Hat Day

Hays in Hats, Jalen, Micah, Deja, Tayveon, Jenn and Mr. Rodriguez (5th grade teacher)

Pajama Day

Hays in Pajamas, Micah, Jalen and Deja, Jenn with 5th Graders

Puppy Love

Jacob and Lulu watching TV

Cute Shirt

This is Micah's best friend at school, Jaylen. I thought his shirt was so cute today. It says: "MY DADDY SURFS BETTER THAN YOUR DADDY!"

It's Crazy Hair Day!

Neighborhood friends, Crazy Hays Hair, Micah and Classmates

Left side Blue, Right Side Red

Lydia goes home!

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Praise God that Lydia is eating well on her own and Jim and Becky were able to take her home last night! Let the fun begin...

Spirit Week

Today was the first day of Spirit Week. And it was "Don't match day". Micah was very excited and mostly picked out his clothes himself. Quite a few of the kids were dressed up but hardly any teachers...but I was! I had on 2 different shoes, 2 different socks and red pants with a torquoise shirt with a gold butterfly clip in my hair. Sorry no picture of me! The kids seem to love that I was dressed up and I encouraged quite a few teachers to join in tomorrow: Wacky hair Day!

This past weekend I bought a pedometer. I was reading a book that said you should be trying to get 10,000 steps a day and I was curious how close to that I was. Well by the end of today I was over 30,000. I guess I don't sit around much between being a mom, teaching, recess duty and exercise I blew the goal out of the water. This afternoon I exercised with 2 friends, our 4 kids, and 2 dogs. Our goal was Blaisdell Park via the bike path. We had my pedometer track the time and distance. It took us 35 minutes to get there and 40 to get back and it was 3 miles each way. Jennifer and I ran a bunch of the way, but Margaret walked (she is 9 months pregnant). I think all of us will sleep really good tonight!

Dave and Elijah

My brother Dave has this picture posted on his blog from this past weekend. I thought it was so adorable. So it is my brother Dave with his son Elijah. They were flying a kite at the beach.

Today I spent some time at Pearl City High School cheering on the Lehua Elementary Track Team. It was so fun to see my students do something other than math since that is the only subject I see them for. Some of them really impressed me-they were fast. It brought back a lot of memories for me when we had school tracks meets. I usually ran in the short distances like 50 or 100 yard dash and even got some ribbons.

This is also the start of my third week of running. I don't run super far but I am noticing that I can run farther and better each week. I started because now that we have Lulu we have to go out everyday. So Micah rides his bike (by the way he crashed today trying to learn to ride with only one hand on the steering wheel. He scraped up his skin on his ribs and broke the front hand brake on the handle bar), I push Jacob in the exercise stroller and Lulu is tied to the stroller with her leash. It is working out well and I actually am enjoying. We jog around housing and down by the Seal Base which is by the water. It is really nice.

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

First of all let me say Happy Mother's Day to all my mom blog readers out there. And a special Happy First Mother's Day to Becky! I wasn't sure how I was going to feel today with Darrick being gone and my mom far away but I had a really great day.

At church this morning all the moms were given a carnation and lots of hugs and mothr's day greetings. The service was amazing. Our worship team is incredible! I wish they would make a CD. The sermon was on lessons I learned from my mother. You can hear it at www.hcwo.com Then we saw a video in which 6 jr. high and high school boys talked about why they loved their moms. When it was done music started to play and those same boys got up in front of the church and did a sign language hula dance. There was barely a dry eye in the whole church. Then a a special gift the church had a photographer and she had a backdrop and you could get your picture taken with your family so the boys and I did that.

After church I treated myself to lunch at Cholo's. It was yummy and even better because I did not have to cook.

I hope you all had a great day too! And even though I talked to my mom on the phone today I just want to tell you again Mom how much I love you!

Happy Mother's Day

Congratulations!

My cousin Dan and his wife Dee were blessed with their third child yesterday morning. A healthy baby girl named Erika Renee. The word is that she has lots of red hair!

