We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

School starts early here in Hawaii!  They have a lot of state holidays and a fall & spring break, so they started on July 30th this year. Rylan is going to a middle school as a 6th grader and Madelyn is a big 1st grader.  There are no school buses here so it is either put my kids on public transportation or drive them myself.  Rylan went from a small close nit school that was .5 miles from our house to a huge school with multiple buildings and 6 miles from our house. It's like a mini college campus!  He is adjusting well, slowly making friends and recognizing kids from church.  He was reading off by himself during lunch and recess last week but after some pep talks and ideas of how to talk to others, he has found a group of cool kids that eat lunch in the band room and then play some tunes together.  So he is going to start jamming with them.   Madelyn has enjoyed school too, every time I pick her up she is always chatting with a group...

Right around the corner from us is a little mini Sea World  called Sea Life Park with hona turtles, sharks, dolphins, sea lions, monk seals, tropical birds, sting rays, coral fish, and the worlds only wholphin (cross between a an orca whale and a dolphin).  It is really small and really expensive but we thought since we live close by we might as well get annual passes so we can come watch some of our favorite sea animals whenever we want!   They have interactive shows with the sea lions and dolphins and you can pay extra to feed them and even swim with them.   At the end of this show you can stand by the tank and the dolphin will splash you!   Probably our favorite part is being able to feed the birds.  You are given this stick with seeds stuck to it and all you have to do is stick your hand in the air and the birds come flying to you.   or you can take the Ian and Rylan approach and feed the cockatoos that stay ...

Our flight from Spokane left at 4:30 in the afternoon,  thank goodness mama Jody was there to help us haul our stuff in and send us off. We had a quick stop to Seattle then it was a 6 hour flight to Honolulu.  I let the kids stay up until about 10 their current time, then I mentioned that if they went to sleep, when they woke up we would see dad.  Ian was out in less than 2 minutes.  Madelyn and I had a hard time maneuvering a comfortable position. It ended up with me in the middle, Ian on my right side laying his head on my lap, and Madelyn laying her head on my shoulder.  I couldn't move for about 3 hours, I think I might have dozed in and out of sleeping.  Rylan was on his own across the aisle with strangers. At about 2 a.m. Idaho time, and 11 p.m. Honolulu time we arrived.  Scott welcomed us with leis and hugs and kisses. We had been apart for about 3 weeks.   We slept on mats and Rylan and Ian's new bunk bed that night and then I woke up...