At the beach...

I wanted to post some pictures of Chase and Greg catching some waves at Waikiki. Chase has a good time boogie boarding;) Greg was practicing with Chase to stand up for surfing. It's possible... a couple of weekends ago I saw a little boy in a swimming diaper surfing. It was awesome watching him because he was so little... it looked cute. Chase still has a way to go. I guess we should get a surfboard before we expect him to surf. Here he comes!!!Completion...he did it!!!Shave ice has been approved by the kids. They love it...during a hot afternoon.

Chase's 5th Birthday!!

Holy Molly...Chase is now 5! The morning of his birthday, Chase asked for a party with all his cousins. We reminded him that he had a party with them before we left CA. He remembered but really wanted to spend the day with them.

Greg and I decided to take the kids to north shore to search for some sea turtles. Driving down there Savvy said, "We're going to the North Shore to see Santa Claus." We all cracked up, even Savvy. I convinced her that we weren't seeing Santa because he lives where there's lots of snow.


There weren't turtles out;( so we headed up towards the Polynesian Culture Center. We picked up some sandwiches to have a picnic, headed back on the road, and drove to a beach we'd never seen before. It was perfect and just beautiful! Chase and Greg did some boogie boarding and snorkeling. Chase really enjoys snorkeling. I went for a walk with Savvy so I didn't get any pictures.

I made sure I got some pictures later in the day. Here is our five year old, Chase with Daddy;)
Chase digging into his cupcake;) We always do cupcakes for Chase instead of cake. We had to buy them this year so they weren't as good as they usually are.Chase picked to have cupcakes and American flag b-day candles.We headed back to town to get Chase's birthday present. He picked out a new video game for the Leap-frog he got for Christmas. Then we came back to the hotel room to get ready for dinner. Chase chose to have dinner at Chunk E Cheese. We weren't surprised. This made Greg a little sad because he is not a big fan and he was hoping for tacos. The birthday boy loved it though! Chunk E Cheese and some employees came out and sang happy birthday to Chase! That was cool and Chase loved it--but he didn't let any of them know it.Savvy loves the rides!Oh, Chase is ready for Kindergarten and is eager to learn Math and how to read. I hope as soon as we move into our house we can start hooked on phonics for him.Happy Birthday Chase we love you and are so happy you are in our life.

Love Mom

President's Weekend

Greg gets four days off this weekend for Presidents' Day so that means we get to go exploring different areas of the Island.

Yesterday morning we went back to Ko Olina where there are 4 really cool lagoons. I really like it because it's safe for the kids. Chase learned how to snorkel and swim here. While we were there we opened a coconut.

Last week Greg got two coconuts from a palm tree on the Windward side of the island. He worked really hard to open it for us. I took pictures of that but our memory card didn't save any of the pictures. Soo sad! Well, we opened the second coconut yesterday at Ko'olina and we all helped this time. All that we used was a rock and our hands. Greg loves pretending like he's Man vs. Wild out here! We all liked the coconut, except for Chase. It tasted "kind of too wierd" for him. We have found some really fun places for the kids to be kids. Here is Savvy at one of those places on the Leeward side of the Island. Savvy didn't really like the big waves here very much. Chase did.

Busy few days and some pictures

I wanted to post about what we've been up to here in Hawaii for the last 2 weeks. I feel like we have been here for months already because of all the running around that we have had to do. I know these things take time, but I'm so impatient I just want to get settled in already. Here are some of the things we've done.

1. We found a house in Makakilo. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I am really in love with the place! The yards are gorgeous and it has a beautiful view of the ocean. From the kitchen window you can see from Pearl Harbor all the way to Diamond head.

One of my concerns about the house was having to take care of all the flowers, plants, and trees, but no worries because once a month a gardener comes and takes care of it. That is a relief because I'm no gardener! And I think everything would die if I had to take care of it. Here is a picture of the front of the house. I will post more when we go back to furnish it up. We told the landlord we will be moving in on March 1st. I hope we are able to get it all furnished before we move in! We didn't take any furniture with us, so it's kind of crazy finding all the right stuff.

2. I am half way through with my pregnancy. All of the medical insurance has been transferred from California to Hawaii. I am starting to show a lot now. I will have to get some maternity clothes because I only packed my reg cloths. I forgot how fast I grow when I hit my 5th month.

3. Greg has completed all of his inprocessing oh and our car is now here.
There is still a lot to do, but I think we have done good so far.

4. Chase can swim. It's pretty awesome to see him swim like a little fish. I'll post more about that around next Monday for his Birthday!!

Next are just some fun pictures:)

Savvy is getting so BIG! She let me take her picture and even let me do her hair;) She wanted to get her picture taken with her new flower clip. She was being cute!

Here is a picture of Greg and Chase together that I just love because Chase is smiling and Greg's eyes are not closed;)

We made it safe!

I was very excited at LAX with Greg and the kids. We left home on Wednesday morning at 4:30am. I was excited that we were together and we were going on an adventure. Savannah was excited too. She was so excited that she wet her pants right before we checked in ... while I was carrying her!!! Luckily we hadn't checked our bags yet, so I could get clothes out for us. I ended up taking a shower and giving Savannah a bath in the LAX bathroom sink!

