We did pumpkins last night. Super fun as always and lots of creativity. Eli did his own cutting this year. Super proud of him.

Here's to the last few days we have on the northwest. Fort building is so fun and I'm sure it will continue when we get to Hawaii. Love it when they play like this :)

I thought I would send an update on some news we got over the weekend.  Last Monday we had an offer on our house and even though that offer would mean we would walk away with $0 money, we gladly accepted it.  Later that week we had the inspection for that offer.  The next morning we received the report from the inspection and it was not good.  We learned that the foundation of our house is no longer structurally sound and would need some pretty extensive engineering. 


 We also learned that we would need to put in a curtain drain along the side of our house that would properly allow road water to not end up under our house.  There were other issues as well but those were the biggest ones.  After speaking with our friend/contractor and him looking at the photos of the damage, he told Issues that it would cost us around $25,000 to fix. This was due to the fact that we would have to hire a certified foundation specialist/engineer to make sure it was done right and because the house would have to be jacked up (this was also what the inspector said).

It was a sad weekend for us as we lost our buyer and all confidence that our house would be able to sell.













We both felt the tension of wanting to ask God "WHY", because we knew in our hearts that we needed to be asking "How".  Jeff has been talking about this for weeks in our house and Eric had just preached on it on Sunday.  It was so so hard to not ask God Why?.  I thought about all the work we have done on this house, how all our boys were born here.  How we always thought this house was from God and He had brought it to us...why would He bring us a house He knew would do this?  I had to stop and pray and ask God for help.  Help to ask Him how He wanted me to respond to this instead of asking WHY?. I even found myself listing off to God all our great qualities and how we have been such faithful stewards of His money and resources.  Never in debt, never buying more then we had money for, never missing a payment, never going over our means (do I sound like someone we all know here!).

I had much to boast about, much to take pride in.  And in my mind I assumed we would be blessed in the ways that I felt added up.  "PLUS", I told God, "we are giving up all our friends, community, security of Job, to move to a blip in the middle of the ocean. Surely You would not allow this to be if we are doing all these things."  It was a hefty case I had.  I looked across the room and I saw God sitting in the chair, hands folded, eyes restful and warm.  He waited till I was done and then asked me to come and sit with Him.





It's hard to have cracks in your walls, to have unsure footing, to know that underneath, there is stuff that is broken and the cost is great to fix it.  And isn't that me...I have cracks and underneath there's stuff...lot's of stuff, some of it hiding, some of it visible. And the cost was great to fix to make me whole and new!  And the price to fix it all...all the broken and damaged of the world was His Son.  It was a pivotal moment in my faith and relationship with Jesus.



Why do we/I start to question Him and His goodness when trials like these come.  Why does my mind go to punishment instead of blessing.  I'm thinking about this...it's changing me.




So here's what's happening next.  We can't fix the house.  There is no money.  We never in all our lives thought that we would be in the pile of people who walked away.  So Jeff called the bank and told them the story.









Surprisingly, they were very sympathetic and understood our circumstances.  They told us what forms to fill out and how to go about the next steps.  Most likely the bank will fix the house and then resell it.  We don't think they will loose much because we bought it early on in the market, it was actually purchased for it's value.  (At least that's what I'm telling myself)

Our plan is to stay here until the first week of January, keep paying our mortgage and try to assist with the short sale until we leave.













We would appreciate your prayers for these coming months as we do all we can to sell it before we leave.  Jeff and I both feel "released" from the issue and do not see it as some "sign" that we are not suppose to go.  I thought of that one also.  But God quickly said that was a lie from the Great Deceiver and to keep my eyes up on Him.  Thanks for reading...love you all!

Kim

Zeke just rolled over from back to tummy!!

I worked on the yard today and I pretended like it was gonna be mine for a long time.  If I was doing it like it was only mine for 6 more months I might not have worked as hard.  And I guess that's what I have to keep doing.  

Silas is now doing some physical and speech therapy. He has some minor delays in both areas but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of help.  He's brilliant though and amazes me daily with how he processes, and he loves numbers.  He's counting to 100 and adding/subtracting all sorts of number combinations.  I wanted to get this looked at before we left.  Right now we are covered under the state and it's free.  I don't know what it's gonna be like when we get to Kauai or if they will even have a program like this.  He did great this morning and even though he didn't want to leave the house to go, he was very supportive of being there because he knew that he would get coco from the little stand in the lobby...it makes all the difference.

