Hawaii Fun

It rained most of the day yesterday, but that didn't stop the kids from having fun outside! They loved having an excuse to finally be able to play with their rain boots and umbrellas. They chased each other around the parking lot for about an hour yesterday like this. It was adorable. As a mother, I felt like I should say "come in before you catch a cold" but how can I say that when it is 78 degrees out?





This past weekend, we finally went snorkeling for the first time. I didn't have an underwater camera unfortunately so I can't show you any cool fish pictures. But you can see the amazing beach. This beach is only about 20 minutes from our house and is a nice lagoon so it is waveless (perfect for the kids). It looks like a postcard, doesn't it? Snorkeling is amazing! It is so beautiful and peaceful, drifting through the warm waters and enjoying a whole other world that our Lord created. We were even able to take Asher along and let him look under the water with his own goggles...he loved it. We will definitely be doing it some more!

My Sleeping Companion

Yes, this is what you think it is!! Well, some of you may be really confused but some of you will completely understand. This is the wonderful U-shaped pregnancy pillow that we bought yesterday. It was a very hard decision between the J or U-shaped one but I ultimately chose the U-shaped so I could have the back support. I have really been struggling with back pain this pregnancy and sleeping has been a nightmare. You could say I have hardly slept and we haven't even had the baby yet! So yes, it takes up the whole bed, and yes, it seems like an unnecassary expense. But let me tell me you that last night was the best night's sleep I have had in 2 months! And I awoke with no back pain this morning. WOO HOO!!! How did I survive 2 other pregnancies without this baby?

Goodbye Diapers and Hello Old Friends

Ok, so I really didn't want to blog until I could say that potty training was successful. And so here I am after 6 days saying "Hooray!!". The first 4 days were pretty miserable and I second guessed myself a number of times but kept saying "just stick it out for a week". Like I said before, I thought Anna would be a breeze. Well, the wind was blowing the wrong way. But day 5 and 6 were immensely better than the first 4 and today we had no accidents and she told me everytime on her own! I know it will be awhile before I can say "hold on Anna" when she says "potty", or not know where every bathroom is anywhere I go, and I will always have an extra set of clothes or two....BUT GOODBYE DIAPERS!! Well, at least for 3 months ;). But we haven't been diaper free for 3.5 years so that is kind of exciting.

And hello to old friends. This is a picture of Joel with one of our dearest college buddies Mike Compton (HT01 baby). We haven't seen Mike in about 5 or 6 years?? Anyways, Joel saw him in a cab while walking home from lunch and ran the cab down. Mike's crew was flying out in 1.5 hours so we had about 5 minutes with each other but they were a great 5 minutes. Wish we had had all night Mike!

And here I am 25 weeks pregnant. Feeling huge and wishing for that nice big U shaped pillow every night. I think I am wearing Joel down. We just happened to watch the TV show "Notes from the Underbelly" last night. For those who don't know, it isn't funny at all unless you have been there, down that with pregnancy. And last's night episode had a great segment on the U-shaped pillow. I was laughing so hard, I was crying. But it might have won Joel over to finding me one!

And here are Asher and Anna ready to go snorkeling!

Potty Boot Camp

Potty boot camp started today for Anna. First I have to say that I NEVER would have chosen this time in our chaotic lives to potty train her. For the past 2 weeks, she has been sort of potty training herself: refusing diapers, asking for princess undies, constantly demanding the potty. So we figured since we aren't too commited to outside activities right now, why not go for it. So here I find myself at the end of the day frustrated from the pee clean-up (I go straight to undies) and lack of productivity. I thought that I would be the veteran expert after surviving Asher potty training, but it is just as hard and frustrating the second time around. I am hoping that Anna will progress faster since she seemed to want this so bad! But of course, she didn't want it today. But from this picture, you can see we had ONE success at the end of the day and she was so proud of her first sticker of her sticker chart. Hopefully tomorrow, we will get 5 more on there!

Above: Asher and Anna having a tea party. I know, is this really for boys?! But hey, they had a blast.

Below: Family movie night...can you believe they have to have their own bowls of popcorn!!! They won't even share with me. Hhhmmm...where might they get that from?

Here lies my coffee pot

For all those who really know me, you can imagine my panic when my coffee pot died 2 mornings ago. Joel just happened to be home that morning as I am screaming and shaking the thing. It just happened to be the morning that I planned just for "me"...no unpacking, no cleaning, no kids for 4 hours. Just playing on the internet (which we finally have), drinking some coffee, reading, and resting. Well boy does that morning go up in smoke without a working coffee pot! BUT, it was a good excuse to finally get the coffee pot I have been wanting-one with a thermal carafe. So today, I brewed a pot of coffee in my thermal carafe and am enjoying some "me" time on my last morning without the kids. You may wonder why I have no kids. The AF pays for 20 hours of childcare when you first move so I have been taking advantage of that to get some unpacking done.

The Stone Ages

Yes, I DO feel like I am in the stone ages without internet...I love my internet access!! We still have a few more days of life in the dark, but I finally escaped to the internet tonight. So sorry for my blogging lag. We are lost in boxes and packing paper literally. The kids are in heaven as toys that they thought were long gone reappear, and boxes are the best toys in the world you know. I can't stand the chaos!!! My salt and pepper shaker are still missing (yes, Sandra the $1 ones from The Christmas tree Shop...I had to go buy new "character"), and we should have put a lot more stuff in storage than we did when leaving New England. But I just have to brag to my stamping buddies out there...I have managed to claim a closet. YES, a whole closet just to myself. Joel found a table that fits in it perfectly and installed shelfs for all my stamping stuff. All I have to do is open the doors and pull up a chair, and shut them when I have to leave a project. I am soooo excited about my closet!!! Seems pathetic, doesn't it?

OK...so the big news many of you are waiting on....

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Moving Day

Our car is packed to the brim, we receive the keys to our new place at 8am, and the moving truck is supposed to show up sometime this morning with our household goods. I didn't sleep much last night. I kept thinking "wow, there is no room for the treadmill" or "maybe the desk should go upstairs", and spent the entire night rearranging the furniture. And then I realized that I have to go grocery shopping and might actually need to cook! A funny concept after not doing that for 2 months. So then of course I had to make a grocery list. Yes, you could say that I am a bit obsessive. Anyways, off we go! Here is our new address:

2370 Gemini Ave

Apt D

Honolulu, HI 96818