The kids got a package of NEW shoes in the mail from Grandma Tuy and Grandpa Bob the other day. They just love getting packages, and getting new shoes especially. They each put them on and started running around the house, racing. It was fun.  I can't believe how big Vangie's feet are- she wears a 10.5 and she is not even 4 yet!  I know Vangie will especially love her new shoes- a few nights a week Chris and the kids and I walk around the neighborhood- we wait until about 7pm when it has cooled off and we probably walk about 3/4 a mile- the older kids ride their scooters- but Evangeline runs the WHOLE WAY! She is a little gazelle with skinny little legs up to her armpits. I just know she is going to be a super star runner when she gets older! She can already run a lot further than many adults. And now with her new NIKE's, there is nothing stopping her.

Yesterday the kids and I tried out a new pool on Hickam Airfoce Base- Pool #2. I have heard about it for a few months but never gone- well yesterday I decided to take the kids their and it is AWESOME. They have a tube slide, a diving board, a kiddie pool with a fountain and the nicest lifeguard's ever. We had such a blast and stayed for 3 hours. Joey took the swim test to see if he could swim in the deep end without me being their- he had to swim across the pool and tread water for 30 sec. The lifeguard commented on what a good swimmer he is for 7 years old. I said "It's genetic, his father and I were both rescue swimmers..." I was so proud of him. So, he got to wear a special wrist band and swim by him self with the "big kids" and go down the slide and jump off the diving board.

Sophia was also able to go down the slide- she wore a lifejacket and I just had to be watching her from a distance. (there was also a lifegaurd watching over the sliding kids.)   Vangie also wore a lifejacket and swam around the deep end with me.  We would occasionally get out and head over to the kiddie pool, but the kids really like the deep water the best. I think the next time we go I will have Sophia try the swim test, I know she can swim the length of the pool, I just don't know if she can tread water yet.

Today is Saturday and Chris is working- he left around 4:30 this morning. I plan on taking the kids to the swap meet to look around- I need to buy someone a gift and plus it is fun for the kids to see all the different vendors and tables.

On Tuesday I took Joey to the Bone Dr. for an evaluation on his arm. They cut off his old cast-- his arm was so filthy underneath! Joey immediately asked me if he could wash it off- I helped him to wash it 3 times before he was satisfied with it's cleanliness ad lack of odor. Then then took a new X-ray. Then we waited for the Dr. (and waited....and waited...)  -- when he finally showed up we looked at the X-ray and you could see how well Joey's arm is healing- you can still see where the break is, but it is forming new bone.  The Dr. was confident that Joey would be fine without a cast! He just needs to be careful for the next month. (i.e. no ultimate wrestling or tackle football....) 

Since it has been 6 weeks since he has been able to swim I told the kids I would take them to the pool--- only later at home when I was getting ready to go did a friend remind me that on Tuesdays the pools are closed for maintenance and cleaning. Bummer!!! So I promised him I'd take him on Wednesday- fast forward to Wednesday afternoon--- we all get our suits on and bag of towels and floaty rings and noodles and walk the 5 blocks to the pool--- so see a sign hanging on the fence saying that they are closed for the day! Joey was so upset, he started crying, and I didn't blame him. So, we walked home, loaded everything in the van and drove to the pool in the neighborhood next door- which was OPEN (thank God!) The first thing Joey did was run and jump in- they all swam for two hours and had a great time. I think Joey is going through a growth spurt because for dinner last night after the pool he had THREE servings of beef enchiladas!

Yesterday was also Meet and Greet at their elementary school. We walked there at 8am and already I was dying of heat- We met Joey's teacher, Ms. Johnson- a little old Asian lady; and Sophia's teacher Ms. Stotts.  Ms. Stotts is a young  white lady with long blond hair - not  a very common sight for teachers at this school. We also dropped off our huge load of school supplies at each classroom. I made the mistake of telling Joey's teacher- Ms. Johnson that if she needed anything to let me know--- she already put me to work ripping paper towels in half!?!? To "conserve" them. Ahhhhhh! I really, honestly do not have a couple hours to sit and rip paper towels apart!!! Next time I won't volunteer myself.

