Visitors from Alaska and Oregon!

Friendship is such a gift. 

Since moving to Hawaii in December, I have made quite a few new friends. But something about a friend who has known for a long time just refreshes my soul. My sister, Shelly, was able to come visit in April, and my friend, Katie, came the first week of June. What a blessing to have these two spend time, energy, and money to come see my life here, and spend time with me and my family in the sun. :)

I was encouraged, challenged, and loved on by both women and tremendously enjoyed both of their babies that accompanied them! 

 Shelly and I enjoying the West side of Oahu...my first time as well as Shelly's!!

Evan and Duke eating sand-covered crackers and working on their tan at Waimea Bay.

Katie, Aniyah, Duke, and I at my favorite coffee shop, Coffee Gallery, sharing hazelnut latte's and blueberry scones. 

Duke and Aniyah sharing a kiss.  

I think we'll save this picture for their wedding slideshow. :)

I'm looking forward to more visitors....who's next?!

Personality.

 

If pictures could describe someone's personality, then these few pictures describe Duke perfectly. 

He is very expressive these days and loves to furrow his eyebrows in a scowl when he bumps his head, squeal in delight when he sees his new favorite toy lawn mower or a popsicle, scrunch up his whole face when asked to smile, or practically yell whatever sound he can force out in an attempt to copy a word. 

He loves to climb on things, carry sticks around making noises with them, throw things, run fast, eat, ride the golf cart really fast, and be thrown in the air by his daddy. 

He is definitely not perfect, and displays his imperfections daily, but he is learning to listen and respond to instructions, and (for the most part) is such a joy to have around. 

I am definitely not perfect, and display my imperfections daily as well, but I pray that by God's grace, I can model Christ's unconditional love and mercy to Duke as I attempt to love, train, discipline, and enjoy his growing personality. 

Hand-me-downs!

Thank you Lord for hand-me-down superman outfits and an abundance of 'new' clothes for this crazy boy who is growing like a weed! 

Like father, like son...

Ha! This picture makes me laugh. Duke's clenched fist, his attempt at a smile, how much they look alike while making a silly face....I think everything about it brings a smile to my face. 

Duke is quickly growing into a boy. 

It seems like a few weeks ago he was still a baby, and now he spends his days climbing up on small ledges, riding on anything that he deems a car (bicycle, golf cart, motorcycle, car, box, etc), eating more food than me, running down hills as fast as he can, and picking up strange bugs (and sometimes eating them!). 

It shouldn't surprise me that he likes to do those things....he learned most of them from Aaron! :)

We took Duke to a park for the first time today, and oh boy, did he LOVE it. 

He had a look of wonderment as he climbed, and ran, and slid, and ran. Aaron and I just laughed as we watched him enjoy the simple play structure...and I was too busy watching and laughing to take a picture, so you'll just have to use your imagination. :)  

March happenings...

 Been weeding, starting seeds, mixing soil, and getting all ready to plant a garden! Duke is pretty helpful...he likes to soak me with the hose, throw dirt, run away, and climb on top of things while my hands are covered in dirt. :) But he is learning, always learning, to listen and obey. Somedays I get discouraged, thinking, "will he ever NOT need so many spankings?!"But I have to remind myself that I am the same way! I seem to always have to be re-learning the same lessons over and over...going through the same cycles of rebellion, falling on my face, repentance, forgiveness over and over again. But then I am encouraged...I have the opportunity to lovingly and consistently model God's love to Duke as I correct his naughtiness and try to guide him to listen and obey. And hopefully one day, he will understand his need for Jesus to cleanse his sins and give him the Spirit to help him listen and obey.

 This is my first sprout! And I have no idea what it is! :( I accidentally dropped the tray of newly planted seeds, and they got all mixed up. Oh well, growing a garden has never been so suspenseful and exciting! :) Not many of them are growing, though, so I think I might need to try again...ya, I think I'll try again.




Duke is becoming a water baby, fast! He just learned to blow bubbles and even likes to practice his new trick with a cup of water at meal-times (which is NOT encouraged). He has gone surfing twice now, and enjoyed it both times....all the while I am sitting on the beach taking pictures and praying for him to not fall off the board! :)

Duke is completely obsessed with cars. He loves them. He even gets excited to go for a ride in the car...I mean, what kid likes to get strapped into a carseat and look out the window calling everything in sight a car? Duke Danger does. :) And it's even better if he is holding one of his little toy cars. 

Speaking of going for a ride in the car, Duke went with his grandma today to run some errands. I don't leave Duke very often, cause I haven't really had many reasons to so far, but I just started cleaning a condo near by and will probably leave Duke with his grandma about once a week. As most mothers understand, when you don't really leave your child very often, they can get an extra strong clingy-ness to their mommies....and such is the case with Duke. Everything revolves around 'mama' these days. :) I love being loved, but I also love the chance to get away for a little while and give grandma some time with Dukie. I packed his bag full of crackers and toy cars to keep him happy along the way. :) 

In other news, Police Academy is going well for Aaron and we are starting to get excited as it gets closer to his graduation in June. Duke and I look forward to his return home from work everyday, and are so thankful for such a hard-working man to lead our family. 

This move to Hawaii has caused a lot of growth in us as a family, and we often pray that God would continue to use everything in our lives - trials and joys - to mold us to be more like Jesus. 

New Addition...