Military Spouse Appreciation Day from Darrick

I don't know if anyone knows this but the Friday before Mother's Day is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. I was thinking about all that Jenn does for our family. Then I was thinking, "I wonder if anyone ever tells Jenn they appreciate what she does for our country?" Don't take this the wrong way but I don't hear people tell me that. I wonder if people really even think about what we go through. I don't need to hear it but I thought we should tell Jenn we appreciate the sacrifices she makes. You know Jenn would probably be the first to tell you that she never thought of being a Navy Wife, and she probably would not pick it if given a choice but that doesn't stop her from being amazing at it. Have you ever thought of how strong and awesome Jenn is? Although she never would have chose this God has given her all the tools a Navy Wife needs. She has to be Mother and Father, do all the house work, lawn work, take care of the boys, the car, the bills and on and on and she has a job and serves at Church in Sunday School. Jenn and I know some wives who have a hard time being away from there husbands for a couple of days or even one night. I was gone last year from May to September and even when I was not deployed I was gone for weeks or a month at a time and now I am gone again. That is what I think people may not realize. But I never hear her complain, although I know she doesn't like how hard it is, she just supports me and is proud of me. Her and the boys are the ones I hear tell me they appreciate the job I do and they are the ones this is hardest on. Don't forget there are a lot of military spouses out there who are doing this so we can have the freedoms we enjoy. I am trying to say that I am amazed by Jenn and I appreciate the sacrifices she makes so I can do my job. Thanks Jenn! I Love You! Thank you for Serving with me! I hope this all came out the way I intended it, I am a little tired. If we appreciate Jenn the Navy Wife, who has the toughest job in the Navy, we should let her know even though she would never would ask for it. Well it is 10pm here and I need to go on watch so I will end this now.
Darrick

The Peterson Family

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Lydia Peterson

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Isn't she beautiful? I got to talk to Becky for a few minutes today. Lydia is doing so much better and should be able to go home in a week or two. She just needs to get better at eating. Becky is home and feeling good she said. Praise God!

So if you see a Spiderman Helmet...

This afternoon we went for a walk with our friends. We had 3 moms, 2 single strollers, 1 double stroller, 2 kids on bikes and 2 dogs. We were quite a sight. We walked and ran on the peninsula to the east side were the Navy Seal part is. When we got to the end we all stopped to stretch and look in the water. After Lulu and Osa drank all of the water out of the rubbermaid container the wind picked it up and blew it into the ocean before any of us could catch it. I saw something else in the water too a little farther away but didn't think much of it, until it was time to leave. Everyone loaded up and Micah got on his bike only to discover his helmet was missing and we realized that was the other thing floating in the ocean! There was no way we could reach it so we all left. About 10 minutes later Jacob says "I sure hope Daddy can get Micah's helmet for him!" We all got a good laugh out of that!

Just one of the family

Every night when I tuck the boys into bed, Lulu goes to bed too. When we first got her she slept in their room on the floor. So we got her a little doggy bed. When I would check on her she would sneak onto one of the ends of Micah or Jacob's bed. So I got smart and put her dog bed at the foot of Jacob's bed. And last night this is how I found her. The boys LOVE having her sleep with them and it is obvious she loves being near to them!

Update

I woke up at 2 am this morning (8 am Michigan time) because that is when patients could receive calls.

Becky is still in the Labor and Delivery Unit, they never moved her. There are still some concerns with her and she is being treated with Magnesium to prevent seizures. There is still swelling around her brain so we pray that will go down soon.

Talking to her I was reminded of all the emotions I felt when Micah was born and they unexpectedly took him to the NICU and I couldn't see him. She was emotional, as we all are, after birth but doing really well.

In the photos they sent me it looks like since we talked she was able to go see Lydia.

Please continue to lift them up!

Congratulations! She is beautiful!

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Welcome Lydia Kay Peterson

Where are my fingers?, originally uploaded by weathertation.

Did you see?

