Random kid updates...

Riding in the car today, LG pipes up from the back seat, "Daddy, I will miss you when I grow up." J asked why and she said "because I will have my own house." She was relieved to know that she could still visit even when she has her own house and babies and 2 dogs named "Jenny and Jenny Tuesday, who is a boy dog, but Jenny is just a regular girl dog with spots." She is growing up way too fast! She wanted me to straighten her hair last night, so I obliged and this morning when she woke up she came in our room crying because her hair was curly again.

LB is keeping us BUSY! I think I've lost much of the gray hair grown when he was a two year old! We went to the zoo last week and he had a great time climbing on the rocks next to the trail through the African Savannah exhibits. So, LG asked me to take her picture on one of them and the other 3 kids went ahead to look at the baboons. In the 20 seconds that took, LB had climbed on the rocks between the baboon and lion enclosures and was spotted by a zoo official. I got him down rather quickly and he was in no real danger as he wasn't even close to the top and there was a high fence on the other side of the rocks. But as the zookeeper said when she came and yelled at me, "we don't want to tempt the lions and give them any ideas that there is something better outside their enclosure." I said, "yes, ma'am" and took a firm grip on LB's backpack harness that I had the forsight to put on him but obviously not use! Why is it that the most impulsive kids are also the fastest. It's like he has a thought and in the same moment is executing! Thankfully, his favorite part of the zoo was the koi pond with the tunnel through the middle of it, with one way out and one way in...

BB and BG had a pretty decent spring break between the pool, the zoo, the movies and lots of lazing around. They're currently tied together with a rope and working 'together' on the daily chores because they've also spent a lot of time bickering and being mean to each other! Anybody else have any ideas for getting siblings to work together? We went and watched "Rango" the other day and both of them complained about going to see what they thought was a baby movie. It was nice to see BB glued to the screen the whole time and BG enjoying it too between the bathroom breaks! When am I going to learn that they don't need drinks at the movies?

I also enjoyed "Rango" but could have done without the lizard's suicidal walk across the highway, because of course that is what LB picks up on! He asked me, "why he walking by the cars and trucks" and after he falls over unconsious "why he dead?" But at least he knows you're not supposed to walk across a highway full of cars and trucks!

The Move

I started this post before we moved back in August and it was a big complaint about how I hate moving, but couldn't really complain about it because, hello! we're moving to Hawaii and who can complain about that? Anyway, I still hate moving, but have to say that the whole experience was filled with a lot more good times than bad. Once we finally got our orders after a delay because I had to enroll in the Exceptional Family Member Program due to my health issues, things moved pretty quickly. I know, you already knew I was exceptional, right? So, we got all of our junk packed up, said some goodbyes, drove to Newark, NJ, dropped off the van and flew to Portland, spent a day at my sister's and left the kiddos with her, while J and I flew on to Hawaii. Spent a lovely 5 days on our own there driving around, looked at two houses and rented the second one. Then I flew back and spent too little time with family and brought the kids back with me. They had such a great time with all their cousins this summer! So glad to have found a house in a good neighborhood, very close to the school (BB can see our house from his classroom) and J's work as well. We haven't even bought a second car yet as he is so close he can walk home when needed. Our landlords are a very sweet, elderly Japanese couple who live behind us in the 'second' house. Mr. E was part of the 442nd Infantry Regiment and has two purple hearts and other decorations. J had a great time talking to him about being a part of history and his wife was so impressed that he was talking to someone about it! They love having the kids around although LB likes to show off for them and I think worries them a bit with his antics... Mr. E is also a great gardener and has many fruit trees around our house and a veggie garden on his little plot and a couple of prepared beds for me too, so we've got stuff planted and it's growing fast! Love having an endless growing season! Not loving the lack of central air conditioning and the cockroaches (took care of those buggers already!) So, the big kids are settling into school after a bit of a rocky start for both of them. BG didn't like feeling like she was behind at all, but seems to be caught up already and BB is saying school was 'good' when he comes home instead of 'I hate it!' They are both really missing their friends and school and neighborhood in New York and I guess that has been the biggest adjustment so far. We've been pretty sheltered, living on post for so long and just used to jumping into a neighborhood where there are lots of kids and families in the same circumstances as us. It's almost an instant bond and pretty easy to find a few people you click with. It's going to be more challenging to get out and meet people but we're working on it... I went to PWOC this week and will soon get the littles into hourly care for some socializing. I'm doing some pre-school at home with them for the time being. LG likes to take her 'homework' out when the big kids are doing their's. Also getting them all enrolled in Child and Youth Services on post so at least they'll have some activities to go to after school. And we've gone to the beach every weekend so far and trying to find our favorite. We are on the housing list for the new housing they're building near Pearl Harbor, so if we fail miserably at living 'off-post' we do have a back up plan! So we're still waiting on our stuff but I'll save the rustic living conditions for another post! In the meantime, I am sooooo missing my friends and neighbors in New York and around the world! I've mentioned before how blessed we've been to have friends move with us the last couple of moves and I am really feeling that void right now! We would love visitors, but you might want to wait until our stuff gets here...

