Our First Day in Hawaii

The plane ride with the boys went okay. No major meltdowns or crying for extreme amounts of time, but we were all glad when Justin FINALLY fell asleep! Though, the hardest part of the trip was waking Ethan and Matthew when the plane landed in Honolulu so that we could get off the plane and walk through the airport and get our stuff (it was after midnight, our time!)

President Wheelwright picked us up from the airport in one of the universities mini-vans and after he dropped us off at our apartment, he told us to keep the van all the next day so that we could explore the island. We were SO thankful!!

Due to the time change, our boys were up at 5am, so we got an early start on the day, and decided we wanted to go see the USS Arizona Memorial. We brought our GPS, so we were confident we would be able to find it...but we couldn't get it to work. No worries, we'd just follow the signs...we ended up in Waikiki. So, we found an awesome market as we were driving around, and decided to get out and take a look. It was pretty cool. We'll be heading back to load up on souvenirs in the near future!

After our little pit-stop, we realized that we needed to change the zone on our GPS...it magically started working after that, and we were able to get to where we wanted to go...after we mistakenly went to Pearl Harbor (the navy base) and they kindly told us we were actually looking for the USS Arizona Memorial, then stopped traffic so we could make a U-turn.

We finally made it!
Ethan loved the artillery guns.

The boys in front of the USS Bowfish. Justin is camera-shy, I guess.




Justin throwing a HUGE tantrum on the boatride out to the monument. Apparently he didn't get the memo that children are to remain quiet and orderly so as not to disrupt the respectful atmosphere for everyone else.

The little trouble-maker trying to remove the safety signs.

There really is a sobering feeling when you walk into the room with the wall of names.


Wreckage - oil is still seeping to the surface of the water several decades later.


After the memorial, we hit a wal-mart, and headed back to our place where we changed into swimming suits, and walked to the beach. Matthew loved playing in the waves, and Ethan and Justin enjoyed digging in the sand.

It was an exhausting day, but a lot of fun, too.

**A special thanks to our guest photographer, James. Yes, he was allowed to use the "big" camera (while I wrestled with Justin)**

Happy Birthday Matthew!!

Matthew turned five...I can hardly believe that my little baby turned five and is heading for kindergarten in the fall.

I love that Matthew blew out his candles in his batman mask. What a cool kid!

Poor Matthew...we were busy getting ready to go to Hawaii, so his birthday celebration was less than stellar, but we hope to make it up to him while here!

Swimming Lessons

Matthew had swimming lessons last week. They normally last for two weeks, but we left on our internship, so when we get back, he'll do another week.
He took lessons with two of his cousins, and loved it.
The teacher is awesome. She has a kind of "tough love" approach that is really effective. She had them jumping in the pool on their own on the first day, and Matthew was swimming on his back on his own by the second day.


I'm really impressed with Matthew. He's only been in a pool maybe five times in his life, and here he is swimming!

Yay Matthew!!

"This" (what we call him...for reals) turned 3!!

Ethan's birthday started with a phone call from Indiana. Heartbreak. Anger. Disappointment...then we got over it, and started celebrating the big day.

I made pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse for breakfast. Then, Ethan opened his cards and presents.

A wooden snake from Matthew.

After opening presents, it was off to the movies where we all saw UP! Then, we headed to ToysRUs so that Ethan could spend his wad of birthday cash.

Two days later...great mom, I know...I attempted to make his birthday cake.

He wanted a "Special Agent Oso" Cake (a secret agent panda from the Disney Channel). My grandma had given me a 3-D bear cake pan a while ago, and I was excited to finally use it.

This is how it turned out the first time:

Awesome, isn't it? Not only did it crumble to pieces when I attempted to remove the center cone, it also pulled a Mt. Vesuvius and erupted while baking.

Attempt number 2:

I solved the crumbling and erupting problem, but completely failed to anticipate the hungry-little-boy-who-likes-to-be-sneaky-and-snitch-big-chunks-of-cake problem. Oh well, nothing that a little (or rather A LOT) of frosting couldn't fix.

The finished product (it's a yellow panda that wears a black and red vest):

I'm not sure, but I think he wished for all of us to go to Hawaii for the summer.

Lemonade Tastes Better in Hawaii

We got a call last night, at about 9 pm. It was the President of BYU-Hawaii, offering James a mini-internship. We'll be spending the rest of the summer in Hawaii. Hawaii. Hawaii! Hawaii?

After hearing that Indiana "changed their minds", one of James' friends/MBA team-member had a stroke of inspiration. Currently, he and his family are in Hawaii, doing a mini-internship, but he has to leave at the end of next week to do a study-abroad program in Europe. He called James and asked if he would be interested in taking his place for the rest of the summer, as long as BYU-Hawaii was okay with it. Of COURSE we would be interested!

A couple of days went by, and we heard nothing. Then, James' friend emailed. Slightly bad news. He explained that he didn't think anyone would be taking his place after he left and that James could slip right in, but in fact, BYU-Hawaii was already contemplating some other MBA candidates from a rather prestigious business school. But, if James wanted to send in his resume, the University President agreed to take a look at it.

A few more days went by, and we were starting to think it was a no-go. Then, last night we got the phone call, and away we go!

It's an unpaid internship, but they're paying to fly our whole family out there and back, and paying for our apartment, so we're okay with it. :) James will be working on two projects: One is financed-based, and one is more operations/logistics based (we think). Not only will he be getting some good experience, he'll also hopefully make some good contacts.

It's a miracle. A miracle. Really.