I am not sure how many of you watch American Idol but I have been a loyal fan since Season 1. For those of you who do not watch, they started a program called "Idol Gives Back". They did a huge fundraising show to raise money for charities in America and Africa.

Watching the footage that they showed from Africa just confirmed to me that we are doing the right thing to adopt from Ethiopia. Seeing all those kids orphaned and the heartache they suffer with no parents was almost more then I could bear and to think our daughter has felt and experienced what those children have-I'm speechless.

I am so thankful that when we get to adopt our daughter that Darrick and I get to travel to Africa to experience first hand her culture and surroundings.

God commands us in His Word to take care of the orphans. Now I know everyone is not called to adopt but each person can give something to show Christ's love to the world. Consider going to www.americanidol.com and giving or find another organization to support or volunteer and make a difference!

PRAYER REQUEST

Many of you know one of my best friends, Becky (LeMahieu) Peterson. Her and her husband Jim were expecting their first child in June.

Well last night, very quickly, Becky got Eclampsyia. She got very sick and her liver doubled in size. They did an emergency C-section. This morning Lydia Kay Peterson was born -6 weeks early. Thankfully she weighs 5 lbs. 10 oz. She will be in the NICU for a few weeks because she was born early but she is doing good.

Please pray for Becky because she is still in the Intensive Care and is still not out of the woods yet.

I have not been able to talk to Becky yet but I did talk to Jim, so please lift their family up in your prayers.

Do you watch Fox News?

Darrick emailed me tonight and told me that Fox News is out with them on their ship. He said they will be broadcasting from the USS Lake Erie tomorrow. So if you can, check it out and you can see what he is up to!

Sunday

Going back a few days...

Wednesday: we had our Home Study at our home. The social worker came at 2:00 and stayed almost 2 hours. She first talked to the boys and asked them if they want a sister and they both said yes. Then she talked to Darrick and I about our relationship, our parenting ideas, our morals and beliefs. Then she talked to Darrick and I separatly about our own concerns we have and what we think of each other as parents. Then she inspected our whole house. We both felt that it went really well. Darrick and I are both having our medical exams this week and then we will get the rough draft of our home study report-she said it will be 6-7 pages long.

Saturday: Darrick was up bright and early washing the van while I slept in. When he was done we loaded up Lulu to take her to the beach for the first time. We headed to our favorite place-North Shore. It was great weather but as we got closer to the beach we noticed that the waved were pretty big and rough. Lulu loved the water and ran all over. We found a nice spot to sit for awhile until a big wave came up far on the shore and washed us out. Micah got dragged on the rocks with cuts on his legs, our slippers got washed away as well as our suntan lotion bottle.

After we cleaned up and rested we went to church.

Sunday: We just hung out this morning and then drove up to North Shore for lunch. We ate at Cholo's and then got shave ice from the General Store. When we got home Micah played at Jalen's house and the rest of us took naps. When we got up it was time to get ready to bring Darrick to the ship. They have to report tonight because they are getting underway tomorrow for the whole week. They come back on Friday and then he will be home for one more week and then he deploys for 4 months. I can hardly believe it is time for that again. Hopefully it will go quickly.

Easter

Happy Easter Everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful day. We had such great weather today. We got up early to go to church this morning at 7:30am. It was a good service and my favorite part was at the end when there was a hula and sign language dance.

Around 12:00 today we were joined by some friends for an amazing Easter lunch. There was so much good food we couldn't fit it all on our plates. We had ham, potato salad, strawberry-spinach salad, dressing, vegetable tray, pasta salad, rolls and yum yum cake and chocolate swirl cheesecake!

Then the Daddy's all went to the park to hide eggs for the kids. They all had so much fun running around but we had to go back home right after they were done because the kids all got rosy red cheeks and they were all sweaty.

After everyone left the four of us went for a bike ride around. Spring has arrived and all the plumeria trees are in bloom-it smells so good around here. We stopped to look at things in the water, which the boys always love.

Tonight we had movie night and watched "Open Season". We were pretty disappointed and did not like it at all. It just wasn't funny and the boys actually got bored.

