Cousins! Grandparents!

We arrived in Illinois an exhausted heap of a circus. Everyone held up admirably, but by the time we pulled into the driveway at Aunt Margaret and Uncle Craig's house, everyone was very, very tired. I kept having to ask Jim, "Wait. What time is it again? And so, what time does that feel like to me? In Hawaii? In California? Wait. What time is it here?" Obviously, Mama is a delightful, if somewhat forgetful, traveling companion.

With a good night's sleep, though, we were ready to go. Kathleen couldn't get enough of being with her cousins Matt, Ali, and Lizzie. Shy at first, she was soon racing around the house and bossing them around. "Let's go play outside!" she'd chirp, and the whole group (God bless them!) would troop outdoors. If someone would call for one of her cousins, she'd chime in immediately. "Matt! Come down here!" she'd yell, or "Ali! Where are you?" We're not exactly sure who made Kathleen boss of people larger than she is, but it's a role she assumed with no external prompting, and of which her cousins were remarkably tolerant. They played with both Kathleen and Madeline at the pool (if Kathleen hadn't already been head-over-heels in love with her cousins, that trip alone could have bought her affection) and at the park and around the house. Both girls really do adore their cousins.

It's not that Madeline didn't want to sit with her cousins, it's that she didn't want to sit. Madeline's not much for sitting still. Why sit when you can run?

Ali, Lizzie, Kathleen, and Madeline. What pretty girls!

Lizzie did great work watching Madeline at the park. Watching Madeline is a challenge because she likes to eat things. Those wood chips? She thought they were lunch! Fortunately, Lizzie is quick and Madeline survived.

We stayed at Aunt Margaret and Uncle Craig's house for almost a week, but we didn't get to spend all that time with them. Marg, Craig and the kids had to leave partway through our visit to so that Ali could compete in the Illinois State Fair (she'd sewn a gorgeous little outfit for Kathleen) and then they could sneak in a bit of a vacation before school and football started. They very generously allowed us the run of their house, though, and that worked out great... because they live just blocks from the girls' grandparents! So, we got extra time to visit with Jim's mom and dad.

They were marvelously understanding about our child-centered schedule, and made every effort to meet with us around naptimes. We enjoyed many lovely meals together -- some at their house, some at Marg and Craig's house, and some at restaurants. Grandpa even made it a point to stop by the house in the morning when we'd be around (usually because Madeline was napping), so that he could play with Kathleen (and Madeline, when she was awake).

Kathleen introduces Grandpa to her cousins' Polly Pockets dolls, while Madeline tries to eat their tiny plastic shoes.

The week flew by in a flurry of cousins and grandparents and fun. We managed to spend time with family, watch some Olympics, and rest up from our crazy travels. It was glorious time to be in the country -- the soybeans and the corn all look amazing. (I discovered a love of running country roads. Honestly, I thought that nothing could beat running in Hawaii. But running in the morning mist through the fields of corn and beans, past tidy farmhouses and barns. Just beautiful. Different, but truly beautiful.) We even took a morning to spend at an orchard. And we spent several afternoons at the park -- more on that later.

Olympic Moments

We missed the Olympic opening ceremonies as we were flying to the mainland. But we made up for lost time once we stopped flying around. Like the rest of America, we watched a lot of Olympic coverage. In fact, Kathleen quickly learned to identify the Olympics. Well, at least she knew that if we turned on the television and people were swimming or doing gymnastics, that was 'Lympics!

One evening our circus was watching the Olympics in Kathleen's cousins' basement. Madeline was already sleeping and Mama, Daddy, and Kathleen were -- strangely enough -- the only ones around. We'd taught Kathleen to cheer "U-S-A, U-S-A" and we got quite a kick out of watching her shake her little fists as she cheered. Shortly after that the coverage switched to women's gymnastics. Kathleen saw the footage of Shawn Johnson flying through the air and cried, "'Nastics! I can do 'nastics!"

She started jumping around the basement. She looked up as Shawn Johnson did a back flip. Without hesitating, she imitated the Olympian, landing squarely on her back on the carpet. Although Mama and Daddy were aghast, Kathleen seemed unfased. Once we determined that she was okay, we laughed until we cried.

