This was Addie’s first time to waterski! She was a great sport and tried it two times, although falling was a little traumatic for her. After that she just swam, but maybe next time she’ll try again. She did a great job and we were all so proud of her!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o-4O2t8ibM

We also got to see our newest cousin Kaiden. Jessi and Erik drove out from Florida to be with us this weekend, and it was cute to see Kaiden and Nolan together. They are so close in age, they could be twins! Except there is a huge difference in how a 3 month old interacts (laughing and smiling all the time – Kaiden) and a 7 week old (maybe a hint of a smile now and then – Nolan).

Addie LOVED spending time with her cousins, as always, and learned how to roast her own marshmallows and make a smore. Grandma is a master marshmallow maker, so we got to have them a few nights in a row:)

We didn’t take the kids to a real fireworks show, but we did get some firecrackers and set them off in the fire pit outside the house. I love the reaction the kids had. They were all worried about how loud it was going to be, so they all covered their ears. Check out the expression on the 2 year olds faces as the firecrackers go off. So funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH59QI4BXLE

Celebrating with Nolan

2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks!

Honestly the rest of the weekend was great!  We went to my parents cabin for Friday night and Saturday.  We had a nice time just relaxing and spending time together, which is my language of love… (FYI).  Here are some photos of my weekend.

Out Little Model

All Smiles

Addie found the "Power of the Holy Ghost"

Addie loved playing in, on and around Grandpa’s new (’53 Ford) truck. At one point she opened a little tray on the floorboard of the truck cab and found the battery. She looked at me and said “this is the power Daddy, the power of the Holy Ghost.” I looked at my Dad and we both started laughing. I don’t know if I was more amazed at how she guessed the battery gives the car power, or the Holy Ghost reference. Apparently Addie listens in nursery. She helped Grandpa pull the fenders off and after all the work Grandpa had time to take Nolan for his first four wheeler ride. We even went for a little canoe ride in the river. This was a great weekend, a great birthday, caped by an amazing victory by my Dallas Mavericks!

Addie Helping Grandpa Fix the Truck

Nolan and Grandpa Four Wheeling

Zyklon B - Poison Gas used in the Gas Chambers

When the liberators arrived at the camp they found numerous evidences of the terror inflicted at these camps one of which was massive reserves of Giftgas, which translated from German means poison gas. This gas was Zyklon B, the poison gas used to take the lives of countless individuals.

Luggage packed but never used

This suitcase just one of the hundreds on display, belonged to Gertrude Neubauer, an orphan child. These bags were packed but never opened by those who packed them.

Barracks lining the road

Auschwitz I was the original camp, serving as the administrative center for the whole complex. The site for the camp—16 one-story buildings—had earlier served as Polish army artillery barracks.

Block 10 - Medical Experimentation

Each building was identified by a block number. Block 10 was the site of horrific medical experimentation.

The Fences

Surrounding the camp were miles of barbed wire fences which at the time the camp was active were electrified. I couldn’t help but think of what each barb on that fence had been through.

Administrative Offices

This building processed each new arrival to the camp.

We also visited Auschwitz II-Birkenau, which was built in October 1941. This facility dwarfed the original Auschwitz. It was massive and although very little is left, the sheer magnitude of the facility is powerful.

The Gate of Death

This gate was the entrance to the camp. Through this gate passed countless trains jammed full of prisoners, where upon arrival were inspected, sorted, and if determined not fit for work, placed in a line leading to the gas chambers.

The Bathroom

The facilities were primitive and too few for the prisoners in the camp.

A Barrack at Birkenau

Unlike Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II – Birkenau did not have brick barracks for the prisoners. They were crammed into these wooden barracks not suited for the rigors of the Polish countryside.

These tracks led people in but never out

My trip to Auschwitz was emotional and gave me a greater appreciation for the events of the past. Seeing Auschwitz is an event never to be forgotten.

We will give you more information when we get home about all of our travels but we are killing time while our clothes are in the wash. Hilton Garden Inn, thank you for having a washer and dryer so we do not have to use the sink.

Sorry our writing is so weird, we are using a foreign keyboard, and there is no apostrophe. And no °at° sign, and apparently no quotes…

Zac went on his 2nd to last business trip of the year, so we are excited about that! He was in Chicago, and next week he’ll be in Newark, NJ. After that, he’s homefree for the rest of the year! I wanted to come with him and spend a few days in NYC, but it was too last minute and I wasn’t sure how comfortable I’d be, traveling from Newark to NYC everyday, alone, and with a baby. Maybe next time.

I’m still teaching piano and voice lessons, and really enjoying it! I also love spending time with Adelyn and watching her learn new things every day. She is such a talker! She can say “Addie”, “Daddy”, “Mommy”, “Bottle” (sounds more like “body”), “Baby”, “Wow”, and “Hi”. And she still gives those slobbery kisses. She actually kissed a boy yesterday at church. Isn’t that where it always starts?! Good thing we like him and his parents:)

Here are some pictures of our little angel:

The day started out rainy and cold. The race was delayed about an hour because some of the bike race roads were under water. Dangerous for road bikes… We didn’t prepare for cold rainy weather but we did our best. Notice the baby in a trash bag poncho / blanket in every photo. We were trying to keep her lips from turning blue. It rained all day and it turned the whole park into a red mud pit. Needless to say we were wet, tired, and covered in red mud at the end of the day.

