friday phone dump..

my boy, who repeatedly insisted he wasn't tired.  but, moved his pillow to the doorframe, where he proceeded to fall asleep!  loved the hand...

doing homework!

snuggling...

they got up early.  and i let them have the iPad so i could sleep!  and they played peacefully for over 2 hours this way!  (yes, that means they were up at an UNGODLY hour!!!  i got up and a decent hour...  like 7am!)

snuggling with his dad!

with my FIL after a hike to makapu'u!

snuggling with my boy, first thing in the morning!  can you tell the flash was a little bright?

new books from grammie and grandpa.  they each gave their favorite!

a new straw.  so much fun!

mmm... relaxing on the beach while grammie and grandpa entertain the littles!

sweet boy and the carrots he absconded with!  love him!

we have had a fun, busy week playing tourist!  and spending a lot of it at the beach.  currently, i am making 50+ cupcakes for a birthday party.  

hope you are having a good week!

what i wore wednesday...

a day of surfing...  lily pulitzer bathing suit... 

just out to play!

old navy tanks

old navy shorts, sewn in!  

nora...  gap dress

new haircut!

sweet boy, with his carters shades!

target tshirt

target shorts

dinner and hanging out

new haircut for me, too!

shirt- tj maxx

shorts- i made!!!

makapu'u hike

lululemon

it's been a fun week with grammie and grandpa visiting!  we have been playing tourist!  especially with kids on spring break, and david taking a few days of leave!  more pics to come!

linking up with lindsey

a big kid...

he wants so badly to be a big kid!!

he put the helmet on himself...

watch me...  it's so cute to watch!

my other big kid... and his new haircut!

beach fun!

the man i love....  watching the planes fly!

sweet baby.  hope it was just sand he was eating!

running after dad.  

writing in the sand...

i know.  different saturday, same beach.  hope you aren't sick of seeing the same pics.  we met some friends from church at the beach and had a blast!  

it's been a busy week.  after i posted about the way things were going, i feel like i am just struggling the end of this week!  trying to focus on the heart of the matter with my kids is hard work!  so much easier to just fix the behavior!  (and, it has produced good rewards.  both in them and me!!)  

and, my fam is all on vacay.  and i am sad to not be with everyone!  always a bummer...  (except, we can still relax on the beach!)  however, the in laws are coming soon.  i can't wait.  it coincides with spring break and we have some fun things planned!!  some date nights... some new hikes...  maybe even some surfing!!!

what i wore... in december!!!

this pic just got emailed to me.  and i just love it!  it was fun to remember our fun Christmas party again!  

ps... i made david's tie.  did i mention that?

i have been doing this study on "sheparding a child's heart".  it speaks to changing and molding a child's heart, rather than just fixing behavior.  it's been really interesting, and really convicting!  and, good just to remind me that my ultimate goal is not stepford kids, but kids that love Jesus with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength.  and out of that, are good kids.  but still kids!!!

i could list all the things that i do wrong (and i do!).  like yesterday, they watched a movie and then played with the ipad.  all while this guy was here to install bars on our windows (did you know that 4 kids have fallen out of windows in military housing in hawaii this year, resulting in death or injury, and 71 in the state of hawaii since june??  we have friends whose son died falling out of a window two years ago.  not sure what took me so long to get the bars!!).  but this guy commented on how he didn't have these growing up, and parents just don't watch their kids anymore!  i felt like a winner, as my kids were being entertained by electronics.  but, they were in the room with me!!!!

all that to say, i have my shortcomings.  i am not perfect.  and try to be honest in this forum, without throwing my kids under the bus, or writing things they won't want to read about themselves in years to come!!!  but, they are not perfect.  

however, as i have been thinking about molding hearts, and not just creating robots, i have been listening to their prayers.  some of it is exactly what i say.  but this morning, they had other things to say.  and it was so precious.  nora was praying for the words she says to be kind.  and james now starts his prayers, "oh heavenly father".  not sure where he got it, but it's cute!!

anyway, i am loving the glimmers of things that have been good recently!  in spite of me!!!!

(really hard to tell them to talk sweetly when i am being scrumpy with them.  scrumpy is james' word.  i love using it!!!)

homecomings...

i love this pic.  the watching for her love.  the waiting...

and his version of waiting...

waiting with our friends... for their daddy!

sweet boy.  

kids.  

my big girl!

dear friend... it was a sunny day!

we got to watch another ship pull in.  and be so excited for our friends to welcome home the head of their house!  so glad he's back for a bit!

and we got to go out to dinner with some other friends last night.  it was the craziest dinner i have ever had!  i felt like a kid playing dress up.  it was so cool...  

the fire department!

jamey and his friend walking in!!

sweet boy...

listening so intently!

so curious!!

riding high...  ps.  he has a new ambition in life!

he was the first one with his hand up to ride in the truck!

curious!

my boy!

i love his grumpy face... his, "i don't want to smile at the camera" face!

the a.r.f.f....  the truck that puts out airplane fires...

a big airplane.  

my boy.. giving the firefighter a high five!

another boy...

his cheese!!!

wearing the helmets!

with a real firefighter!

c kept lunging for him. but was less entertained when i LET the fireman hold him!

my other boy and me!

showing off!

it was a crazy fun field trip!  

i have been reading the letters to the mom on her iphone.  and we had a moms' panel this week at mops.  and it was all very convicting.  and could be so easy to walk away feeling like i failed.  (have i mentioned that i feel that way sometimes???)  and then i read this from another friend's blog.   and i realized that it's okay to find a balance.  

i was convicted reading the letter to the iphone mom.  and yet, my kids love facetiming on my iphone.  or they chime in on my phone calls to family members who live 6000 miles away.  or adding something to an email to daddy.  and they know that i read my Bible on my iphone.  so that i can spend time with Jesus.  

but, i could put my phone/computer/ipad down more.  and so i try to.  to be engaged when they are around.  to use pinterest and other social media sites wisely, and not as time wasters (although sometimes they are!!).  but they have been great resources for new meals.  (one of which my hubby LOVES!  and begs for!)  gluten free pop tarts.  school projects.  you can find great things on there.  but, it's balancing my time.  so, i continue to be convicted to spend my time wisely.  pleasing to God.  and not just wasting it on facebook.  or in front of the tv.  

and, so i am off to bed.  instead of wasting more time on my computer (not blogging... i VALUE this time!!!)...  cause i am in charge of a 4.5 mile run tomorrow.  hope my knees cooperate!  then, it's the beach after.  don't feel too bad for us!!!