So here's the thing. They say that Instagram has killed blogging. And that may be true. But for me the problem is a bit more broader. It isn't just the ease and efficiency of posting quick stories on Instagram that makes it more and more difficult to sit and write a lengthy blog post, but just the camera-phone itself. I take soooo many pictures with my phone because it's always there and at-the-ready. Actually typing up a blog post is kinda easy (mainly because I just ramble and don't think too much about what I want to say), but the hard work is sifting through all my photos, deleting the poor ones, and deciding which of the other ones I want to upload and add to the blog. A task only made more difficult by interrupting children and technological glitches.
But God bless the camera phone because I don't generally drag the big camera to Cub Scouts meetings and without it I would have missed this capture!
I should also add here that my faithful DSLR has been suffering some serious neglect since we arrived in Hawaii. Not just because it's inconvenient. But between the wind and rain and sand ... I hardly bring it out of the house anymore. So family, if you're looking for a Christmas gift idea, perhaps a rainproof/windproof/sandproof camera bag would be a good idea.
We returned the car we were borrowing from one of Jon's co-workers. The kids said they lived at the end of the rainbow.
Evening beach jaunts--how I keep my sanity when Jon is traveling.
But all image-capturing dilemmas aside, there's one other roadblock to my wordsmithing and that would be reading. I try to read in seasons, because I know how easily I can allow a book to consume me. But it's also nice to have something relaxing to do in the evenings before bed. So, knowing Jon would be traveling this week, I purposely chose to re-read (for the third time) a book that I knew would be entertaining, but that I figured I could also easily put down and thus not interfere with the rest of my life.
So I pulled out the "Mark of the Lion" series and well, oops. Despite having read it twice before (I think before I was married), it's still just as good as ever. So sorry blog, but I was momentarily transported from the sandy beaches of Hawaii to the sandy arenas in Rome and Ephesus. And also, if you haven't read the books before, I highly recommend them.
So here we are, 6 weeks after move-in date and I'm trying hard to remember what it was like to live in this house after the crates arrived.
Needless to say, it is overwhelming.
But I'm getting better! This is only our fourth military move (and that includes the DIY move we did a few blocks away in Virginia Beach.) So we're not exactly the most seasoned military family. But we've done it enough to know what to expect.
We expect the house to be a disaster for a while. We expect a few things to end up broken. We expect to go through a period of time where it feels like not everything will fit and it will never feel like home. We expect to get rid of some things. We expect to still have to buy some things. And we expect the whole "settling" process to take some time.
Therefore, the entire move was as we expected. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that despite all of the above, the move was, in general, quite smooth.
My mom made her famous Chex Mix for Jon and I the week we were moving out of the Maryland house. Days later, after we were back in PA preparing to fly to Hawaii, we realized we hadn't seen the Chex Mix container in a while. Lo and behold, it turned up in a box of kitchen towels here in Hawaii! (And surprisingly just as fresh and tasty as always!)
It's always nice when dolls and doll clothes are one of the first things to be unpacked!
We've heard all the horror stories--stuff getting stolen, boxes or large items getting mixed up and delivered to the wrong state/family, whole crates getting "lost" and never to be found again, water gushing out of crates once they're cracked open... I was bracing myself for the worst. But everything arrived at once.
Well I should say, everything we intended to arrive. (There are a few items that intentionally never made it onto the truck but that our kids think got dropped in the ocean or something.) We ended up with a few broken items--a glass bottle Jon used to collect change, our two model ships that were packed by themselves in a box labeled "fragile" but then somehow ended up under Jon's kettleball.
The girls' yard sale play kitchen got damaged while being packed, so we knew before we left the mainland. It's currently functioning with a healthy amount of duck tape. But I think the biggest disappointment was the couch. It arrived just fine, was carried into the living room and then (apparently) "roughly" set down. The back support snapped and is now protruding out through the fabric. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't directly facing the front door. In fact, it rather conveniently acts as a door stop.
