I meant for this to be the first Holiday I documented right away but when I sat down to write it, the pitfalls of having divorced parents reared its ugly head. This is the first holiday I've spent with my dad instead of my mom and I know they both read my blog occasionally. How to proceed without hurting anyone's feelings.....and I thought with envy of Mariko's blog which doesn't shy away from uncomfortable or awkward topics and generally feels unedited (in a good way, not as in full of errors). I wish I could vent about things or relate experiences without having everything filter through who might be offended or whatnot. Does that make me selfish? Anyhow, I've decided to recap everything and let the chips fall where they may.
I both love and dread visiting my sister's house in Chicago. I mean the house itself. When I walk inside I feel like I've entered a grownup's home. It's thoughtfully decorated and designed for their needs and is immaculate--mostly thanks to Tom, I know. On the other hand, I have two little boys who love destruction and mayhem and are used to our free furnishings and lack of breakable decorations. Last time they broke some of Keilani's hanging bead room divider things and Jarom broke a glass jar on an unstable shelf when he tried to get some pretty marbles to play with. I'm happy to report that they didn't break anything this time. This time it was ojiisan that broke the glass column full of sand on the staircase. He felt so bad but it really was an unfortunate series of unlikely events starting with bumping one picture frame and ending in cascades of sand and glass. Maybe the tendency towards destruction doesn't fade for boys.
Speaking of boyish mischief, I've discovered that the silly things little boys say are the same silly things they say as adults. Sorry, ojiisan, but I have to document this one. A while ago I gave a ride to one of my young women from church and Keahi asked very loudly "Why is she so fat?" as she maneuvered into the back seat, going through Keahi's seatbelt gap. She felt horrible about it and I lectured Keahi later and tried to soothe her feelings. Now, after our trip to Chicago I could tell her that boys just don't grow out of it because one night while I was lounging in my pjs, ojiisan called me fat. Actually he nudged Tammy next to him on the couch as I came and sat by the table and told her that I'd gotten fat. Tammy scolded him and he looked at me and tried to backtrack by saying, "No. I mean you put on weight...I mean you look healthy." Sorry dad but there's no backsies from calling your daughter fat. I know he didn't mean anything by it just like Keahi didn't mean anything by it but "fat" hurts. Sooooo....Iz and I revisited the lemonade cleanse when we got back. We only lasted 7 days instead of the recommended 10 because we wanted to be able to enjoy the branch Christmas party, the joy school Christmas party, and the relief society Christmas party. Amazingly, the weight we lost hasn't immediately returned despite our aggressive return to food. So, I'm less fat now. Maybe in a few more pounds I'll start wearing those skinny jeans Tammy handed down to me.
So back to the main event. I was still pretty sick by the time we got to Chicago so though I cooed over baby Maile from a safe distance, it was a few days till I actually got to hold her. I think she didn't like her house being invaded by a bunch of loud kids and bigger kids because she was really fussy for the first couple of days. Iz and Ojiisan took turns holding her all the time. And then she warmed up to Iz and suddenly started sleeping well and even having tummy time. What a trooper.
The other kids mostly played well together and had a blast dumping out all the toys in Keilani's playroom. I think that room is the perfect size for one little girl but it's mayhem when you add two little boys to the mix. Though Keilani did her fair share of throwing things around. And after several crashes one of the adults would have to go check on the damage. Ojiisan was very impressed with Tammy and Tom's enforcement of rules. When he would play with them in there he figured dumping and throwing and not cleaning up was fun. Then Tom stepped in and established sanity again. I'm really grateful that my sister and I share the same basic philosophies of child raising--aside from the Santa thing. It can be a real pain to share a house with people who completely disagree with your parenting style.
Some of my favorite moments with the kids: Everyone piling up on Ojiisan on the floor. He was a good sport about the kids "getting" him. Riding on the train. It was like being back in NY and the kids loved it. Taking family photos. I was surprised at how well they did though some of my favorite pics have Jarom doing some funny faces. Jarom pushing his inner tube past the small waves with the biggest grin on his face like he was such a big boy (you'll have to keep reading for that one). Playing standing up leapfrog. Bed tumbling. Constant squeals of delight.
Not so favorite moments: putting the kids to bed. It got better--especially when Keilani was put down on her parents bed in a different room. Apparently 3 in a room is too much fun. Jarom and Keilani kept climbing into the crib and throwing pillows inside--with and without Jarom being inside it. Jarom and Keilani tormenting eachother all the time. Tears and recriminations. Though apparently when they weren't together (like in separate cars) Keilani still asked where Jarom was like she missed him. Constant squealing of displeasure.
After hours of prep (and thank you Tammy and Tom for soldiering on after I went to bed, hoping in vain to wake up feeling better), I thought Thanksgiving dinner was AWESOME. And I DON'T use Capitals WIlLyniLLY. The turkey was perfection: moist and tender and full of flavor. The gravy was really optional. The Chinese ham was delectable--to the point where half of it was gone by the time it was time to serve. Dad's kalbi was spectacular. They got a really good deal on a great cut of meat and I discovered dad's techniques that we will try to replicate for Christmas dinner--providing we can find the right short ribs. THe mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and jalapeno-cheddar cornbread stuffing were are wonderful. We thought about adding a salad but decided that it would be wasted on us carnivores. Hence the store bought desserts as well. There was something amok with the chocolate pie but the pumpkin was actually pretty tasty. Nothing compared to the hundreds (okay, dozens, and that's not an exageration) of pies eaten at the Palmer dinner, but perfectly passable for an Oshima gathering. I'm pretty proud of how well we did on that enormous feast of meat. The turkey never made it into sandwiches as planned.