Jersey Shore

We had such a great time last year in Ocean City, NJ, that we decided to go again this year, but for two weeks this time! It was wonderful to be able to relax and go to the beach almost every day and spend time with the Adams side of the family. Our condo was located over an ice cream shop about two blocks from the beach and boardwalk and was a really nice place with an outdoor shower for rinsing off the sand and a nice deck with a hot tub too! If you're ever looking for a great, relaxing family vacation, we highly recommend OC! Vacationrentals.com is a good resource for finding homes for rent by owners. Anyway, the kids (and J and I) loved the beach. I used to think I was more a mountain girl than a beach girl, but I think I've changed my mind. A beach cruiser is so much more my speed than a mountain bike (although I would still do that too!) and where in the mountains can you stop and get fresh bagels after your morning run? I loved running on the boardwalk with the ocean in sight. BG took a morning bike ride with me one morning and did a great job! We also rented a family surry one morning for a ride on the boardwalk down to the yummy apple cider donut shop, so good when they're fresh and hot! The kids loved hanging out with their cousins and BB and J went fishing with Pop-pop Adams out on his boat one day while the rest of us visited with Mom-mom and ran in the sprinkler. The kids also stayed at Aunt V and Uncle B's while J and I had a couple of nights out together in Atlantic City! The kids and I checked out the Cape May Zoo on a very hot Sunday afternoon while J relaxed at 'home' (he doesn't do zoos) and we got to spend Father's Day with Pop-pop, Mom-mom and the rest of the family! As usual, Pop-pop's steamed clams were great and the kids had a great time getting reacquainted with their cousins and moving Mom-mom's yard sculptures around. Overall, we had a great time, but decided two weeks is a long time to be away from home and we came back a day early! Also, learned early that it just works better for us with the ages of our kiddos to not cram too much into one day (more for our sake than the kids!). So, now we're waiting for our next adventure in Army life, which is a move to Hawaii sometime soon! Still waiting for our orders but should be moving sometime in August. I'm excited to get there and get settled, but not looking forward to the moving part and leaving our Army family here. The last couple of moves, we've been spoiled with friends moving with us and it's going to be really hard to leave them behind! Anyway, I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking if you have the time to look at them! I tend to get a little camera happy...

Next up!

J made it home safely from Afghanistan on June 3rd! We were all so happy to see him and BB was especially happy that he made it home in time for his birthday! BB said he wanted a Nerf War party, so we tried to oblige... A bunch of boys (and a couple of girls) running around in the woods with Nerf guns playing capture the flag. Our friends D and W did a great job helping organize all the younger kids. Hard for me to believe BB is 9! BG was a dancing flower in her 1st grade musical, "How Does Your Garden Grow." It was very cute and the kids all did a great job! She briefly played soccer this spring also, but after a couple of weeks started complaining of a stomach ache every time we had to go, so finally stopped fighting with her to go and focused on getting BB to baseball! He really seemed to enjoy it despite the coaching changes in the middle of the season... He mostly played First Base and the last couple of games really got into the game and tried to get the ball fielded in the right places. The little kids enjoyed going too so they could run around on the 'hills' near the ball fields! LB is also back to his hole in the backyard and playing with his guys out there again. I'm going to have to find another lock for the gate since he figured out the snap link the other day... Anyway, here's a few pics from our spring time and next update will be our vacation!

