I can't believe how time flies, Kamalia is 9 months already, Kekoa just turned 4 & everyone else will be turning one year older every month until August! Kaleia will be 6 next month, Keanu 8 in May, Kamalia 1 in June & Kalani 10 in August. I can't believe I'm old enough to have a child in double digits! It's weird thinking that my life could be half over when I feel like I have so much more I want to accomplish! I can see how parents would be tempted to "live through their children" as they say. You want them to experience everything you missed & protect them from experiences you would rather forget. Unfortunately, the greatest learning experiences seem to be the most hurtful...the life lessons you don't forget & that make you who you are. I'm learning to trust God to know what each of my children need to grow close to Him, He knew what I needed! I think I learn just as much from my children as they do from me. They have been the greatest "teachers" as far as showing me all the many faults I still have to work on...sometimes ignorance is bliss. Only 2 more months of homeschooling, I can't believe we made it! It just takes a lot of organization, patience, change of thinking and lots of grace for yourelf when you make mistakes! The bad thing about having high expectations is not being able to meet them. I'm not saying don't strive for excellence, but having realistic goals for yourself and resisting the temptation to "compare yourelf among yourselves" goes a long way. I find the Bible is full of "little wisdoms" that are very practical!

This was taken at 4 months old, 2 months ago already! So much has happened since we got home & this is the first chance I've had to update. Let's see, we got home the beginning of September & moved to a house in Palo Cedro. We were there for a couple of months & then decided to move back to our home at the end of November. So we actually were moving during Thanksgiving weekend. Now we're still unpacking & trying to get settled back to normal. (That's the super-short version) Kamalia is already 6 months old! Time just keeps flying by. She's cuter than ever & the kids still love her to death. We had a good Christmas being with family. I'm trying to get a family picture done with all of us so hopefully I can squeeze that in sometime soon. Kamalia is sitting, rolling all over the place, eating & probly going to start crawling soon. She has 2 bottom teeth already & the top 2 are about ready to come in. She still loves being with mommy best, but she loves Grandma Roxy too. She's about 15-16 pounds & still a petite little thing. She is long though & has mommies long arms & legs. She's our little blessing & I don't know what we'd do without her! I think my head is still spinning from this last year of moving, having a baby, moving & then moving again! I've been homeschooling all the kids in the midst of this (or trying at least). Needless to say, things have been pretty stressful & I'm looking forward to a chance to slow down & breathe. It seems like finding time is getting harder & harder, there's never enough to get anything done. Until next time.

Headed Home

We're heading home and I have to admit I have mixed feelings. I am very excited about seeing everyone and so are the kids. We can't wait! On the other hand, we're sad about leaving. It's been an interesting experience and hard to go back to "normal". Please pray for our safety in traveling, we'll be landing in Sacramento around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday night. We'll head to Red Bluff on Saturday and finally get up to Redding on Sunday. Our first week will probably be filled with unloading & unpacking & trying to prepare myself for Eli going back to work. I'm not looking forward to that. I'll have unpacking & homeschool to keep me busy for a while at least. It will be fun for the kids to have a yard again! I can't wait to rejoin my Bible Study Group & start playing volleyball...or at least making an attempt to play! I'm also looking forward to seeing everyone at church, we are thankful for those who kept in contact with us & kept us in their prayers. Well, we'll see everyone soon!

7 days & counting!

It's hard to believe this is our last week. The boys finally got to visit Pearl Harbor & the Battleship Missouri Memorial. They really enjoy all the history here. Now they want to see the Arizona Memorial & Museum. We've been trying to figure out the best way to get 5 kids, 7 pieces of luggage, 3 car seats, 2 strollers & 6 carry-ons to the airport without losing anything! We still have our matching neon yellow t-shirts my mom got the kids when we left so we wouldn't lose them (once a mom, always a mom!) So you can pray for our safe travel and sanity when we travel! We'll be staying in Sacramento for a few days to visit my family there and then we'll be heading home! The kids are counting down the days now. Keep praying for us wisdom as we are still trying to find the direction God wants us to take. This was such a unique opportunity for us as a family and hopefully we will remember lessons we learned. Life is too short to just be "safe & comfortable", following God blindly can be so much more exciting! Although it is very hard to trust that His plans are best, I think I'd much rather live life how He intended & reap the rewards eternally. I can't imagine not having the knowledge that there is something so much more than the here & now. I'm not sure how people live without having something so much better to look forward to! I wish I were better at sharing that with people that need to know. Sometimes I envy those that have been called to the mission field where that's all they do full time. How rewarding. Well, we'll be home soon!

