Halloween

Our family is not very into Halloween. We usually just dress up our girls and take them trick or treating. But for some reason I felt more into it this year. Maybe because it is more fun now that I have 2 toddlers to enjoy all of the holiday celebrations. I even had fun pulling together a costume from what I had. Arg Matey!! This year we ended up going to a trunk or treat at a church. The girls had fun going from trunk to trunk saying "trick or treat." But I think what they loved most of all (besides the candy) was that they got to both be princesses! 

Princess Aurora and Princess Brynley.

Arg!!

Pirates and princesses.

We made some spiders for our Halloween craft. 

Aurora had a lot of fun. But she kinda went crazy with the googley eyes. 

I had to restrict how many eyes she put on her spiders. 

She wanted to fill the whole spider with googley eyes. 

Brynley is quite the crafter these days. She knows how to use glue and scissors.  

Gunstock Ranch 5K and a perfect day

I am late posting these pics. These are from the Gunstock Ranch 5K run I did on October 18. I will cherish these photos because they remind me of a perfect day in the space of time. We don't always have great days, but God blesses us with some along the way to remind us just how sweet life really can be. Most of all these pictures remind me of a day I felt in my element and connected with my inner fervor. And also, so spoiled with love by my amazing Husband. 

We had to wake up really early for this run. My dear husband got up at 4:30 am and helped me load our two babes into the car. He drove over an hour through rain and fatigue to take us to my race. He did this to support me in my 5K... all because he loves me. :) This ranch was gorgeous. Green fields as far as you can see, horses running nearby, and we had a perfect cool breeze. 

My sweet family supporting me in my fitness lifestyle

They played the Star Spangled Banner before we started our run. I love this picture of the cowboy on the horse carrying our beautiful flag. God bless America. 

On your marks, get set, GO! OOOH the excitement! 

I had to stop during my run to take a snap. It was too beautiful. 

I made it!!

This is my awesome friend Zee. She ran the race with me. 

It was so much fun having her to run with. 

We let our girls pet a horse from the ranch, before we left.

On the way home, we stopped by a beach in Laie. 

My little Branley. She loves the beach. 

Aurora playing in the sand. 

Cheese!

Right here is an expert crab hunter. He can catch some pretty big crabs.

He knows how to dig down into their tunnels and catch them. 

I had to laugh at watching them all chase the crabs along the beach. 

She caught one! 

There he is. Just a little fella. 

I am so grateful for a God who loves me and blesses me and my family. 

I am grateful for a great God who created a beautiful world for his children to enjoy. 

Makapu'u Tide pools and dinner at Cafe Maharani

Last Saturday we decided to go to the Makapu'u tide pools. We have hiked up the Makapu'u lighthouse trail before and looked at the amazing view and lighthouse. But we heard there was a hike down the side of the mountain that led to these beautiful tide pools, so we decided to give it a try. We didn't have to hike up the trail too far before we found the side trail that led down to the tide pools. It was a bit of a steep hike to bring children on. But of course my hubby is an expert hiker and carried both of our girls down the steep cliffside. Hope you enjoy the pictures of the beautiful scenery. 

This is the view after hiking up the lighthouse trail a ways.

There he is carrying both girls down. I was very impressed. 

Going down was pretty steep. 

It's hard to see just how steep this hike was down. But wow... so beautiful. 

You can see the tide pools below.

The water was gorgeous that day. My phone camera just couldn't capture the depth of the colors. 

The ocean was so many beautiful shades of green and blue. 

We ended up snorkeling in the tide pools and saw tons of pretty fish. 

I was excited to see a giant Uhu aka parrotfish that got stuck in the tide pools. 

Little Aurora learned to drink water from the camelbak. 

He is such a good dad. :)

On the way home we decided on a whim to stop by one of our favorite restaurants.

 Cafe Maharani. 

This is the place to go to get some delicious Indian food. It is a little hole in the wall restaurant that will surprise you how good the food is! It is a tiny restaurant that can get packed full of customers.

We were first introduced to this restaurant by some friends many years ago. 

And the memory of the savory, mouthwatering dishes have stuck with us ever since. 

This was my first experience with eating Indian cuisine and I am forever hooked. 

My Hubby ordered a curry dish with lamb that was amazing. 

Next time I will order the lamb. 

A stuffed Naan bread with cheese and garlic. 

I had ordered a chicken curry type dish. Yummy. 

We tried this coconut rice that was fantastic. I can't believe how many flavors were in there. 

It had cashews, lemon, orange, coconut, and all kinds of spices. Even our girls ate it. 

Aurora had to bring "baby bear" in to eat with us. 

The food here is so full of flavor and spices. The smell is amazing. 

The Naan bread is REALLY good. 

This food settles so well and leaves me feeling satisfied. 

I can't wait until we can eat here again. It was the perfect finish to a fun-filled family day.