Quiet Day at Home

Today we had a quiet day at home. Good thing the boys were really tired and needed to rest.

We had plans to have our friends over for dinner and to meet Jenn's parents. While getting things ready for dinner Micah was falling asleep on the couch and didn't look so good and was whimpering. So Jenn took his temperature and it was 104.9, yikes. So we gave him some Tylenol and a cool bath. Praise God an hour later his fever was down to 101 then two hours later it was 99 and he was playing again. Before bed we gave him more Tylenol so hopefully that is it.

So the dinner went on as planned and we had a great time. We had hamburgers, hotdogs and other yummy stuff including puppy chow. Not literal puppy chow a yummy, sugary, chocolatey, peanut buttery treat.

We hope the rain will stay away tomorrow so we can see some more of Hawaii. That's weird as I typed that I heard the rain start coming down and sounds pretty hard too.

That's it.
Darrick

Polynesian Cultural Center

Yesterday, Tuesday, we took my parents to the Polynesian Cultural Center. The weather was so nice. It was not sunny but warm with a nice breeze. We visited the different villages during the day. Darrick and Micah participated on stage for a pig hunt. And Darrick was chosen to wear a grass skirt and play the drums during the show at the village of Tonga. We decided to see the IMAX of the coral reef, which we have never done before. Right after we got in to the building where you wait for the movie it started pouring!

After the movie it was time for the Ali'i Luau. We each got a nice lei and were seated. We enjoyed a nice show and yummy food. Mom and Dad tried some new foods like lomi lomi salmon, taro rolls and poi.

Then it was on to the Horizons Night Show. It was so good and my parents felt like they learned a lot about the Polynesian Culture!

Our next guests

Last night we picked our next guests from the airport...my mom and dad!

The boys could hardly control themselves they were so excited, Darrick and I were too! They had a great flight and even arrived a little early.

We were so happy this morning to wake up and see the sun! It was such a beautiful day. After breakfast we took a nice walk down to see the crabs. Then we drove to the base and got some tickets for tomorrow and picked up a few groceries at Hickam exchange. We came home and had soup and sandwiches for lunch. Then we went to Dave's ice cream. Dad tried banana fudge and Mom had Hawaiian Mud Pie-yummy!

We then drove to Pali Lookout and enjoyed the beautiful view. Then we took a nice drive to Lanikai beach. It took the boys about 5 minutes to get completely soaked in the water, with their clothes on. We weren't planning on going to the beach and just stopped because we had time. Mom and I put our feet in the water. Dad did not want to. I took a really nice picture of them by the water and all of the sudden a wave came and got Dad's new sandals and jeans wet. It was pretty funny!

We went to Dirty Lickin's for dinner, Mom and Dad both had teriyaki chicken and rice.

We had such a nice day and the weather was beautiful. Until tomorrow...

Still Raining

Hello this is Darrick again. It is still raining here but we are hoping it ends by Sunday when our next guest get here.

I had my post operation appointment Monday and they say I am healing fine. I still have some bruising and swelling and a few sharp pains and some aches. I just want be 100% by the Hoppers May deployment. I know that may sound crazy but it is my job. I don't want to do all the hard work it takes to get ready for a deployment and not go.

This week we found some time to take the boys to the zoo between all the rain. They have a new children's area it is really cool. It has a koi pond with a hollow log through it where kids can go in and look through windows and also pop up in the middle of the pond. They have an area where they can dress like zoo keepers, goat petting, cow milking, baby cows, pigs, miniature horse, llama and guinea pigs. The cow was fake and the nipples were rubber and water came out. They had a great time and the benches were there for me.

Today we got groceries and some other supplies and then we had our friend Sonja over for dinner. She was on my first ship in New Jersey with me. We had BBQ chicken, rice and salad.

that's all for now
Darrick

Movies

This weekend our friend Lauren let us borrow 2 movies and we actually were able to watch them. The first movie was "Crash" it was good and very thought provoking. The second one was "Walk the line". We enjoyed that one also.

This morning Darrick has a check up with the surgeon to see how he is healing. Hopefully everything is going as planned.

We have been hanging out at home a lot so that Darrick can sit and rest. But we did all go to church yesterday which was nice. Our friend Sonya, who we knew from when we were stationed in New Jersey came to church with us, which we were so excited about. Also our friend Lauren, Charlie and Alex met us there. After church we all had lunch at the Wright Bros. Cafe on Hickam Airforce Base.

We have not been having very nice Hawaiian weather. It has been cool for here and cloudy a lot with showers on and off. We are really missing the sunshine.

Learning to ask for help

This is Jenn. Darrick is getting a little better everyday. We had more rain again today. Yesterday I mowed the lawn again. I know I will be doing it for at least 6 weeks-lucky me.

Last night I attended the Pre-Deployment Fair for the USS Hopper. A lot of people came, which was really good. It basically is different speakers talking to us about what needs to be done before our spouses leave (Power of Attorey, Make sure car is working good...) and what to expect while they are gone.

Darrick will be gone May5-September 15. I cannot believe that it is time for him to go again. Even though I don't like to see him in pain I am so thankful for the time me and the boys are getting to spend with him-even though all he can do is sit.

I have been talking to some other Navy wives about deployments and what helps them make it through. The biggest thing I have learned so far is that people who make it through the best are those who have a lot of support from family and friends. I have also learned that some people have no one. Another person told me that as soon as her husband leaves his family and her family step in to fill the gap and help her. Her mom is coming for 3 weeks when the ship leaves then a few weeks later another person. And these people don't just come to see Hawaii, they come to help her with the kids, the house and give her a break or a chance to go to the grocery store alone or to have someone to talk to when the evenings are lonely.

So I am putting it out there. I am not super woman and I would LOVE some support and help while Darrick is gone. If this sounds like something that you would like to do, email me and we can set something up. It is hard to ask for help but I am learning that that is how God designed us to live-in community.

The weekend

Well my weekend was a lot of the same, sitting around. Actually on Saturday we tried going for a drive. We went to North Shore and got lunch at Storto's Deli. It is hard for me because I just sit there. After getting the food we drove to a beach to eat. If people pay attention they probably think I am really lazy. My wife gets out and gets the food, carries the food, takes care of the kids, sets up the food on the beach gives out the food. I slowly get out of the car and slowly make my way to a spot on the beach that my wife set up and sit down and eat. After eating Jenn and the boys played while I sat and watched. Then when we are done I get help up, slowly make my way to the car and sit and wait again. Jenn cleans up, gets the boys in the car and drives home. Then I slowly make my way in the house and sit down again. So that was Saturday which was good to get out but I was in some pain after all that sitting.

Sunday Jenn and the boys went to Church I rested. When they got home I rested and the boys played and we stayed at home the rest of the day.

Today Jenn and the boys are home hanging out. Now that I just sit Jenn gave me the job of blog updater. This morning we had a sad time because Jenn's fish Daisey had past away during the night. She was the smallest of the fish and seemed to not be healthy. Jenn buried her in the back yard this morning and thinks maybe she will get a new fish.

The Day After

Hello there,
Well the day after my surgery is almost over. I am feeling OK as far as getting over the anesthesia but boy am I in some pain. It really hurts to get up or down and Micah says I walk like a really old man. I feel like a really old man. The good thing is Jenn takes really good care of me. I feel bad that she is doing everything on her own but I really can not move so I couldn't help anyway.

I got some good news today though. You may remember Jenn writing on our blog a while back about me taking the test for Chief. Well the results came back and I passed. So now my package will be submitted to the board and I have another chance to make chief. The way it works is that after you pass the test a board convenes and they choose chiefs base on our records so my part is done just more waiting. This is my third year so we will see.

That's all for now
Darrick

Quick Update

Just wanted to let everyone know that Darrick's surgery is over and the doctor said it all went good. He was very pale and out of it when I first saw him, but he was able to come home tonight. He is in a lot of pain in his abdomin area and has a hard time going from sitting to laying to standing. He had about half a piece of toast, took some pain medicine, drank some water and went to sleep.

Thank you for all the emails and prayers!

What a day

Hello everyone this is Darrick again.
Today was a long day for us today. This morning I had my appointment at the general surgery department at Tripler Army Medical Center. Turns out that I have two hernias, one on each side. I am going to need to have surgery. Jenn and I were really surprised when they came and said Thursday March 2nd. Just in case you don't realize it that is this Thursday. So I am having surgery on Thursday. So after my appointment we went straight to doing all the preparation stuff at the hospital. After that we had to stop by the ship and let them know what is going on with me. I will be away from the ship for about a month. A big thank you goes out to Lauren who had the boys all day when she probably only expected to have them for a few hours.

On a better note we got some pets today. Last night we bought a fish tank and I set it up. Today we bought the fish, we got a goldfish each. They are Rocky, Daisy, Lion and George. The boys love them.

Well that is all for tonight we will make sure we let you know how I am on Friday.
Darrick

Trying new things

Confession: I am 30 years old and have never used a weed wacker. Growing up with 3 brothers, they were the ones who were trained to do the yard work and I learned housework. And then when I got married, Darrick did the yard work and when he was deployed I had a neighbor boy do it. But now that Darrick has a hernia, I needed to do the lawn today. And since he is deploying in the near future he wanted to give me some lessons.