The corner I'm currently walking around is to live these next 6 months like its all that's left .  So I'll slow it down and pack in all I can fit.  I'll try.
The plan is to look at the weather on Mondays and make plans accordingly.  It's kinda like someone tells you that you have 6 months to live so you better start working on that bucket list. 
This bucket list is pretty short though.    
        1. Spend as much time with
those I love as much as I possibly can.

                      That's it...

I think that's what I should have been doing the whole time but maybe didn't realize it.  Life has a way of creeping up on you and being more then you expected.  Or less..depends on what's at stake.  My hope is that I'll be changed by all that I've been shown.  I guess I have an opportunity here to embrace and grow.  Being His guest here in this story I will try to just go with the corner and enjoy this part of the chapter.

You know what's scary about this?  I don't want to be forgotten.  That might sound selfish...but it's so true.  They know my quirks and weaknesses, they appreciate my strengths.  I'm not a big ? mark.  I know that life will keep moving as I turn this corner and I'll so wanna be back in "this" story.  I'll be on to a new story with new people.  Honestly I spent most of my life wanting to feel known and had no idea how to make it happen.  My failed attempts brought such disappointing results.   And then it happened.  I stopped watching my back and looking over my shoulder, I put my guard down.
A girl I know asked me if it was possible that there could be someone there who needed me and I needed them. "Don't want it"...I said.  But she's right.  She has to be.  And I hear in a quiet wisper..."It's ok little girl, I got it.  There's something ahead you can't possibly imagine.  It's gonna all work out."  SO hold on heart...here we go!





Then there's Zeke. 
He's liquid sunshine...didn't know it was possible to have liquid sunshine but it is.
It's right here...

Jeff asked me to write.
So here it goes....


I've been thinking lots about what it's gonna mean to move to Kauai.  Jeff asked me to write whats been going on from the perspective of the mom/wife.  Really its all very surreal.  Most days it's still something I can't even imagine actually happening, even though Jeff keeps telling me it will.  Recently though I find myself looking more closely at the things around me that I had started to overlook.  The mountains on my way home from taking Eli to school, they've recently made their appearance again now that it's June, and our days are a bit more clear.  So when I'm sitting at the red light on the hill overlooking the Olympic's, I look a little bit longer.  Same thing has been happening with the evergreen trees...There so big...and green.