Other than the fact that it looks bad and could be potentially harmful to small children, the couch still functions normally. So we're just deciding if we want to replace it, and therefore invest in new furniture while living in an area of unkind elements. Or just deal with it for the next 4 years. Jury is still out.
Anyhoo, back to living in a house of box towers. So we always choose to unpack ourselves. One time we let the movers unpack for us, and it was nice to have everything out and all the boxes and paper taken away at once. But I personally found it more distressing to have all our stuff just lying around waiting to be put in its proper place. And I can only imagine how having four kids would exacerbate that feeling. So we systematically unpack as we go ... and I always start with the kitchen.
It's rather nice that our current kitchen has a very similar layout to our previous one. So I kept most of the cupboards the same. The biggest difference is I don't have a pantry here, but I do have additional cabinet space. And of course, some cabinets are bigger than their predecessors and others are smaller. So it's a bit like solving a puzzle. I finally got everything put away in its proper place ... and then discovered an entire lazy susan cabinet that was completely empty. So I'm sure there'll be some re-working in the future.
We're just re-discovering all our forgotten toys and furniture!
Moving helps you discover your vices. I learned that mine are dishes. I had thought I'd leave behind my blue and white china, milk glass vases, and blue glass. But we ran out of time (and room) to take things to our parents' for storage. So we brought them all along. And then they stayed in boxes for a few weeks until I could figure out what to do with them. Because this is what happens when you move out of a house with window sills, a mantel, and built-ins into a house with nothing.
Jon's vices are books and Coast Guard paraphernalia. I'm sure you're surprised. You'd think that books would be my problem. I put most of mine in storage and only brought the ones that I thought I'd want to read or reference over the next four years. Jon put a few of his in storage and then brought boxes and boxes of the rest. Apparently he's planning to do a lot of research on politics and the middle east while we're here. Hmmm.
That black and white blur in the top right corner is a bird. And this is not the first (or second) time we've had a bird in the house. Too many doors + too many children.
And then there's all that nautical tchotchke we've collected over the last few years. You all know what happened to the model ships. And a number of other things got taken to Jon's work because (yay!) he actually has a real office now. He then went out to Target and bought two bookcases and that simultaneously provided book storage plus a shelf for glass. And also a cupboard for my office stuff--because I no longer have a desk area.
In fact, storage has been going so well that we actually have a few empty areas--like a cabinet in the office, drawers in the guest room, and baskets in the living room. Not that we need any more stuff, but it's nice to know we still have room to grow!
Not pictured: me washing the car while she sat and watched.
We pretty much got everything unpacked within a few days. And it only took another week or two to finish off the final boxes of all that stuff I just mentioned. The only thing left to do at this point is hang stuff on the wall. Normally we try to knock this out right away, but we've been faced with two challenges this month. First, Jon (the official wall-hanger/hammer-wielder) has been on two separate trips and hasn't had much time to help around the house. And second, these cement block walls. While I feel quite safe during hurricane season, I'm none too pleased that we can't just drive a nail into our walls. I'm a firm believer in finding a way around anything, so until we figure out that route, most of our walls remain blank and most of our guest room is just piles of wall art.
(And before you mention Command hooks, we do have some, and they "may" work. But I'm afraid to trust them with breakable items because we have textured walls + an insane amount of humidity.)
Other than the kitchen, I think the only room that is officially complete is the boys' room. And I haven't taken a picture of it yet because it's always a mess. Okay, not always. We make them clean it up, but it never stays that way long enough for me to take a photo.
Those Hawaii rain showers.
Oh, and the patio. You guys, if a patio could gross you out it was this one. It smelled like a fish tank, because there was literally algae growing on the cement. And then there was all the hidden rusty staples that my girls' toes found our first week. Also, it isn't covered. An uncovered patio in rainy Hawaii isn't much fun. The rainstorms are usually quick, but then all your outdoor furniture is wet. But I am happy to says we have transformed the space completely, and it all started with a power washer. More pictures to come when the entire house is clean and I get the big camera out.
