Flight Back to Reality

Our flight home was quite the experience. It started out smoothly. We flew from Oahu to Portland, where we changed airlines and needless to say planes. Our next plane switch was in Houston, TX. We were really worried we were going to miss our connecting flight in Houston because our plane arrived late. We were running as fast we could through the airport with the kids to get to the next gate, we made it in time because they delayed the flight about 30 minutes, we were relieved!! So we boarded the plane unexpecting of being STUCK on the plane for nearly 7 hours! We happened to be on the plane in Houston when the snow "storm" decided to strike there. They wouldn't let us off the plane because there were no gates available for the plane to drive to (at least that's what they told us). Also, there were loads of planes waiting in line to be deiced on the runway. It felt like we must have been last in that line! Thank goodness our flight wasn't full! I think I would have lost my mind if it had been a full flight! Being pregnant, it's extremely hard to get "comfortable" on a plane seat...sooo, I didn't sleep for more than 24 hours when our traveling initially started. ANYWAY, all in all I suppose it could have been worse. Our kids did a great job of waiting on the plane and kept themselves busy. We finally made it home sweet home! We are finally readjusting to the time here. I think without the delay in houston we might have adjusted sooner, it is certainly an experience we will never forget!

Hawaii!!

We got to go to the North Shore on oahu for vacation this year. We were there for 2 weeks. It was loads of fun. I found a house to rent up in Hauula. It was right near the beach, with easy access to a beautiful view. We went with Luke's sisters family and their kids. It was nice cause our kids got to play with their cousins the whole time. My brother also came out for a little bit of the time we were there. We also saw Luke's parents for a couple days on Oahu. We mostly just relaxed while we were there. We went to the beach as often as possible and just sat while the kids played with their cousins in the water. We did a couple touristy things as well, like the PCC and Hanauma Bay, dole factory (had to get that pineapple ice cream!!), we also went up to see the Heao, of course we ate at Hukilau cafe a couple times, we even had time to stop by wher Luke proposed to me, it's always fun to stop back by there, we also stopped in at Angels, any of you recognize it? We got some huge snow cones there!! We also went to a BYUH Seasiders basketball game, like old times, except this time we didn't sit with the students :) Luke loved walking around campus again at BYUH. We stopped in the seasider a few times for some Haupia (coconut) ice cream, yummy :) I actually began to feel kind of like some weird, old people walking around campus (with no reason to be there), knowing that we really aren't college age anymore! With Luke around though, we still ran into many people, made friends and visited with old friends, and teachers. It was tons of fun to catch up with those who are in the area there still. I already miss it!! I was never really ready to come back home to the cold.

Oregon

We got to go to Oregon to visit Luke's family and friends. The boys loved seeing their Oregon cousins. They also were able to spend time with Luke's grandpa, their great-grandpa. We visited a farm as well while we were there. Fun times :)

We Found Out What We're Having!

We hare having a GIRL!!!!! I am thrilled and Luke is nervous for a girl :)

Luke is HOME :) :)

Daddy is home :) He got home earlier then we were expecting, which is great! He called me Monday to let me know he was in Qatar. He had a straight flight from there to IAD. We got to pick him up Tuesday night. The boys were soooo excited. They couldn't stop smiling when they saw daddy! It was the best feeling ever to be able to tell the kids, "we're going to pick daddy up from the airport!" They were just thrilled. We made a sign before we left and Kyle didn't want to stop working on the sign, but we had to leave to go get him. He was pretty tired after all his traveling, and working non-stop for a few months. We can't wait to go on our family vacation to Oregon to see Luke's family, and then to go to Hawaii!!!!

Halloween

Of course we have to post about Halloween, it's just that time of year! This year we got to go trick-or-treating with lots of cousins. Here's what the boys were for Halloween. Of course they LOVED acting out the parts too!! I didn't get the best pictures, but there's a couple OK ones. With all the cousins together it can be a blissful chaos, if that makes any sense! I wouldn't change it for anything, because they all love being together! Kyle is Ironman and LJ is Spiderman. Kyle is standing next to another one of his best friends, batman, his cousin Drew. They are fairly close in age, and they really like playing together. While we were trick-or-treating, Kyle decided he was done when he saw a very inviting bench in front of someones house. He sat right down and said, "I'm going to eat my food". It was pretty funny. We weren't exactly near our final destination. Let's just say the kids slept really well that night!

We Love Our Boys!!

If there's anything that Luke and I COMPLETELY agree on, it would be that we LOVE our boys! They are soooo much fun! Every day they are saying something that makes me smile or laugh. I just love how they think, how they play, and how sweet they are to me (most of the time ;) ).