But that's just the beginning.  There's lots more.  I'm leaving all I've known since I was 15 when I moved here from New Hampshire.  I had always thought that when I grew up I would try my hardest to let my kids live in the same house and go to the same school for all their growing up.  I wanted that so bad, mostly because by the time I graduated High School I had been to 13 different schools and moved 15 times.  And even though I'd like to think that I turned out fine, it really was disruptive.  So I swore I would never do it..never move! Not completely realistic to think that would happen, but moving to Kauai is way different then moving to even a different state.  We have become so connected to this community in Washington, the friends that I have made over these years are deeply rooted in who I have become and so many have become family.  I'll admit, I am concerned about the culture and what it will be like in the first few years.  Who will I go to coffee with, who will I meet at the park to talk about kid stuff and complain about the weather.  Where will we go when we need to be with those who will love us on our worst day.  Who will walk with us when our pieces are scattered all over and my world needs a gluten free chocolate cookie and a chai latte.  It's slightly depressing to think for more than a few moments what my world will be like without all my favorite people that I need dearly.
Also this fall we have decided to home school Eli.  The drive back and forth is too much with all these monekys, I'm not ready to have him gone all day, birth work is so unpredictable and I think it will be one less transition we will have to deal with next year. Yet in the back of my mind I have "what the heck am I doing", running around, but I think it will be best for all of us. 
These past few months I have been working with Carol Gautschi, CPM, LM.  She has been my midwife for all my boys.  It was always the plan that when the time came for me to do my apprenticeship that I would work with her.  She has been a midwife for over 30 years and I deeply respect her care for mothers and babies.  On Kauai there is a limited number of midwives.  I'm sure that they are great but I need to work with Carol, she's the type of midwife that I want to be.  So when Jeff asked me if I had any reservations about going to Kauai back in January, I told him that I was sad that I wouldn't get to work with Carol.  Jeff said that we could make it work and so we have.  It's like changing the DNA of your family to work with a midwife.  I'm doing clinic with her on Fridays and attending 2-3 births a month.  It's minimum work compared to the work that most apprenticeships involve but she needed the help and I am thankful for her being so flexible with my schedule and the fact that I have 4 boys!  My hope is that the work will continue when we get to Kauai and that I will also be able to teach birth classes in the space that Jeff finds for the Coffee shop.  There's lots to look forward to when we get there.
The hardest area for me to trust right now is the selling of our house.  Our house is small, the ceilings are low and it's close to a road.  Those are the feedback comments that we consistently get back.  None of those are things that bothered us when we bought it and none of those things are things we can change.  So...Sigh...we wait.  And I try not to get toilet head as I clean one more time just to have it not be "the one".
And lastly this whole part of placing all of our finances in the hands of Jesus, yeah that's been hard.  It's been a blessing these years to have a steady paycheck, one that's reliable.  It's one thing to raise support for a mission trip, a whole nother thing to raise it for our LIFE.  It feels funny to be depending on people to pay our bills.  It's hard to change the perspective and remember that it's God we are depending on and not really the people.  Jeff and I both are sluggish when it comes to this part of the process, but we have some mailers getting ready so make sure you run to your mailbox everyday and read our letter :)
And so this is what happens when you really start to mentally put yourself somewhere else.  Do the benefits of moving to Kauai outweigh what we have here.  Jokingly I would say yes...but really the answer is no.  My community is here, friends, family, an established life, none of that is better then sunshine and beaches.  I know this  because if you told me that I could live in perfect tropical paradise but be utterly and completely alone...I wouldn't go.  No, the only thing that really is bringing us to the middle of the Pacific is God, the owner and creator of the Universe.



Some days I'm excited, some days I'm sad, but most days at this point I'm still pretty freaked out.  I have peace, that deep inner still solidness that anchors my heart and soul, but I'm still slightly freaked out. 

So those are just some of the areas that I'm processing as we start this journey.

Love you all...

Here is Eli's entry for the Fair & Stampede this year.

(All his words)

So baby Zeke is 3 weeks today and he's really a sweet boy.  The boys love to run up and say hi to him, Eli loves to kiss his head and says "Hi sneaky, I love you".  Silas loves to say "He's still so cute!" and then slip his finger in his little hand.  Moses wants to hold him and then he just giggles. I hold him and look at him in complete awe and bliss.  But here's a bit of our day...I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself.  I get up and put baby in the sling.  Jeff try's to turn the dishes and make the kids breakfast before he leaves.  I wonder if I should take a shower now or wait till later.  If he's asleep I'll try to get hop in while Jeff stays with him.  But if I'm tired then I'll just stay in bed till the boys are fed.  I'll sit with the boys and watch cartoons and eat oatmeal and hold Zeke.
The boys get dressed and I so do I.  This morning we went upstairs played.  I went down to make a snack for the kids and then they ended up outside.  Snack, lunch...then I realized it was time to take Eli to school (12:15).  4 boys out the door and into the car. Takes about 30 minutes...Silas and Mo are spitting at Eli as he tries to buckle them in.  AHHHHH!!!!  I run out and take care of that...put The Sneak in the bucket and take him out.  But wait!!!  I stop and pick up Brooks and she comes and makes my trip a billion times easier.  She runs Eli into school, she runs into Fred Meyers while I nurse in the van and then we hop over to Bethany's to grab the Ergo I was letting her use.  Back at home we do some 2nd lunch and she folds my laundry and THEN puts it all away.  We're back in car at 2:58 to take Brooks home and pick up Eli at school.  Sigh....that was today.  At some point I got a killer head ache and sat on the couch till Jeff got home.  The boys played out side and whacked each other with pipe light sabers on the trampoline.  I did manage to cook some fish for fish taco's, which Jeff finished when he got home.

