Oh Will!

Last night right before I was getting ready to call the kids in for dinner, Will comes walking in the front door telling me he hit his head.  All I see are his bloody hands and shirt.  While he is washing the blood off his hands I clean the blood off his head so I can see how bad it is and if we need to go to the Acute Care Clinic to get stitches.  I tell him we need to go to the dr and that's the first tears I've seen him shed over this booboo.  

A neighbor came over to see how Will was doing because her little boy went home and told her that Will cracked his head open!  She agreed that it needed attending to and so she took Caroline and Eric (fed them too!) while I took Will to the ACC.  

When I got checked in I texted Justin to let him know and he left work and came right over.  While we waited we reviewed his spelling words for his test that he was going to have today.  No concussion!  The Dr. said it need a staple and then another guy cleaned it up and put the staple in.  All done!  He can even play his flag football game tomorrow.  We were in and out of there in 45 minutes!  

This is what it looked like while we were waiting.  It had stopped bleeding by the time he had gotten home.

So how did he do this?  He was jumping on a trampoline when his knees gave out (double bounced?) landed on his rear then fell backwards onto a metal spring.  He told me he wasn't going to go on a trampoline ever again.  I seriously doubt that, but at least he knows why I tell him they are dangerous now!
He slept fine and went to school today with no issues.  Now to get ready for trick-or-treating!

TEN!

My baby girl turned 10 two days ago!  I still can't believe she's 10.  I remember when I turned 10 and can still remember some of the gifts I received.  In just 6 short years she will be driving, then going off to college.  It's hard to believe how little time she will be living with us when you think about it.  So I won't think about that too much and just enjoy the beautiful, sweet, loving, kind, caring, intelligent, thoughtful, daughter that just turned 10!
She requested beignets for breakfast, maple pecan muffins for a special school snack, and fried chicken, mac and cheese, steamed broccoli with cheese sauce, and oreo ice cream pie for her meals.  It was all delicious!  Justin was sent home at 4:30 and Caroline got out of robotics at 4:30 so we had time to open gifts before dinner.  After the kids were in bed Justin had to go back to work to finish up a few things.

I just love this picture!  She loves her pick bird house Grandpa!

I guess ten year olds need to light their own birthday candle?!

Happy double digits Caroline!  We love you and are so proud of the young woman you are becoming.

Halloween work party and house update

I was able to get back in our house after lunch on Friday.  I immediately started laundry and dishes.  When I picked the kids up from school they were both complaining of their throats hurting.  Not what I wanted to hear since my friends boys (which we had hung out with a couple times during the week) had both been diagnosed with strep on Thursday.  After a while I decided I needed to take them to the Acute Care Clinic on post just to make sure they were ok (they didn't have strep).   Then back home to unload and reload the dishwasher, start dinner, switch over the laundry, get the pantry stuff from the neighbors, finish wiping out the fridge and freezer,  and unload the car of our over night bags.  So not too much to do!!  Just as I put the last waffle in the waffle iron the power goes out!  And just our house, like it did last week.  I tried to fix it myself before I called the repair man.  I couldn't get it and he couldn't either.  We ate our waffles by flashlight and the kids took their showers by flashlight and then went to bed.  I wasn't happy about the fact that I had just put all our food from cold coolers into a fridge that was now not working.  There was no wind either and the house behind us, that's empty, had all the smoke detectors chirping and you could hear in my room.  After sitting on the front porch chatting with Justin and then sitting in the hot house I decided I was going to give it another shot.  So I go outside to the main breaker and force it off.  Then flip it back on, go back in the house and flip all the other breakers.  And what do you know?  It worked and we had power again!!!

Saturday morning Will had his first flag football game (another post).  Saturday evening we went to Justin's work Halloween party.  We had a great time and the kids got tons of candy.

Our decorated trunk!

I was the zoo keeper.

Eric bobbing for donuts.

Caroline taking her turn, with Will watching.

The boys sorting their candy for trading purposes.

Circus tent

Our house is being treated for termites. Which means lots of work before they tent and then after they give the all clear and let me back in. 

I had to double bag (they provided bags) all food, medicine, soaps, etc. I bagged up all our pantry items and took them with me and put all fridge items in coolers to take with me too. 

When I get back in the house the laundry, dish washing, mopping, and wiping of all surfaces will commence. 

Open Cockpit Day

Saturday the weather wasn't looking so great.  A tropical storm/hurricane was going to dump lots of rain on our little island.  But it was open cockpit day at the Pacific Aviation Museum, so we went!  It was not crowded AT ALL which was perfect.  And we met our neighbors there and the kids thought that was even better.  

There were all different sized flight suits and helmets for the kids to wear.

Ready to go!

Justin sat in this plane talking to the volunteer for so long they asked him to get out!!

He was having a good time!

Having fun

Friends!!

Pretending to shoot the big gun.  And that blue sky in the background was the last sighting for the next few days.  It was raining when we left and didn't stop until Monday.

 We also got to do the flight simulators since I had a free coupon.  Caroline is flying the screen to the far left and Will in the middle.  The land is the dark spot.  So that means Caroline is not flying well!!

They really enjoyed flying!

This was a really neat experience and we had a great time.

The Tale of Two Fridays

 Justin and I were doing 2 very different things Friday.

I like my Friday better!  Surfing lessons with friends is lots of fun.  I stood up on all but one wave.  Looking forward to going again soon.

New Skills

So Justin is in the field this week.  Or as my dad jokes, he's gone camping!  The kids helped him pack and get ready Monday.  He is hoping to be home by bedtime Friday night.  

Will is falling over trying to carry a 55lb pack! And no, it's not cold enough for a toboggan.  They just randomly wear them around the house.  Maybe they miss the cold?  I don't!!

Eric thought he was big stuff!

 Since Monday was Discoverers Day the mowers didn't come.  And with a storm headed this way for Sunday, I'm not sure they'll be coming next Monday either.  So I used it as an opportunity to teach Caroline how to mow!!  I really enjoy mowing and Caroline enjoyed her first mowing experience too.

She caught on quickly and only missed a few strands of grass.

 Why am I including a drawing in this post?  Because this is a new skill for Eric!  He has never drawn something recognizable before!  It's a picture of Mom, Dad, and Me.  I asked him where Caroline and Will were.  He said he didn't draw them cause they are mean to him!!  And of course it's drawn in green.  99% of his art work that comes home from pretty school is done in green!

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Aiea Loop Trail

Saturday morning we went for a hike with another couple.  Justin knew the guy from his small group in KS.  It was a great walk/hike and we enjoyed seeing lots of strawberry guava trees, pine forest, wonderful views, some rain showers, and several rainbows.  After we went back to our friends house for a big cookout for lunch.  We were all hungry.  The loop is about 5 miles long and Caroline and Will did the whole thing (without complaining!).

See how red that is?  It doesn't wash out no matter what you do.

Showing off his muscles and pulling over a branch.

One of the rainbows we saw.  Strawberry guavas are in the foreground.

It's blurry because of the rain.

Will is at the top and Caroline and Miles are on their way up.

H-3 looking at the tunnel.

Looking towards the airport

Taking a little snack break.  Look how happy Miles is!

There were some obstacles to get through.

View of Pearl Harbor with Aloha Stadium.

Apparently there is a plane crash to see on the hike.  We didn't see it so that just means we have to go again and find it!