My dad & Robert's golfing adventure

Robert & dad went to the military golf course over on the Kbay side. This is the course Obama plays on when he is visiting (which is too much if you ask me!)....it is a very nice course.
Robert hasn't picked up a club since Texas (I think?) so I am sure it was an interesing day.
They had fun and I got to eat at a Greek restaurant with my girlfriends......it was a perfect day!

Can't believe it is February 2010

The last post on this blog was during our very deserved family camping trip. We needed to enjoy our family and some DOWN time before jumping into the next decade. After the trip we had a few days until Santa arrived and enjoyed even more family time during our Christmas break from school and work.

Here are all the fun things we finished the year out with and all the craziness that went with it.
Once 2010 kicked off it was time for volunteering, fieldtrips, FRGs events, girl scouts, hikes, Outrigger canoeing in Pearl Harbor, Spouses' club events, Seeing High School Musical (live)and much more.....

MY DAD'S VISIT:

He had a blast. The girls were FULL of energy to put in nicely. It has been a long transition time since Robert came home. We are usually adapted by now, but since Robert left before we were really in a routine, it has been hard to get into one now.

I think February will be that month!

My dad went golfing at some of the island exclusive areas. He went on 2 field trips with the girls, to a Luau, the movies, we got to play games, go to lunch at some fun place, ate pineapple ice cream at the dole plantation and went HIKING!

HE saw some decent waves and a TURTLE!

It was fun!

I am running full speed as of this week. I met with my professor and think I have my topic to nail down and look toward getting out of school AGAIN!

I think with the classes I am taking during this final year I will be able to get a job doing what I love!

I think this year is blowing by and I only have 10.5 months until graduation.....will it happen??? I sure hope so!

I am very fortunate that my girls are doing GREAT in school when so many are not. This makes my school much easier to manage. Plus, I get to do some very fun adventures through the school such as the day-long round-island tour with Thorin. It was amazing even with the rain in a few spots.

My dad was able to go with us because some of the other parents could not and he had already gone to the zoo with Cannon's kinder group.

I was so excited to let him go too.

We left at 8am and returned around 4pm. It was a long day of Hawaiian history.

CAMP (YMCA) ERDMAN-North Shore Hawaii

Mele Kalikimaka!
We are so lucky to be living in Hawaii and can take advantage of all the great adventures here.
Our family got to attend an awesome YMCA camp located on North Shore. We had a Makai (ocean) cabin with a beautiful view.
We stayed 4 days and enjoyed every moment we were there. While some families rested and went to the POOL (I know, who does that at an OCEAN camp?), we went and did every scheduled adventure available to us and our family.

Our girls relaxed with some target practice. Thorin seemed to be a natural at that too....she is very athletic!

We went on a beautiful 2 hour hike and watched the waves below.

Sorenna made it to the TOP of the alpine tower (50 feet in the air!) and was so excited to tell us about the amazing view. The girls climbed trees waiting for a turn to climb. Cannon made it half way and we were just happy she tried!....it is a little scary up there when you look down.

Of course we did some hula photos

The big girls helped daddy build a gingerbread house (Cannon had to sit out because the icing had raw eggs, the decorations were peanuts and chocolate and it was just a mess) She ate candy canes and cheered! The bonfire was so fun and everyone sang and laughed....then we ate SMORES (Cannon had a SMA.....no chocolate!)

Then we did the GIANT SWING...it is a 35 foot drop and SUPER fun!...Cannon did it and had a blast. Everyone, even Robert did the swing! Robert and I actually got to do an obstacle course and this time I didn't get a HUGE bruise! We have no proof (YET), but we were working on getting some of the awesomwe photos from that adventure from the other campers.

After all the fun was over we were really sad to say goodbye to our favorite camp staff volunteer Paulo. He is from Brazil and he is a wonderful guy. All the kids love him and he has such a love for adventure and kids. They all cried (even Paulo) when we wished him the best on his return home. All the campers were sad to leave.