The boys are more than excited. Matthew can't wait to go to the beach, and now wants a beach ball and sand toys for his birthday, though last night he was concerned how we were going to eat while on the plane. "Do they cook for you?" he asked.

Ethan's excitement was expressed in tears. As soon as we told him that we were going to fly on an airplane, he was ready to get in the car and go. He was so, so disappointed when we told him we wouldn't be leaving for a few days. It's a good thing that we didn't leave last night, as Justin and Ethan both threw up multiple times. :)

Thanks again, everyone for the prayers and support. Now, if you could all just pray that North Korea won't bomb us on July 4th as threatened...

Next time you see us, we'll all be nice and tan...I hope! :)

Making Lemonade

So, not getting the internship in Indiana was pretty disappointing. To go from being told "We're really intent on getting you out here", to "Sorry, we've changed our minds" was hard. How could they do this to us? How could they do this to James? I was angry. Really, really angry. It's stupid, I know, but I wanted to call them and yell at them. But, not only would that not have helped, I'm sure that I would have dissolved into a mess of angry tears before the yelling could even begin.

I'm not proud to admit it, but the question that kept re-surfacing in those first few hours after we found out was: How could the Lord let this happen? It took every bit of patience and faith that I possess to not blame the Lord, and to not let myself become bitter and angry that many of our friends got last-minute miracles to secure internships, and we didn't. Just like everyone else, we prayed, we fasted, we attended the temple, but it still didn't turn out the way we had hoped.

The call came Friday morning. Ethan's birthday. It's actually good that it came on Ethan's birthday, because it forced me to get things done, when all I really wanted to do was crawl into a hole and hide. Putting my energy into making sure Ethan had a happy birthday gave me the drive and the energy to get through the day. Taking the boys to a movie, and letting Ethan go shopping at Toys'R'Us to spend his birthday money gave us all something fun to do.

However, I must admit, that tears flowed freely in the safety of the darkened theater. Against the unlikely backdrop of the Disney movie UP!, there I was, surrounded by the laughter of my fellow movie-goers, having an epic internal struggle. I felt that I was standing at a crossroads of sorts: Was I going to give in to despair and bitterness? Or, was I going to find the courage to be happy despite the circumstances (something that is VERY hard for me to do)? I decided that as much as I wanted to withdraw into myself, I needed to be strong. If not for me, for the boys, and especially for James.

And somehow I was okay. Still a little sad, but I was okay. As the movie ended, miraculously, thoughts began pouring into my mind about all the positives of staying where we were for the summer:

• Matthew gets to have swimmings lessons...something that he desperately needs, but we haven't been able to give him due to our rather unstable summers the last couple of years.
• Free room and board for the summer...yes, James' parents are wonderful, and VERY generous...and patient (not everyone would so happily let a family of five take over their house for the summer :) )
• The boys get the chance to know their great grandma Moseley (she'll be moving in, too in a few weeks)
• I get to enter things in the County Fair at the end of the summer. I'm a nerd, but I really am excited about that!
• We get to spend time with James' family.
  
• James' parents actually live in a great little town...it's a wonderful place to spend the summer.
• I get to get a library card!! Because of where we live in Utah County, we would have to spend $80 a year to get a library card, so we've gone without the last year. Now, we get to go to storytime, and check out books, and do the summer reading program!
• James actually has the opportunity to work on what I think will be an amazing project for the summer. It will give him the experience he needs in his field to really put him over the edge. He'll be working with the owner of a small local business, and will give him the chance to really dig in and accomplish something. Sometimes, with the bigger internships, you're a paper-pusher for the summer. This way, he'll have the chance to really make a difference
• And especially, I'm happy about all the time we get to spend with James. He's my best friend, and the love of my life. What a blessing for me to get to spend so much time with him, and for the boys to get so much time with their dad that they love so much. And, this pregnancy has been my hardest emotionally and physically. It's been wonderful to have him around to give me so much help and support.
  

By the end of the day, I actually felt pretty good. Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments where I panic a little bit, but it doesn't overcome me. I know it's because of all of the prayers and fasting that have been offered up on our behalf. This is the first time that I have really been able to feel the sustaing power of prayer in such a tangible way. That, in and of itself, makes this whole experience worth it to me. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Prayer does work.

And, so, life goes on. Like I said, I still have my moments where fear creeps in, but I'm able to push through it, which is something I've never been able to do before. And we are blessed. We are truly blessed.

Don't you just love lemonade?

And So...

After all that, it's a no.

Keeping Busy

So, since it looks like I'll have to be patient a little longer before this internship-thing is decided (I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not.), I've been keeping happily busy with baby girl things...it's been a GREAT distraction. (And, just for the record, I LOVE my boys, and being a "boy" mom. I've just always wanted to have at least one girl to do girly things with every once in a while. Truth be told, I love having little boys around, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Phew! Glad to have that off my chest!)

Anyways, yesterday, for my birthday, Matthew and I hit the fabric and craft stores for supplies. This is what I'm making:

These shoes:
You can find the pattern HERE.

This blanket:
I always crochet a blanket for my babies. You can find the pattern HERE.

And this dress:
You can buy the book HERE.

I'll post pictures when I'm done. I'm excited!!

And, for those of you have been waiting with bated breath, don't worry, I'll continue to keep you updated on the internship situation :)

Drumroll, Please...

I Feel Like I've Posted This Before...

We were supposed to hear today when James was flying out to meet the managers of the company. But, apparently everyone is "off-site" for the next couple of days. Now we have to wait until Monday at the soonest. For being in a "big hurry", they sure are taking their time. They do realize that the summer is wasting away, don't they?
Oh well, I guess I can be patient a little longer.
I guess. :)