Having watched the closing ceremonies this evening, we're relieved to report that our circus sustained no Olympics-related injuries this year!

The Circus Goes Flying

We left Hawaii in the early afternoon (not before Mama squeezed in one last morning run through Waikiki and up along the road to Diamond Head -- just gorgeous!) to fly to California. Since the Army had purchased our tickets, each and every one of us had a seat. The three-across-the-middle seating meant that we couldn't all sit together. Madeline and Mama sat directly in front of Daddy and Kathleen. We'd have preferred to be all together, but two and two seemed okay. Of course, as it turned out, Madeline wasn't interested in sitting in her own seat. We snapped one photo of her ensconced in her carseat.


At that point we honestly thought that between the treat of a bottle (she's recently decided she prefers them to, well, Mama) and the hum of the plane, she'd be sweetly sleeping in no time. However, by midway through the flight attendants' safety brief, Madeline had made clear to every passenger on the plane that she wasn't happy with the seating arrangements. She spent the rest of the flight on Mama's lap. Or toddling down the aisle, with Mama right behind her.

While Mama chased Madeline, Daddy kept Kathleen company. They were prepared for any eventuality.

Kathleen couldn't have been more excited about being on an air-po-plane. As we took off she cried out, "We're flying!"

Aside from Madeline's very loud objections to being in her carseat (it may have had something to do with being able to see Mama -- that doesn't happen in the car!), the girls were pretty well behaved. They napped a bit, and played a bit. They snacked a bit. Kathleen watched the miracle known as a portable DVD player while Madeline cruised the aisles, making friends. And then, just when we thought it couldn't be any longer, we arrived. As we landed, Kathleen yelled, "We did it!" Mama and Daddy were thinking the same thing!

But having survived the flight across the Pacific, our travels were only just beginning. We rented a car and drove to Nan and Grandpa's house. (We pulled up to see a Nissan Versa parked near Nan and Grandpa's. Kathleen looked out her window and said, "Our car! In Calibornia!" We had to explain that it was a car that looked like our car, but wasn't our car. Poor kid.) Kathleen and Madeline were delighted to be at their grandparents' and made themselves right at home, testing out all the toys in the sunroom. We all collapsed into bed around midnight.

The next morning we had an early breakfast and more toy-playing before we headed to the airport again. We left before noon for Illinois. Mama and Daddy weren't the only ones less than enthusiastic about another long flight. Kathleen cried when we told her we'd be leaving Nan and Grandpa's, although her tears dried in record time when we mentioned the magic word: cousins. Visiting cousins made it all okay!

Since we bought our own tickets to Illinois, we only had three seats for the four of us. Surprisingly, that worked out even better than four seats. Madeline was happier to sit on our laps since there was more room for her to play with in our row -- and since she got to watch Kathleen, which is about her favorite activity in the world. Somehow the flight passed and we (and all our luggage -- what a blessing!) arrived in Illinois. We collected our things and the car that had generously been left for us (thanks, Stewarts!) and before we knew it, we were on the road, headed towards cousins!

Hanging Out at the Hale Koa

We spent our last two nights on Oahu at the Hale Koa, the military resort on Waikiki Beach. It was the perfect way to end our time on the island. As with most things, Mama and the girls got to have more fun than Daddy did. While Daddy finished up at Scofield, making his final out-processing appointment and finishing up other loose ends, we girls spent all day in the sun and water, stopping only for meals and, of course, naps.

Kathleen couldn’t get enough of the kiddie pool. We spent all morning in it. Madeline loved it, too. She’d start in the pool, then climb up the steps and toddle around the deck until I chased her down and brought her back into the water. Eventually all that splashing and toddling caught up with her, and Madeline spent an hour and a half napping in the stroller. While Madeline slept, Kathleen got some special one-on-one time. After some more time in the kiddie pool, she was able to go swimming in the “deep deep pool,” which just isn’t manageable with both girls. When we’d had enough water, we took a walk down to the Hilton Hawaiian Village to visit the penguins, turtles, and flamingoes that live there. (Kathleen calls that stretch of Waikiki the “animal beach” because of the animals at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.) We managed to arrive while a penguin (with her handler) was available for photographs. Our camera still broken, I made do and snapped a picture with my cell phone…

We don’t have many photographs from our stay. There were so many things I’d hoped to capture in a frame before we left – stacks of surfboards, the sunset on the ocean, the ribbon of foam the surf leaves along the sand, my girls dancing along the water’s edge, the way the morning sun plays on the mountains’ ridges. The broken camera foiled my plans. Any number of times I thought, “Oh! I wish I could get a picture of that!” But in some ways, not having the camera freed me up to truly enjoy our time. I watched with my own eyes instead of the camera’s viewfinder. And I didn’t have to worry about getting the camera wet, so I spent even more time in the water than I normally do!

