One Year Ago...

One year ago, on May 1, 2015 we left Utah with 4 carry-ons, 3 suitcases, 2 car seats and 1 stroller.  We all got on that airplane ready and so excited (and really sad to be leaving the people we loved).   After a long day of traveling and a busy month of saying goodbyes and sleeping at our parent's houses I looked out the window and saw this island. My island. The one that every ounce of my whole soul has longed for since the day we moved away.  I was ecstatic. It was surreal, I never thought in a million years that Matix (and my future kids) would ever get to experience the things Capri got to when she was here.  We made it.  Against a lot of odds, a lot of eye rolling when we told people we wanted to move back, and a lot of bumps and last minute plans falling through (including the house we were supposed to rent falling through a week before we flew out).  Then we landed, got a rental car and started driving to the North Shore.  As we were driving through Honolulu, tired I had an "Oh shit" moment.  A big one.  I thought "What are we doing?!! I just left my brand new house that I LOVED! My MOM and DAD, I just tore my kids away from their grandparents! All of our family! We just sold all of our stuff (minus a 5X7 pod. That is small.. think of a 5X7 rug) And I have searched my whole life for good solid amazing women/friends that will adventure with me and I have that now!! And I just left all of that! AND moved a whole ocean away! "  I was pretty quiet the whole drive.  We rented a condo at Turtle Bay for a month until we could find a house, when we got there it was ghetto. it was Hawaii. it wasnt my new house. and I was scared that we made the wrong choice.  Then we slept, and slept good! Our kids woke up at 4 am and we headed to the beach bright and early.  I was beyond happy.  I knew without a doubt that we made the right choice.  I knew that this is what I had prayed for to happen, if it was right for us.  This is where Heavenly Father wanted us to be. And it worked out, everything fell into place the way it was supposed to. After that we had so many tender mercies.  We found a house right next to our own little beach that I/we loved that had 80 applicants (housing is hard to come by here) and we got it right before we needed to be out of our condo. We made friends. And reconnected with some old friends. My really great friend that lived here before just happened to move back a couple months after we got here. And everything just worked. I am so grateful for that!

Fast forward to today.  We have had a pretty amazing year.   We have had nights where Capri misses her "Papa Bear and Grandma" so much it literally breaks my heart.  But I have had so many moments where I know we are where we are supposed to be.  We have all grown so much and grown together.  We have spent a lot of quality time together.  My kids know their dad! He is usually done working when Capri gets home from school and honestly, I would move to Nebraska if it meant that we would always get to see him like we do now(don't quote me on that one Babe). Our lives aren't perfect and we have had some tough trials in the past year but we are closer than ever and that is all I could ever wish for, and it's no secret that we really love our simple life here!

 This picture made me laugh out loud. #reallife

The other day we all went diving and this little mermaid was going so deep I was panicking.  She can hold her breath for so long!

Their spot

 This kid literally makes messes faster than I can clean them up and asks for "smoothie bowls" all day every day.

Capri wanted to take Paul on the Hauula Loop trail!

Capri's first sunrise shell!

Finding a sunrise shell is a big deal around here. There are people that live here their whole lives and search and search but never find one.  Capri and I wake up before the sun a lot of weekends in search for these, it really is just fate, a gift from the sea. You have to be at the exact right place at the right time to find this little shell, unbroken and perfect.  Capri came running up to me, her hands were shaking and she screamed "Guess what I found?!" She opened up her shaky hand and this perfect beautiful sunrise shell was in her little hand!! I couldnt even believe it!! And Paul was dying because he knew I was so jealous (in a good way) so so jealous and happy for her!! It was the cutest thing to watch her be so excited over it.  Now we just have to figure out what to do with it, make it into a necklace or frame it? 

Natureland

Over spring break Capri had a lengthy bucket list that she wanted to do, proudly we did everything on her list. One of the things on the list was making fairy houses and putting them in "the fairy forrest".  They turned out so cute!

It was really cold (for Hawaii) so I threw on a beanie, two jackets and braved the cold! It ended up being so fun, and the perfect hiking weather!

They named their community Natureland, and swore they saw a few fairies.  But really this place is insane, its so beautiful the trees are massive and the ferns are so beautiful.  Every time we come up here I leave feeling so good. Good for the soul.

