Livin it up in the 805

We drove from 

Utah to Vegas. 

Vegas to Fresno.

Fresno to Camarillo.

We flew from 

LAX to HNL

We drove from 

Honolulu to Laie

and then we were home.

What a fun Family & Friend filled Trek!
We love & miss you all...

.... and we drove.

And we arrived.

Grandma Christy took us to the BuenaVentura Beach in SoCal. It was so nice to be at the beach again! They had this sweet play ground there. Check it out!

Is this not thee coolest slide ever?! Will was so brave to go HEAD FIRST!

He's just catchin some rays 

Derek's family LOVES games! This was a new one to us! Super fun! 

Of course we had to see Auntie Laura Aguallo! aka LA!

She's doing FABULOUS still the Assistant Designer with the company that makes Hello Kitty items, HENCE:

Apparently she had them make this blue outfit just for Jocelyn... 

to match her EYES

BLUE EYED BEAUTY

We were in town at just the right time! We got to be there when Baby Ian arrived! Laura was amazing and had a c section! They both did great!

Isn't he precious?!

Ian Andrew at 1 week

Will & Ian 

Such cute boys!

MORE FAMILY FUN!

Just a friendly game of ball

GO VIPERS!

The umps

We want a pitcher not a belly itcher! 

GOOOO MORGAN

GiGi with JoJo

The love birds

So happy we could spend time with the Clark Clan!

Who doesn't enjoy a fresh Strawberry Shortcake on a beautiful summer day?!
We sure did!

Auntie Kris!

To the park!

We tried crashing the In'N'Out party! jk!

How awesome would that be!?

Then it was off to the Airport! Thank you to all that let us stay with them & visit! We had a BLAST!

These 2 pictures are dedicated to Nicolle & Chris Brady. Derek was thrilled to get to play Chris' video games while he was gone! hahaha SiLLi

LOVE THIS OUTFIT FROM Auntie LA!

Thank you Nicolle for letting us keep our special belongings with you until my parents could come pick it up! You are such an angel! I need to get the picture of you & JoJo! xoxox

Well, I believe I'm now up to date! Well, now just everything that has happened since we got back! AGH! hahaha I am so behind! ;> Have a great weekend!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

p.s.

I LOVE THIS STUFF! 

We got it at Sam's... go buy a pack! 

It's without High Fructose Corn Syrup, 

is slightly flavored water & equals 2 fruit servings! 

I love the Citrus & Berry... So REFRESHING!

A great way to get yourself to drink MORE WATER!

Saw it. Loved it. Recommend it! 

We Ladies of Laie got to run & see it one night! Thanks Jenny for suggesting it! It was such a fun movie! Makes me wanna COOK... & BLOG! ;> 

Thanks for reading!

The Trek

This is our farewell to my Mom! I was so spoiled! She came & stayed for 2 weeks in Utah during Jocelyn's birthday! So fun! All of her 4 siblings & their families live there along with her parents so she loves having another reason to visit! OHANA

SO cute.

Hey pretty mama!

Jocelyn was escorted around the neighborhood in this! She was true royalty! She LOOOOOVED it! My Dad would take her while he was visiting for a week! She learned the Queen's wave! haha

See you soon...

This is part of our drive to Las Vegas Nevada!

matching matching! Jocelyn got to see her COUSINS one more time before we headed back to Hawaii! We had fun swimming & eating yummy food. It's so fun to see Kat & Drew! 

Andrew is taller!

remember these 2 are just 1 day apart!

Auntie Natalie & I made this our of ribbon! It was so fun! We love crafts!

KISSES! aka blackmail later in life! hahaha

awwwwwwwww... playing together!

And then?!? TO FRESNO! 

The Grandparents just couldn't get enough of us! hahaha My parents let us borrow their car for the summer so we were returning it, dropping off clothes & things we didn't want to take with us & having a little more fun!

It was hard for them... riiiiiiiiiight! :>

I certainly don't mind! Thanks Mom & Dad for letting us hang out!!!! WE LOOOOOVE YOU! You are so fun!

( coming up shortly is the last leg of our trek to SoCal Camarillo, CA where we saw the rest of Derek's family!!! More fun times!!! Stay tunned )

There was a pounding at the door...

My parents just told me that they had a pounding knock at the door the other morning. The door bell rang franticly! It was about 7am and my Dad was getting dressed & ready for work. He rushed to the door wondering who would be there so early. He opened the door & saw their next door neighbor, Norma, standing there & she quickly said,

"My husband is drowning in our pool can you PLEASE help me get him out?!"  

Instantly they run over & my Dad dove into the deep end. Mike, her husband, was at the bottom! It took my Dad 3 tries to pull his 200lb body out. He had to take him to the shallow end & then lift him out. Meanwhile, Norma was inside the house. She couldn't handle watching!  My Mom was by my Dad's side, calling 911 & they stayed on the line to assist in any way possible. My Dad recalled the boy scout CPR training & was able to get Mike breathing by the time the Ambulance arrived!!!

It took about the whole day in the hospital but by nights end Mike had passed away. His body was responding but not his brain. He had been in the water too long.

