Flying on a Big Daddy Plane

Here are some more pictures of us traveling from HI to CA.

Walking in to the terminal to wait for our flight.

The kids went outside to play while we waited.

Getting settled in our seats.

I'm on the phone buying tickets from LAX to BWI before we took off!  I waited until we knew for sure that we were going to leave HI before buying tickets.

 So what did we do on the plane?  You only had to be in your seat for take off and landing.  Once we were at cruising altitude we were allowed to move around.

I worked on Austin's Christmas stocking.

The kids played Legos.

Justin threw the football with the boys.

Eric and I napped!

It was a BIG plea with lots of room.  What a fun way to travel.

Then we took a taxi from Riverside to a hotel at LAX.  I was in the back with the kids.  Will fell asleep leaning against me.

Lots of movies were watched too.

Eric is on the far left throwing a ball to Justin on the right.

Landed in CA!  We got to walk off the back of the plane to get on a bus.

We brought sleeping bags and pillows for the kids.  The metal floor was a little chilly.  

Hurry up and wait!

Thats really what traveling is anyway but especially with military flying!  We went to the passenger terminal at Hickam 3 times Sunday. We got up at 3:15 am and didn't make the first flight we were trying to get. So we headed back home and went back to bed!  We slept until we couldn't make church (9am start) and then went back to the terminal to get our names on the list for another flight. The went out for a big breakfast. Went home and justin and Will took another nap. Then we went to the pool while we waited to see if we got on another flight. We didn't get that flight so home for dinner we went. But Justin decided we'd go back to the terminal and see if maybe someone didn't show up and we could get on that flight. Turns out nobody got to fly because the plane had a cracked windshield!  So we put our names on yet another list for a flight to March ARB in California. Went back home and off to bed. Justin got up at 4 to answer the email we'd recieve about the flight. The rest of us got up at 5 and had a bowl of cereal and got in the car. We had seats on the flight!!  Back to the terminal we went for more waiting. We finally got on a C-17 and off we went!  Now it's 5:20 am and we are sitting in LAX waiting to board a plane that will get us to BWI. Then taking trains and metro to aunt Annas house for the night. I'm afraid she won't be seeing our best side!  Getting up at 1am HST isn't going to be pretty!  So far only a minor scuffle at the security check point!  Eventually we will get to NC!

The kids did great and wore their ear pro the whole flight. 

Eric on the left, football mid-flight, and justin getting ready to catch. Boy was it nice to be able to move around!!

After we landed we got to walk out the back ramp!  So cool!

Justin has more pictures so I'll add those soon. 

5 kids!

Wednesday night after dinner Jackson and Delaney came over.  They are spending 3 nights with us while their parents go to Maui for a wedding.  The kids think it's great having friends sleep over.  There was a nerf gun fight at 6:20 the first morning.  Never mind the fact that it was a school day!  All 5 kids were in school for some part of the day Thursday and all made it on time!  Justin took the bigs and I dropped the littles off at 2 different preschools.  Then I went to a bootcamp exercise class and then home to vacuum and do dishes.  Then back to pick up the littles, home for naps, then off to pick up the bigs, go to a robotics parent meeting, then back home before Eric had football, then dinner and bed.  I was pretty tired last night.  Today has been much more low key.  Justin is home and so are all the kids (Statehood Day holiday) and they have played outside, walked Miles, had lunch, now it's rest time for everyone before we go to the pool, pizza for dinner, then to the post theater for Planes, Fire and Rescue.  Not sure what we will do tomorrow but I know it'll be fun.

Reading to the group

This morning before breakfast.

Afterschool on Thursday Delaney wanted to carry Caroline's book bag.

8 kids went on the walk with us this morning.

Then popsicles after we got back!

Laura, God bless you and Matt!  I'm tired.  But happy.

Survived the storms and enjoyed a sunset

So the hurricane hit the Big Island and was destroyed by the volcano.  So we ended up with very little wind and on and off rain.  Very thankful as it could have been much much worse.

By Sunday it was a beautiful day again and we enjoyed another Sunday Sunset Dinner at the beach.  This time it was just our family and we went to Sunset beach (duh!).
The kids had a blast playing in the waves and sliding on the boogie boards.

Beautiful afternoon!

 Eric loves playing in the water and I don't think he has much of a fear of the ocean.  The waves would pull him in and out and he for the most part can keep his head above water.  There were a few waves that he was pulled under and either Justin or I would feel the need to go yank him up.  You do the whole 1 mississippi, 2 mississippi and then go grab him.  We joked that if that was Caroline that went under we would not have let her get back in the water!!  Poor 3rd child!

Will hitting a wave and popping up.

view of the beach

The kids love to be thrown in the water.  That's Eric flying!

Here are a few videos of the boogie sliding and Eric playing.

Not 1, but 2!

So two hurricanes are coming this way!  Well, the first storm is going to be a tropical storm not sure what Julio is going to be by the time it gets here.  But we are prepared!  We have water and food, all the outdoor toys are put away, and the coconuts have been cut out of the trees!

I wish the kids could have seen this.  I enjoyed watching them cut the coconuts out of the trees.  The cherry picker had to extend completely straight to be able to get to the nuts.

 The kids don't have school tomorrow and Justin is home but "on-call".  Everything on post today closed at 4pm.  But that didn't stop me from taking 6 kids swimming this afternoon!  I figured with the rain threatening an hour in the pool would be fun.

Caroline had to practice but Will and Eric loved playing with Jackson, Zoe, and Evan.

 Then we went out to dinner with the Gray's and headed to the beach to catch the last of the sun set behind some clouds.  It wasn't raining at this point.

Throwing rocks!

So the windows are closed and water is sitting in many different containers on the kitchen counter.  The laundry is done and the floors are vacuumed.  Bring on the weather!!

Making lemonade

Several months ago Will asked me if he could make homemade lemonade.  I told him we would do it over summer break.  Wellllll, the very last day of summer break he made his much longed for lemonade!  He juiced 11 lemons all himself.

Such hard work!  He wore my gloves because the  cuts on his hards would burn with the juice.

Straining the pulp

Final product!  He was thrilled.  It's not as yellow since the sugar I used wasn't bleached.

 He had asked for sliders for dinner as well.  So I put some pork in the crock pot,  covered it with sweet chili sauce, and then shredded it when it was done.  Put it on some homemade buns and yummy!  As Will says, "sliders that don't slide!"

Dinner outside with homemade lemonade!!

First day of school

Friday was the first day of school!  Caroline is entering the 5th grade and Will the 2nd.  They were both excited to start school.  Caroline has several people in her class from last year, has 2 teachers, and only 16 kids in her room.  Will knows 1 kid that was in his class from last year.  

Here's to a great school year!!