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!