Update

I promised an update when I had more info, so here it is. 

          We got a call Friday afternoon to set up an appointment Monday morning to sign papers and get the keys to our house. So, this morning Bob went in and started the paperwork for a 4 bedroom end unit. We were happy about that and had our walk-through at 4:00 this afternoon with a lady from the housing office. Right after we finished the walk-through, signed more paperwork and the housing lady left, Bob's cell phone rang. It was the manager from the housing office saying that they had made a mistake in their system and that they have a family with at least three kids who need a four bedroom but the don't have any four bedrooms left. He wanted us to take the three bedroom house across the street. I heard Bob tell him that we would like to at least look at it before making a decision and he said he would be right over. I think he was pretty desperate to get us to change our minds since it was his mistake and he would be taking the heat for it! It turns out that the house across the street is a three bedroom, end unit, handicap accessible house. It is smaller than the two-story four bedroom by about 100 sq. feet. But, when we got inside we realized some advantages to this house. For one, the garage opens straight into the house, where as the two-story doesn't. You have to walk outside a short distance to go inside the house. The master bedroom in the one-story is huge, but doesn't have a walk in closet. The light switches are all lower but I was surprised to find that the counters weren't very much shorter, if at all. The laundry room feels bigger, I think because the hallways and doorways are bigger. Plus, we don't need a fourth bedroom to use as an office in either house because the family room has so much extra space. Either way, we had planned to use the family room for an office. So, after looking around we said that we would take it. I think both of us were also picturing some poor family with 5 kids getting stuck with a three bedroom house! Bryan (the housing guy) thanked us and seemed very grateful that we were rescuing him from a bad situation. 

      But wait, that's not the end of the story. I had a prayer meeting that I had to rush off to, so Bob and the kids dropped me off and went to McDonalds. Not more than 15 minutes later Bob calls me to let me know that Bryan called him again and the family who needed the four bedroom is actually PCSing (leaving the Island) and so now we could have the choice between the two houses. At this point I'm wondering if that is a blessing or a curse. Mason was voting 4 bedroom, Kenzie said 3. Bob told Bryan we would decide in the morning because he has a meeting with him at 8:30am anyway. 

     So, when I got home tonight we poured over the advantages and disadvantages of each house. Sometimes its better not to have a choice! :) Anyway, in the end we've decided to stick with the three bedroom, one story. I've never (that I can remember) lived in a ranch style house (except the house on Freeman Drive but it did have a basement) and it will be something different. Oh, and it has a park right out the back door, where as the two-story has the freeway out the back door. 

    I told Bob that I am not going to call the cable company until we are for sure, though. If all goes as planned we are going to pick up a 14' u-haul truck tomorrow afternoon and get all the big stuff taken over by the evening. Bob has already lined up a couple of friends to help with the heavy stuff. So, we should be sleeping in our new house tomorrow! Yea! 

    As much as I have complained about this whole process I have to remind myself that we are blessed to spend our last year on this beautiful Island in a brand new house. When you think about the cost of living here it makes you grateful for the benefits that we do gain through the military. All in all, the military has been a great career for Bob and we have had all of our needs taken care of. That really is a blessing! 

    Tomorrow I'll take pictures. :) 

More of the waiting game....

Ok, I promise to keep my venting about our moving situation to a minimum. Let me just put it this way. Out of the 17 or so families, like us, that have been waiting to move into the new houses, about half are moving this week. We are not a part of that half! :( I don't understand the order that they are going in, it's not alphabetical and it's not by rank. The housing manager is out of the office today and the only answer I could get is that our paperwork is not printed up yet and that means it will be next week for us. I am so tired of hearing the words "next week". I'm beginning to think "next week" should be the theme for Hickam Community Housing because that's all the answer I ever get from them!
Ok, I'm done!
On to other things, have you heard of Webkinz? They are stuffed animals that come with a code to use online at www.webkinz.com. Online you get a virtual pet that looks just like your stuffed animal. You feed it, play with it, dress it, ect. They are pretty cute and both my kids have become big fans. They got their first webkinz pets for Christmas and now each have seven. At first Kenzie didn't care about the online part and just played with the stuffed animals but now she can even go online and dress and feed her pets.
Anyway, here are a few pictures.

