We have been very busy!!

Hi all,
We have been very busy with work, school, church, gymnastics, etc. The last 6 months have flown by!!! I think that is a good thing...but we cannot find a time to slow down. We absolutely LOVE living here in Hawaii!! There is always something to do...and you just can't beat the weather. My children have truly become beach bums and are loving our outdoor lifestyle! Here are our updates:

Kevin- He has been very busy with his new job, and is learning to work with "civilians", as he is in charge of about 30 civilians and 15 Marines. That is a big change from being in charge of 500 recruits and 30 Drill Instructors!! So he has had to learn to slow down and he is enjoying being home with us more. He is also back into the swing of things with softball (like my joke?) :-) He did get promoted to MSgt, in April, so things are looking good for him career wise. He will stay in the police field, but picking up rank is always a good thing!! :-) He was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for all of his hard work on Parris Island.

Grace- She finished up 3rd grade and is enjoying gymnastics. She is also swimming this summer and thinking of joining the base swim team this fall. She is definitely a water kid!!! She boogie boards with Kevin and our friend Dustin like she is a big kid!! She is not afraid of the wave or the water in any way. I am waiting for her to ask for a surf board!! :-)

Maddie- Finished prek and is getting ready for kindergarten!! She LOVES gymnastics...and has that fire in her belly for it! She is not afraid and will jump at the challenge. In swim lessons, the first day, the instructor asked her if she was ready to float on her back...she looked at him, turned her head to the side and with the sweetest face said " Um no thanks, I don't really want to do that!" She is something else!! I told her that choosing what she wanted to do in swimming was not an option...she had to try everything. Needless to say, she is now the first to volunteer for everything...and she is floating like a champ!!

Emma- Finished prek and is also ready for kindergarten! She is not quite as independent as Maddie is and had a real hard time with adjusting to living here and going to prek. But she is getting better and seems to love gymnastics and swimming also. She is quite the monkey and loves to boogie board with Kevin...but if he lets her go and ride the wave alone, she lets him have it!!! She has been taken down by a wave or two, so she doesn't trust the waves anymore!!

Me- My photography business is up and running and I have been very busy with that! My summer is slowing down a little with people moving and going back to the mainland to visit family. But my spring was crazy with like 7-8 shoots per month. It has been a real blessing and I am hoping to get in with the girls' school in the fall and hopefully some substituting will lead to something more permanent in the classroom.

We are truly loving it here, but we miss everyone terribly! Please don't think that we don't miss you because you haven't heard from us. Getting used to the time difference has been a real challenge...when it is a good time for me to call and chat, it is bad for east coast friends/family...and when I am done with dinner and bedtime, the east coast is sleeping...so truly, we think about everyone constantly, life is just hectic right now for all of us...but I promise to try and do better!! Please keep checking back and you can keep up with what we are doing!!! Much love and God Bless!!