things i have been working on...

the bedding for presley's nursery.  my sweet niece who is due in december.  i did the bedskirt, bumper pads and the quilt on the chair.  it was so fun to do, and so fun to see how my sister decorated the room!!

jamey's project for school.  the first project, i let jamey do it all.  and all the other moms did these amazing projects for their kids.  so i helped with this one.  and it still wasn't as cool as the other moms' projects!  but, he liked it!

jamey's bedding.  he told me he didn't want to use it till saturday.  not sure why.  but now he is loving it.  and so am i!!!  i just have to finish quilting chris'.  (by the way... didn't realize both our boys would have names that can end in "s".  sweet...)

a donation for school...

the kids, making chris laugh!

entertaining chris

smiles... my super girl!

my sweet boy...

cheese!

nora wanted her training wheels off.  and the sweet dad next door offered to help!

she had fun.  didn't master it yet, but had fun!!!

so, i was shopping today.  and there was an amish couple in front of me.  probably about my parents' age.  and they were purchasing some items.  and i was in a store with a big secret.  i had to laugh a bit!!!  it raised my curiosity a bit!

visitors...

my sweet boy... 

family picture.  so my life.  crazy boy.  baby not paying attention.  girl who loves to pose for a good pic!

mostly looking!!!

facebook is a wonderful thing.  scanning through posts recently, a friend posted that she was at the hale koa.  so, i posted back, reminding her i lived here and asked if she was free.  well, she left that evening, and had a few hours by the pool... so i loaded up the kids and off we went.   

h and i worked together in labor and delivery in san diego.  she was a wonderful mentor and friend.  it was so fun to see her for a few minutes here!  (not to mention, the kids had a blast swimming!)

she wanted a good pose!

brothers don't shake hands... brothers gotta hug!  (not sure it's hugging, but hey...)

being ornery with her daddy doll...

sweet boy... watching the world go by.  he LOVES to be up and out, playing with the kids!  gone are the days where he sits and watches patiently!!

some beach...

out on the leeward side...

her intense face about something...

sweet thing, running to the water!

boxing out her brother...  she might be a baller yet!

we love "ko".  as jamey calls it!

love her faces!

you can't keep this kid out of the water now.  he is a FISH!!!  it's so fun to watch (but, i still don't trust him in the water yet!!).

writing letters in the sand.  

dinner on the beach.  

playing...

my little fish...

love it!

the keiki!

the sun started to go down!

it was so much fun to watch the sun set...

playing!

the kids kept questioning why we had to go after the sun had set... it was so dark!  they wanted to keep playing!

new friends....

good night...

we met some new friends.  the daddy grew up in the same town as our daddy.  a mutual friend introduced us.  both daddys are currently deployed.  and the moms and kids had a blast!  so fun to meet more midwesterners!

i fell off the face of the earth.  sorry bout that.  i promise, david has been getting photos.  i have been busy.  we had a busy weekend.  some exciting friend goings-on on friday night, finished with a sleepover.  then a birthday party and the beach for dinner and a sunset on saturday.  it was a gorgeous sunset.  and met a very fun new friend!  

i had just put the kids down and was about to clean up my house from a busy week and weekend.  and anticipating guests on sunday night.  (a high school friend and his wife- i introduced them a while ago!!!  super excited to have them come for a night!)  when, i got a text.  that there was a tsunami warning.

i had to check again to make sure that i wasn't in an evacuation zone.  david always tells me we will be fine, but he wasn't here!  we were safe.  so, i texted our friends who live on the beach on the north shore.  i asked if they had to leave, and mentioned they could come here!  (totally meaning it, but not really thinking they would take me up on it!!!)  i got my wish.  i got five houseguest evacuees.  and it was such an answer to a prayer i hadn't prayed yet.  

i got busy tidying up and getting rooms ready for them.  i didn't have time to worry.  at one point, when i stopped to think, i realized how AWESOME it was that i would have someone else in my house.  there would be another (three) adults to experience this with.  and that made it so much less anxiety ridden! 

so, my guests came.  and they put their kids down.  and we popped popcorn.  and poured wine.  and hunkered down to watch the news.  there were some surges in the water, but no real damage!  (the water came up to our guests' grass, but didn't do any damage!)  we got up this morning and football was turned on (i had forgotten what it was like to have football on the tv!  it was kind of fun!).  and we had red velvet pancakes.  and my house was full.  it was REALLY fun!!!  

today, we had church.  and my friends came to visit.  it was so fun to catch up with them.  and to just hang out.  to be with people who have known me half my life!  to experience hawaii through their eyes!  to remember that i live in paradise!  

at church today, we sang this song...

my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness

i dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name

on Christ the solid rock i stand

all other ground is sinking sand

when darkness veils His lovely face i rest on His unchanging grace

in every high and stormy gale my anchor holds within His veil

His oath, His covenant, His blood supports me in the whelming flood

when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.

i am SURE they chose the songs for church this week well in advance of last night.  i am SURE the bulletins were even printed BEFORE last night.  and i just marveled at God's timing and sense of humor.  and His POWER.  and complete AWESOMENESS.  He knew we would sing that song not 12 hours after a tsunami was predicted to hit.  so, the power of the waves and nature was fresh on our minds.  and He controls that all!  