Just looking at the weed wacker intimidated me. Lesson one was how to put gas in-that was easy. Lesson two how to start it..not so easy. There is some kind of deal with a full choke, half and no choke and pulling the start cord and giving it gas...I couldn't do it. Darrick wanted to help me but I told him, no that I had to do it on my own. Well I eventually got it. Lesson three how to use it. It was hard to figure out the right angles-I put a lot of dirt spots on the edge by going to deep-oops...when I would look back at Darrick, he said nothing but just smiled. He was probably thinking: Jenn is mutilating our yard. Then after I was done with that I still had to mow the grass! My arm muscles are so weak tonight.

The other new thing was that Micah learned to ride his bike. He got it pretty quickly and now he just needs to practice more. The boys are growing up so fast!

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday Darrick and I went on the most fantastic date. My friend Lauren had the boys. The first thing we did was to drive down to Waikiki and walk to the beach. It was there that we checked in for our reserved sail on a Catamaran. Neither of us had been on one and we thought Hawaii was a great place to try it. It you are not familiar it has a net part where you can see and get wet and also seating in the back. There were about 20 people-a very lively group of tourists who liked to drink and be silly. The weather was perfect. We saw whales, dolphins and a sea turtle. It was so relaxing just gliding on the waves-we loved it. It was a 90 minute sail which was a nice amount of time.

From there we went to a late lunch, early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. We had not been there for about 3 or 4 years, since we lived in San Diego. It was so so yummy and after our meal we each had a piece of delicious cheesecake. I chose the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake and Darrick had a Peanut butter cookie dough cheesecake. We had such a nice time.

Today it is raining and it is suppossed to rain until Wednesday. Darrick was feeling bad this morning so he stayed in bed. I offered to watch Charlie and Alex this morning so I loaded up 4 little boys and we went to church. It went really well.

Jacob is doing great on his potty training. Today he had an accident and we are not quite sure what happened exactly. When Darrick walked into the bathroom he had his underwear off, there was poop on the floor and he had already stepped in it. We are so surprised at how fast he learned especially because Micah took so long. The stickers we put on his chart are scratch and sniff smelly stickers that I had leftovver from teaching.

In our efforts of trying to teach the boys about loving others and showing God's love to them we read them the scripture in Matthew 25:31-40. We then went on to the Compassion International website and each boys picked out a 4 year old boy they would like to sponser. We hope it will teach them compassion and about other people and their lives. Micah chose a boy from Brazil and Jacob chose a boy from Mexico. There were so many children on there it is hard not to want to do more. If you are interested checkout their website and see what you can do.

One last thing, a long time ago we use to write about this huge frog that would jump around in our yard. Well this morning I saw him squished in the street, it looks like he got run over by a car. So sad...

Whales and the bathroom

Hello this is Darrick
Today we had to find something to do that did not require me doing anything, hard to do but we can not stay in the house to long. In case you forgot I have a hernia and unfortunately I am not one of the people that has one and it doesn't hurt. So we thought of whale watching all I had to do was sit there and look for whales. I was really great! The boat was big but there were not a lot of people on it. Where we sat was covered from the sun and it had seating all around. Yes, we did see whales and we got it on video. We also saw a lot of dolphins. Jenn and I enjoyed seeing the whales and dolphins but really enjoyed seeing the boys seeing whales and dolphins.

Another great thing that happened today was that Jacob decided today was the day that he would start going to the bathroom like a big boy. He did a great job with zero accidents and no dirty diapers. Jenn made him a chart to track his progress and put it in the bathroom. It had about ten squares but we had to add more because he was going to get stickers in all the squares to quickly. We haven't decided what the reward will be for feeling the chart but looks like we should because he will fill it quickly if he does that good over the weekend. Well that was our day we will keep you posted of the rest of the weekend and what the doctors say on Tuesday at my evaluation at the surgery department at the hospital.

Good news/Bad news

The Hopper is out to sea and is not due back until the end of the week. But Monday night I got an email from Darrick telling me that he is coming home and I need to pick him up in the morning.

If you missed a few days ago, Darrick has a hernia. They did not want him doing anything on the ship to make it worse, because if it became an emergency situation they could not get him to a hospital. Tuesday morning some civilians who were working on the ship were going back to Oahu on a small boat, so they decided Darrick should go back too.

The boys and I were so happy to see him but wished that it wasn't under these circumstances. The ship wanted him to go to the ER at Tripler so he did-he was there 8 hours and when he was finally seen they said "yep you have a hernia". He has an appt. on the 28th for a surgical evaluation so they told him to take it easy until then.

After sleeping all night it is not visible but after playing with the boys it popped back out and started hurting. They called it an inguinal hernia.

So good news: we got to see Darrick early, Bad news: he is in pain because of a hernia.

Thanks!

Thanks to the link that Darrick found me I was able to find the lyrics and some history on the song:
*Pharoah Pharoah was based on the song Louie Louie, written by Richard Berry in 1955
*As seniors in High School Tony Sbrana and two friends wrote and performed a Rock Opera as their Bible as Literature final project.
*One of the songs they wrote was Pharoah Pharoah, just for laughs, and everyone liked it so they kept it.
*Also at the same time Tony was also doing music with a friend Rick Riso and decided to perform it at a retreat. A producer heard it and suggested they do an album, so they did. But they had to leave Pharoah Pharoah off because they didn't know how to get parody rights. But they still performed it in concert.
*Apparently someone at one of their shows heard it and started doing it with their youth group. And it caught on quickly and took on a life of its own.

The boys and I sang it after dinner and they loved it. Yes! I am helping the song live on! Sorry Sam!

Today we got 2 packages from my brother Sam. One was a beautiful print I had ordered from him called "Embrace". You can see it on his art link on the right side. I already hung it up and it looks great. The second package was for Micah and Jacob and they each got the cutest monkeys. They love them! They have magnets on their hands and feet so they can stick together. But of course the boys had to figure out what else they could stick too like the fridge and the washing machine. See the pictures below.

Also today is my Grandma Vanderbilt's 87th birthday. I called her to wish her a happy birthday. It was so great to talk to her-there is nothing like a grandma's love for you. Happy Birthday Grandma, may God continue to bless you and bless us by having you in our lives! We love you!

Thanks Uncle Sam, we love them!

Micah and Jacob with monkeys from Uncle Sam

Pharoah, Pharoah

For our after dinner devotions I have been reading to the boys from a Children's Bible. Tonight we read the story of Moses and the 10 plagues of Egypt.

After we were done I told the boys I knew a song about that. "Pharoah, Pharoah, O Baby, let my people go (Huh!) Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea, I said Pharoah, Pharoah, O Baby, Let my people go, yea, yea, yea, yea" That is the chorus and that is all I can remember. I even remember the hand motions to the chorus. The boys loved it and we sang it 5 or 6 times.

Does anyone remember that song? Do you have any idea where I can find the rest of the lyrics? Maybe you remember them. I would love to buy the song...can you help me?

Maggots

Last week the trash truck did not come to pick up the trash on our side of the street. But it did pick up at the houses across the street from us. I still cannot figure out the trash system here. So anyways I left it by the curb in case they were coming on a different day, which they do sometimes. So we had 2 weeks worth of trash baking in the warm sun everyday. Well today was trash day and they came to get our trash but left at the bottom of the can was a whole bunch of maggots crawling around! It was so gross. At first I wasn't quite sure what to do and thought about leaving it for Darrick but it is still a week until he comes home. So I tipped the can and sprayed them out with water and then bleached the can...it was disgusting!

On a more pleasant note-I took Micah and Jacob to see Curious George (the movie) today. We went to the 12:15 matinee and including us there was only 3 families there-it was great. I got the boys each a booster seat at the entrance so they could see good and I brought our own drinks and we shared a medium popcorn. The movie was so great! It was just a clean, fun, cute movie. It was so fun to hear the boys laugh or Jacob yell something out about what was happening or repeat what they said in the movie (good thing it was all nice words!) I love the ages that they are at, 3 and 5, it was so easy to take them out and we had a really good time. I highly recommend this movie!

Aloha

On Sunday the boys wore their Aloha Clothes that they got from Uncle Troy and Auntie Bow for their birthdays. They looked so handsome! They are sitting next to the tulips that Darrick sent me for Valentine's Day.

Chinese Dragons

Today the boys and I needed to get out of the house, we have been home for days, sick. Micah is feeling better but Jacob still has a fever and is coughing a lot.

We went to Ward Center Mall. It is an outdoor mall in Honolulu. There were some kids performing, a class I think. They were doing chinese dragon dances. So the boys and I watched, it was really cool. I started to notice that people were holding out money. Then one of the dragons would come over and "eat" the money out of your hand. So I gave the boys each a dollar and he came and ate it from them. They thought it was so cool! I am wondering if people always give money to the people who are being the dragons or if it was some type of fundraiser...Does anyone know?

Kindness

I got an email from Uncle Marv and he made it back to California and is missing Hawaii already.

We are all still sick. On Thursday after breakfast Micah broke out in hives. I thought it was the medication he was on and made an appt. for him. The doctor was pretty sure it was not his medication but something he ate. He had a reaction like that one other time and we discovered he was allergic to hazelnuts. The only new thing I fed him was Quaker Dinosaur Eggs Oatmeal. He ate it for 2 mornings. The first morning he had some bumps behind his ears and the second morning within a half hour after breakfast he was covered with hives. I read the ingredients but cannot pinpoint what did it. But after some benedryl he is much better today.

Jacob is still running a fever and felt pretty rotten today. I had the doctor look at him yesterday too and she said it is just the cough/fever virus that is going around.

Today my friend Jocelyn from church called me. She said that she had read our blog and wanted to see how we were doing. Then she said that she was on the way to our house because she bought us a cooked chicken and was bringing it over so I wouldn't have to cook dinner. It was just what I needed today. Just a gesture to know that someone cares. We have been stuck at home for days because someone has been sick and the only place we have gone is to the doctor. It feels so good when someone shows you kindness out of the blue. Thanks Jocelyn, I needed it!