Daddy got back from Schofield while the girls were napping. He came bearing a gift: a new camera! When the girls awoke, we headed back to the kiddie pool. We all swam and splashed. And Mama even snapped a few (but only a few) photos.

We played in the water for as long as we possibly could. We then enjoyed a tasty dinner at a casual beachfront cafe before bedtime. While the girls slept, Mama and Daddy sat on the balcony, watching the water and talking about all the blessings we've enjoyed in Hawaii -- our friends and work and homes and the natural beauty that constantly surrounded us. There's much we'll miss. And yet we are confident that God is leading us in this next chapter of our lives, and we're excited for all that awaits us. Well, we were excited about most everything -- just not as excited about the prospect of the plane flights that awaited us the next day!

Packing Out

I do have photos for this post, but they’re stuck on that old memory card. I’ll update when I can figure out how to get those pictures!

The movers arrived bright and early on a Tuesday morning. The early of “bright and early” seemed even more so, since we’d been up late the night before, trying to finish everything. We had managed to pack our suitcases and stash them, along with our other necessities, in the “do not pack” section we’d made on the lanai. Despite our best attempts to pack lightly, we had four full suitcases, two carseats, and one stroller. It’s just amazing how much one “needs” for six weeks or so!

We’d spent a lot of time (over the weekend and on Monday) talking about moving, trying to ease our little girls into the big changes. Kathleen knew that movers were coming to put our things in boxes so that everything could go to “Calibornia,” where Kathleen would live in a “new house” and see her Nan. Kathleen knew that she’d get to go to the air-po-port and fly to Calibornia, which was particularly exciting. Concerned at first that the men would take away our suitcases (you need suitcases to go on an air-po-plane, you see), Kathleen seemed generally peaceful about the plans.

When the movers arrived, Kathleen was fascinated by their big, big truck and all the cardboard boxes. Madeline was equally interested in the movers and all their work. She seemed to make every effort to toddle into their paths!

We shared a picnic breakfast of omlette and banana pancakes (take-out, obviously!) on the lanai before Daddy left to ship the car, and our dear, dear friend Amy whisked both girls away for some non-chaotic outdoor fun with her daughter Grace. Mama stayed at home, doing last minute laundry, cleaning, and organizing. When Amy returned with the girls, we were all out on the lanai talking for a bit before we realized we didn’t know where Kathleen had gone. She turned up in her own bedroom, curled up in her toddler bed, quietly watching a mover pack up all her things. My heart broke to see her there, but she wasn’t upset -- just curious.

We were blessed with movers who seemed hard-working and conscientious. (I have to say “seemed” because you just don’t know whether your movers were actually any good until you get to the other end. Did your things survive? Then you had good movers!) They packed and packed, filling four crates the first day! They left us our beds and cribs intact that night so we’d have somewhere to sleep. Our friends Amy and John generously invited us to dinner. We enjoyed great food and company. Kathleen will so miss Luke and Grace. Anyway, after a lovely evening, all we did in our mostly empty house that night was sleep!

The movers returned the next day to finish the big move. And if the final day of packing out wasn’t crazy enough, that same day was tree-trimming day in our neighborhood. While the movers worked away, the landscaping crews had cherry-pickers in the front and the back of our house. They trimmed up all the trees and ripped out every single elephant ear in front of the house. Wow!

By afternoon the movers had finished up and our house was empty. Fortunately for us, clearing quarters on Schofield is not the ordeal it can be elsewhere. (Oh, and for our non-military friends, clearing quarters is when you “give back” your house.) Unlike Fort Knox, where we paid a ridiculous amount of money to have the house cleaned (the only way to successfully clear quarters, despite the fact that we'd only lived in the house for 8 months), in Hawaii we were able to clear quarters ourselves. All that was required: clean appliances, swept floors, and no trash on the premises. Easy-peasy!