The next day, Tam and Tom did a little Black Friday and actually got what they wanted. Amazing. I attempted to do a little joy school lesson with the kids that mostly went well. They really liked the listening game where each musical instrument means a different motion. Then we headed into the city to do family pictures at Sears. I guess they weren't as creative or professional as the one Tammy used for Keilani's baby pictures but it's nice just to have an updated family photo......which will not be made into Christmas cards this year because I'm just too busy. Maybe next year will the year. Tammy straightened my hair and did my makeup for me. Then she gave me some stuff so I can do it myself back home. And, guess what, I've actually straightened my own hair 3 times since then. Woohoo! It's even straight right now. And Tammy's right, it does make a big difference. I feel made up even without makeup. Tammy calls it City Cailin.
Speaking of City Cailin, the next Monday Tam and I got all dolled up for a girls day out while Iz (husband of the year) watched all four kids by himself. Luckily by then baby Maile was in a much better mood. We ended up having to see a later movie than planned because it took us around 2 hours to get ready. Most of that, beyond doing our hair, was me being a life sized doll for Tam to dress up in different styles including one in which I was wearing cowboy boots with a shorter overall dress and tights. So out of my comfort zone. Oh and other options included me wearing different pairs of Tam's maternity pants. That's right. Maternity pants are what I could borrow from her. Luckily we settled on my own pair of long jeans with a pretty black turtleneck of Tam's, her black Couch wedge heels (which I ended up giving up on and switching to her black flats after about 5 blocks of walking), and her awesomely chic cream long coat. I love that coat. And Tam, of course, looked stunning in her jeans, black top, and beautiful fur wrap. We were going to eat at the Ralf Lauren restaurant but with the long wait time we settled for the Grand Hotel. The braised shortribs with carmelzed red cabbage was wonderful and I adored the stickybun breadpudding. So rich and tasty. Then we went next door to watch New Moon. It was better than Twilight but still nowhere good. Robert Pattinson's delivery still makes me cringe. I wish after the first one became a box office success they could have recast key characters but I know that would never fly with fans. Sadly, I will probably still see all the other movies in hopes that, like Harry Potter, they will arrive at good by the end. I really did enjoy the last HP movie. All in all, it was a great day out with the sis. Our relationship has changed so much over the years. We still have the big/little sister dynamic but it's mellowed a lot. Tammy even apologized a few times for being overbearing and they weren't even big deals. How cool is that? And how cool is Iz for watching 4 kids in a house with breakable things that aren't ours and only a small toy area?
Speaking of awesome husbands I'm not sure if I've posted about Dave Orme yet. When the Ormes came to visit, Kristine and a bunch of other moms went out to lunch while Dave watched 9 kids all by himself at the Tot Lot. He did relay games and obstacle courses and had chaotic fun with leaf fights. Then, some random woman asked if her kid could play with them and he said sure, thinking she meant she'd stay there with the kid. But she just walked off and left him with 10 kids alone. Wow, I know Dave looks trustworthy and she must have thought he was Superman to watch all those kids, but that is some serious nerve. Anyhow, I think Saint Dave has a nice ring to it, don't you?
But back to Thanksgiving and the highlight of the trip: Key Lime Cove. We stayed at this hotel about 90 minutes away that had an indoor waterpark and tons of fun activities for the kids when they got waterlogged--which didn't really happen. We tubed down the river, played in the gentle waves, slid down multiple slides ranging from tiny to huge, and even whirled around a funnel ride. Oh and there was a gigantic pineapple that dumped about 200 gallons of water in one go. It was beyond awesome: feeling warm in the winter, watching the kids get giddy for hours, and relaxing in the hot tub. Totally awesome. Thanks Tam for the idea and dad for funding it. When we weren't in the water, we participated in some games, coloring, cookie decorating, balloon sword fighting, and a treasure hunt that ended with some booty for the kids including some tokens for the arcade. Later, Tom funded the kids in a little arcade time on our own. Keilani loved the big gun and Jarom was disappointed that we weren't able to snag the Lightning McQueen toy with the claw. The adults had a blast hunting bucks and shooting ducks. I wish Kerv had been there to show us up. Oh, and we had a great breakfast buffet with a visit from Santa. Keahi's reaction to him was to not want to sit with him or take pictures or ask him for anything but he still insists that he believes in Santa and pointed out that this one's beard was real. Good observation. And I've caught him telling Jarom to be nice to him or he'll get a lump of coal from Santa. But he doesn't seem to believe in one true Santa. Instead he says there must be many of them all over the world that take care of their areas and look like the people around them. Let's hear it for the Asian, Polynesian, and African Santas out there. So, Tammy, because I can't figure out what Keahi really thinks about Santa beyond the fact that he wants presents from him, I'm resurrecting the blue stockings from last year that say "From Chicago Santa" on them. Hey, maybe that's where he got the idea of multiple Santas. Well, here ends one holiday and now I've got to go prepare for the next one. It's a busy season. Happy Holidays everyone.
