Temple Times

And more from Jarom

2011-10-03T22:01:00.003-04:00

I used to feel guilty that so many blog posts and quotes on the side were about Keahi and now I'm making up for it. It helps that Jarom never stops talking so that there's always some funny tidbit to share.
I love that he absorbs what people are saying even when you think he's off in lala-land. After Sunday's general conference he remembered more details about the talks than Keahi did--and that's while throwing his stuffed Lightning Mcqueen around and roaming the house looking for things to eat. And he doesn't just regurgitate what he's learned. He likes to throw out new words into his conversations and use his knowledge to be funny. Here's a few examples.

After Iz had taken off his shoes at the end of his long workday, Jarom sniffed and said, "Daddy, your feet smell like a man from Tyre!" At first Iz was confused and though Jarom had said his feet were tired. Then he discovered Jarom remembered learning about the Phoenicians a couple months ago and about the purple dye made from snails that really smelled awful. What a way to deliver an insult. Now if he can just start using Shakespearean insults, Popo would be so proud.

This morning he was spinning groups of three magnetic balls on the table and then excited noticed that the center one stayed in place while the outer ones spun around it. He yelled, "Look, mommy, an eccentric orbit!" Of course, he used the word incorrectly and his big brother was quick to correct his understanding of the different orbits; but, really, how many barely 5 year olds have even heard of an eccentric orbit? And I've never actually taught him about it so it's another example of him picking up things from listening to things around him.

Tonight I was eating copious amounts of pudding which apparently upset Jarom who hadn't gotten much yet. "Mommy, that's too much sugar for you and the baby. Just one more bite and that's it. What, are you getting ready for winter or something?" Said with the perfect amount of sarcasm.

He's such a bright, funny little boy. I love him and love to see and hear what he comes up with. If only he also had a silent mode. And an obedient mode. Sigh, you can't have everything.

Jarom says...

2011-08-21T12:31:00.003-04:00

I haven't gotten around to fixing the quotes of the day side bar thingy, but here are a few recent keepers from Jarom:

"Mommy, my stomach doesn't want food anymore. It's crying out for fun!"
He really does think--and apparently feel--with his stomach.

"I need three extra hugs and kisses, mommy. Then when I have a nightmare, I know you'll always be with me."
Wow, so articulate and charming. He could say this and get 50 extra hugs and kisses.

Alma: Why do you like pickles, Jarom?
Jarom: Because my taste buds haven't decided not to like them.

I love that he tries to answer these kinds of questions seriously.

"This nori is wickedly tasty."
He loves to use words he hears.

Soooo...........

2011-08-21T11:42:00.002-04:00

after going dark for months (we've been watching LOTS of 24), I'm breaking radio silence to announce:

WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!!!!

With much prayer, finger crossing, and books on the subject, we've been blessed with our first girl. When we went into the doctor's office, the boys were insisting I had a boy and a girl inside of me. After gaining 14 pounds in the first 17 weeks, I was a bit nervous, too. Plus I kept thinking I might have felt a flutter but didn't want to really think about it before the ultrasound because what if I had lost the baby and was about to find out in front of the boys and Iz. But she checked and there was a heartbeat. Whew. Only one heartbeat. Double whew. Then she took us to a back room for a peak with the ultrasound (we were lucky because they actually make you make a separate appointment at a different location to do this but I asked if she'd do it today since Iz got off early from work for this, thereby losing any future opportunity to come with us to the doctor). And, there she was. The quiet, compassionate, brilliant, obedient girl I had special ordered. I wonder if there's a return policy if she backtalks me later. Here's to baby girl Temple.

Play Money

2011-02-23T16:26:00.003-04:00

For Christmas Popo got the boys a toy cash register complete with working keys, play money, grocery basket, apron, and items to purchase. We'v enjoyed swiping the fake credit card (since they always want to do mine and I won't let them), buying orange juice and ketchup, and making accurate change (Keahi, not Jarom). Money is fun.

Not having money is no fun.

I just got back from an emergency root canal.....the first of two needed. Last Saturday, Iz had his emergency root canal. Somehow we were fuzzy on how much the rest of the procedure was going to cost, but today it was all cleared up for me and now I'm seeing dollar signs everywhere. Apparently, even with insurance one root canal with crown will cost us almost $500. That's $1500 for the both of us. Holy rusted boulders, Batman. So for now we have the emergency procedure done so we can put off the rest for a few months to save up. We were supposed to go to San Diego in April. The boys are so excited about Legoland and Sea World. And sometime or other we'd love to go back home. Poor Iz hasn't been back in 2 years. I could just have them extract both teeth. It'd be cheaper. But I'd have two gaping holes which would make chewing uncomfortable on both sides of my mouth. Plus, if I wanted to get a bridge later one it'd cost $2000 each.

So I'm sitting there in the dentist office texting Iz about our options and realizing too late the simple lesson my parents tried to teach me and which we're attempting to teach the boys. Choices have consequences. I grew up watching my mom brush her fake tooth after eating at the food court at Ala Moana. She always had a mini toothbrush with her. Good hygiene. Bad teeth. I never really thought about it. It just seemed to my child's mind that things happened and then you got fake teeth. No big deal. Now I know better.

Now I know that my thoughtless decision to stay up late snacking on junk food till I'm exhausted and fall into bed without brushing my teeth has led to telling the boys we'll have to skip San Diego. And goodbye Hawaii. And goodbye bigger house. Mom, now I get it. If this, then that. I just wish I could go back to playing with fake money.

Accountable Kids Review

2010-12-20T13:58:00.003-04:00

Wow, it's already been almost two months since I purchased the Accountable Kids program which I meant to review a month ago to earn the 50% rebate offer. I suppose my tardiness reflects my own need for an accountable boost. Anyhow, here's what I think of the program.

First here's a brief description from the Accountable Kids website.

Step One: Children learn to take care of personal responsibilities without constant direction. They learn work ethics, time management, and responsibility. Children earn Tickets by completing basic chores. Tickets can then be used for activities or privileges. Tickets provide parents the ability to discipline without losing control or physical contact. Basic values are encouraged and reinforced with the Best Behavior Card.
Step Two: The Privilege Pass is introduced to eliminate specific negative behaviors. This process empowers children to predict consequences, follow rules, and redirect themselves towards positive behaviors. A Special Date Card is added to allow children to work for future rewards and enhance parent/child relationships.
Step Three: Completing basic chores provides basic privileges, but not the extras. Children earn Bonus Bucks for completing extra chores. This gives them the ability to make decisions about purchases. They experience the advantages of saving and learn to manage resources for the future.
Step four: The Family Forum presents an opportunity to discuss goals, problems, challenges, and accomplishments. It provides an opportunity to monitor progress and encourage positive behaviors. Quiet Time is introduced to refresh and recharge children and parents. It encourages the use of imagination, self-discipline, and self-entertainment.

Theory: I love that this is more than a chore chart. They really thought about the core issues of teaching accountability to children and provide plenty of tools to get them on their way. I love the visual impact of each child having their own peg board. The tickets are cute and useful though a bit delicate for my rough boys.

Preparation/set up: this system requires a bit more preparation than your standard chore chart. But that's what makes it more worthwhile. You have to think about what each child can handle and what motivates them and be specific about what each ticket represents and what behaviors lose tickets.

Execution: I feel like we got off to a rocky start and even though we've technically been using this system for about 5 weeks we're still working out the kinks. I think it's like potty training: you have to be sure you're committed before you start because false starts just mess up the process. It didn't help that right after we introduced the program each of the kids and then I all got sick. There's no sticking to schedules and chores when you're sick. And then we had visitors. And then their daddy sometimes works night shifts so we can't really do music and all the other things when we have to be quiet all morning. But, even with all those complications, I still think this is a great system. They're still not at the point where they can be trusted to do everything without prompting but we're definitely making progress. I love when they tell me what's coming up next. Also, my older son really didn't like getting 2 tickets taken away for hitting his brother so it's only happened once. And I've really found the best behavior card to be helpful. After my younger son got his first one he was extra sweet the rest of the day.

Overall Rating: I think I'll give it a 4 out of 5 stars. I think most of our hiccups have been due to my lack of execution than the actual program. But I do wish there was more help to figure out how to make it work under different circumstances. I think I should read the book and the blog more. And if anybody has any ideas about working around night schedules and how strict to be about earning stars for dates, I'd be very grateful.

conversations with 2 very interesting boys

2010-11-27T15:59:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time since I've updated the quotes and I know there's some text error so you can't even read most of them. So here are a few choice tidbits from my hilarious boys.

Nov 13, 2010
Jarom: I'm the king of the world! (He likes to climb on the highest part of the wall along the way to Keahi's school.) That means I tell everybody what to do.
Cailin: What about me? Does the king of the world tell his mommy what to do?
Jarom: Ummmmm..No. Mommy still tells teh king what to do.......mommy is the mommy of the world!

Nov 16, 2010
Jarom: When somebody isi tired of the world, I will pick them up and take them to a bouncy castle.

Nov 20, 2010
Jarom: I'm thirsty.
Cailin: Have some water.
Jarom: No! I want some juice!
Keahi: If you were really thirsty you would drink anything. Even your own pee.

Nov 26, 2010
Jarom: I'm hungry. (about half an hour after breakfast)
Iz: No one is surprised, Jarom.
Jarom: Weeeellll....I never give up on eating.

Nov 26, 2010
Cailin: Did you find the wii remote?
Iz: No. Maybe the ipod and the wii controller are hanging out together.
Keahi: Yeah, maybe they found love. The ipod is the girl and the remote is the boy and they're kissing somewhere.

Nov 27, 2010
Jarom: I like eating the heart and the liver and the gizzard of the turkey. You can eat the chambers, too.
Keahi: Yes, but not the blood.
Keahi: Do you like the stomach and the intestines? (We told him that Uncle Kervin is a big fan.)
Jarom: You can't eat those.
Keahi: Yes, you can. Oh, do you like the large intestines?
Jarom: Yes.
Keahi: Eeeww. You like the poop!
Jarom: No, you take the poop out.
Keahi: Eeeewww.
Jarom: The people that make the turkey take the poop out.
Iz: How do you do that?
Jarom: They put it in a poop holder.They just scoop it up and it lands into the bowl part.

I hate money.....

2010-11-24T16:12:00.003-04:00

...or rather I hate my lack of it. I just scheduled my first surgery appointment and called to inquire about the copayments. It's going to cost me $250 to remove my silly IUD. Plus I have to go under general anesthesia and have my very first surgery ever. I've never broken a bone or been admitted to a hospital for anything other than the births of my kids. And now I have to have a pre-op visit, lab visit, surgery, and post op visit (all requiring babysitting) just to get rid of my hassle-free IUD. Gee, having a baby starts costing money before you even start trying to have a baby. Oh, state insurance, how miss you.

Big Boys

2010-09-17T16:51:00.004-04:00

I felt a little bad today when I realized that Keahi has had a birthday party with other kids every year since his second birthday and this is Jarom's fourth one and still no party. Maybe next year. Not that he's complaining. He doesn't have a lot of friends here yet. And he loved his birthday crown he wore all day long. And we went with the moms club to Anderson Dairy Factory and got to tour the place and meet the animatronic animals (since, yeah, this is Vegas so there are no cows grazing around here), see the ice cream getting packaged and most importantly eat free ice cream. Now we can save his free birthday ice cream from Coldstone (seriously, you gotta join their birthday club) for next week. He also got to watch his favorite movie. One guess. Yup, Cars.

Then we went to Chuck E Cheese "where magic happens" after picking up Keahi from school. We played the online ticket buster game so that both boys has coupons for 30 tickets each to use for prizes. At one point Jarom got stuck on the bicycle that goes up in the air when you pedal. He sat up there for a while as I tried to make it seem like he was so lucky to get such a long ride until the tech guys got the thing to come back down. Luckily the ruse worked. Freak out averted. Keahi was really sweet to his brother on his special day, always calling him birthday boy (for the 4 days leading to his birthday he'd call Jarom Almost Birthday Boy and sing him Happy Almost Birthday each day) and saying, "Of course I'll share my treat for after lunch with Jarom. He's the birthday boy. He can do whatever he wants." Which lead to a latter conversation we had to have with the birthday boy about how it doesn't actually mean he can do whatever he wants. But, mommy, Keahi said.....After Chuck E Cheese we rushed home to make the pancakes and bacon dinner he requested while Iz finished up the Cars cake (red velvet, of course). Then it was off to Keahi's soccer practice and back for cake and presents.

Sadly, the present I ordered for him (from QVC, mom, can you believe that?) won't get here till next week and Popo is sending money for a piano for the boys which will take time find and we'd already bought him a bike from a garage sale 3 weeks ago for his birthday so he only had one actual present to open on his special day. Keahi picked out 3 things from the dollar store which he paid for with his own money (mostly coins he's found over the last year and his first dollar in allowance). I had packed them into a Fruity Cheerios box and I love that Jarom was so excited when he ripped off the paper to find cereal for his birthday gift. When I told him to open it he was like Yes, I get to eat it now. Then he was even more excited to discover a Cars harmonica, Cars stamp and sticker set, and a Cars tic tac toe game. One day when (if) he grows out of his Cars obsession we're going to have a lot of things for a themed garage sale.

The next morning we headed back to the soccer field for Keahi's second game (which they lost pretty heavily but they all still had fun so it was great) and Jarom's second practice. He's definitely more athletically inclined than his big brother. Then we headed over to the pool for the rest of the afternoon. Another free event for his birthday since we used our voucher from the only time we spent the $10 to go to the pool and some kid pooped in it after 3 hrs. This time there were hardly any people there so Keahi went on the big slide about a hundred times and Jarom on the little one fifty times (after we finally convinced him to try it). By the end Jarom was sliding down by himself and going under and bouncing off the bottom before I caught him up. A huge improvement. He also loved Iz flying him over to me and did it repeatedly until Iz did it super high and a life guard asked us to stop. By the end we were all exhausted and ready to go home and play video games till dinner. All in all, it was a good birthday weekend. And now my youngest is 4. Wow.