Poor Norma! She had the pool filled in and gave their pool gate to my parents so that the grandkids (Jocelyn) would be safe. My heart aches for her. To have seen what happened & to now be alone. Her poor grieving soul.

I share this story with you because I couldn't believe my ears! I mourn with Norma! She is such a sweet lady! Mike will be missed by all. But I am particularly proud of my Dad. How hard it must have been for him! Physically & Emotionally! I can not imagine the shock & strength that is required. But emotionally that must be very difficult to do. To have that replaying in his mind. I would have titled this post "My Dad the Hero," but I wasn't sure if in order to be a "hero" Mike would have had to live. But Webster defines the word:

• Main Entry: he·ro
• Pronunciation: \ˈhir-(ˌ)ō\
• Function: noun
• Inflected Form(s): plural heroes
• Etymology: Latin heros, from Greek hērōs
• Date: 14th century

1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage

So I think he is a Hero. I admire him for his achievements & noble qualities. I'm glad he knows CPR & was able to execute. He was able to bring his heart back to breathing. And above all he showed great courage! Dad, I admire you. That must have been a difficult experience. I am grateful for your wisdom and courage. But he wouldn't like the title. He is but a humble man. 

I know that some of you may have family or friends that have drown. I do. So I am not trying to diminish that event! That is horrific. A real tragedy. Apparently Mike had been for a jog that morning & it being summer in Fresno it's already hot that early. So once he got home he went to cool off in the pool. Norma was just on the other side of the sliding glass door! She blames herself for not watching him... I hope she can not torment herself with that! Mike had some heart conditions and had collapsed before. So we can only assume what exactly caused him to drown. May he rest in peace and God lift Norma's weary heart! 

I love you Dad! You are my Everyday Hero!

Always late but worth the wait...

These photos are from our summer in SLC. I have more, but my computer isn't uploading them. WEIRD So I'll have to try again later. Enjoy!

Fun with the FORD's

Jocelyn & Bella

Jocelyn & Bodie

We took a few rainbows with us to the mainland... here's one of them! ALOHA

Kara & baby Graham

Swing Swing Swing

ALWAYS putting things in her mouth GUH!

as the sun setteth

... more of this 100% cuteness

more photos from Angie ;> Thanks lady love!

100% Cute = Perfect Percentile

Today Jocelyn had her 1 year appointment... 2 months late! Since we were gone and then her Doc was booked for a couple weeks... but she is a super trooper! Getting all those shots and pricks!

22 lbs 3 oz

30.5 inches tall

18 inch head

This puts her at the 50%ile for weight and 75%ile for height! YAY! For a while she dropped down to 25% for both... I'm glad she's growing healthy & strong! She has slightly low iron so we are gonna have to have some STEAK! ;> He was impressed with her smile and signs... she learned a few more since I posted last! More, All done, Please, Milk, Cracker! YAY! More communication! She blew her doctor kisses good bye! I love her so! Here a few FAB photos of her this last week. She has gone down slides at the playground but with us holding one hand usually or at least getting her started. But she totally did it on her own this last time! Thanks Angie for catching those precious "Kodak Moments!" I love you!

Back Home to Hawaii

Sorry, I forgot to announce that we are BACK in Hawaii! It's been about 2 weeks now. Derek is enjoying 3 classes for the "first term" and will start Fall semester in September. Jocelyn is loving being back... getting to see friends, meet some that were just born, and play in the SUN! She honestly grabs our hands and takes us to the door so we can go outside! She's chatting our ears off! She gives kisses now! Waves all the time and had done 2 baby signs. More and All Done! We are working to do more... I really think it's my fault that she doesnt know more because I have been slacking off and not doing everything constantly! But I haven't given up yet!

I am babysitting a 10M old boy named Cache ($CHA CHING$) He stays with us on the mornings of Mon-Thursday. I am lucky to get to use my friend Shanae's old double wide stroller! :> So we just pumped up the tires and we are off! Shanae & I have been going to the gym M-TH 8-10pm! So I am gonna try to keep up with my handsome hubby in the game we call weight loss! I am also not partaking of "Animal based proteins" for a while! Aka DETOX Then we will do as the Word of Wisdom advises and eat meat sparingly! But, being a woman, my results are a lot slower than his... but I will keep you posted. Once I'm proud enough of my accomplishments you should be able to NOTICE with out me saying anything! haha Believe it or not I have lost 20lbs but have a ways to go! I have learned a lot about myself and how it feels to be not thin. It's a tough battle but I'm slowly building up the confidence that I CAN LOOSE IT! It seems impossible at times, but I have great friends & family who beleive in me and are convincing me that I can do it. So it may take a while but I WILL GET THERE! Meanwhile, I'll be seein YOU at the gym or the salad bar! :>

Derek gets a GOLD STAR for being so helpful lately! I love him and really appreciate all the assistance he has been giving around the house and with Jocelyn! I love you D*ROCK!

I have plenty more to talk about and more pictures to share with you, but I will have to do it later because it's WORK OUT time! Love to all!

These pictures are, yet again, brought to you by Shanae Jones Photography! THANKS GiRL!