Coconut

We fell in love.

Again.

This time with Colbie Maureen.

I can't even put into words how grateful and overjoyed I am that God has loaned us His beautiful little one to take care of on this earth.

And as if I didn't have enough to be thankful for, today is my dear Tim's birthday.

It sounds cliche, I know, but I am a lucky gal to do life with this crew.

I don't know how I'm going to top Tim's birthday gifts in the future. Not much beats a new baby daughter just in time for your birthday! :)

And because we weren't made to do life alone...I'm also entirely blessed to have a Hawaii Ohana that loves us so well.

Mahalo to my dear friend, Rachel (Blue Nalu Photography) for bringing her camera and talent to the hospital on Wednesday. She took these lovely photos!

And thank you to all of you reading this for your support, love, and prayers. We adore our mainland family so much!

xoxo

A Little Love for Today

Happy Mother's Day!

It's almost 10pm on Mother's Day night, but I've been wanting to jump online all day and wish the many special moms in my life an abundance of God's blessings!

The creative media team at my church made this quick 1 minute video. It makes me smile. Happy mother's day! Thank you Jesus for making such incredible moms!

And.... and... speaking of mothers...

This is a blog post that I linked to on my Facebook page. I keep thinking about it. It only takes a minute to read. I don't know anything about this blogger, but I like her bold thoughts about advocating for the motherless and not being caught up in other "mother wars." Check it out here!

xoxo

Bathing Suit vs. Anything Else

Oh my!

This lovely life I've been gifted has been lovelier than ever...and busier!

I want to blog some fun pictures to share and to save, but I can't yet. My bedroom computer is calling my name to come and grade work for my university students so that I have the time to move out of my high school classroom this week.

Yes. I'm officially taking a break from the high school. Oh how I'll miss my teenagers, but I can't wait to have a few more hours in my day to hold my babies at home. More on that later...

I did capture my determined and passionate two-year-old on my cell phone a few times this week mid-obsession.

She very desperately wants to wear one of her "baby suits" (aka: bathing suit) at all times.

Last week Tuesday, she played in the sprinklers with her Papa. I indulged her silliness by letting her stay in her suit most the day after that. Fortunately, we settled on a night gown that night and a dress the next day.

As Wednesday night bed time came near, she started whimpering for her "baby suit." I wanted to lay down the law about sleeping in PJs, but since my entire mini church was over at my place for bible study, I also wanted to effortlessly drop her in bed for the night sans a battle of will. Choosing my battles carefully, I again let her wear her "baby suit" to bed. Seriously.

The next morning, I was running late for work. B protested with passion when I tried to peel off her suit. What the heck? I thought! I don't really care what she wears to day care in this moment. So, off she went in her baby bikini. I packed her a dress in hopes that she'd be willing to change mid-day.

Most certainly not.


I got to her around 4pm on Thursday and she was happier than ever tugging at her bikini top and saying "cute, mommy...baby suit."

Whatevers. :)

That night Tim and I did choose the battle of bathing suit vs. pajamas. We won. Of course. But, it wasn't pretty.

It's been touch-and-go since then. Trying to decide which bathing suit battles to choose and which to  let go.




                 This morning when I got her out of bed for church, she was already up and had tried dressing herself in her bathing suit over her nightgown (which she'd tell you we forced her to wear).

She's determined.
And she has red hair.
And she's two. :)

She also makes us laugh and love this life all the more.

Lovely Little Lana'i

Lana'i -- A weekend away!

Our little family hasn't been off the island since October. We were aching for some colder weather, open fields, and giant trees! Probably even more than that we just wanted to slow our pace way down.

We figured Lana'i would be just the place!

Simple, quaint, and quiet. We were in outer-island heaven.

While there are pretty much just two options for lodging, we opted out of dining at the resort in favor of as many local eateries as possible. Each was unique, local, and delicious!

We loved the lawn bowling and croquet!

I tried to soak in some of the history.

• In 1922 Jim Dole bought Lana'i for $1.1 million and converted it to pineapple fields. Wow...I'm sure $1.1 million was crazy money in the 20s, but I'm sort of floored that the entire (or perhaps most of it) island was bought for just that. I mean there are plenty of modest homes on the West side of Oahu that cost more than $1 million today. 