All that to say I'm really excited to home school this fall...because the feeling of being forced to put 4 kids in the car in the heart of my day and then do it again a few hrs later is not really working.  And I have other reasons, but the two most obvious reasons that I've come to are #1 Eli is small and I am not ready for him to be in another world for 6 hrs.  There might be a time for that, but it's not now.  And #2 We'll be moving in the winter and I don't want to have to pull him out of school in the middle of the year.  But reason #1 is really the real one.  Number #2 just sounds wise and sensible.

It doesn't get any better than this. This is his favorite outfit these days. But it was raining today so I told him he had to wear socks and a long sleeve shirt. After having a tantrum about that he finally put them on. I still gave him a choice of which shirt to wear underneath and I wasn't gonna push wearing a sweatshirt. Hat was his pick! But he still had a fit when I tried to take his picture.

"I like sneaky bean", says Mo. "I hold him, I hold sneaky bean?"

Here's sweet Zeke. He's a week an half old and he truly does smile all the time when we talk to him. I love his little dimples. We love him dearly and we are so blessed to have him.

Ezekiel Douglas Adams Born 4/10/12 @ 1:36 am 8lbs 6oz 21in

 
During the week of April 2nd I thought I was going to have this baby.  I was ready.  My body felt maxed to full capacity.  And my midwife was leaving the following week so I really thought I would go early so that she would be at my birth.  But 38 weeks came and went.  Also during that week every Adams boy went through the stomach virus.  First Silas, then Moses, then Jeff and finally on Sunday, Eli.  I had contractions all week and I think that if we had not had the stomach virus I would have gone into labor.  Jeff had even set the tub up but not filled it, we were ready.  But since I had so many start and stop contractions throughout the week I was very unsure of when labor would really be starting.  I was waiting for something more definitive other then just contractions.
Monday, April 9th I woke up and noticed pretty much right away that I was having regular contractions.  They were just noticeable enough but I could still pretty much go about my day and felt fine.  Around 1pm I texted Sherina (Carol and Loritha's assistant, who is also a midwife) and let her know that I had been having regular contractions all morning and that I would keep her posted.  She then called soon after to see what was going on and to ask if I was in labor.  I told her that wasn't completely sure but that I would see how the day went.  I thought I was, but had doubts.  I felt kinda nauseous all morning and had diarrhea so I was also wondering if in the back of my mind I was getting the super awesome stomach virus that everyone just had.  Maybe the contractions were just a result of the virus and it would seem like labor but not be.  At any rate the contractions were still mild and I was feeling unsure of when to start the calls to bring in the troops or to wait and see what happened.  But now that Carol was gone I would need to have Loritha come who lives about and hour and 20 minutes away and I didn't want her to drive all that way if it wasn't labor...but I didn't want to wait too long and then it would be too late (as we all know what happened with Silas).  At 3:50 pm I called Loritha and let her know what I was thinking.  She was fine with coming, even it things fizzled out.  I felt a bit anxious knowing she would have to drive so far.  I told her that I would call her back in like a half an hr and update her.  An hour went by and they did get stronger so I texted her and told her that.  She texted back at 5 pm and let me know that Sherina was almost to her house and that they would be on their way.  I kinda had a mini freak out that the ball was now rolling...I so wanted something more definitive that I was having this baby.  But instead I just had a nice slow increase of contractions.  NON of which were even in my back.  Also an indication that I was looking for to know that REAL labor had started, but they were all just in the front. 
The one thing that I felt was completely Jesus was that morning my friend Daesha had texted me and  ask me how I was.  Once she heard about the sickness she said that she was gonna bring me a meal that night.  I had no room to tell her no and was so thankful.  I had no idea how vital this meal would be for our family and for the next day.  Jesus completely knew that we needed that meal and He brought it literally from heaven!!