Both teachers seemed VERY nice and both kids are excited and ready for school to start on MONDAY!

Yesterday was also our Bi-annual trip to the dentist.... Joey is doing great with No cavities. Sophia... not so much! She has several small shadows on her back teeth that will eventually turn into cavities unless we do thorough flossing every night!! And Chris must STOP allowing the kids to have SODA! I TOLD him how horrible it is for their teeth, but everytime was go out to eat or to the movies he always says "oh, it won't hurt them..." But it DOES hurt them, it ROTS their teeth out!  They already so not drink any juice- and milk only with meals. And really not that many sweets.. so it has to be the Soda consumption. Vangie had a great visit with zero cavities- way to go Vangie!  The dentist also showed me Sophia and Joey's X-rays and all I can say is "Holy crowded teeth!!!" They will both definitely need some dental work in the future. But Chris and expected that!  They are both losing baby teeth and there is really not enough room for their big teeth to come in... thank God for modern orthodontics!

Yesterday Chris and I had our "hospital tour" at Tripler Army Medical Center.  Being this is my 4th baby you'd think I wouldn't NEED to tour the hospital- but I have given birth in a different hospital every time! The first was in Big Rapids, MI (civilian hospital) then Newport Rhode Island (civilian hospital) then Lansing, Michigan (civilian hospital)... So this will be my 4th hospital and my FIRST MILITARY HOSPITAL! I am a little nervous about the "military" part. I have heard a lot of horror stories... just about how the people who work there aren't as nice, how its super crowded... and overall just not a great experience.

Chris and I were very pleasantly surprised on our tour! The rooms are on the 6th floor and were nice and good sized- every room has a jacuzzi tub (which I PLAN on using!)  And you can have who-ever with you when you are having the baby- even kids. I thought about having the kids there.... but having completely "natural" delivery involves quite a bit of PAIN and perhaps a tiny bit of SCREAMING.... so I think I will leave them with the babysitter. After I have the baby in the labor/recovery room I recover for about 3 hours and then they will move the baby and I to the 5th floor to the "Mommy and Baby" room where we will stay the rest of the time. At this point I want the kids to come and visit Lucy and Me. They will be SO EXCITED to see their sister! I will definitely get it on camera because I just know it will be so precious... they talk to her all the time already, she is already such a big part of our family.

This weekend the kids and I finally took Chris to hike Diamond Head- can you believe we have lived here over a year and he hadn't been?? We went Saturday at 4pm so it wasn't crowded- the gates are closed and locked at 6pm, so you need to be able to make it up and back down before 6- which we did, it takes us about 90 min to hike up, enjoy the view and hike back down. I put all our new hiking pictures on the HIKING page, so go check it out!!!  I will admit, the kids did NOT want to hike. They wanted to lay in front of the TV and eat Cheeto's. (well, not really Cheeto's, because I refuse to buy Cheeto's, but you get the picture.) I had to use my "I'm the mom and I said so!" card to force them into the van. However, like ALWAYS, once we got there they had a blast! 

After Diamond head we went to Target. Joey was begging and begging me all week for some Pokemon Cards. Chris made him this really organized binder that he stores all his "cards" in and he plays with them all the time. One pack in about 4$ so I said fine... then Sophia started and wanted something. I told her NO, you don't ALWAYS get something- Joey had his own money and was able to purchase the Pokemon cards on his own. She was SO upset.... and Chris finally gave into her and took her to the make-up section and bought her some (child) eyeshadow. And then of course Vangie needed something so she picked out some lip gloss. - which she loves and wears all the time. I have been reading the book "The 5 Love Languages of Children"- which is amazing and I recommend to everyone- and one of Sophia's top "love languages" (if not THE top) is receiving Gifts. She LOVES to receive things- anything, it makes her feel loved. I hope her future husband is prepared for this.

