McKenzie's Volleyball Game

McKenzie had another volleyball game this afternoon. They played 3 10 minute sets against another school. Here they are warming up...

McKenzie was trying out a new serve today. It proved to be very good for her! She got to serve 3 times in a row, earning her team lots of points in this set!

Between watching Addison and Trevor on the bleachers, getting pictures of McKenzie serving was the only time I 'knew' when she was going to have contact with the ball for pictures. She had some great returns though. One hit went clear up to the ceiling, and back over to the other side. She was a little embarressed!

Each set her team started off great, getting a big lead. Then the other team would come back and they usually were tied by the end of each set.

When we returned home, guess who was left on our doorstep?

Yep! Our little orphan Chaquita! Her family is flying back to the mainland for 2 weeks for a family wedding. So she gets to live with us for a while! As you can see, Trevor was so excited to see her waiting for us when we got back from McKenzie's game!

They have been inseperable ever since we got home. He even tried to eat his pizza with her on his lap. (Don't worry, I made him wash his hands and put her down until he was done!) But it's funny, because right now, Molly is so excited to have a playmate that she can't control her excitement, which scares poor little Chaquita. So Trevor benefits by being her protector!

Thank you Alaina for the A-MAZ-ING pizza! And the cookies and banana cake ROCK! Yes, I tried them all...before my pizza! Mmmmmm

Operation Baking GALS

I posted this in my baking blog, but wanted to post it again here in case any of you missed it! I am participating in a blog event and wanted to tell you all about it! If you want to join me, great! If not, that's fine too, you can just watch and see how we do!

This is my second round participating in Operation Baking GALS (Give A Little Support) but my FIRST time hosting! I am very excited to start Team Ugly Angel!

Operation Baking Gals is a group of over 700 people. This month there are 30 teams consisting of up to 25 people each that host a serviceman/woman and sends them baked goods and other items during a certain time period.

If you would like to join my team, go to the official website and register. It just takes a second! Once you have registered, you can go check Join A Round 4 Team and see all the teams that are participating and the troops they are hosting! Click on Team Ugly Angel and JOIN THIS TEAM! Shoot me an email with your email address, and your blog (if you have one)

This round, the team is hosting Captain Alan Trammell and shipping between October 30- November 10th!

I will email the members of my team and get them the address of our host, along with any items they may request specifically. I will also remind the team when it's time to ship!

As a proud marine wife, I am so excited to host some friends that we have overseas right now! Soon, my husband's squadron will be deploying and I hope to continue to host marines from HMH-362 Ugly Angels!

Keep watching my baking blog for the profile of our first lucky marine! I'll be posting his information in the next couple days!

Once the packages are all sent, and the members' send me pictures and descriptions of all their goodies, I'll post a round up of all the members' packages!

In the meantime, go to Operation Baking GALS and register!!!! Go Team Ugly Angel!!!

Fall Break is OVER!!!

Yay! Fall break is finally over! It seemed at times like it was never going to end. But, I must say we made the most of it and now, I'm just flat out exhausted!

We did so much this past week and a half! And today, was a nice little break. My morning was nice and relaxing. Addison took a little nap while Trevor was at pre-school, and it was raining pretty good.

I did, however have to deal with a distraught little boy when I got to the pre-school. He is still having issues when it rains...due to the story of the ark. If you missed that post, I recommend you go back and read up, I am not getting into it here. It was cute at first, but now, it's really starting to bother me that he worries about the rain so much. He was sitting in the aid's lap when I got there, and as soon as he saw me, he came screaming and running at me, "Mommy, it's raining! Is it going to stop?!?!"

(sigh)

So, anyways, McKenzie and Trevor both had dentist appointments this afternoon, and I have to give props to Addi who was such a trooper the entire visit. She sat in the stroller and hung out the whole time....no fussing! Well, she did make a little whimper when I went into the back to peek on Trevor, who when we were on our way to the appointment, screamed and protested about not wanting to go. He was back just jabbering away with the dental hygienist! She thought it was hilarious that he was talking so much. He was telling her stories, and explaining to her that he can floss all by himself now.

My friend Sherree asked us over for dinner tonight. Red beans and rice was on the menu, so we couldn't pass that up! The kids played hard, and we had some good eats!

This was Addison at lunchtime. I have been experimenting with Stage 3 foods. They aren't completely pureed, and have chunks of food in them. Below is Lasagna. Yeah, she is having trouble deciding what she wants to do with the food chunks....spit them out, or try to swallow and gag on them!!! Needless to say I think you can figure out what happened to most of these chunks!She pulled off her bib, and growled at me when I tried to put it back on her.

I talked to Nick on the phone before he went to bed. Tomorrow is a planning day so he doesn't have a whole lot to do. He only has about 3 flights left throughout the rest of the training, unless one of the other instructor's wife goes into labor before then. Then, Nick will have to pick up his flights. He was planning on heading over to his brother Mike's this next weekend. So I'm sure he is ready for a nice relaxing weekend hanging out with him and getting away from everything.

Well, the kids are in bed, so I am sipping the last of my tea and then I'm off to dreamland myself. Tomorrow should be another fairly uneventful day! Maybe I should start on the kids' Halloween costumes!

Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park

Alright, so since some of you, after seeing my little white boy in his class picture said he needed some sun, I took some action.

Today, the kids and I, plus McKenzie's friend Katelyn, headed over to Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. I have never been there, but McKenzie has been a couple times with her friends. So we were all very excited to be going. We met the Ladner's there when the doors opened at 10:30AM.