I love this stage! Every morning Kamalia wakes up & gives me the cutest smiles. She talks and laughs, and you can tell she thinks she's pretty cute. I have to agree! She can't wait to meet everyone. Less than 2 weeks to go, where did all the time disappear too? I have to say my excitement for coming home has been a little dampened since one of my best friends won't be there to see me. They're moving to Quincy (?) but she promises to come see me soon & it will only be for a couple of years at the most. I'm not sure what I'm going to do without her. I'll miss you Shannon (& David of course!) We finally did the pineapple maze (it's the longest maze at over 2 miles long) & it was quite an adventure trying not to lose any of our kids along the way. They enjoyed it although Koa kept asking when we were going to get "there". I'm not sure he understood the concept! We're starting homeschooling this week, I'm curious to see how it will work with 3 in "school", a 3 year old & a baby. I think we're outnumbered by over 2 to 1 now, where did all these kids come from anyway?! I'm thankful for each one, they all have their own personalities, strengths & weaknesses. While being a parent is one of the HARDEST things in the world, it is also the most rewarding. It's like looking in a bunch of little mirrors & seeing all your faults so clearly! I'm still trying to figure out why most of the positive traits seem to come from Eli & all the negative seem to come from me, I wonder what that means?! I'm looking forward to playing volleyball again when I get home, hopefully I won't hurt myself before I can get into shape. I'm learning that there are actually a lot of advantages to having a lot of kids. Like today, we went to the park & played a game of kickball & we had enough people to play 3-on-3! It was fun, we got rained on for a few minutes but we played through it (aren't we committed), & after each kid took a turn of quitting or running away when they got out, we finally called it quits. I think we passed on our competitive spirits a little too strongly, so now we have to work on being good losers as well as gracious winners. (It's really hard to teach what doesn't come naturally). We miss everyone.

4 Weeks left!

Well we're down to four weeks and somehow that doesn't seem like enough time! There are still things we would like to do and the thought of going back to real life doesn't seem very appealing. We can't wait to see everyone and are very excited about that, (my kids are planning all the parties they will have!), but I'm still trying to figure out how to keep Eli home with us! I'm not sure how the kids are going to like him being gone either so I'm praying for an opportunity to present itself for a different source of income. I'm sure Eli loves being home with us all day too, I'm not asking, I'm just assuming! Last week Abi left after 6 weeks of being a part of this crazy, big family in our small quarters, & I'm sure it was the best birth control a 17 year old could have had! She survived though & will be starting her first year of college this month at Shasta College. I look forward to watching her play on their volleyball team next month. My cousin Aym'e and her husband John came last Friday & Saturday to visit on their way to Kauai. We were so excited to see them & as always, wish it could have been longer. They live in San Diego so we don't get to see them as much as we would like, but even one day was so nice. We've just been resting this week, even the kids seem a little worn down. Kalani's birthday is this Saturday so he's counting down the days until he turns 9. He's been busy planning his party for when we get home with my mom and Kaleia has been busy planning her & baby sister's "surprise" party with my sister! I don't think she understands what "surprise" means, but she keeps sneaking my phone to call "Auntie JuJu" to talk about it at all hours. I think she uses more minutes than I do! We miss everyone and are getting more excited everyday!

Check out my Slide Show!

Counting Down!

I guess now it's a countdown as to when we come back. About 6 1/2 weeks. Time is going so quickly! We are all well and have been enjoying doing some "touristy" things. So far we have visited the Waikiki Aquarium and the Honolulu Zoo. It was a lot of fun seeing God's creativity in person! I think my favorite things at the aquarium are the jelly fish & the sea dragons. I'm not sure what my favorite animal at the zoo is. Kaleia's favorite is the zebra (because it's like a horse), Kalani's favorite is the cheetah, lions, tigers (anything that is like a cat), Kekoa liked the reptile exhibit (because he's all boy!) and Keanu liked the komodo dragon. We have plans to visit the Dole Plantation, Sea Life Park and a beach luau. If only life could stay like this and Eli could stay home forever! I might be getting a little spoiled and have to readjust to him going back to work.....I'm thinking that taking care of me is a full-time job! If only it paid better :) We still feel like God lead us here for a reason & tried to step out in faith to see what He had in store for us, but maybe sometimes just the believing & acting is the purpose for the calling. I'm always looking for a logical reason that makes sense to me but Hebrews tells us about the "Hall of Faith" and Heb. 11:13 sais "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did NOT receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance." I guess that's the kind of faith that pleases God because in verse 16 it sais, "Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God..." Sometimes our acts of faith are rewarded in our children or grandchildren's lifetimes, not our own. Talk about a test! I'm not sure if I could have that strong of faith but what a goal to have. My favorite passage is Philippians 3:8-4:1, to gain Christ & have a righteousness that comes from God & is by faith. Nothing encourages me more than reading what Christ has already done & is going to do for us. This reminds me that it's what Christ has done, not what I do that makes me righteous in His eyes. (It's a good thing too because of how short I fall & how discouraged I get when I or anyone else doesn't meet my expectations of perfection!) So please keep my husband in your prayers as he deals with my ever-changing emotions & unrealistic expectations!

