Lanikai Beach

My awesome friend, Kate, took pictures of our family at a beautiful beach called Lanikai. As soon as our feet hit the sand, Mason started crying. Ella ran off in the opposite direction. We tried to have fun and make the best of it, and Kate was patient and wonderful. We had a good time just playing around and trying to capture some pictures that show the true Burke's. All in all, it was a success, even though you would never believe how hard it is to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time with eyes open!!


My favorite guys!


My favorite little girl. Sometimes an angel, sometimes a stinker, but always my love.



I love my kids!!

What a gorgeous, sweet little guy! Mason is such a blast. Even though he didn't want to take pictures, once he realized there was sand to play in and helicopters to watch, he started to have a little fun.



Playing in the sand.




SuperMason!

This is our family: Sean and I juggling the little ones while the older ones run circles around us!!!


I sure do love these guys!




We're outta here!!!

Big Island

Sean had an anesthesia conference on the Big Island June 12-14. The thought of him enjoying himself at a beautiful tropical resort without us was just not right. So we decided to tag along for some fun. The hotel and its grounds were gorgeous, and we were able to entertain ourselves most of time without ever leaving. Three days weren't enough time to enjoy everything. Before checking into the hotel, we drove to an ancient Hawaiian temple and sanctuary. The coolest part about this place was the little wading pool with lots of turtles swimming right next to us. Amazing!




The kids had the best time just playing at the pools. There were a few slides to enjoy along with a cool waterfall.


Ella enjoyed relaxing with her daddy during a break from swimming.


The highlight of the trip was having the kids swim with dolphins. Ella and Sean got to pet and feed a dolphin while the boys got to swim around a big pool with them and learn more about them. Mason was a little too young, but he would have done it in a heartbeat. He loved watching them swim fast and do high jumps.



Ahhh, it almost looks like we're alone for a minute, but within a second of this picture, we were off chasing them again.


We kayaked around a lagoon at the hotel, and saw some more sea turtles.

Maui

We went to Maui over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Sean's birthday and have some fun! It didn't hurt that Maui is the only Hawaiian island that has a Krispy Kreme shop. The Burke's are BIG KK fans. So, as soon as we landed, our first stop was to get some hot and fresh donuts. Not the healthiest dinner, but definitely delicious.


Maui is gorgeous. No doubt about it. We drove along the Road to Hana, an all day drive along a narrow, twisty road with breathtaking views. We stopped to hike around some amazing waterfalls and swim at a black sand beach.




Maui has an awesome aquarium. The kids loved seeing the sharks, sea turtles, and manta rays. There is a huge glass tunnel that you can walk through while watching the animals swim around and above you. Very cool.

Jaxon and I went parasailing together. What a great mother-son bonding experience!! It was beautiful up there.


A beautiful sunset at the beach was the perfect way to end our vacation.

Mason

Its been a LONG time since I've posted anything, but I might just have a few minutes, so what better way to spend some free time than sharing some pictures of my adorable kids? This picture shows Mason's true character: a fun loving, happy, goofy kid. He loves to run around with Ella's clothes on, especially hats and shoes. He is also a fan of oven mitts. Put them together, and you have a toddler ready for a batch of brownies or a winter storm, maybe both. He's cute, bottom line.

Spring Break

We went to Utah for the boys' spring break and for Colton's baptism. We had a fantastic time seeing family and were so glad that the weather cooperated with us and brought us a bunch of SNOW!! Coming from Hawaii, we were ready for some cold and snowy days! We've been enjoying sunshine for almost 2 1/2 straight years, and miss a little cold and snow. Our kids loved seeing their much older and much cooler cousins, and hanging out with them. Sean's parents are wonderful and let us overrun their perfectly pristine house with diapers, lucky charms, and toys for over two weeks. It was tricky, but we were able to snap a few pictures of the whole gang once or twice. Here is one of them!


It took about 3 seconds for Ella to warm up to her 6'5"cousin, Jordan, that she hadn't seen since she was a baby. She adores him, and he is absolutely wonderful with her, and all my children. We are lucky to have such great teenagers in our family for our kids to look up to, literally.


Colton turned 8 on March 11, and we decided to have his baptism in Utah so our family could be there. He is an awesome kid and has been trying hard to choose the right and get ready for this special day. Here is a picture of him outside the chapel before the baptism.



The whole family after the baptism.


Enjoying a little snow.

Jaxon and Ella sledding.


Jaxon loved the snow!


Ella had fun and looked especially stylish in Sharshe's coat, since we live in Hawaii and don't have any warm clothes!


As soon as we landed in Utah, Colton started asking when we could go to the dinosaur museum. There is a fantastic one at Thanksgiving Point. Even though it had been over two years since we had been there, he remembered it well and couldn't wait to go back.


We took the kids to a fun place called JUMP TO IT that had lots of trampolines and inflatable slides to play on. Mason loved going down the slides or jumping while Sean held him. Colton and Jaxon were doing flips and tricks all morning.

Ella and Sharshe playing hopscotch at the jumping place.


We had family pictures taken in Salt Lake with the whole gang. It was awesome to have 17 people singing Itsy Bitsy Spider at the same time to try to keep Mason happy and smiling. Here is a quick picture we snapped before the official pictures started.

The grounds were beautiful and it was fun to see how 'the other half' live! There was a stream, lots of trees, and the best part: a LLAMA! once Mason saw it, he was ALL smiles. I probably should have been a little more concerned about the interest the llama took in Sean, and Colton, but I just thought it was too funny.

Ella's 4th Birthday!!!

Ella has been excited for weeks about her birthday. It probably didn't help that she found a bunch of packages in my closet that were for her celebrations. She had a hard time waiting for the actual day to come. We ended up celebrating a day early since Shar and Jer were still in town and leaving the night before her true birthday. We went out to dinner and then played on the beach in Waikiki for a while. Ella made some sand angels. She received some Barbies and baby dolls for her birthday, and all dolls have been lovingly adopted into the Burke family at this time. She LOVES the new outfit Sharshe bought her, and although she picked out her cake and loved looking at it, she didn't eat much of it. That's where Mom and Dad stepped up to the plate, literally, and helped her out.





Ella and her best friend, Sharshe.


The whole gang at the Hale Koa Hotel.