One Down...

A few days ago marked ONE MONTH DOWN!!!! (6 to go) Nick has switched to night shift and so he is awake the same time we are now during our day so we are able to chat and email quite a bit if he isn't flying or too busy at work. He seems to be doing great! Receiving TONS of care packages from everyone! He is doing his best to get a quick thank you out, even if its an email.

We continue to Skype with him when we can, and when his internet is cooperating. All the kids LOVE seeing Daddy on the computer! (So does Mommy!)

As far as needed items go, he says at the moment, he has more than enough toiletry items, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deoderant, etc. No need for any more of that. You all have done a great job of building up the stock! I'll continue to keep the list updated to the left as best as I can.

THIS PAST WEEK has been pretty uneventful here on the homefront. The weather has been so-so. We made a couple attempts to go to the beach, but that ended with clouds and chilly winds...

Meridith went on a fieldtrip with McKenzie yesterday to a play in Waikiki. They then ate lunch at a park and the kids ran around afterwards climbing the trees. They were oh so camera shy...

Last night the squadron spouses got together for dinner....a potluck breakfast dinner at my friend Kim's! It was quite a feast! Pancakes, waffles, quiche, potatoes, sausage, coffee cake, cereal, fruit, etc, etc... We all left in a food coma and had a great time. There were lots of kids there so Trevor was in heaven. Addison got to walk all over the outside wrap around porch, and McKenzie played with a few of the older kids.

Today is cold and rainy.....but such is winter in Hawaii. We are looking forward to the hot sunny days!

Addison & A Secret Package

Addison has been enjoying being able to play outside with Trevor and Kenzie lately. She is really getting around now , practically running, and loves wearing her crocs! On this particular day, the kids got all the balls out and she ran all over, pushing the lawn mower and running into the balls.

She's also taken up helping mommy clean. So likes to push the swiffer around the floor..... and the rug! She also likes picking up little things off the floor, hand them to me, and say "Thank you" even though she's the one 'giving'!

This morning I received my first Secret Spouse package!!! Some of the wives in the squadron are doing a Secret Spouse package swap throughout the deployment. We have a designated spouse we surprise each month with goodies. At the end of the deployment, they try to guess who it was!

In my first adorable package, I got all kinds of delicious chocolates and the movie Sleepless in Seattle! Love it!!!

Finish Line Photos from The Great Aloha Run

Here are pictures from The Great Aloha Run photographers.
They just sent out the photos via email.

The Start!

Here is the whole group after we finished!
Gina and her 3 kids, Meridith, Me, and my three kids!


Trevor crossing the finish line.

McKenzie finishing.

Us girls and a sleeping Addison

25th Annual Great Aloha Run (Walk)

This morning the kids and I were up around 5am to get ready to head downtown to participate in the 25th Annual Great Aloha Run. It's a 8.15 mile foot race....but we loaded up jogging strollers and walked it! My walking buddy Gina convinced us to go with her and her 3 kids. So, here is a recap of our early morning:

4:45 Wake up and get the kids up and ready.
5:20 Left the house
5:40 Arrive at Aloha Stadium
5:40-6:10 Inch through the stadium parking lot waiting for a parking spot.
6:15 Load the bus to head downtown to the starting line

6:30 Got off the bus and started walking the several blocks to the starting point (why the buses couldn't drop us off any closer is beyond me, didn't they know we had a long walk ahead of us!?!?!?!

McKenzie and thousands of people waiting to start!

7:00 Race started, but due to our stroller status, we had to wait until the runners and non stroller walkers got going first. Which was fine, I didn't want to be in the middle of the 20 thousand person mob!

My friend Gina had a double jogger, so her 3 year old and Trevor rode in that. They are the best of buddies, so it worked out perfect. Addison rode in my jogger, and the older kids walked!

Waiting...

7:00-7:30 Walk like crowded cattle up to the starting line.
7:30 Crossed the START line and things finally opened up.

Meridith pushing Addi, McKenzie in the background

It wasn't much after milemarker "1" that the little ones were ready to get out and do a little walking. Helen and Trevor held hands while they walked (ran); safety first!

The first couple miles were great. The sun was just coming up and their was a nice breeze in the air! It was a gorgeous morning!

Meridith pushing Addi, Trevor, Helen, McKenzie pushing an empty double jogger.

Look! Mile marker "3"! Is that all???

9:00am Mile Marker 4... HALFWAY!!!!

We walked under the freeway for about 4 or 5 miles. It was nice and shaded... Then we walked up the on ramp and into the sun. Then as a terrible tease, off in the distance we could see our finishing point...the Aloha Stadium, clear off in the distance!

Addison did great. She was entertained by all the people around her. She even kicked back for a while with her feet up on the stroller tray. Then...between mile marker 8 and 9, she gave up.

10:15am Coming around the bend on the home stretch! Aloha Stadium...what a beautiful sight that was!!!

10:28 Down the ramp to the finish line inside the stadium

10:30 FINISH!!!

Trevor running through the finish line.

Addison at the finish line

I made t-shirts for all the kids the night before. They got lots of attention because of them:
"MY DADDY IS IN IRAQ"

Addison, McKenzie, Helen, Robin, Joe & Trevor in front

We got our finishing t-shirts, free water and donuts, forgot my camera at one of the stations, wiped out and nearly face planted in front of lots of people running back to find it, lost Trevor briefly in the crowd, sat on the curb and snacked and took a breather....and then loaded up and went home. It was a long, beautiful, fun, crazy, exhausting morning.

