Dole Pineapple Plantation

I've driven past the Dole pineapple plantation numerous times and each time I would tell myself or Joey that I wanted to go there- how many chances do you get to see a working pineapple plantation? With my Mom visiting and her sweet friends in town we put it on our list of things to do. Boy was I excited to mark it off my long list of things I want to do before leaving Hawaii for good. Did you know that this pineapple plant has one of the worlds largest corn mazes? In the shape of a pineapple, no less! It's true, it even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records a few years back, pretty cool!

We didn't actually go through the maze but it was still fun to see :)

We opted to take a ride on the Pineapple Express, which is a cute little vintage train that takes you on a tour through the still working pineapple plantation. 

It was fun to see the plantation this way and learn some interesting facts about pineapples. I had no idea it took pineapples so long to grow, like 15 months! Or that Dole bought the whole island of Lana'i and turned it into a pineapple plantation when the one on Oahu got to small for their booming business. It is no longer owned by Dole but still, buying your own island just for pineapples- wow!

of course they have bushes in the shape of pineapples.

cute pineapple ladies :)

did you know pineapples grew like this?

So much fun, and of course we had to end our adventure with a delicious pineapple whip. Love me some pineapple, especially in the form of ice cream!! 

Love, The Williams

Week 38

What a crazy busy last couple of weeks it has been. With my Mom here and her cute friends visiting we have just been go, go, going and I'm exhausted. Baby Williams is now the size of a Pumpkin! I don't believe it, there is no way a pumpkin is in my belly!!

How far along? 38 Weeks
Total weight gain? 17 lbs <---somehow I lost a pound this week!
Maternity Clothes? Still wearing regular tops most of the time, but maternity pants is the only way to go right now.

Stretch marks? NEGATIVE!!

Best moment this week? Waking up to his little hiccups. 

Miss anything? I'm still itchy as all get out, which is not fun.

Movement? just a movin and groovin in there!

Food Cravings? Everything in sight!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing as of late :)

Have you started to show yet? just getting bigger, and bigger.

Gender? Boy!

Labor Signs? Slight dilation to about a centimeter, and more pressure!

Belly button in or out? It kinda folded over, weird!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Holding my sweet little boy.

Love, The Williams

Week 37

37 weeks, this sea monster is FULL TERM!! Little baby Williams is the size of a winter melon, and growing so big. At my last doctors appointment we learned that labor signs are popping up, cervix is softening and starting to dilate a smidge :)

How far along? 37 Weeks
Total weight gain? 18 lbs
Maternity Clothes? Still wearing regular tops most of the time, but maternity pants is the only way to go right now.

Stretch marks? Still none, woo-hoo!!

Best moment this week? Hitting 37 weeks without any complications!

Miss anything? My skin not being itchy, it is getting stretched to the max right now and has been so, SO itchy this last week :(

Movement? just a movin and groovin in there!

Food Cravings? Nope, nothing exciting here

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing as of late :)

Have you started to show yet? just getting bigger, and bigger.

Gender? Boy!

Labor Signs? Braxton Hicks are a daily occurrence now, and like the doc said, soft cervix with slight dilation.

Belly button in or out? When I look down at it, it is sticking out a little.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Meeting my little sea monster, it is going to be here before i know it!

The Byodo-In Temple

As Tropical Storm Flossie approached our little Hawaiian island we tried to think of things to do that would still be fun, but keep us mostly dry too! Of course we ended up at a mall first, come on, shopping is fun any time. On the way home however we drove into the Valley of Temples which is a memorial park located in Kaneohe. Driving past the Valley of Temples you wouldn't think it is much more then a cemetery.  Yet located all the way in the back, nestled up against the mountain, is the beautiful Byodo-In Temple. It is still a functioning Buddhist temple, but they let you walk around the grounds, ring the bell for blessings and happiness before entering the temple and go inside the area where they have a carved Buddha that stands over 18 feet tall. The temple itself was created as a replica of a temple in Uji, Japan and the whole thing was built with out the use of nails! Pretty incredible if you ask me.

Love that we went on a rainy day and we got awesome cloud coverage in the background

Mommy & Me

Cute little ladies :)

Love, The Williams

Week 36

Holy Cow, baby Williams is now the size of Honeydew!! Man, He is starting to feel like it too! Sometimes I do not think I can get any bigger, then I wake up in the morning and realize my belly grew. His movements have slowed down, and the doctor is making me keep a kick count every two hours but other than that he is doing great in there and hopefully will enjoy it enough to stay until daddy comes home :)

How far along? 36 Weeks
Total weight gain? 17.6 lbs
Maternity Clothes? Always in the pants now, I can still mix and match all of my shirts

Stretch marks? Still none, woo-hoo!!

Best moment this week? Doctor telling me I'm doing great and packing his little outfits for the hospital :)

Miss anything? Being able to jump on the trampoline with my little munchkins!

Movement? He is still moving around, but definitely slowed down. Freaked me out at first!

Food Cravings? Anything edible!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing as of late :)

Have you started to show yet? I feel huuggee!! haha

Gender? Boy!

Labor Signs? Braxton Hicks are getting a little more consistent, I have to be careful not to over exert myself.

Belly button in or out? When I look down at it, it is sticking out a little.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most the time? Happy!

Looking forward to? Our next doctors appointment, we'll get a better idea of how things are progressing.. or not progressing! 

Welcome Home Elder Alameda

Two years sounds like such a long time, yet it flew by like the blink of an eye. I can not believe Elder Alameda is home already! He served in the Mendoza, Argentina mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, preaching the gospel and spreading the word about our wonderful church. We are all so proud of the work he has done and grateful he has returned home safely to us. I am so blessed to have this young man in my family and the love I have for him continues to grow. Great job Dustin, Joey and I love you so much!!

Love, The Williams

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?

Joey and I have lived in Hawaii for over a year now.. and we have never left the island.. That all changed when the glorious and wonderful Elder Alameda came home from serving his two year LDS mission in Argentina. It gave me a reason to demand a trip to the mainland :) As we were investigating flights we realized how cheap it would be to fly to Las Vegas instead of straight to Utah, and so much more fun!! I told my family of my plan and they thought it was such a great idea that they met us there! Four whole fun filled days in Vegas here we come!!

To say I was nervous about flying while pregnant would be an understatement. I was a stress cadet, basket case! I could not sleep the night before and was worried that my luggage would be to heavy or to big. I panicked I was going to swell up like a balloon, have the most uncomfortable back pain or pee ten million times. I don't know how many times I made Joey weigh my bags or tell me everything was going to be alright. Luckily the bags were fine (Joey was right) and the plane ride was a lot more bearable than I could have imagined. No swelling like a balloon, only about four trips to the bathroom and back pain didn't start until the last 45 minutes or so.. what I didn't anticipate was the turbulence at the end of the plane ride, descending into Las Vegas. That was the killer. The 15 minutes of shaky air sent my tummy running for the hills and it wasn't coming back a happy camper. 

It was all worth it though, once we got a cab and drove to our hotel were my family was patiently waiting the hugs and kisses that were shared made everything else melt away. At last I was with some of the ones I love again. 

The next few days flew by in a blur. We enjoyed the summer heat, shopped till we dropped, (i finally found a maternity swimsuit i love, yay!) saw the cirque du soleil show KA and the Jabbawockeez, ate lots of really yummy food, walked around the strip and enjoyed each others company. I'd say it was a pretty successful trip.. Next stop Utah! But first, a few pictures :)

Oh family is so much fun!
Love, The williams