Things Jarom can do now that he's a big boy:
-play soccer with the rugrats every Saturday
-skip like a champion
-read a bit
-no more naps
-build awesome things with his magformers just like his big bro
-ask almost every day when he's going to do joy school (I'm working on it, I really am)
-show greater kindness to his brother
-whine slightly less often
-mostly be quiet for the 6 hours during the day that daddy sleeps (seriously, a huge accomplishment)
-dance like a wild maniac

He's my awesome sweetie pie. Who asks me why he's my sweetie pie. And what's a sweetie pie. And then goes, "Oh," with a knowing little nod.

This free scrapbook personalized with Smilebox

The Grand Canyon

2010-08-09T01:33:00.003-04:00

Sooo, this is not even on the list of things I said I had to catch up on but I decided to skip all that for now and recap our latest adventure instead. Since Iz now only gets 3 weeks off during the entire year we have to make each vacation week count. This time we decided to go camping at the Grand Canyon for a couple of nights.

After a bit of stress concerning if we'd have a place to sleep since all the sites I saw the night before--but couldn't book online because it was too late--were apparently gone by the time we called it in the next morning as we were driving to Arizona, we managed to snag an awesome site near the bathrooms and on a very pretty loop of the camground. And, yes, it's still camping if there's a bathroom and even shower services ($2 for 8 min) and a laundry room--I mean, we did have to drive a few minutes to get to those facilities--and inflatable beds in our tent. At least, by my definitions.

Our first surprise was the weather. It was about 25 degrees cooler there than in steamy--but not actually since that requires humidity-- Las Vegas. And there were plenty of trees for shade and puddles on the ground. I haven't seen a puddle since Michigan.

And then we noticed all the wild life. We got to see deer, elk, ravens, condors, and even a shy ringtail. I think the most impressive one was the condor spiraling from the bottom of the canyon right over us and beyond. We took about a million pictures. We should file them next to the millions of pictures we have of the pigeons in San Marco square in Italy. We've got a thing for birds.

We explored the southern rim with the boys, which translates into several scenic bus rides and a smattering of short, easy hikes. We went looking for fossils (the boys got a kick of looking for "animal evidence" and hopping over them), made our way partway into the canyon (we got pretty far considering the kids) and watched the mules march their way back up, and ventured onto tiny ledges as the boys got more and more adventurous. I had several heart attacks. But I snapped the photos anyway.

I think the boys' favorite parts were still the roasted marshmallows and flashlight-saber fighting in the woods. I think mine were watching the sunset from Yavapai point (after all the picture taking was completed and we'd moved the car that was double-parked and were finally able to sit and relax) off the path in a quiet nook surrounded by trees. It was our private place; the boys said it was only for Temples. And I loved watching the stars with Iz after the kids fell asleep. The milky way is so lovely.

I'm so glad we were able to get away for a few days with the boy. This world is full of so many kinds of beautiful.

Free scrapbook design made with Smilebox

As for the rest of the vacation week, I took the kids on a Moms Club tour of the Great Harvest Bakery where they got to learn about making bread and even kneed their own rolls. We also all visited Red Rock Canyon together for a fun tour of their exhibits and a fun flower activity for the kids. We drove the scenic drive but I'd forgotten the camera at home so no pics yet. But I can't wait to go back during the winter and see snow again. Yay, snow! And I want to see the waterfalls in the spring. And we also attempted a fishing trip to Floyd Lamb State park. The ponds are supposed to be stocked with catfish during the summer and trout during the winter. Maybe we'll have better luck with the trout. But it was still lovely and refreshing to be near some water with shady trees around. And I love that when I asked Keahi to smile for the camera he informed me that he couldn't because he had to concentrate on the floater to see if it bobbed under. All in all, it was a good week. Now poor Iz has to go back to work. At 6am. And with not a single day off for the next 2 weeks. Yikes.

Another free picture collage by Smilebox

Too much to catch up on

2010-07-29T22:41:00.003-04:00

So we've been in Las Vegas for 2 months now and I haven't posted about the move, visiting with friends along the way here, settling in and finding cool things to do here, our brother-in-law's death, Israel's new job, my trip to Hawaii with the boys, how our entire family has become Super Mario Glaxy 2 obsessed, visits with Rueben, Evie, and the latest with our friend Nicole from NY, or anything else along the way. And I'm not going to do it right now. I'm a bit overwhelmed and need to find a place to start--which for my left-brained approach usually means chronologically--and I don't have any pics ready yet. This is the longest I've gone since moving in somewhere without giving a tour of the new digs. And now we've blown right past the just-moved-in orderliness into the s-two-active-boys-live-here-with-their-mostly-single-mother clutter. But, slowly, I will document everything.

For now, let me just say that we're adjusting to the dry heat. I use the special lotions my mom has been sending me for years morning, noon, and night. We love having central air. The boys think The Luxor pyramid is the coolest hotel ever. Next to the "fake New York" one with the outdoor roller coaster. There are slot machines in every grocery store. I found a kind of Portuguese sausage that's mostly like back home. The ward is very nice, but full of older, established families with teenage kids so I'm really, really missing our little branch full of people just like me. But there's got to be others here, right? And I've got a drawer full of clothes I have to lose weight to fit into again. There's a depressing note to end on. Now I feel like eating some ice cream. Yay! Ice cream!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T23:44:00.002-04:00

To celebrate Father's Day we started a day early and had an awesome dinner.....made by daddy, of course (isn't the honored subject supposed to provide the meal?) with kalbi (made on our craigslist smoke 'n grill gem of a find), asparagus, bell peppers, mushrooms with our favorite lime butter sauce, and the bottle of Takwan we brought with us on our 4 day journey from Michigan. Actually, we planned on this meal being on Saturday since Iz's hospital had a dinner party planned for Sunday.....which we ended up skipping because we didn't really feel like mingling with strangers and attempting to keep our kids from breaking anything valuable at the hosting doctor's house (breaking the boss' one-of-a-kind souvenier from his trip to Zimbabwe---Yikes!). So I guess dodging that party was also how we celebrated Father's Day. I also took the kids to the library for a special Hooray for Dad storytime where they made crafts from shaving cream clay. I have no idea what Iz will do with them. Maybe I'll mount magnets on them and the go on the fridge. But it's the thought that counts. And they both made him awesome cards. Keahi even asked him the night before to sleep in so he could make another one in the morning.

And he deserves it. I love my husband. He's a good man and a good father. The fact that he questions both only solidifies it. He's kind. Honest. Works hard to provide for his family. And everyone in the family agrees that he's an excellent dancer. Here's to the father of my children. Who would rescue his sons even from gorilla robot pirates from Mars (like in the book he's reading to the kids here--pretty cool one if you're interested in finding it at the library). Hope all kids are as lucky as mine.

Another Gastronomical Anomaly

2010-06-08T11:23:00.004-04:00

I know the last post was about breakfast and not the move or the new place but I just thought this was so cute so I had to memorialize it.

Today for breakfast Jarom requested:
-4 slices of salami...no bread
-a banana
-4 umes
-lettuce

I kept offering cereal but received endless stream of "No, thank you" followed by the next bizarre request. I think if he threw in a few slices of wax paper and a side order of rubber bands he'd be Gregory the Terrible Eater.

The Oshima Stomach

2010-06-01T07:54:00.002-04:00

Apparently my boys inherited the Oshima Stomach (we can eat anything at any time--there's no distinct breakfast food). Take this morning for example. I'm pretty lazy about breakfast so they usually have dry cereal or cereal bars. And we keep them within reach so they can get it themselves. So today while I'm trying to do last minute packing up, the kids found the chocolate granola bars that were meant for the grownups. But I shrugged my shoulders and let them have at it. Then five minutes later Jarom brings me a bag of opened spicy pork rinds that were on the counter and asks if this can be for breakfast, too. Sure, why not. So the boys' last breakfast in Michigan consisted of chocolate granola bars and spicy pork rinds. Kervin and Tammy would be so proud.

On Demand: Heaven or Hell?

2010-05-31T12:28:00.002-04:00

In the midst of my packing/cleaning madness, I have reason to be very grateful for the On Demand function of our cable subscription. The kids sit watching mindless shows while we try to get ready for tomorrow's move. And this has been going on for weeks since I put away most of their toys and games a while ago. So today is Memorial Day and it's gorgeous. Eighty degrees with blue skies and a light breeze. And what are my boys doing? Watching Go, Diego, Go. And later they're going over to the Smith's house to play Wii. I remember when I didn't even know what a Wii was and Keahi would watch a half hour of a movie he liked and then be done and want to go do something else. Like read. And now we have On Demand marathons. Bad, bad mommy.

The next time we move I want a full service moving company where all I do is provide some donuts and juice and watch them pack up our lives in neat, labeled boxes and my kids can play with their things right up until the move. And I want it as part of an employment package. Is that asking too much?

Free Fudge

2010-05-30T08:34:00.002-04:00

Nope. Sorry. I'm not offering free fudge to the first 10 people who comment on this post. I'm not that generous. Plus, with how infrequently I post it would take forever to get those ten comments. Though maybe for fudge....I mean, I'd respond to just about anything for that.

Which is why I walked into Sander's Candy Shop (just across the street from our house) about 15 min. after opening to get my free half pound of caramel pecan fudge. It was part of some promotional that Hallie Owens told me about at our relief society farewell party 2 days before this blessed event. The first 2010 people who walked into any of their 7 locations got fudge. That sounds like a lot of people but there was no way I was going to take any chances. The 15min after opening was Jarom's fault for taking so long to get ready. Doesn't he realize his mommy WANTS HER FUDGE?

And later I sent Iz out for his free half pound. He asked if we really needed more fudge. I paused for a moment, considering whether he was really my sweet tooth husband or some kind of impostor. And then I sent him out.

So now we have a full pound of yummy fudge. Except that was Friday and now it's Sunday morning and we ate the first half pound in a couple hours and now there's only 1/4 pound left. And another caveat: it wasn't exactly free. Even though they just handed me my box the moment I walked in I couldn't just leave without getting something, right? So leave it to Jarom to pick out a gummy candy that ended up being 2.50. Seriously? Is there a golden ticket inside that thing? And then Iz said that all three workers stared at him expectantly after delivering their free bribe and he ended up getting one scoop of their expensive ice cream (as in $3 for a tiny scoop). So, in the end we spent $5.50 on our fudge. With a gummy and ice cream as extras.

And no, Mariko, that half pound of fudge was not the only treat we had that day. And we're not even pregnant as an excuse.

And it actually paid off

2010-05-04T23:16:00.002-04:00

I know I've missed lots of major events including Keahi's 6th birthday and Easter but I just don't feel like a big catch up. Instead, here's a quick tribute to the glory of Joy School. I spent 3 weeks teaching unit 8 Individual Confidence and Uniqueness and it was a roller coaster ride jam-packed with looping mood swings of 6 three year olds, unlooked for twists like a child peeing in his pants while I'm holding another child's paint-covered foot for the Footprint page, and freefalling whines seeming to last forever. But, it was all worth it to see their proud faces when the finished putting together their All About Me books. And, of course, there were plenty of joyful times along the way as well: Hallie, the diplomat, declaring that all the JS kids were her best friends (after every other person had picked Sam as their favorite--except for Jarom who claimed William and Lightning McQueen as his best buds), Jarom recognizing all his classmates' name tags (hurray!he's actually listening to my attempts to teach him), and watching each of them confidently declare all the things they're talented at. Hallie is an artist and dancer. Jarom is a racer (who wants to grow up to be Lightning McQueen). I wish I were as sure in that department. So, cheers for my darling Joy School kids. And cheers that tomorrow is my last teaching day so that starting next week I'll be able to use that time for packing. Huzzah.

We're Moving to Las Vegas!

2010-03-18T15:25:00.002-04:00

Here we come Vegas. It was our first choice even though I've never been there--not even a layover at the airport. But we're all looking forward to some warm days in the sun. And being closer to Hawaii. So, anybody know anything about living in Vegas?

