Birthday Fun!

For my family and friends that keep up with us here, enjoy pics of our big boy Elliott!

Considering our circumstances, we kept it low-key ... well as much as you can with 5 kids and sugary cupcakes. :)

a gift & card from his big brother

"Dear Elliott.  I am glad that you are turning 3."

so sweet.

He got "Let's Go Fish" game.  He's been pretending to fish everywhere (in the car, off the bed, outside) so this really was the perfect gift for him.

I love the tongue ... it helps him concentrate you know. :)

You can see how proud he was to do it all by himself!

*awwwww*

He got to choose who played with first, and he didn't want anyone but his brother.

*awwwww*

Then his Aunt Elizabeth (almost 6 years old) could play next with him.

sugar!

Elliott & Aunt Elizabeth

Samuel and Aunt Victoria (almost 9 years old)

Happy Birthday to Elliott!!

ps. I'm getting really good at fishing too ... we've been everyday.

tuesday ramblings

its Tuesday morning coffee time ... but all that really means is that this post is totally random things on my mind while having my almost perfect coffee.

its only almost perfect because I'm out of my vanilla creamer, which is my fav!!  on the plus side, it IS 100% Kona made in my french press ... 2 out of 3 is not bad.

the latest news around here - the (little) boys and I are heading to Cali.  SoCal first to stay with my parents for awhile, probably through April, then off to NorCal to stay with my in-laws for another month or so.  its make it our break it time here in Hawaii.  there has been no paycheck for 8 months and it may be time to get out.  I have mixed feelings about the whole thing ... of course there is more drama to this, but I'll leave it at this. 

*any Cali friends reading this, we'll be in touch *

some good news - when in Cali, I'll be taking an ASP training seminar.  I will be an Accredited Staging Professional.  This fits me.  finally, I think I really found something that fits me.  to that I say HALLELUJAH!!  if you're curious about home staging, just ask.  I'm sure I'll post more on this in the future.

possible good news ... for me - we've met someone here to re-do my tattoo, but we've been missing each other for months.  now that I have plane tickets outta here, we're meeting on Friday to see if it can be done before we leave.  the tattoo I have, I think I got it the day I turned 18 ... or close to that.  I like it, but I've outgrown it somehow.  

years ago I looked into laser to get it removed.  I was told that green is THE MOST DIFFICULT color to remove.  well, that figures.  my tattoo is a green vine with flowers ... all the way around my thigh.  so its on the big side and the very noticeable side.

I want another type of green vine, with flowers, but with just 1 or 2 colors along with the green.  I have a larger flower on the outside of my leg - think about how you cross your legs when sitting - I want the larger flower to be out there still, but with a butterfly or something that will have my kids' initials &/or birthdays hidden in there.

I'm REALLY hoping I can get it done before April 6th!!

happy no matter what

as I type, my boys are watching The Sandlot.  love it.  very similar to Stand By Me; love that one too.  at the ending I always get choked up as the narartor tells you where all the boys ended up in life.  some make it big, others don't.  but then there is that last scene where they rewind time again to the boys as kids, reminding you what they went through to get to where they're going. 

I WISH I had a picture of all my girls from back in the day.  we spent EVERY SINGLE DAY together during the summer.  it was a blast!  we even all signed up for tennis lessons together one year ... and then we all had a crush on our tall, dark, & handsome instructor.  hahaha!  I love those girls, and I would definitely not be who I am today without them .... just like these movies.  I wish we could all hang out together again, if for just one night.

enough randomness for this morning ... have a great day!

ch-ch-changes

making some bloggy changes ... just because

something about the new year makes you want to

clean, organize, refocus, and change it up ... just me?

which would you rather have -

a change button?

or

an easy button?

... hhhhhmmmmmmmmm ...

good news

a good news update -

by total "coincidence" our neighbors neighbor (people we know in the complex, just on the other side of the complex ... our neighbors, right?  it was their next door neighbors.) was cleaning out the kids room and had some stuff to give away.

I'm told the "kid" is 17 and is just now getting around to getting rid of his toys from youth ... kind of like toy story 3, maybe?  but we didn't know this guy.  he wasn't necessarily giving to give, but maybe he was ... I think it was more like getting rid of junk.  either way, its a HUGE blessing for us to receive it.

there are TONS of hotwheels, along with buildings & roads to build for them, various balls, a kite, a big box of legos ... lots of boy stuff.

it was really making me sad that the boys wouldn't have anything to open from us for Christmas.  I cried.  it was perfect timing.

