the lava tube and was running above ground. You can see in the picture that the lava had killed all the vegetation in the area and some of the trees were burning. The pilot hovered over this area for a while and we could smell the sulfur and feel the heat in the helicopter. The smell made Jillian's belly upset and she went to sleep. This area is only visible from the air and the casual tourist would not get to see this without a long and dangerous hike over miles of old lava flows.

The best way to see Hawaii is from the air!

Sunshine Helicopter Tours

We had been wanting to take a helicopter tour of the island for quite some time. Jeremy was able to book us a tour because a friend of a friend is a mechanic for Sunshine Helicopters in Hilo and we really got the hook-up! We departed out of Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel and flew towards the east side of the island where the active volcano is. From there we turned north past Hilo and along the Hamakua Coast before heading back to the resort.

Here is a picture of Jillian at the beginning of the flight before she got an upset belly. Later, the sulfur smell from the volcanic gasses made Jillian nauseous and she fell asleep.

A view of Waikoloa Village with Hualalai in the background. The vog is the brownish haze that surrounds the mountain.

Happy Valentine's Day

A special creation for Valentine's Day!

Jeremy and Jillian made this special Valentine's Day card and then delivered it at the end of the day when they came to pick me up at work. Oh, and there was a big bouquet of flowers to go along. You'll have to stay tuned to the next post to see the big Valetnine's Day excursion was!!!!!