5 Kids for 2 Days

2010-01-23T13:35:00.004-04:00

I remember freaking out while I was pregnant with Jarom about the huge step from one kid to two. I mean, I had a routine down with Keahi and the new arrival was going mess things up with all the feedings and naps and crying. But, 3 years later, I think I've got a handle on two kids.....but having three still freaks me out. I've heard it's the hardest step since once you've got three down, adding extra ones is a breeze. Hmmmm....not sure if I believe the breeze part. (Bettina, what did you think of going from 3 to 5?) But now I can say I know what having 5 kids would be like--specifically 2 sets of twins and a baby. It's exhausting. Especially since I forgot what having a baby was like and my arms weren't prepared for the constant weight of baby Alex--particularly compared to my lightweight boys. But, aside from the constant need to be held, Alex was very simple to care for. Eat, play, sleep. Repeat as needed. It was mostly the older kids that got wild.
The first day was great. So easy I thought I was wrong about worrying about another kid. It made a big difference to have Iz around the whole time. We took the kids to the Clinton Macomb Library that's about a 40 min. drive away but well worth the extra drive. The children's wing is full of things to play with, making the books kinda secondary. The drama stage is huge and well stocked with puppets large and small. There's an electric train circling above the entrance and a Thomas train table with lots of trains to chug around. Fire engine and bus facades and a horse and wagon to boot. And by the time we got home it was naptime for Jarom and baby Alex. And with only 3 kids and a huge basement full of toys, naptime flew by in relative peace. It was amazing what taking Jarom out of the mix fixed since it was mostly Jarom and William that bugged eachother. And pizza and a movie rounded out the evening. Bedtime was also not as bad as I'd feared. We put Alex down in our room and the Grange kids in the spare room--which was much better than my original plan to put all four big kids in the boys' room and the baby in the spare room. This way our boys went down almost immediately and the Granges followed suit after about an hour of talking and giggling. Of course, this was all after their impromptu group visit to the bathroom to get drinks and play with the faucet. But by 8:30pm all was quiet and Iz and I could relax.
The next day was not as idyllic. This time we went to Eastland Mall playscapes to burn off some energy. Iz watched them for a bit by himself while I ran some errands. And then there were multiple potty breaks in an unfamiliar mall with one very close call. And my brilliant idea to do lunchables to avoid fussing backfired since the nuggets and crackers stackers were not big Granger pleasers. I should have just stuck to pbj sandwiches. At least last night's dinner was mostly successful in that the Granges picked off the pepperonis to give to my boys who loved the extra toppings. It's funny how you can never predict kids' tastebuds. Bettina told me that she had similar pickiness problems when our boys were over there. She made homemade mac and cheese with vegetables and her kids ate all the mac and cheese and mine ate all the veggies. I still don't get how I could have kids who don't like mac and cheese. It's unnatural. Anyhow, naptime was less successful this day. I think the novelty of having friends over was wearing off quickly. But we persevered and had fun making New Year's hats and marching in a parade once the boys woke up. I felt bad sending the kids home to their parents with more noise makers but it's New Year's so it's expected, right? Anyhow, it all came to an end by dinner time and with only two kids in the house it felt almost relaxing. Nothing like five to make two seem easy. Then we put them down early and cleaned up for our grownup party to begin.
The Smiths and the Orlandis came over to eat and play games and ring in 2010 with us. With the three families we had the complete YW presidency and 2/3 the Elder's quorum presidency and the seminary instructor. Don't you just love small branches. We had quite the spread with Cyndi's applesauce porkchops with sauerkraut and several cheeses (including a baked brie I learned how to make from Damaris-thanks girl!) and sausages Iz had brought back from NY, and sweets and sparkling drinks galore. The cheesecake fudge we'd gotten from Costco was a big hit. I may have to splurge sometime and order it online. It's called FudgeWudgies. Amazing. Simply ambrosia. We got to talking and eating so much we forgot to play our games till after midnight. And we kept going for a couple more hours. See, we non-drinkers can have fun on New Year's Eve, too. We even introduced them to Nerts. Even though Iz kept dominating, I can't wait to play again sometime. Anyone interested? And we played Catchphrase men v. women. Why is it we always teamup that way? Since we were kids. You'd think the solidarity would evolve into marital unity but somehow it always ends up boys v. girls. Anyhow, I think it was a great way to end 2009 with the kids' friends and our friends, too. Let's hope 2010 is full of more friends and not 5 kids--I could maybe start thinking about 3 but not 5.

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Christmas in Grosse Pointe

2010-01-04T18:54:00.004-04:00

This is the first year we've had Christmas without any of my family around. Or even at our own house for that matter. Leading up to Christmas was kind of stressful since we squeezed in a little ski trip for our anniversary a couple nights beforehand. We got back to GP around 7pm Christmas Eve and picked up the kids from the Grange household--which, I'm sure, was glad to be 2 kids short. We quickly dragged our luggage and the kids' luggage back into the house, flipped on the Christmas tree lights, and attempted to have a nice Christmas Eve as a family with moderate success. We sat by the glowing tree and the kids sipped hot cocoa with snowmen mint marshmallows while I read from Luke. Then we sang a few songs and that concluded the spiritual part of the evening. The kids get to open one present this night and we've started a tradition of getting them pjs to wear to bed. This time though I stuffed them into their stockings from last year marked From Chicago Santa and left them on their beds. Apparently I chose well because the boys were ecstatic over their MarioKart and Cars pjs. Keahi was thrilled that Santa had known what he would love--even if it wasn't the spaceship toy he'd requested. A little while later, Iz and I could finally relax a bit...after cleaning the house and unpacking and getting ready for Chrstimas morning, that is.

Thank all that is holy the boys still slept in on Christmas morning. We had them open their stockings. Jarom was overjoyed that he got a new Lightning Mcqueen to replace the one he lost the week before in Costco. And both kids loved their light sabers and robotic arms and helmets. Then they opened the traditional family game--Cranium Congo--and played while I made brunch. After overhearing Jarom say (as part of the game) that his favorite food was mouse-ear pancakes I made sure I made the proper shapes on the griddle.

After brunch more wrapper ripping ensued--except for the last minute ones I didn't bother to wrap--and we enjoyed a (mostly) relaxing day of toy heaven. My big present was the ski jacket and I'd already been using the lotion mom sent so not a lot of present opening for me. I did save a surprise for Iz--a present that came in the mail from an unknown person. I'd thought it was Tammy at first and then Kervin but now I know it was from Arron. Iz's eyes lit up when he slid out the dvd copy of The Last Dragon. Seriously, you can't ask for a better gift than that. An endless supply of joy. And don't forget the power of the Glow. Our other favorite thing was the box o treats from Kerv and Mary. Lup Cheong!! And the prettiest chopsticks and placemats.

The next morning we got up early and headed out to Toys R Us (first time shopping there ever) so the boys could spend their Christmas money from Ojiisan. Jarom got 4 more Cars to go on the race track we'd gotten him. And Keahi bought Super Monkey Ball. It was actually get one video game get 2nd one half off so we also got one--Wii Fit Plus. Lost of fun for everyone. Then we raced home and started prepping for Christmas dinner with the Roehls. When they got here we chatted, prepped, made rice crispy popsicles and cookies, and played video games. I didn't really get much of a look at the Lego Star Wars game they brought over but I know by the end of the night it was the dads that weren't letting go of it. Dinner was great: Lemon herb turkey with garlic smashed potatoes (I went crazy with the garlic this time instead of catering to the kids) roasted carrots and grilled asparagus. Plus that favorite salad of mine with the gorgonzola, candied pecans, green apples, dried cherries and bacon. Yum. But, alas, no papaya seed dressing. Then for the nontraditional we had rice, kalbi, kalua pig and cabbage and chocolate haupia pie. Plus, Nate got to try a couple different sushis for lunch. Soooo ono. With all the different flavors it was hard to stop. But stop we did in time to open presents before the Roehls had to drive home. All the way to Toledo. I cant' believe we live one and a half hours away and this is our first visit together. We'll have to rectify that. Oooh, can't wait to see the Toledo Zoo. And we also need to bring Paul's and Malia's gifts with us since they accidentally left them behind. Except for the glow-in-the-dark foam which they really loved. Our boys loved their Cars puzzle, dino models and we especially loved our photobook of all the cousins. Great idea, Lani!

So that was basically our Christmas in Grosse Pointe. Simple. But fun. And full of yummy leftovers. The rest of our vacation was pretty relaxed. We went ice skating a few times at our park. Keahi just had his first lesson yesterday and he's doing great. We've attempted to make snowmen but our neighbor told us it was still too fluffy. Good to know it's the snow and not our own ineptitude leading to underwhelming blobs. Last week Sunday, Keahi was very excited about going back to school. He jumped up and down exclaiming, "Yay, yay, yay. Today is the last day of Christmas vacation." It was a nice break, but I agree that it's good to be back to normal.....except for waking up early.

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Anniversary De'ja vu

2009-12-27T21:43:00.002-04:00

Last year we had a blast skiing at Treetops Resort in northern Michigan, leaving the kids in Chicago with my family for 2 blissful nights. This year, Iz had an interview scheduled on our anniversary in Baton Rouge and we don't have family visitng so we figured we'd just go out for dinner over the weekend or something. But then our friend from Grenada, Bettina, offered to watch the kids for a couple days and let us go skiing again. After a brief round of are-you-sures we leapt at the chance. We love our kids, but we really needed a break.

So I booked a room at Caberfae Peaks and began the search for ski wear. Then, the next day I got a call from the reservation office informing me that they'd made a mistake and did not have an available room for the 23rd (and this on Friday the 18th). I was at the top of the list and there were multiple post-it notes all saying CALL CAILIN FIRST in case of a cancellation. So then I was on tenderhooks and worried that all my searching for ski gear would end up being in vain. I found a jacket/pants deal on craigslist for Iz for a good deal but couldn't find anything for me. Only florescent orange one piece suits in large. Shudder. I ended up splurging on a Spyder jacket at Marshalls for my Christmas present for the next couple of years. Then on Saturday I checked my email and saw an ad from Treetops for returning visitors which was way cheaper than posted on their website and cross my finger and call......to discover the office closed five minutes earlier. So I called at 9am sharp Sunday morning and booked us a room--with a free upgrade to a Lodge suite with jacuzzi bathtub since the Inn was closed. Sah-weet!

Of course, then I find out from Iz that he's been stuck at the airport for 5 hours only to find out that all the flights are canceled due to weather and the soonest he can fly out of NYC is Friday. FRIDAY! Christmas Day! And he has to miss his Baton Rouge interview to boot. So we check out Amtrack--full and start exploring rental cars--way, way expensive due to high demand, and then Ben Tano suggests the Greyhound. So for $80 and a 12 hour bus ride Iz made it home Monday afternoon--our anniversary. So a silver lining to all the mess. Too bad he got bumped to the waiting list for his B.R. interview. Here's hoping a slot opens up.

Anyhow, it all works out and we're able to head out to Gaylord for our second anniversary ski trip. Bettina was amazing about letting us drop off the kids so early in the morning so we could finish our 5 hour drive with time to ski for most of the day. The drive was easypeasy with no fishtailing unlike last year. And our room was way bigger, too. We used our vouchers for an awesome lunch--so now we know that this place does breakfast and lunch really well but our dinner last year was terrible....must be a different chef at night--and headed for the slopes. I spent more time than Iz on the bunny slopes reaclimating myself. It was all exhausting, awesome fun. I did bang into a fence once when I couldn't stop in time and I also fell coming off the ski lift because my skis got tangled with Iz's snowboard just as we stood up to go down the ramp. A faceplant ensued. And a throbbing headache. But Iz's sorrowful, sheepish look made up for it and we kept going.

Iz researched restaurants in the area and made me choose our dinner location--anyone who knows us knows neither of us likes making decisions so it all took a while--and we settled on "the most authentic Mexican food in Michigan" according to somebody online. Actually, it was really awesome. Everything was tasty from the tamales to the chile verde pork. And every single worker was Latino. It's always discouraging when you enter a place like this and it's run by Chinese. So another satisfying meal.

Followed by another great day of skiing and possibly an even better lunch. Iz got really good at spinning and I attempted some of the bigger runs with him. I had another bad fall. From the ski lift ramp again. This time it was a different lift that had a really short ramp before ending in a big dropoff and I wasn't sure I'd be able to stop in time so I deliberatey fell to the side, expecting my skis to pop off like they had the day before--even when I wasn't doing anything. But they held firm and my body went one way while my knees stayed pointed the other way. It's been a month and I can still feel stiffness in that knee. And poor Iz also came home with his own injury to his ankle tendons. So, I guess we can't really expect to ever come back from a ski trip wholely unharmed. But it was worth it. We had a blast. And I had time to miss my kids and remember all the good things instead of it being clouded over with the whining whatnot. All in all, it was a great anniversary. Maybe it'll become a tradition. We'll just have to find friends wherever we end up living that are willing to do a kid exchange. Any takers?

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Fall and Winter in GP

2009-12-21T16:53:00.007-04:00

I love Hawaii and I miss wearing shorts and baking at the beach. But I must say I'm a fan of the changing seasons. This autumn seemed like it came on fast and the leaves fell so quickly. But I loved having a bright red tree in our front yard and how the leaves covered the lawn. Our unmowed lawn. That is until the neighbor's much larger tree with yellow flowers obliterated the blanket of red. Then we got to rake it all up and shove into piles along the roadside for the city to haul away. Awesome service, huh. And the kids helped-ish and then jumped into the seriously 3ft high piles. Autumn rocks.

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And now we've had a little snow and everything looks magical. The very first snowfall (12/8/2009)--more like slush--Iz and I went outside to take pictures. I think it's our new winter tradition. I love the snow. It feels so quiet and still and I'm filled with awe as I see the world change. Lakeshore Dr. is one of my favorite roads and I always wish I had a camera when I drive to the gym along the lake and all the massive, lovely houses. Now it's even more spectacular. And all those mansions covered in snow is even more magical. The edges of the lake are even freezing over and Keahi really, really wants to go walking on it. (So I finally brought my camera and got some cloudy pics of Lakeshore Dr. and they don't do it justice. But, oh well.) I can't wait to go ice skating soon. And I'm hoping we get one more good snowfall so we can have our first real white Christmas.

We went back to Blake's Orchard and chose a tree--it took hours and was ffffreeezing. I must say I'm impressed with our self control since it was still during our diet and we didn't eat any of the donuts or hot cider we got for the kids. Anyway,the tree is perfect and fits in our unlit front room perfectly and adds a nice glow in which to find your coat hiding in the closet. I found a woman on craigslist who apparently changes her Christmas theme each year and sold me all her matching silver and white ornaments, angel, mantle garland, and candles for $20. Score. If we're still here next year I'll have to look her up again. It's our first fancy tree--last year was paper ornaments. I love the lights all aglow and the Christmasy smells and all the fun things you get to do this time of year. Keahi made a bunch of fun crafts at his school including a 2ft snowman decoration, a reindeer trivet, and some lollipops. Guess which was his favorite. And now that it's all snowy and white, it really feels festive. I love the seasons.

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Thanksgiving in Chicago in meandering narratives

2009-12-12T22:19:00.002-04:00

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.

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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.

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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.

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Halloween 6 weeks later

2009-12-02T21:09:00.006-04:00

Man, I've gotta get caught up on my posts. Waiting till December to recap Halloween is pretty pathetic. But the kids looked so cute and had so much fun that it would be a crime not to document the experience. This year they made really good use of their costumes and wore them multiple times throughout the month. And the kids were always excited to become a knight and dragon each time.