Happy Birthday Micah!

Today is Micah's 5th birthday! That is the good news. The bad news: we are now all sick. Micah is still getting over bronchitis, Jacob has a temp of 101.2 tonight, I have a sinus infection and Darrick emailed me that he has a hernia. He went to the Doctor on the ship and he told him that he will need surgery. But he is out to sea about 2 more weeks.

Uncle Marv leaves tomorrow so we took him to the beach today so we could get out a little and breathe some fresh air. A lifeguard found an octopus in the reef and let us see it and touch it and he even let me hold it. It was so slimey and slippery. And his suction cups stuck to your fingers. What a once in a life time chance. Then he put it back in the ocean and we got to watch it swim away.

Micah getting up close

Jenn and her new friend

Three Things...

Darrick left today for 3 weeks.

I took Micah to the doctor today and he has bronchitis.

Uncle Marv is hiking Diamond Head today.

Busy Weekend

On Thursday Uncle Marv, me and the boys had lunch at the Wright Bros. Cafe. Darrick was pulling back in after a week out to sea and we wanted to see him go by. So after lunch we walked to the place and waited. It was pretty windy and a few raindrops were falling. But the closer the Hopper got, the harder the rain came down. So by the time they passed us it was pouring and there we were waving at the ship pretty wet. As we started to walk back to the car it stopped raining.

Saturday we had a birthday party for Micah and Jacob. It was such a good time and the boys were blessed with so many wonderful gifts.

Today Uncle Marv and Darrick went to church because Micah was running a fever. After lunch we all took naps. For dinner Uncle Marv treated us to Taco Bell and then we went and checked out a new Walmart that they built a few minutes from our house. It just opened on Tuesday.

When we got home we ate some birthday cake and ice cream. Yummy!

A new little miracle

I got a call last night from Darrick's brother Charlie. Him and his wife, Maud, welcome their first baby, a precious little girl into their lives. She was born on January 30 at 11:06 pm. She weighs 6 lbs. 11 oz. Her name is Amelie Marie Hays.

This week Uncle Marv has been taking The Bus all over the island to explore. Monday he went to Waikiki, Tuesday he went to Makaha Beach and today he said he was going East.

The boys and I have been hanging out and playing with friends. It has been a pretty relaxing week.

And the visitor is

Hello this is Darrick. The visitor is Uncle Marv. He flew in Thursday night. He said he had the best flight ever. He sat in the front row with no seat in front of him so he had lots of leg room and the movie screen right there in front of him. I think he also that the seat next to him was empty. Why can't I ever have that seat? I was out to sea until Friday so when I got him we all went to Northshore with our neighbors. We went to a sandwich shop called Storto's and then took our sandwiches to Turtle Beach and ate them with six sea turtles laying there on the beach with us. On Saturday I had duty so Jenn and the boys took Uncle to the beach on Hickam Air Force Base. Today I got home to late to go to church so I cut the grass and got ready so that when they all got home we could go to lunch at Dirty Lickins. They have the best hot wings. Then we went to hike to the light house on Makapu'u. The view is amazing there. We saw some whale spouts and one whale breech. Then we stopped at a blow hole. The waves come in and force water through a hole in the java causing a spout which was really cool. Then we ate dinner a Pizza Hut and spent the rest of the evening at home. Tomorrow I go out to sea again which stinks but what can I do. I am sure you will hear from Jenn soon.

Rain, Rain go away

Today is the 5th day in a row that it has been raining. It rains off and on all day long and sometimes it pours really hard. How long will it last?

Tonight after dinner we are heading to the airport to pick up our next guest...who will it be?

Charlie, Micah and Jacob

Make a wish!

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Today our little Jacob has turned 3! It is so hard to believe and seems just like yesterday that he was born...

It was a Thursday morning and I woke up about 5 am to go to the bathroom and noticed some blood. I was sure this was it because that was the same way my labor started with Micah. I had an appt. at the doctor that morning so we just waited. At the appt. they hooked a monitor to me and I had no contractions so they said I should just go home and wait. But my instincts told me different and so I asked to be checked by a dr. No doctors were available so we had to wait. When we were finally seen she said "Wow! You are going to have a baby today, you are 4 cm and the head is down. You should get to the hospital."

So we stopped by my parents to drop off Micah's car seat and over night stuff and went to the hospital. The dr. checked me and I was at a 5 so he said let's get things going and broke my water. And then the pain started. I opened from a 5 to an 8 in three contractions and it felt like my body was ripping in half. I wanted an epidural but the guy was in surgery so they gave me some pain medication. They switched me to a different room and then the guy came to give me an epidural. Soon after I was ready to push and in 3 pushes he was out.

What a blessing he is to us. He is active and busy. Makes up stories and hits when he loses his temper. He loves his blankie and sucking his thumb. He loves to cuddle and is very friendly.

Darrick is out to sea this week and will be for Micah's birthday so we are celebrating both of their birthdays on Feb. 4 when Darrick will be home for the weekend.

The Hays Family and Paul Wright

Saturday night Paul Wright gave a concert at our church! It was so awesome. After the concert, Pastor Randy introduced us to Paul. Darrick shook his hand and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. He was very nice. Jacob gave him a high five and Micah hid behind Darrick. He is an amazing musician and very talented, it was just him and his guitar and he sounded great!

Darrick, very excited to be talking to Paul Wright

Try, try again

Yesterday morning Darrick took the test to be a Chief again. This is his 3rd time. He has passed it the first two times. Once you pass the test then you are eligable to submit your package which will go before a board that then selects the chiefs. Darrick has been an early canidate because he has not been in the Navy long enough. Most people who are selected have been in around 12 years and Darrick just hit his 10 year mark. So we will see. They do not announce the new Chiefs until August or September.

Day at the Beach

This morning after we got ready the boys and I headed out to the beach. I read in a book that I have that there was a nice paved bike path right by Kailua Beach. I loaded up all the beach stuff plus Micah's bike and the single exercise stroller. It is such a beautiful drive on the H3 to get to the other side of the island.

So first we did our exercise. I was so proud of Micah, he biked almost the whole way. There was one big hill that he had to walk his bike up.

The we went to the beach and played and had lunch. It was a little cloudy and the wind was blowing so when the sun was gone we got a little cold. I love the beach more and more. The warm sun and the sound of the waves. It is so relaxing. And now that the boys are getting older I can sit and relax and not run all over the beach chasing after them.

Darrick is home now and the lasagna is cooking in the oven. Tonight we will watch "American Idol" and "The Biggest Loser". Does anyone else watch those shows? What new shows are you watching.

P.S. Happy Birthday Becky!

Pajama Day

We are having a pajama day today. We are just playing in the house, watching cartoons and I am doing laundry.

Yesterday we had a nice day. The boys played at Charlie and Alex's house while I went for a run, well jog I should actually say. I really think that was the first time I exercised alone. I was so great.

After lunch we all took a nap. Then I watched Charlie and Alex while Lauren went for a run. We had a snack and mostly jumped on the trampoline. I pretended I was a giant that had a magic finger and when I touched then they fell asleep. They LOVED it. It was pretty fun, 4 little boys, me and lots of giggles.

Lauren invited us over for dinner. She made really yummy enchiladas. The boys all got a special treat and got to watch the movie "Robots" while they ate dinner. We got to eat at the table by ourselves but we seemed to be jumping up a lot to tend to the boys.

Our Weekend

Saturday was spent relaxing and hanging around home-it was nice but by the end of the day Darrick and the boys were feeling a little stir crazy. In the morning we all went out for some exercise. Micah rode his bike, me and Darrick jogged and Jacob rode in an exercise jogger. We were going to just put him in the double one we have when we ran into our neighbor Margaret. We started talking and mentioned we were thinking of getting a single jogger since Micah is getting bigger. She said we could try hers so we did and really liked it. After we had gotten back she came over and said she saw a single jogger stroller at a yard sale a few houses down for $20.00! They normally start at like $75.00. So Darrick ran over there and we got it! Yea!

This morning we went to church. We had a really great sermon that gave us a lot to think about. After church we decided to pack a picnic and go to the beach for the afternoon with Lauren, Charlie and Alex. We had fun and the adults got a little too much sun but all 4 boys had a blast. They really all act like brothers-they spend so much time together and can hardly spend a day apart without asking to go to each other's house to play-good thing we live across the street from each other. We invited them over for dinner and they brought dessert. It was such a nice day.

Good Question

My brother Sam left a comment yesterday asking why we weren't sending Micah to Christian school, so here is the answer.

This year one of Darrick and my "resolutions" is to make better choices with our money. We are not savers and are impulsive spenders. But when we came to Hawaii over a year ago one of our goals was to be debt free by the time we leave. And so far we have been doing good working toward that goal.

Through researching the Christian Schools we found the cheapest at 4000.00 a year and the most expensive at 6300.00. Our impulsive part told us to go for it. But we really prayed and examined our finances and realized that if we sent Micah to school, we could afford it but then we would just be making and couln't pay down our debt to meet our goal.

So we are trying to look to the future and not just the present.

On another note, the boys caught a baby frog today in the backyard and put it in Tuggy-our toy boat. They gave him grass and water to make him happy.

Where are we?

It has been a week since we posted and we have been quite busy. We'll catch you up!

Friday: we went to Bishop Museum with Lauren, Charlie and Alex to attend the members only grand opening of the Sesame Street exhibit. It was pretty busy, families everywhere, but the boys all had a good time.