It's hard to believe that we are halfway through our time here. Things haven't worked out exactly how we planned, (or anything close to what we planned), but we came here trusting that God had a reason & would work everything out. We have our new baby but no house. I think we are learning to put up with each other in a small space & trying to treat each other nice even when we get on each other's nerves! It's definitely easier to "preach" than live it sometimes. I'm learning that being an example of something you're trying to teach your children is very difficult sometimes. Hopefully now that we are starting to get back to a little routine we can start getting some stuff done. The older boys have been at the church camp & are enjoying getting to know some more people. It's a nice break from getting out of the "house" for them too. Now I need to find something to get out of the house for! Three weeks is more than long enough for me to rest & not do anything. I think I'm getting a little restless so the next couple of months might be more difficult for me. We really miss our family & friends and I really miss getting to see everyone's babies & seeing how everyone is doing. Kamalia is growing fast and getting spoiled wanting me to hold her when she's awake, & when she's asleep. ( Of course I do it so I can get some sleep too!) I don't miss all the fires & heat that Redding has had, but our air conditioner went out last week & when it's 85 with a lot of humidity....it makes things a little more difficult. Eli & I did get to go to dinner last Sunday night & we ran into the Youth Pastor & his wife so we ended up going to dinner with them & his parents who were here visiting. It was nice to get to know them & have some adult conversation. We're still praying for a house, at least to get some things done on the condo, but I really want it more for some space, privacy & a little "normalcy". I was complaining about how we didn't have enough room in our 3 bedroom house before we left, God has changed my perspective, (funny how He does that sometimes) & my house now seems like more than enough room! We miss everyone & can't wait to see you soon!

Two Weeks Old!

Kekoa looks so big next to Kamalia, when did he grow so fast?! I was a little concerned before she got here how Koa would react, since he kept telling me he didn't want the baby to come out, but as you can see, he loves her to death & can't stop kissing her cheek. She's already growing & I can see her little personality. She smiles a lot & loves to be sung to. The kids argue about who she likes the best. She sleeps well, especially when I'm holding her or let her lay on a pillow. I think she's already a little spoiled, is that possible? We got to go back to church today, we all enjoyed the special celebration they did for the 4th & there was a b-b-que potluck afterwards with lots of fun stuff for the kids to do. We miss all our friends & family. We miss our class especially & hope everyone is doing well. Not a whole lot of new things to report, just been recuperating & adjusting to having a little one again. I'm getting a little more sleep now so I'm starting to feel a little normal again. I forgot what it was like to wake up every 2-3 hours & get by on little sleep. Eli definitely makes it easier by taking care of me & all the other kids & doing the cooking & cleaning. I told him he was hired full-time from now on! I always knew he would make a better "mom" than me. We're still praying for a house & appreciate your prayers also.

One week old!

A week is already gone by & it feels like she's been here forever. That could be because I feel like we've been awake for most of it, or just because she's so cute! After the adrenaline wears off from the first few days, it seems so easy to forget about being thankful for the easy delivery. Now it's the ups & downs of emotions to deal with for the next few months. I think Eli will need a lot of prayer to deal with me! The kids love their baby sister but are missing "mommy time" so I'm trying to take each one of them every few days by themselves to go shopping and just spend some alone time with them. It's good to get to be with them & listen to what's going on in their little minds. I have to admit they've been dealing with small living quarters very well, probably a lot better than I would have at their age (or mine!) We're still praying for a house, but also trying to trust that God will provide it at the right time. I wish I could say that I don't worry about it at all, but as much as I trust God one day, I find myself doubting the very next. I guess we are like our children, learning a lesson, forgetting it, & having to learn it all over again! We sure do miss everybody & appreciate all the emails & comments. I will post more pictures soon.

Introducing our new addition!