First we went to Zoo Boo with the Kalcich family. Keahi was so excited that his friend Zeke was also a knight. And little Hallie was adorable in her unicorn outfit--which went along, I suppose, with the mythical beast and knights and damsels thing. The zoo was beautifully decorated with tons of fun jack-o-lanterns and scary themed exhibits. But I think my favorite part was all the animals constructed out of gourds. Some were very creative. Of course, the kids' favorite part was the looooooong trick-or-treat trek. We also got to watch The Phantom of the Zoo which was lame in a fun way. The actors were properly enthusiastic and dramatic in their expressions and dance and the kids ate it up. It's always a little painful though when they try to get the audience involved and nobody joins in.

We were mean parents and only let the kids eat one piece of candy while we walked about, filling our bags with goodies. But at one point I thought Jarom was asking for another candy and denied his request only to discover between sobs that he really wanted his red apple. Then Keahi piped in too and asked for his. I love that they love fruit......though in Jarom's case I don't love it when it's diaper changing time.

Then Jarom got to get dressed up again for his Joy school Halloween parade and party. The kids were adorable as they sang their songs and marched about. And even cuter when they served all the adults popcorn and cookies before getting their own. I really gotta get that video from one of the prepared moms who actually brought their cameras. The next day he was a dragon at Toddler Reading time at the library and was joined with an assortment of princesses and superheroes. He booed and roared at everyone he met.

And while they didn't wear their costumes we also hit Blake's Apple Orchard for their Haunted Village and something advertised as THE AMAZING BLACK HOLE. Well....it was amazing. It was this dark room with a suspended bridge crossing it surrounded by a dark cylinder with bright points of light that rotated around you. Difficult to explain, but the effect was that as you walked across the bridge you felt like you were starting to go up the wall and tilting over so you try to compensate and your equilibrium goes to pieces. The boys loved it so much we went through it 6 times in a row. They also enjoyed feeding the animals, the corn mazes, haystacks, playground, haunted scenes, tricycle races, jack-o-lantern bouncy castle, and the hot cider with donuts. We really, really liked those too. Donuts dipped in cider, yum.

Next was Keahi's Halloween party at school--at which I was in charge of the food. I spent way way too much time and effort on things the kids just wolfed down but I enjoyed the resulting spread and was comforted by all the admiration from the adults who actually appreciated the effort behind the meal. There were pb&honey jack-o-lantern sandwiches (I used a tiny bat cookie cutter for the mouth since the one I did with a knife was horrific), tuna ghost sandwiches, veggie platter with monster hand dip, apple monster bites, pretzel witches' brooms, and bat cookies. Of course, the kids ate up the cookies first and I ended up with loads of extra apples. Ah well. The school was very specific about offering healthy snacks and limiting sugary things.....which, I discovered was more of a suggestion than a rule in all the other class parties with their bags of donut holes and Kroger cupcakes with massive amounts of frosting (that was specifically banned at the parent meeting). Anyhow, the party was a success with games, crafts, food, and each kid made a picture frame for their Halloween portraits to take home. And before the party there was a parade around the block and a magician show in the cafe.

Right after that there was trick-of-treating in the Village adjacent to the school. All the boutiques gave out candy and/or coupons and one gave out toothbrushes. We waited in line for almost half an hour for one booth because it was the library one and they give out free books. The lady actually gave us an extra one on the side. Sweet! Sidenote: Keahi's Roald Dahl book, Witches, was not a hit. I'd never read it before and Iz only vaguely remembered it. But Keahi is all about what's real and what's not and the first chapter of this books talks about how witches are real but they look like everyone else so you can't tell who's a witch and who's not. Keahi ended up having a nightmare about it that night and we've put the book back on the shelf for a few years.

And then it was finally Halloween. We had a church party in the morning with yummy themed food and cookie decorating and games for the kids. And I found a friend there who offered me a princess costume so I could match my boys for later. However, Keahi insisted that princesses only wear pink so I obviously wasn't one. Instead I was the evil sorceress. Fine. More true to life anyway.

Then we had a party at a classmate of Keahi's house. Iz and I aren't really minglers but I must say that all the parents there were awesome and friendly and even comfortable to chat with. We actually spent time with them instead of chickening out and hanging out with kids like we'd normally do. I was one of the only adults in costume which was awesome for my need to stick out. I had thought Adam's mom would be there and I'd seen her amazing homemade costume the day before--her son's a knight, the dog's a dragon, and she wore a big tower with a window at abdomen height through which her princess baby peeped through in her carrier. But, alas, I was the only princess at the Miller's party. After that hoopla we decided to trick-or-treat with Keahi's friend, Tristan, around that part of the neighborhood instead of heading back to our part of GP. And that ended up being a good call since when we got back our neighbors told us they only had 2 people stop by their house for candy. Apparently nobody on our street gives out candy except for our neighbors. So our huge bags of candy corn and lollipops didn't even get a dent in them unless you count the one t-o-ter we got before giving up and heading into the warmth of the house.

So we've got bags of candy for anyone who'd like to dress up for it. Or, you know, just ask.

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Camping out

2009-11-24T18:22:00.000-04:00

So this is yet another belated post about our end of summer fun. Before it got too cold we really wanted to go camping and decided to be good LDS members and camp somewhere close so we could make it back by Saturday night so we wouldn't miss church on Sunday. Mackinaw Island will just have to wait till later. We went about 2 hours away to Wampler's Lake for our first trip to the wild. Did I say wild, I meant a campground with electrical outlets at each site with plenty of parking for RVs and horseshoe fields and a mini playground. But we chose the site closest to the woods--and farthest from the bathrooms--collected our own firewood instead of using the precut bundles other people got from the office, and roughed it with our tinfoil dinners and s'more desserts. The boys were thrilled just to be outside playing in the dark instead of being in bed. Flashlights beaming into the night were the best toys in the world. Our tent could only fit the single airbed and the two pool rafts for the guys so I slept in the van. I made the mistake of thinking that the back seat was long enough for my short frame. It wasn't. Not when it's freezing cold and your side goes numb from not being able to move without fear of being dumped to the ground and you've got no pillow but your arm. And I learned that though I enjoy sleeping in a fetal position, I really, really like the choice to stretch out and rearrange once in a while. I ended up climbing over the luggage and into the front passenger seat just before dawn to try to unkink myself. Anyhow, back to the good.
The next day we went swimming--rather the boys went swimming--in the cold lake. Keahi chased geese and Jarom wallowed in the sand. We even saw a snake swimming in the water. Yikes. We picnicked on hot dogs and tried to fly a kite. The boys can always find ways to amuse themselves. In one vid you'll see them sidestepping on the picnic bench which they found hysterical. Keahi stretched his artistic skills with the camera and laughed at some of his results. And they loved the friendly ladybug that visited us.

Then after we packed up and headed home we stopped at one of the minigolf places we'd passed on the way in. It was kind of a jarring image to see these aged signs saying COME SEE THE GRAVITY HILL or advertisements for haunted trains next to paul bunyan statues all amidst cornfields and silos. We had to wake up Jarom, but once up he was thrilled to play golf. The one we stopped at had bumper cars which we didn't do--such sad boys--and a decrepit arcade. The shopkeeper only charged us for two players, we chose our putters, and headed out on a 27hole run. The boys loved it and so did we. Jarom mostly ran around like wild and occasionally hit a ball. Keahi did each one and whooped with pride everytime he sunk it. And he especially liked it when he did better than me. Then we ate at a BBQ place--Famous Randy's, I think. It had a big statue of a cow that said, "Save a cow. Eat pig." And we did. The food was only okay, but the service was good and the place was fun to look at. A huge guy, maybe Randy himself, walked around giving out Mardi Gras beads after answering his triva questions and making shapes like stars and puppies on the end of the necklaces for the kids. And the boys rediscovered pork rinds. You can tell from the pictures that Keahi was hooked. For dessert we got the pecan pie because I figured it's hard to screw that up and after our last dessert experience at a bbq joint I was definitely playing it safe. We liked everything at Red, Hot and Blue except for their blackberry cobbler. It was bad. I mean really, really bad. When the waitress came back and asked how it was we said Good around the dry bits of dough in our mouths. Then we giggled uncontrollably once she left at our perjury.

Then we finished driving home. It was a great experience and I'm glad we did it before it got too cold.

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Another Late Recap: Chicago in August

2009-11-24T13:46:00.002-04:00

Israel took his clinical skills exam in August and chose the Chicago center since my sister lives there. Originally, when we were living in Brooklyn, Iz was going to fly out there alone. But since we now live 4 hours away, we all drove down to stay with the Burtons. And while poor Iz was stuck in a testing center for 9hrs, the rest of us played.
We went to the zoo. I think the kids had more fun playing with eachother than really looking at the animals. Well, what do you expect--with 3 kids we've got our own traveling zoo. None of the kids are all that athletic and you can see it in their haphazard running at breakneck speeds. We tried with limited success to get Keilani involved in the green light/red light game that's been pretty effective with the boys. Then Jarom started trying to get strangers to stop with him. People smiled, laughed, and walked around him.
We also played at the park and ran the kids silly to get out some energy before bedtime. I think the kids could live anywhere as long as there was a cool park nearby.
One other highlight was when the boys joined Keilani's swim lesson. Apparently there aren't any strict rules at their pool--unlike in Grosse Pointe--and the teacher welcomed the new additions. However, the pool was frigid. I mean turn-your-toes-blue frigid. The lesson was cut short and the two skinnier kids huddled in towels to thaw out while Jarom got right back into the water to explore the water playscape. But even he only lasted for one slide.
It was a good weekend and it's nice to have family closeby. I know that Lani lives even closer and we've really got to get together with them before we end up leaving Michigan....if we leave Michigan....I really wish we knew already where the heck we'll be living next year.

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Birthday Blues

2009-11-23T09:02:00.002-04:00

Well, the morning part really was the highlight of the entire day since the rest of the day consisted of managing a whinny, demanding Jarom on some kind of whine-intensification diet. By the time Iz got home I was so ready for bedtime. It didn't help that I was starting to feel sick. But we ate at Burger Pointe accross the street which was yummy and didn't involve me cooking and finished off with birthday cake--or rather an Apple Tartin from Trader Joes which was not as delectable as the blueberry tart. Then it was bedtime for the kiddies and Thursday night shows for the parents. Yup, we're pretty much addicted to tv. I was feeling pretty blue by this time. I kept thinking about Mariko's blog post from ages ago about how you somehow expect something--either good or bad--from the universe in acknowledgement of your birthday and all the mixed feelings that come with it. It probably didn't help that I knew my sister had recently had surgery and was feeling depressed and my mom called and talked with me for a while about how depressed she was now that the reality of her accident was sinking in and she knew she couldn't go back to work for months. So then I knew logically that I had no reason to be depressed since I hadn't had surgery and I could walk and everything. Which just made me feel guilty. So not the best birthday ever. Especially since the sickness really took hold and I couldn't do any of the fun things on Saturday for my birthday either--no sunrise on the beach with hot cocoa or time at the gym or a date later in the evening. And now it's Monday morning and I've finally gotten to the hacking-green-nastiness-in-great-big-coughs stage. So, woe is me. I'm not looking for a job or recovering from surgery or had a tree demolish my house (like the guy we visited last Tuesday for mutual). But woe is me.

Birthday Morning

2009-11-19T09:01:00.003-04:00

I don't know what the rest of the day will be like but so far I'm very happy with the start of 31st b-day. When I went to get the boys, Keahi immediately burst into a lovely rendition of the birthday song--and he's currently singing it again for me now that he's finished his breakfast. And he gave me an imaginary Warm Fuzzy (all you Joy Schoolers know what that is). His bright cheerfulness made up for Jarom's extreme whininess and refusal to tell me happy birthday after daddy came in and tried to prompt him. Then when we walked downstairs I saw why Iz had come to bed so late. The house was completely sparkling clean. Yay! No cleaning for me today. Iz left to go to Einstein Bagels for our breakfast while I made some yummy Trader Joe hot chocolate. I accidentally stepped on Jarom's toes and he began to wail. Keahi quickly ran to him and gave him a hug before I even got to him. Then he kissed his feet repeatedly while I tried to cheer him up with songs. Tried and failed. Jarom only cheered up when Keahi ran and got him a red warm fuzzy from yesterday's joy school lesson and had it waddle up Jarom's arm to his shoulders. Then when Jarom spilled his hot cocoa on the ground I got two paper towels for us to wipe it up and Keahi sprang out of his chair and said, "Let me do that for you!" Wow. What a great helper. Then we enjoyed a breakfast of bagels and pastries and now I've gotta go get ready for school and the gym. Oh and I got a birthday spaceship of magnaforms from Keahi and a photo message on the desktop from Iz. A great start, don't you think?

Happy Birthday Iz

2009-11-07T08:05:00.002-04:00

It's 7am right now and I'm trying to keep the kids quiet so the birthday boy can sleep in. We'll see how long that lasts. In the mean time, here is my top 10 list of why my husband rocks.

-He doesn't hold grudges.
-He's very humble and doesn't judge other people's shortcomings.
-He does wacky, crazy things to get his family to laugh.
-His family is the most important thing to him.
-He makes me feel beautiful and special.
-He cares and worries about the world around him.
-He loves the work he does and he'll be a great doctor.
-He never mocks my sometimes juvenile interests.
-He fits well with my family.
-He is a good man. A kind man. (If you get the reference, brownie points for you.)

And he's up now so I better get going.

Happy Birthday, love.

1st day of Kindergarten

2009-10-06T19:23:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's been a month now since this milestone. But it still needs to be documented so here's to old news.

Keahi couldn't wait for school to start and every time--and I mean every time--we passed it he'd cry, "That's my kindergarten!" just in case we weren't sure. The only thing he complained about was that it was only half day. He didn't understand why he could stay like the bigger kids. Actually, I don't understand why, either since this whole half day thing only exists in the Grosse Pointe areas. Another sign that I live in a bubble.