Some time a little after 5:30 my friend Michelle Brooks had gotten to the house to help with the kids.  Jeff had been coming in periodically to fill up the tub throughout the afternoon and also came home around this time but had to go to radio shack.  Right after he left Michelle walked in the door and as soon as she took the kids outside I ran to the bathroom and barfed up everything I had eaten that day.  Shoot!  I really do have the stomach virus!!!  This is all just fake labor.  I was so confused as to what my body was doing.  I felt so unsure of what was happening.  Why did this have to be so complicated?  I was glad the kids were outside though and Jeff would be home soon to help me know what to do.  I labored in bed for awhile and enjoyed some quiet.  I think Michelle at some point had brought the kids inside and went upstairs.  Once Jeff was home around 6:45 he decided that I needed the kids out of the house, and playing upstairs would not be enough.  So he said that he would take the kids outside to the shack and watch some movies so I could have some quiet.  Michelle left at this point.
Loritha and Sherina got here around 6:30 and assured me that it was ok that they were here and I was unsure about labor.  They offered to "set things up" and then maybe go to the mall so that I didn't feel watched.  I thought that sounded like a good idea.  I told them that if things were going to start up then it would happen after the kids went to bed.  From 7 to 8 I turned the lights on low and put my worship music on and looked out the window.  I walked around the living room and worshiped through the contractions.  I still had not had one back contraction at this point so I was waiting for that to start to know when things would be picking up.   They were strong but not so hard that I had to make any additional noises.  They got stronger as the hr went on and I started to think that this could all be real.  After they got set up they left for the mall shortly after Jeff came in with the kids around 8pm.    When the kids came in at 8 pm with Jeff the chaos kinda made things slow down and go on hold.  We put them to bed and the midwives left for the mall.  I went back to doing my thing in the living room and told Jeff to go play a video game.  I needed to be alone and refocus. During this next hr I layed on the ottoman with my blanket and just listened to my worship music.  I was feeling so tired, like I just wanted to go to bed.  Close to 9 though I heard Carol's voice (my midwife who couldn't be at the birth) telling me to get in the shower and do nipple stim.  I wanted to wait till Jenn got to the house though before I started that.  If anything would turn things up, that would.  Sherina and Loritha got back a little after 9 and I told them that I thought this was real...there I had said it!  I had texted Jenn around 9 letting her know that things were picking up.  She texted Jeff back at 10 letting him know that she was on her way.  When Jeff told me that she was on her way I decided to get in the shower.  10:05 I'm in the shower and Jenn arrives at 10:17.  At this point I'm still waiting for labor to "start"  usually by this point things have turned up but really what I was waiting for was the back labor to start.  All my pain was in the front and did not feel half as bad as when it's in my back.  So I was still battling a bit of confusion.  Wanting to believe this was all really happening but still doubting my body.  Once Jenn got here though I felt safe and more confidence settled in.  She asked if I wanted to time my contractions to see how close together they were and how long they were lasting.  I said sure and she went and got my iphone which had a contraction tracker on it.  Surprisingly this really helped.  She said they were 2 minutes apart and lasting a minute.  The shower and nipple stim was helping.  But I knew that they needed to be Bigger, Stronger...they were getting there but it wasn't as fast as my last two births.  This birth was slow, almost calm.  Again, birth was teaching me and I was not quite sure about my journey.  It was happening, but not how I thought.  I stayed  in the shower till 11pm.  The last few contractions I clung to the windowsill and pressed my forehead against the shower wall.  The contractions were deeper within me now and I knew things would change.
From the shower I moved into the tub.  I was freezing when I got out of the shower and was so thankful for the warm embrace of the tub.  It was big and let me float a bit.  I had not really gotten in the tub for my other births other then Moses and that was only in the end when I was pushing.  This time hard labor had just started when I got in and I enjoyed the relief from the pain from the warmth and buoyancy.  Jenn stayed with me in the room and continued to keep me grounded during the peaks of the contractions.  She prayed over me, read me my scriptures that I had on the wall, spoke words of encouragement to me and we sang Bethel worship music.  Jeff peaked in throughout the time and asked me if I was doing ok and if I needed anything.  He knew when I would need him and just wanted me to know that he cared and that he was close by.  In-between the contraction Jenn and I laughed and talked.  She also took a goofy picture to me with her iphone and sent it to Michelle E (another friend I hoped to be at the birth but who had to go to California).  It turned out super foggy so I kinda looked like some freaky rabid raccoon in a tub.  Anyways that made us laugh hysterically for a quite some time.  So much so that I started a new contraction while laughing and had to figure out how to manage the two quite opposite actions my body was trying to do.  