Trevor was in and out of the jogger a lot. He was probably sitting in it a total of 5 of the 8 miles, but when he was out, with all the running around and back and forth with Helen, I think he made up for the miles he sat. It wouldn't surprise me if he walked a full 8 mile

11:45 Back home
12:30 Naps ALL around!

It was definately an experience! I think the kids had a great time and it's something we will all remember from our time in Hawaii!

Happy Valentine's Day

Today the kids played outside all morning.

While I pushed Addi and her baby in the swing...
all morning!

Just before lunch, we were surprised with a box of chocolates each, and each of us girls got a single red rose. Trevor's box of chocolates came with a cool car! Our 'messenger' has strict instructions from Nick. We were all surprised!

It was a nice lazy day here at the house with crazy terrential rain & hurricane force wind gusts all afternoon. Nick called while I was making supper, so I got to chat with him briefly before he got busy at work. He seems to be doing pretty good!

For supper, it was spaghetti (McKenzie does not like spaghetti, so she had cereal)



Molly was helpful with the cleanup!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day with your loved ones!

Grandparent's Day Celebration at Preschool

Friday was Grandparent's Day at Trevor's preschool. Even though it's officially a day celebrated in September, they wanted to make this Valentine's Day extra special for their Grandparents. Giving them 2 big days a year! And, since we don't have any grandparents on the island, I got to stand in!

The morning started off with a little singing concert in the chapel.

"SING PHRASES"


"IT'S ME"


"SKIDDA MARINK A DINK A DOO"

After the songs, we all split up and went around to different craft stations. We started off making wrist bands:

Then it was on to bookmarks:

The next station was cookie decorating.

Testing to see how it turned out...

Trevor said to me..."Mom, do NOT take my picture!" So I said, "Ok, I'll take a picture of your friend across the table decorating HIS cookie!"
When I uploaded these pictures on the computer to show him...he saw I had taken a picture of him when he told me not to. His exact response: "MOM HOW COULD YOU!!!!!"

The last station we did was decorate picture frames, but we were both so involved, I forgot to take any pictures!!!! It was fun to spend a little one on one time with Trevor. We had a great morning together!

Science Projects

McKenzie has been very busy with school the past couple weeks! She has two science projects due. One is for class, and the other is for the science fair at the school.

This week she has been studying the solar system and all it's planets. Her classmates had to make a diagram of the solar system. They could just draw it out, or, for extra credit, they could make it 3D.

Even though, early on, she expressed how much she wished her dad was here to help her with the project, I guess mom was going to have to do. So she made a display box, lined it with black paper, and went to work. She did all the planets by herself. Studying their sizes and how many moons, if any they had.

Here is her final product just before she boarded the bus Friday morning to take it to school.
I think she was pretty pleased with it....even though she said Dad would have been able to help her make it out of wood, with round wooded planets that rotated and all that crazy fun! *sigh*
Nick even started giving suggestions on how to make it when we talked to him on the phone before she got started.... he couldn't stand not being here to help her either! They would have really had a great time working on it together. But I think McKenzie did a fabulous job all on her own!!!!! (with a little help from Mom)

Shoes and Best Friends

I got Addison some crocs last week and she absolutely loves them! She will wear them all day. If one falls off, she comes running to me with it in her hand and backs up into me so that I will lift her on my lap and put it back on! She gets around in them pretty good for being a barefoot baby her whole first year!

See how happy shoes make her???

Tonight, after reading 3 new book order books to Trevor, laying with him and scratching his back, which is known as "Scratch me, rub me, lay with me".... he still came out to the living room shortly after I left him in his room....

He just had to lay next to his 'Best Friend" and was out in minutes!
(How could Meridith "Brookie" say no?)

We were also able to Skype with Nick tonight before he went to work. We still had some issues, but it was much better than our first attempt. The kids were all very excited to see him and talk to him! As soon as Nick's voice came through on the computer Addison went nuts and started screaming "Daddy!! Daddy!! Trevor started telling Nick all about his day at school, and McKenzie told him how much she wished he could be here to help her with her Solar System science project. It was hard to get a word in with all the kids hovering around the computer, but I think Nick loved every minute of it!

I am very excited to be 'reunited' with Sherree Trammell and her kiddos soon! She is currently in California awaiting a Space A flight back to Hawaii. She left about a week before Thanksgiving to see her family in Alabama, and ended up staying a lot longer than we had thought! All the girls back here miss her tons! And I know the kids are itching to get together and play!

Slow Week

We went to the beach the other day, but the clouds came out.....again, and the waves were too dangerous to go out in the water. So we people watched for a while.

Trevor and Meridith running from the waves.

Addison taking over the sand castle building.

We got to see Nick over Skype yesterday morning! He was able to connect with us briefly before he went to bed....and as we were eating breakfast! He missed McKenzie by minutes...she had just gotten on the bus, but I sat my laptop on the table so that he could talk to and see Addi and Trevor while they ate breakfast. The connection was not good, so we lost him a few times before giving up and letting him go to bed.

We are going to try again at a different time.

Nick must have been looking through his picture collection on his laptop the other day. I received an email from him with a couple baby pictures of us. He asked me if they looked like anyone ELSE we knew. So.... I thought it would be fun to do a comparison...

Trevor loves taking pictures with my camera. He even knows how to go back and show you the picture after he takes it! Here is one of my favorites he took of me and Addi the other day after my haircut!