Our chickens are getting so big, and our most recent addition is a little goat! As it was given to us, we aren't sure if it is a baby or just a miniature breed... either way, she's cute, ya?
I also recently cleared out a little raised garden bed in hopes of planting some vegetables soon....so you can just call me farmer Sally. :)
I really enjoy having some outdoor 'chores' and having a break from the dishes, cooking, and laundry. Duke LOVES playing in the pile of dirt near the garden and running up and down a little grassy hill. He is getting a lot more sturdy on his feet and is becoming a little climber as well. He thinks everything is a car...either that, or he is pretending. :) His latest 'tricks' are meowing like a cat, saying 'doodoo', and giving a pound with his fist. He is learning and growing so fast, I can't keep up! He is a smart little guy and is figuring out how to exert his opinion quite forcefully at times, and I often find myself begging for wisdom and grace to help him learn to love and obey Jesus (and mommy!).

Thanks to pinterest, I have had quite a few craft projects that I've been wanting to do, and Duke's morning nap is often the perfect time to get a little crafting in. This is my latest project, and am really enjoying this type of canvas/painting/art and would love for more excuses to make these, so if anyone has a custom order, I'd love to make some more!












We have been enjoying the rain this week...
Duke finds all sorts of bugs and gets to splash in puddles!
I tell him stories of when I was a little girl, growing up in Oregon and how it rained all the time!
He thinks it sounds fun. :)

Aaron came home with this ukelele recently and we have been enjoying having him walk around playing music for us all the time. :) 

This is what I was afraid of...

I've gone almost a month since I last blogged...and it's hard to start back up once I stopped, but here I go. :)
One thing Aaron and I have been super thankful for since moving here, is that we didn't have to 'church shop'. We had already attended The Mission when we visited Hawaii last year and were stoked to find Jesus-loving, gospel-preaching, solid believers that we could join when we moved here in December. It has seriously been such a blessing. We ride bikes to church most weeks (except this week because it was pouring!) where we worship, learn, and fellowship with other Christ-followers of the North Shore (quite a number of people show up with their swimming suits under their clothes so they can go straight to the beach afterwards!). Our favorite thing about our new church is the preaching...and this week did not disappoint us. We heard a message from 1 John chapter 1 talking about 'God is Light'. So convicted to not let my spiritual eyes adjust to the darkness around me, but rather, always look into the light, so that my sin looks black compared to the brightness of Jesus' righteousness!
I have also really enjoyed getting to know the women in the church and have gone on multiple play dates with many of them. Duke isn't very good at playing with other kids, but he's slowly learning the art of sharing and playing with other little people. :)

In other news, Duke's grandpa Chip took Duke out on a surf board for the first time this week! He loves the water and always charges straight for it when we are at the beach, and I am often a little nervous to take him in when the waves are very big or the shore-break is rough, but Grandpa was way more confident and even caught a wave with Duke on the board! Probably the first of many, many surfing sessions for this little boy. :)

Bike path

I've never really been a runner....but, how can I not be when I have this paved path across the street (which is also right along the beach)?! So, Aaron and I have signed up for the Great Aloha Run in February....which means I need to run...a lot. Whether we are running, walking, or biking on the path, Duke and I always enjoy the sound of the waves crashing, the sweet smell of tropical flowers lining the path, and the fact that even though we are new here, we always run into someone we know (or someone who knows us!). :)

Another wonderful thing that the bike path provides me is time by myself to think and pray. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I'm an introvert. I NEED 'alone' time to survive. :) And God created me, so He definitely knows my needs! He knew how much of a blessing it would be to have this beautiful, refreshing time with Him even while I'm red in the face, covered in sweat, and hardly breathing! :) I am so thankful that I have such a loving God who takes care of me!

So many changes...

Life is slowly becoming normal here, on the North Shore of Oahu. I still find myself thinking as if I'm on vacation though....thoughts such as, "How are we going to bring all this stuff home?" or "I need to hurry and get a tan before we leave" continue to pop into my head now and then. :) I have to remind myself that God has placed us here for the time being and this is my new home.

I never would have imagined that so many changes could take place in so little time. A few months ago, I was working full-time (or more), and had to use every ounce of time and energy I could muster to cook, clean, and spend purposeful time with Aaron and Duke. I now find myself at home full-time, with an abundance of time and energy to do all of those things and more! I find great pleasure in cooking, doing laundry, talking on the phone to family and friends, ironing Aaron's police uniform (lots of starch!), grocery shopping with my mother-in-law, and training Duke to be gentle to the dogs, come when I call him, and say 'dada'. It is hard getting used to a new culture and way of doing life, but I aim to be the best student and learn how to live here well. A few things I've learned already are that everything revolves around how good the surf is, white rice goes with everything, and everyone is an Aunty or Uncle and you'll pretty much get treated like family everywhere you go. It's fun and challenging trying to understand this culture and take my place in this Ohana.

I believe with all of my heart that God is in control of our lives. He knows what is best for us and what will bring Him the most glory. If it were up to me, I would have probably stayed where I was comfortable....close to my family, friends, and a life I had always known....but God knew that I would grow and bring Him more glory as a result of moving here, so here I am....doing my best to trust Him fully. My dad is one of the wisest men in the world....so when he gives me advice, I do my very best to pay attention. Right before we moved, he told me this: "Major changes in a person's life usually cause one of two things to occur....accelerated growth or major backsliding in your walk with the Lord". I believe him, and I am determined to grow closer to, not further away from, the Lord during this time of many changes occurring in my life.