two lovely's

"It was not good for man to be alone"....I know the reason why....to be able to have these two lovely created beings....

Shall we Dance!

We had to get brother in the outfit, he wanted to wear it! (he he)

Deveraux could hardly wait to get out of her costume, once out the door, the costume was off. It was quite a picture watching her running free in her tights!

Deveraux had her first dance recital on a Sunday afternoon. "I am so excited that I did it. It was short. I loved that I could just do it, do it all my heart. I know it by heart. My favorite part was when I put my hands above my head and leg up because everyone would know it was a ballet thing."

Deveraux had butterflies on the way over, but once we made the drive, she was excited! It was fun, but exhausting. Who knew being a mom of a ballerina was so much work!

Birthday Celebration 39!

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Birthday Celebration 39!

Celebrated 39 years on May 29th! I felt very blessed. Deveraux turned to me first thing in the morning and said, "Happy Birthday." We all want to be celebrated and having that be the first words to greet me made for a lovely beginning. Catherine, a dear friend and our pastor's wife took me and the kiddos to breakfast (Andrew had to work). We had a peaceful yummy breakfast. We headed to the park for mom's group and one of my friends brought cupcakes for everyone to share. I had been feeling lonely for home and it helped to have some friends here celebrate. As a family we had dinner out and ice cream for dessert. Over the weekend we went over night to Wailea (about an hour from home) and celebrated with fun in the pools! Deveraux played so much and Anderson played in between really good naps! It was a fun family getaway.

I had the thought on my birthday morning that I don't necessarily feel old but I feel I have lived alot. The constant throughout is God's faithfulness in my life and seeing me through times of darkness to so much light that I have in my life right now.

Happy Momma's DAY

There is nothing like the sound of his giggle....There is nothing like her hand in mine, his resting on me, her alligence, his little chubby legs, her eyes, his eyes, she's my girl and he's my boy. Two loves, different, yet same. Could I be so blessed...I am indeed.

Deveraux said, "I love you." I said, "I love you, I can't even tell you how much, my heart will have to do the rest. She said, "I won't leave your heart for 60, 90, 29 days." How glad I am of that!

When I Grow Up

When I grow up....

New Beginnings

Ahhh change. So hard for me, for many of us. I find myself still adjusting to the house change, yet, also being blessed in the midst of it.

I love stopping at the ocean wall and seeing what comes to mind, it is a great place to pray. So on the wall a couple of days ago, I was wondering what was so hard about this change. I realized that I had finally come to connect with the ocean as a way of comfort. I loved that is was a 2 minute walk out my door and if I needed to see the expanse as a way to get perspective, it was a quick walk and so restorative. Now we are up the hill, not far, but not out the door. It feels I now again have to adjust. Also, I also love seeing "life" outside my window. As a stay at home mom, it is good to see the hustle of people at play and work. Being now in a neighborhood, there is much less of that life teeming about.

My consolation as I was thinking about all of this was that at least I know myself and I had these rumblings before we moved, I think I just thought maybe the benefit will outweigh the cost. It might at some point.

So now the "But"....But I know God continues to be on the move, Of course. I had the thought that, this house isn't for me, in so many ways it is for all those that will cross our threshold. I had really hoped a few months back (before knowing about the house) that I want to be more hospitable, to be there for people in our home. Well we have had more people in our home in this short month and more meals served than any other home in this short of a time span. I want this house to be a blessing. So in spite of my struggle, I know it will be okay and God is God and I just want to settle back and allow him to unfold His ideas for us. It is about yielding, surrendering. In our Bible Study this week, we read about how yieldedness is a choice and how when we are out of control, the Spirit is in control. I want that.

I am adding just a few pictures of new beginnings in a new home (Andrew mowing his first lawn, Deveraux planting flowers, the kiddos on the lanai on their chairs...)

MOVING

Playing in "our" yard!

First sunset in the house

Okay, bubble bath in the new big tub and painter guy, Mike, painting around Deveraux as she sleeps on the floor for her nap..."gotta do what ya gotta do"

First Easter at the new house, had to have an Easter egg hunt!

Easter morning, First morning

So I need to say some words about the move. Life has been so full it's been hard to keep up! I think the reason you are able to move again is because you forget all the work that went into the previous move. We had a rough moving week. The morning of the first day, Andrew was experiencing extreme pain, we went to the Dr., it was a very scary few hours, we found out he was dehydrated and he had a kidney stone which he was able to pass in the Dr.'s office. We also had to deal with both of our kids being sick and Anderson had a rough time being with anybody other than mama or dada. We hung in there and made our goal to wake up in the house Easter morning. We all felt very blessed. It is amazing how everything else in your life remains the same and you move only 5 minutes away from your previous home and everything seems different and it takes time to get your bearings.

I went through some really hard feelings the first few days. Here I was in this big beautiful house and I didn't want it. I wanted familiar and I wanted our condo with the pool and beach. I felt all my fears of not wanting to be in this house were coming true. What was I doing in a house in Maui anyways, a place I don't want deep roots. I just kept thinking, I wasn't ready to leave our old place, I was just so uncomfortable and I felt stuck. This was my first house in our married life and it felt so big and strange to be in a house.

Now we are two weeks into our life here and it feels better. Although sometimes it feels we are house sitting and I still sometimes long for the old workplace and the familiar lower road. But now my runs take me on the lower road and my skin feels familiar again only in new surroundings. It is different but there is good. One of my favorite things is playing in the yard and with the hose with Anderson and Deveraux, it's our yard. It is fun having people over and more people have come over lately. Even though I miss our Kahana Villas home and my workplace, change offers new opportunities and a new way of looking and experiencing life. For now, we will try it.

I know one thing that will be wonderful, sharing it with friends and family. We finally have a guest room, so come!

Oh, one more thing. Deveraux said what she liked about this house better was it reminded her of Colorado...good to hear.