Saturday: we took a tour of a Christian school we are considering for Micah. It was great and had everything we wanted but after much prayer and discussion we have decided to send him to the local public school in the fall. Then we went to north shore to hang out.

Sunday: Lauren, Charlie and Alex joined us for church . When we got home all four of us took a nap-it was great. Then we went over to celebrate Alex's 2nd birthday with dinner, cake and presents.

Monday: Darrick went back to work since his leave is over.

Tuesday: Housework!

Wednesday: Housework!

Thursday: Today I took the boys to Bishop again to see the sesame street exhibit. It was great because there were hardly any kids. We had such a nice time. Then we had a nice lunch at McDonalds and then a treat at Dave's Ice Cream. Tonight we have Prayer and Praise at church instead of Bible Study.

A day with Dad

Hello everyone this is Darrick.
Well our visitors left on Monday night and I guess we were more tired than we realized because Tuesday we did not really do anything. First I feel asleep on the couch for an hour then it was Jenn's turn so she feel asleep on the love seat for almost two hours. We did take the boys to the little park by the house in the afternoon but that is about it.

Today when we woke up Jenn was sick with a bad cough and a fever so I took care of the boys. After breakfast and getting ready we headed to the Navy exchange to get them some hair cuts. Then we went to the food court to eat some lunch at McDonalds and get some more Narnia toys with our Happy Meals. You might think this sounds like a lot already but there is more. We got in the car and took a 45 minute drive to Sea life Park. First we went to the jump house they had set up. Then we went and saw a dolphin, sea lion and penguin show that was very good. After the show we saw the penguins, sea lions and turtles. It was getting to be snack time so being a good dad we had to go get some ice cream. Then we got some pressed pennies and some toy divers the boys could use in the bath tonight. Then we walked around one more time and stopped by the little play area for a bit before we called it quits and headed to the car to go home and check on mom. When we got home we found her resting on the couch so I made dinner and then gave the boys a bath and let them play with their divers for a long time. Then Jenn and I read to them and Jenn prayed with them and we both sang with them and put them to bed. I did the dishes and then Jenn and I watched the biggest looser. Busy day but a good one. I love to hang out with the boys. Lets hope Jenn feels better tomorrow so she can join in our adventures.

Surf's Up Becky

The Hays Family at Pali Lookout

Hike up Makapu'u Head-we made it!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! I enjoy this time of year to reflect on the past year and look forward to the coming year-what will it hold?

Today is our last day with Jim and Becky-they leave tonight at 10:55 pm Hawaii time, back to winter and Michigan.

We had a great time at the Polynesian Cultural Center, the weather was beautiful. We really enjoyed the food at the luau and the atmosphere was so beautiful. Then we went to the night show. Jacob ended up falling asleep at the beginning but Micah loved it and couldn't keep his eyes off of it.

Saturday morning we hiked Diamond Head which was something new for us again. Darrick and Jim took turns carrying Jacob up but Micah hiked up all by himself. Becky and I brought up the rear but it was so worth it when we got to the top-the view was amazing. After we hiked down we went to Waikiki. We found a great spot on the beach and Darrick, Jim and Becky took surfing lessons. And they all did it and got up on their first wave. Their lesson lasted an hour and I videotaped it from the beach. They caught more waves but felt sore when it was done (and the next morning)!

Sunday morning we went to church. Then we stopped at Dole and Jim and Becky shared a "Dole Whip", yum. Then we headed to North shore. We had lunch at Cholo's and then looked in a few stores but most places were closed because it was New Year's Day-including the shave ice places. It was also raining so we took a nice drive around most of the island. We stopped to stretch our legs, which ended up being a 1 mile and a 1/4 uphill hike to a light house. Once again the views were great and rewarding once we got up there.

This morning Darrick, Jim and Becky got up early to get in line for the USS Arizona Memorial to be sure to get a ticket. They were also going to tour the Battleship Missouri. The boys are resting and we are waiting for them to return.

And our visitors are...

... Jim and Becky (LeMahieu) Peterson! They arrived to Honolulu late Tuesday night (10:15 pm)-their flight was delayed. They had a good trip but they were exhausted since Michigan is 5 hours ahead of Hawaii.

Wednesday we took it easy so they could adjust to the time change. In the morning Becky and I got pedicures! We tool them to Pali Lookout, which had very little wind and a great clear view. From there we went to Lanikai beach and relaxed. It was a perfect Hawaiian day. Jim and Darrick snorkeled a little and Becky and I soaked up the sun while the boys played. We packed a picnic lunch and had so much fun. We came home and cleaned up and then went to Dirty Lickin's for dinner.

Thursday morning Jacob went to the dentist. They told us that Jacob is missing a front tooth. Most people have 4 and he has 3. They are going to do xrays next time to see if he has an adult one.

Then we headed for a personal tour of the USS Hopper given by everyone's favorite sailor-Darrick. From there we tried a new place for lunch "Bob's Giant Malts and BBQ", it was good. Then we went to the Arizona Memorial only to find out they had no more tickets for the day and will have to try another day. So we went over to the Exchange and looked around.

Darrick took Micah to the Doctor in the afternoon because he has a cough that is not going away. They said it was a virus going around and gave him some cough medicine. I made Fajitas for dinner and then we went to Bible Study at night.

Right now everyone is getting ready for our big day. We are going to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We are going to visit all the villages during the day and then go to their luau (which we have never done before) and then the great night show. It will be a long day but hopefully the boys will do okay! We'll let you know...

Micah singing (smiling) in front of Church at Christmas Eve Service

Holiday Update

Well the Hopper did not win, the USS Russell did, oh well. And we could not take any pictures, they are very strict about picture taking on the base.

Wednesday we got a new refrigerator. Ours was on its way out so housing replaced it with a brand new one-it is really nice. Lauren took all four boys to Sea Life park so Darrick and I could go on a date. We went to see Narnia. I really loved it and I hope they will make the other books into movies also.

Thursday we took our boys to Bishop museum to see the new Science Adventure Center. It is pretty cool and has a pretty big volcano in it. Thursday night we had our Bible Study Christmas Potluck. It was really fun, we played a few games and the kids all ran around. There are 7 boys and 1 little girl-so it got pretty wild at times. It was a Hawaiian food theme which we made it a little difficult for us to know what to bring. Darrick decided to get hot wings from his favorite place here so that was easy. The most unusual thing we tried was chicken lau lau. It was some chicken mixture wrapped and cooked in a taro leaf. We tried it but did not really care for it.

Friday Darrick had duty. We were invited to our friend Alex's 2nd birthday party at Honeymoon beach. It was a beautiful day and the boys had a great time. At night I babysat Lauren's boys so her and her husband could go on a date. They were all super good.

Saturday was my 31st birthday and Christmas Eve. Darrick made me breakfast when he got home from duty. Then we relaxed. I opened presents and cards, had a few visitors and got a few phone calls. It was very nice. At night we had church. We went to the 5:00 service because Micah's class sang in front of the church. He did good but did not really sing much. But he stood up there with a big smile on his face and waved. Our friends Steve, Lauren, Charlie and Alex came to church with us which we were so happy about and hope they will join us again.

Sunday was Christmas. This was only my second Christmas away from home in my life. The first was one year when we lived in New Jersey. We had a really great day. We got up and opened our stockings. Then we had breakfast and read the Christmas story. After I did a little food prep we opened presents. It was so fun watching the boys. I made a ham for lunch with some side dishes and a pie for dessert. The boys played all day with their new toys.

Today Darrick has duty but tomorrow he goes on leave until January 9th! I am busy today getting our guest room ready. We have visitors coming tomorrow, who could it be...

Ship competition

Yesterday Darrick had duty so the boys and I brought him dinner because the ship was serving tuna casserole. We also went to see the lights. Last night was the judging night to see which ship has the best holiday decorations. When we got there I realized how serious this was. There were guys with bionaculars "spying" on the other ships to see what they had out and then they relayed it to one another by walkie talkie.

The Hopper had lights all over, a movie screen showing "It's a wonderful life", a guy dressed up like Santa and two girls as elves. They attached a floating barge in the water next to the ship which is where Santa and his elves were.

The judge is the Admiral. He has a boat that he rides around and views the lights from the water. The Hopper's plan was when he came to judge them the elves would give him fresh baked cookies and eggnog. They also had Christmas songs playing over a loudspeaker.

Jacob could hardly take his eyes off Santa. It was fun but I have not heard yet who won. We will let you know when we hear.

A Day off

Darrick had the day off today because they are in stand down right now during the first leave period of the holidays. Darrick heard they were having big waves at North Shore so we drove up there. It is such a beautiful drive and the weather was perfect. We stopped at Pipline first but no surfers. Then we went to Sunset beach and found some surfers. We sat under the shade of a palm tree and watched while the boys played in the sand. The surfers were good. It is also fun to watch the silly tourists who do not obey all the bright orange flags and large signs that say "NO SWIMMING". There are always a few who think they can still go in and the lifeguards come and blow their whistle and tell them to get out. On our way home we stopped and had shave ice with ice cream in it, yummy!

This afternoon Charlie and Alex came over to play while their mom did some shopping. All the boys were so good and I think they had every toy in house out. We also fed all of them dinner and it went really smooth. We had BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs.

I put our boys to bed while Darrick went out to do some last minute Christmas or birthday shopping. I wonder who that could be for...

Mow, mow, mow the lawn...