Sneak peak of patio improvements. Make me gag!
We're trying our hand at gardening ... again.
But enough about the house already. The moving truck arrival was the start of a new season for us ... and a busy one at that! Three days after move-in, we celebrated the Coast Guard's Birthday on base. Here's the thing you guys. Hawaii has some amazing beaches and weather and mountains and hikes and views. But you know what just might be my very favorite thing about this duty station? The people. Everyone we've met here is so kind and so generous. Community is very, very strong here in the Aloha State. For the first time ever, we actually have a lot of Coast Guard friends (and neighbors!) And lots of military friends in general. And we have school friends and MOPS friends and we're working on church friends... There is so much to do here and there are so many people to do it with--I think that's what makes Hawaii so special.
Rock climbing wall at the Coast Guard Base.
She made it like 3 feet.
A water slide that ended in a literal mud bath. This was their favorite activity, obvs.
And speaking of things to do, our first weekend with our stuff was also our last weekend before school started. It was hard, but we purposely walked away from all the boxes and tasks to do something fun as a family. Our original plan was to hike the Pillboxes but it had just rained recently and after passing several people, covered in mud, suggesting we turn back ... we did just that. (Jon and the boys have since done the hike and I'm a tad envious of their experience!!)
Not a bad family trail. Uphill the entire time, but at least it was all paved!
Instead we drove a little bit further down the coast to visit the Mokapu'u Lighthouse. It was an easy walk (although entirely uphill) and had gorgeous views. The kids did fairly well (Joci was on Jon's back and Julia ended up in my arms for 2/3s of the way back down.) And it afforded us a few good hours of family time.
After climbing that tall mountain, the little lighthouse was a tad anti-climactic.
Monday was a big day because it was the first day of school! Yes, we started on August 1st this year. It's a little strange, starting school in the middle of summer. But it's kinda summer all the time here. And I was very thankful this year to get started on our fall routine a little early after months of living in limbo.
When I ask Jude for a picture, he stands very still and smiles for a photo.
When I ask Jack for a picture, he runs away.
And then I have to be all sneaky with the camera and this is the best I can get.
I don't even ask Julia for a picture, she asks me. Girlfriend, it's not even your first day of school.
The boys LOVE school. Heck, I love this school. I mean, it's cute enough to be in a movie. And both boys are doing well so far!
There are rainbows over the school parking lot, the principal stands outside to greet the parents every morning, the 6th graders do the Whip/Nae Nae as they direct traffic, and unicorns play out back during recess. (Okay, so that last one may be a slight exaggeration.)
Our biggest adjustment is homework, specially 2nd grade homework. Some evenings it seems like a lot. But maybe that's just because trying to tag team homework between two boys, during dinner prep and the witching hour, IS a lot. But it does get done. Because when everything is done and I sign off on Jack's agenda, he gets to "clip up." And Jack is all about the "clipping up" and earning gems and getting to pick out an extremely fragile piece of junk from the "treasure box."
That's not a cage, that's a gate to keep the unicorns in.
Here's a picture of Jack [not allowing me to take a picture] standing by his desk!
Unfortunately, during our second week of school "island fever" hit the family. I just made that name up. But there's something not entirely right about being sick, in August, while living in paradise. Or missing school the second week, for that matter. And as illness usually works in our family, the children fell like dominoes.
Just enough energy to shuffle Legos around on the couch.
A week after recovery from that pretty terrible stomach flu, she got hit with a new kinda flu.
Medical staff love when I walk into their offices with all my children.
We stumbled upon a free carnival after leaving the doctor's office and suddenly everyone forgot they were supposed to be sick!