Sunday was just a lazy "hang out at home" day. I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast, played the Wii with Chris and we took the kids to the pool in the afternoon. There is a NEW VIDEO on the "Video" page of Vangie riding her tricycle. Also notice the picture of Joey- to the right- he was so bummed out to be at the pool and not able to swim because of his cast. We only stayed at the pool an hour because the girls have been begging to go- Joey goes in on Tuesday to get his arm re X-rayed. He could get his cast removed, but I have a feeling it is going to have to stay on a couple more weeks.

On Sunday Chris also fixed the closet in the girls room. Last week the kids had some friends over to play. Joey and one friend and Sophia had two- so there were SIX small children running around the upstairs. ( and I DO mean "running", and yelling and chasing each other!) I was exhausted on this particular afternoon and laying on the couch watching Opera and half asleep. Suddenly I opened up my eyes to see 4 children in front of me telling me some story of a "white shelf falling down..." They all looked concerned. So, I peeled myself off the couch and went upstairs and into the girls room. Turns out that all the girls were sitting on top of the lower closet clothes rack (there is a rack at regular height and I hung one lower so the girls could hang up their clothes on their own..) and they RIPPED it OUT OF THE WALL!!! Thankfully no one was hurt. I was shocked that they would think about crawling up on it... so I had to lecture them about staying off and out of places where they do not belong!! Then I closed the closet door (because I couldn't stand to look at the mess off tangled clothing, broken closet rack and chunks of drywall) and went back downstairs.

Soon after the closet disaster I kicked all the kids outside where they were playing in the garage. I have a box of "otter pops" that I bought from Costso sitting on a shelf in the garage- it has about 300 popsicles that are not frozen, so they are liquid in their individual bags. - I put them into our freezer a few at a time, because our freezer would not hold all 300 at once. The neighbor kids and  started opening them up to drink- spilling sticky, sugary Popsicle liquid all over the box, and the garage floor!!! And immediately there were 89,000 ants swarming the pool of stickiness. This was my last straw- I kicked them all OUT. Chris pulled up at about this time home from work and was greeted with a torn apart, sticky garage and a destroyed closet.

Before I left for Michigan I spent a lot of time in my back yard, tending to my flowers. I am definitely NOT a flower person naturally, but through enough trial and error I managed to get some flowers and plants to look beautiful and lush in the back yard. I watered them daily, weeded them almost daily and was pretty proud of the little outdoor oasis that I created. Well, Chris did help a little... He was the one who had the original IDEA to put flowers in the back yard and he also dug up the sod and put  in stone paver's- and also it was his idea to put in a fountain. This was back in January- when I was just starting my 6 months of morning sickness hell. ( I think it's so funny how every single memory from the first 5 months of 2010 I can instantly recall by thinking about how horrible I felt...) We went together to the lawn and and garden center and picked out some flowers and  planted them. Then Chris liberally surrounded them with wood chips. 

The months passed with me laying prone on the couch, puking; and Chris working all the time. Our beautiful little oasis fell into dis-repair. The weeds overtook everything,  the flowers all died because they had no soil to get their roots into -- just mulch-- and everything looked pretty sad and sorrowful. Around May I was feeling good enough to walk out there and start pulling weeds. Then I just pretty much pulled everything-- all the dead plants, I threw out. All the mulch I shoveled out and threw away too, cursing Chris the whole time for this stupid love affair with mulch!   Then the kids and I drove to the garden center and I actually paid attention to what I was getting--- I needed plants that liked FULL SUNSHINE! And a few that liked mostly sunshine. Also, since it never rains here- plants that didn't need too much water. AND I bought several 30lb bags of compost soil to help the little guys to grow and to give them something to sink their roots into.

I came home with the van loaded down and commenced operation back yard over-haul. I kept waiting for the folks from HGTV to show up but they never did....  Afterwards it looked amazing!! And since then several plants have doubled and tripled in size. Every time I looked out I felt like a proud parent.... Then I left for 3 weeks....and my husband got crazy with the "weed killer", as he liberally sprayed pretty much everything in the back yard. Most of my beauties were DEAD on my return!!!! Chris said "I sprayed weed killer, they'll grow back, I don't know WHY you are making such a big deal out of it..." He also, in his attempt to make the grass lush and green... planted two piece of sod... I posted a picture of the sod to the right. Chris is hoping the grass will "spread" to the area around it that has no grass. I am  just thankful he does not have a job in landscaping. I think we'd be in trouble.