So, we were all excited and we'd been to the school the week before to meet the teachers and tour the school so on the big day I thought I'd get plenty of cool pics of Keahi putting his things in his new cubby (which is in a whole separate room within the classroom--no more cramped spaces in Brooklyn), playing at the centers, or reading in the reading pool--which used to be a 3 foot deep fishpond before it was considered a bad thing to have in a classroom. But, alas, the teachers gathered the kids up outside and ushered them in and we were all asked politely to leave. So me and all the other parents hurriedly snapped a few shots from the hallway window before leaving our beloved little ones behind. After the first day, we don't even go inside the building since the kids line up by classes and are led inside by their teachers when the morning bell rings.

I can barely get a kiss and hug in before Keahi takes off inside.

He loves his teacher, his friends who he always refers to by their full name, gym day, art day, music day, library day and now computer lab day, and is even excited by all the alphabet and number writing practice which I was afraid would bore my I-already-know-that son. He recites all the clever rhymes to help teach the kids how to write them and does his easy homework lickety-split. I'm so glad his kindergarten experience is turning out so positively. I love Mrs. Vandevusse.

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"I want to be 2!"

2009-09-20T15:27:00.003-04:00

It's official. Jarom is out of the Terrible twos and into the Terrific threes. Except for the terrific part.

His third birthday was a casual and extended affair. It was during a weekday so we still had errands to run (like getting Keahi a soccer ball and searching for a smaller uniform that wouldn't drown him to his knees) and didn't have time to make a cake so we saved cake and presents for Saturday. But we did do the 2 most important things that Jarom requested: going to the zoo (once he was told there was no aquarium) and watching.......yup, you guessed it, Cars for the umpteenth time. And we had the pancakes and Portuguese sausage (substitute that comes close but not really as delectable as the real thing) that he wanted for dinner. At the zoo we even spent the $9 to ride the train back to the entrance--which made me miss the all inclusive membership at the Bronx zoo including the skyfari and the monorail. The boys laughed and pointed loudly--yes, you can even point loudly if you're a Temple boy--at all the animals and generally made such merriment that it was like a big party all on our own. I think because Jarom has Keahi he doesn't really think about having a lot of friends and doing a party like Keahi had starting with his 2nd b-day. It's nice to have a built-in friend. My favorite part of Jarom's big day was listening to him sing happy birthday to himself all morning. At first when he'd sing "..to you..." Keahi kept telling him it wasn't his (Keahi's) b-day but Jarom's so then Jarom started singing to himself in third person just to be clear. Sidenote: there are no pics because I forgot the camera on my son's birthday. Bad, bad mom.

Then on Saturday we went to Keahi's first soccer game where he scored his first goal--very chaotically and probably accidentally but nonetheless joyously--and then went to Chuck-E-Cheese to continue the birthday celebration. Then I went shopping with Bettina while Iz stayed home with the kids and made the Cars birthday cake--such a good dad. Jarom was very happy to get to wear his birthday crown--a road with cars on it--and get to open presents and have cake. We switched his dinner over to his new Cars bowl and plate and I don't think he'll ever eat off of anything else again. (Thank you popo.) He also got to pick out a couple of things from a rummage sale and chose a red sled and a blue chair. Today he tried to use his blue chair at the kitchen table and his head barely peeps over the top of the table. But he still enjoyed his sandwich sub-table style.

I think it's hard to let go of your birthday as a kid. Today he insisted that it was still his birthday and asked to eat more of his birthday--meaning the cake. But while he wants it to be his birthday everyday--who wouldn't--he doesn't want to grow up. The morning after B-DAY, he wailed, "I want to be 2!" I hear ya buddy. Sometimes I wanna be 2, too.

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Detroit Science Center

2009-09-16T16:03:00.003-04:00

I love the whole one membership card gets you into all the ASTC places all over the country and that I can take my two boys to the Detroit Science Center for free whenever I want. Or, rather, when they want. This place is a science geek's dream. We played with pendulums, tornados, electromagnetism, and played around in Kid's Town. I think the Jam room with the drums and guitars was my favorite place. Though the water rockets was a close second. Here are some pics and vids of our adventures in science.

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Summer Fun in the Sun...with a tangent rant

2009-09-06T08:11:00.005-04:00

Well, summer's almost gone and I haven't really posted much about what we've done and I'm too tired and too old to even remember what all we did so here's a brief summary of our summer in GP. We love that we get to go to our community park and pool. BBQing in the summer is the best way to eat. Keahi and Jarom took a 2 week swim lesson at the pool and now Jarom is less afraid of going under the water and Keahi can do the backstroke across the width of the pool and loves to jump off the short diving board and swim/paddle his way to the side. I also love that each GP neighborhood has their own park which we can visit with a guest pass. So far GP Farms is my favorite because the splash zone is amazing for Jarom and the playground part is way bigger and involving for Keahi than ours. Plus we love playing in the sand and the little beach and Keahi loved trying to catch tiny ripple/waves with his kickboard. Too bad every time we went there I forgot to bring the camera. GP Woods pool was fun, too, with a rock climbing wall in one pool area. Keahi was pretty disappointed at the GP Woods pool that he didn't meet the height requirement for the 3-story high waterslide. At his growth rate it'll be a long while before he'd get a chance at it. Anyhow, here are some pics to remember our watery fun at the parks.

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Two other fun things we did outside this summer were Greenfield Village (part of the Henry Ford Museum) and the state fair (which is supposed to end after this year except that people told us they say that every year). Bettina and I took the kids to Greenfield Village on a day when they were having free train rides and activities--just exactly what the boys ordered. They got to ride a steam engine and watch all the black smoke chug out when the stopped to purge the boiler? maybe. They made engineer hats and bandannas--well, mostly I dragged them from playing at the Thomas train table for quick spurts of random stamping and coloring--and got to explore a real roundhouse with turntable. And we roamed through the time-capsuled village and looked at people riding old-fashioned bikes (with the one huge and one tiny wheels), farmers plowing fields with horse and marveled at the waterwheel and ducks--because somehow that was the most exciting thing for the kids. And we dashed back to the van when it began to pour down on us.

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Last Friday we joined the Kalcich family at the state fair. While we didn't do any of the carnival rides (too expensive and the kids didn't usually make the height requirements and one required shoes when Keahi was, of course, wearing slippers), the kids loved the inflatable bouncy houses/slides, the one woman variety show, the live animal show and the miracle of life exhibit. It always amazes me how much fun it can be jumping around with your friends and falling down. Over and over again. Luckily for us, the girl taking tickets was talking on her cell phone and didn't care that the kids went way over the 5 minute limit. The one woman show was pretty entertaining with the usual juggling, balancing, and magic acts. I particularly liked the illusion with the spinning spiral that makes her face look like it's shrinking or expanding. Keahi's friend, Zeke, even got to participate in part of it. The animal show they liked so much they sat down for the second showing after the woman and we had to drag them away from it to see other things. Highlights included a dog catching frisbees, a girl from the audience squirting milk from a goat into the dog's mouth--after squirting it all over the trainer's legs, feeding the animals, and playing with a little piglet--who ended up escaping the circle of kids and running around causing mayhem.

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I had my own excitement when I clashed with an elderly woman who voiced too loudly her parenting advice to me. I had thought I'd left all the strangers with their parenting opinions behind in Grenada but it followed me to NY and now it popped up here in Michigan. I normally don't snipe back but this woman really annoyed me. While the kids were sitting in a circle trying to get the piglet to come to their side so they could play with it, Keahi squealed with delight each time it came by him. First he touched it gingerly with an index finger and then more bravely held his hand to its nose like the man had shown them. Then he grabbed at the hind leg for seriously a second. Then this woman yelled--and I mean really yelled--at him to stop grabbing the pig. When he did it a second time she then yelled at me, "You shouldn't let your child be so mean!" If she'd just gently asked Keahi to stop or pointed out to me that he was doing something she felt was bad, I wouldn't have snapped. But who yells at some kid like that? Or screams at the parent right next to the kid--not off somewhere ignorant of what havoc the kid was wreaking--that their kid is MEAN? So I snapped back at her that he wasn't being mean and that the Farmer Ben had shown them all that grabbing a pig by the hind leg is the proper way to transport it so that sometimes a farmer might grab 4 at a time. "Oh, well, I guess that's different." Seriously. I have never had the instinct to yell at someone else's kid or make just snap judgments about their behavior or their parents. What's up with that?

And that reminds me of the elderly woman in Brooklyn who cussed at Keahi. We were at the copy center that has snakes in an terrarium and two very fat cats, both of which make going there with kids so much easier. There's a stool that the kids use to stand on when the cats are too high up--either on the copiers or the counters. Keahi and Jarom were both standing on the stool, petting the cats when Keahi fell off and bumped into the woman's leg. I apologized, he apologized and I thought that would be the end of it. But she grabbed her leg like he weighed more than the 31lbs he weighs and started cussing loudly about how much it hurt and how rude he was and how I shouldn't take my kids anywhere if I can't control them. She insisted that kids shouldn't be in public and that I personally had no control over my kids either outside on the way here or inside. I kept apologizing and telling her that it was an accident and he wasn't being rude. And eventually her bile simmered down and I finished my business. At least another customer caught my eye and rolled his eyes at the bitter woman with understanding and sympathy. And I snidely warned the next mom who came in with her daughter who immediately got up on the stool to be extra careful she didn't fall off. All in all, I think I showed admirable restraint. Especially since on some days I could see where she might question my control--as if a parent controls a child like a remote or something--but this day they'd been perfect, holding my hands the entire way there. Plus they were wearing their elephant rain jackets. I've had people follow me across the block and into a store just so they could ask me to have them turn around so they could see the front. Just the other week, a guy--not a mom like you'd expect--at the Science Center asked where I'd gotten them since they were so cute. I can't count the people who'd turn and smile as we'd walk by in the downpour. These are magical raincoats that brighten people's rainy days. Just not this woman. And here ends the rant.

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I, Bargain Hunter

2009-09-05T07:11:00.002-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I detest pictures of myself and try to delete as many as I can when allowed....which is why I'm always behind the camera documenting events instead. So it's more than passing strange for me to post a picture of myself. Especially alone. Shudder. There's just nothing natural about a solo picture. But, I wanted to share my newest--well, more like revived--love: bargain hunting. I love this top I got from my new favorite thrift store called Sunshine T.S. for, get this, fifty cents. Yup, every Saturday this summer they've got 2 color tags for just fifty cents and another color for half off. I love this place. I've also found a brand new with tags Ann Taylor Loft top for fifty cents and an Armani Exchange jacket for seven dollars. My other favorite place to find bargains is garage sales. These cream cords from Banana Republic that happen to fit perfectly came from an awesome garage sale for twenty-five cents. At this place, I also got sweaters and pjs for the kids for two for twenty-five cents. Love it! So I just had to take a picture of one of my new outfits that I got for a grand total of seventy-five cents. Why would I ever go retail?

Michevious Jarom

2009-09-04T08:09:00.001-04:00

1st Incident: Starting about 2 months ago, Jarom has been staying up past his bedtime after being put into his bed. He talks, sings, climbs up his brother's bunk, and runs around his tiny room in circles like a crazed monkey. We've tried soft reminders, louder reminders, laying in bed with him to keep him still, and spanking. We've yet to find the right combination. Then, a few weeks ago he added a new one to his usual antics. We heard him moving around upstairs so Iz went to go check on him only to find him sitting up in his bed gazing out his window. When he turned around to face daddy, his adorable, michevious face was decked out Kabuki style. Iz discovered that he'd gone to the potty and decided to put baby powder on himself. And then decided to fill the sink, tub and toilet with the stuff. And then, for good measure, decided to apply it to his entire face. Iz said there were also streaks across the sleeping Keahi whom Jarom had probably attempted to awaken to join in the fun. That's our diaperless, Kabuki Jarom.

2ns incident: During his naptime, I heard him moving around in the bathroom upstairs so I went to see if he needed help getting his diaper back on before climbing back into bed. This is what I saw.

Again, diaperless. This time soaking wet. And covered in white bits. Yup, that white stuff all over him, the floor, and filling the sink and the toilet was toilet paper. He'd used up an entire roll in minutes. And when I asked him why he was wet (assuming he'd gotten in the shower or splashed himself at the sink), he calmly informed me that he'd stuck his head in the toilet. And since he isn't strong enough to flush the toilet by himself, it's safe to assume that was pee water all him and everything else. Keahi has never done this before. It has never entered his head as a possibility to stick his head into pee water. Why does that make perfect sense to Jarom? Who knows. All I know is it was a fun afternoon of disinfecting the bathroom.

Fun with Art

2009-09-03T08:10:00.003-04:00

I've always been afraid of doing art with my boys. It doesn't take much imagination to see the possibilities--permanent markers on the furniture, paint on the ceiling, toxic something-or-other in their mouths and eyes. Markers and crayons I can handle. BTW, since we got here Keahi has started getting into copying pictures from books. This dinosaur from The Bernstein Bears was his first attempt. And yesterday he drew this Harold. Jarom is still working on perfecting his "fireworks" technique.

So it was a big step for me to spend $80 on art supplies including lots of scary paint. And it's been stressful for me as I try to contain my kids exuberance to protect our house. But it's been lots of fun, too. My friend, Keri, turned me on to this website: http://www.discountschoolsupply.com. It's fabulous. The kids loved using the paintsicles (really does feel drawing with lipstick) and Keahi suddenly got over his aversion to face painting. In a big way. Now he wants to cover himself from head to toe in paint. And using the bio colors to make instant silly putty was genius. It was Halloween in the house for an hour or so. I love Keahi's scary faces for the camera. So now I'm a convert to art with my kids. And luckily, this bio color washes out well. Lucky for my splattered walls, blinds, and my hair.