Darrick has duty today and our grass was pretty long and I got this great idea that I would surprise him and mow the lawn. I have not mowed a lawn since we lived in New Jersey I think. Anyways it has been a long time. I could not get the lawn mower to start. I checked the gas, held the bar and pulled the string and nothing. I saw my neighbors and asked for there helped. They helped kind of. Margaret overfilled the gas tank and it leaked out all over. Her husband said now I couldn't mow with it so I had to use their lawn mower. I had forgotten to prime our mower by pushing the button. The boys played on the patio where I could see them while I conquered the lawn. I did it all, front, side and backyard. I am pretty proud of myself. But the best part was when Darrick called tonight and said he had to mow the lawn tomorrow and I said "I did it!" And he said "What?!" I think I surprised him! He thanked me a few times which was nice.

This afternoon I taught the boys how to make paper snowflakes. Well Micah mostly and he did pretty good. Then we played in the sprinkler. It is wierd to think that it is winter and do Christmas things and then do summer things like play in the water! Christmas in Hawaii...

Jacob

With the Parrots

Celebrating the Holidays-Hawaiian Style

It is so fun being in a tropical environment for Christmas and experiencing new customs.

Wednesday night we went to Ala Moana Mall to see their stage show "The Christmas Gift of Aloha". It was awesome! An elf from the north pole gets lost and ends up on the islands and finds the Hawaiian elves-menehune. They show him how they celebrate Christmas, the boys loved it!

Friday night the base had Winterfest Childrens Party. They had all different tables set up and you get a passport and at each table you do a craft from a different country. Then you get a stamp in your passport. When the boys had them all they got a prize-a nice children's book.

Saturday night we went to Aloha tower to see the annual Yaught Club Christmas boat parade. It was so cool. People decorate their yaughts with lights and decorations and they dress up and sing carols as they go by. After that we took a Trolley ride for a Honolulu city lights tour. We sang carols and they take you all over to see the light displays and the big one-Honolulu Hale. We also got our pictures taken with some parrots before the parade started. Micah wanted nothing to do with the birds and Jacob liked them at first until the one on his head started biting his hat. One bird pooped on me.

Last night, Sunday, Darrick and I went to the USS Hopper Christmas Party at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki. We got all dressed up and had a great dinner and Darrick even got on the dance floor with me. We did not win any prizes but had a good time anyway!

Found

Today we found Micah's lost blankie! The boys were just playing in the playroom and started playing with their tools and there it was shoved inside a tool box! We are so happy!

This afternoon we went with our friends Lauren, Charlie and Alex to the Marine Base on the other side of the mountains to play at their playground and then had dinner at McDonalds. It was such a good time. Her husband worked late and Darrick has duty so it was a perfect night to do it.

Aloha

Today marks one week since we arrived back to the beautiful island of Oahu. There was a lot to do this week to get settled back in!

Our flight went really good. It was hard to say goodbye to my family, but hopefully we will be seeing my parents in a few months, they are planning their first trip to Hawaii! Our good friend Lauren picked us up at the airport and greeted us with hugs and leis.

Most of the week we spent unpacking, doing laundry, grocery shopping, playing with neighbors and getting bit by mosquitos. It has been raining a lot, add that to the humid weather and you get mosquitos. It was also wierd to go from cold weather to now the boys are back in bathing suits and swimming.

Our house was good but we were quite surprised by the amount of gecko poop in our playroom! We cleaned it up and sanitized the room. There was also one big dead cockroach which is not too bad.

Also sometime this week we have lost Micah's special blanket that Darrick's mom gave to him when he was 6 months old for his baptism. We cannot find it anywhere and are starting to wonder if we left it on the airplane...

Yesterday we had the Hopper Children's Christmas Party. The boys had a good time and a lot of children came. They served lunch and had crafts and cookie decorating and a visit from Santa. Jacob couldn't wait to see Santa and Micah wanted nothing to do with him. When Darrick came back with the free polaroid picture I was a little surprised. There is Jacob sitting next to Santa making a face and sticking his tongue out, nice...does that mean he is now on the naughty list?

Today we went to church and then in the afternoon is started pouring! Huge drops. We had to go to the commissary and got soaked as well as our groceries but at least we got it done!

One more day

Wow, it has been awhile since my last post. As you can imagine we have been super busy.

Last Saturday my parents and me and the boys went hiking at Mt. Baldy. It was such a beautiful day and the pine trees smelled so good. We had a picnic lunch and then headed home again.

Sunday we went to LAX because Darrick is on leave and flew to CA for Thanksgiving. From the airport we went to Dave and Laura's so he could meet his new nephew. After a nice dinner and dessert we headed back.

Monday morning we got up and Darrick, me and the boys headed to Disneyland for 2 days. The boys are at really great ages and had a really good time. Micah rode Splash Mountain twice and Jacob was in love with all the characters and wanted to have his picture taken with them and give them hugs. His favorite was Minnie Mouse. We spent the night at the Double Tree Hotel and had another fun filled day, mostly at California Adventure.

When we got home Tuesday my brothers Sam and Jeff had arrived from Iowa! It was so great to see them.

Wednesday we got back in the car and drove 3 hours to Bakersfield to visit Darrick's brother Charlie and his wife Maud. They are expecting their first baby in February and they found out it is a girl. They also showed us their new house and we went out to dinner at John's Incredible Pizza Kitchen. When we got back, Dave, Laura and Elijah had arrived at my parents house to stay for a few days.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and my Grandpa and Grandma Vanderbilt joined us for a yummy dinner.

Friday we all went to Acapulco's (my favorite place to eat) for the last time, since they do not have any in Hawaii. Darrick and I started packing up in the afternoon. Then at night my parents watched the boys and Darrick and I went and saw "Jarhead".

Today we are going to LA to Dave and Laura's for Christmas. Since we are all here and will not be at Christmas we are celebrating now.

Then tommorrow we are flying back to paradise! These past two months have gone by so quickly but we did so much fun stuff and reconnected with so many friends and loved ones! Aloha!

Thanks

Thanks for leaving the comments, hopefully that will work and people can now post again.

I took the boys to Scandia to mini golf this morning. We had a good time but it was super windy. We don't keep score or even play right. Actually most of the time Jacob picks up his ball and puts it in the hole. When you get to the last hole it goes in and you can't get it back out. The boys each rolled theirs in. It has a volcano type hole so and if you get it in there you get a free game so I thought I would give it a try. I hit it really hard and it bounced off the wall and right into the water. The boys just looked at me and Jacob kept saying "Mommy, you hit ball in da water?" He even had to tell my parents at dinner.

It is one week until my brothers, Sam and Jeff, come home from Dordt. If you don't know, I'm the oldest of four siblings. I have three brothers, Sam who works at Dordt, Dave who is married to Laura and they live in LA, and Jeff who is a Senior at Dordt. Yes we all have gone to Dordt, in Sioux Center Iowa and once Jeff graduates we all will have graduated from Dordt.

Darrick is out to sea this week and then is flying here on Sunday. It will be a month again since we have seen him, so we are anxious to be reunited again.

Try to leave a comment

If you are reading this could you try to leave a comment for me? I changed some of the settings so that non members could post a comment but hopefully not those lame computer ads, so we will see.

Today we (my parents, me and the boys) went to Knott's Berry Farm. In the month of November military and vets get in free plus you can get a guest in free, so my mom was free too!

We spent some time first at Camp Snoopy. We rode the boat, nascar speedway, ferris wheel, and saw a Peanuts pirate show. Then we had lunch and rode the mining ride, big train, log ride, nascar speedway again and the huff n puff. We also had a caricature done of Micah and Jacob which turned out really cute.

We had a really great day and the crowds were not bad until late afternoon. The longest we had to wait was for the log ride-20 minutes.

I have discovered that Jacob loves thrill rides and Micah does to a point but he is more cautious. Jacob was asking to go on the adult roller coasters and even told Papa he would hold his hand, because Papa said he was too scared to go on!

Darrick cleaned out our storage room in Hawaii and got our Christmas decorations out so I can decorate when we get back. When I talked to him he was at Ala Moana mall in Honolulu, having dinner and walking around with a guy from the ship.

Ow, my eye...

Tonight I was going to go over to my friend Nicole's house to hang out and watch TV with her. My contacts were feeling dry so I thought I would look for some drops before I went. I looked in the bathroom cupboard at the contact stuff my brother Jeff left behind. I found a little bottle that looked like eye drops and put one in my right eye. The moment it hit my eye it felt like someone jammed a hot needle through it! I told my parents and my mom read it closer and said it was a protein remover for contacts, not rewetting drops. I had to flush my eye with cold water and wear my glasses for the night. It was read and still burning but better then before. I guess that is why people always say "Read the label..."

Another mini adventure

Yesterday the boys and I drove out to Los Angeles for a mini overnight adventure. We drove to Dave and Laura's house to spend time with them, see Elijah and spend the night. We had such a great time. The boys love Elijah so much. Micah held him a lot and Jacob even shared his special blanket with him. We had a great night sleep in their guest room and then a yummy breakfast with Laura and Elijah this morning.

From their house the boys and I left to go to The Natural History Museum which was about 5 minutes from their house. It was so great. We saw dinosaurs, animals and they had a great Children's Discovery Center. The boys just went from display to display saying "Mom, look at this!"

An added bonus was when I went to pay for my ticket to get in ,$9.00, and found out that military gets in FREE and kids under 5 are free too so I only had to pay for parking!

We left by 1:00 and had no traffic on the way home!

Darrick is back in Hawaii this week and then next week out to sea and then he will be here!

