One of my brothers lives in Hawaii.
He and his wife and five kids live kids in the most unique way I know (their blog is HERE, not updated for a while but maybe you’ll get the idea.  They live simply and teach their kids to work hard  They prioritize that cute family of theirs and I love it).  
They rent out their Hawaiian home and come to the mainland for a couple months in the summer.  We were so happy we got to be part of their giant road trip in their greasel mercedes (converted from diesel to run on grease).
For reals. 
I wish I had even a tiny portion of know-how that those two have (she’s a Harvard graduate, he’s a semi-retired home-builder)
And I wish I had their baby too 😉

 At least we got to share him for a couple days!

 Claire was in hog-heaven.

And Grace was on cloud nine that she got to be reunited with her dear cousin Ana.

They love each other so.

We went to the lake one day:

I’m going to go ahead and show you little snippets here and there of how multi-talented this brother of mine is on this post ok?

He can rock the wakeboard for one:

This guy is pretty multi-talented himself.

 Such a good boat captain.

 Elle’s getting the hang of this…

It was so fun to have these two reunited as well as Grace and Ana:

They were born only three days apart.  Camden was born in a much more romantic spot though, back when they lived in New Zealand.

 Dave’s turning into a good surfer:

These Hawaiian kids had no trouble surfing…

Nor did their parents…

Grace and Ana were sooooo excited to get up together.

 …and pretty surprised it worked too.  Love their faces.

 I love tubing pics.

Poor Claire…

Isn’t water just the prettiest?

Grace and Ana got to go to the new temple together:

And these guys made us the most delicious Indian food (butter chicken…I’ll share the recipe soon).

 (another talent of my brother’s…and Aja’s too)

My brother Josh came over for dinner too.

Love these boys so much.

Our family friend who is moving here joined us as well.

I forced the girls into plunking out some duets.

 (I think they kind of liked it though 🙂

I kind of begged Jo to help me put up my curtains that had been patiently waiting for a month.

…and somehow he got sweet-talked into helping us fix a light…

 …and a door, and about thirty-four other things.  Ha!

And Aja helped me organize some things so I could clear out my over-worked phone and email.

They’re just so good at it all and so nice to help.  I mentioned they’re multi-talented, right?

SO lucky to be related to this great family.

We would have been even more sad to watch them take off down the street if we weren’t going to see them again at Bear Lake next week.

Can’t wait!

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15 Comments

  1. I would like to say that I love seeing your girls modestly but stylishly dressed-right down to the one-piece swimsuits! This is a stand we've taken in our home too (for the sake of our girls AND our boys!) and it's nice to see that it's a priority for other families as well! You are blessed!

  2. Oh Jonah, one of the sweetest guys I have met ( we were in the same mission)

    ask him when you see him, If he remembers signing a song for the Deaf programme musicial fireside… We ( the sister missionaries), put it on,. sisters Jackson ( me), Geddis, Ferguson, and Jacobs.. I hope he remembers us!!!

  3. Both of my kids (and me, when I was little) suck the same two fingers as that darling baby. It's a little non traditional. I love seeing other kids that do it, too.

  4. Your family is so adorable and talented! I've been following your blog for quite some time but rarely comment. I love all your pictures and just have to ask if you take your pictures with a phone or a camera.

  5. How FUN!! It's always special for adult siblings to get together and "play" again, isn't it? Especially if you don't get to see each other often.

    Do you mind sharing (if you know the answer!) where the cute shoulder bag is from that Grace is holding in the Temple picture? I've been looking for something exactly like that for such a long time, and it sure caught my eye.

    Gorgeous family & gorgeous photos as always!

  6. Hi this is Ana from Grammie's account. Just wanted to say that this post was VERY much enjoyed by me! Cant wait to see you net week!

  7. I went to high school with Aja and found your blog through hers awhile back. I've loved watching the adventures of both of your families and it was fun seeing both together!

  8. Oh My Goodness…how tall are your brothers? I know you are pretty tall so they must be HUGE! LOL.

    Looks like a total blast. Always nice to see family you don't see often.

  9. my name is ajay
    i am from pakistan

    Dear Mam
    Your Photography is amazing can you give me some tips of of best photography if you will give me i will will be very thanks full

    thanks

  10. I facebook messaged you but it probably went to your other inbox. My daughter was born two weeks ago with 6 toes. I would appreciate some advice. I am very overwhelmed and worried. Thanks.

  11. Bryan family, I dont' have a way to contact you (I don't even know how to look up what you sent on Facebook because I am not a Facebook girl). Will you send me an email to sepphotography at gmail dot com? I'd love to talk.

    Love, Shawni

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