star keiki...

nora receiving her star keiki award!

so proud!

brother watching!

he finally realized i was there...

sweet girl...

love her!

she got a star keiki award... for having a birthday in july.  but it's always fun to be celebrated.  

sorry for the hiatus.  a busy week of planning another mom's painting night, shower, Bible study and then a formal dinner for david's work.  oh and david was gone, so i did all the gymnastics/soccer/school driving!  (not complaining, but it just is busy!)

more pics to come on all that...  but we are good...  

cute kids...

pics will come soon.  i promise!  but i didn't want to forget the sweet things my kids have been saying.  

c will wrap his arms around my legs when he wants up.  it's so sweet.  and he is my only kid that will (at least for now) transfer, sleeping, from the car to the crib!  it works out so well for school pick ups.  

nora was helping c drink his milk this week, and she said, "aww, this makes me think of when i used to hold you and feed you.  they grow up so fast"!  it was so cute!!!

james and i were snuggling the other day and the topic of him growing up came up.  he has told me before that he's going to live next to me.  i told him i was okay with him growing up as long as he lived next to me.  then i asked, "what if your wife doesn't want to?'.  he said, "it's okay, as the man, i make the rules, so if i want to live there, we will."  (sorry future wife!!!)  he thought for a second and then said, "or, we could just live across the street".  a good compromise, i thought!  it was so cute!!!  

(and don't worry, future wife, i won't hold him to that promise!!!)

more soccer than you can handle!!!

little soccer star.

paying attention!  (better than his mommy did!)

goofing off...  

kicking.

ready... go!

score!

check him out...

such a player.

love his form!

throws.

the release.

future soccer star!

waiting!

playing with his bud.

my sweet friend had her real camera.  and edited the photos.  and then emailed them to me!  she was so great...  so, we have a TON of james!  but, there you go.  future galaxy star.  and, he has landon donovan's number.  d was pretty stoked about that one!!  

fun in the sun...

we hit up the beach with some friends this weekend.  it was a beautiful day.  and the kids had a blast.  they were sad mommy wouldn't let them get too far in the water without daddy...  

i can't believe how big the kids are getting.  how fast it's going.  i know... everyone says it does.  it's not a new feeling.  nora made breakfast for us all this morning.  sweet servant girl.  she LOVES to serve.  and james loves to compliment and thank for things.  unprompted!  i love that about him.  and chris.  he's in a stage.  he can be so super whiny, but when he's not, he is the sweetest thing in the world!!

i keep telling david, some of it is our fault.  he's TRYING to communicate with us, but he's 19 months. how frustrating must it be for him?  he totally thinks he's getting his point across and we have no clue!  so, when i stop and make him stop whining, and really ask, it's been going well.

he loves to play.  it's such a fun change!  and, when you ask him where the baby is, he points to my belly.  i get that it's totally repeating what we say, but it's cute!

that's all!  have a good night!

that mom...

mmm..  gmo free corn grown on the windward side!  it's the sweetest little farm... we do our "pumpkin patch" there every year.  you know... where they ship in the pumpkins and lay them out every morning because it's 90* and they rot otherwise.  oh, and there is the most gorgeous view of the ocean!

apparently i don't give this kid enough to drink...

he liked his cinnamon roll.  

nemo!  nemo got lost in the ocean the other day.  james was emptying the bucket and it got away from him in all the waves.  we searched and searched.  about 20 minutes later, a girl pulls it up out of the water about 15 feet down the beach!  yay for "finding nemo"!!!

we got to see our friend miss c at the airport on her 2 hour layover.  it was so much fun!!!

nora was yelling, "hurry mom, quick, take a picture!"  she loved that chris was just snuggled up next to her.  

today, i felt like "that mom".  i got so much done!  weeded some.  renewed my nursing license.  then decided to tackle our playroom.  which was not even walkable.  got that cleaned.  and decided to go in on the kids rooms (which were not bad, but i could get rid of more junk when they WEREN'T home!).  

and then, we had to find soccer cleats.  between a 2:45 pick up and 5 o'clock practice.  because i hadn't looked before.  we weren't totally sure about this season- they were having trouble finding coaches.  i didn't think they were desperate enough to have me coach!

but i felt like "that mom".  wrangling her three littles in and out of a few stores, watching them stick out their tongues at each other, push each other.  (actually that was about all they did... it was really the "customer service" that was driving me batty!)  but i was short on patience.  and they were really being (mostly) good.  and i don't want to be "that mom".  