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Fourth of July Grosse Pointe Style....posted 6 weeks later Cailin style

2009-08-16T18:25:00.002-04:00

We arrived in our new place June 31st and thought it would be a great idea to have family come stay with us for the holiday weekend......so it was a very, very busy couple of days before the Burtons arrived but I think we did a pretty good job of getting everything put away and hiding the moving evidence in the storage room down in the basement--love those extra rooms. But because it was so quick it was a bring-you-own-beds invitation so by the time they got here at 11:30pm Thursday night, poor Keilani was knocked out--and luckily stayed that way through the noisy air mattress pumping rigmarole. And the next morning it was so adorable to see the kids go crazy to wake up to Keilani. I think they actually overwhelmed her a bit.

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After breakfast, we went to the zoo with Tammy's friends who live nearby and had a blast. Definitely the highlight was the polar bears and seals enclosure. There was a long line to get into the underwater tunnel but it was worth it cause we got lucky and the bears were swimming. Swimming and pooping. Yup, that's right. As we were standing there in awe of these massive creatures cruising in the water alongside their natural prey--even holding up the kids for snapshots of them touching them through the glass--one bear decides to let loose. Impressive amounts of brown matter swept across our view and the pristine blue water turned cloudy and less inviting. Talk about a crowd pleaser.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Later we headed to the friends' house for some pool and bbq fun. It was relaxing and tasty. And the kids were turning blue and shivering but insisting they weren't too cold to stay in the water. But after going to the potty and shakily trying to put on a soppingly chilly wetsuit back on, Keahi finally agreed that it was time to be done.

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

The next day we bbqed Oshima style at our neighborhood's community park. It's apparently the smallest park in the GP areas but even so it's amazing. Forget about the parks in Hawaii with people sleeping on benches next to their shopping carts. Forget being afraid to enter the bathroom which may or may not have toilet paper or soap and definitely sports questionable puddles everywhere. You have to be a resident of the Grosse Pointe City (not Park or Farm or Woods since they all have their own parks) and show a picture park id. The grounds are beautifully manicured as are the paths. There are tons of open picnic tables and ample grills. The toddler pool has fountains, rain sprayers, and two repositionable water spouts that cleverly stop gushing water if aimed outside the pool. The adult pool is shallow enough for a large portion of it that Keahi can walk out and be comfortable. And the bathrooms. The lovely bathrooms have curtained shower stalls with body soap and hot water, clean floors, lockers, a family changing area and granite counter tops. W-o-w. Eventually, the kids were wiped out and huddled in their towels on the side. Keilani even got a short, very late nap.

On the menu were some classic favorites like fajitas, spicy korean pork, and bbq beef. And, of course, we have to have grilled mushroom caps with lime, garlic butter sauce. Oh man, that sauce was great just on rice or even on the fajitas. Tammy's fresh salsa and guacamole were awesome. And I made a festive red, white and blue velvet cake. I love Cakeman Raven for putting his recipe online. But I had to half the frosting recipe because it seems sick and wrong to use

The kids did some sparklers (or buckets as we still call them in honor of Keahi's first attempts to say it when he was little) and really liked the spinning car one and the snakes. Then when it finally got dark--still adjusting to this whole staying bright till 9:30 thing, we headed out to Lake St. Clair to watch the fireworks show. While it may not have been as spectacularly diverse as the NYC show, that was definitely the best view and the closest we've ever been to the source. The cars driving by actually all stopped in a long line to watch the whole thing.

And while we got home late and the kids had had a very long, busy day, they still got up early on Sunday. Thank goodness for shows and Leapster.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

And after church, we ate brunch at a cute little restaurant down the street where kids eat free. Score! And the goodbyes started and the cousins had part ways for now. It was a fantastic visit and I'm so glad we didn't let a little thing like moving get in the way of family fun.

The Last of our Brooklyn Adventure

2009-07-17T14:04:00.000-04:00

I stopped updating the blog for so long I missed out on posting some really cute pics of the kids squeezing the last bit of Brooklyn in before we moved. We went to Coney Island and did Astroland. Keahi liked the little roller coaster but it was too much for Jarom. The free fall ride Keahi insisted on riding was also a poor pick. But it was all very entertaining--and expensive--and I'm glad we made it there. And we finally made it to the sea lion show at the aquarium. And Jarom even got a kiss out of it. We tried to do a 3D motion ride with Keahi--Plante Earth--but he again got freaked out. It wasn't as bad as the Monsters of the Deep Iz took him on before, but I guess even gentle humpback whales are intimidating when they're swimming right toward you. I thought it was awesome-especially the jets of water spray and the bubble machine. Apparently another little boy was even more frightened by all of this than Keahi since he peed in his pants. I gave my only diaper to the mom, crossing my fingers that Jarom held off on number 2 till we got home.

Of course we had to return once more time to the Bronx Zoo and ride a camel since the Skyfari had been shut down. Keahi finally warmed up to feeding the farm animals and we all got front row seats to a peacock mating dance.

And we all loved the new exhibit Fly, Jump, Run at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. It actually made us want to get a Wii. So here's some of my favorite moments from our last few weeks in Brooklyn.

Jarom's subconscious view of the world

2009-07-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

Took me 2 months to finally finish this with pics.

Jarom is far more into pretending and imagining things than Keahi was at this age. He surprises me with his comments as we walk around town. He got all excited and started babbling about all the Wal-es and it took me a while to figure out he was talking about this fence.

And he calls this stoop's decorative handrail peanut butter(actually here's a pic of "Nutella" since I forgot to take a pic of the peanut butter one--which was lighter and more stylized). I love the way his mind works. (Of course, then you compare his seeing pretend peanut butter to Keahi's exclamation that a particular tree looks like bacteria.) And it's even more fascinating how he sees his family.

He is Cars. He doesn't call himself Lightning McQueen. Just Cars. The title of the movie, the center of everything. Then he calls me Chic--which I'm taking as a comment about my gender (even though he's never heard of girls being called chicks) instead of a comment on how much of a bully I am. Iz is Doc Hudson. Again, very appropriate. And Keahi is Mr. The King. Yeah, Keahi's got no problem with his designation.

This is what he calls us all the time. When I call him Jarom he says, "No, I'm not Jarom. I'm Cars." Or if I'm lucky he remembers to ask politely for me to call him by what he will legally be called as soon as he's capable of changing it. But recently he decided we were also like a family of planets. He quickly called me Venus. Hey, I'm okay with that one. Iz is Mars. Jarom is Earth. And Keahi is Jupiter. Yeah, somehow without any knowledge of Roman gods Jarom has pegged us pretty well. How'd he do that?

Grosse Pointe _________

2009-07-15T15:45:00.000-04:00

I like John Cussak and I like Grosse Pointe Blank. And now I love living in Grosse Pointe, MI. For those unfamiliar with the area, we live in Grosse Pointe City and are surrounded by GP Park, GP Farms, GP Woods, and GP Shores. We're a few blocks from Lake Saint Claire and following a detour off the freeway on my here from NY I almost headed into Canada--our very, very close neighbors.

So, first the house. It's 2 stories--3 including the basement. Three bedrooms, 1.5 baths. We have a basically unused living room since we couch potatos spend most of our time in the TV room which opens onto our deck and backyard. Hands down, my favorite thing about the house is the basement. When we first came inside the boys ran down there since they knew it was designated to be their playroom. Their eyes lit up when the saw how much room they had to run wild. Aside from Keahi's need to inform me of every single spider he sees down there, it's been a boon these last 2 weeks in helping me get us settled in. And now with the new firetruck playhut/bookshelf thing (see vid), Keahi has multiple places in which to do quiet reading time every afternoon. I bet he's gotten some funny looks from passing neighbors who look into our covered porch area to see a little boy sitting on top of a bookshelf reading by himself. That's my climber boy.

I also love that Keahi chose the pink room as the boys bedroom. So metrosexual.

One of the few downsides of our new place is that basically all the doors have issues shutting all the way. Oh and all the floorboards creak. Not a few scattered ones easily avoidable. Every. Single. One. At least we'd hear any potential robbers.

Garage sales have really worked out for us so far since my first time out I got the computer desk I'm sitting at, a picnic table/bench for the kids, and tons of fun new games including the Cat in the Hat one we did on Monday for FHE. I am really glad we got those 2 free couches in Brooklyn right before we left though cause mostly the free furniture I've seen here all come from the 60s or 70s. It's been really nice organizing and figuring out how to best use our new space. It's all the non-house issues that have been killing me: MI license, car registration, (anything to do with gov. branches), registering Keahi for school, and all the large and minute details of moving to a new state. But at least I can relax in my big new house on my comfy "new" couch and veg for a bit when I get frustrated with people telling me what other steps I need to do first before completing the one I was working on.

Now for the neighborhood. This place is fantastic. People smile and say good morning. We've met our neighbors on either side and they seem really nice and helpful. And understanding of our two active boys and all the extra noise involved. The first thing we did after waking up in our new place was go to our city park to get our photo id. Every GP ___ has their own park and pool and facilities and you have to have a resident pass to get in or be a guest of a resident. I'm excited to try out all the places since the playgroup at church rotates through them all. I'm already impressed with ours. Of course, coming from Prospect Park, no other park seems to really deserve the title. But this one has a large grassy area full of picnic benches, a nice playscape with a couple of play structures and fun excavation ride-on things in the sand, and 2 pools--a regular one with diving areas on the side and a large kid pool with tons of water features. Plus after you swim you can take a warm shower and change in the beautiful, completely atypical community center bathroom. High ceilings. Granite countertops. Impeccible floors. Rows of private shower stalls and separate, large changing rooms. W-o-w. BBQing on Independance Day at this park was awesome. I never worried about leaving our things at our picnic area while we swam for hours since only residents can come and judging from the houses--er, mansions--er, estates surrounding the park we are the poorest members there.

Aside from that park, there's a fun Tot Lot 2 blocks from our house with lots of free tennis courts that we'll have to check out after we find some free/cheap rackets. There's free ice rinks in the winter and lots to do in the summer. I can't wait to visit the Henry Ford Museum and I saw that the Detroit Historical Museum is free this month. And while I'm missing out on Shakespeare in the Park back in Brooklyn and all the other awesome free things, we do have a weekly free concert right around the corner in the Village shopping area. Speaking of shopping, we are 3 doors down from the Trader Joes which on the strip of shops including Einstein Bagels, TCBY (with $.99 waffle cone Wednesdays), Krogers, Ace (the nicest and largest one I've ever seen, offering complimentary coffee and popcorn--yeah, the kids love that), and some restaurants and clothings stores. Everything is closeby. And with a vehicle, we can always head to the bigger Krogers 10min away or hit the Chuck E Cheese 15 min away--which we did yesterday and I won the 250ticket super bonus my first time....I may have found my hidden talent.

Let's see, what else......Keahi's school (once I get him registered, anyway) is one street away. You can get a pound of strawberries for one dollar. Keahi and Jarom scampered off to primary and nursery on Sunday, no problem. And I'm finally getting around to updating the blog. Life is sweet.

Our First Big Move

2009-07-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

Since Keahi was 2 we've moved.....7 times. But this was the biggest move. The only one in which we took any furniture. I remember when we moved to Brooklyn we were so distraught in the taxi on the way to the Richards' place. I seriously almost broke down in tears. The city looked huge and ugly and most of all unfamiliar. In retrospect I think the two biggest factors were the quick week to prepare for the move and the temporary nature of our living situation both those first few days when we bounced around from the Richards to the Palmers till our place was available and the 2 month lease deadline looming over me, shouting at me that I had to find some place else quickly. In any event, with this move to Michigan we felt much more at ease and prepared (as much as possible) for this new stage in our lives.

Speaking of prepared, I'd thought I'd planned out rather well the game plan for the big move, scheduling the moving truck pick-up just before street sweeping so we'd be assured a long parking spot in front of the apartment. Of course, my planning didn't take into account Budget's inferior scheduling skills. It took 2 hours to get the truck and 45 minutes of waiting around for them to tell us one was being picked up in Queens for us and it would take 45minutes longer. We were missing street sweeping times and cutting into our moving time and having to get creative with the kids and parking (thank you soooo much Nicole) because Budget just stinks. I think we'll go back to Penske in the future. Anyhow, that ended up being the biggest snag in the move. When we brought the truck to the apartment we discovered that Ben Tano, Julie's dad, and ______ had already moved most of our stuff onto the sidewalk for us. Fantastic men. The usual moving aches and pains and loss of sleep ensued but I thought it went pretty smoothly.

Of course, with the loss of sleep we didn't head out at 6:30am as planned. But we made it out by 8:30am and made great time. Both Iz and I only stopped twice to fill up gas and I'm amazed I didn't have to make any additional stops for food or the potty. I kept asking Keahi if he needed to go but he said he wanted to keep going and not get out of the van. So, we stopped for a total of 45minutes the entire 11 hour journey. The boys were pretty good about it, too. And we got to the house ahead of Iz. I have to call our first long road trip a success. Especially since I never even came close to falling asleep which was my biggest fear. I guess going 85mph was engaging enough to keep me awake. The van done good.

And we were amazed at the turnout when we got here. Cameron Grange was here with the help of 3 elders and the YM president. They made quick work of our stuff. And later the bishop, yw president and some of the youth came to welcome us to the area. They even picked up some pizza for us and Cameron took me shopping at Trader Joe's. Seriously, people are awesome. I love the midwest.

I wish I'd taken pictures of us cleaning out our old apartment or moving into our new one. I wish I had a video of the kids' first look at their new playroom. I really, really wish I had a picture of the ghetto-est Budget Rental office in Dearborn where we dropped off our truck. Maybe I'll have to go back just to show you what both Iz and I passed by the first time around--me because I thought it looked like an abandoned outhouse--and only stopped because of the lone truck parked there.