We had the best time. A chef made all the desserts, the kitchen staff made amazing food! We had set-up and clean-up of the tables, but everything else was done for us! We got to focus on family and fun. We did the obstacle course, the tower climb, 2 hikes, kite flying, gingerbread houses, game night, watched a movie (ELF) on a HUGE outdoor screen with the sounds of waves behind us, had a campfire with SMORES, did crafts (ornaments, family board, tiles and a coconut) and hung out with young volunteers from all over the world. Italy, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, ....and more.

The photos can never tell the story of what an awesome experience we had and the memories we talk about every night. It was a great Christmas.

DANCE PHOTOS....This was a great show!

Cannon has grown up so much since we left California. When we left she was barely big enough to ride the kiddie rides at Disney and now she is almost 42 inches. She has grown 5.5 inches in the time that Robert was in Iraq. The other day I was looking at her and the baby is grown. Her maturity has always been there, but now she looks big too. This photo shows how much grace she has in her dance class. They performed so well. Everyone came up to me after the show and raved about how they were really performers! They LOVE to dance!

MY baby turned 5 years old!

Miss Cannon had her big COOKIE party with ALL GIRLS...it was a hit!

Her closest friends were in attendance and all sugared up by the end of the party. We rolled out cookie dough which is really hard during rainy season in Hawaii! The dough only lasts long enough for one set of cookies. There is just too much moisture in the air. The baked cookies were decorated with sprinkles, and the different designs were funky. They had a messy, gooey blast and Cannon was the happiest kid all day.




All the cookie professionals ready to go.

Father/Daughter Ball

Ok, just look at all the fun these crazy girls had!
Robert had to dance all night trying to keep up with 3 girls!
They were so excited about the event and I can't wait to get the professional photos back soon. These were taken by the girls since moms were not allowed anywhere near the building!

Redeployment ceremony

This was a huge event. The entire field was full of returning soldiers, flags, a band and the commanders.
Oh, and LeeAnn Womack! She came to perform a huge concert for the returning soldiers and their families, but first she sang the National Anthiem during the redeployment ceremony on Sills field.
As she started singing, everyone was very quiet listening to her perform. Then the sound system failed and the crowd could no longer hear her, just those of us close enough to hear her voice knew she was still singing.
The soldiers remained still, the families quiet, then faintly people started to sing. Before the middle of the song the entire field of war heroes was singing in what sounded absolutely beautiful.
It really brought new meaning to the song, took it to another level and left many people crying in the stands because of the flood of emotions on that field.
The soldiers on the field had returned safely, but there were so many others who did not. Some of those families were in the crowd. Soldiers recovering from injuries were there to receive medals for their duty. One lost both arms and both legs. It was too much for some to take all at once. The General was clearly emotional when he gave his speech minutes later.
He commented that he wants to hear it sung like that every time from now on because it was so touching.
This field was full of bravery, courage and honor. These are the men and women who protect our freedoms and help us sleep soundly at night. If you are given a chance, thank a soldier for what he does.

FOR ALL THOSE WHO DIDN'T RETURN....

Time to catch up with the world... and the blog.

I have posted some random events because they were moments that were racing through my mind, such as the kayaking "adventure", but so much of the daily grind is amazingly wonderful and fun too. I finally have a small moment in my schedule to play catch up so this is the stuff that happened in between Robert's return and the end of November.....

We had a great time at the girls' first Songfest. They toasted marshmallows, sang songs and had a great time. The songfest was in prep for the Veteran's Day parade they were walking in last month. They won first place (their service unit) for best of show. The campfire photo made the paper. That makes 3 photos this year.

Cannon had a great time in her Halloween parade with her friend Alexia (the mad kitty).
Sorenna got to tour an old Sugar plantation. During the event they were allowed to dress in period costumes and I got my little puerto rican girl looking stylish.
The big adventure was when the girls went ice skating. We had never been and I still have never been on ice skates, but the girls had a blast and learned how to stay up in short time. We were attending a friend's birthday party.

Glad to be ALIVE!