We’d cleared quarters and returned the keys when I realized my cell phone was missing. We remembered that it had been on the kitchen counter but Daddy and the housing representative were certain that it hadn’t been there when they cleared. (The girls and I had stayed outside, playing with the neighbor children.) Knowing that, I assumed that it must be with us. While Daddy finished some paperwork at another office, I searched the car and backpacks to no avail. Eventually we concluded that it must be in the house, after all. Fortunately, at the same time I realized that we’d forgotten to return one key, so we broke into our own vacant house. Daddy rang the phone and we discovered it in a drawer in the kitchen. Phew! We think that one of our little helpers must have “put it away” while we were hurriedly sweeping and toting trash. Having reclaimed the phone, we were finally able to drive away – we were officially not only packed out, but cleared!

Resting Up for the Big Move

July was a rough month for our circus. Kathleen had not one, or two, but three back-to-back viruses. Each time we thought she was about to get better, she didn't. The pediatrician assured us that it's not actually all that uncommon for small children to get more than one virus that way. Apparently small children have this window of extra susceptability to a viral infection just as they recover from a virus. Who knew we'd manage to find a virus in that window each time?! (There's actually a chance we're up to virus number four: Kathleen has a pretty congested nose right now, poor kid.)

So, although we'd had plans to spend lots of time with friends and at the beach during our last weeks on the island, instead we just spent lots of time at home. We'd have loved to be able to go on a pontoon boatride on Kaneohe Bay again, or have taken the whole family to church one last time (we went in shifts -- Mama one weekend, Daddy the next), or invite some dear island friends to our home for food and fellowship, or swim at Waimea Bay or Bellows or Ko Olina. But that was not meant to be. And staying at home had upsides, too. We managed to sort through lots of closets and other paraphernalia before the big move. (The Salvation Army either loves or hates us. We're not sure which!) Although we still had a bit of scrambling to do before the movers arrived, we were in better shape that we'd have been otherwise.

During one closet cleaning, Kathleen discovered my Lambie, a (not-so-inventively named) stuffed lamb from my childhood. Lambie became Kathleen's constant companion. He ate with us. He slept with Kathleen. He even got his own spot for crafts.

Kathleen explains to Lambie that he's not allowed to use the glitter glue. He's not old enough. (I didn't explain that he was nearly as old as Mama. That would be practically impossible to understand!)

Lambie didn't get to come on the big plane trip to California (or to Illinois, for that matter), but the movers packed him very carefully, and we know Kathleen will be thrilled to see him again in a few weeks.

And since you simply can't stay indoors forever, even when you've been sick, we headed to a deserted park one morning. At the time we thought Kathleen was just about over her virus. Little did we know she'd run a fever and start the process all over again the next day! But for about forty-five minutes one morning, the girls seemed both happy and healthy and delighted to be at the park.

Madeline could not be contained. What you can't tell in the above photo is that she's actually headed down the tube slide. The child has no fear!

Madeline would race to try to keep up with her big sister.

Kathleen spent almost all the time at the park in her favorite spot -- the swing! Swings are rare at parks on Oahu, so Kathleen made the most of it whenever we visited this one!

Anyway, that's how our last few weeks went on Oahu. We've survived the packing up and packing out, the stay in the hotel (okay, you don't really survive a stay at the Hale Koa so much as you enjoy it -- and we did enjoy it!), the flight to California, and then twelve hours later, the flight to Illinois. There'll be more on all of those adventures in the near future, although the photographs to document them might take a bit longer. Our camera crashed on the cement lanai the day we moved out of our house, and the photos of everything are trapped on a memory card too old and too large to fit into our laptop's card reader...

Not Exactly Glamorous...

"Mama," says Kathleen, "You wear my hat?"

She holds the pink Mickey Mouse ears out in front of her, her face set in what she already knows to be a look of cute entreaty.

"Of course," I answer, indulging my sick child, "Of course."

No sooner do I don the ears than she informs me, "Mama, my hat for riding my car. Ride my car. Please." The please is an after thought, but it's there.