Well, she came a little sooner than we thought, but we are so happy to have her! We would love to introduce our newest sweetheart Kamalia (pronounced: Comma-Leah) Kalei Mamo O Kohala Kuamo'o Mo'okini Mizuta. (They'll be a test when we get home to see who can remember & pronounce that!-and no, I'm not joking.) She weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 20 in. long. The doctor came in the room to deliver at 12:40 pm and she was born at 12:43 pm! I couldn't believe how easy it was...I used to think ibuprofen was my miracle drug, but now I believe in epidurals! Once I got it I just had to lay there & take a nap until the nurse told me it was time. I also believe in the prayers of everyone, I know my friends, family & church family was doing a lot of interceding for me. I was doing some pleading myself & God had mercy on me. I am learning that trusting God isn't just trusting Him to do what I want, but trusting Him to allow what is best. Sometimes it's what I ask for & sometimes not, but I'm trying to trust in His love with any answer He gives. Of course it's easier when I get what I ask for! Our little girl is soooo cute (I have to brag since there' no one else here too) Her brothers and sister love her & couldn't wait for her to come home. Kekoa was a little confused about how she appeared & wasn't in my belly anymore, but he loves her too & gets so excited if I let him hold her. She loves listening to them sing to her. They can't stand for her to fuss or cry so I have all of them telling me when she's crying to feed her or hold her.(Even though I'm sitting right next to her!) Although we don't have a house & it's a little hard to have any quiet time for naps, she's adapting quickly & should be able to sleep through anything soon. I'm just thankful that everything went so well & all the details were taken care of. We can't wait to show her off to everyone. Congratulations to Erica & James on their arrival, I consider it my B.day present! We can't wait to see everyone's precious packages. Thank you for everyone's prayers, we can't tell you how much we value them.

Check out my Slide Show!

Well, I don't really have any new pictures to put up except for more of the kids on the beach, so I'll just update a little bit. The doctor here finally got my medical records but she doesn't have any available apts. before I'm due now & she just doesn't "feel comfortable" taking me on this late. So, I guess I'm just going when it's time & praying that God will have the right doctor on call & that everything goes well. This whole process has been very frustrating to say the least but I know people have been in worse situations. The good news is we found a church we all really like, good music, good preaching and we met a very nice couple our age that has 4 children also. It was so nice finally meeting with people again. Even if you don't have anything else in common, God is reason enough! It seems like that is the best reason. They also have about 6 weeks of summer programs for kids, a different theme each week, to choose from so our kids are excited about that. They were really wanting to make some new friends. I'm looking forward to maybe joining a Mom's group after the baby is born. We still haven't found a house yet but there's still 2 more weeks! Congratulations to my "Baby" brother Isaac & his wife Chelsi on the arrival of their first! (Even though she was actually due a week after me). They are very proud parents of a little girl & I can't wait to hold her. They had a little scare at first because of her breathing, but after some tests & observation, she is doing fine & is now home. I don't want to butcher her name's spelling so I'll wait until I get it from them. Other than that, I feel huge & ready to pop! I'm just trying to wait until I can have my own room to come home too! Thanks for all your continued prayers, we really appreciate them.

Military Museum

These are Kalani's favorite pictures from the military museum. The boys love how big the guns are. Not quite sure how big it is. They also liked this tank and the Cobra helicopter (which has a machine gun & a granade launcher in the front with rockets & missles- in case you didn't

know), along with everything else!

This is one of the haibiscus flowers at the Queen's Garden, (I thought you might like to see this Kim!) These plants actually grow into trees with huge flowers.

This is at the Queen's Garden. The flower's here are beautiful.

Finally have a picture of Kalani looking at me. Eli took the boys to the military musuem so I'll add pictures of that later, they really enjoyed all the tanks & cannons! We went to the King Kamehaha Day Parade today. Kaleia, of course, loved all the princesses on horses! (Each island has it's own princess & colors). Oh, and still no house, no doctor & no baby! I think I'll put myself on bedrest!

This is what our sleeping arrangements have been! We did get an air mattress so that helps a little. Keep praying for a bigger house! This is also the only time Kalani is still enough to get a picture! We found one possibility for a rental but it's a little farther away than we would like, I would like to be a little closer to the hospital than 45 minutes! I can't believe we've been gone for a month already. The kids are almost done with their schoolwork so that will be nice not to have to worry about anymore, although it does keep them occupied for a while. We've been to the pool more often lately & Keanu & Kaleia are learning how to swim much better. Kaleia can actually do front & back flips under water. I think their all part fish! I have to say that it is nice not being in extreme heat during the last months of pregnancy. Congratulations to my friend Cheryl on her new arrival (a month early!) & Erica, you better wait for me! Chelsi, you too, this is both your first & my 5th & I don't think it will be fair if your not late! J/K