Day at the Museum with Mommy

Today my parents were invited to a wedding so I thought the boys and I would go and do something.

So we headed out to Redlands to the San Bernardino County Museum. I told the boys that today were going to exercise our brains which is just as important as exercising our bodies. The boys were both free and I was only $6.00 so I was happy about that. The last time I had been there was when I was in High School. The Children's Exploration Station was closed but we had fun anyways.

We first walked to see the stuffed and preserved animals and insects. Then onto the birds, nests and eggs. The boys really like these two exhibits. The last floor was California History which did not really interest them much.

I packed us a lunch so we went outside and ate at some tables in the sun. They wanted to go look at the animals again after lunch so we did that one more time and then we went home. We were there about 2 1/2 hours.

It is so important to me that the boys are well rounded and appreciate things like museums and art galleries. We talk about how you act and how we use a quiet voice and no touching unless it says we can. It amazes me what a sponge Micah is, he loves learning so much and did not want to leave. I told him that I would take him to another museum and he was happy with that.

On the way home we stopped at Dairy Queen for a ice cream treat.

It was such a nice day together!

Catching Up

Well the last day I posted was Thursday. And by Friday afternoon we got a call from my brother Dave and his wife Laura that they were in the hospital to have their baby! We were so surprised because their due date was not until November 8! Little Elijah David Gutierrez was born at 6:07 pm on Friday night. So we headed to LA to see the newest little miracle. And boy is he cute!

Saturday the boys and I had a day out. A Christian Bookstore was premiering the newest VeggieTales movie "Lord of the Beans" evey hour so we went to watch it. While we were there I bumped into my friend Susan and her kids. So we all went to lunch together at Carl's Jr. From there the boys and I went to Barnes and Noble for a special Halloween Storytime with Max the Bunny from Max and Ruby. After the storytime we sat in the warm sun and drank some Starbucks (non coffee) drinks and read stories. Then we went back to my parents and carved pumpkins.

Sunday we went to church with my parents so that we could go visit Dave, Laura and Elijah. They came home from the hospital that afternoon so we also cooked dinner for them so they could just relax.

Monday was Halloween. At night we went to my Aunt Belinda's house for dinner and then Trick or Treating. Micah was Batman and Jacob was Robin, they were really cute.

Yesterday morning we went to visit my Grandpa and Grandma Vanderbilt. We always have peppermint tea with yummy banana bread and cookies.

Today the boys and I went to Target and I just have to say that I am so tired of people who think they know how to parent my boys. I was changing Jacob's diaper in the restroom and this lady comes in. I was completely minding my own business and she asks how old Jacob is. I say 2 and she goes "Oh well I guess it is ok, I thought he was older and he needs to be potty trained" then she starts on Micah "How old are you, shouldn't you be in school?". I just bit my tongue because she was pretty fiesty and rude and I didn't want to get into it with her. But what makes people think they know what is best and why do they feel compelled to give me their opinions. It is not the first time this has happened to me. I have been given unwanted advice on pacifiers, bottles and even discipling. It is just so judgemental and rude.

I'm such a wimp!

I admit it...I am freezing my bootie off in California! Last night I put an electric blanket on my bed. I am constantly wrapped up in a blanket with a heating pad to warm me up...oh send me back to tropical weather!

Today me, my mom and the boys had a nice Fall Adventure. We drove to Yucaipa to go to a really cool pumpkin patch. We went their last year too. It was pretty packed with school kids but we were still able to do what we wanted to do. We were surprised when we saw some of the kids shirts and realized it was the OC (Ontario Christian) Preschool. I went to OC 1st-12th grade. I even saw Terry Jansma who was in my class. We climbed on the hay castle and looked at the animals and took pictures. The boys each picked out a mini pumpkin.

Then we continued on our journey up to Oak Glen. I do not remember my first time to Oak Glen-it seems like I have always gone there every Fall since I was a little kid. We went to Los Rios, home of the best Apple Cider, and had a nice picnic lunch and of course some warm apple cider. After we ate the boys played around and collected pinecones, acorns and pine needles. Micah came up and pointed to the pinetree and whispered to me "Mom that tree is a conifur!" Wow, I was impressed. They mention that on a video he has, it was just cool that he remembered the word and was able to identify one himself.

From there we went down to the village and feed the reindeer. The boys loved it and laughed when their tongue tickled their hands. Then we followed the bear tracks (they are just yellow bear prints painted on the ground) to the candy shop. That is where we get the best caramel apples, chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate snowcaps, and yes we bought all three and they are so so so yummy.

Then we went down to another village and bought Apple Strudels for dessert tonight. We also picked up two "Daddy" Pumpkins, as the boys call them. They boys have never carved pumpkins so we thought we could do that this weekend.

It was such a fun day. The air was so cool and crisp but it started getting foggy and the sun went away when we were on our way home. Time for me to get back under the blanket, hmmm...now where is that heating pad?

A Million Little Pieces

Yesterday afternoon I finished reading the book "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. I started on Saturday morning on our way down to San Diego and read every spare moment I had so I could be done by today.

This book was chosen by Oprah for her book club. This is the first one of her choices that I have read. Something about it just interested me. But I knew the author was going to be on Orpah today talking about the book so I wanted to be done by then.

I knew my friend Nicole had the book so I called her and asked if I could borrow it. She said yes but had to warn me that the language was pretty bad, which it sure was. For those of you who have not read it, it is a true story about the author's time in drug rehab. It was very raw and detailed and taught me things I never knew about this world of drug addiction.

I only cried on one part when it talked about what happened to Lilly at the end but I do not want to give anything away...

I usually read Christian books and this was so different because he does not believe in God. This book was not something I would normally read but it is good to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone every once in awhile. Next though I think I will go back in to my comfort zone and read "Sisterchick's Down Under"...it is more up my alley...

Yoho, Yoho, The Sailors life for us...

It was so great to see Darrick again this weekend! Let me catch you up...

Saturday morning a group of 18 family and friends drove down to San Diego to see Darrick and tour the USS Hopper. Our group included My parents, me and the boys, Dave and Laura, Aunt Belinda, Corey, their friends Kelli and Sarah, Uncle Oscar, Aunt Kathy, Charlie, Maud, Micah, Nicole and Kaitlyn. The weather was gloomy but we had such a good time.

From there we went to The Corvette Diner for lunch which was so fun and really yummy. After that everyone headed home but my parents and the four of us checked into the Navy Lodge so we could spend more time with Darrick.

It hit me Saturday night. Every once in awhile I just feel weak and so tired of all this and I just had to get it out and cry. I usually am ok but sometimes it is hard when Darrick pops in and out of our lives. It feels so good and familiar when he is with us. As we were sleeping and he reached over and pulled me close it felt so safe. He is so much more than my husband, he truly is my best friend and the person I am closest to in the whole world. It is so hard that we are now separated again. It is hard on the boys too. Jacob is really a Daddy's boy and would hardly leave Darrick for a minute the whole weekend.

Monday the Hopper left to go back to Hawaii. Darrick gets leave for Thanksgiving so he will fly back to California in about a month.

I miss him tonight, the boys miss him, but we will make it through...

Eat More Chicken!

Today we went to Kohl's to look for some shoes-since they were on Sale. Every pair I tried on was wrong for me in some way so I gave up but on the way out my mom and I noticed some 70% off racks so we started to look. It was 70% off the already reduced sale prices! A lot of it was summer stuff, which was perfect for me since we live in Hawaii! I found some great stuff for cheap-I love to get a good bargain.

After that we headed to Chick-fil-A for their grand opening on 19th street. It was so yummy! I had an original chicken sandwich and my had a wrap. They were giving away free brownie tastes, balloons, and were so customer friendly. They have a great play area for the kids. Even the cow was there with his sign saying "Eat more chicken!" The boys each got a mini stuffed cow.

They gave away booklets for 52 free chicken sandwiches for the first 100 people through their doors. We actually saw people with tents out there!

Interesting...

Date Night

Tonight Micah and I went on a "Mommy and Son" Date. I had found out that Barnes and Nobles had a 7 pm storytime for kids and tonights theme was Pirates! The boys are obsessed with pirates. But since it was at Jacob's bedtime my parents said they would put Jacob to bed while we went. First we went to Starbucks and Micah got a chocolate chip non-coffee drink and I got vanilla bean.

I was surprised at how many kids were there almost 30 I would say. After the 3 pirate stories each kid got a treat from the treasure-Micah picked a lollipop. Then I bought Micah a book "How I became a pirate". We had so much fun together.

Today Darrick called me and said that he went to Fire Fighting school in San Diego. He said that it was cool and the fire was about 30 feet and they put it out.

I rained again today so my mom and I took the boys to the newly remodeled McDonalds on Foothill and Archibald. They have a cool new play structure. We were there for 2 hours eating and playing. There were other little boys Micah's age and they all played pirates. It was nice for them to burn some energy since we cannot got outside and play.

I also took the boys to get a haircut today at this kids hair shop. They get to sit in little cars and blow bubbles. They love it and it makes the process so much easier.

Update

It has been awhile since I posted! Wow the time is going quickly. Today marks one month that we have been in CA. We have one more month here-actually about 5 weeks.
The weather took a turn for the colder and it is nice but I definitly think that I am a warm weather girl. Last night we had a huge rain storm complete with thunder and lightening and it poured rain-it even woke me up.

Yesterday my Dad built a nice little fire in the fire place. It was so cozy.

So what have we been up to you may wonder?

Well last week we spent a lot of time running around and getting things ready for a Baby Shower I threw for Laura (my sister in law)on Saturday.