Because what appeared to be a 48 hour fever for each kid, ended up being nearly two weeks of "being down" as a family. I'd say it was annoying because we couldn't really do anything or go anywhere. But I still didn't have my car at this point. So we weren't do things and going places anyway.
Grocery run sans vehicle. We have to save money on gas so we can afford $7 boxes of cereal.
In fact, it all felt very appropriate. We were officially settling in now. We had all our stuff. We all built up our immunity at once. And our minivan was supposedly making it's way west FOR REAL THIS TIME. Yes, it's all starting to feel a bit more like home.
We ended up "hamping out" for 25 days. It actually went better than I originally thought, but was still very challenging. Even more of a predicament than living in an empty house, was living without a second vehicle. We're still not exactly sure what happened, but apparently the company we used to ship our minivan out to the island held onto it for a month before sending it to California. So what should have only been a 29 day process, has now turned into two months and counting.
But for that first weekend, while Jon was off of work, we were able to settle into our new town and start exploring all this side of the island has to offer!
The boys have picked up boogie boarding like they picked up bike riding!
We moved into our house on July 1, the start of the 3-day holiday weekend. So naturally, we were excited to be out of the city in time to celebrate the birth of our nation in small-town style.
We weren't quite sure what to expect, especially when considering this was our first Independence Day NOT in one of the 13 original colonies. But for the most part, it reminded us of 4th of July parades back in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The biggest differences were that instead of waving, the Hawaiians do the shaka. And although we got some candy, we also got a LOT of seasoned dried seaweed. And no one in the J Crew was a fan.
The tree house at our friends air bnb place!
But then the holiday ended, Jon went back to work, and I was stuck in an empty house with 4 kids, no car, and days upon days on end. It was a little bit of a "thorn in the flesh" type of experience.
For the most part, the kids did quite well. I'm amazed at how much fun we were able to squeeze into those small carry-on backpacks ... and how long the fun lasted! It was also a good opportunity to get creative with building habitats for tiny plastic sea animals and army men.
Food Trucks are a big thing around here--they've even influenced Jack's Lego building!
Why yes I packed hillbilly teeth in the kids' carry-ons.
Having the bikes around was a huge blessing as well! And we were able to dig up enough things around the house to build bike ramps and create obstacle courses.
We certainly had our share of behavior issues, but I'm still trying to decide if it was the stress of moving or just the shift of having all four of my kids home all day for summer break. Either way, we've had some long, tough days. And it wasn't just the kids. I had a difficult time adjusting as well.
But I also learned a lot about myself during these past two months. For instance, I had become entirely too dependent on Target runs and Chick-Fil-A stops. Or maybe just the whole idea of "getting out of the house" in general. I'd gotten really sloppy with planning and errands, because it was just too easy to "run out" and grab something when I needed to. But even more than that, when the kids were driving me crazy and I couldn't get away, at least I could get everyone away. I could meander the kids down the Target Lego aisle while sipping my Starbucks. I could let them run loose at the Farm Park while I allowed myself to complete a thought or two on the bench. I could give myself a day off of dinner and dishes if we hit up CFA (because they're just soooo nice there, it has to make up for the unhealthy aspect!!)
And suddenly I don't have that anymore and all that's left is just me--this mess of a mom who desperately needs Jesus each and every day because I.just.can't on my own. And so when people asked me how we were doing, I'd just say it's hard but good. Hard, because I realized there were too many things in my life ("good, but limited things," as our pastor here would say) that I'd allowed to become anchors. And good, because it showed me that hope in Jesus is the only anchor I need. And so while I'm thankful to have had this wonderful experience of "hamping." I won't be sad to see it end!
This is our new church. We talk about anchors a lot because, well, that's it's name.
One particular frustration for me to deal with was living so close to so much, and not being able to enjoy it. Once Jon started his new job he immediately jumped into working long hours and getting into a good working groove. Most days, he's up at 5am to hit the gym before work. And then not leaving the city until well after 6:00--getting home in just enough time to kiss the kids goodnight. So we not only had to adjust to not having a vehicle for the majority of the day, but also not having a second adult around.
