Hauula Beach

The beach is most definitely the highlight of living where we do.  We spend lots of short afternoon trips playing in the surf, trips to Kahana Bay so the kids can fish at the little river area and most recently Louis has started surfing.

A few times a year we get a super low tide and you can walk way out on the reef at Hauula Beach Park and find tons of cool and slimy creatures.  Its one of the kids favorite things to do when the tides align with Dad being home from work.  

Our favorite tree at Hauula Beach and the reef at low tide.

  

 Louis has started surfing this summer and is surprisingly fearless.  He gets up on his own now pretty easily and makes it look so easy, when I know it is not!

 Pearl thinks she's big enough to surf, so James took her out last Saturday.  She didn't make is too far but she kept trying even when she kept on getting dumped.  She is definitely our water baby.

 Things do get a little crowded on surfing trips.... 

Life is Good

I don't think its a secret that when we first moved to Hawaii, I wasn't in love with my life here.  I moved from my beloved Boston when Pearl was just seven weeks old and had my only and fairly bad case of postpartum depression.  I literally had only one friend that first year and I was just in this awful rut.  I was stuck emotionally, physically-- just everything.  It was one of the tougher years of my life.  I wasn't sure that I was so ready to settle down and live in Hawaii for the rest of my life.

Fast forward to 2013 and I am officially in love with our life here in little Hauula.  I love the year round beach trips, biking everyday around our quiet dead end street, our close proximity to James' parents, James' 5 minute commute to work and my new more local work at a Ranch nearby.  This year we all have been really, really happy and life is good.  

I've also finally actually sat down at the computer long enough to download and post the pictures my Mom has been asking about forever.  So here's a little bit of what we've been up to this year.  

Elsie loves dressing up, and finally got a superhero costume to play with Louis.  She loves it way more than this picture shows.

Pearl thinks she is Charlie's personal babysitter.  This is a great and terrifying situation.  

The kids got to ride horses at Gunstock Ranch at their Easter Egg Hunt.  They are all smitten ad think they need a horse now.

Louis introduced us into our first May Day Experience.  He was Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid and was really excited to perform.  

He was so excited that he couldn't stop waiving at us in the stands.  Literally, could not stop- the teacher had to pretty much escort him off the gym floor because he kept on stopping to wave at us every three steps.

Elsie turned four in June.  She was so excited for her little family party and loved being the center of attention.  Elsie is still a little firecracker- but she's also so tender with her younger siblings and is always telling James and I how much she loves us.  The other day she told me "Mom, when I grow up I will never forget you.  I will always remember you."  

WARNING: You never know what your husband will do with your kids when your away for 8 days.  

I am definitely saving these pictures for a future blackmailing.

Louis started kindergarten last week.  He was so excited to finally be a big school boy... and then last week he told me school is just way too long.  But since he has to have all his homework done before he gets any screen time so there has been no complaining about that (yet)

And Elsie started a parent coop style preschool called Joy School.  I don't have to teach for four weeks, but I'm still a little terrified to teach six little ones seeing as I have no child education experience whatsoever, I hear from every one who has tried Joy School that it can be really fun.  We arranged ours so that they eat their lunch there, and Elsie thinks that makes it real school.

Charlie is a little gem- for me at least.  He is a total Momma's boy but when I'm with him he's happy, independent and funny.  He LOVES waffles and laughs almost the whole time he eats one.  He's been crawling since six months and is fast and destructive.  He loves to follow his siblings and watch them play.  

And for the record, having four little kids is AWESOME.  I thought when we had Charlie that I would be totally overwhelmed (kinda like when I had Pearl :)), but it has not been the case at all.  Louis is so helpful with the younger ones now.  He has chased down Pearl when she is running away and holds her while I catch up lugging Charlie's large carseat and a plodding Elsie and almost potty trained Pearl for me.  Pearl is much more independent than my other kids at her age and always just wants to play with the big kids.  There are some days where the volume is out of control and chaos reigns, but overall James and I both give the four young kids thing a big two thumbs up.  We heart them.

Don't you love the go-cart James made for the kids?  Its a large mattress box taped to a long board.  It held up for a full after noon and was pushed to the tune- "Jamiacan Bobsled Team" substituted with Hauula Bobsled Team.  Awesome.