I dutifully perch upon the Winnie-the-Pooh push car.

"You want some tea, Mama?"

"Oh, Kathleen," I reply, "You make the best tea, darling. I definitely would like some tea. Please." (Even Mama needs to remember to say please.)

A cup is pressed into my hand, filled to the brim with imaginary tea.

"Mama, my wants to brush your hair," Kathleen announces, racing to fetch a comb from the bathroom. She returns with her comb and sets about beautifying, just as her father catches sight of us at play.

He captures the moment for posterity.



I traded in my heels and suits and a potentially high-powered career for this. It's not exactly glamorous, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

We Love Summer Corn

Since it's summer, and since summertime means fresh, sweet corn, corn on the cob has made its way to our table a few times lately. Madeline wasn't sure about the stuff at first, but she caught on quickly.

Corn on the cob is perfect for Madeline, because she is all about self-feeding these days. We've practically given up trying to spoon feed her because she's so much happier with finger food. She's particularly fond of frozen blueberries, frozen peas, bits of cheese, any pasta, and scrambled egg yolk. (No egg whites yet!) Of course, the best food is food that's on somebody else's plate!

Like Madeline, Kathleen loves corn on the cob. She also loves food that's not necessarily hers. We had corn on the cob for supper on the fourth of July. While Mama was changing Madeline and Daddy was checking the ribs on the grill, Kathleen was briefly alone in the kitchen with a pot of uncooked corn...

Yes, those are bite marks. She tested every single one!

Aren't you glad you weren't eating at our house?!

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Well, friends, we've got orders. Hooray! We ship our household goods in the middle of next week; we fly to mainland at the end of next week. It's going to be a busy ten days, but at least it's all happening!

So, there's the good news. That, in case you're wondering, is the part we won.

The part we didn't win? Well, I suppose we could look at that as winning, too: Kathleen won the virus lottery!

After my last post, Kathleen's high temperature hung around for a few more days. It was uncomfortably, but not dangerously, high. We pushed fluids and fever-reducing medicines and tried to distract our cooped-up toddler with crafts and books and DVDs from the library. (Thank goodness for Veggie Tales!) Eventually, though, the fever broke. We all sighed a big sigh of relief, ready to move on to good health. Our relief was premature, I'm afraid. Shortly thereafter Kathleen broke out in a whole body rash. Roseola, we think. The poor child is covered, head to toe, in a bright red rash. Our internet research indicates that there's nothing to be done for roseola, so we're just waiting it out. (Speaking of internet research, if you're a concerned mom who's doing a Google Image search for a photo roseola, one of the first ten photos that you get is of our sweet friend Anna. At least we're in good company!)

Anyway, as near as we can figure, Kathleen came down with two different viruses right after another -- the first virus with the bug-bite-like spots and then the second roseola virus. Honestly, what are the chances? Now we're just hoping that Madeline has somehow evaded the virus... and using our house-bound days to prepare for our big move.

Of Moving, Maladies, and Other Miscellany

Moving

We're moving. Really, we are. And yet, no orders. We think we'll have them Monday. That's our prayer, anyway.

Thankfully Jim was able to get some sort of memorandum yesterday that has permitted us to make appointments to ship our household goods and car. So, at least we know that much. We'll be able to get plane tickets and such when we actually have orders... And once we have plane tickets to the mainland, we'll be able to start figuring out how to get to California, visit Illinois, and househunt, all on a much tighter timeline than we'd originally anticipated.

So, Monday. Monday? Let's hope Monday.

Maladies

Poor little Kathleen has been sick since we returned from Kauai. While we were there we noticed three funny spots on her back. At first we thought they might be bug bites; they were sort of clumped together as though some little insect had been munching on her on a trek across her shoulder blade. So we washed the bedsheets and didn't worry much more about it. At least, we didn't worry until the spots started showing up when we were home. On her neck and on her face. We took her to the doctor, who diagnosed it as a (non-chicken pox) virus, and instructed us (us being Daddy, who made the trek to Tripler -- Madeline and I were home for naptime) to keep her away from other kids for the weekend and to keep an eye on how things were going.

