Saturday, August 7, 2010

Hanging out at Ko Olina
















Jackson is still pretty timid when it comes to the beach. I am still timid when it comes to taking 5 kids to the beach by myself :) So the solution is Ko Olina lagoons. The kids spent the morning "surfing" and playing in the sand. I spent the afternoon cleaning as they were exhausted and took LONG naps!!!

It's A Date







Even with the chaos of Residency and 5 little ones, we try to make the time once a month to go on a date just the two of us. It's hard to believe that we only have 3 years left here. Because time has a way of flying by we have been intentional about seeing some of the sights. I have not been to Pearl Harbor since I was here on my Senior trip, so we headed out for the afternoon. It was good ol' Souther food and sweet tea and then a trip to the memorial. It was a wonderful afternoon and once again we were reminded of those who have given their lives so that we may have freedom.

A'hoy











One fun thing about home schooling is getting out of the every day routine and doing something different. They are filming the Pirates of the Carribean here on Oahu and we were able to go see the Black Pearl. We drew treasure maps, learned about pirates and dressed up to go see the famous ship.

Happy 4th of July
















Yes, I am a little late, but hey, I can't do it all :) It was fun celebrating the 4th of July together. hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, watermelon...BUT the kids enjoyed the fireworks the most!!!

We love visitors!
















One perk of being stationed in Hawaii is that we can talk people into coming out to visit. We had a fabulous time with Neill and Karen. We were able to sneak out without the kids for some sushi. Just hang out a bit and spent a day on Kaneohe Bay. They are a true blessing to us and we loved having them here.

Jackson turns 3 1/2 !!!
















Buzz Lightyear and Woody!!! Toy Story was the theme of Jackson's half birthday. His real day is January 1st. He is really coming into his own and it's fun to watch him gain confidence and grow. He had a wonderful day. We took all the kids to see a movie and then pizza and cake to wrap up the day. He adds so much joy to our family and we couldn't imagine life without him.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Mykah turns 4 1/2!!!











Mykah's birthday is December 26th so we wanted to celebrate when it wasn't in the mix of all the holiday activities. She had so much fun. I always let the kids choose what the theme is to be and she wanted princess Tiana from Princess and the Frog. We started the day with the usual birthday breakfast and then spent the day celebrating. She had so much fun and we were able open gifts with Grandma and Nana on Skype.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

20th Reunion
















I had a wonderful week away in California. Chris is a trooper and held down the fort while I was gone. It truly is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since we graduated. I would like to think that we are like a fine wine and are only getting better with age. I truly feel blessed through my high school experience. I really believe it was the glory days of Brookside. I have beautiful friends that have stood the test of time! They are amazing women and we had a lovely day at Wine and Roses. It is good to just be together and walk whatever road is before us together, no matter if we are experiencing good or touch times. I spent a great deal of time with the Lambdin's and enjoy quiet conversation with the Howen's. It is good reminder that no matter how hard it may be to leave, I am always refreshed when I return. I am hoping to return this Fall for a long weekend. It was a great weekend and I am so glad I was able to be a part of it.










Here's to another 20 years!!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Happy 34th Birthday Chris!!!
















Chris was in D.C. for a week prior to his birthday, so we took the entire weekend to celebrate, when he returned. He spent the day with Colin doing "guy time". Followed by cake and ice cream. The fun part was heading to Waikiki for the night at the Hale Koa and a nice dinner together. Kayleigh and Megan watched the kiddos as their gift to Chris and then they met us at the hotel the next afternoon for some fun at the pool. Happy Birthday my love!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Memorial Day











We headed up to The Punchbowl to honor those that lost their lives, in order for us to have freedom. Even with 6 (we had a friend along) little one's it was a great morning of remembering those that served. Colin enjoyed looking for those that earned a medal of honor and we are going to try to look them up and see if we can find their story. Many of the graves were from those that lost their lives during Pearl Harbor. It was that tragic day, but through the pride that she felt for her country, that led my Grandmother to enlist in the first Women's Army Corps during WWII. Chris' father served in Vietnam and retired from the U.S Army. My uncle served in the Navy, Chris' uncle served in Air Force and Chris is currently serving in the Army. We have a deep military history in our family. We also have many friends who are serving overseas as I type this and we are thankful for the risk that they take each and every day. It was a really good day and it was wonderful seeing history come to life for Colin.

Gracen turns 2
















While at Barber's Point we celebrated Gracen's 2nd birthday. Some of my family that I have not seen in decades were vacationing on Maui and flew out to help us celebrate. I guess being the youngest of so many, she is very independent. She potty trained herself. She can hear a can of soda opening a million miles away and she is a happy girl when she sees the purple straw from coffee bean and tea leaf. She can make us all laugh. She never wants to wear clothes and can hold her own in any confrontation! She is such a joy and I am only sad that we no longer have our sweet, baby, Gracen. Now we have independent, toddler, Gracen!! A special thanks to Heather for the wonderful pictures,

Barber's Point
















One of our favorite spots is Barber's Point. They are 1950's cabins that the Navy owns and are very simple. BUT we feel a million miles away. No cooking, no cleaning. Mornings on the beach finding crabs and drinking coffee. It is a great break from the daily grind of medicine. We spent a few days out there in May, we only wish it were longer.