Lots to update...

...from the last couple of months! I think I'll break it into several different posts instead of trying to do my usual cram everything into one! So starting with the girls' ballet recital back in May. I did manage to get a little bit of video for each of them. LG (last ballerina on the right) was so funny trying to keep up with her steps and finally just started watching the prompter who was offstage:


Our BG was ready to be done with ballet but we had her stick it out until after the recital. I loved their bright yellow and orange outfits, such a great departure from the pink! BG started out on the far right but I had to quit filming to chase LG out of the orchestra pit where she was doing her own show...



And they both love wearing them now and had to put them on again the morning after for some bike riding

Memorial Day

has such a bigger meaning when those close to you are lost. Remembering today all those from the past who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and their families left behind. And especially remembering friends and family who have recently lost their heroes. I wish I had the words to make it better. Keeping everyone close in prayer.

If you want to add in your prayers and rememberances, here's a list of heroes fallen in combat from Afghanistan and Iraq the last few years. I know not everyone supports the efforts in these wars, but these brave men and women did and every single one of them has a family or someone who cares that they are gone from this life. Please remember them not just today on Memorial Day, but every day, and if you can, show you support them not just with a yellow ribbon stuck on your bumper but with a thank you or a charitable donation to one of the many non-profit organizations that supports servicemembers and families of the fallen. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/oef.casualties/2010.05.html

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mother's out there who have the honor of having the best and sometimes the worst job in the world, many times in the same day... I've spent the day with my four little darlings, whom I thank God for letting me borrow for our time here on earth. We just did normal stuff today, slept in and snuggled a bit in my bed since 3 of them were already in it, got up and BB made me coffee while I took a shower (I showed him how to do it yesterday!) and then they gave me their sweet cards/poems/plants they made at school and we headed out for lunch at Texas Roadhouse which was a madhouse! But much of the day I've spent thinking about my mother and how much I miss her still and trying to keep her memory alive with what I tell my kids of her and what I teach them that I learned from her. Yes, she had her faults like we all do, and many of mine are a reflection of hers! She was disorganized and messy. Cleaning up the kitchen after one of her masterpiece meals was sometimes a two hour chore! I learned the 'dash and stash' method of cleaning before company from her! She was a packrat and had a terrible time making decisions about what to keep and what to throw away, so most of it got kept. She had a hard time talking about how she felt about things and I know bottled many things up inside until she would blow her top. She distrusted doctors and tended to blame her health problems on 'allergies' and would try every natural remedy she could before heading to a doctor. She would probably agree with me on most of that and would be modest about all the things she did so well and that list is so much longer than the previous:
She loved us all. She was a wonderful cook and taught us to be creative in the kitchen. She loved making people feel special by making them something whether it was dinner, a dessert, a beautiful cake, a wedding dress, a coat, a flower arrangement, or all of the above at once! When we were cleaning the garage after she died we found several gifts she had made and packaged but never quite got sent... She was spontaneous and fun and seemed to work best under pressure although not always on time. She worked hard and was well liked by her employers and co-workers. She never said you can't do that because you're a girl or not smart enough or... She was funny and witty and sarcastic and sometimes had the worst puns! She stood up for us when it was important; we didn't shop at Sears for about 10 years after they were rude to my brother and she told the employee and manager to take a hike. She had a sense of adventure which was a good thing married to my dad. He liked to go where he wanted to go and we got taken along for the ride, so she would find some redeeming point of wherever we were and could pack the best picnic lunches on short notice. She had a wonderful laugh. She believed that Jesus was her Saviour and is with him now! She loved us... I guess my hope as a mother, is that my kids will look back on their childhood and the good points will far outweigh the bad and that most of all they will know they were loved!