The spots didn't seem to bother her at first, but eventually she began to scratch at them and they got infected. (I can't tell you how quickly that seems to happen here. When the Childri were visiting, Madeline scratched her ear with her fingernail and within three days it was horribly infected. Kathleen's been treated for drug-resistant infections twice, one of which left a little scar. Ick.) Enter a nice, strong, pink antibiotic, which we're hoping will help clear up the infection, if not the virus.

I'd like to report that she's nearly recovered, but although we haven't gotten any new spots in two days, she had a 101 degree temperature at naptime today.

Our superhero pauses to drain the last of her Tylenol.
She's also resting her finger on a bag of frozen vegetables,
because she had taken a nasty spill and smashed her finger
between the floor and a pot lid. Ah, the trauma.

Mercifully, Madeline hasn't acquired any spots. However, she posted a temperature on and off last week. So, everyone's health has been a little iffy. We've been working on keeping a pretty strict sleeping schedule and hoping that rest and healthy food do the trick...

Miscellany

We sold the Jeep. The Army will ship one car to the mainland for us, and the Jeep just wasn't going to be it. We'll be taking our small, fuel-efficient little Versa instead, so the Jeep is staying in Hawaii -- with new owners. It happened so quickly we could hardly believe it. We listed it on Craigslist on Sunday night and by Monday evening it was gone. We'd thought that the interested party would look at it on Monday night and then we'd do the transfer on Tuesday, after we'd filled a chip (again!) in the windshield that had prevented it from passing the Hawaii safety inspection. But the buyer was so enthusiastic that he handed us cash and said he'd take care of the windshield and the inspection himself. Done.

It faithfully carried us around Europe, the mainland, and our island.
Sure, its air-conditioning had given up the ghost, but we told
ourselves we preferred the island breezes, anyway...

Mama and Daddy were sad to see the Jeep go. Honestly, he'd been a pretty good car. He carried us all over Europe. He brought Kathleen home from the hospital. He took us to the beach -- a lot. But no one was quite as sad to see him go as Kathleen. When we explained how it had been sold, she cried. And she still asks for it: "I want my Jeep!" Let's hope that whenever we replace the Jeep (with something big enough for carseats and people and groceries but small enough to fill with gas) she likes it just as much.

Although Madeline's been feeling under the weather, she's been very much on the move. She's discovered doors, especially cupboard doors, and loves to pull them open. She loves emptying the contents of the cupboards nearly as much as she loves opening those doors. And as if that weren't injecting enough danger in our lives, yesterday we turned around to discover Madeline doing this:

Watch out, world. Madeline can climb!

A Recap of Kauai

Here you are, my friends: a photographic recap of our time on Kaua'i. What an island!

Katherine and Sarah stayed with us for four days. We'd rented a two bedroom condo. It was gorgeous, and suited us just about perfectly. We hung out together on our lanai...

from which we thoroughly enjoyed the mountain view. (Can you make out that waterfall?) We could see the ocean from the front door and various other places in the condo.

We spent our days at the beach, where Sarah learned to surf. You go, girl!

Kathleen, however, preferred the pool. I mean, the kid lives on Oahu. A beach is a beach is a beach, as far as she's concerned. But, a pool? Now there's something to get worked up about! (Wait until she finds out about motels on the mainland...)

Sarah was our go-to babysitter. She and the girls hung out at the condo together one evening so that the grown-ups could enjoy a relaxing dinner at a "real" restaurant. (That was the evening I discovered my love for ceviche. Mmmm... ceviche!) Another night Katherine and Sarah both stayed with the girls so that Mama and Daddy could have a date night! Although we'd talked about a fancy dinner, we opted instead for the uber-casual. We hiked to Queen's Bath for a swim (man, I wish I'd had my camera for that!), and then drove to Ke'e Beach to watch the sunset. Ke'e Beach is the very end of the road on Kaua'i's North Shore. Beyond it is the Na Pali coast, which can be seen only by boat or by helicopter or, for the very adventurous, by hiking through it. We settled for the view from the beach.

And the sunset didn't disappoint, either!

We enjoyed every minute we had with Sarah and Katherine; we just didn't have enough! We're so glad they managed to visit us before we left Hawaii.

