Today is the day...

...that my tummy is big enough for strangers to ask. I didn't think it would happen this soon. I'm not quite 4 mths. We took the kids to the beach this morning, and granted it is much more obvious in a swimsuit, another mom ask when I am due. Then I stopped by the commissary this afternoon (not in a swimsuit for that matter) and my cashier asked how far along I am. I always add on that I'm expecting twins. It just seems to, well, at least make me feel better. I can't even imagine what I'll look like at 8 mths!

Pumpkin Patch - I forgot these pics!

We went to a local pumpkin patch a couple of weeks before Halloween. Yes, they actually grow pumpkins in Hawaii (although I think it is the only pumpkin patch in the islands!). The kids had a great time trampling through the mud and picking out their own pumpkins. We went with our friends, M, J and R. We also went on a hayride pulled by a tractor. Even though it wasn't a John Deere tractor, C still had fun! (Left to Right) Our friend M (R's dad), H, C and D.

H trying to find that perfect pumpkin. She finally picked out one still on the vine.

S and our friend R looking for pumpkins (they're only a couple of months apart).

C riding the little merry go round at the pumpkin patch.

And an added bonus, a pic of me taken at the end of my first trimester. I think I was about that size at 5 mths pregnant with H!

Fall Festival

We held our Fall Festival at the Chapel on Wednesday night this year. Many of the schools and other groups were having Friday night events, so we felt we'd have a better turn out on Wednesday. And we did - we had a lot of people, all having a great time. The kids have been looking forward to this for almost a year. Really. We made a trip to the Disney Outlet last year in early November and got some great deals. :)
So the kids ate hot dogs, chips, rice krispy treats, popcorn, shaved ice, caramel apples, and lots of candy! They jumped in the bounce house, played all sorts of games, made crafts, and had a great time. Once it got dark, it was harder to keep up with the kids. D was helping run things, of course, but he was able to keep Sarah entertained at the ball game for awhile when it was his turn to run that game. She loves balls! C's costume was great for after dark. His Buzz Lightyear wings had flashing lights at the end so I could always spot C quickly! :) H felt beautiful in her Ariel costume, complete with red hair. We had a wig for the costume, but it was too heavy and constantly falling out of her hair in her playtime the previous year. So we went with red hair spray instead. She thought it was so awesome to have red hair! S didn't want to dress up at first, but after she saw the other two, she couldn't wait to put on her Minnie Mouse costume. The closest I came to wearing a costume this year was a shirt that said "I have 2 peas in my pod." :)We had thought about going to a friend's church on Friday night, or maybe even trick or treating at just a few friends' houses. But after Wednesday night, we were exhausted. So Friday we watched a family movie on Netflix, hiding out in our bedroom with all the lights out. We did say that if we watch more family movies in our bed, we need a king size bed! Enjoy the pictures!

C having fun with a new toy.

S in action, "flying" around the courtyard.

12 wk ultrasound

New pics of the twins! We had a ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. Apparently this will become routine, about every 4 wks now and maybe closer together by the 3rd trimester. It was at a special Fetal Diagnostic Center where they only do ultrasounds. It lasted about an hour while they determined all sorts of things about the babies. They are certain they are fraternal and each has its own placenta. That's very good news. If they share a placenta it could cause problems with growth in one of the babies. They even measured exactly the same and a few days larger than they should which is a good thing. After all the measurements, they switched the ultrasound to 3D. The picture above is a 3D image of both of them together. We probably won't get too many more pics of them together as they grow. The other cool thing they did was make us a cd of all the pics, including some video of each baby. After such a long time of being pushed around, they both got very agitated and were everywhere. Baby A kept turning away and hiding its face from us. It was such fun to see them moving around, but yet still not be able to feel them. The kids are so excited. H keeps saying she just can't wait until they are born. Speaking of due dates, I didn't mention it before, but they are due April 26th. However, being twins, my doctor says we'll aim for 37 wks, which makes it around the beginning of April. I'm just hoping to make it past H's bday the end of March without being on bedrest! We hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll try to do a better job keeping up with our blog! (the first video should say Twin B left, not right)

S turns 2!

Our little girl turned 2! It's hard to believe two years have already passed. Thankfully Daddy was home this year to celebrate. We just had a small party at home with our friends J, M and little R. Of course no party is complete without balloons, crepe paper, presents and cupcakes. During our move, S became very fond of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (we watched a lot of the Disney channel during our stays in hotels!), so Minnie Mouse was our theme. I think one of her favorite things was the giant #2 balloon! She still plays with it (her bday was a month ago)! It was fun to watch her actually blow out her candles and tear into her presents this year. She liked her cards, especially the ones with checks! It was funny, how does a 2 yr old know what a check is?! She had a great time, especially being the center of attention. And what a cutie, just check out that smile!

Beaches of Kaua'i

Of course a trip to an island of Hawai'i isn't complete without beach pics. We had a great time enjoying the beautiful beaches. The kids didn't get to play in the water as much as they would have liked. The waves were huge, and came crashing right onto the beach!

This last picture is of Spouting Horn. It's a blowhole in the rocks. When the waves come in, it blows water out the hole. The kids thought it was awesome. We watched it for quite awhile. Next pics to come - Sarah's 2nd bday!

Trip to Kaua'i

A few weeks ago we took a short flight over to the island of Kaua'i. We went to attend the North American Mission Board Chaplain's Conference. It was only a few days, but it was jammed packed. Besides the conference we took full advantage of our free time and drove the entire island, one side to the other. We saw waterfalls, caves (these were so cool! caves in lava, wow!), a coffee plantation, and even a mini Grand Canyon. The second waterfall pictured above is the waterfall from the opening scene in Fantasy Island.

Checking out the inside of a cave (this was two days before we found out that I'm carrying twins)

The canyon - way more impressive in person than pictures. I loved the cool temps up so high. It doesn't get cool here.

The trip was so much fun. It's a much more relaxing island than Oahu, not very touristy (is that even a word?). More pics to come in another post.