Rewind....

It was so good to be a tourist for a couple weeks. We were able to do so many things that I kept putting off. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, USS Arizona Memorial, Swap Meet, Valley of the Temples, Turtle Bay, North Shore, Ko'Olina Lagoons, a couple different beaches, and went on a few hikes. I enjoyed everyday. There are a few that really stood out though.

The USS Arizona was a mixture of so many emotions. It is unreal to imagine this amazingly beautiful, peaceful place under attack. To think of the horror that was felt that day is heartbreaking. The think I found to be odd was that as I walked through the museums and memorial, I was angered seeing Japanese people there. It was a part of their history too but for some reason it made me angry. Is that horrible? They are now an ally of ours. They are now dealing with a tragedy of their own. But when you are there, looking at all those names of fallen soldiers, it really takes you back. I would give anything to bring my Grandpa back and be able to go there with him. I wish I could here his story...from him.

My all time favorite was our hike to Manoa Falls. The hike itself is beautiful. You hike through a bamboo forest. The trees are incredible. We even saw wild parrots. It is exactly what I pictured a hike in Hawaii being. The waterfall was so-so...but the hike was awesome.

I still can't believe that my baby is a year old. I don't want the rest of his life to go by as fast as this last year. I know that we are done having children...but I just don't feel like I'm old enough to be at that stage of my life. I look at the boys and it just amazes me how quickly the years have gone by. Blake is going to be 7 next month! How is that possible? I haven't updated about the older 2 in a while.

Blake continues to enjoy anything sport or outdoor related. He is so active. He is still my sweet, cuddly one. He adjusts so well to our military life. They have made so many friends on our street. He is doing really well with home school. His reading amazes me. I was never a strong reader, so I love that he has picked up on it so naturally. At first he seemed to struggle with math. Now he is doing really well, with the exception of addition facts. He has always impressed us with his memory. So why is it that it seems unable to memorize addition facts? So frustrating. He uses his fingers for EVERYTHING! He is really struggling with spelling. It drives me nuts because I know that if he would just slow down while he is writing that he could do better. It's a constant race for him though. Who is he racing? In the end, I think I am just too tough on him. I think my expectations are too high. We won't tell him that though. ;)

Hunter is just as silly as ever. I LOVE how he can make any situation he wants, a funny one. Everyday I see Ben in him. He is hard headed, full of life, impossible to deal with one second...and then makes you laugh the very next. Hunter can always make me smile. He started Kindergarten a couple weeks ago! He had finished all the pre-school curriculum and was so excited to start. So I figured there was no reason to wait. So far he is doing very well. If he tries hard throughout the day, he earns a sticker. When he has 10 stickers, we all go out for ice cream. We went today! :) So proud of him.

Blake and Hunter start flag football on the 23rd!!! I can't wait to be back in sports again. It has been so weird not running to games all the time. They are still going to Karate twice a week. We will see how the juggling of both goes. :)

Now that things are slowing down again, I am hoping to get back into a pretty steady schedule. The last couple days have been a little tough. Parker is cutting 4 teeth!!! 3 back teeth and 1 front one. He is a constant faucet and extremely whiny. I have to admit though...he is way more spoiled than he should be. Momma's baby :) What else can I say?

I should be better at posting the next month. Ben started nights tonight. I HATE nights. I avoid my bed because the thought of going there alone is depressing. I know it's not healthy to spend every waking second with someone...but I want as much time as possible. Even when he drives me crazy, I want him close. Anyway...I'll be talking to you soon. :)