Wow, sorry for the long delay in posting! We have been busy around here Actually busy, but not so much around here.

The weekend after Emma’s birthday Scott and I headed to California for one of his childhood friend’s birthday parties. It was a so much fun to see a bunch of our old friends. The kids stayed home at my parent’s house. We just spent the whole weekend relaxing and spending time with friends.

Then last weekend we headed back to California–without kids again! This time they stayed with Scott’s mom. One of our dear friends turned 70, so we went out for the party. I got to do a little photo shoot for some of our friends, as well. I got some really cute photos! I can’t wait to get them all edited so I can share them. It was also Scott’s birthday, so we had a little surprise party for him. It was awesome to see old friends. People came to Scott’s party that we hadn’t seen in years!!! The only unfortunate part of the weekend was that we both came down with strep throat.

Besides traveling, we have just been busy with our usual family things. Ian has been playing hockey. He has had a few little scrimmages in the past few weeks. They are so cute! It is so fun so see them out skating around. They all look so tiny. Often there are more of them laying on the ice than there are playing the game. He also started a skating class last week. Emma is still taking ballet, and she loves it. She is also taking an after school art class. She can never get enough art! All three kids have been busy with ski lessons. I, however, am happy to see the ski season winding down. I love that the kids are learning to ski, and loving it, but it makes for a lot of running around for me.

This time of year everyone starts looking forward to spring, and I am no exception. I have been enjoying skate skiing, but I am ready to start biking. Scott and I signed up to do the Cycle Salt Lake Century in May. So now I have extra motivation to start getting back in shape. Last year I wasn’t quite ready and it was a tough ride. I don’t want to repeat that again!

That is about it for now! I’ll try not to wait so long before I blog again. I have been better about keeping up my photography blog. If you haven’t checked it out you might want to pay me a visit over there: http://kerrysundahlphotography.com/blog/

I had such a great vacation in Maui. It was extremely relaxing. I enjoyed being away from the computer and all the new responsibilities that I have lately with my new photography business. I enjoyed just taking a few photos for fun. I really enjoyed playing with my new Canon G11 camera, too. Here are a few snapshots from our trip to the Maui Ocean Center.

And here is my last sunset of the year:

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We have been coming to Maui for Christmas for about 15 years now. The only Christmas my kids know is one spent on the beach in Maui. All of our Christmas traditions are built around things we started doing here on vacation. One of the things we always do is go to mass on Christmas eve. This year was no exception. Then we come home and have a nice dinner and let the kids open one present.

Another thing I always do is get the kids matching Christmas pajamas. This year I decided to wrap them and give them to the kids. They were all so excited to open a present, but Ian was pissed when he opened his. He took one look at them and said “Pajamas?!? I didn’t want these!!” and then proceeded to throw them across the room. I wish I had a photo to capture the absolute look of disgust on his face. It was really priceless.

Scott and I both burst out laughing. I know we should have scolded him for not being gracious when he got a gift, but we just couldn’t help it. He was just so incredulous that his gift was pajamas! Once we stopped laughing we did explain to him that he needs to be kind to the gift giver and appreciate that they gave him a gift, even if it wasn’t one he wanted. But it was still funny!

He is the funniest kid and he always has us laughing!

I have been the worst at taking photos on this trip! The good news is, I am really enjoying the trip. So much so that I want to enjoy the moments while they are happening rather than hiding behind my camera. I have so many stories I want to write about but I just haven’t wanted to sit in front of the computer.

Here are a few photos from the week.

Please visit Lotus at Sarcastic Mom to view all the Weekly Winners participants.

Emma and Ian have been really into snorkeling on this years trip to Maui. They have had snorkel and mask sets for a few years. Last year Emma started playing around with them in the pool, but breathing through the snorkel was still really a challenge for her.

This year, though, she really started to get it. She practiced a whole day in the pool and then we decided to let her try out her new skills in the ocean.