i felt rushed.  we were rushed.  i had an agenda.  and we mostly got it done.  but i was impatient when i tired and rushed little girl started crying over silly things.  instead of just loving.  and i want to love.  it ended well.  the kids and i had a nice talk.  and the house was really and truly mostly picked up!  i love that feeling.  the freshness of the super organized play room.  if we are being totally honest, i WISH my play room (or house) was always that picked up.  but, i am lazy.  L.A.Z.Y.  

anyway.  i finished season 2 of downton abbey tonight.  argh...  waiting on the 3rd season to get here by mail!  (borrowing it...)  but, it's been fun to watch...  and probably good to actually spend a few evenings home with my husband!  

beaches...

bellows...

david's favorite beach.  

can't say i mind it!

sweet baby boy...

swimming...  i am continually impressed by james in the water.  my boy who wouldn't touch the water two years ago!  now, keeps up with his sister well!

taking the bieb out for a swim!

we have spent quite a bit of time recently at the beach.  it's been so much fun.  even chris is enjoying being in the water!  with his floaty on, he's fairly independent when the waves aren't too big!  i am so impressed with him, too!  

i tried a new recipe for dinner.  i found it on pinterest, and LOVED it!  i used lite coconut milk and no ginger.  i also used my doterra essential oils for the lime, cilantro and lemongrass, because i didn't have any of those!  they were amazing!  d would have wanted it creamier.  i liked less calories/fat!  and didn't mind the thickness.  i would have also done more chicken.  i did a little less than called for!  even the kids loved it!  will totally be making it again soon.  

it probably took 20 minutes to prepare, and it all used one pot and a chopping block.  LOVE the easy clean up.  alright... there you go.  if you need something new and easy.  and love THAI COCONUT CURRY CHICKEN as much as me!  

i love our current schedule.  which is about to get much busier with soccer season upon us.  but, we spend most afternoons walking down the street to play with friends, or hitting up the pools or parks.  it makes the afternoons so fun!

d and i had a big convo about school this weekend.  we (i) had briefly thought about homeschooling, after james asked to be homeschooled last year.  i still love the idea for a lot of reasons, but david didn't think it was a good idea.  i love the freedom in submitting to my husband more!  i have also occasionally felt guilty about paying so much for school right now.  and sending james every day, to his third year of preschool.  

d and i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the kids school.  and it was so good to hear him say that.  and over the last year, so much has made me at peace about where we have them.  and this morning, james- who missed the last two days of school, and struggled at the beginning of the year, only adding to my guilt- couldn't contain his excitement about going to school.  i even (hesitantly) asked if he would rather be homeschooled.  he said, "no way.  i love my school".  such a blessing to hear that!  

and nora.  she asks daily to stay for the after school care until 5:30pm.  what a horrible mom that i DON'T leave her there every day!  (mostly cause i am too cheap to pay for it!!)  but i love that she loves to be there and with her friends.  

that's what i got today...  

all dressed up...

a birthday present.  and a good reason to wear a new dress!

my hubby was getting all dressed up.  

and getting promoted.  to Lieutenant Commander.  i am so proud of him.  it's the first time it wasn't an automatic promotion...  someone had to pick him!  and i love the ceremony.  military occasions always make me so thankful for what our servicemembers do!

someone has to put on the new shoulder boards (which tell his rank), as he was no longer "in uniform" for his new rank.  so, he chose the kids!  (i did it at his last promotion, and he and my mom did it for me once!)

the whole fam... looking directly in to the sun!

and then we celebrated 8 years of marriage!  eight years...  we met on march 3rd, and got married sept 3rd.  it was a fun and whirlwind courtship and it's been even more fun since then!  i always tell him that we REALLY didn't know each other that well, and we have spent so much time since then getting to know each other.  and i couldn't be more thankful!

i was thinking the other day about life before david.  and relationships before david.  and i realized (again) how perfect he is for me!  at the promotion, one of the guys said "you put up with him that long?".  i laughed, but quickly responded that i was just thankful he has put up with me for this long!!!  and it's true... especially through four pregnancies, where i don't want to cook or clean, and can barely lift my head off a pillow!  

we were talking the other day about how we have changed in eight years, and our expectations.  i realized that i had expectations and realized that my expectations were so far off.  and reality is SO MUCH BETTER!  (i told david the other night, i had this dream of eating ice cream in bed while watching tv.  cause isn't that what they do in the movies?  but, we both laughed.  and i told him that i realized over the last 8 years that it's such a silly "dream".  i mean...  i would have to get up and brush my teeth.  which would defeat the whole "eating in bed" thing.  and the dirty bowls/ice cream containers/spoons.)

anyway, all that to say, the last eight years have been so much fun!  five houses.  two two month stays with my parents.  three babies and one on the way.  one major deployment.  two small "aways".  three states.  

life.  i am thankful for the time we have had.  and i can't wait for the rest of it.