Too Fast

I find that the weeks just fly by since we have moved to Hawaii.  We have been here about six weeks now and it feels likes we have always been here.  Everyone, is happy and doing well!! We found an element that suites our whole family and I feel gratitude to my Heavenly Father for this.  We have been so very blessed these last few months! Obviously life is still life, but it is so nice to be here going through it.  

Updates:

Ryan has just finished his two week graveyard shift training at Turtle Bay and now will be given day front desk shifts.  He loves his job and especially the perks included.  He also, just interviewed for the Head Cross Country coaching position at Kahuku High School and only has one other main competition (who is a local) so we shall see.  He will be doing substitute teaching to supplement his Turtle Bay job.  He surfs 3-4 times a week and is getting quite good at it.  He also got a skateboard and uses it to get around town which is fun for him.  I think Ryan feels more in his element here than anyone else, if that is possible.

I am doing good.  I can not believe I am almost 26 and over half way through my twenties.  I just finished my second veggie co-op week and love getting to know all the people I am meeting through it.  I haven't been walking in the mornings cause Ryan has been working at that time, but this week I am hoping to right back in the swing of things.  I am maintaining the 32 pound weight loss so far which feels nice and am ready for another major drop here.  I love the weather here!! It really helps with my fibromyalgia.  And is so nice on skin and breathing.  I can why people are healthier here.   I am enjoying nursery too and all the little kids I meet there.  We have been working on establishing a better routine there, so it has been rocky but is going much better each week.   I love being a mom and getting to have a few extra kids almost everyday after school too!

Alissa is growing up so fast.  She graduates from Kindergarten on Thursday and I can not believe how fast that has gone.  She has made three really good friends already and I like to look at them as though they will be friends for life.  She is signed up for soccer in the fall and isn't quite sure what to expect for "Spring Break" as she calls summer break. Alissa has also decided she does not want to go to first grade unless the others kids do.  She loves to swim and "surf" and is desperately wanting to get bike so she can ride around with her friends.  Her eczema is pretty much completely gone and it is such a relief to never hear scratching at night anymore or have her skin scratched up.  She still loves to wear dresses and is starting to want her own space and time away from her brothers.  But is also so good at helping with both of them.  Alissa is truly her Daddy's girl, everything he does she wants to do just like him and be just like him.  I am so glad she has the opportunity to be able to do this.

MacKenzie is going to be four years old on Wednesday.  I truly can not believe it.  I still remember when my oldest was four.  Kenzie has grown up so much and truly becoming his own little personality.  He loves to build things and is really good at it.  He like block and legos mostly. He has two little friends that come over just about everyday to play and they are definitely little boys.  He like to play guns and swords mostly which I do not exactly understand the innate ability to know about those things and obsess over them but I am trying to keep an open mind and hope it will pass.  He even makes his own guns out of legos and blocks because I won't buy them.   He loves snuggles and singing and he especially misses his Mema and asks for her every single day.  I love having his silly fun little personality in our family.

Taft is growing up fast too.  He is definitely in the middle of the twos although he doesn't actually turn 2 until August.  He is using sentences now regularly and talks almost as well as the other two.  He doesn't ever skip a beat and has to be right in the middle of the attention at all times.  He loves to play with all the kids and thinks he is as old as them.  He also prefers the older kids then the ones his age.  He is also a good climber.  He loves the ocean and likes the sand too.  Taft's favorite thing to do is give kisses, if he tries to give you a kiss and you reject it(which some of the neighbor kids do) he hits you and goes and pouts till you give him a kiss.  I think everyone is finally catching on that you just give Taft kisses and he will be okay.  Taft is also growing fast, he just had a growth spurt and grew about 2 inches.  He also loves to sing and make silly faces.

Well, that is most of the updates I can think of.  We are so excited also for the next few weeks! Today, I got pick up Aubrey's husband Adam at the airport, we have two birthdays this next week and then my Mom gets here on Sunday for a week.  Talk about exciting!!

Alissa's Surprise

Alissa received this today at school.  At first I wasn't sure, so I took it back to ask Mrs. Au about it and she said she didn't know anything about it except that it was from Asheemo and his mom.  Well, when we got home we opened it and there was a card to Alissa saying Happy Birthday/Happy Graduation.  Alissa said that Asheemo wanted to get her a present because he might not be in her class next year to give her a gift for her birthday then.  The card actually says Happy Graduation that he wrote on it.  And, the bear came with a birth certificate to Alissa from Asheemo! She also says he said he wants to marry her.  Luckily they are young enough, I think this is adorable!! 

Waimea Bay

Lo and the kids

We have been wanting to play at Waimea Bay since we came here last September but parking is always crazy.  So, we decided to try and pick a holiday to see if we could get parking and believe it or not we literally drove right up and someone was leaving.  Not likely to happen but we are pretty lucky people and we had Lo with us.  The bay is such a great place for the kids because the waves are not too intense.  The water was cool and Ryan had a blast snorkeling with his new set that was only $10 at a garage sale.  He found some treasures too! Lo and I got to play with the kids and just relax!

Girls Night

The other night Cassidy and I went out for a Girl's Night.  Next week Lo is going too.  We went to Three Tables (which is one of the beaches here that has three pieces of reef in the ocean that looks like tables)  We had a very eventful time and Cassidy made me laugh harder than I have laughed in a long time.  Next we headed into Mililani for food and a movie. We went to see Wolverine followed by a Jamba Juice.  It was such a blast!!

The Beach

Here is one of the many days at the beach we spend.  I wanted to take some video though of the kids just being kids.  Alissa also loves to go out in the ocean with Ryan on the surf board.  She is also very good at paddling out.  The best thing though is all the turtles they get to swim with!! And just being together!!

