Settling in!

Well, I thought that I would have more time to update you more often but obviously, I'm still staying pretty busy! Staying home with the kids is exhausting! Ha, ha, how did I ever do it before? There is so much to do here - I need to remember that I'm here for a while and not on vacation. I don't need to do everything this week!

Anyways, my parents came and left! I have pictures posted of all our adventures together. We hiked up to a waterfall, saw huge sea turtles, went to the zoo and of course the beach many times. Oscar and Dad surfed a lot (Oscar was happy to have a surfing buddy) and Mom and I played with the kids in the water. They are getting so much more comfortable with the ocean and it's so neat to see them trying to ride the waves! I loved having them here and miss them terribly. They are already planning the next time to come out - when the baby is born! The kids can't wait to see them again and keep talking about it. We've got some great pictures up on their "California Board" in their room.

Well, let me just update you on how God continues to stretch our faith and keep us completely dependant on Him. Oscar has been offered a permanent position at HMSA (Blue Cross of Hawaii). This wasn't an easy decision because we had just started our own business as a private IT consultant but we felt that God was calling us to accept the position and reap the benefits of being an employee once again. Oscar is excited to start his new journey (same company, same sort of work, just has a boss now). I'm very proud of him but we know that it is God who allows us to succeed not our own doing.

As soon as I get to the doctor, I will give you a baby update. No, we do not know what it is yet! Hopefully we will find out next month sometime! All I know is that I can't wait until June 27th!

My first blog!

Well, this is the first time I have ever blogged! Do I sound old now? I am excited though because now all our friends and family can hear and see through pictures what we have been doing over here. Hopefully I will find the time to write and put pictures up for all to see. Life continues to stay busy but we are definitely not as busy as we were before. There are lots of changes from staying home again with the kids to Oscar's work schedule to living in the city! I feel like I have so much to say to catch you up on. It will take quite a few blogs to get you up to speed! It has been just over a month since the kids and I came out to meet Oscar. I feel like it is home now. For a while, it felt like we were on a long vacation but now that we are pretty much unpacked (not completely) and are getting into a routine, things are settling down. Well, for this first blog, I will just tell you my first impressions -

The House -

I love it! It's pretty small. It's 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths but to put it in perspective, it's only about 1000 square feet! We did not really bring any of our furniture (besides our beds) so that's good because nothing would have fit! In the Master Room (can I even call it that?) our king sized bed fits but with only a few feet on each side to squeeze down, and it's getting harder and harder for me everyday! The kids are sharing a room with Ki's twin bed on one side and Geni's toddler bed on the other. They actually love it! The first couple of nights we could hear them laughing and talking in their room until they finally fell asleep. The other room is our play room/office. This is where we keep the toys, my big drafting table for scrapbooking (hopefully I get back into it again soon), and our computers. Everything actually looks really nice. We just bought a futon for a couch/bed for when our guests come to visit (come visit us!) if they want to stay with us. For the last month, the four of us have been squeezing on the beanbag to watch t.v. so it's nice to have another option! I don't have pics of all the rooms so I'll have to go around the house and do that so you can see for yourself. I will put up the pics I have.

The Neighborhood -

I feel like we live in an older neighborhood in downtown L.A. Our specific street is not too busy but it is off a busy street just 5 or 6 houses down so we hear cars, ambulances, buses, and people (Very different from our suburbia home in San Berdoo). On the other side of us, about 9 or 10 houses down, is a park - very nice for the kids. We can walk down there whenever we need a break to just get out! Since the weather is gorgeous, we go over there all the time. One thing we noticed about Hawaii - there are parks everywhere! On every street there are small neighborhood parks! (Oh, and libraries on every corner). We are about 10 minutes driving distance from the water, maybe even closer if there is no traffic. I don't think I would every really walk down to the beach only because of the older neighborhoods we have small sidewalks and busy streets. The bus is a huge part of transportation so if we all go, the bus is an option. We do walk down to Chinatown, the grocery store, the library, and the Hawaiian Ice Store! There are a lot of kids in our neighborhood so I'm looking forward to getting more involved and meeting more moms!

Downtown Honolulu -

This is where Oscar works, so we are there quite a bit. This is also where Wal-Mart, Sams Club, and Cold Stone is! Oscar has been taking the bus until recently when we conveniently found a sale on Mopeds! Now he rides his Moped into work (he looks so cute all ready for work on his moped - I'll post a picture). Downtown, or just "town", as they call it here, looks like L.A. with high rise buildings, apartments, condos, cafes, and shops. If you go south just one or two blocks, you are in Waikiki! Oscar has a beautiful view from his building. He says it's a good thing he doesn't have a corner office with a big window (not yet anyway) or he wouldn't get any work done!

Well, I'll be trying to write more every couple of days to explain more until we get up to date. So far, we can all say the the experience has been wonderful. Of course, we miss all of you but the change is really great! The kids are still adjusting nicely and are looking forward to Grandpa and Grandma visiting next week! I guess you could say, I'm a little excited too! Well, bye for now!