This is the latest addition, Miley, the black lab.






Mackenzie's other pets: (left to right) Stripes, Coco, Buddy, Rolly, Lusie, and Sparkle

Mackenzie playing at Webkinz World
This is a close up of Coco in her bathing suit and goggles. You can even get your pets a swimming pool.

Well, that's about it from the Island. I don't know what we are going to do this weekend but I think we need to get out of this house! We'll keep you posted. :)

Oh, by the way, good news from NE. Our renters are signing another year lease. This is really a relief to us being that everything has gone so smoothly with them and we didn't want to have to go through the process of finding new renters for the next year. Yea!

We're so spoiled!

Today it is pouring rain (I should have never made that comment on Sarah's blog about not sending the bad weather this way!) and I am realizing how spoiled we are. We can literally send the kids outside to play almost 365 days per year, so when it does rain during summer vacation and they are stuck inside its pretty tough. How is it that kids can watch TV and play video games for hours on a sunny day, but when its raining they're in the mood to play and be wild? 

 I'm not going to complain though, we are so blessed and our hearts go out to everyone affected by flooding and tornados. 

So far our summer vacation is going well. We started swimming lesson M,W,F mornings and we're doing an hour of "homeschooling" on T, TH. Both kids need to work on their handwriting and keep their math skills sharp. 

Also, I talked to our housing manager 2-3 weeks ago and he said that we will be moving into a new house mid-June. Well, its June 12 and I having been waiting for a phone call for 2-3 weeks now. I've started packing up a few things that we don't use on a daily basis and have gotten rid of a lot of toys and clothes but I'm kind of at a stand still now. I can't really pack up the plates and silverware, unless we eat out until moving day. (Hmm, no cooking. Not a bad idea!)  So, I'll let you know when I hear something.  We're moving ourselves in hopes of making a little cash. We've heard that when you move yourself back to the mainland from here you can make a pretty nice chuck of change so this will be our practice. We'll see if we can handle it. :) 

Personality test at Chuck E. Cheese

Last night we went to Chuck E. Cheese. (Not my favorite restraurant) As I was sitting at the table watching our children play I noticed how much their different personalities come through. Mason is all about the games and trying to get as many tickets as possible. He seemed to come back every five minutes for more tokens, bringing back long strands of tickets to the table. Mackenzie on the other hand probably only used 5-6 tokens, mostly on the merry-go-round or a car ride. She spent the rest of her time playing in the McDonald's type tunnel/playground. She even made new friends. I finally let Mason use up the rest of her tokens to earn her some tickets.

At the "prize counter" their different personalities shine through even stronger! I let Bob accompany Mason to the counter, with good reason. It takes Mason decades to decide exactly what to get with his 111 tickets. (Which doesn't get very much anyway!) They were gone a long time, finally coming back with 3-4 little trinkets. Mason loves to spend and always wants to get the most for his money.

Mackenzie on the other hand went to the counter, quickly chose her 3 items and was finished within 5 minutes. When at the store she always chooses very quickly and is content with whatever she chooses.

Anyway, it just amazes me that two kids can be so different in so many ways. I'm sure some of it is age and gender, but God sure did create each one unique and very special!

Here are a few pictures taken this past week. Enjoy!

Mackenzie and her friend Abraham.

About a year ago, Abraham had surgery on his leg bone in which the doctors had to insert some screws and other "hardware". Last week they went in for another surgery to remove the hardware. He spent a few days in a wheelchair but has healed wonderfully because he is back to walking and playing now.

My friend Cara (Abraham's mom) made Kenzie these pajamas. She made a matching blanket too.
Monday we made "rock pets". Mason especially loves art and creating things.
The finished "pets".