hanauma bay

day two saw the wheelers snorkeling at hanauma bay. snorkeling is a favorite beach activity for bryan, and he was excited to have the kids join in. they practiced using their masks and fins in the pool the day before giving the ocean a try.

i also typically enjoy snorkeling, however, if i'm being honest (and what better place for honesty than the internet), the fish were just too close for comfort for me at hanauma bay. 

i snorkeled out a total of maybe four feet before i was inundated with several schools of (beautiful!) fish and started hyperventilating (sort of wish that was hyperbolic. sadly, it isn't).

it's kind of ridiculous to be afraid of fish, i get it. 

and yet, here we are. 

turns out i'm much more of a "look at that pretty fish behind the six-inch glass in an aquarium!" or "look at that pretty fish ten feet or more away from me in the ocean!" kind of girl.

inches from my face and sharing the same two feet of water depth is just not my thing.

everyone else loved it!

ALSO, a seal joined us in the bay. it swam right next to bryan and afton (afton actually hit it with her fin accidentally when it swam behind them) and then beached itself on the shore for a few minutes before heading back out into open water. 

i thought the kids would think that was, like, the coolest thing ever. but since we're being honest here, they were much more captivated by the wild chickens that run around all over hawaii.

(insert shrugging girl emoji here.)

it took caleb awhile to feel comfortable putting his face in the water, but once he did and he saw his first school of fish up close, he was kind of obsessed.

dallin just pretty much enjoyed putting on his mask and fins and having his dad tug him around in the water.

suiting up for her close encounters of the aquatic kind. 

bryan's favorite find of the day was this magnificent sea turtle.

afton heading out with her dad.

summer.

waikiki

of course! we had to spend the morning of our first day at the iconic oahu beach.

busy and beautiful, with sky-high hotels and resorts that shoot up almost straight from the water, the surf, sand, sunshine, and scenery of waikiki were perfect for easing our crew into their hawaiian adventure (the delicious açaí bowls we had for breakfast via island vintage coffee didn't hurt none either). 

when all was said and done, and we were musing over the very bests from our trip, the kids still reported this their favorite beach. 

it just so happened to be this young man's birthday, too. 

just another day in paradise

sunrise at hanauma bay

the wheelers are heading home from spring break on oahu; the kids' first taste of the magic of hawaii.

our skin is sun-kissed (lightly! spf, baby). our hair is beachy. our feet are dirty. our souls are happy. and sand is everywhere.

aloha 'oe.

my favorite color is you

bryan and emily wheeler:

14 years young

several years ago, when bryan and i were students at byu, we took a marriage and family class together. more accurately, i took the class and bryan audited it. even more accurately, i took the class and bryan slept through most of it.

anyway, during one of the times bryan was awake, our professor (aka lloyd newell) asked us to write down the top three characteristics we were looking for in a spouse. i wrote down mine; bryan wrote down his. we compared notes, and (audible gasp!) we had written down the exact same three characteristics in the exact same order.

so we decided to get married.

just kidding!

we were already engaged.

so it was a high five and a "good game" and a back to sleep (for bryan). we married a few months later in the middle of finals week because we've always known how to party hard.

to bryan: 

there is no one with whom i'd rather take classes (that you sleep through) or see broadway plays (that you sleep through) or have late night, soul bearing, world shifting conversations (that you also sleep through).

ps, i'm just spit-balling here, but maybe we need to help you get more sleep...

little lost teeth

just some pre-gymnastics shenanigans (afton giving caleb puppy dog ears) showing off caleb's brand new missing-top-tooth grin. 

pinewood derby, year two

summer and afton had a blast working with their dad prepping for and racing in this year's pinewood derby. bryan had both girls sketch out a few different car designs on graph paper, pick their favorite concepts, and then supervise his band-saw usage--making sure he kept the finished shape consistent with their artistic visions.

after sanding, painting, weighting, and assembling, they were raring to go.

and bonus! the wheeler girls totally dominated the winner's circle with summer coming in first and afton third (her race times were just a smidge below second).

number 8, quora lightbeam car:

number 47, summer cream:

checking in at the official weigh station:

some friendly competition:

summer and afton had one heat where they raced only each other:

the final race:

announcing the winner:

all of our fantastic racers exhibited such creativity, positivity, and sportsmanship:

i'm pretty sure afton was more pleased with her award for "best paint job" than she was even taking home third overall.

hip hop hooray

another egg hunt is in the books! 

christi, i don't know with whom you've made a pact or what prized possession you've bargained away for it to pretty much always be sunny out on our community easter egg hunts, but i'm not mad about it. thanks for continuing to host such a great event!

wheelers be hunting for easter eggs since 2009. one day, we'll find the last of them. 

where justice, love, and mercy meet

#BecauseofHim

"Today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever faced. [...]

That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of this world. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience to His commandments, lift us to eternal life.

This Easter I thank Him and the Father, who gave Him to us, that Jesus still stands triumphant over death, although He stands on wounded feet. This Easter I thank Him and the Father, who gave Him to us, that He still extends unending grace, although He extends it with pierced palms and scarred wrists. This Easter I thank Him and the Father, who gave Him to us, that we can sing before a sweat-stained garden, a nail-driven cross, and a gloriously empty tomb:

How great, how glorious, how complete

Redemption’s grand design,

Where justice, love, and mercy meet

In harmony divine!"

--Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2015