Catch Up

I can't believe how much time has gone by since my last blog. So much has changed since August. Our close friends that we did everything with moved back to the states in September. It took some adjusting but we made it through the change. 

For Thanksgiving (my birthday), we had neighbors over for potluck. We had turkey, ham, and traditional sides. The usual, we ate too much and had turkey and ham leftovers forever.

My parents decided to come visit in December. We had a great time. The kids could not get enough of them. We had a busy first week with them seeing all the historical sites and the most picturesque spots. The second week was all about relaxing island style; beach and pool lounging. We were sad to see them leave right before Christmas. 

The kids started surf lessons recently and they are already progressing. Both kids have moved up to level 2 and are looking forward to competing in a surf contest in March.  Sienna and Nathaniel are super stoked and daddy is also having fun with them. 

We leave Monday for Chaing Mai, Thailand so another blog and pics to come soon.

Best Waves of the year!!!!!!!

Don't forget to check out videos of surfing
Click here to view videos

First day of school

 

Today, we dropped off our kids at their new school, Harvest Christian Academy. Sienna started kindergarten and Nathaniel started preschool. The kids and mommy were very nervous this morning. Sienna did such a great job going into her class and sitting at her desk. Mommy was holding back the tears. Nathaniel had a little harder time. He had the teacher come out because I didn't give him a hug and a kiss (I did, he just conveniently forgot). I gave him his kiss and off he went. The tears then started coming down when I saw his face. It didn't help that their was a kid nearby waling and holding on to his mom for dear life. 

Overall, the kids had a great first day. They had stories to tell and lots of treats from other classmates. 

Bali 2012

Wow, I was exhausted. Within a week of being back from Cali, we had our vacation to Bali. We arrived in Bali on July 15 and stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Nusa Dua. The hotel was amazing. Day 2, we had our driver take us to Kuda where Andrew surfed and the kids played on the beach. We drove the west coast of the Bukit Peninsula checking out all the surf spots for Andrew. At the end of the day, we arrived at Uluwatu Temple. We were warned about the monkeys that reside at the temple. We left all jewelry, glasses and anything else these monkeys could take in the car. Just inside the temple grounds, we watched another family feeding a couple of monkey. One of the monkeys got a little too close to Sienna and she motioned to kick the monkey. The monkey promptly stole her sandal and ran away. The temple staff showed us that you can trade the monkey food in return for the sandal back (in this case, we traded a banana). The sandal was a little chewed up. The whole experience traumatized Sienna and she did not want anything to do with monkeys for the rest of the trip. We stayed for the sunset which was really beautiful. 

Day 3, Daddy went surfing, the kids went to Camp Nusa and Momma went to the spa for a treatment. Most of our days for the rest of the trip were spent like this. Mommy got a lot of rest and relaxation over the 9 day trip.

Cali trip 2012

What a great trip we had. We arrived in Cali on May 24th. Everyone was surprised by our arrival. We didn't let anyone know we were coming until we were in Hawaii. We had a busy 6 weeks. Lots of visiting with friends, family and of course lots of visits to Disneyland. I stayed with my parents. The kids enjoyed playing with cousins on a regular basis.

Andrew joined us for a week in June. We had a great party for the kids and got to see the whole family. While on vacation, Nathaniel had another visit to the ER for stitches on his chin. It had only been 5 months when we took him for his forehead. I guess I have to prepare for many more. 

I spent a week in Redlands for a week of camp at out church. It was fun to see friends on a daily basis and to watch the kids reunite with their friends. They acted like they never left. We were hoping to spend the 4th of July with family but Andrew purchased our tickets for our flight home. I didn't think it was going to affect me to leave because I was missing Guam  and my hubby.  It was hard for me and the kids. Nathaniel and Sienna were crying in the airport because they didn't want to leave and that got me crying too. People thought that I was crazy or something. I was blessed to have a TSA worker help me get through security and helped me with my luggage all the way to the gate. Every time I felt overwhelmed, God put someone in my path to help. 

I finally arrived in Guam to a nice welcoming from my husband with a nice orchid plant and our friends the Stehpenson's

Mac flight home

On May 22, 2012, I went on my own adventure with the kids. We took off on a C17 military plane  from Guam to Honolulu. The flight was great. We left at midnight and we made beds on the floor and slept the whole way. Unfortunately,  we were unable to get a military connecting flight to the states so I had to purchase a commercial flight. Lugging the kids, a double Bob stroller, 1 large suitcase and 3 carry-ons was a big challenge. It took almost three days traveling but we made it.

Great Day

We had such a great day. Mommy and Daddy got to go on a early movie date and watch The Avengers (awesome movie) followed by a great lunch. We picked up the kids and headed to Gab Gab for another snorkeling date. The kids are getting more and more comfortable in the water. Just maybe by the time we leave we will all be scuba diving :)

A day at the park

Wow, we are tired. Sienna’s friend from school had a party at one of the local water parks. The kids had such a great time, but not as much as daddy did. They had a pretty cool wave pool. Every 1.5 hours they would adjust the settings to make a 1-2 foot surfable wave. The kids would line up as the staff would push them into the waves. Daddy set his alarm so we won’t miss a single session. They had so much fun and Andrew just loved watching them enjoy riding the waves. Daddy is already planning our next trip.