• Supposedly, at one time Lana'i supplied 75% of all the world's pineapple. That's a heck of a lot of pineapple from a pretty small island!

• Along the way I read that Lana'i was once (much earlier) inhabited by evil spirits until Maui Chief Kakaalaneo exiled his mischievous son, Kaululaau to Lana'i. 

Exploring Lana'i City was my favorite part, but I also loved the time the three of us spent indoors. Turns out that Blakely's not half bad at Chess and I pretty much stink at pool! ;)

Feeding the fish and horses were easily Blakely's highlights!

My pool girl xoxo

My handsome hubby! I'm pretty sure he forgot that he was wearing Blakely's bracelet to keep it safe for her. He's a good daddy.

Both my girls. :)

I also found out that there is not an OBGYN or mid-wife on the island. Good thing baby girl stayed put for our little getaway. I hear that expecting mamas who live on Lana'i have to relocate to Oahu or Maui a month before their due dates. After delivering baby, they can come back home.

It's a very sweet island and I hope we can visit again. If you ever get the chance, I highly suggest some time on Lana'i.

A Reason to Celebrate

Easter Sunday may just be my favorite day of the year!

I'm a holiday girl. I'll celebrate anything 110%.

As a kid, I remember this one particular Memorial Day. I woke up and raced into my parents' room. I excitedly shook my mom from her sleep and exclaimed Happy Memorial Day! I anxiously waited for my parents to rise and shower me with holiday surprises. Little did I know that not every holiday in the book meant that a giant celebration ensued.

Anyway, I digress.

Of course I'm giddy about Christmas season, but as much I love remembering the birth of Christ, there is just something so culminating and powerful about celebrating the rest of the story.

It would be a beautiful story to remember the birth of a great man, but what makes Christmas truly meaningful for me is actually what happened to that great man three decades later. The power is in the cross.

Thank you Jesus for dying for our sins--for all of us--and for rising again to wait for us in Heaven. I love you!

And let me tell you, a sweet way to celebrate such a gift is to gather with island family on a beach and enjoy God's beauty and presence.

Strawberry Shortcake Party

A Strawberry Shortcake birthday party for my little strawberry!

My snapshot memories:

Cranking the AC and Pandora while prepping sliders and mac salad with Timmy.

Tasting (and gagging) on the overly sweet Diamond Head strawberry soda. At least the kids liked it!

Making gallons of strawberry lemonade.

Sewing centerpieces and banners to give just the right touch.

Finding B the perfect Strawberry Shortcake dress on Etsy and finding myself a vintage looking Strawberry Shortcake shirt on Amazon!

Picking up 2 dozen balloons plus and untangling all the ribbons. :)

Watching Blakely's face light up as she recognized all of her little friends from daycare, church, the neighborhood, and more.

Seeing the sheer joy of the kids in the bounce house.

Capturing little ones under the parachute and hearing them squeal.

Running circles while playing "Strawberry, Strawberry, Shortcake!" (think: duck, duck, Goose!).

Watching the men use the field very appropriately for ultimate frisbee.

Glancing at the craft table to see it full of guys (the adult kind) as they plaster on the Strawberry Shortcake tattoos.

Waiting for the paint to dry on the placemats and cups to cover in contact paper and send home with the kiddos.

Slicing up my strawberry potato stamps with a pairing knife at the very last minute!

Serving up individualized strawberry shortcake cups as the sun set.

Watching Blakely's face reflect pure wonder as she realized everyone was singing to her!

Begging for a kiss from the birthday girl, but she was simply too busy. ;)

Noticing the love that came with each person and feeling immense gratitude for our home and loved ones on this island.

My own amazement when so many helped us "break down" at the end of the night. It all went so smoothly and delightfully!

Driving home with my hubby and feeling so blessed by so many and so proud of our little girl!

Feeling my second baby girl roll around throughout the night; reminding me that she's about to make life even better!

Being so thankful to God that He is with us in the hard times and the sweet times.

*Most of these lovely photographs were taken by my talented and artistic friend, Lindsay of Hello Hue. I encourage you to check out her sweet blog or find her shop on Etsy!*