We made up lots of fun with whatever we could find!
My birthday gift--a hammock chair for reading and all around not-being-disturbed! It hasn't worked yet.
One day I was sitting at breakfast, literally watching my tan fade away, and decided that was it. We weren't going to spend another minute circling bikes in the driveway when the beach was so close you could almost hear it. (Okay, not quite that close.) I mapped it and, according to my phone, the closest beach access was .6 miles away, or a 20 minute walk. Except I forgot to tell my phone that the walking would be done by 4 kids ages 7 and under. But hey, even if we doubled that time (and we sure did!) we at least would be relaxing by the ocean.
So we set out on an adventure and started out strong--so strong! Everybody had a backpack to carry our lunches, towels, and beach toys. Of course, the boys insisted on bringing boogie boards, despite my protests. And both discovered their hands could no longer carry them about halfway there. And then Joci's legs just stopped working, like they usually do when things get too tough.
But then we arrived and it was just beautiful! And so empty. We practically had the beach to ourselves! And then the first child started screaming. Because apparently, when it's especially windy (like it had been the first two weeks we lived in our house) the Man 'o Wars come in. I didn't even know what these things were. We're used to jellyfish in the Atlantic. But these guys are little and dark and I don't even know how you'd see them in the water. Obviously. Because throughout the course of our beach day, 3 out of 4 of my kids got stung both in the water and on the beach. Jude actually still had one attached to his leg when he ran up to me and I had to pry it off. So fun!!
So note to self, when our stuff finally arrives and I have an actual beach bag, keep some vinegar in it for the Man 'o Wars. Hawaii has a learning curve.
One of the tricks with having so many kids is remembering to take care of yourself. I know "self care" is a big buzzword these days and usually involves lots of chatter about mommy pedicures and overnight hotel retreats. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about making sure each and every one of your children is fed ... and then realizing 3 hours later that you never fed yourself. Or, as in this case, lovingly applying sunscreen on all your offspring, only to arrive at the beach and discover you forgot to bring some for yourself. You know, basic mommy survival skills.
So we spent the whole day at the beach until everyone agreed they were ready to go, and then began the long trek back. The long trek made even longer but four small and tired children. Joci's legs stopped working before we even made it to the beach path. So I ended up carrying my toddler, the boogie boards, and the beach bag over my sunburnt shoulders the entire .6-but-felt-like-no-point-6 miles back. We made it. But let's just say mama has not attempted to walk to the beach with the kids since.
Another challenge I wasn't anticipating is that during these first few weeks of settling in (actually, make that months now) we spend so much time working on house projects and running errands for stuff we need, that we have no time for exploring the island. Everyone keeps reminding me that we have four years to get to know Hawaii better. But it's just a tad disheartening to know that most people accomplish more in their one week of vacation than we have in our nearly-2-months of living here.
Lanikai Beach with the Mokulua Islands in the background. Everyone tells me we have to watch the full moon rise between the Mokes, so it's now on the Hawaii bucket list!
So we've made it a point to put down the housework, step away from the tools, or put off the laundry a few hours longer and do something fun as a family on Sundays.
Rain or shine (or even super-windy before a tropical storm) we've been at the beach at least every weekend!
Bellows Beach--the other side of the Mokes!
They call this "the pool." It's funny how much they appreciate dirty back-water simply because they can stand in it and there are no waves.
After about 3 weeks of hamping, one of Jon's co-workers loaned us his third vehicle. It didn't have AC or carseats, and we couldn't drive it on base, but at least we had it around when we were in a pinch. I was excited to finally have the freedom to explore more and get out of the house with the kids. And then "Paradise Fever" hit the family. And we were right back to being stuck in the house.