As time went on though things got harder and I began to go within myself.  Ice chips seemed to be very comforting also.  Jeff comes in and puts on his swim shorts and I ask him why he's doing that..."it's not time for you to get in the pool".  But he assures me that it will be soon and that he wants to be ready.  Loritha and Sherina come into the room at some point around now because I sound so grunty, but I shortly and nicely kick them out and tell them I love them but that I need to be alone (well and with Jenn).  I knew it was gonna be a bit longer before he came...11:25 my contractions began to feel pushy. They were very very strong, so strong I could not even stay with them when they were happening.  Their force was beyond powerful, I was shocked at the force and power that came from within my body.  They stayed that way till 12:54 when they then went to a level beyond that into the realm of something from deep within the universe that God somehow puts within a womens body to birth a baby.  A little before this point Jeff intuitively comes to the edge of the tub.  I don't know how he knows when to show up but he does.  I don't even remember having a contraction where I thought..."where's Jeff",  they don't exist.  Because God tells him when to go to me and it's always that next one that comes where I lean forward and feel his arms and chest and grab hold of him.  I lean over the pool and grab his arms and shirt and grip as hard as I can.  I hold him so hard as if my life is being taken from me and he is keeping me alive.  I also, while not having a contraction smack him in the head a few times when he tries to talk to me.  I shhhh'd him multiply times and I remember him tell me not to shhhhh him and I shhhh'd him again and then smacked him in the face.  He laughed.  Jenn can talk...she is free to say whatever she wants, but Jeff always get's shhhhh's.  I tell him nothing is changing,  that the contractions aren't working, that my body is not working right, that he'll never come out.  I ask him why anyone would have any more children, why are we having another child, no more kids...I say....no more....  The rational world slips away and I go deeper within myself.  I also try so hard when the contractions come to let my legs float as much as possible, I figure this will help since I have the grip of death on Jeff.  At 1:05 I check myself and I pull my cervix down just a bit.  I'm not quite dilated all the way, I feel his head and behind I feel a bulging bag.  My contractions are so strong at this point I don't know how I can stop from pushing.  But I'm confused because I still feel cervix.  I'm paper thin though so it could all just melt away with one big contraction.  I tell this to Loritha and Sherina and they tell me just to go with it and trust my body.  So I do.  A few more contractions and at 1:30 I felt my water bag pop.  This happened while pushing the last two boys so I knew it well and I knew he was close.  I then felt Sherina push my shoulder back and tell me that the baby needs some more room.  So I lean back on my knees (I was in a leaning position over the tub with my legs frogged out).  Then I hear Loritha's firm but calm voice..."Kim, you need to push the baby out, it's time to get him out"  I didn't know that his heart rate had just dropped and that he was in the 100's and 90's. But I said ok and leaned back, bared down and his head began to crown.  I did some support as his head came out and panted with my head back through the burn.  I was trying to not go too fast but I knew that for some reason it was time he came out.  His head came out and I reached down to check for a cord.  There was a cord but I was already starting to push the rest of the body out.  So as his shoulders and body came out I was also redirecting the cord around his head.  It was too tight to move in one direction so I pulled the other direction and pulled it over his head and he kinda somersaulted out.  I looked down and saw his little feet kicking the water like a little frog.  I knew he was perfect and slowly brought him to the surface face down, then up to my chest where he began his transition into the world.  Sherina immediately put the fetal-scope to his chest and listened to his heart.  I looked him over and kissed him and was immediately in love with this little boy.  I appreciated Loritha's and Sherina's trust in birth and trust in me to not panic and bring fear into the room.  Everything was very calm and safe.  I stayed in the water with him and Jeff went and got the boys so they could meet their little brother.  They loved him right away and was so happy that "sneaky bean" was here.  Eli stayed up for the next hour with a grin from ear to ear.  I loved seeing him so happy to meet his brother.  I am feeling more and more blessed each day as I look into Ezekiel's eyes.  He is the sweetest gift we could ever have.  The name Ezekiel means "God Strengthens" and his middle name is Douglas which means "Deep Waters".  We chose that after our dear friend Doug Kuhn who is now with Jesus in Glory. 

