trail mix

Trail mix can be really fun to make with the kiddies. We made these small snack bags for the kids and I think they turned out pretty good, although I ate as many of them as the kids did... We used raw almonds, multigrain Cheerios, raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, dark chocolate covered blueberries, and chocolate covered sunflower seeds. It was tasty!

extra kid

One of Lullaby's friends, (and also one of my preschoolers) Jared, got to come stay with us for a couple days while his mom and dad were at the hospital delivering their newest baby brother. It so happened that his little visit landed on free cone day at Ben and Jerry's so we took him out. I'm sure he thought it was a regular day in our life, but it was a treat for us too.

We also had play time at the splash pad after school with the big boys. They liked having an extra big boy around to play with. And Lullaby loved telling everyone at preschool about it the following week. The other preschoolers then told their mommies to get pregnant so they could come stay with me too. Ha ha ha.

Dr. Kim

Our kids originally liked Dr. Kim because they have a grandma with that same name. Later on, the kids would cheer when I told them it was time to go to the doctor's office. Dr. Kim was the BEST pediatrician. His office was already running late because he spent so much individual time with each patient, which I appreciated and came to expect the delay. He remembered things the kids had told him and he would talk to them about all kinds of things. Their interests, their friends, what they ate, what they did for fun. He was phenomenal. The only better pediatrician would have been Paul, but luckily for all the adults of Hawaii, he's family practice. :)  We miss you Dr. Kim!

Lullaby the comedienne...

At the doctor for an ear infection (which she was clearly feeling much better from), and I asked her to smile for a picture to send to her dad... This is the face she gives me. So typical Lullaby. She's such a silly thing. :) I also took a little video clip and sent that to Paul. I don't think he ever has a boring work day, thanks to his 4 silly kiddies.

Matix the artist

Matix is always thinking up new ways to be creative. He is so awesome. He had been thinking (and talking a lot) about patterns, and came downstairs with this camel made from a repeating pattern of 3 dots and 3 dashes. He started in the very center with the three largest dots, and went from there. No picture or image to copy from, just his brain. I'm ever so impressed with him.

cousin birthday

We were invited to Linnaea's birthday party this year, and Lullaby especially was excited. They are cake and drank lemonade and had a great time. Happy birthday Linnaea!

Sully and Duncan spent the whole time outside blowing bubbles. I think they came in only to eat snacks, and then they were right back out. They are pretty cute together, and get along pretty well now. Sully is 2 and Duncan is 3.

I hung out with baby Kjerstin mostly. We took some pictures using the Snapchat filters... SO funny. Gavin played with it a bit too. :)

Nerf Party!

Hawked and Matix were invited to an after school Nerf Party, just for fun. Madsen and Ryan made plans with their mom, and it was a really fun play day. Most kids had their own Nerf guns, but we borrowed some of Madsen and Ryan's. They had PLENTY. They also brought some snacks for everyone. It was really fun for all the kids, and I bent the rules for the day for the kids to play fight with their friends. (It was also jammie day for 1st grade, so there were lots of kiddies in jammies...)

texts

My text message conversations with Paul are always very strange. I had said before getting married, that I never wanted to feel BORED, and more than 10 years later, I'm happy to say that I've never felt bored. Paul is constantly making me laugh at his strange sense of humor. See these 2 examples of our texts back and forth. Paul is typing in a white text bubble and I'm typing in a blue text bubble... 

Sully the painter

Solace is quite the artist. He paints and eats now ONLY with his left hand, just like his brother Matix. He prefers one paint brush for each color of paint so that he doesn't have to mix the colors (except on the paper). In fact, Lullaby was painting right next to him and SHE mixed the paints a little and he was so sad about it. Eventually, he was left to himself to create yet another masterpiece. Sully, you are amazing.

Chick-fil-A

Dear Chick-fil-A,

Please consider coming to Oahu. Specifically, please come to Ewa Beach. We just moved from Houston, and are going through withdrawals. We miss your grilled chicken, and fresh fruit. We miss your lemonade and we even miss your ice cream headaches. Please come here!

-The Berg Family

(Solace always tries to wipe away his headaches with a napkin)

preschool

I pulled my April Fool's Day prank on the preschoolers again this year. It was pretty funny. The little grape tomatoes were perfect disguised as lollipops. I gave the preschoolers real lollipops afterward and that made up for the mean trick! :)

The preschoolers did a little planting of their own in the garden. They love learning about nature and how the earth works. Planting a garden and watching things grow just makes sense!

lizards

Usually the kids catch lizards, but this time, a lizard caught Hawken. :)

fun socks

The perks of your realtor being your friend, and also a clothing designer. He wears many hats...

garden

We got a couple of small starter plants (cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, and 2 kinds of peppers) to add to our garden. The kids helped dig the holes and plant the plants. My little rose bush and Mother's Day flowers from previous years are still alive and well! And of course, our never ending, never dying, pumpkins plants. Hawked had dumped out some pumpkin seeds/guts and they never stopped growing. I'm pretty sure that the new owner will have enough for her family, and the rest of the neighbors come October. :)

Mother's Day

Well, it's been a LONG time since I've written anything on here, so I had better get to it! We are in Hawaii now, and have been for a couple weeks. It is amazing and we really LOVE it.  For now though, I have to catch up on all the pictures and adventures from back in Texas still. Here goes!

Mother's Day this year was sweet, as usual. The kids made love notes and pictures for their grandmas, great grandmas, and Avia.  I got spoiled with treats, and of course a fruit bouquet. I love those! :) I am so grateful to be a momma and have 4 awesome kiddies. They really are my favorite things, ever.