Even though the weather was poor my Dad had a great race. He took second place in his age group and was 15th overall in his event. Not too bad for a “Big Guy” (that is what every one called him as he passed, “Good Job Big Guy!”) and for his first triathlon type event. Congratulations Dad, and thanks for inviting us. Now we just need to get training for the next one! Maybe I will join you.

Day One: The flights (yes, we had a connection in Salt Lake City) went great! We got the bulkhead on both flights, so Adelyn had some space to roam around and play on the floor. BIG lifesaver. Considering she only slept 30-40 minutes at a time, 3 times that day. We were traveling for almost 9 hours, so it was nice to have the extra space. We even got to watch a couple movies, she was so good on the flights. When we got to Hawaii, we picked up our car and headed to the Dole Plantation. Because Zac is working Monday through Friday, we wanted to cram in everything that he wanted to do on the weekends. So as exhausted as we all were, we headed 20 minutes out of town to learn about how pineapples grow, and taste the yummy pineapple ice cream that we had heard so much about. We took the Pineapple Express train around the plantation, and Adelyn stayed awake for all of this! She thinks she is such a big girl!

Whoopsidaisy!

On the Pineapple Express

Dole Plantation

After the Plantation, it was back to the hotel and off to bed. Adelyn went to bed about 6pm, and slept until 6am! So much for adapting to a 5 hour time difference. Once again, we are counting our blessings for this!

Day Two: We visited a local ward and went to church, then took a long drive up to Laie. We drove around BYU-H (we both so wish we had gone there for a semester or term), went to the temple visitor’s center, and drove up to the North Shore to try and find some surfers to watch. We didn’t spend much time up there, because traffic was crazy, and we really didn’t see any surfers, so back down to Honolulu we go. Oh, and we met Mark Eubanks on the temple grounds. He was the chief meteorologist in Salt Lake City, who had the white jacket that he wore on the broadcasts that called for snow. He now runs the visitors center with his wife. We wanted to get his autograph, but thought that was maybe a little inappropriate on the temple grounds. Back in Honolulu, we went to the Waikiki Aquarium. Wouldn’t you think that an aquarium right on the ocean would have the most awesome exhibits? We thought so too. Not so much.

Day Three: We all got up early and went to the beach! It was a nice, cool morning, and we walked about 10 minutes to the beach in front of the big Hilton Hawaiian Village (it’s not a hotel, it’s a village. Seriously, there are like 9 huge buildings in this place). These are Adelyn’s reactions to the beach:

At the Beach

Dipping her toes in

Clinging to Daddy

NOT liking this

Okay, so she doesn’t like the beach. Yet. Hopefully this will change. After Zac had to go to work, my aunt picked me up and we went up to Laie, where she and her kids are staying for the week (crazy that they just happened to be here this week too!) and we hung out on the beach up there for the afternoon. Zac came up after work and we had dinner from the Shrimp Shack (which I’d heard or read was so great, but I thought it was just okay). It was so fun to have Aunt Karen and her kids to hang out with for the day. I was afraid of being bored while Zac was at work this week, but we have found stuff to do!

Day Four: Okay, this is taking forever, because the internet connection at the hotel is SO SLOW, so I’m gonna do the rest of this in bullet format.

• Ala Moana Shopping Center in the morning with Adelyn. HUGE mall, where we sampled some See’s Candy and some Honolulu Cookie Company cookies. Both were delish.
• Iolani Palace: Would have been better if I could have seen the whole thing. Children under 5 are not allowed in the upper rooms (ballrooms, bedrooms, meeting rooms) of the palace, but I at least got to see the basement galleries and an informational 15 minute video. This is the only royal palace on American soil!!
• Ono’s Hawaiian food – we got this recommendation from a coworker of Zac’s. It was pretty good, but I guess I’m not the hugest fan of authentic Hawaiian cuisine, because I didn’t love it.
• Leonard’s. Malasadas. Wow. Please visit this place if you are in Honolulu in the near future. Malasadas are Portuguese donuts, and they are SUPER good. This was my favorite treat so far. We got a custard filled, coconut filled, chocolate filled, and plain cinnamon. Custard was the best.

Authentic Hawaiian Cuisine

Gotta Love those malasadas

• Lunch with Joy and Cassidy at unnamed Korean BBQ place: food was actually pretty darn good. I even tried a piece of kim chi. Joy said to eat it with some rice and chicken, and it wasn’t bad at all. Joy was my freshman roommate at BYU, and is from Honolulu. She and her husband are here for an internship this summer. I’m so glad she took me out today!
• Diamondhead Hike with Joy: It was a hot day, but we made it to the top without too much pain, and even carrying Adelyn! Thanks Ashley, the ergo was a serious lifesaver! I owe you one. The view from the top was so pretty. You pretty much get a 360 degree view of the whole corner of the island. Beaches, mountains, tall high-rise hotels, neighborhoods, etc. It was beautiful.
• Wailua’s Shave Ice: Joy recommended this place, and I liked it a lot. I’m not a huge shaved ice person, but this was shaved so finely that it didn’t feel like chomping on flavored ice, like it normally does to me.
• Aloha Tower Marketplace with Zac after work: I was expecting lots of fun shops and restaurants. It is right on the harbor and has a little tower you can take an elevator up 10 stories and look around. The view was great, but the shops left much to be desired. There really wasn’t much there.

Hiking Diamond Head Crater

Me, Adelyn and Joy at the top