So today I went out into MY yard and pulled the dead plants, pulled the weeds the old fashioned way (err.... by hand) and watered what was left of my beauties. I think they'll come back, they just missed me while I was gone.

Yesterday was a day off for (almost) everyone on Chris's boat- The USS Chicago has the hull number 721, so yesterday being July twentyfirst was a day off for a picnic at Bellows Airforce Base. I didn't make the connection between the hull number and the date being 7-21 until late in the afternoon, so I felt sort of silly, but now it makes perfect sense!!

Chris, the kids and I headed over to Bellows at around 11am. We had never been to that side of the island before so It was fun driving on uncharted territory. Once there the kids jumped in the bounce house (well, Vangie got pummeled by a few older boys and had to be rescued...twice....) and ate a picnic lunch before heading down to the beach to sit with our friends from the boat.  The girls played in the sand and Chris took them into the water- the waves were pretty big!!! Vangie got a face-full of sea water and was NOT happy (it was just not her day yesterday...)  Joey was bummed that he couldn't swim "I wish my arm wasn't broken!!!" but there was a playground for him to play on and some other boys his age so he had fun regardless.  I even donned my bikini to take Vangie into the water and we jumped into the waves together.

Yesterday the kids and I had a fun day. We left here around 8:45am to hike Diamond Head. It has been a while since we hiked and i was in the mood for some sunshine and fresh air. I thought because it was Monday morning it wouldn't be crowded- WRONG! It was a ZOO! (think bus loads of Asian tourists) But I was thinking maybe it wouldn't be so bad--- we all stopped at the restroom at the beginning and Vangie started whining "I'm Tired.... My Belly Hurts...." This was to be Vangie's first Diamond Head attempt walking by herself- Every time in the past I would carry her in a back pack on my back-- well, being 8 months pregnant I am NOT in the mood to carry 35 pounds of child (on top of the 20pounds I am ALREADY carrying!) up a mountain. I could tell she was trying to get out of it by complaining.  I took her to the bathroom and gave her a pep talk- "This is going to be FUN! You are going to do so GREAT!" I also gave her a bag of goldfish crackers and that made her happy so off me went-- very slowly. We took several breaks and several people passed us by but we made it to the top. ( I have some really great pictures to post, but I took them with my new camcorder and cannot figure out how to get them onto the computer- Chris will have to do it for me when he gets home! )   At the top we all had a snack and looked at the beautiful mountains and ocean. The way down was a lot easier.

After Diamond HEad we stopped at the zoo where we had lunch, pet some goats and played on the playground. It was such a great day-- though very HOT! Thank goodness for SHADE!  Today is Tuesday- vangie has her weekly Gymnastics class and I am having a friend and her three kids over for a playdate this afternoon. I also need to go to the grocery store... but I think I may be able to wait a couple more days before the food level becomes critical around here.

Since I don't have any pictures to post today I will post a picture of Baby Lucy's new bassinet that is being shipped here right now-- yeah!  Its more of a blue/green color because I cannot handle any more pink!!!

Way back at the beginning of this year the submarine community had an auction, like they do every year. This was when I was in the throes of horrible morning sickness so I did not go.  Our boat, The USS Chicago, bid on and won a party at the Admirals house. That party was held this past Saturday night. Now that I am 33 wks pregnant I am finally OVER the sickness and was able to go with my hunny. We had our trusty babysitter,Heather come and watch the kids (which they LOVE, she is the best babysitter EVER!)

What does someone wear to a party at the Admirals house?? Well, the dress code said "Aloha Crisp". Ha ha ha.  Life on Hawaii is so laid back . The Admiral was wearing Khaki shorts, an Aloha shirt and flip flops.  I was able to find a regular dress in the juniors department in a size large that fit over my huge belly- and as a bonus I should be able to wear it again after this baby comes out! Chris looked stunning as usual in his Aloha shirt and Khaki pants.

