back from vacation {where we went and pics} + the newest member of our family

We're probably weird,
but we loved being together every minute for so many days.
It's like that at home too though, LOL.

We're back from our 10th anniversary trip!! We went to Kauai for a week, and to say it was gorgeous is probably an understatement. I so wish I could have taken you with me! If you love warm weather, the mountains, and the beach with a breeze, you would love this place! :) It was beautiful.

But even more than that, I can't tell you how good it was to take a real break from everything. I realized right before we left that I was feeling really weary, and really needed to take a Sabbath from all the work, the noise, and all the little jobs I have. It was such a wonderful thing to get away for a week, and just focus on Jesus and my husband. I felt like I could take a deep breath and slow down while I was there, and I came back feeling more energized to start again! :D

It was awesome for my heart, and marriage too I think, and only possible because the Lord blessed us with such awesome parents who all took turns watching our kiddos while we were gone! They were the best! What a gift it was.

This view from our balcony definitely helped set the relaxed tone for the week:  ;)

our first sunrise in Kauai

And the long walks helped too:

enjoying a gorgeous trail with my love....we walked this far apart most of the time. {lol...just kidding! ;) }

Thanks to my weird pregnancy body clock, we got to see the sunrise every day! :D

how can people see this and not worship the Lord? I don't understand...He is SO amazing. It was such a precious time!

And then the weirdest thing happened while we were there...I couldn't even form a thought for the whole week regarding what needed to be done when we got back home. I tried to think about it and use the extra time I had to plan several times, and my brain would immediately shut down. Instead, I slept and ate good food {and a lot of it! I think the baby gained a whole pound last week- his kicks are crazy strong this week!!}. I didn't exercise other than hiking, I didn't write anywhere but in my journal, and I didn't make a single to-do list. It was like recovery mode for my body and mind. :D

I have lots of pictures and stories to share with you guys {we took at least 1000 pictures....the crazy tourists that we are}. :D, but I couldn't wait to tell you about this fun little thing who joined our family yesterday:

Her name is Rella, short for Cinderella. :D She's the first pet the kids have had in about 5 years, and they are so excited. She's itty bitty and we've been having lots of fun with her so far. :D We've never had a cat before, so it's even more thrilling for them. It will be neat to seem them bond with this little kitty before the baby comes. :)

I think it was definitely an exciting end to the last week for them staying with the grandparents. :D I'm just so thankful we had a long weekend to readjust before jumping back into life! :)

Today we all go back to school, work, and teaching fitness classes. My oldest daughter Isabella {#3} is also graduating from kindergarten today {sniffle, sniffle}, and Rob's little brother is getting married this weekend, so we have a full week to come back to for sure! :D

Ever since we got back from Hawaii, we have been trying to readjust our bodies again to Texas time. The two flight red-eye we took probably didn't help with the jet lag- but even with that, I have to say I'm still a huge fan of sleeping your way through 8 hours of flying! :) That was the first time we'd done that, and it made the trip home really fly by. {heheh.} I think I'm finally back on Texas time- I woke up at 5 this morning {midnight in HI}!

I missed you guys though! Did anything happen while I was gone?

How was your week?? Did you do anything special for Memorial Day?
We slept really late and worked on pre-baby projects. :D

Mamas, is this week the end of school for your kiddos too?
Summer starts tomorrow for us!

Have you ever taken a red-eye flight? What did you think? Love them or hate them? {It would be awful if you couldn't sleep!}