and such a good reminder that when i am anchored in HIM, nothing can move me.  

till kingdom come...

new clothes...  

sweet girl, who has been looking so grown up this week!

my crazy-big baby boy!!!  he's started growling this week.  he sounds like jack-jack from "the incredibles".  you know, when jack-jack goes all crazy and lights on fire?  yeah... super weird.  

she can talk really well with those in her mouth!  

sweet face!

he SO wants to be a big kid.  it's so fun to watch!!!

my sweet frog-man!  again, he can talk really well in those teeth!!!

eating everything in sight.  including, hummus from costco!  love this kid.  apparently, he looks just like me!  

i love this song by coldplay... "till kingdom come".  there is a line about waiting for someone, till kingdom come.  that's how long it feels like i have been waiting right now.  i am ready.  beyond ready. it was a rougher week.  not rough, just rougher than it's been.  not sure if i am just EXHAUSTED of being a single mother to three children, or i know the end is in sight, so i am giving up.  (and trying VERY hard NOT to give up.)  

so, i am NOT going to whine about being a single mother.  but, i am going to tell you what's been going through my mind this week.  T-R-A-N-S-I-T-I-O-N.  

i mean, at the end of the day, david will have been gone almost eight months.  think back to eight months ago.  david left on march 23rd.  what were you doing in march?  can you even remember back that far?  what has changed for you?

i have been thinking about things i am doing differently.  i rearranged the family room.  i bought a new dresser that is in the family room.  i hung stuff up differently on the walls.  i painted the coffee table.  i made curtains for the kitchen.  i added things to the walls for storage/mail/etc.  i brought a bookshelf in to the kitchen for books.  i rearranged the play room.  like four times.  

i bought new bedding for us.  i am (almost) done with bedding for james' room.  my goal is to also be done with new bedding for nora's room.  i (found on the side of the street) got david a bedside table.  i subscribed to netflix.  i got a cleaning lady.  (gasp... our house has never looked so clean!  it's unrecognizable!)

my kids...  nora started kindergarten.  she started reading.  she's crazy independent.  and likes to nap sometimes.  and can unload the dishwasher.  and make her own lunches.  and sometimes breakfast.  

james.  dresses himself.  is potty trained.  doesn't sit in a high chair.  tries to sleep in my bed every night.  doesn't really sleep with puppy anymore.  

both my kids are (i think) out of pull-ups at night.  (so, i am only occasionally changing beds!)

christopher.  don't even get me started.  he was 9 weeks when david left.  he will be almost 10 months when david gets home.  he can army crawl like nobody's business.  and is trying to get up on all fours to crawl.  and eats.  like he's never seen food in his life!  i mean, you can't shovel it in fast enough.  and babbles.  mostly just says "dada".  will look at my phone, too, and say "dada".  (there's a pic of david on my phone!)  he laughs all the time.  and sleeps through the night (not that david usually noticed if he didn't!!!).  and plays with you.  and waves.  and can sign a little bit.  and is 22 pounds.  kid is HUGE!!

eight months.  that's 3/4 a year.  over 200 days.  a long time.  

i have lost 25 pounds.  and have more muscle than i have ever had.  and gone gluten free.  and become more independent than i realized i could be.  and missed david more than i ever thought possible.  there have been moments.  days, weeks, where i just couldn't catch my breath.  i missed david with every fiber of my being.  to breath deep meant to start crying.  and i didn't have the time or energy for it.  

i am not saying we are done yet.  they are not home.  they have to be in port before i can relax (yes, ships have been days away from home, and turned around for an extension.  pray that's not us!!!).  but we are close.  and i am ready.  and preparing.  because we will have transition.  it's inevitable.  

we are are both different people than when he left.  he's seen more of the world.  and done some amazing things. and we've grown.  (i so do not mean for this to sound ominous.  i am not worried about growing apart, etc.  i think we have both been very intentional that that DOESN'T happen.)  but we are different.  life is different.  life has happened for the last eight months.  and our life is about to change (and i mean that in only, all, completely positive ways!!!).  but change doesn't come without transition!  

the end.  or, the beginning!!!  hurry home, love!  i am waiting!

smiles...

all smiles the other day.  we were having a movie afternoon...

snuggling.  nora had had a rough day after school.  her homework was frustrating her and she was afraid she was going to get in trouble because it wasn't perfect.  it was so sad to watch....  (and know that the teacher wasn't going to even notice!!!)

jamey at gymnastics.  he does it all by himself!!!

my sweet baby... in a friends' arms.  i love watching him sleep!

he looks so big!!

one of the prizes she won at school...  (she was the ONLY one to win the "big" prizes!!!)

and me...

my little stud.  he loves hamming it up with these...

a note she brought home from school yesterday!!

i have been doing a lot of sewing!  it's been fun.  i am making bedding for a certain niece i am anticipating soon, and some other orders that i have.  it's been fun to really dive back in to sewing again!!!