But first, I need to go back. It was our little Jocelyn's third birthday on July 21st and I kinda forgot. Or not so much forgot, but just did not realize, it was coming up. When you live without a calendar and you have no commitments because you have no car, time just sorta runs together. So I kept telling myself I had time, because her birthday was at the end of the month. And the next thing I know, it's her birthday week and I have NOTHING planned. And no Marmie to bake a cake to bail us out.
You guys, she's such a fiery little thing and I hate that she just keeps growing up!
I have no idea how or why, but she suddenly went from requesting a "Paw Patrol AND Frozen" cake for the last 4 months to simply wanting a "Hawaii flower," Yaaas! I can do that. So the Fantastic Four and I walked to the grocery store and spent a small fortune on birthday cake supplies. And in case you think I'm exaggerating about the local grocery store (me, exaggerate??), I snapped this picture of proof of the "Everyday!" low price on Life cereal.
So in going along with the our summer theme of "work with what you have," I made a flower birthday cake using a glass casserole dish and red serving platter, both on loan from our friend Cara. Only the best for our Omega Baby!
I actually had a whole list of birthday gift ideas on Amazon, but since I forgot about her birthday until a few days before, there wasn't time to order. So I made a late night trip to Target 15 minutes before they closed and grabbed a few junky toys off the clearance rack. I hated spending money on toys knowing that it wouldn't be long 'til she'd be reunited with all her fun stuff again. But the poor girl just HAD to open SOMETHING!
To make it up to her, we announced that we'd be taking the whole family to Sea Life Park for our fun experience that weekend. Cheers all around! Joci had requested to swim with the dolphins for her special treat, but after checking out the prices, we had to gently break the news that she just wasn't that special. It didn't really matter much anyway because by the time we pulled into the park, she was getting super-duper whiny.
She kept crying about being hungry. So we bought her a very cute and very expensive lunch and she refused to touch it. By now, I was getting annoyed. And when she practically ruined the dolphin show for me with all her moaning and fussing, I was kinda over it.
We made it through the rest of the park. And at least the other 75% of our kids seemed to have a fun time.
But after spending the final hour holding a screaming, crying baby, we decided it was time to head home. So we started walking towards the exit ... and that's when she threw-up on me. And not just ON me. Like, after it happened, I thought, "Phew, that's not so bad." And then I looked down into my shirt. Oh, there it is. Puddling in my bra. Try cleaning that out in a public restroom. We scratched our plans to visit a lighthouse and drove straight home.
And since this was hamping in a totally non-glamorous way, we used beach buckets for barfing and beach towels to ward off chills. Poor thing didn't even have a couch to sit on, so I ended up moving my air mattress out to the living room so I could keep an eye on her. And then this went on for days.
She wanted to help me label all the school supplies.
I thought this was just some 24-hour stomach bug. Oh no. By the fourth day, she had hardly eaten a thing, had kept down nothing, and hadn't urinated since early that morning. By the time I called the clinic they were closed. So they referred us to the Army hospital ER. But we had to wait until Jon got home since he had the car. (Also, he's our designated ER attendee.)
It was after 6pm by the time they left and after midnight by the time they returned. But thankfully they let her come home, because apparently they had discussed keeping her overnight. She was so dehydrated they had a lot of difficulty accessing her vein, which I'm sure was a traumatic event. And then they filled her up with two bags of IV fluids.
Of course, if you ask Joci about all this, she'll just tell you about "my pink hospital" (yes, the Army hospital is actually pink) and "my purple popsicle." And now all the kids are jealous and looking for an excuse to visit the "pink hospital" themselves.
My now 3YO baby slept with me that night. We cuddled up together on the single air mattress, and it didn't even matter. Because I knew that it was our last night on the air mattress. Assuming all went as planned, Tuesday was the day our household goods were arriving. My little girl was on the mend, my husband was about to have an actual day off of work, and in less than 24 hours, I'd be sleeping in my very own bed for the first time in 43 days--hooray!
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