My Grandpa also came home from the hospital and praise God he is doing so great!

My mom and I picked my Uncle Marv up from the airport one night. He flew in from Grand Rapids to help with things at my Grandparents house.

I talked for about 3 hours to my newly married friend Becky.

Then on Friday night I waited up til midnight for Darrick to drive up from San Diego. It had been a month since the boys and I had seen him. The ship pulled into San Diego and since he had the weekend off he rented a car and drove 2 hours north to stay with us for the weekend. We had such a nice time but of course it went to fast. He left Sunday night to drive back down to San Diego.

Saturday was the baby shower and it was such a nice time. A lot of people came, even men, and they hung out outside and talked while the women had fun inside. Dave and Laura got a lot of really nice gifts and we had really yummy food.

Saturday night after we got the boys in bed Darrick and I went to Starbucks and walked around the new Target on 19th street.

Sunday we went to Friendship Community Church. It was so great for Darrick to see everyone again. After church the Martinez family had us and a bunch of other friends over and we had such a great time eating Juan Pollo and talking.

Then Sunday night our good friends Micah and Nicole invited us over for Pizza.

It was a very busy weekend but so much fun.

The boys had a hard time with Darrick leaving last night. They did not want him to go.

Since we are suppossed to get more rain over the next two days we are just being cozy at home in sweats. Maybe we will make some hot chocolate...

Past few days

The past few days have been really busy and it has been like grand central station here. My Grandpa Vanderbilt, who is 94 years old, had surgery on Friday. My mom had a minor operation on a tooth on Wednesday. Praise God that everything is going good for both patients.

This afternoon we went to the hospital to visit my Grandpa. He is in the Intensive Care Unit so they can monitor him closely because of his age. Micah really wanted to in and see Grandpa but they would not let him because he was under 14 years old. I told this to Grandpa and he said that meant a lot to him. He said he would of expected it from Jacob because he is so open with his feelings and always gives them hugs. But it meant a lot to him that Micah said that because he is so shy. I was very touched by that. Grandpa looked really good I thought and he was tired but was pretty talkative!

Hospitals can be so sad sometimes. There were a lot of distraught people in the waiting room. One of my dear friends called me this week because her mom died and being in the hospital brought so many emotions up for me.

It is so interesting to me how God works in our lives. On Thursday I just had a nudging on my heart that I should call this friend, who I have not talked to in a few weeks. So I did. I called her cell phone and she did not answer so I left a message. She called me back on Friday and told me that yesterday afternoon her mom died. You could call it a coincidence but I know it was God.

I also heard from Darrick tonight. The ship is in San Francisco for Fleet week. Tonight he was going to Fisherman's Wharf. They had to go in uniform and he said people were taking pictures of them. Tomorrow he has duty and will be giving tours on the ship. Monday he is going on a tour of Alcatraz and Tuesday he is going on another tour but I forget right now what it is of.

We made it back!

Here we are back in CA! We actually got back late, late Sunday night/Monday morning. So yesterday was spent catching up on sleep, unpacking and laundry.

We have a wonderful time in Wisconsin-except for the freezing weather the first few days! Brrrr! Now I know why I like Hawaii. All of our flights went really good. And our hotel was great. They had an amazing indoor pool that the boys loved.

Wednesday night, since we were the first and only guests there, Becky's parents had us over for dinner which was so yummy after a long day of traveling.

Thursday morning Becky and I went out to breakfast. Thursday night Becky's parents invited all the guests that were there over to their cottage by the lake for a BBQ.

Friday started with a brunch for the bridesmaids and then a day at the spa. I had a wonderful hour long massage. That evening was the rehearsal and dinner.

Saturday was the wedding. Becky looked amazing! She was so stunning. Her and Jim just both seemed so happy and in love. The ceremony was beautiful and focused on God's faithfulness to them. Another great thing is that we had a Dordt Roommate reunion. This was the first time all 6 of us had been together in 10 years. Five us have have been together at different weddings but never all six. It was so great to see everyone and catch up.

Sunday afternoon we flew back.

Darrick and the ship are on their way to Fleet Week in San Francisco which is this weekend.

I talked to Laura yesterday too and this Saturday will mark 4 weeks until her due date!

I spent some time today going through almost all of my mom's photos and organizing them. I made four main boxes for us kids and then some other categories. I love doing stuff like that.

The boys spent a lot of time today playing outside in my parents backyard. It feels like Fall is in the air! The air feels a little crisp at times. I love this time of year!

On our way again

Today and yesterday have been spent getting ready for our trip to Wisconsin.

Yesterday my friend Susan, who I have known since gradeschool, gave me a manicure and pedicure. Now my nails look pretty. I am the matron of honor!

Today the boys and I went out to lunch with Nicole and Kaitlyn. Nicole suggested "The Hat" because of their chili cheese fries. They were so yummy. We gave the food a 10 out of 10 but our kids a 2 out of 10. They were not bad but just busy.

The rest of the day was spent packing. We leave before the sun comes up tomorrow morning so we can arrive in Wisconsin in the afternoon. I will not be posting while we are gone.

I got good news from Darrick today via email: his leave request that he put in to come to CA over Thanksgiving was approved! I am so excited!

Hey does anyone feel like some cheese?

Our weekend

Thank you to those who let me know that you are reading. So I will continue to post while we are in California!

Saturday my parents, me and the boys drove out to LA right after breakfast to help Dave and Laura with painting their living room. They are missionaries for World Impact and live in their housing. The only downside is that inside their house, every inch almost is blue, light and dark, including the carpet. They have almost been there a year and are slowly painting it. Well now that Laura is pregnant she cannot paint so we came to help! Laura played with the boys while we got busy. We got the whole first coat done by lunch and then finished the second coat a few hours later. It looks awesome! After that Laura gave me some make-up lessons. I am in a wedding next Saturday and wanted a new look. Since I never had a sister I really enjoy now having someone I can go to and get advice on girly things. Then we went through 2 bags of the boys old clothes and she picked out what they could use for their little guy.

Today the boys and I went to Friendship Community Church, which is the church that we attended for 3 years while we lived here. It was so good to see everyone and feel so much love. After church they had a potluck at a park so we went to that too. Then we had a chance to catch up and talk to people. The boys played all afternoon with their friend Jonathan. And I went from person to person talking. Even one of our good friends, who goes to a different church now, stopped by to see me and the boys. I wished that Darrick was there too. It will be nice to reconnect with everyone while we are here.

Tonight my Grandpa Gutierrez came over to see me and the boys. I learned something that I had never known-that he joined the Navy when he was 17 years old and that he spent some time in Hawaii! He was a gunners mate and it was fun to hear some of his stories.

Last few days

I'm just curious if anyone is reading our blog. I thought that maybe people thought that since we are on vacation that we might not post. So if you are reading and would like to hear about our CA adventures can you let me know. It is not as easy here to post...my parents have dial up...enough said.

Wednesday morning we went to the Montclair plaza to do some shopping. For dinner my parents took us out to Los Monitos for the best enchiladas! Later that evening I went by myself to my friend Nicole's house and we watched the premiere of "America's Next Top Model"-one of our favorite reality shows. Confession: upon moving to Hawaii I discovered they did not have UPN (the network that plays the show) so Nicole recorded every episode and mailed them to me! What a great friend!

Thursday morning we went to visit my Grandpa(94) and Grandma(88) Vanderbilt. We were welcomed with loving hugs, kisses and cookies! We also joined them for tea time which they have every mid morning. It was such a wonderful time. That evening after my dad got home from work we went to the LA County Fair. The weather was so perfect and we had a great time. We ate yummy food and rode on the big yellow slide and saw fun exhibits.

Today we kind of relaxed and I did laundry. I am having a hard time adjusting to the time change. And now Wednesday we will be in Wisconsin and have to change time zones again!

Hopefully I will hear from someone...

Rain, rain

Today we had such a nice rainy day. In Hawaii it rains but soon after the sun is usually back out and the dark clouds are gone. It actually started last night. And today we even had thunder and lightning. It was cozy and since we did not have to go anywhere it was nice.

My big project today was to write out and address invitations for a Baby Shower I am throwing for my sister-in-law. Her and my brother Dave are expecting their little guy on November 8!

I also heard from Darrick today which was so great. It has been almost 2 weeks since we have talked.

The boys have been playing all day long. We just can't get over it. My brother Jeff left a big tub of his toys when he was little and the boys are just having a blast with them.

Monday

We had a good day today and got to do some things that we have missed while being in Hawaii.

The first was that the boys and I went out to lunch with Nicole and Kaitlyn. We went to my favorite place to eat: Acapulco's! We got our normal-the lunch buffet. It was so so so yummy except the enchiladas were not fresh but it was still good. It was so great to reconnect with a dear friend.

The second thing is that we went to Target! I love Target and they built a new one about 5 minutes from my parents house. So after dinner we headed up there to get a few things. I wish Hawaii had Target.

Nicole also told me that Frienship Community Church (our church when we lived here) is having a potluck after church so the boys and I are planning on going to that and hope to see some more good friends!

California here we come...

What's up dudes? Well like yesterday we totally made it to California safely...
Just kidding but we are here now.

Lauren dropped us off at the airport bright and early in the morning. We only had one mishap before getting on the plane. We were trying to get on the escalator and when I turned around to help Jacob somehow Micah lost his balance and rolled back down about 5 steps-ouch. Thankfully he was ok, except for tears and a small bump on his head.

The boys did so great on the airplane. Micah watched our new DVD player and Jacob even took a nap.

