Easter

I woke up on Easter Sunday feeling better than I have for quite a while. I don't know if it was the anticipation of one of my favorite church services, or maybe the migraine medication I had taken the night before (LOL) but I jumped right out of bed and was rarin' to start my day. As you can see, the kids were too! I was able to catch a few pics of them clowning around as we prepared to leave the house for church:

As you can see, we are very "Aloha casual" here on the island : )

The church we got to is called New Hope, and I have to say that it has been my saving grace here in Hawaii. That church has such a wonderful spirit of love and fellowship, and incredible outreach to both the adults and youth. The membership has grown so tremendously that there are seven campuses throughout the island, and this island is pretty small, compared to the rest. Our pastor thought it would be a good idea to try and gather everyone from the respective campuses under one roof for Easter, so we took over the Blaisdell Center (think of the Wachovia Center in Philly) downtown and this is what it looked like:

That picture was taken from our seats up on the upper tier, if you can believe it. And what was really cool was that there was a musical guest to sing for us after praise and worship: Michael English! I don't know how many of you have heard of him, but you may know him through his song, "In Christ Alone." That is one of my favorite songs ever - it just gives me chills whenever I hear it. He shared with us his story - how he had risen to fame, fallen from grace, and found redemption again in the arms of Jesus Christ. It was...well, in a word, awesome. We all enjoyed the service, even the kids....and for my 2-year old to sit still (for the most part) and not yell out even once during the message was an accomplishment in and of itself!

We had a mellow and relaxed day afterwards. I had to get my nose back in some books, and the kids spent much of their time on our lanai hanging with their friends.

As for other news, Amir now has braces on his teeth (could you tell in the pics? He hopes not) and will be graduating from the 6th grade next month. I say it a lot, but sometimes he makes me feel so old! I got his graduation pictures on Friday - it's a big deal in Hawaii - and he looks so grown in his cap and gown and kukui beads. I promise I will post the picture once I get a chance to scan it on my computer. Johnny just turned 9 in March, and is getting ready to head into the 4th grade. As for Isa, my munchkin is keeping me constantly on my toes. It truly is amazing how much the little ones pick up at that age...I have to be EXTRA careful what I say and do. I am sure you all can relate ; )

And that's about it in a nutshell at the moment. I have to run, Isa is asking for her potty and that, beautiful people, is music to my ears!

Could Use Some Prayer

I have not posted as frequently as I used to, and I have to admit that I actually miss it quite a bit. Unfortunately, I don't have as much free time on my hands these days. Another contributor has been the recurrence of some health issues. Because they were starting to affect my daily activities, my doctor suggested I get some additional screening to try and narrow down the possibilities of what's wrong. So, a couple of days ago I went for an MRI with contrast (this is when they use magnetic resonance imaging to view the inside of your head, then inject dye into your veins to get a better look). I should be getting the results back soon, and hopefully there is nothing wrong that cannot be fixed. Your prayers for a good report would really be appreciated.

On the flip side, the kids and Isaiah are doing just great. I plan on hooking up a lengthy post with pictures and more detailed updates as soon as I get my health issues back in order. Believe me, there is so much to fill you in on!