The party went like this: All of us were put into one of 3 groups. In our group was most of the other Junior officers  and their wives. Each group traveled to different "countries" . At these countries were food from that particular country, drinks, and entertainment! We started off at Morocco. We all got to sit on the pillow around a low table in a tent with candles and incense and watch the most amazing belly dancers perform!  Then we traveled to Columbia, but on the way there our group had to complete a team task involving a tree and rope- and getting the Admirals collar devise out of a roped off circle on the ground without touching the ground around the collar devise- Jen (another wife) and I sat this one out and let the guys figure it out!

Then off to columbia where people were dressed up as Gorilla War Lords. Before we could enjoy our Columbian food and drink we had to answer some questions about the country-- good thing for I phones and our 3G networks or we may have been there all night!!!

After Columbia we had a difficult task of getting an egg up the concrete staircase holding onto tiny strings-- lets just say that yes, it was very difficult, we probably went through 12 eggs. But we did it!

Then we ended up at India where we had to dress in Indian attire and perform a Bally-wood inspired dance routine  by emulating one that we watched in a movie clip-- that was video taped!! I really hope that tape gets burned because I am sure no 8 month pregnant woman should be Bally-Wood dancing! The food in India was AMAZING!! After India we scampered off to Italy for wine, olive oil and amazing bread and of course gellato!

It was such a fun party. Chris and I had never been to anything like it. The country "Columbia" was set up on the Admirals private dock- and the Arizona memorial was right there. The sky line from the Admirals immaculately manicured lawn was breath-taking!  We could see all the twinkling lights from the city. As the sun was setting you could see rainbows over the water.

We got home around 9:30pm where our babysitter had the kids tucked into bed and the house picked up. Did I mention how much I love my babysitter??  Sunday we took the kids to see the movie Despicable Me-- it was really great, I laughed AND cried (damn pregnancy hormones!)
 
I also ordered Baby Lucy's bassinet!!!  I can't wait for it to get here so I can set it up. Chris also totally re-arranged the Master bedroom for me (well, I helped... a little) we moved in the comfy leather recliner and made a space for her bassinet. She will sleep in our room until she is 6 months old or so. Not IN our bed, because our mattress is too soft. I was looking at a little co-sleeper bed for her that fits right in the middle of OUR bed ... but Chris vetoed that idea- He said having a sleeping baby in the middle of our bed every night might not be the best for our romantic life ;)  I reminded him that after this baby gets here there will BE no romantic life!!!

Last night for dinner I fed the kids yogurt drinks along with their meal. Its like yogurt, but you drink it. Well, Joey told me that it "tasted funny". I got a little annoyed. "You say everything Tastes funny!" I told him- and he does. Just the day before he told me hie apple tasted funny. Well, I started cleaning up the kitchen while the kids were eating. I glanced at the Yogurt Drink box that was in the fridge and saw that it  expired on June 11th!  I grabbed Joey's drink and took a sip---- it was spoiled! Yuck! "Don't drink it" I told the kids as Vangie finished chugging hers and looked at me with a yogurt drink moustache.  Well, It didn't kill them so I am sure it made their immune system stronger!

Take a look at the picture on the right--- the girls giving Stella a wash in the pool. That poor dog. She is so sweet and kind to them. This picture may explain why she ran away this morning- well, she escaped out the door and I don't know how long later a girl I have never seen before walked by with her and asked me "do you know who's dog this is?"   Why yes, that is MY DOG!  So, thankfully she is home safely.  So much for your jail break, Stella!

This morning the minions and I traveled to Makalapa Clinic for their school physicals. I was really impressed with the Dr. That they saw- I think it was the most thorough physical they have had in years!!! Both kids are in the 50th percentile in both height and weight. Sophia is 44" tall and weighs 43lbs. Joey is 48" tall and weighs 52lbs. There blood pressure was great and they both have 20/20 vision.  I had the Dr. put in a referral for Sophia to get her hearing checked. She is always asking "what?" "What did you say?" "Huh?" "Joey, What did Mommy say?" It drives me CRAZY. But before I accuse her of not paying attention and having her head in the clouds (this is what Chris thinks her problem is) I am going to make sure she can hear me okay. I would feel bad if I get mad at her about it  and the poor thing has been reading my lips for the past 5 years.  She goes in next week for that.