HERE is the story of THE DAY......because there seems to be one coming on as soon as the last one is written.
Today I went on a couple's kayaking adventure. There were 36 people and the truck with the extra kayaks broke, so we had to go out in 2 shifts. I took the first shift so I could be sure to be back in time to get my girls from school.
The first group of 20 were loaded up and ready to roll. Robert and I got a good start and headed to the testing point. This is where the guys make you jump out of a perfectly good kayak to prove you can get back in if you flip or drop out. The water was very cold and I was in and out FAST! So, we get going toward the island (Chinamans hat) for some fun. The plan was to circle around the back where there is this small "natural" boat dock. It is a notch in the island with a small cove. You circle around wide and line up to shuttle into the hole. When it goes well, you rush up on shore (a very small one in the middle of rough lava rock), you jump out and pull the kayak up out of the water and let the next one do the same. SO, we were in the lead just behind the guides and next to us was our friends (K & husband). They were holding still while we lined up and they were going to wait for us to get into the cove area before paddling in next. NOOOOOOO....that was not what happened. The waves kicked up just at that point and thrushed us BOTH into the cove. They lined up in the narrow docking area and us rushing into a cubby hole closer on the left. There was no way we could control the kayak or slow it down. We crashed into the enclosed hole with driving force. I thought, as I braced myself for the crash, that I was going to be thrown into the lava rocks. When we hit, we were ok. I thought, wow that was close.
BUT, then a second wave came and thrushed the kayak UP into the cove and we were crushed flat in the kayak against the rocks with no air path and trapped. I started to drown from the water entrapment. There was no way out of the boat and the water was rushing up into my face. I was less than an inch from hitting the cliff side and the wave was not letting up. Once the wave finally pulled back I coughed up the water and when the next wave came I was thrown against the wall and trying to avoid being hit my the kayak. The force of the waves with the kayak was very powerful! I have no idea how I got around to the other side of the cove, but once I got there...I was pulled under by the next wave. I was still trying to clear my airways from the salt water in the cove. I kept being pulled around and under while (unknown at the time) another Kayak did a near miss to the back of my head as it crashed on shore. Once I got up out of the water, that same kayak was threatening to throw me into the rocks and possibly crush my legs. I treaded and pulled rocks and sand to get up that ramp in the sand. I finally looked over at the cove and Robert was clearing the kayak from the hole with the others and getting out of the water. I told Robert I was ok, but that I had lost my Oakleys in the second crash, but that they were surely GONE! After the other kayaks were pulled up, and the 7 other kayaks were told to go around to the calmer water and not to line up to the ramp, my husband went into the cove and actually FOUND my oakleys! I was very grateful and still confused how I didn't drown, didn't hit my head and get knocked out from the force of the kayaks, and didn't break my legs.....all in less than 2-4 minutes...IT WAS A RUSH! That angel was WORKING TODAY!

I thought I survived with only one scratch and felt NO pain until the next morning when the bruises and bumps started to show. I guess the fight or flight mode had the pain at a zero, now all the pain is starting to come through. I hope this is all the pain I will get...the bumps are really getting big. Wish me luck with the advil!

TRICK or Treat???

Well, the girls got their wish. Daddy went trick or treating with them. Last year, he had already left for his tour and the girls were very upset that all the other daddies were around. That was the hardest month of the entire year. Being girls, they LOVE to dress up and the most fun part of that is to impress daddy with their awesomeness.


Much to my surprise (after I told him he had to roam the streets with us and not stay home to hand out candy) he decided to make a NEW costume. He sewed cardboard shingles onto a shirt to make ARMOUR....so he was a warrior. Go figure!


He even carried a MALLET around the neighborhood. It was very impressive. I of course had to tease him about looking like a MERMAN......and people thought it was funny!
Cannon was the HIT of Halloween. Days earlier, we were laughing about something and she thought if she said it then it would be funny too. It was hilarious!!!


So, at every house, that was her trick....to say that little phrase.


She put her pinky to her mouth and said...

"ONE MILLION DOLLARS!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXn1nWSSDXw

People thought it was the funniest thing. The fact that it was Cannon doing it made it even funnier. This is the girl who wouldn't even look her teacher in the eyes for a month last year. She is definately coming out of her shell. She is a super kid and the cutest Tinkerbell in polka dotted sneakers!