Emma's 7th Birthday

Well, we've made it through three Winter birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and Valentine's Day.  Now we're finally onto our last Winter celebration before we close up shop for the season.  We couldn't call it quits without celebrating this little birthday princess though.  Of course I'm talking about our little Emma, and actually, princess might not be a grand enough descriptor for her taste.  She is an all-out diva, with a pretty amazing fashion sense and an innate skill for all things hair and make-up.  I don't usually give in to her extravagant taste, but birthday's have to have their perks, don't they?  And she's been anticipating hers for weeks. 

Here's the usual slew of pictures that are so typical they really need no explanation.

And here are a few of the birthday girl modeling some of her birthday presents. 

Did the birthday girl want or get anything other than new clothes?!  Heaven forbid!  Well, I take that back.  She did get a new American Girl doll, and then everything else was outfits and jammies for her and her doll.  She even scored the doll's handbag and the matching handbag for herself.  (And can I just stand on my soap box for ten seconds and say that I almost want to boycott American Girl after having to spend $32.00 to buy the doll a purse, and then another $48.00 to get the matching purse in real size!  Come on. What a rip-off!!  I hate being taken for a ride by companies that intentionally try to wring you out.) At first I was worried that she would be bummed her presents were all so practical, (that is, if you can call bright floral skinnies and scarfs practical!) but then I remembered who I was dealing with!  And nothing suits this little chick better than clothes and fashion accessories.

Well, nothing, except maybe her friends.  She loves her family too, but this little social butterfly simply thrives with people around.  Consequently, we had the Anderson's over in the afternoon for tropical cake, ice cream, and smoothies. (Daddy was on call so we had to blow out the birthday candles early.)  Then we called it a night with her favorite dinner and movie, complete with a big bowl of her favorite snack--puppy chow!  It wasn't the most over the top birthday ever, but Emma seemed satisfied, and in our world, that's saying something.

Oh, and I can't end the post without including a few shots of the cutest little birthday diva ever on her annual birthday outing.  It was a tough job to talk Emma into going anywhere other than back to the nail salon, but after some careful persuasion, she finally decided she wanted to take her little girlfriends to the movies and out for frozen yogurt.  There wasn't much of interest showing in the movie theater, but we managed to make it through Paddington without falling asleep.  Actually, it was only me who was nodding; the girls quite liked it.  And they especially liked getting their own popcorn, drinks, and candy, something my poor deprived children never get to do.  In fact, as I walked in with all the goods, I heard Emma whisper to her friends, "I have the coolest mom ever!"  That definitely made the $40.oo concession stand bill seem more bearable.  After the movie we loaded up on more treats at our local Cherry Berry and closed out yet another birthday outing with smiles all around.

I can't believe you're seven little Emma!  Happy, happy birthday girlie!

Bismarck Missionaries

You know, as a kid, I don't ever remember having sister missionaries come over for dinner.  I certainly have plenty of memories of the Elders coming over though, especially once I got into Young Women.  In fact, I shouldn't be proud of it, but I was kind of notorious among the Elders in our district.  The other young women and I quite enjoyed harassing "the boys," as we called them.  Rather fitting for the bishop's daughter, I know, but at the time, we thought all of our flirting and silly nonsense was harmless.  Plus, so many of them seemed to like the attention that it sort of fueled the fire.  It makes me laugh thinking back on all of those missionary crushes, but in truth, not much has changed.  I still loved having the Elders over and giving them a hard time.  I definitely don't flirt or get crushes anymore, but I still enjoy their visits, and I feel the motherly instincts surfacing with them much as I do with my seminary kids.  I'm not quite old enough to be any of their mothers yet,  but there are a few missionaries we've had recently that I'll claim nevertheless.  Here is a shot of our family with one of them--Elder Salmon--who went home just last week.  

He and his companion (we'll post a picture with Elder Metcalf when he gets transferred) were some of Nick and I's favorite elders.  They taught several discussions to investigators in our home, and everyone present was touched by their spirit.  I have always signed up to feed and host the missionaries--after all, D&C 84:90 teaches that if "ye feed the elders ye shall in no wise lose your reward"--but as of late it's been more of a pleasure than a duty.  Thanks Elder Salmon for blessing our lives.  And good luck on this next leg of your journey!