Mornings for us in the last year have slowly changed. No one told us they would, but they did. Kids get older and learn new skills and parents do less work. It's a very slow and sometimes mysterious process that you don't always know is happening, but it does. In the mornings Eli is able to turn on the Wii, turn on Netflix and get bananas. And Jeff and I...roll over. And when we look at the clock it's like 8 o'clock!! It's been nice to have it all happen and kinda reminds us of the days when we didn't ever have to get up and life was boring. But of course it's not like this every morning, it's been more and more the norm.
Now baby is soon to be here and things will change how they will. We're just kinda thankful for a little break from the routine that has been normal for the last 5 years.

The house is ready. Clean bathroom. Clean bedroom. Tub is in the house and Jeff said he's gonna set it up tomorrow. I really hope to have this little guy before carol leaves. Trying to trust in His perfect timing for this birth.
Right now he's pretty posterior and I'm trying to get him to rotate. Butt up in the air and lots if rocking. He loves being on the right side and then sometimes checking out and hiding in the back. Since last Thursday I've been having regular times during the day where the contractions get regular. Today they woke me up from my nap...but then they lame out. I think his head is also resting above my cervix which does not really help. Today and tomorrow I'm binding my belly with the rebozo to see if I can get him more "inside". This will also help with the position of his head on the cervix. Anyways...he'll come when he's suppose to, I know...

Some of you who are reading this for the first time will be wondering..."What the HECK!  Hawaii!!!".  So we thought we would write out the story.  The one that God has given...the one that we are starting to call our own.  It's unfolded in the choppy way that most stories do.  And if we were asked to write it out I don't think we could have come up with the all the parts, but God has and we are trusting Him in ways that we didn't know we would be having to.  So here I go...

December 2011:  We start the month off with an unexpected trip to Maui.  Jeff is asked to marry a friend from Seaside and our whole family is invited for an all expense paid 6 day vacation.  The wedding was beautiful (how could it not be in such a beautiful place) and God also allows those who came to grow in friendship and to share life in deep ways.  It became evident to us midway through that it was much more than just a vacation  but a time to be able to share life with some folks that we would have otherwise missed.  For that we were thankful.  The day after the wedding I woke up in the hotel, checked Facebook on my phone and grief stricken fell to floor.  Our hearts shattered as we learned that our dear best friend's husband had suddenly died of heart failure at 46.  Life from then on was different.  As we headed home we began the process of grieving.  I cried every day for over a week.  And I still cry...it was hard.  We went to the Celebration of Doug Kuhn's life that next week and worshiped Jesus because we all knew that he was home.  But his life, now not here on earth, became a part of our story in a new way and we would both say, in many ways, affected all that would happen next.  Once home Jeff started to talk to me about feeling led to do something different, he didn't know what yet, but He could sense God moving in his heart.  I listened and we prayed.  We started the conversation quickly at that point with the other Elders at our church to pray and walk with us in what this would mean.
Christmas...New years...

January 2012:  This month I would be going to Kauai for the month with my dad and the boys, Jeff would be joining us for the last two weeks.  Still praying and seeking we started to wonder why I was there for a month.  We had this vacation planned for almost a year and it was only by the blessing of a family at Seaside that we were able to stay for such a long period of time.  They own a timeshare complex and gave us the "family" price :)  Usually we go to Maui each year for 2 weeks, this year we found ourselves on a new Island and for longer then we ever imagined.  Must have been the Holy Spirit but we started to think that God was telling us something that we didn't really think could ever happen.  While in Kauai we prayed, read God's word and got a sweet tan.  Once Jeff arrived and we were together the space between wondering and knowing began to close.  We started to see that God wanted us in Kauai.  While there we also met a family who had us over for dinner and was able to hear from them a bit of the spiritual needs of the Island and the people.  God's way of maybe speaking to us???  Around this time another family from Seaside, Christian and Michelle Brooks,  joined us in Kauai.  They were also one of the families that was at the wedding in Maui with us.  Funny thing about this is that while in Maui Chris jokingly said to Jeff, "Hey...if you ever wanna start a church in Hawaii...I'll totally do it with you!"  And for some reason that stuck in the back of Jeff's heart. And while we were in process, before we even knew what or how or where God would call us, Jeff had gone back to Chris and said, "Hey would you pray about what you said in Maui..."  Chris said he would.  So they, in total faith, joined us on the tail end of the Kauai trip to also pray and see if God might be calling them as well.  He was...and they are coming!  And so is my dad.  My dad, Rick, loves the idea of always being where we are so he can be close to his grand-kids...and we wouldn't want to go without him. 