Since the adults were outnumbered by the kids 3:5, we all took turns watching the kids so the adults could partake in some rides! Below is Drew on duty! We started out in the kiddie pool...which was HUGE! It had tons of slides of all sizes to go down, and the water was never over 1 foot deep. Even Addi loved getting in the water and splashing around...and walking around, kicking her feet.
There were stairs leading up to the two slides Trevor spent all day on. However, there is a wheel at the top that kids and turn to make the water shoot out and over the stairs. Trevor (wearing the orange) didn't like going through the water to get up the stairs, so he would wait around the corner until someone would turn the wheel back. Sometimes I would have to ask a big kid on their way up to turn the wheel so that he could go up!

Trevor decided it was much more fun to go down the slides backwards.

Katelyn convinced McKenzie to go on the SHAKA...but only if I agreed to go on the TORNADO with them. McKenzie was biting her nails the whole time she was waiting in line. That is what she does when she is nervous.

We went two rounds on the lazy river. Alaina with Andrew on her lap, me with Addi on mine, and after a little convincing, Drew got Trevor to go with him. McKenzie and Katelyn were each on their own tube. It was a nice relaxing 'ride', and Addi and I managed to dodge the small waterfall both times around, so we didn't get too wet.

Then it was time for some grub.

With not much time for tummies to settle, it was time for my side of the deal to go down...the TORNADO! I was sick to my stomach the whole time I was in line, heart racing. It was a ride that you get on a 4 person tube, and go around a short tube, then shoot out a tube into a funnel looking thing which shoots you back and forth, then you pop out the opening at the end, and it's all over.

So here is McKenzie, Katelyn, Me & Alaina on the Tornado.


Ok, so it was a TON of fun, and we went twice in a row! Then, it was time for Drew to get a break from the kids, so he went with McKenzie and Katelyn. Here they are carrying up the huge tube up the stairs.


Here is Andrew and Trevor watching them from the gate as they went back and forth in the funnel.
Check out Alaina's blog for more great pictures from today. She beat me to the chase and posted her's before me....but I have all the videos, so that's why its taking me so stinkin long to get this posted!

Here is the big pink slide Alaina got Trevor to go down...all by himself! I waited at the bottom for him. He loved it, but once was enough! I was surprised he even went at all!

While us girls did a few more adult rides, Drew took the kids back to the kiddie pool.

Trevor discovered he could run the giant water gun. This one guy was having a great time letting Trevor shoot his hat off his head. He was quite a character and had Trevor laughing so hard. He loved it!!!
Drew went on a few rides with the girls. I could NOT beleive that McKenzie went on the cliffhanger, especially after I told her my horror story about my sister Angie and I going on a similar ride in Disney World...and having to run to the bathroom right afterwards to take care of our enemas caused by the ride. (TMI? Sorry!)

McKenzie & Katelyn on Cliffhanger


Drew on Cliffhanger


Katelyn, Drew & McKenzie on the Volcano Express


The parked closed at 4, but by 3:30, Addi had fallen asleep in my arms while we were watching Trevor go down the slide. She was awake, and then all of a sudden she slumped over...asleep! Poor thing was worn out, so I sat her in the stroller until it was time to go.

Since I wouldn't let the kids buy $4 cotton candy at the park, I promised them we'd stop for ice cream on the way home. Trevor, exhausted from his day at the water park, crashed half way through his hot fudge sundae. I think we'll all be sleeping like rocks tonight!

Don't forget to check out Ladner's Latest for more pictures from today! There are some really great ones of us on there!

Trevor's Pre-School Class Picture

I know, I know, it's so hard to pick him out...along with Hudson. The only two 'blondies' in the class! (Can you tell the girls are horribly outnumbered? Poor things!

HMH-362 Family Fun Day at Bellows

Today the squadron had a family fun day at Bellows. It was a beautiful day and there were a lot of people that came out for this! There were plenty of trees for shade, a nice breeze, inflatable water slide, face painting, horse shoes, a playground, food and drinks, and of course, the beach!

We showed up a bit late since we had to wait for Trevor to get out of school. But we were just in time for lunch, and then... it was time to chase the pigeons!

Alaina and Addison

Alaina walking Addison around in the dirty sand.

McKenzie was off at the beach, Trevor was playing at the playground, so Addison and I got some 'tattoos'! Matching ones! I wasn't sure how well Addison would take to that, but she sat still and watched the lady paint a butterfly on her upper arm. It helped that the lady had it complete in less then 15 seconds.... she was good!!!

Mom and Addi with matching tats!

So Cute!

My friend Kim got a really cool glittery lizard!!!Then we sat at the beach for a little while! Trevor and Andrew Ladner had a GREAT time playing in the sand.

And Addison loved the sand in her toes!

It was a great time, and we are ALL exhausted..tomorrow we are hitting up the water park! Ugh...does it ever end! NO WAY! There is too much fun to be had!

Playgroup - Hannah's Surprise 1st Birthday Party

This morning at playgroup we surprised Sherree (and Hannah) with a little playgroup birthday party! We all met out at Ho'olomaluhia Botanical Gardens at a nice little pavilion with a huge grassy area. We laid out a giant blanket and the kids just played on that.

It was so funny to watch them play together, they are all getting to be so independant and more and more mobile! Wyatt is the only one in the group that is walking at the moment, but the rest of them are not too far behind! They can crawl with the best of them though! Look out!

Taking group photos is proving to be quite a task, this week we decided to stap them all in their strollers and line them up! And we agreed that this was their best photo session ever!

After a few gifts, and some delicious food, it was time for cupcakes!

By this time, I had ran to pick up Trevor from pre-school so that he could enjoy the park as well!

But he must have had a hard day at school, because it didn't take much for him to get mad... here he is pouting behind the little tree. Mr. Drama!

Here, Hannah would open her gift, then Addi would test it out!

Miss Addi & Miss Hannah