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I've been a bad blogger lately...

Maybe it's because our new fall schedule involves MOPS on Tuesday, Awana Cubbies on Wednesday, BSF on Thursday, and playgroup on Fridays?

How handsome is this boy in his Cubbies vest? I just love listening to him recite his verses!

Or maybe its because I've recently taken over as Nursery Coordinator at church, and Publicity Coordinator for MOPS?

Or maybe its because I'm still recovering from our church retreat 2 weekends ago. We had an amazing time of fellowship, teaching, and prayer at Camp Erdman on the North shore. It was the first time we had spent the night away from home IN Hawaii. We shared a cabin (or "cabinet" as Keaton called it) with the Heath family. My boys of course woke up before dawn, so we escaped to the beach to keep from waking anyone else. How cool to watch the sunrise on a completely empty beach with just our family!

Or maybe it's because we just recently completed our 4th and 5th visit from Flat Stanley...

more to come on this...

Or maybe its because we've all had colds, and last weekend Mark broke out in a mysterious rash all over his body? It was the weirdest thing... no fever, and it never even seemed to bother him. He just looked terrible!

poor little guy!

Or maybe its because we've been too busy driving over to Ko'olina to sneak into Aulani, the new Disney resort just to see what it was like. In typical Disney fashion, everything was spectacular.

Can I get a staycation please?

Or maybe its because I'm constantly trying to keep Mark from killing himself. Keaton was never a climber, so this is all new to me. We've had to rearrange Keaton's room to keep Mark from crawling out the window, as he has tried to do many times. Staying one step ahead of this boy is no easy task...

Yikes!

Or maybe it's just because I'm ashamedly addicted to Netflix streaming of The Hills? What it is about the drama filled life of these young socialites that is so fascinating to me? I'm 55 episodes in, and no end in sight. Please help me.

In any case, I'll try to do better at updating the ole blog for all of my faithful followers (all 3 of you)! :-)

Diaper Box

$38.00

228 diapers

Literally DAYS worth of entertainment

"I am the Keaton Robot"

Evening at the beach

On Sunday night, we picked up some "Old McDonalds" and enjoyed a picnic at Pyramid Rock beach on the Marine Corp base a few minutes from our house.

Sharing a french fry with brother. If you know my son,  you understand this is a big moment. 

The water was a too rough for swimming, but we got to watch some surfers catch some waves. 

The boys had a blast playing in (and eating, in Mark's case) the sand, and joyfully splashing in rising tide. 

love the farmers tan...

After 18 months of living here, I still get homesick for the mainland, especially after a long visit home. 

Nights like this make me realize how blessed we are to have this amazing experience in Hawaii, however long it lasts! 

3rd 1st Birthday Party

I think he is officially ONE now. We had to have one last party, so that Daddy could be there and we could celebrate with our friends in Hawaii! 

Keaton has been concerned about why Mark is getting so many birthday parties and he only got one. He's very busy planning his Batman birthday party for "April Tirdyith", which he must think is right around the corner. Overall, he has been a very proud big brother and an awesome sport about everything. 

He was "in charge" of the balloons today.   

He went straight for the candle. 

He is a pro at the cupcake-eating part by now. 

There wasn't a crumb left. 

Happy Birthday, Marky! I hope you feel "celebrated!"

One

Happy 1st Birthday, Mark! 

You have made me smile every day of your life. 

You love to laugh and make others laugh. 

You love to explore. 

You love trying new things.

You love to eat rocks, chalk, and other disgusting things.

You love birthday cake.

You surprise us everyday at how much you understand, and your vocabulary is getting bigger everyday. Right now your favorite words are: 

"Mama"

"Dada" 

"Ditty" (kitty)

You love all things electronic, especially remote controls and iPhones.

You love your family.

And we love you.

Back on the rock

Well, we made it back FINALLY. The much dreaded trip home was LONG and tiring, but it could have been much worse. God blessed us with a smooth flight, a row of 3 seats all to ourselves, and friendly neighbors and flight attendants who helped with Mark and Keaton during the long flight. Turns out that people are in a much better mood on their way TO Hawaii! By the end of the flight, my boys had made friends with almost everyone on board. At one point, a flight attendant stole Mark and took him up to first class for almost 10 minutes just to "show him off." 

Daddy was very happy to see us, and we were equally excited to see him. 5 weeks is a LONG time!

Our mainland tour (though stressful and exhausting at times) was 100% worth it. It was great spending quality time with family and reconnecting with friends. I think that we will treasure memories from this trip for a long time. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the tail end of our trip in Oklahoma. 

Mia's first leap into Grandma's pool after a day at school! Who says summer is over?

Sweet cousins! 

Mark didn't last long at the Drillers game, but we still had a great time! 

Nightly Gator ride

Making ice cream with Brumbra

Another birthday party! Much fun celebrating with family.

Riding the train at the Tulsa Zoo

New Vocab Word

 

My smart little pre-schooler invented a word this week.

Annogious: [uhn-AH-jee-uhs] adjective

Annogious is a cross between ANNOYING and OBNOXIOUS.

Example: 

 "Mama, I like Abby...

 but, Pepper and AJ are just too annogious!"

Try to use it in a sentence today.