God gets me.

that's perfect too.

getting over the blog hump

the most difficult thing to beginning anything, is having the correct mindset to do it. starting the biggest hump to get over ... and, what's the point of this blog if I don't post. right?

the problem is always, where to begin?
at the beginning?
hope you're not holding your breath ... that's not happening.
or maybe you're not doing that.

either way, here's the basics of my life since my last post -

* my first baby turned 6, which means my second baby is 2 1/2 now.
* I've signed up for a class and am excited to get back in the design world.
* I am in touch with someone who I thought was long lost from my past. thanks to facebook, it really is a small world!
* we're finding our homeschooling rhythm!
* and sadly, marriage problems are arising ... hey, I'm going to get some guts and finally begin to post about it. maybe it will help others? maybe not. maybe I'll just vent, but I promise to do it tastefully and not just bitch, k? I'm realizing because I'm such a "feeler," God uses things/people I care about the most to expose those feelings, right or wrong, good or bad ... which is why my marriage has been on such a roller coaster ride. a post within itself I suppose ... for another day.

and now you know my life is not all puppy dogs and rainbows.
consider yourself warned.

and [hopefully] I'll get into more detail about my list sooner than later ... because I'm sure you are all dying to know ... right?! :)

a clue

usually people struggle financially with school ... of course most of us do the college thing after the high school thing. not me of course. I went to high school, got married, then went to school, but then didn't finish because then I had babies ... sigh. I understand the method it's "suppose to be," ... but I believe in His plan, so I guess that doesn't matter, does it?

whenever it begins to matter in a young girls life, that's when I began struggling with what I am suppose to do. what do I want to be when I grow up? and since becoming a christian, the question becomes, what is my calling?

since I became a mommy before having to pick a career, I simply didn't have to and assumed that being a mommy was my calling. problem solved ... sort of.

since becoming a wife/mother, I've known that "my place" isn't always going to be in the home. when we had kids, we both agreed we didn't want a daycare to raise our kids. luckily, we've always had that option, and for that I am thankful. Sam is almost 6 ... so it's been 6 years now that I've been at home. coming from a life of working 2 jobs (at one time 3), and actually enjoying it, 6 years of not working at all outside the home has been, at times, difficult.

as I was working on my Avon stuff, I had a thought the other day about going back to school to become a licensed esthetician. now I honestly think the beauty industry is so full of deception, however, there is a side that is genuine, and that is the part that intrigues me. I like how a hair style and makeup is a way to express yourself, how clear skin boosts your self confidence, and the feeling your whole body can get from a single massage.

the school I want to attend is downtown and only take 7 months, but that's an hour drive each way and they require full time hours ... neither I can do right now. it was a big bummer. I don't think a door has ever closed so fast on me before.

ok God, I hear you.

and the waiting game continues ...

Hawaii tidbits

things I've learned this past month -

* do not shop at the local mom & pop shop on the corner. soooooo ridiculously expensive! so far, Costco is the best place; fairly close to what we were paying on the mainland. its probably about $1 more per item.

* a partly furnished place means it comes with a stove, fridge, and maybe a washer/dryer.

* a cottage is a free standing house and an ohana (Hawaiian for family) is an apartment attached to the main house. however an ohana isn't necessarily small, its just connected, so usually you'd be sharing a yard and parking.

* duplexes here are usually top and bottom, not side to side.

* not all, but MANY Hawaiians do not like white people, going back to how the US obtained HI in the first place. we are "howlies," a special name for white people like me, more like stupid white people. ha! basically the same as the spanish word "gringo." white people that don't know the language, the islands (geographically), and overall, just ignorant about the culture and history. I have just gotten "the looks," but last week, Matt was told he couldn't park in a particular spot because flat out, he's white.

* NEVER miss the opportunity to get a parking pass if you're in or around downtown. what a nightmare parking can be! also, if you don't know how to parallel park, like me, you will be forced to learn. it hasn't been fun.

* if you ever move out here, it is best to come with as little as possible. I'm now glad we couldn't afford a container to bring all our stuff; it would've been impossible.

* its too bad I don't like fish. you can fish for free here!

more to come, I'm sure.

I need a home

I love the idea of a blog, but I don't seem to be very good at it. since I seem to have a bit of a chaotic life, I have a difficult time keeping up with it in my own head, let alone here in blogland. I will try to get better, really I will ... I'm not even entirely sure who reads this anyway!

so do I play catch up? or just start from here?

here's the short of the long - we were in Maui for a month, then come to find out that Oahu is the best place to be for work, so here we are.

I got a new car (well, new to me car) that I love. it's a white VW Cabriolet convertible. its a chick car I realize, but I don't care, it's cute & fun! hubby was getting the motorcycle itch again (I figured it was coming back any day now) but this time, instead of a sport bike, he got an old man bike, a cruiser. with these 2 vehicles we only need 1 parking space, which is a really good thing for downtown Honolulu.

we're staying in a highrise condo vacation rental right now. it's ok. we're on the 35th floor, yikes! beautiful view of course, but I'm waaaaaay nervous about being on the lanai with the kids. we're in the process of finding a more permanent place, probably somewhere just outside downtown. our desire of having land and farming are on hold for awhile, which is a bummer because I was really looking forward to it.

... more Hawaii updates to come ...