I miss Brooklyn, the ward, and all the awesome people we got to know there. For the first week or so Jarom kept suddenly breaking down and crying to go back to his "trapezoid house." But we're settling in and we do love it here. I'm grateful (most of the time--when not actively moving) we've been able to live in so many different places. So many different kinds of beautiful.

And We're Outta Here

2009-05-27T12:39:00.002-04:00

I've been neglecting our blog for so long I only recently realized I hadn't announced that we're moving yet. On the first of July we'll be driving our new minivan and a big moving truck to Grosse Pointe (yes, like movie), Michigan. It's where we originally wanted to go and we're happy we'll still get to live there and really grateful we got to experience living in Brooklyn this past year. We love it here and we're going to miss so many things. But when I think about the extra space and, oh boy, a second bathroom I can't wait for July to get here. The actual packing and driving there part I could do without. But since I can't avoid it much longer I better get back to it.

Extended Quote of the Day

2009-05-08T20:40:00.003-04:00

I keep thinking I'll remember a funny thing the kids said and add it later but then I inevitably forget it so I'm not letting that happen this time. Here are two gems.

I love that my husband's only response to me saying at 10:30pm that I'm giving into obesity as I reach for yet another pint of ice cream is "Yes! Finally. Now I don't have to feel guilty myself." I think he'd love me if I were 300 lbs. But I don't plan to test that theory.

Tonight as I was putting Desitin on Jarom for the worst diaper rash he's ever had, He was complaining about me blowing on him. I apologized sorrowfully, explaining that it would feel better soon. Just doing what any mom would do when they see their child in pain. And Jarom responds, "Don't say sorry. You didn't give me an ouchie."

Wow. Men really don't grow into Martians. They're actually born there. How else is it that my 2 year old responds to my sorry-as-in-I'm-sorry-for-your-pain-not-admitting-to-any-responsibility the same way my husband does?

And the training wheels come off...

2009-04-03T16:31:00.003-04:00

Keahi reminded Iz on his birthday that turning 5 was when the training wheels on his bike were supposed to be removed......so on Monday for FHE we talked about the importance of healthy living and the word of wisdom and then went next door to the empty playground basketball court to practice what we preach. We spent about half an hour or so laughing and falling (Keahi only) and watching as Keahi slowing got the idea of balancing himself. I missed out on his only significantly long ride (maybe 10sec) but here are a couple cute ones.

And this past Monday I took Keahi by myself (Iz stayed home with a very cranky Jarom) and he got a lot better. Of course, I couldn't record it while I was helping him so you'll have to take my word for it. He stayed on for maybe a full minute. Excellent progress.

Make a Smilebox greeting

The Birthday Weekend--a Couple Weekends later..

2009-03-22T21:54:00.006-04:00

Sorry...wrote the thing on time but it's taken me forever to get the pictures ready.

All day long Keahi informed every passing stranger that this was his first day as a 5 year old. The school security guard. Rushing parents. People walking their dogs. I think he may have canvased the entire block.

We didn't really do anything all that special on Friday. Besides the cupcakes at class which he told me were uber important, we just relaxed and I let him watch more shows than normal. After Iz got home we played at the school playground and ordered breakfast food as requested by the birthday boy from 5th Ave Diner (plus a cheddar jalapeno burger for the parents--sooooo yummy). At first Keahi insisted that I make the pancakes and he didn't want to go to the restaurant. But when I explained that it was the playground and restaurant or no playground with homemade pancakes, he quickly opted for ordering in. But made sure I still intended to make the all important whipped cream. Don't ask me why he's holding up onions in the pictures. He doesn't even like them.

Dinner was great and then came the mound of presents. I think my mom forgot that she'd already sent his birthday gifts along with his Christmas presents because she sent even more. Jarom kept pointing to boxes and asking, "Is this Jarom's?" Eventually, I ran around grabbing books and treats that popo had sent previously and putting them into one large box which he clutched tightly and repeated declared, "This is Jarom's!" Keahi was pretty good about letting Jarom help open his presents as well. Definitely the highlights were the Leapster game consol and the trumpet. We were pretty impressed that after a few minutes he was actually able to buzz mostly correctly. This is going to be fun. Loud. But fun. Our poor neighbors.

The next day continued the birthday celebration with a daddy-Keahi trip to the Brooklyn Children's Museum for the early paleontologist lab I signed him up for. He loved digging in the sand for "fossils" and came home with a dino imprint in some pseudo plaster of paris mixture--which still hasn't hardend properly, but smells "great" according to Keahi because of the coffee grounds. Later Keahi and I went to the park early to set up for his party. He was a great helper blowing up the balloons and drawing his name in bubble letters on the table paper covering. I'd figured since it was outside with plenty of room to run and right next to the biggest playground in the park we wouldn't need many games. The kids colored on the birthday table sign and ran about, screaming about super heroes and whatnot. I tried to organize a couple of relay games with limited success. The balloon race (holding it between your legs) was hysterical and they kept popping and we'd have to run in replacements. And then with static electricity one got stuck to a girl's backside and she did a little dog-and-tail routine trying to remove it. All while trying to win the race. The egg and spoon relay was more straight forward but the kids had lost their interest about halfway through and the last kid had noone running along side him. But he didn't seem to mind. I really wish I had pics or vids of these relays but Iz hadn't gotten back with the ice so I didn't have the camera. The pinata was a success in that everyone got to have a turn. But it took the aggressive batting of one of the dads to finally shower the kids in candy. I guess I should have followed the online instructions and used a paper bag instead. Nah. I think the dad would have been disappointed if he hadn't been able to take a swing at it.

Costco's sheet cake was surprisingly tasty and moist. Keahi had picked out a carrot cake with apricot mousse filling (and he giggle a lot about mousse and how funny it would be if you took out an S and had mouse filling) instead of the chocolate one with balloons that I was sure he'd want. And since I forgot to make the veggie platter, this cake provided us with both fruit and vegetables. Birthday style, anyway.

Afterward, we carted all of Keahi's new presents home and had another Christmas morning moment. Jarom and Keahi tore through all the purple tissue paper (was there a sale on purple gift wrappings I didn't know about) and got all ecstatic about the new games, cars, and action toys. We've already used the growing crystals kit from Sadie and we're watching it grow on our window sill. We've also used the tv microscope from Popo to look closely at the crystals forming as well as Keahi's hair and up daddy's nose. We've made a borax crystal snowflake and recorded our observations in Keahi's new journal. It's been a fun week.

Oh, and on Monday the present extravaganza continued with one of his friends giving him a late gift at school (some kind of Japanese cartoon card game with action figures that I'm never going to learn or teach Keahi how to play) and a box from popo and Kervin and Mary with battery operated Donald (which goes with the Douglass from Jack) and bathtime squeeze trains that have made bathtime equally more fun and more difficult to end. Wow, this really is the birthday that never ends. Yesterday was his first day not opening presents. And it'll be a while before he's read and played with everything he's gotten.

I think back to when we first moved to Grenada with our 4 books and 4 toys and how content Keahi was rotating through them all every single day. And then how joyful he was when he turned 2 and his book/toy count more than doubled. Now I can't even begin to count in my head all the toys and books they have and sometimes I think life was simpler with just the 4. But, don't get me wrong, we're all grateful for the generosity of our family and friends. Last year the only thing he requested besides a caterpillar birthday cake was homemade cards from his friends. How cool is it that this year Keahi received birthday cards in the mail (Aunty Robbie--just arrived, so cute!), by email (grandma and pa) and by text message (Uncle Kervin). What a lucky boy.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I Have a 5 Year Old!

2009-03-20T23:10:00.000-04:00

I know, trust me to make the title all about me and not about this fantastic little man who's been counting down the days till the big event. Yesterday he told me "This is the last day I will be 4 years old." And this morning he didn't greet me as I'd expected with an announcement of this being the first day he's 5. Instead, in true Keahi fashion, he led with an observation of how he saw green sparks when he rubbed Hadda (the pink hippo Jarom got for Christmas from popo) and how that was electricity. Which then led to Jarom asking for a Sparkle--meaning the Wint-o-mint Lifesaver that I'd given to him weeks ago to show him the "lightning" in the dark when you crunch them.

I love watching my boys grow and seeing what's important to Keahi as he stretches himself into his new 5 year old status. Leading up to the big day, he reminded me about how important it was to bring cupcakes to his class because everyone gets cupcakes on their birthday. He had previously decided that the training wheels would come off his bike when he turned 5 and then he would then need a helmet because that's what it said on his bike. And he's expecting to now receive 5 of everything he used to get only 4 of before. Like 5 smartie candies. Or 5 jelly beans. And whatever treats we ration out like hypocrites as we gorge ourselves in semi-secret.

And my new favorite discovery of Keahi's growing awareness of his place among his equally mature peers: nosepicking. He'll pick his nose till it bleeds at home but never does it at school in front of his friends. I think he saves up all his picking urges to indulge himself in the privacy of his own home because his mother telling him to stop is far less embarrasing than his teacher saying the same thing. It's nice to know where I rank.

But I digress. My nosepicking, brilliant, daring, budding scientist of a son is now 5. What a trip.

I'll finish this post tomorrow after his party. I'm praying for good weather and that my first attempt at a pinata functions as intended. I hope Keahi is happy with the end result. It took me hours and I didn't even add on the pectoral fins as he'd requested because I was just done. And I was out of tissue paper. So there.

Thank You Aunty Tammy!

2009-03-05T19:11:00.002-04:00

The boys have definitely enjoyed their Christmas present of Thomas train tracks. I have to say I'm pretty impressed with Keahi's designs. You can't tell from the picture but there are 3 bridges, one of them pretty long which he supported with blocks.

And while I'm giving thanks, there's a secret Santa out there that read the blog about Keahi wanting to play the trumpet and then went ahead and sent us a trumpet that arrived today. There was no note so I don't know who to thank--except that I know it can't be from my mom because there was no QVC logo. Whoever you are, YOU ROCK!

Cold Spell

2009-03-04T12:52:00.000-04:00

So right after having 50 degree weather, we got a late season snow storm on Monday. Tons of school were even closed. Including Keahi's, whcih I didn't discover until after getting the kids ready and out the door and realizing that there was no crowd on the sidewalk as usual and then seeing the lack of footprints from the gate to the building and then finally when we watched a lone mom and daughter try the locked door. But the kids still had a blast making snow angels on the basketball court and stumbling about in the snowdrifts. Later after Iz got home, we packed up some hotdogs and went to the park for our second sledding trip. This time the place was packed with tiny toddlers up to grandparents and every age in between. It was awesome. Jarom was quickly tapped out but he regained his enthusiam toward the end when he saw Keahi come down on daddy's back. And he loved wandering about by himself and eating as much snow as he could get away with. Keahi's one solo run didn't go as smoothly as our first sledding experience, but it didn't deter him in the least.

It was so much fun, it made me realize what people were talking about back home when they'd tell me how they missed the seasons on the mainland. Now I get it. Snow is magical and beautiful and every other sappy, cliche description I'd ever heard before. So we can't play in the sand anymore. We still burried Iz. And I suppose eating snow is better for Jarom than eating sand. Oh, and did I mention that they use the old Christmas trees as mulch in the park? Pine scented snowy hills. Color me happy.

Jarom's new school

2009-03-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

Well, now that it's been a month since it started, I figured I ought to write about the non-joy school (in that we aren't doing the official Joy School thing that you pay for online, not that it isn't full of joy....most of the time) that some of us moms organized and how much Jarom loves it. Thursday is officially his favorite day of the week.
There are nine of us participating which means we each only have to teach or be the assistant occasionally and simply drop off our kid all the other times. I'm actually pretty excited for my turn. I have the letter J and we're doing jumping jacks and a jellyfish craft. Plus J-arom ought to love that day as well. He certainly loved his first day. For the rest of the week--and yes, he still does it now, a month later--he kept saying he was an Ant and crawling around looking for the anthill and wiggling his antennae. He still can't remember what the welcome song is--which is bad news for me because that means I don't know it for when it's my turn to teach--but he sure got fixated on ants, thank you Julie very much. And he can't stop talking about "his" preschool and he feels like such a big boy. I would have thought he'd enjoy Barns just as much but somehow that didn't make much of an impression. This week's Catterpillars was another big hit. Maybe it's a boys and bugs thing. He didn't do his craft at school so we did it together at home. I think it turned out pretty well. Of course, his big brother helped out as well--dictating the color pattern and the use of wacky tac to adhere the puffs.

I don't have any pics of the preschool (which we hold at the chapel since none of us has a place big enough for nine kids), but here are some from people who actually remember their cameras. One mom took solo pics of each kid to use in the school welcome house and the job chart. I can't wait to see them. These kids are so bright and adorable and I'm so glad Jarom gets to be a big kid with his buddies.

Warm Spell

2009-03-04T00:27:00.003-04:00

Last week thing suddenly started warming up, hitting the 50s no less. So we took advantage by dressing in light layers--I even got to wear my denim jacket I'd almost forgotten about--and headed to the playground. It was insanely crowded, of course, with like minded parents and nannies. But we weren't complaining. Keahi even got to play with one of his classmates, Edoardo. As a bonus perk, he had also brought his blue sunglasses so I was able to capture this kodak moment. Keahi's been saying he can't wait for summer time and that he's done with winter. When I reminded him of how much he loves winter and snow, he pointed out that it's been cold with no snow. I have to agree with him on this: what's the point of cold without snow?

So the boys enjoyed running around and jumping off of high things. You might not be able to tell from the pics, but the ladder they're leaping from is a bit taller than me. Such daredevils.

