Ohana

You know what’s the absolute WORST part of life as a Navy family? The unending separations. Chris and us, us from friends, Chris and I from our siblings, kids from extended family, cousins from cousins.

So when we do get time together, I want to make the most of it. At long last, the moment arrived when my sister and brother-in-law, plus the four COUSINS arrived!! With a nine-hour flight between us, I hadn’t seen any of them since California. EXCITED is an understatement!!

Some aspects of having six kids under age seven in the petite Coconut Cottage can be challenging… ensuring sleep at night and for a variety of naptimes, for example. But it is so so so worth it to wake up to another day with the kid hoard careening through each new adventure the island has to offer. Ohana is Hawaiian for family, and there is something so satisfying about the Ohana chaos swirling all around, with shouts of joy and screams of sorrow, bellowed, “I’m starving!” and tiny voices overheard comforting and encouraging each other.

“What are we doing today??” they ask eagerly each morning. Just you wait! Our first week looked like this: