Grandpa Great

 My Grandpa, LaVarr Willaim Coats, passed away last week. It has been fun to recollect on his life and has brought back many memories. I grew up next door to Grandpa and we got to work on the farm with him. He was a hard worker and taught me many things.

He loved to feed all the little ones ice cream.

 James is his first great grandchild

My Grandpas were great friends we went on many trips and events with both of them.

 Grandpa and Mary

Grandpa reading to Janie and Emily

 Grandpa and James

 Grandpa with Emily and then at her blessing.

 With nearly every grandchild and great-grandchild

 Letting Mary do his hair.

 Grandpa & Grandma Coats

 Watching Emily at her birthday party and then on the 4th of July with my mom and dad and almost all their grandchildren.

 Halloween

 This the processional up to the cemetery. Some friends have the horses and herse. I thought it was pretty cool.

 Lucky for Grandpa we can see his spot from our back door, He may just be the most visited and decorated guy there because my kids love to go walk and ride their bikes in the cemetery. Mary has already been walking the fence to find blown flowers to put on his grave. 

Hawaii

 Jim and I spent last week in Hawaii. It was fabulous! We went met up with our great friends the Tripps- George and Kimberli who are living on O'ahu at their house. Then the four of us went to Maui. Thanks to all who watched all of our kids. While we were there we took a boat over to Lana'i. The water is such an incredible blue color, the pictures don't do it justice. We saw dolphins ( these first two pictures) and whales.

 Whales

 The aqua blue you see in this picture is the white underside of the whale. It was pretty cool to have them come that close to our boats. While we were on that island we did snuba (which is a cross between snorkling and scuba diving, there is a tube floating above you with your oxygen tank and you still can be down at the bottom) Jim loved it. It was great! 

 We went on the zig-zag road to Hana, it t was beautiful. It was a rainy day but that made for waterfalls at nearly every turn (almost 600). We stopped at a few and checked out different beaches. This one on top is a black sand beach, we also went to a red sand on as well.

 Jim suprised and swooped me down! (my hat landed in the mud)

 Hiked up to this 400 ft waterfall through a baboo forest, pretty cool.

 We found great spots to snorkle. I liked the turtles we saw about 7 throughout the trip.

 George tried forever to get the octopus to come out of the coral, to bad I missed it when he got inked.

Sledding

 The kids were so excited that it finally snowed enough that they could go sledding. Twice in one day at Harmons Hill.

Emily's Preschool Fieldtrip

 Emily waiting to go to preschool with a valentine box.

 Emily's preschool class went on a field trip to the library and post office. At the library they read books about Africa and then made masks.

 At the post office the mailed postcards to themselves and then saw what happens to the mail.