Both kids had to have a Hepetitis A shot- I turned it into a little competition aka "The Needle Battle"  basically whomever took the needles with the least amount of fuss/ noise would WIN.   (The other day we were in the immunization clinic and a family with 3 kids went back to get shots-- you would not BELIEVE the SCREAMS that were coming out of that room! It was like someone was ripping their finger nails off or something, I mean COME ON !!! ) 

Back to our little"competition" ,  Joey said "ow" when he got the Hep A shot. But recovered and was totally silent during the tuberculosis shot.  Sophia made no sound at all, just a little wiggle- and held steady during the tuberculosis;  so she was propelled into first place. THEN the REAL test- both kids had to GIVE BLOOD to check  for anemia!  Joey went back into the lab all by himself (the lab techs were impressed with this) and made no sound. I went back with Sophia and witnessed her nerves of steel as her arm was poked. She also stayed totally silent and  so she won the needle battle this time.  Sophia also was supposed to give a urine sample but the kid is like a camel and only goes pee about two times a day so I will have to catch it at home and take it to the lab tomorrow.

I also went to the OB clinic on Monday for baby Lucy's 32 week gestation apt. She is doing great- heart beat of 155, growing perfectly and in the head down position (yeah!) Only 7 more weeks!!!

Last night Sophia asked me if her neighbor friend could come in and play. I said sure... then Joey's friend aked to come in...then another neighbor child knocked on the door and announced "I asked my mom and she said I could come in and play too!" ahhh.... okay.... then a couple other little kids came down the stairs who I had no idea were even in here! So for about 30 min (all I could handle ) around 7pm there were 5 extra neighbor children running around our upstairs!!! Chris and I just looked at each other. Chris said he was just glad they were all upstairs because in a few years all these kids will be down here in front of the TV.  At 7pm I kicked them all outside.

Chris has duty tonight so for the kids and me it will be an early to bed. I just got done doing all the chores that Chris usually does- emptied the trash, started the dishwasher, filled the fountain. I am too exhausted to give the kids a bath-- so I kept them inside so they wouldn't get too dirty- is that cheating??

Today Chris, the kids and I headed over to Hawaii Kai to hike Mariners Ridge-- Go to the HIKING WITH KIDS PAGE to check out all my NEW PICTURES of our hike!!! It was a lot of fun and the kids did a great job with minimal complaining. And I have to admit- hiking is getting a little bit hard now that I am 32 wks pregnant!  Vangie was able to hike almost the entire 3 miles hike by herself. At the top were the most amazing views! 

 Afterwards we went to my favorite restaurant, The Kona Brewing Co. for lunch. It was such a fun day. I love getting out into the sunshine and seeing the amazing views of the ocean and mountains.

After lunch we went to whole foods where I bought some "pregnancy tea". Now that I am in the home stretch of this pregnancy I am starting to actually think about the whole "labor process", and I need to start preparing mentally and physically for this drug-free adventure.

I have also added pictures to the right- Vangie eating her peanut butter and jelly sandwhich on the counter (that was all Chris). And the girls pushing around Stella- I think Stella missed them terribly when we were gone in Michigan.

Yesterday Joey was able to see a Dr. about his arm here in Hawaii. They cut off his old long-arm cast-- and I have to admit it made me a little nervous! When they put that cast on 3 weeks ago his arm was malformed and floppy-- I kept thinking it would not be a good thing to take the cast off- what is his arm just flopped over again??? They assured me it would be fine.