LJ loves many things in life. He is also constantly wanting to learn and his questions never cease, including the many that I truly don't know the answers to and tell him we'll look it up on the internet. Every night I let the boys each pick a book they want me to read to them for our bedtime routine. LJ without fail picks the SAME 2 books every night! One book is about every single state in the US and has all those fun little facts about each state. He LOVES learning about them. The other book he picks every night is the one about animals (it has actual pictures and facts about different animals, insects, etc.). LJ just can't stop learning! He also has been learning to read lately. It sure is fun to see him learn new things and to see him progress. Along with his great eagerness to learn, he is truly a BIG help to me around the house. Talk about adjusting yourself to the circumstances you're in. LJ really has stepped up his behavior since daddy has been gone. Every night after I put them to bed I think how grateful I am that LJ is such a wonderful helper. He helps out with his younger brother often, he picks up his room (I have to ask him to do it of course), and he even offers me compliments. It really melts my heart when I get dressed for the day and come out of the room to hear my boy say, "Mom, you look BEAUTIFUL". It makes me laugh because I think he's picked up a few charming tricks from his dad on how to talk to the ladies (of course dad only talks to this lady like that!). Somehow LJ just knows the right thing to say! There' so much more about LJ that we love, but I might just never stop typing!

Kyle is certainly an independent one. He is very strong willed! Kyle loves coloring, playing outside, and playing with his brother. He loves to let me hold him, which I love too! He loves having books read to him. Kyle also enjoys dancing and singing. He also loves talking on the phone with his family! He is always asking to talk to someone on the phone. He is often a cheerful little guy and it's not hard to find him smiling :) He is easy going and gets along with pretty much all people. In fact it's not uncommon to hear Kyle talking about how people are his best friends. When we dropped LJ off somewhere once Kyle was pretty upset about it. He says, but mom, LJ is my best friend! I love how he really values his brother and his relationships that he has with cousins and friends. Kyle will certainly be in is element as soon as we get him involved with preschool, sports, etc.

We all love daddy and can't wait for him to get home :) He should be here in just a few short days!!!

Can you fit in your dryer?

What possessed me to see if I could fit in the dryer?!?! I suppose having a 4 year old son caused me to see if I could fit in the dryer. First I found him in there, so of course, had to take a picture! I was flattered when he told me it was his turn to take a picture of me in the dryer. This meant he thought I was small enough to fit in there. Well, being pregnant it made it a little more challenging. My new goal for after I have this child is to see if I can actually fit my whole body in the dryer, with out my leg hanging out... OK well that's not really my goal, but I have to admit I am a little bit curious.

Don't cry over...spilled SUGAR, AHHHHHH!!

Have you ever had clumsy moments that just make you want to scream, AHHHHH!?!? Well it seems whenever I'm pregnant I have too many of these moments! I'm sure you all have felt how I do at times. Staying at home with the kids it's a constant battle of picking up after them (bless their souls, we all know that we will certainly miss them being young children despite the messes). One mess after another...WELL, it frustrates me the MOST when I'M the one doing something that is clumsy. It just adds to the list of messes, that prevent us from doing the things that really need to get done. I ended up getting over my clumsy "pregnant" moment and cleaning it up! If there's one thing that drives me crazy it's when I do something that would have been so simple to avoid! ...oh well... it's over and cleaned up now :)

Pumpkin Patch

We got to go on a hay ride and pick pumpkins with my side of the family. The kids had almost all the cousins there to pick out pumpkins together. It was a lot of fun. They even had their Arizona cousins there. We also picked more apples again. I made a couple apple pies and we ate the rest of the yummy freshly picked apples, they are soooo tasty!

Due March 29th

If you haven't already realized it, we are expecting another addition to our family in a few months from now. I posted a poll so you can vote on what you think we're having :) We will find out on Nov. 11th (that is of course if the child cooperates). Luke will be home for the ultra sound appointment, so I'm very excited that he will be here for it!! Don't forget to vote on what we're having!

Luke sent me picture's from Iraq. Luke went to the Iraqi Army special forces compound and went to the range with a few Iraqi Seargents. I'm sure it was a nice diversion from his typical 100 hours per week work schedule! He says they have been working a lot with the Iraqis helping them conduct operations and secure their own country again. And they are doing a good job. He says they are horrible with gun safety.

the one where he is shooting with the holster on, is an AK-47. the one where he is next to the guy is an M-4 and the one on the ground is called the Saw.

There are 2 pictures of a dust storm that he went through. Luke thought it was rain coming, but then the sky turned literally orange and he could hardly breath. It lasted for about 2 days. It just moved in and sat there, he said it wasn't particularly windy.

He is doing well out there and working hard!