Thanks Mom and Dad

It is no surprise. I cannot wait to be a mommy. When I was younger I always thought I would start having kids around the age of 25. Well, 25 came and went. And now that we are getting married we get the "when are you going to start having babies?" question all the time. We know we'll have our little family when the time is right.

On Monday as I welcomed my 28th birthday I couldn't help but think about how 28 years ago my parents became parents. I can only imagine how they felt bringing me into the world and how that first year must have been for them as new parents.

This past year seems like everyone around me was having babies and it has been the year where I have been surrounded by babies. In February I started nannying for my boss's 4 month old. I watch her at the office 3 days a week. I really enjoy watching her and I've learned a lot about babies. It has been fun watching her grow and develop. But the best part is how it's given me a glimpse into what it's like to have a little baby to care for and look after. It's not always easy, it takes a lot of patience (especially teething babies) but when they look at you and smile it is heart melting.
I now have a much deeper appreciation for my parents and all parents and I can only imagine that appreciation growing when I have my own babies.

I love you mom and dad!

Koko Head

We finally hiked Koko Head.

1050 steps pretty much straight up a side of the mountain.

When we lived in Hawaii Kai we were really close to Koko Head 

and we would see people hiking up and say, "we should do that".

Half way up the incline increases to about 80%.

And the steps are unevenly spaced which made coming down a bit difficult. 

The view was amazing and once we were at the top we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. 

Crossing the bridge which was a little creepy

Loved the view

Zach wasn't really feeling it

1000 steps 50 more to go

Panoramic view 

We made it!

Looking down from the top

Maui

First off...

Today marks 100 days until we say, "I Do!" I cannot wait!!!

Over the weekend we went to Maui, thanks to Zach's parents. 

His brother Jonathan, sister-in-law, Polin, and nephew, Noah were there visiting with Polin's family 

and we got to meet up with them and meet baby Noah. 

We were really surprised by how big, spread out, and country the island of Maui is.

It has a totally different feel than Oahu and we really liked it. 

We wanted to see the seven sacred pools so we drove towards Hana, little did we know how remote that side of the island is. We had no cell phone reception so we were unable to use the GPS, there were no signs to let us know where we were, and the road was so narrow. I know I annoyed Zach by yelling, "Babe" around every turn. But it was crazy not being able to see if a car was coming right towards us. There were parts with signs warning to honk around turns. 

But it was a beautiful drive with very diverse climates. 

Parts of the drive looked like how I envision Ireland. 

Along the drive we found a little black sandy beach. 

And we found a beautiful waterfall, which we stopped and walked up to. 

Since we had been driving for quite some time and we didn't know how much farther the pools were we decided to turn around and check out the lavender farm. 

It was so nice to spend time with Jonathan and family.

We loved meeting and holding baby Noah. 

We also loved spending time by the pool and going down the water slide.

The resorts on Maui are nothing like Waikiki, we were blown away by how uncrowded the resort was. 

We're thankful for the opportunity to explore another Hawaiian island. 

Zach and I really enjoyed spending time together too! 

We have been talking about how much we want to see a black sandy beach 

so we were excited to find this one. 

This waterfall was just along the side of the road.

The lavender farm was neat, we really enjoyed looking at all the plants and flowers and smelling the fresh lavender. 

We shared a lavender scone that was delicious. 

Noah didn't know what to think of Zach's beard, he kept pulling on it, which was really funny. 

 He has the cutest smile! 

We even got to see some penguins.