It'll Be All OK (Soldier's Song) YouTube Exclusive Original Song by JC V...

Love this song. Makes me cry, but I still love it.

Deployments are so hard.

Adventures in Hawaii

The other night I skimmed through this entire tour guide and tagged all the places I'd like to go to before we leave. There are a ton of places not listed in this book that are worth seeing so I'd thought I'd share my thoughts for those of you planning a trip to the island or just bored enough to read my blog.  

This weekend we went to Kailua Beach Park. It's looks exactly how you think a beach in Hawaii should. Long, white beaches with turquoise water. It's beautiful. We looked at a few houses in Kailua but they were a bit out of our price range, so we ended up a few miles to the west. There is a bird sanctuary (Popoi'a Island) just a little less then a mile out that you can kayak to (or swim to like my crazy husband). It wasn't too crowded for a Saturday morning and was mainly populated by locals. If you come to the island and stay in Waikiki you are missing out. The windward side has a ton to offer.

**I just wanted to add that I haven't  photoshopped any of theses pictures. The water is really that blue**

After the kids were worn out we jumped in the car and headed towards North Shore. I have been craving good Mexican food for awhile now and we had heard about a place called Cholo's, so we decided to check it out. I am so glad we did b/c it was delicious. It's a bit expensive for Mexican food but what isn't in Hawaii. A plate of shrimp tacos with beans and rice will run you about $12. Well worth it.

On our way home we stopped by a place called Matsumoto's,  known for it's snow cones. Our guide book says that they'll put you in a sugar coma and let me tell you, they were right. They were so good. We just ordered rainbow flavored but they have a ton of options, you can even add ice cream. This place was super busy but once you try it, you understand why.  3 large snow cones (trust me, you only want a medium) and 3 stuffed cone toys for the kids cost us $20. Can't wait to try more.

Addison's First Day & My Epic Failure

First let me say, the word epic drives me crazy, but it fits today.

John thinks everything is epic. A game, a steak or even a tv show can be epic to him. He's an interesting guy.

But back to my epic mistake.

Addison's first day of Tiny Tots (aka-preschool/play time) was today.  She was all dolled up and ready to go.

Shortly after dropping her off I realized I forgot to take her picture! How can I forget to take my daughter's picture on her first day of school..my epic failure.

Maybe it was because I was being told to hurry up by a 4 yr old.

Or because I just got done working out and could barely breathe (thank you Insanity).

Or because Treston had a dirty diaper and wasn't happy about it.

More then likely it's because with each child I've given birth to I've lost a bit of my brain....

Now the damage is done, she's going to look through her scrapbooks one day and ask where her preschool picture is. Then I'll have to buy her a car, or a house.

I should of took a picture.


BTW- Mom, where is my preschool picture? ;)

Five for Friday (a day late....again)

Having John home for a four day weekend is throwing me off. Here's my Five for Friday, once again a day late. Maybe I should change it to Seven for Saturday.....but that just seems like way too much work.

1- Whether your LDS or not, there is no denying the beauty of the temples. It's even more stunning in person.

2- I'm addicted to the new Harry Potter Lego game.I keep wanting to sneak in a game with out Lydia but I know that's a slippery slope, I may never be able to turn it off. Then when the children are grown they'll have to go to a support group for children of video game addicts. I'm pretty sure in 15 yrs there might actually be such a thing!

3- Volunteering at your kid's school is really rewarding. I wish I had more opportunity to.
4- There are people who should just not wear bikinis. Being one of those people, I can say so.
5- Making good friends is hard and takes time. I need to learn to be patient.



 

Little Boys

Little boys are something. Treston can be wild, sweet and naughty, all at the same time. He'll be in the middle of trying to flush something down the toilet but when he gives me that look, I can't help but smile.

I fear for the girl who tries to come in between this Momma and her little boy.

Five For Friday (a day late)

1- My husband is home!
2-Getting to sleep in until 7:30 is awesome!
3- My husband is home!
4- Not having to mow the lawn is awesome!
5- Did I mention my hubby is home!!! Yea!!!

"Where are you from?"

Ahhh, the dreaded question. Every move I know it's coming, and I still have no clue how to answer it. Do I say Minnesota, since my family is there (well at least part of it come next month). When I think of "home", Minnesota definitely doesn't come to mind. I've learned over the years that home is where your family is. Right now, Hawaii is as home as it gets.

Here's a few places I've called home over the years-

Wyoming
Virginia (twice)
Colorado
New York
Minnesota (twice)
California
and Hawaii

I love moving, it's hard, but I love it. It's given me a chance to learn who I am and what I want out of life, to be whoever I want to be. Though I would love to settle down, it's not time yet. There is too much to see, too much to experience.

Our New Place

I posted this awhile ago on facebook but thought I'd send them out to blogland also! Here are a few pictures of our new house in Hawaii. It's so beautiful here, sometimes so much so, that it's surreal. We are truly blessed to be experiencing everything Hawaii has to offer.

Five for Friday

1- HGTV is a bit addictive. I don't own my own home but when I do, needless to say, it will be  
     FABULOUS!

2- Painting sucks. I can handle tackling a small room a couple of times a year, but 1400 sq feet is getting old.
     Especially when I'm painting everything boring white!

3- The new automatic dispensing Lysol soap ROCKS! But buyers beware, children will think it's a new fun
     toy, and you will be going back to the store the next day for a soap refill.

4-  Hawaii is amazing, but is so far from home. Seems even farther when you feel like your needed.

5-  I 'm completely out my league when it comes to our yard. There are so many plants and trees, I have
      no idea where to start. Doesn't help that we get a ton of rain, so things grow insanely fast. I have to trim
      a plant in my front yard every week or it engulfs my mailbox. Wonder if the landlords would be angry if I
      chopped it down?! :)

Hawaiian Hilton Village

The Hawaiian Hilton Village is an amazing hotel, really busy, but amazing. There's about 5 different towers and countless restaurants. When we weren't looking at houses, the kids and I spent a lot of time at the pool, and boy did I get a fabulous tan! Like everything, after a few days it started to get old though (and we were there for 21 days). Sleeping with everyone in one room, waiting 15 minutes to catch an elevator, waiting 20 minutes for a table and the mile walk to the car started to stress me out. I do miss the breakfast buffet...it was so fabulous.

Now that you've seen the cute ones, let's get a dose of reality....