Our flight went well. All of us were excited to get to Hawaii, especially Chase. He was patient for the entire 6 hour flight. Savannah was excited but not patient! Good thing she slept on Greg's lap for the last 3 hours. They weren't scared on the flight at all, until Greg told them that they were going to jump out of the airplane with him. Savannah looked so scared! That's all you dad.

When we landed, Greg's friend Scott and Major Hall welcomed us to the island. They gave us beautiful flower leis. Being pregnant, I got emotional and almost started to cry. Greg was able to check-in to his base at the airport. They made hotel reservations for us and took care of us. We're staying in Honolulu.

The first day, after checking in to hotel, we went to Waikiki. It was really empty and the water was warm, calm, and clear. The kids jumped straight in.

Chase loves being buried up to his neck and then "Hulk smashing" his way out. Savannah loves burying him. Even after he smashes out!

We've been exploring the island, trying to figure out how to get around. We've learned some of it, but there is just so much! I didn't think the island would be this big. Chase didn't either. He told us, "I didn't think Hawaii was big like where we're from." Chase's only complaint after the first day was that "there aren't any stores in Hawaii. You know, like grocery stores." So the next day we took him to the army commissary on Greg's base.

Chase and Savannah love the water. Chase learned how to breathe with the snorkel that he got for his birthday. It is awesome watching him go underwater trying to find fish.

Yesterday morning the kids and I got to visit Greg's work. We got to meet everyone who will be working with him. Everyone was very welcoming, friendly, and helpful. First they had a potluck breakfast and after that Greg got promoted to Captain! They let me change his rank. That was special, and again being pregnant I got all emotional.

We even got to visit Greg's office. I will be decorating it:) I forgot to bring the camera. It was the nerves that made me forget it. I was so nervous to meet everyone in Greg's office, including his boss, and his boss's boss, and her boss. We felt like it was our first day of school!

We are still in a hotel. We are going to be in a hotel for as long as the kids can stand it while we look for a house. We've decided to buy something in the Ko olina/Kapolei area. Chase is like his dad because he doesn't like living in a hotel. Chase said, "I don't like living in a hotel because you have to be quiet!" Him and Savvy are doing such a good job being good though!

We are all a little homesick, especially Savannah. She said on Thursday as we were coming home from Turtle bay, "when are we going home?" We said, "to the Hotel?" And she said, "No. To our home, Mammy's home!" It was sad!

We got to web cam with Mammy and Grandpa last night and Savvy kept saying, "I love you, I love you, I love you!" It was good for the kids to see them, and Chase keeps saying that his cousins are going to move here soon. We hope he's right!

Hello 2010!

How has 2010 started for us? Well...Greg has been freezing in Georgia. Next week he will be completing his airborne training by JUMPING 5 times from an airplane. He's CRAZY!

Our plans to move in February have changed. We are now leaving on the 24th or 25th of January. Greg started Airborne training sooner than expected, so I have had to make the moving arrangements. It has been a busy, busy week. I drove out to Camp Pendleton to get started with the moving process. Yesterday, dad and I drove out to LA to have our car shipped out to Hawaii. There have been a lot of things that I have had to organize for the move. I am grateful that I have felt well enough with this pregnancy to do them. I have my days though but they are not too bad. I can't wait to be a family again next weekend:) Good luck Greg! Don't look down, and come home safe!!!!

baby update...

Yesterday I had a doctor appointment. My doctor is awesome. She went over the ultrasound that I did on the 18th. That appointment first was schedule for the 10th but I had to reschedule. It was great that I had to because Greg came home the day before and he was able to come with me. It was amazing that although I was only 13 weeks along, our baby was already formed. I asked the technician if she could see whether it is a boy or girl. She said it looks like a boy.

I was surprised when my doctor said I am now 15 weeks! This pregnancy is going fast. Since Greg has been home I have been thinking more about the baby and feels more real that we are going to be parents to another child. The kids are super excited. Chase is sweet he kisses my belly and always tells me he loves the baby. He also gives me lots of hugs. He says, "Mom I can't wait for our baby to come."

Savannah is a doll. She also kisses my belly and tells me "I love my baby" while rubbing my belly. They came to the appointment really excited, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat really clearly. This was the first time that I could actually recognize the baby's heartbeat. In my previous pregnancies I couldn't tell if it was my heartbeat or the baby's. But my new doctor helped me hear it with this one. She's so great!

After the appointment we went to Los Angeles to visit my Grandma. She's visiting from Sacramento. It was a blessing she came because I wanted to see her before our move. Since Nov. I have been trying to figure out how I was going to get to Sacrament to visit with her. I hadn't seen her in 2 years. Right now she is recovering from an open heart surgery done in September. I got to see her on Sunday and yesterday with Greg and the kids. I am very happy I got to say good-bye and I hope and pray she recovers. I hope to see her again. The kids with their great-grandma:My visit with her on sunday with my parents and siblings. Here is my dad with his mother and me.