A Hawaiian Christmas

Yes, it's been 2+months since we posted a blog. Andrew has been dutifully composing Nathan's birth story (soon to be posted). Hopefully, most of you got the email about Nathan's birth. He was born exactly on his due date weighing in at 10.1 pounds and measuring 22 inches! He just had his 2 month check up and now weighs 18.1 pounds and is 25 3/4 inches long! We have a very sturdy and adorable 2 month old. Recovery has been harder than I thought, but little Nathan is definitely worth it.

We were able to go to Hawaii, which really helped me feel better. I went with my parents on Dec. 11 and we made it in time to see my sister Hannah graduate from BYU-Hawaii. Andrew's sister Leilani also graduated but he had to stay and work. He came out on Dec. 18th in time for Christmas. I was able to spend a week with my family in our time share on Waikiki. It was really fun to see my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and Hannah because I hadn't seen them since last Christmas. Jake, my brother, flies for Continental and is based out of Guam for a short time. Riley, my niece, loved baby Nathan and was always concerned with his well being. She would constantly bring him a pacifier or blanket to make sure he had what he needed. Anytime we bought anything for him she would also put it right next to him to let him know it was his. She is 2 1/2 going on 14.

The sun and 80 degree weather didn't feel much like Christmas but we tried to do Christmas things like bake cookies, see the downtown lights, go shopping, and even see Santa Claus. Grandma Glidewell also came out for a short while and we were able to spend some quality time with her. It was my mom's birthday on the 14th and we all celebrated with a salmon picnic that we had on the BYUH campus. When we weren't busy with Christmas things or celebrations, we were at the beach. Little Nathan took to the water quite well. We only put him in waist deep, but he seemed pretty content to sit and enjoy the water because it cooled him off. My brother would always comment on how big he was.

When Andrew came out, we went to the North Shore to be with his family. His parents and youngest sister Leilani still live in Laie. His older sisters Kimberly and Tina were also able to come out along with Tina's new baby Emmalia and husband John. We also did Christmas festivities over there (complete with the famous cookie decorating extravaganza), but most of the time was spent taking pictures of and playing with our babies who are almost exactly a month apart. They seemed to be instant friends and whenever we sat them next to each other they cooed, smiled, kicked and were very active. We also celebrated Andrew's birthday on the 22nd and had a barbecue with some of his old friends.

We also had some spiritual moments on this vacation. My sister Hannah is going to serve a mission of for our church- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February. Before going, she is required to take out her endowments in the temple. She did this in the Laie temple and Andrew, my dad, mom, and I as well as several of her friends were able to attend. My sister Doree babysat little Nathan. It was a wonderful experience to see my family in the temple and to watch my sister take this momentous step in her life. We also blessed Nathan. Our friends, the Murphy's, let us borrow their son's blessing outfit. The shirt looked kind of like a midriff on Nathan, but it worked. (Later, we put Emmalia in her blessing dress and took pictures- it looked kind of like a baby wedding!) Both of our families were able to be there and see little Nathan get blessed. Our fathers stood in the circle and Andrew gave a really wonderful blessing. He talked a lot about the meaning of Nathan's name and that Nathanial means "gift from God" but Nathan actually means "giver" and that he should follow Christ's example of giving service. My husband is often a very profound speaker and many people commented on what a neat blessing it was.

That day (Dec. 23rd) was also my dad's birthday so we celebrated with my family and took pictures in front of the Waikiki Christmas tree. We spent the night with them and then woke up on Christmas Eve to take a beautiful hike to Manoa Falls. It was quite an awesome experience greeting everyone with a "Merry Christmas" as we were hiking among the beautiful foliage of Hawaii in 80 degree weather. I kept saying "this is the life!" We then drove back to the North Shore to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Andrew's family. It seemed like a lot of back and forth but Andrew and I were able to enjoy each other's company and the beautiful scenery of the drive. That night we lit the luminarias and put them along the driveway. We also went to PCC (the Polynesian Cultural Center) to listen to some festive holiday music Hawaiian style and do some shopping. We read the Christmas story, put on our new PJ's and hopped into bed.

The next day we opened some nice gifts (Nathan slept in my arms through all of the present opening). We also had a nice family lunch together. Then Andrew and I were off again to see my family. We opened presents there and had another nice meal. That evening all of us kids, including Leilani, were given a gift to see Cirque du Soleil. It was Hawaii's version of it and after we got over the bad Elvis impersonator, the show was quite extravagant and on the edge of your seat kind of entertainment. My favorite was the lady that could change clothes in the blink of an eye. The next day we had to say goodbye to Jake, Ali, Riley, and Ali's parents who were there for Christmas as well. Sadly our vacation was coming to a close. Andrew and I got to celebrate one more event- our anniversary. We got a gift card to the Cheesecake Factory and enjoyed a nice meal among the palm trees of Waikiki. What a wonderful trip! We were able to catch up with old friends, celebrate graduation, birthdays, and our anniversary and most of all make memories with both our families! Now, back to reality. Mele Kalikimaka and a Happy New Year! For more pics of our trip, check out the "Christmas in Hawaii" link on the left of our blog.