Super Citizen

On Friday, Alissa was nominated as Super citizen for her class.  She received a Super Citizen shirt and also got to make this poster to hang in class.  This is all of us that day at the assembly.  The picture of Taft is because when Alissa is not at home he likes to put on her jacket and play with her toys.  He actually didn't want to take them off to go to the assembly.

Turtle Bay Resort

Well, we truly are blessed.  Since coming here Ryan has been offered four jobs! After much prayer he has narrowed it down to two.  Ryan will be substitute teaching at Kahuku High School still, his certification just finished too late in the school year.  So, he will start in July.  In the mean time he was hired to work the front desk at this hotel, Turtle Bay.  He has been training now for the last few weeks and only has one week left of training.  The training is done on the graveyard shift because there are less people there at night.  So, Ryan's schedule has been thrown off a bit, but it works out great because he wakes up around two pm and does not go to work until 10pm.  We feel very lucky to be working for such a wonderful company that is union.  We get free benefits and lots of perks too!  The best part is, Ryan gets to go on vacation every day!

Fruit and Veggie Co-Op

So, I got to do my first Co-Op this week and it was a blast! I truly feel blessed to get this opportunity. I got all the produce in that fridge for $25. And I live in Hawaii which is super expensive. I am so excited to be doing this. The first picture was a full share of produce. The second picture is the finished boxes plus the kids being entertained, so they would not mess with the boxes. Luckily Cassidy came to help me sort and is went really well. A few problems with people paying but all in all great!

LeGrandes' Birthday

For LeGrande's Birthday we went to the beach with all the kids. Cassidy made yummy oreo cookie cakes (that I didn't try because I am eating raw but the kids loved them) The Phungs came pretty late but they brought pizza and everyone just played and relaxed. We had so much fun at the party! I love living somewhere that is so beautiful everyday. Another favorite part was watching Alissa go far out in the water with Ryan on his surf board. She loves to get on the board already and has no fear of the water. I wish I would have got a picture of it but there will be many more.

Launching Iosepa

Ryan is in the blue shirt with a hat on.

Kenzie and cousin Kai.

This is all the kids from Alissa's school who came to sing and sign the song "We are the World". It was an amazingly spiritual experience.

The Iosepa.

Motherhood

Now for my thoughts.  I can not truly describe how blessed I feel to be a Mother.  It is something I dreamed about my whole and never quite knew what having an entire family together would be like, but I still dreamed.  I can now say that although there are ups and downs in a family unit there is nothing that I cherish more in my life than my family.  I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has entrusted me with such amazing little spirits.  They are each so truly unique and special and I am in awe everyday and how much they teach me.  I am growing up thanks to them and I appreciate their patience with me.  As Mother's Day comes around each year I truly feel as though I should be the one spending my day giving thanks to my Heavenly Father for my opportunity and blessing of each child he has given me.  I have to say too that I extremely grateful to have been given such a wonderful example in my life, my mother.  My mother who has taught me how to be a mom by her example.  A mother who is truly Christlike in every way.  I only hope that someday I can turn out as wonderful of a mother as she is.  Thanks Mom!  

Stolen Camera

Well folks.  I just started really getting into Blogging again for all those Grandma's and Grandpa's out there, and then my camera gets stolen.  So, we don't have enough to buy a new one yet, but I am hopeful for my birthday by some miracle I will get one from the wonderful man who lost the camera. :)  Anyways, we had a great Mother's Day here and Alissa made me the sweetest pillow with her hand prints on it from school.  I got calls from my mom and my dad and we talked to Grandma Garner yesterday.  This whole time thing can kind of mess you up.  By the time we got home from church and had dinner and went to call people it was like 10 o'clock on the mainland.  Craziness, anyways, I received a beautiful lei from someone at church on Sunday, a package from my mom and yummy brownies from the ward shaped like hearts.  I also got the most delicious pancakes I have ever eaten (probably because they were made by the sweetest husband ever).  We are still having a blast here and enjoying how busy we are here.  I hope all the mom had  fantastic Mother's Day this year!

Playing Around

The kids were playing around yesterday and I decided to tape them singing songs.  Alissa song are new songs she is learning from her music class at school and then Kenzie made up a few songs.

A Real Neighborhood

On any given day around here, this is what our yard looks like.  We started with just a few and now have about nine little munchkins that all play together all the time.  We have truly never had this much fun anywhere we lived.  There are so many neighbor kids and it is exactly what I always wanted for my children.  On Friday we played so many games that we didn't realize it was past seven o'clock and we had been playing for about 4 hours.  I think my favorite game was when they played red light green light with a red rose and a green scarf from Alissa's school performance earlier in the day.  The only twist is they added Kenzie's blue sword so that you had to jump when the sword went up.  Our days are definitely never dull in Laie!

May Day Celebration

Alissa is in the middle of the screen most of the time. She is in the third row back.  Sorry about all the movement, there were lots of people with me on the stairs filming their munchkins. Alissa sure is a cutie!

Everyone wanted to sit on Lo's lap!

Alissa being silly with her lei from Mema.

Alissa and Lo.

Today was Alissa's May Day Celebration for Laie Elementary at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  I have to say that I have been nothing but impressed with the amount of dedication this school puts into their kids and the love we feel from them and their hard work.  Alissa only started school two weeks ago and they were so kind to make her a costume and fit her into the performance.  She absolutely loves her school and all her friends and teacher.  We feel so excited to know out children are at such a wonderful place.  Alissa did such a great job on her performance and we were glad to get there an hour early to get a good seat.