Once Sarah and Katherine had departed, we tried to keep busy. We found it was the best way to distract Kathleen, who would intermittently cry, "But I want my Sarah!"

So we headed back to the beach.

We discovered we have not one, but two little mermaids!

We visited the Kileaua lighthouse, which Kathleen insisted on calling hers. She was a little put out when other tourists wanted to go inside it, too.

I was particularly excited about stopping at the lighthouse because we got another stamp in the girls' National Park Passports. In case you didn't know about the passport program (and I didn't until a few months ago), you can buy a little passport book at almost any National Park bookstore. Then, when you visit almost any National Park, you get a stamp in the book, recording your visit to the park! I think it'll be fun for the girls to look back one day and see all the places they traveled when they were so little. They now have stamps from Oahu (the USS Arizona Memorial) and Kaua'i (Kileaua Point National Wildlife Refuge). Sadly, we didn't have the passports when we visited the Big Island, so we missed out on the stamp for Volcanoes National Park. I'm sure we'll more than make up for that when we start hitting National Parks on the mainland...

Anyway, enough about that. While we were at the lighthouse we did some bird watching. Kathleen loved the binoculars.

What would vacation on Kaua'i be without shave ice? Fortunately, we'll never have to know...

Otherwise, we just goofed around and played away the time, enjoying each other's company.

And now we're home, still waiting for orders. We know we'll be moving soon; we just don't know when!

A Mad Dash About the Island

Daddy's sister Katherine and her daughter Sarah arrived the day of the hat and tie party, making it a truly red letter day for our little circus. Anytime you can combine a party (especially one with a bounce house!) and vistors' arrival, you're approaching nirvana, at least as far as Kathleen is concerned. And visitors don't get better than cousins. Kathleen decided that very first night that bedtime stories were best read by Sarah. Kathleen endeavored to spend every waking moment with "her Sarah and Kack" -- and some days came close!

We spent that first evening up on the North Shore, checking out the sea turtles and enjoying a tasty dinner at our favorite Thai place, before returning our exhausted family (visitors and little girls!) to their beds.

The next day was Sunday, which we all used to rest up a little. We had church in the morning, and Bible study in the afternoon. While the girls nappped, Daddy and Katherine and Sarah took a little tour of post. But otherwise, we just enjoyed a day to relax and spend some quiet time together.

The next two days were a mad dash about the island. We had only two days to give Katherine and Sarah a taste of Oahu, and we made the most of every minute! In fact, we were rushing around so much that I hardly remembered to take photos. And that's just for the part I was there. The girls and I missed some of the sight-seeing. We were trying to be faithful to our schedules, getting our overtired babies recovered from the 4th of July extravaganza.

Anyway, I don't have any photos from the time at the USS Arizona Memorial (or our impromptu sidetrip to the Koa Pancake House to pass the time until our tour), or dinner and shopping down on Waikiki, or the visit to Waimea Bay. But we do have some from the Pali Lookout...

Katherine and Sarah pause for a photo at the Pali Lookout. They're as pretty as the view!

and from some time in the sun at Lanikai...

Hey, I think Madeline might be playing peek-a-boo under that hat!

Kathleen gets some early surfing lessons from cousin Sarah.

And then before we knew it, we were home, packing our bags for our next big adventure -- exploring the North Shore of Kauai! Everyone was excited about the trip. Sarah was excited to go to Hanalei Bay to learn to surf. Katherine was looking forward to spending some time checking out more beaches. And doing a bit more shopping. (And waiting for the best time to taste her first Mai Tai.) Kathleen was beside herself in anticipation of going on an airplane (or, an "airpoplane," as she prefers to call it). We'd made an excursion to Kauai just before Daddy deployed, and we just loved the island. However, it had rained a lot during that last trip, so we were looking forward to seeing the spectacular mountains and beaches in a little bit more sunshine.

And, as it turned out, everyone got what they wanted in Kauai!

Sorry for the Silence

Sorry for the silence there, friends. The circus just got a little more circus-y than normal for a bit. No, we've not moved to the mainland yet. (We don't even have orders yet. But that's a topic for another post entirely!) Immediately after the hat and tie party (as in, Daddy left from the party for the airport), Aunt Katherine and cousin Sarah came for a visit. We spent a few days dashing about Oahu seeing sights with them before we all boarded a plane together, bound for Kauai!