Michelle & Christian

February 2012:  So we get back from Kauai February 14th and know for sure that we are suppose to do some sort of community/church plant.  We share with the other Elders and start the conversation of what this would look like for Seaside to seed a community there.  After a few weeks of conversations and prayer, Jeff and the Elders new it was time to tell the community group leaders and then tell the rest of the body.

My dad Rick & Silas!

March 2012:  Around the first week of March we tell the community group leaders the story of how we feel called to seed a Seaside community in Kauai.  From there Jeff visits with each of the community groups to share with the core families the changes that Seaside with go through over the next year.  The goal is to allow for a healthy transition for everyone involved and for the Adams to finish well the work that He called us to here in Bremerton and for that to happen we are not planning on making the move till early 2013. 
Let me also share that these are only snip-its of what has happened.  God has been so faithful to continue to confirm and uphold us in all of this.  There is so much still to work through over the next few months.  Here are just a few things you could be praying for us about:

1.  Baby #4 is due in April.  Please pray for a safe and healthy birth and for our family as we grow.
2.  Timing for our house to sell
3.  Transition for the Elders over the next months.
4.  For Eric, Abby, Chris, and Myra.  We are sad to leave our precious family that we have shared this work with over the last years.  Prayers just for all of us as we transition and grow in the how God would show us.

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More to come later!!!
Love you all and thanks for reading...

So week 2 has come and gone and we are hrs away from being back with Jeff.  This week we played hard on the "compound" passing time by going back and forth from the beach to the pool.  Eli has been doing his school work either during Moses' nap or in the morning before we start our pool/beach circuit.  It's a hard life...I know...
Silas seems to love the beach and sits himself down in the beach/pool that we get mid morning when the tide is out a bit, it's warm and he loves to play in the sand.  Eli loves both but probably prefers the pool more since he loves to dredge the bottom for treasures and do cannon balls.  Moses is either also, though this week he figured out what boogie boarding was and is wanting to go every chance he has.  He even starting asking to stand...we tried.  All the boys have lost all fear of the waves and the ocean.  The once timidness that I could always count on is now completely gone and my days of lounging on the beach while the kids play in the sand are over.  Luckily the beach here is buffered by a wall of coral and the kids can play with relatively no risk! 
On Saturday we went with my Dad, Gary and Casey to Port Allen and Hanapepe.  We got to go to two beaches and found an awesome taco stand called Paco's Taco's!  I forgot to take a picture because I was completely exhausted.

Walking in Kapa'a last Sunday morning.


 Heck yes I am...

 Our beach pond...warm.


Yes he has a diaper on, it was just was one of those day when he just couldn't make it.  Things were too fun and life was too good to miss.  So since we all have days like this I thought I would help the kid out and give him a break.

This is the compound show.  Eli's late night show of tricks and moves.  A very good show and well worth the money.


 Sunrise with my sweet boy...






 Here She comes...

 

 Our rainy day house...


 


"Where's daddy...when you need him most."











Xander is so cool.  He's 6 and in 1st grade.  Him and Eli were like two long lost souls.  They always spent the first 5 minutes looking at each other from like 20 ft away and smiled and giggled and made really weird noises.  Then once that was over they would say hi and giggle some more.  Then once that was over they "might" get up the courage to walk over to each other and say something like "wanna run"..."ooh K"...more giggles.  It was fun to watch.  Then it was like the rest of the day was gone and they kept the sun up as long as they could.  We made friends.  And that was cool.  We even exchanged addresses!!!!








The Compound.  A plane.



 Captain Eli and Xander





Glass Beach in Port Allen.  The beach is literally made of glass.  The sand is there but it's mostly all sea glass that has been worn down to little balls.  It's full of all the colors.  The story is that long ago, before plastic, they dumped all the bottles just off this shore and over the years as the tides have come and gone the glass as been broken up and worn down.  Pretty sweet...


 The Crash...


 No tears.

Si's train! Just the happen's of the compound.