Last night Darrick and I went on a date. We had dinner at the new Ruby Tuesday's that opened and then went to see "Blades of Glory"-we LOVED it! We laughed so hard.

All the men in the house are asleep after our busy day and I am enjoying the peace and quiet but I am ready for bed now too! Goodnight!

Happy Easter!

Home Again!

Well actually we have been home for 1 week now. We had a lot of fun in Japan and after it was all said and done I was pretty proud of myself for traveling with two kids, by myself to Japan for Spring Break. It was something we will never forget. Lauren, Charlie and Alex-we had so much fun with you and we miss you guys so much! I posted a few slideshows of our different days so you can see what we did.

We jumped right back into school this week-it is hard to believe that this is the last quarter! Then I will be done working and Micah will move on to the 1st Grade. Jacob also started going to a Head Start Program this quarter which is at our friend Margaret's Home. He likes going to school and has 6 kids total in his class.

On Tuesday this week, Darrick's Aunt Fran and Uncle Richard sailed into Honolulu on a Cruise Ship so in the afternoon we picked them up and took them around. We stopped at the USS Arizona Memorial and then took a nice drive to North Shore. We went to Sunset Beach and watched the surfers and then had dinner at Cholo's. We had so much fun! We brought them back to the cruise ship after dinner because it was leaving at 11pm for their next port.

Last night our Bible Study had a surprise Baby Shower for Margaret. She has been watching all our kids for us for about a year while we have our study. It was nice and she got some nice things.

Today the boys and I had off for Good Friday but Darrick has Duty. We went to the Koa Pancake House with Jennifer and Brayden for breakfast and then we had a neighborhood BBQ tonight for Margaret's Birthday!

Tokyo Disneyland

Dibutsu

Train Rides & Odawara Castle

Going to Japan & Our First Day

The boys driving their motorized bikes around the track

Back of the Bullet train
The mask they wear when they are sick
The boys ready to go see the castle
Odaworo Castle

Jacob on the train to Toyko
Charlie and Micah watching the train driver
Jacob in the Japanese restroom
The boys next to the bullet train

Day 3

Wow, what a day. It was a very challenging day for both of us as moms. The boys were all up at 5:30 and were cranky and tired most of the day but we made it.

We walked to the local train station and rode the train and even did two transfers. I really enjoyed the trains. They were very clean and comfortable and quiet. I mean the people, nobody talks and if they do they whisper to on another. We were always being watched by the Japanese people-we felt like a circus act.

We we got to our destination it was time for a bathroom break. Oh boy. In the restroom was one "western" toliet and the rest were Japanese style. Micah got the western one and Jacob and I did not. It basically looks like a small urinal in the ground with a bar in front to hold onto because you have to squat. Of course Jacob had to go #1 and #2 and he did it! I was so proud of him. But it was so dirty in the stall.

Then we bought our tickets to go on the Shinkasen or Bullet Train. It was amazing and truly a once in a life time experience. Through the city it was fast but once we got into more rural parts it flew! We rode the bullet train to Odawara and then got off. We walked about 10 minutes to Odawara castle. We climbed up to the top and had an amazing view. By the castle was also a kid park where the boys could ride these motorized cars and motorcycles around a track. The had a blast!

For dinner we had Japanese food. I had pork with greenbeans and rice, the boys had yakisoba noodles and we all tried gyoza.

The boys were exhausted and so are the moms.

Day 2

We have more of a down day today and we all needed it. Lauren had an OB appt. today and so she had a babysitter , Miss Amy, for all the boys. They played and went to the park and had a great time.

Lauren and I had a great time too. We drove about 20 minutes to the Yokosuka Naval Base. We went to the exchange and the hospital for her appt. Then we walked a short distance off the base to the 100 yen store (like 99 cent store). We converted some of my money into yen and shopped. I loved it.

We came home in the afternoon and just relaxed and got the boys to bed early. I went to bed early too.

There are a few cherry blossoms that are out and the rest are ready to bloom soon-I hope they do before we leave.