My mom and I took her to Napili beach to do a little snorkeling for real. I went in with her and was surprised at how well she did. We swam out to a shallow reef and she really enjoyed seeing all the fish. She got a little nervous when the water got deeper, but she still really enjoyed it.

A few days later Bryan and Mary planned a snorkeling trip on a boat to Molokini. I didn’t think it would be a good trip for Ian and Nora, but I thought that Emma would really like it. Scott decided to take her and have a special daddy and daughter date.

I wish I could have been there, but I was happy to hear they had a great time. They rented an underwater camera and they took a bunch of fun photos.

Here is Emma going down the slide on the boat to start snorkeling.

They had quite and eventful day. They saw all kinds of fish, a sea turtle and lots of whales!

I am so glad that they had a fun time and so thankful that I have a wonderful husband who is so involved in our kids lives!

How sad is it that I am in Maui with 2 cameras and the only photo I have taken is with my phone!

Here is my “weekly winner”

Please visit Lotus at Sarcastic Mom to view all the Weekly Winners participants.

Sorry I haven’t updated lately! We are having a great time in Maui and I am having a much needed break from the computer. I have hardly taken any photos on this trip, but I have done a lot of swimming and hanging out with the kids.

I did see one spectacular sunset this week. I didn’t have my camera but I snapped a photo of it with my phone. Unfortunately wordpress seems to be having some issues and I can’t post a photo. GRRR! Maybe tomorrow

Only three more days until I can enjoy this:

And this:

With all this cold weather we have been having, I really can’t wait!!

Scott and I and the kids took a quick road trip to Boise, Idaho this weekend. I went to photograph our friends’ newborn baby.

Our last road trip to Idaho Falls was one of our kids favorite vacations ever! We left Friday afternoon and arrived in Boise about 10:30pm.

We got up and I headed over to do the photo shoot about 10:00am. Scott took the kids our to breakfast and then swimming while I took pictures. After that, we went out to lunch and then back into the car.

It was a lot of driving, but it was a fun little trip.

We took an impromptu trip to Idaho Falls this week. Scott had to go there for a business meeting. He couldn’t arrange flights that would work with his schedule, so he decided to drive. He planned to drive alone late at night. I thought it sounded like the perfect trip for the family to tag along. Scott wouldn’t have to drive up alone, and we could get to spend some family time together.

We drove up late Wednesday night. We rolled into Idaho Falls about 2:00am, exhausted. We got checked into our room and we all just crashed.

Scott got up early the next morning and went to his meetings at the hospital. I looked out the window of our hotel, and right in our backyard was a beautiful river with a walking path, complete with ducks and geese. I decided to take the kids out for a walk and to feel the ducks. It ended up being so much fun. The kids really enjoyed feeding the ducks. Emma and Ian were a little scared of the geese. Nora wasn’t until she got bit by one of the baby geese as she tried to feed it. It shocked her more than anything, but she was back to feeding them in no time.

After that we went back to the room and let Nora take a nap. While she napped I read the local paper and looked for something fun to do for the afternoon. I had heard of a place called Yellowstone Bear World. I read about it on a friend’s blog and I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. I found out that we were only about 20 miles away and I thought it sounded like the perfect afternoon activity.

At Yellowstone Bear World you drive your car through a park of free roaming wild animals. We started out seeing Elk, Bison, and Deer. But the highlight of the drive was the bear park. We saw Grizzlies and Black Bears. There were all ages, from 6 months on up. We had the best time watching the one year old Black Bears. They were so incredibly playful. They chased each other around and jumped and bit each other. They reminded me of puppies. The kids were laughing out loud as they watched. We just pulled over and sat in our car watching for a good half hour.

After the drive they had a petting zoo and some kiddie rides. I am so glad that we took the time to go. We all had such a great time and it was totally worth the cost.

The whole trip to Idaho ended up being a lot of fun. The kids were thrilled that we went and we all enjoyed spending the time together.