We brought the camera and the laptop with us to Kauai. Our gorgeous condo even had internet access. I had every intention of blogging... but had forgotten the cord for the camera, so I couldn't! Oh, well. It was a great vacation. We'll be posting all about it, soon.

Our Royal Circus

Okay, we don't actually wear these all the time. Our friends Sheree and Barry threw a hat and tie party, and we were just testing out our attire. . . Since we knew that we'd be able to convince Kathleen to wear a tiara, we decided to use the royal theme for the whole family.

Our royal court


The king and a rather surprised princess

As it turned out, Daddy agreed to be the jester for the party, and the rest of us were royalty. And we had too much fun to take pictures, so these are all we have!

The Fourth in Review...

Our fourth of July was chock full of fun!

The post's fourth of July celebration is pretty spectacular. There's a carnival with rides and games for little kids, there's a concert, and another concert. The day caps off with a fireworks display that is the largest on the island. And best of all -- this happens just blocks from our house. Far enough that we don't get much traffic or noise, but certainly close enough to walk! So, after morning naps, we walked over to the carnival, thankful for our house on post.

Kathleen was just old enough for some of the kiddie attractions. She loved the rides and the games run by family readiness groups. She certainly loved the little prizes! She's been carrying an inflatable princess wand around since then. The much-loved and very messy candy bracelet didn't survive that long...

Anyway, Kathleen truly enjoyed the carnival. She slid.

She dug.

She threw.

She rode.

As is often the case, Madeline didn't get to do any of that fun stuff. She did look awfully cute as she watched, though!

After all that fun, we headed home for afternoon naps, a bit of a swim for Kathleen, and then dinner. We missed the big musical guest (Billy Ray Cyrus -- rumor has it they were hoping for the daughter, but settled for the dad), but made it in time to take a couple turns at the carnival's fun before camping out on the field with church friends to listen to the 1812 Overture and wait for the fireworks.

The fireworks were amazing. I don't have any photos of them or of the girls, for that matter. Our camera isn't great in the dark. But the show was spectacular. And the girls loved it. Kathleen sat snuggled in her daddy's lap, mesmerized by the display. And Madeline was just as enchanted. She kept reaching out, as if she could grab the fireworks right from the sky! And when it was all over, we walked our exhausted girls home to bed.

It was a full and happy fourth!

We Love the Red, White, and Blue

Happy Independence Day, friends!

Madeline on the move!

Without any fun visitors, Madeline has taken it upon herself to inject some excitement into our little circus. Although she's been taking steps for a few weeks now, over the past few days she's really begun walking. This clip is a little long, but I love it because it not only shows Madeline walking a little bit, but it also shows what a sweet little snuggly baby she is.

Her pajamas say "hug me" -- we couldn't help but hug that sweet little girl!

We Love Our Mike...

This week we said another goodbye. Our good friend Mike left today for Fort Riley for training for a Military Transition Team (MiTT). He'll spend about three months training in Kansas and then serve a year-long deployment in Iraq.

Mike was the First Sergeant while Daddy was in command, and the two of them were a great team. (I'm not entirely sure that either of them would have taken their jobs in the company if it hadn't been for the other...) Mike is also one of Kathleen's favorite people.

When the guys returned from Iraq in November, Kathleen took to Mike almost immediately. Mike and his wife Linda (a dear friend of mine and one of the people who helped keep me sane during the deployment) were over for dinner just days after redeployment, and Mike was all Kathleen could talk about. It was hysterical. Since then, Mike has solidified his position as one of Kathleen's favorites by offering her candy whenever we visit Daddy at the office, letting her play with their dog, and bringing her fun presents. (This weekend he brought a giant water gun and toy fish to swim in her pool. She loves them!)

As we get ready for the 4th of July weekend, I'd just like to ask you to pray for Mike and for his family. Even though they've been separated and will be separated a lot, they're choosing to serve and they're doing it well. They're like a lot of other military families out there, and they're part of what makes this weekend's celebration possible. For that, we're truly grateful.


*In case you were wondering, the title is an obscure reference to Dr. Seuss: "We love our Mike and this is why: Mike does all the work when the hills get high!"