"Natureland"

Hauula Loop

Capri has really struggled this year with going to school,  I think it was a hard transition from being with me almost all day (minus 4 hours of preschoool a week) to be thrown in all day kindergarten.  Its been heartbreaking to watch her shut down in some ways and see her overflowing with anxiety in certain moments.  When she is there I think she is good and loves it, but then when she gets home she is tired and moody and then the next day she cries when she has to go again.  But in the same moment she gets up, makes her bed, gets dressed, gets cereal for her and matix, does her hair and brushes her teeth.  I cant even believe how much she has grown up and how amazing she is!  I have been trying really hard to take her on little dates to make sure we get one on one time where she can talk to me about anything, "unwind" and decompress.  We love to go shelling early on the weekends and lately we have been trying to do hikes and she makes for a good hiking buddy since she can go on longer hikes that Paul wouldnt normally love to do. This place was pretty amazing.. It made me feel like I was in Utah but with an ocean view.    I love our time together, she made me stop at every little piece of moss, every leaf, and every little flower.. I loved it and I love how much she loves life and nature! She claimed she saw fairies and may or may not have hugged a  really soft mossy tree haha!

EASTER

First Easter Egg hunt of the season, it was good practice for him for the real day! He hated the wet leaves on the eggs and cried for the first few minutes and then he got the hang of it

 The power went out so we decided to dip eggs!

  

Gunstock Easter Egg hunt!

After the Easter Egg hunt we played with friends at castles alllll day. It was such a beautiful day! I The kids love playing in the woods and pretending,  the girls made a little bakery and had so much fun.

After we had a bonfire at the beach and went home so tired and happy!

Easter morning! Easter egg hunt and Easter baskets. They woke up wayyyy too early. It was good for 10 minutes and then they were cranky the rest of the day haha

 I am so grateful for our Savior and that I get to be with these guys forever!

Sandbar

 We have been loving the sandbar lately so we have been going a lot.  I am so glad these two have each other! They dont even know how lucky they are to live where they live and have each other!

little hands.. big shell!!

Capri's art

Capri painted this and I love how happy it makes me.  She is obsessed with all things "nature" right now, and is always drawing cute foxes, owls, racoons etc.

and this made me laugh so hard. She gave this to me and it says "for hairy bum, love capri" (AND for the record I dont have a hairy bum haha!)  "booty work booty work let me see that booty work, left cheek right cheek" I was seriously dying laughing. Love that girl and her funny sense of humor!

JANUARY

January brought us a lot of sunny days and some fun adventures... and some really fun waves.

  I really love these two, I was worried at their age that their genders would start to matter and they wouldn't be able to find anything in common but whenever they are together they play flawlessly and are always creating something amazing.

Surfing in Kawela

One of our fav things to do on Sunday is to go and watch the Sunset at the beach.  99.9% of time we just hang out and try and keep Sunday a day of rest, but this day.. it was too beautiful.  We hung out, and watched and talked.. and then somehow we all ended up in the water in silent agreement. Sunday sunsets are my favorite sunsets.  It is a great way to end a long week and start a new one.  These nights ground me and remind me that I am blessed beyond measure.

 I like him

and him.

 And she is always creating something magical.

Sea glass

Paul gave a talk today at church. The whole time he was up there I was thinking to myself "what a stud." "I married such a good guy." It was cool to hear his testimony and life experiences in a different way than he normally tells me. He is pretty great. Anyway, he has had a fever since he has been home so after church I took the kids sea glass hunting so he could nap. We found so many goodies!! Capri found her first piece of yellow and red and some pretty cool shells! It always amazes me how the ocean has become such a huge part of our lives. Even if we aren't getting in the water (on Sunday's) I feel like we always end up there...  watching the sunset or walking on the beach, beach combing, playing with sticks etc. Capri and I were searching for sea glass and matix was in heaven playing with sticks and dying to get in the water! I love watching him so happy and content and in his own little world. I can't help but stare at that kid all day every day, in his undies and rain boots all the time, and I just think "this is what dreams are made of. How did I get so lucky to get this cute kid?! How come he is so cute?! Why does he have to get big? How is he always so happy?! And how does he have so many giggles in such a small body?! And why does he love me so much? I'm so glad he loves me so much." Anyway. I had to drag him away from the beach, he didn't wanna leave! Capri was so excited to go home and show babe everything we found, we all left the beach in such a good mood. It's always so good for the soul. I am so grateful to live where we live! Happy Sunday! 

Vitamin Sea

Paul was out of town this week so we tried to stay busy. One day after school we walked the paddleboard down our beach and paddled to pounders! We dove and played in the middle of the ocean. Played in our stick house, made "cookies" and paddled on our log boat. We all got home exhausted and In great moods. Capri told me how much she loved the ocean, these kids have a pretty magical childhood and I love being a part of it. It's crazy how we can all be in bad moods and we get in the ocean and it perks us all up!  The next day a bunch of our friends were at pounders so we decided to paddle over and do it again! When the sun was going down we jumped on our board and paddled home!