We were greeted at the airport by my dad, mom, brother Dave and sister in law Laura (with her cute pregnant belly), my friend Nicole and her daughter Kaitlyn! It was such a warm welcome and even some tears were shed.

Upon leaving the airport we were greeted by a lovely LA traffic jam on our way to Dave and Laura's house. But we finally made it and ate yummy dinner and dessert before heading home.

The boys are having so much fun at Nana and Papa's house and eating up all the love and attention. We are all feeling pretty tired with the time change though. We went to my parent's church today and had traditional Sunday Pizza. I unpacked this afternoon and the boys played.

It was 60 degrees when we woke up this morning and the boys and I were cold! Well I am going to go get some dinner for the boys...Later!

Unwanted house guest

Tonight when we got home from Bible Study I found a dead centipede in our master bathroom. It was about 2 cm long. That was the first one that we found in the house. I am trying not to get freaked out about it but they are posionous and now I am wondering if there are more lurking around...

We had a really great Bible Study tonight. I was sitting there thinking how a year ago I did not know all the specifics of my future, only that I was moving to Hawaii. Now there I was in a livingroom with other believers, just soaking up their knowledge and experiences. It is amazing how when you have the Lord in common you have a bond. I feel like we are connecting and growing closer. They are amazing people and so encouraging.

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is our last full day here! Final packing and preparations have to be done tomorrow because we leave at 5:45 am Saturday morning for the airport! Yikes! I better get some good rest tonight.

I did it

A few months ago I set a goal to read the complete "Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis. I think I said in a post way back that I saw a preview for a remake of "The Lion, the witch and the wardbrobe" coming out this winter. I have a beautiful hardcover book that contains the entire series in the correct order. The book is heavy and about the size of an 8x10 photo. It is 524 pages. Well my goal was to finish it before I left for CA and last night I did it! This is a huge accomplishment since as the mother of 2 young kids I don't have a lot of time to read.

If you have never read the whole series I would highly recommend it. The whole thing was beautifully written and the symbolism was amazing. By far my favorite book was "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". I cried during this one a lot. One night Darrick asked me if I was ok and I read him the passage and he was pretty touched too. It just paints so vividly what it is that Christ does for us when we give our lives to Him fully. I get emotional just thinking about it right now.

When the boys get older I plan on reading the series to them.

Continuing to improve

Well we had a great night sleep last night-meaning no one threw up! Micah sleep 12 hours, Jacob 11 hours and myself 10 hours. We all really needed it.

So today we just continued to rest but we did run one errand to KMart. After naps we played out front with the neighbors which was so nice since we have not done that for a few days.

I packed some of my clothes and the boys clothes for our trip to CA. It makes me feel better knowing I am not leaving it all until the last minute.

Jacob is having a hard time understanding why Daddy is not coming home. Last night he cried for Darrick. A few nights ago I told him that Daddy was on the ship and he said "I go on ship too!" I think it will be good to go to CA that way it will distract him and keep him busy!

Stomach Flu part 2

There is nothing like being woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of your child crying and throwing up...ahhh, parenting. Next victim:Micah Time: 2 am Place: his bed He threw up all night long about every 1/2 hour so neither of us slept. But the good part is that it passed pretty quickly and he is starting to feel better already. Hopefully there will not be a part 3...

Today I hit my breaking point. I'm still trying to recover and after being up since 2 am by mid morning I had lost it. I couldn't hold the tears back back anymore. I was running out of food and diapers, I didn't know how I was going to get to the store. I finally went over to my neighbor Audrey's house, and ended up crying on her doorstep. She came over and sat with Micah while Jacob and I went to the commissary. Thank God for caring people again!

It is so hard to ask for help sometimes and to admit that you can't do it it all (I guess that is why we end up Worn Out Women, huh Nicole and Shelley?) But I did reach out and ask for help these past few days and everyone has been so willing.

Audrey and her husband Brian even came over in the afternoon to watch the boys so I could keep my hair appt. It was nice to have a little break.

I'm am so excited to sleep! Goodnight...

So Thankful

What a rough few last days!

Darrick and the USS Hopper left on Thursday morning. We had to bring Darrick to the ship and get up at 4:45 am! So of course we were all tired the rest of the day. I took a little nap when the boys did and woke up with a headache but still thought it was because I got up too early. I kept going and in the evening the boys and I went to Bible Study, which by the way was really good.

But by the end I was not feeling good at all and made a quick exit home. I barely got the boys and myself in the house before the stomach flu it me hard. In between my bathroom stops I somehow got the boys in bed. Everyhour, if not more I was up getting sick. By morning I was wiped out.

My original plan was to go grocery shopping that day because we were out of the basics. I called my neighbor Lauren to ask her if she could get us a few things. She dropped off saltines at my doorstep. My neighbor Margaret saw her and found out I was sick and later came over and took the boys for about 3 hours. Lauren came back with my groceries and told me to take some advil (my temp was 101.4) and gave me a banan and 7-up. I couldn't even think straight. After Margaret's daughter woke up she took the boys for a few more hours and then Lauren took the boys for dinner and baths! I cannot tell you how thankful I am for such caring neighbors. It is so amazing to be in a community that supports one another especially when our husbands are gone.

And then today Lauren called to check on me, Margaret stopped by and my other neighbor Audrey heard I was sick and offered me help or if I needed anyhting from the store. On top of all that, someone mowed our lawn today. Whoever did it (Margaret was it you?) thank you so much.

I am feeling better today but still weak. I'm so glad it was only a 24 hour bug!

I cannot believe that next week this time the boys and I will be in California-we're so excited!

Katrina

You will probablly find this hard to believe but before today I had not seen ANY footage of the hurricane. Of course I was hearing bits and pieces of what happened. Since I have 2 little ones at home, I have made it a point to not watch the news anymore during the day. The news is not good and the commercials are terrible too. I don't even watch the morning shows because we have cartoons on. At night I have other things to do.

Well today after talking to my friend Lauren I decided I should try to watch some. Jacob was napping so and Micah was playing so the only news on then was CNN. It was interesting because the guests were the Surgeon General, Dr. Phil and Rick Warren (author of Purpose Driven Life). I was pretty amazed and shocked at everything that was going on.

Then I noticed that Oprah was doing her show about it so I tuned it. By now Jacob was up and they were both cuddling by me. I couldn't help weeping at what I heard and saw. I was trying to explain to the boys why I was crying and what we were watching. At the first commercial I muted the TV and told the boys we needed to pray. So they bowed their heads and closed their eyes and in between my tears I got the best prayer out I could. I can't believe this world we live in and the condition of the people's hearts.

Every night when we tuck the boys in we pray and sing a song. Lately they pick "This little light of mine" every night. After the traditional verses I added "let it shine to the people in the storm" and Micah asked me why I did that. I told him so that Jesus could help them and they could have hope. When I look at the state of this world and think what it will be like for the boys the only things I know I can do is pray and raise them to be strong God fearing men every chance I get.

Labor Day

Today we invited our neighborhood friends over for a BBQ. At noon only one family came and a friend of our family so we grilled and had a yummy lunch. Later in the afternoon more neighbors came so we grilled again for dinner! We all enjoyed ice cream sundaes for dessert-after lunch and dinner!

We had 3 pools set up, the trampoline, the sandbox and a slip 'n' slide so the kids were busy all day. We had weird weather-it was sunny and hot, then it would rain even though it was sunny, a rainbow came out and then a double rainbow.

We really enjoy entertaining and having people over. The adults had a great time talking and laughing and eating of course!

Happy Labor Day! The summer is now over...

Our Sunday

We had such a great day today. During breakfast we were talking about the next few weeks. It is wierd to think that next Sunday will be our last one here for awhile and then the next one we will be our first full day in CA! Darrick leaves this week for a couple of months so we wanted to have a family day today.

We went to early church, which starts at 8:15 am so it is nice to have a great start to our day and then a long day ahead still. Right from church we headed to North Shore. We stopped at Dole because my cousin Dan and his wife Dee just had their second child(a boy) born on Sept. 1st and I am sending the baby a gift and wanted to send something for the big sister too. I remember that people did that for Micah and it helped him adjust to the new baby. It was super crowded today-tourists everywhere. I even got bumped and pushed!

From there we headed to Haleiwa and had lunch at Cholo's-yummy, but not near as good as Mexican food in CA-I can hardly wait, my mouth is watering right now! From there we headed to Shark's Cove. Last week when we took Karen there we had so much fun. Well now that Micah is swimming he feels more comfortable in the water. He was trying to look at the fish using our snorkel gear which was too big. So this week, while at Walmart I bought him a kid size set and Darrick wanted to see him use it before he leaves so we thought today would be a good chance. We had so much fun. The water was warm and we saw so many cool fish. We enforced the buddy rule with Micah so first I was his buddy. At first I thought he was panicing but then realized that he was just so excited by the fish he was seeing. What we like about Shark's Cove is that you do not have to go very deep at all to see fish. On the way home we stopped for some shave ice. I tried 2 new flavors-pina colada and strawberry with ice cream on the bottom-it was sooo good! Darrick is hooked on ice cream in his too!

Tonight we cleaned up the house and got some food ready for our neighborhood BBQ tomorrow! It is raining right now but we hope it will be sunny tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Charlie!

Today we celebrated our friend Charlie's 3rd birthday. We met at the Ewa Beach Railroad and had sandwiches, chips and birthday cake. Then we all boarded the train for a 45 minute train ride. We all had a good time and the engineer even let the kids each blow the train whistle after the ride!

This morning we ran around doing some errands. And this evening Darrick mowed the grass.