Hawaii . Ko Olina

On Sunday we left Waikiki and headed over to the western side of the Island to stay at the Marriott Ko Olina resort for a week of true paradise.  Although we loved our time at the Hale Koa, we were all excited for some togetherness time without any appointments and tests for Mike.  We had stayed at the Ko Olina back in 2007 with the older three children and always hoped to one day return.  There is really only one word that describes the Ko Olina...AWESOME.  The new pool area was out of this world.  With waterfalls, a cave, a water slide and plenty of hot tubs, everyone was pretty content to be at the pool most of the time.  We quickly discovered the shaved ice hut and splurged by letting the kids have one most every day.  During one of the days the girls and I got to make our own fresh Hawaiian leis while the boys played ping pong.  That evening we all enjoyed a show with dancers, got to try coconut milk straight from the coconut and the kids all got their own headbands.  We even celebrated Peter's birthday with grandpa while he was with us. Fun times! There was plenty of  entertainment and lots of relaxation during our week at the Ko Olina.  We truly felt like we were in paradise!

Hawaii . Hale Koa

We pulled the kids out of school a little earlier than their Spring Break so we could get to Hawaii to be with Mike during all of his testings and procedures.  The first week was spent in Waikiki at the Hale Koa so Mike could get all his testing done at Tripler hospital.  We slept in almost everyday, swam at the pool, played in the sand at the beach, and snorkeled in the ocean.  The kids loved taking turns riding the ocean bike with grandpa and burying each other in the sand.  We even saw a few of our friends from Japan while we were there.  The girls and I pampered ourselves and got our nails painted which was fun.  What is there not to love about swimming, eating, and relaxing in beautiful surroundings and eating at yummy restaurants like PF Changs and The Cheesecake Factory? The first week was rough for Mike but being in a warm and relaxing environment totally helped.  We were blessed to have Mike's dad there with us.  For the most part Mike was in good spirits and he tried to do as much as he could with the kids but I could tell that he was struggling.  The kids don't know how good they have it.  Their dad would do anything for them, including pushing through his pain and discomfort just to spend time with them on the beach.  Over the course of the week Mike had another EGD, a colonoscopy and a pill cam.  The EGD and colonoscopy put him back in the OR but he seemed to recover better this time from the EGD.  The pill cam showed that his bowels might have been perforated.  It's too bad that all they said he could do was wait until it healed on its own (6-9 months).    

Slices of Life . March

March 6, 2013

Andrew's Band Concert

Today was Andrew's spring band concert. The 6th grade band played Constellation, Gentle Winds, Arrival at Normandy, and Achievement. It was fun watching him up close play the trombone. I was super impressed by how well this beginning band sounded after having only played for 8 months.

March 8, 2013

It was a very windy day so we headed over the zipline park to fly kites. We had just bought the girls two new kites and they were super excited to try them out. Much to their dismay, flying kites was harder than they thought. We did have some success but even so, Abby preferred to fly her kite little kid style by running around with the kite only 5 feet out on the string.

March 10, 2013

It has been fun being part of the Yokosuka Ward. I was in charge of taking a photo of all the members of our ward that were at church today.  I took the photo in the park across the street from the building where we have church and it was super windy.  Not everyone was there but this is about how big our ward is on a weekly basis when the ships are out to sea.  

March 21, 2013

Abby has been taking swimming lessons and she has become more confident in the water. Her favorite thing is jumping in the water from the edge of the pool. She even surprised me by jumping off the diving board to her instructor.

March 24, 2013

This is the best time of the year in Japan because there are cherry blossom trees EVERYWHERE. I can't ever get enough of their beauty. Even in our little town of Shonantakatori the streets along the Seiyu are lined with beautiful cherry blossom trees. We are lucky to live so close to all these beautiful trees. The kids have really enjoyed playing under the canopy of the cherry blossoms in the park across the street from our house.