Robert is leaving again

I am sad to say that Robert is going back to war. I have had so much to do with the move and things to get done for class it has been easy to move it to the back of my mind. The reality hit really hard today when the girls were crying. He had to say his goodbyes to them at bedtime. They were begging him not to go, telling him that he shouldn't have to go back. They read the book "night catch" where the dad and kid play catch with the north star. He cut out a star and hung it in their room so tomorrow they can throw it to him and he can throw it back when he gets there. The concept is that they are throwing the north star to each other to stay connected. It will be a sad year for us all. They are upset he will miss their first dance recital. Cannon keeps talking about Iraq as if he is going there for a few hours. She asked if she could go with him. That just makes me so sad. I think she will have a hard time understanding the time.
In the last few weeks they packed in some fun times. We went to the zoo, the beach, they carved a pumpkin, and so much more. We got our family photo updated and it is really nice for a change.
The next few days are going to be the hardest for all of us. Robert will be in charge of getting all the guys on the plane and will be tired. The girls have events all week and it will be hard to come home when we know Robert won't be there. I have school and am stressing over the last few weeks.
Please pray for us and especially for Robert and his men. They need to do great things and come home to their families!

New family photo

Well, it's that time again. Time when Robert starts stressing about what is going to happen THIS time in Iraq. Time when the girls start clinging to dad as if every time he walks out the door, he is leaving for the year. Time when the list of to-dos to get ready for the year are longer than the time left to do them. But most importantly, it is time for the family photo.

This is a superstition, ritual, whatever you want to call it, it is just our thing.

My overactive mind goes through the "what ifs" and I have to get Robert to do all the things he might regret if he didn't. Plus, if we didn't get one...I would regret it.

Write the note to the girls, say goodbye to the family, get a current family photo when he leaves and another when he returns. Hence, our last family photo was in Dec. 2005 when Robert returned with the CAV. Cannon was out of her brace and 1 year old. She is much bigger and we now have our family photo.

It was a great weekend getaway and we have the photos to prove it.

Please pray for Robert as he gets ready to leave, pray for us as we prepare for our 14 months apart and pray for his work to be useful and life changing for the Iraqi people. He will be helping the Iraqi army get on their feet and take the country on their own soon.

Thanks for the prayers.

Living History Day

This was one really fun day. We went to the Tropic Lightning Museum (Robert's new unit) and learned about all the things they have done, how they were formed and saw all the eras in showcases. The girls brought their friend from Fort Irwin who moved here in August. They get along so well. We saw bagpipe players, Scotish dancers, civil war dramas and much more. The favorite of the day was the German Shepherd who could fly(not jump) into trees. Very sweet dog, but crazy during the "bad guy" show. The girls might be on TV and are for sure in the paper next week. This is just a taste of the fun things they were allowed to do today. Sorenna loved the tunnel, Cannon looked very mean and Thorin looks very cool. They won 2nd place as a team in the chalk art. They drew a flag, liberty bell, statue of liberty and a few other things. It was a great day.

Nike Run 5K

Today we went for a run in Waikiki. It was part of the school service project and we had a blast. Thorin ran almost the entire thing. After the run they went and did kid activities to include a painted tattoo. When we had done all we could do, we went to the beach to walk around. The girls dumped their shoes and headed to the water. It was an awesome day. We now know where the best beach on south Oahu is and will be spending a weekend there before Robert leaves. More photos soon...stay tuned!

Waikiki

The girls were invited to a birthday party at the zoo today so that gave us an excuse to go do something fun. We had a very good time at the party. Sorenna questioned our tour guide for hours and got lots of information about rhinos, giraffes and hippos. She loved the tour of the apes and monkeys. We took our own tour of the rest of the zoo and ventured to the beach after that. It was a beautiful day with tons of beach lovers. The girls jumped in the ocean, ran on the shore and then humored me for a photo op on a stoney wall.

This is not the prettiest beach we have seen here, but the first one where we remembered our camera.....I know....I am not right here! I am now back to my camera toting self. More photos to be posted from now on!

Third time is a charm?

Robert has officially announced that he will be leaving next month to visit Iraq for a year-long get-away.
He will be going back to Iraq in hopes that this time he can finish what he started over there. His unit will be headed there in the next few weeks in waves and will return near Thanksgiving next year. He will miss Cannon turning 4 and maybe 5?
We will tell the girls some time this month when they are set in all the new things thrown at them in the past 3 months.
I would love for you to add him to any prayer list and to think of us here while he is gone. We are just grateful it is only 12-13 months instead of 15-16.
We have many things to square away before he goes, but I will continue to keep everyone in the loop.

The sounds of Hawaii

I have wanted to write about some of the sounds of Hawaii but just haven't been near my computer when I thought about it.
Tonight as I sit here cleaning the office of clutter and posting about the girls I realized it was once again 11pm (2300 hours). At that time every night you can hear TAPS echoing through the winds. I was told that every army post does that and for our 5 years in California it was a nightly ritual. I can only assume that I never heard it because I was closed up tight in my home and was too far to hear it through the walls.
Hawaii is a different world. The windows are open every night. The sounds of geckos chirping and bugs clicking are louder than I thought. The cool air feels great and being able to see the world and hear it while doing daily chores is somewhat peaceful.
But when most people are in bed or heading that way, I am peacefully enjoying the sounds of paradise.

Dancing Divas

Today was a very big day. The girls tried out their first dance class. I have to say it was very entertaining to watch them navigate across the floor. Thorin was very strong and determined as she is in most of her life. Her concentration levels were through the roof.
Sorenna was very floaty and graceful. Her arms seemed to stretch for miles.
Cannon was in her own class and the little ones are always the most unpredictable. She was enjoying the slippery sliding of her taps shoes on the wood floor. She looked like a little jewelry box top. The three girls were glowing and thrilled to be in class. The teacher announced her plans for a show with costumes and I thought they were going to exploded with happiness. It is so nice to see them getting settled in their new home and now a new adventure.

Volcano people finally welcomed him home!

As you can see by the photo, Robert has found his real family.
There was talk for years about the volcano people coming to take him back home and he has finally arrived. They rolled out the red carpet and even named a special bus for his homecoming.
We were so happy to finally be in his homeland and are learning about his heritage. We hope to see the volcano where he was born, but aren't setting our expectations too high because he has been gone for a very long time. Now that we are here, it is like he was never really gone.
Wish us luck in our adventures.

Our Hawaiian HOME

We finally took a photo on our front porch. The inside is still under construction, but I promise to have some video

footage soon.