And it was- they took an ex-ray of his arm that showed it is healing very nicely. It was still sore and hard for him to move his hand, and he needs to keep a cast on for at least 3 more weeks. The Dr's were on the fence about putting another long-arm cast on him or giving him a short arm cast. They were thinking a long-arm because Joey is a 7 yr old boy and most 7 year olds are rambunctious and crazy (so they told me) and it would only be for his safely so he didn't do too much with his arm and hurt himself. Joey REALLY wanted the short arm cast- and I didn't blame him! With the long-arm on he couldn't even move his elbow, that HAD to feel claustrophobic. I assured the Dr.'s that Joey is an exceptional little boy and If I told him to take it easy he would. So they agreed to put the short arm cast on and he will go back on July 27th for a re-check.  `

Also, the battle of the hair has been won be ME!!!!  The girls have been battling me about there hairstyles of choice. Sophia's hair is getting very long- and it is very beautiful-- she likes to wear it down and it is constantly getting in her face and looking unkempt. It drives me CRAZY!!!!  And Evangeline's hair is also getting long- and is curly and looks like a big poofy afro most of the time- this also drives me CRAZY! I have a basket FULL Of hair care supplies that they won't let me use on them without throwing a fit, and then they usually rip out whatever I put in their hair. Yesterday the war was won by ME in an explosive hair care battle. I made them realized that I am the mommy and they WILL COMPLY with my hair care wishes.  They now know hat failure to comply will result in some majorly negative consequences.

First of all, I have just uploaded a TON of pictures onto the SUMMER 2010 page-- so click either on the top of this page or on the RIGHT to go to the SUMMER 2010 page to check out all the new pictures from our vacation. And make sure you have your volume on because there is a really pretty song playing there.

Today was mostly a day off for Chris. The USS Chicago had a change of command ceremony and now has a new captain. We all went to the ceremony on the deck of the Battleship Missouri. After the ceremony we went to a picnic reception- we had a fun time. It was good to see everyone from the boat again after being off island for so long!

After the reception we drove to Babies-R-Us and did some shopping for baby lucy! Before today I have not bought anything for her-but  now that I am in my 8th month I felt like it was time.  It was so fun to go today and pick her out some little clothes, socks, receiving blankets and other necessities. The kids had so much fun helping- they were picking things out for her and helping me decide what we should buy.  I had forgotten how expensive diapers are  Thankfully she will be the only one in diapers this time around.

Chris has duty tomorrow and I think the kids and I may finally be over our jet lag and will be able to get back to normal around here!

Happy 4th of July, everyone. I have successfully survived a WEEK of camping at Perkins Pond. SIX nights of sleeping (8 months pregnant) in a tiny 5th wheel bed. SEVEN DAYS of unhealthy potato salads and hamburgers. (if I see another hamburger or hotdog before next year it will be TOO SOON.) This morning we awoke and packed up the 5th wheel- did some major cleaning-- and said GOODBYE to Diane, Merle, Amanda, Emily, Aunt Wendy, Lauren, Michael, Uncle Greggie and Aunt Nicole-- we LOVE YOU ALL, See you NExt YEAR!!!!  Then I drove everything to Papa's house. Then I unloaded the truck-  and have been doing laundry and packing our suitcases to fly home to Hawaii for the past 4 hours. Whew.   I seemed to have seriously over-packed when I came to Michigan- I packed the kids about 90% more clothing than they actually wore. Oh well. And I have a lot more to take back to Hawaii with me- a lot of things of my mom's--- I think I came make everything fit. I may have to leave a child behind, we will see.

It is almost 90 degrees out! HOT! I am glad that I am inside with the A/C. Maybe it will storm tonight? That would be great, because I know I won't experience any storms back in Hawaii.  We leave back to Hawaii on Tuesday Morning! The kids are excited to get back home. They miss their Daddy, and Stella Sprinkles too.

I am going to upload all the new pond pictures on the SUMMER 2010 page, but it may have to wait until I am back in Hawaii because I have the slowest Internet ever here in Edmore.

The kids have been having a really fun time. They, along with their cousins and Uncle Vachel built a fort in the forest that they play at every day. They have guns and a bow and arrow to protect their fort from "bad guys".   We have a huge bon fire every night and we roast marshmallow and make "smores". We sleep in the camper every-night and often don't get to bed until 11pm! (the sun doesn't set here until 10pm.)  They applied fake tattoos all up their arms today. Face paint and water balloons are coming soon.  Fireworks are scheduled for Friday night.  I will have a lot of pictures to post when I get back to Hawaii, the Internet is too slow for me to upload them now.