29 December 2012

dedication...

our good friend, j, is a chaplain.  and his wife (a good friend) was saying something about him doing a dedication for friends at the beach.  and i had a thought.  we had nora dedicated by david's grandpa when she was a baby.  but we never had james dedicated.  and we LOVE our church, but we also know that we won't be part of it forever.  so, we had j dedicate our boys with our parents and friends.  it was a fun and special afternoon...


they stay so much more still when they are babies!





so thankful for our families that raised us, and our kids....

i got to have these three girls spend the night a few weeks ago...  they were so sweet!

all five kids... they didn't stay that way all night...

the kids were playing outside and wanted to play with the hose.  i told them they could if they washed the car!

at the beach!

pushing up the log so they could sit!

trying to stand...

and he made it!!!!

surfing again!!!

my boy would go!

a haircut from his sissy!

the professional version...

high and tight!!!

28 December 2012

mandatory family fun!

thanksgiving turkey trot!

keiki dash...

all the kids getting ready!

love my little racer!

my sweet boy!

doing so well!

running so fast!

the five of us!

and the rest of us!

my parents working hard in the kitchen!

almost done!!!

dinner time...

really good friends!!!


wow... i am a month behind.  but we had a great thanksgiving!!!  and today starts david's post deployment/Christmas vacation!!  whoo hoo!  we have two weeks worth of fun planned for the fam.  it's the first time he's taken time off and we have just been us with nothing to do.  guess who's excited??

we are in a stage.  a messy stage.  caused by diarrhea.  and i am sick of seeing it.  and smelling it.  and cleaning it up.  but, i keep telling myself, it's just a stage.  and this, too, shall pass.  i am so thankful for my children who can do this (just wish they'd do it less!).  not sure i am going miss this part of this stage of life we are in... but i am going to miss this age!

i also am overwhelmed by the amount of laundry in my life right now.  yes, some of it is part of this stage.  the poopy stage.  but, some of it is that i have five people to do laundry for.  when chris was a baby, and we were just getting used to it, d was still home.  then he left, and chris got messier.  and now, chris is bigger, d is home, and laundry seems to have exponentially exploded!  again, love this stage... my hubby is home.  my three kids are growing.  but, i feel like i could do laundry all day and never be caught up!

and quite honestly, there are things i want to do other than laundry.  like go to the beach.  every day.  (which we have been doing.  and it's wonderful!!)

i sound like i am whining.  i really don't mean to (except about the poop...).  just a realization.  and trying to live in the moment!!!

27 December 2012

waimea fun...

hale'iwa beach park...

waimea falls...

not wanting to brave the water quite yet!

all in!

getting brave!

my sweet girl!

my daddy...

watching the michael murphy pull in.  (named for one of the seals that died in operation redwing.  you can read about it in the book "lone survivor".  it's a great read!!)

between our race and thanksgiving dinner on thanksgiving day.  ahh... the life!

loving life!

enjoying his breakfast cinnamon roll!

yummy!

watching football with daddy!

26 December 2012

real life...

my boy and me...  love his cute face!

he wasn't a crazy fan of the slide!

at the beach....

pin the claw on the crab!

sweet boy loved riding this down the hill!

the boys... a goodbye dinner with friends.  we LOVE this restaurant.  however, we were sitting under some circuit that shorted and started shooting sparks all over us.  the kids were totally freaked out by the "fireworks", and said they never want to go back!  poor things.  and chris pulled one of the plates set too near to him by the waitress onto the floor.  and the management couldn't figure out how to turn off the sparking circuit, so d and his friend had to tell them how!  and all that, we still paid full price for all our food...  oh well... we had fun!

thanksgiving lunch at j's school!

a sleepy boy!

my tired, teething boy...

her thanksgiving lunch.  she told me to leave, cause i was interrupting time with her friends!

our apple products had a playdate!  i had to get the real camera to take a pic of this.  there was one more ipad not in the pic!

phew... i am WAY behind!  it's Christmas night as i type this.  

i like my real life.  a lot.  and today was no exception.  we got up (way too early) and the kids opened presents.  it was so much fun to watch them.  nora sat down, halfway through, and started writing a thank you note.  it was so sweet!!  and both big kids picked out something for the other two.  and were so excited to give it to the other.  it was fun to watch them be so excited to open their gifts, but also to have such happy hearts and to GIVE!  

after we got through the gifts, d headed in to work.  and we took breakfast to the families that are stuck in the navy lodge (meaning either on vacay, or mostly haven't gotten a house to move in to yet.  met a girl who's been there since october!!).  and we ate there.  it was fun to be around so many displaced families.  

then, we headed in to eat lunch on the ship with david.  it was really fun.  got to meet some other families of sailors.  and see some friends!  

then, we headed out to the hale koa for a swim at the pool with our friends from alaska.  (we met them in rhode island and were in Bible study...)  they kept getting stuck here, flights getting cancelled.  the kids have so much fun together, and we had a blast!  

we came home and i fed the kids dinner.  and then, i undecorated our house.  all the Christmas decorations are put away.  it feels really good.  and so not like me.  and so grinch like. 

it was a good Christmas.  for Christmas eve, we got up and went to the beach.  jamey and i went out for a sweet kayak ride.  it was so fun. he was a doll!!!  and then we came home.  and ate lunch.  then went bowling.  and david and the kids all beat me.  with bumpers.  kinda pathetic!  but, so much fun!!

for dinner, we had our stranded alaska friends and our north shore friends.  (man, us and a bunch of army folk!!)  it was wonderful!!!  the conversation abounded and we just had a blast.  then a wonderful Christmas eve service!!  

25 December 2012

home again...

family swim time...

the water level was low, so he could "touch"!

out on the town!!

my presents!!!

and a flat tire... life goes on!

a party...  box car racing!

the winners!!!

at the beach!!!

reading...

fun family time!!

it was a great reunion.  there wasn't really a "transition" time.  the kids responded normally to david.  and he to them.  christopher had no problems.  it's been so good.  and so normal.  truly an answer to prayer!  

this was the best Christmas present i could have asked for... having my whole family together!!