20 Weeks Pregnant!

We are halfway through the pregnancy! Woohoo!!

I am feeling all sorts of movement, which is so fun. And my belly keeps expanding.

We found out last week that we will be having a baby BOY! We are thrilled! His name is Jeremiah Lincoln. He has some really big shoes to fill.

Registry making and organizational buying is in full swing. Someone has to get this house ready for a baby! We also started reading him books because he can now hear sound outside of the womb.

Here is the pic. that we sent the family to announce that we were having a baby boy. People were confused about the green color, but hello, he's wearing a top hat and a bow tie!

Hawaii 2013 - Day 11 -Road to Hana

I gave Day 11 its own post because we literally spent all day in the car taking in one beautiful sight after the other. I didn't want to leave any of the beauty out! I'll let you enjoy the pics.

First stop on this winding road is the infamous "Jaws" where wave in the winter get up to 20ft tall. A surfer's dream.

Our ballin' SUV

Second stop was a nature conservatory. There were cool plants, and flowers. And this super cool peacock who just happened to have his plume out. 

A bunch of my pictures were views from the car as we drove. The roads were tiny, sometimes one lane. I was glad I didn't have to drive, but instead got to take in the sights!

Third stop were the black sand beaches. I have to admit that these were really neat. 

lava tunnel/tube

Lunch in Hana at a Thai place. It hit the spot after a LONG morning driving and sightseeing. It was literally a tent with picnic tables. But the food was SO YUMMY!

Our last stop was at a national park where waterfalls/pools were everywhere. We hiked up a trail to see what we could see. 

This bamboo forest was what I wanted to see since I started reading about the sights in Maui. It didn't disappoint. 

Mom and Dad found a shady spot to sit. Mom couldn't do the hike b/c she sprained her foot earlier in the week at Halakala Crater. Sad for her. But this doesn't look like too bad of a spot to spend a few hours. :)

the road out of Hana. So narrow!

Leaving Hawaii and the folks was bittersweet. We sure had a great time though! Til' next time.

Hawaii 2013 - Day 10

Day 10- We were true tourists this day. We followed the advice of our guide book, left the house by 2:30AM and ventured to Halakala Crater to see the sunrise. We went from sea level to 10,000 ft in about 3 hours and from 80 degree weather to about 50...brrr! But it was worth it!

Blurry but we were there!

Joel kept focusing more on mom and me than the sunrise in the background. This was as good as we got. :)

All of us happy that the sun is up and we can get back into the warm car!

                                       

Smaller cones inside the crater. You can see the blacker part on the left side where actual lava came out of this cone.

I forget what day this part happened, but we got to see an actual lava flow. Talk about cool! At first I thought it was a field that had just been tilled, but no, it was where the lava flowed out of a cone into the ocean. So cool!

Hawaii 2013 Day 8-9

Day 8- We went to a great snorkeling spot on Maui. We saw all kinds of fish and even some sea turtles!

mom

dad

Day 9- We headed down some road where there were multiple sights. What Dad forgot to mention is that these sights weren't for the faint of heart! Signs of warning were at every spot. 

First stop was a blow hole. Note the sign. "Warning"...It was very cool though.

Love these two!

 Second stop were lava pools that had cooled and filled with water. We hiked down a "trail" to get to these. This was by far one of my favorite experiences.

Near the bottom where the pools were.

Dad and Joel venturing down to swim in the pools. Mom and I stayed further back and watched. Boys will be boys.

The road ended at a little green shack where a woman was selling "the best banana bread in the world." I don't know if it was the best in the world, but it was really tasty! We sat under a tree, ate our bread, and took in the lush green surroundings. 

Hawaii 2013 Days 5-7

Day 5- North Shore Drive

We drove up and around the north shore of Ouahu. Again, the sights were absolutely stunning. We stopped at a macadamia nut farm where we got to crack open some nuts and test taste some yummy nuts covered in all sorts of toppings. My fav. was the cinnamon and sugar one. I am still craving it.

A not-so-wild wild boar. Joel touched it and then ate some nuts without washing his hands. He thought he might die. But luckily he didn't .:)

Beautiful North Shore. 17 week bump.

In front of "China Man's Hat" which may be a bit racist, but hey, it's labeled that on the map. 

Day 6- We hiked out to an albatross bird (think the bird from Rescuers) and monk seal sanctuary. I was thinking that I wished we left the house earlier in the day. It was super warm but really beautiful!

The wave were enormous! Joel adventured out to the edge of this rock formation. Boys will be boys.

An albatross bird in the wild.

Do you see the seal in the water? 

Relaxing after the hike in.

After our hike we went to Target. Can I just say that this place is magical? We didn't go crazy, but we did buy some needed items. 

We ended the day at this BEAUTIFUL lagoon. The water was super calm and the weather was perfect for sunbathing and swimming. You can see Joel's head bobbing in the water.

Day 7- We left Meg on beautiful Ouahu and headed to meet my parents on Maui. Joel and I spent most of day 7 at the airport waiting for mom and pop's plane to arrive. We took the day easy, resting and catching each other up on the last year of life and went to dinner. I was so happy to see them!