Valentine's Day

You know, I have to confess, Valentine's Day has never really been my favorite holiday. (Did I already confess this last year? Or the year before that? Probably.  Anyway...) It's kind of like St. Patrick's Day--a pointless holiday that just requires more of my time, effort, and energy.  In the past I have been a pretty good sport about organizing a home school Valentine's Party, or at least orchestrating a Valentine's exchange for my kids.  This year; however, I guess I'm just too burned out to care.  I did promise a few of my seminary boys that I would visit them at Papa Murphy's the night before Valentine's and pick up a heart-shaped pizza, which my children were thrilled to do,

but as for Valentine's Day day, it was pretty run of the mill. I worked my temple shift Valentine's morning.  Then, on the way home, I picked up some balloons and treats for the kids.  We ate our heart-shaped pizza for lunch, 

then ran errands, went to Spencer's basketball Jamboree, and ran a few more errands.  The Anderson's did take our kids for a few hours so Nick and I could go redeem my Toasted Frog Gift Certificate, which was definitely nice, but then we picked up the kids and went to bed early.  In short, it wasn't a day to write home to mother about.  I will say; however, that our Valentine's gifts to each other were sort of fun this year.  I told Nick absolutely no money wasted on flowers, chocolates, or anything cheesy.  He sort of listened, sending me and the kids an order of Sherry's Berries, (This was mostly for the kids since we saw the commercial every other second any time we turned on the TV while we were in Hawaii and the kids became obsessed.) but then he made up for it by finally getting me this:

A tri-fuel high power inverter generator.

We paid the money to get our house wired for this high profile generator, but Nick has dragged his feet in forking over the money to actually buy it.  I'm not sure why he picked Valentine's Day of all holidays to finally give-in, but hey, I'm not complaining.  Generator or flowers--generator or flowers??  Come on, this is a no-brainer folks!

Spencer's Basketball "Shots"

Alaho Aulani!

Well, for the past three years, we have kicked off the New Year with our annual Disney Cruise adventure. This year; however, we took a slight departure from the norm, and decided to try one of the many on-land Disney resorts instead. Since the kids are still trying to catch up to Mom and Dad and check off all 50 states, the obvious choice for our winter getaway was a trip to our Disney time-share in Hawaii--Aulani. 

After checking out the many different flight options from Bismarck to Honolulu, we decided to go with (of course) the cheapest option--Allegiant Air--to get to our travel destination.  Consequently, we had to make a stop-over in Las Vegas on our way further west.  Though Vegas isn't my favorite city in the world, we made the most of the night.  The kids picked out Excalibur--the castle--to stay in, and we all got tickets to the Donny and Marie show.  It was an exciting evening, and served it's purpose well--that is to say, it kept the kids up half the night so that they all slept like babies on the six-hour flight the next morning.

When we all finally woke up, Pearl Harbor was coming into view and our four happy little children prepared to step foot on the beautiful Hawaiian Islands--and state number 49 in their travel log books!

Within a half an hour of being on the ground, Grandma and Grandpa McArthur also landed in Hawaii, and our eight-day adventure together kicked off with a bang. We picked up our rental car, made our way to the Disney Resort and Spa, and drank in the Disney VIP magic Hawaiian-style.  And I'll tell you what, there's nothing like a candle-lit dinner on a warm Hawaiian night when back home it is -20 degrees! Aloha Aulani!

 

Day 2 in Hawaii: We decided to so something that rarely happens on a Hoskins' family vacation--relax!  We hit Aulani's private beach and water park, complete with a private snorkeling reef and acre after acre of lush landscape.

(Note to self: these pineapple drinks were worth every penny!  NOT!)

 

Day 3 in Hawaii: Since it was Sunday, we attended a Honolulu branch, then made our way to a free outdoor venues we thought most conducive to the Sabbath day.  Our first stop was the World War II Memorial.

Then we drove over to the Rain forest and took a several hour hike up to Manoa Falls.

 

When we got back to the resort we made a light dinner and then spent the evening listening to an Aulani storyteller down by the ocean front.

 

Day 4 in Hawaii: Can we say tourist trap central?!  Oh well, we knew what we were getting into when we signed up for both the Dole Pineapple Plantation Tour, 

 

as well as the VIP family tour package at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  Dole was everything you would expect it to be; however, the PCC turned out to be above and beyond what we could have hoped for.  We signed up for a private family guide, and that made all the difference.  We got escorted around everywhere, got front row seats to every show, and had starring guest roles in all the productions.  Plus we got lay-ed over and over again!!  What more could you ask for!

 

 

Day 5 in Hawaii:  After a full day of touring, it was time for another

 day back at the pool, the beach, and Aulani's Rainbow Reef.

 

 

Day 6 in Hawaii:  Character dining at the resort, family photos, Pearl Harbor, and a trip to Turtle Bay and the North Shore. 

  

(BYU Hawaii)

(The Laie Hawaii Temple--Nick and I did temple work while Grandma and Grandpa took the kids pack to the PCC for a few hours.)

Day 7 in Hawaii: Souvey shopping in Waikiki, a trip to Leonard's Bakery for malasada puffs, swimming at Sandy Beach Park on the east side of the island, a dolphin and whale watching tour, and Aulani's own Hawaiian Luau to cap off the day.

  

Day 8 in Hawaii:  Yep, you guessed it, back to the pool and beach on site, one last time! Then a bit of shopping, dinner downtown, and one last sunset walk on Waikiki.

 

Day 9: Depart Hawaii and head back to the North Pole!!  

Happy New Year Everyone!  Aloha Aulani!