It started to cool off a bit by Saturday but I held onto my illusions by wearing said denim jacket with no tights. Luckily, our friends the Johnstons drove over from NJ and picked me and the kids up or I'd have paid for my wardrobe choices. They also brought Brad, Heather and their not-so-little Braden with them. We haven't seen them since Grenada so it was great to catch up. The kids had a blast with the water area (as per usual) and I actually got to see the tiny reading corner as well as discovering the building toys. I love how gender specific the kids' playing tended to be with my boys roaring with dinos and sweet Jada craddling her dolls. By the end, Jarom was asking to go home and Keahi, of course, had no intention of leaving. I maybe should have tried to snap a group pic at the beginning because all I could manage was sans Braden and minimal participation from Keahi. Jada, of course, was perfectly willing to sit or pose for any and all pictures. Later in the afternoon, after his nap, Jarom was still wiped and lay down on the rug in the living room while Keahi and I built bugs. Of course, Keahi joined him. I kinda like tired kids.....as long as they're happy-tired not whiny-tired.

Kids are fun. Exhausting. But fun.

Oshimas in New York

2009-03-01T18:30:00.000-04:00

That last leg of the endless car trip stretched on forever and I think even the adults wanted to whine, "Are we there yet?" It was mostly uneventful as we watched each state drift by us and we amused the kids with a constant rotation of activities. I especially enjoyed these robots Keahi drew on his magnadoodle. There's Got the Robot (at home he as a stuffed cow he named Tau the Cow), his friend, Bam, and his sister, Ella. We made pretty good time until we hit the NJ turnpike at which time we took an hour to go about 2 miles. The scenery was seriously ugly in that dirty industrial wasteland way, but it was softened by this spectacular sunset that our mediocre point and shoot just can't capture. But eventually we made it home at last.

And then came the unloading of the car. Shudder. We came back with more than we had taken with us. And now we had to find space in our tiny NY apartment for it all. I'm already a bit of a minimalist when it comes to interior design and living in our narrow railroad apt has cemented my views on any and all clutter. But I digress.

The next day Kervin, Mary and mom flew in and had just enough time to drop off their luggage before we took the subway to Manhattan to see Rockefeller Center and check out the view from the top. It's half the price of Empire State Bldg. and you can get great pics of the E.S. bldg. We had bought the tickets online a while ago so we didn't have to wait in the insane line to get tickets but we still had to wait a while for the elevator. The worker near us could have been a PCC employee with his cheerful crowd-engaging personality. He'd get everyone near the elevator to welcome the group coming out of the elevator with loud seasons greetings. He made the wait bearable. It was way colder up there than I'd expected and the poor boys were freezing. But it was beautiful.

It was warmer down by the ice rink due to the oppressive crowds. Yeah, definitely the wrong place for an agoraphobe. We snapped a few pics and pushed our way back out to the street.

We were supposed to go to Toys R Us so the kids could go on the ferris wheel, but everyone was so hungry we stopped for dinner along the way at some small Indian restaurant with a big buffet for $10. We ate till we had to be rolled out of there. So awesome. I wish I could remember the name of the place. Then we tried to hurry to the ferris wheel, but Time Square and all the little vendors slowed us down. After Iz took Keahi to run ahead, I tried to herd everybody quickly after him. I crossed a street and looked back to see that nobody was following me. And then I found out why. My 71 year old mother had fallen flat on her face in the road. Oops. Bad daughter. I didn't actually get to witness it but I heard it was pretty hilarious and involved an unseen pothole that Kerv saw and thought about warning her about just a second too late. She wasn't hurt too badly, though she cracked her glasses a little and was bruised up. But, thankfully, no broken bones.

We headed home after that while one of us held onto mom and someone else scoured the street for more potential accidents. Poor Keahi got to the store just in time to watch the last round of kids have their turn on the now closed ferris wheel. We still need to go back there sometime and rectify that.

The next day was a full docket with the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and FAO Schwartz. It was a beautiful day and the ferry ride was so fun for the kids. I think Kerv got his quota of sea gull pics, too. Maybe it's an Oshima thing because when Iz and I were in San Marco square we took about a million pics of the pigeons. It's a good thing I'd bought the tickets earlier online since it was sold out when we got there. There was still a really long line just to get on the boat though a friendly woman was nice enough to let us into the large tent to wait since the boys were obviously cold. And we encountered a new security measure I'd never seen before: a plastic card with interesting facts that they gave us upon entering the waiting tent and then took back from us upon exiting the tent to get on the ferry. I guess it's supposed to detect radiation or explosive material or something dangerous (memory like a sieve). Plus, we got to learn fun facts like how tall the crown is and other tidbits that have likewise fallen out of my head.

Of course, the elevator was broken so mom stayed in the museum area while the rest of us made the trek up 192 steps (which, wow, seems so little compared the the time it took--but that's with 2 little kids...not because I'm out of shape or anything....) to get a better view. I really like my cities like this--from a distance. The NYC skyline looks impressive and quiet and clean from the pedastal.

We didn't spend much time at Ellis Island because we didn't want to disappoint the boys again by missing out on their fun activity. But we were there long enough for mom to verify that even though she was told she'd get her name put on some list of doners when she contributed money to repair the statue years ago, that she couldn't find her name anywhere. Those liars.

FAO Shwartz was just as crowded as the ice rink and we didn't stay long. The line for the floor piano was also way too long so overall it was a pretty disappointing visit. I think everyone will have to come visit sometime other than Christmas when you can actually see and do the things you want without hoards of other tourists. Maybe if we stay here another year mom can come during the summer.

After rushing home and getting the kids to bed, Keahi's former sunbeam teacher, Camilah Cole, came over to babysit so we could go to Peter Lugers. It's been called the best steakhouse in America and it lived up to its rep. Iz and I have never been big on steak till we went to Ruth's Chris back home but now we understand the purity of well aged beef done right. Wow. And the Canadian bacon was outstanding. Pricey, but well worth it. We definitely went home happy.

The next day was New Year's Eve and our friend, Arron, and his sister, Amy, flew in from their trip to Italy (color me jealous) to share bunks with us and ring in the new year. But before they got here, we went to Little Italy to get some good eats. We got some interesting Chinese food along the way (since Chinatown has pretty much swallowed up Little Italy) and missed out on the good Italian import store since it was way too crowded. Jarom was having a tough time and wouldn't stop crying. However, strawberries ended that crisis. Sadly, the restaurant that we picked was rather generic despite the glowing reviews online--which were no doubt paid for by said restaurant. But regardless of the poor food or the freezing weather, the company was good and we had a good time together. After lunch Mary and Iz took the kids back home so Iz could get the Hieatts from the airport and Mary could rest with the kids--poor thing was still sick. Actually I think she was sick for the next two months after she went back to Hawaii.

Kerv, mom, and I wandered about looking at different shops and marvelling at the prices. A cute Hello Kitty headband was quickly replaced upon hearing the price. I remember in college I used to estimate the value of everything in terms of how many Jumbo Jacks I could get for it. That headband was enough to feed all the adults currently residing or visiting in our apartment twice over. Well, maybe with Kervin and Iz it'd be one and a half times. And here I thought Chinatown was supposed to be cheap--price, not just quality. But Kerv did haggle his way into a pretty good deal on a purple sweater and shirt for Mary (so thoughtful), which was quite a feat with the tiny Asian woman harranguing him for wasting her time when he said he only had so much money on him. She eventually gave in and gave him a different set for his asking price. It's good to know that some stereotypes are true and hold true in Hawaii and around the world.

It was nice to get out of the cold and back to our crowded little apartment. Arron's sister, Amy, was great and funny and full of illuminating stories about her big brother when he was little. Apparently, Arron was quite the manipulator. I can see why he grew up to like conducting experiments on people's pyches. But then he must have learned from his parents who told them they'd be taken to the Kid Exchange to be traded in for better ones if they didn't behave (which only worked because little Arron saw a sign on the side of the road, "Kids for sale" and was young enough to accept this version of its meaning). Anyhow, it was nice to meet Amy and to discover another card games addict. We played for hours and talked even longer. I think the Hieatts fit in quite nicely with the Oshimas and the Temples.

Arron and I had talked previously about doing Manhattan for New Year's but after investigating the prices of various venues, we decided watching the fireworks above prospect park was just as good. Plus, we heard Tammy's horror stories about her experience with the freezing weather and standing for hours on end smashed like sardines against total strangers and the ingenous restauranteer who started bringing out food in takeout containers to sell to the crowd and then the equally ingenious people who used those empty containers to solve other waste issues. So, yeah, kicking back in Prospect Park sounded great. But what with jet lag and the cold, he and his sister never saw the fireworks. Actually, Iz and I were the only ones to venture outside at all to see if we could see them from our stoop. It was beautiful and impressive and kinda nice to be able to share it just with eachother in the quiet darkness of our sleepy street. Only one man and his kid walked by and wished us a happy new year. It was perfect.

The next morning the Hieatts left to go back to their different homes. Of course, I got to ring in the new year with the same sickness that Kerv and Mary brought with them. We relaxed in the morning, eating leftovers and watching the kids play with their Christmas toys. Eventually in the afternoon Kervin, mom and I headed back into Manhattan so they could buy more stuff. We spent a lot of time going in and out of 3 neighboring stores, comparing prices and trying not to lose eachother. I got to see this guy on the street hustling people with a card game that I forgot the name of which Kerv could tell me. He even had a patsy or something calling out how much money he'd won on this game today just in time for some poor out-of-towner to drop $200 and lose. We also revisited the scene of the infamous fall and snapped some pics of the monster pothole. Then I snapped a few more of the ferris wheel Keahi never got to ride. Mid shopping, mom and I stopped to watch a guy do caricatures for $2. Mom sat for one and convinced me to come back sometime with the boys to get one of them. Later we went back to the guy and got him to include a big pothole and the sign of the street as well as a crack in her glasses to make the picture more timely. Now that, I think, was a pretty cool purchase.

The next day we relaxed in the morning and I gathered my strength--and my Kleenix--to get ready for another foray into the city. Mom, Keahi and I got on a train to see the big library. I'd been to the Central Brooklyn Library and thought that was pretty impressive, but this library was over the top. It felt more like a museum than a library with intricate ceiling murals and brass work. Even the water fountains were beautiful. I got a kick out of seeing a Harry Potter book in a glass case. I guess it's a hand written copy. One of only seven. And Keahi would have liked to stay longer in the kids section but I was fading pretty quick so we headed back home.

That was really our last outing. I know mom had wanted to see more things but I was pretty much down for the count so I spent the weekend resting. I even had to skip church, leaving the primary secretary to be the only leader there. I'm terrible, I know, but you should have seen me.....actually, I'd rather nobody had to see me like that. So we relaxed at home and I got to have cozy chats with my mom and she got to see her crazy grandsons in action within the walls of our small apartment. Always entertaining. And then, Monday morning she left in a cab to go back to warm, sunny Hawaii. Iz was able to see her off just before heading off to the hospital for his first day of his pscyh rotation. He didn't get much time to relax during our insanely packed Christmas break, but luckily psych is pretty chill.

It was a great visit and things turned out fine. But I will say that hosting such a thing is hard on my system. What with all the preparations and trying to fit in what everyone wants to do in such a small time frame with two active little boys to consider and then stressing out whenever we don't get to do something like eat at Papaya Kings for Kerv (though Iz just tried it out and said it was disgusting so maybe you dodged a bullet there, Kerv), or see the Met for mom, or ride the ferris wheel or go to the zoo for Keahi, December was a frantic month for me. But it ended up well and we got to visit with family and friends which is what it's all about. So here ends the final chapter in the Temple family Christmas Vacation.

Conversation with Keahi

2009-02-26T20:42:00.002-04:00

After talking with another mom from PS321 while we watched the kids frolic on the shrunken bit of ice along the school fence, I felt like a schmuck of mom who doesn't send her kid to violin lessons at the conservatory or sign him up for soccer or art lessons or whatever else parents with money in the city do. So on the brief walk back the apartment, I decided to talk to Keahi to see if he felt he was lacking in some area. Of course, I wasn't going to bring up violin lessons because I know we can't afford either the lessons or even the instrument so I headed in the sports direction.
"Keahi, I know a lot of your friends do different activities after school. When it warms up a bit, would you like to join a soccer team?"
"No, mommy," he replies with a slightly confused look, "I'm going to be a scientist when I grow up."
"Okaaay. So what about right now. Don't you want to run around with the other kids and kick a ball about? Daddy loved playing soccer when he was little."
"No. I want to play tennis."
Who is this kid and what does he even know about tennis and who has he seen playing tennis--certainly not his parents.
"I think the racket might be a bit heavy for you and the net is tall and I just think it's something that older kids might do."
"Okay. Then when I'm older, I'll play tennis."
"Well, what about while you're still little? Would you like to do karate or some other martial art?" (I know at least 3 of his classmates do this every week so at least I could get names of places.)
"No. When I'm 7 or 8 I'll play tennis."
So I gave up. Later after relating all this to Iz we talked to Keahi about what music he was interested in and he got very excited about the trumpet. So now we'll be on the lookout for cheap trumpets--one for Keahi and one for Iz so he can learn and teach Keahi. And in a couple of years, apparently, we'll have to look for a tennis racket. What a funny kid.

Combating 2nd child syndrome

2009-02-11T19:55:00.000-04:00

I realized early on that despite my good intentions I had definitely fallen victim to 2nd child syndrome--as the inflicter obviously. Poor Jarom only has several hundred pictures instead of the thousands of his older brother. And I haven't used nearly as many of his quotes either. The whole not talking for the first one and a half years also contributed to this oversight. But all joking aside, I do feel bad that I had tons of video of Keahi singing and counting and doing all sorts of dancing bear routines we parents coax our kids into doing for our entertainment. But I have almost none of Jarom. So I figured it was time to rectify the situation. Here's a video of his version of Twinkle, Twinkle, the Safety Seat song, and Rain, Rain. I wonder how many of you will be able to understand his words, but even if you can't it's still pretty adorable.

It's easy to overlook his accomplishments because of Keahi set the bar so high. But while he still isn't completely accurate with either his letters or his numbers he does know most of them including the sounds. Which is pretty good. He knows his shapes and colors and often suprises us with his funny phrases just like Keahi did at this age. Of course, if he wanted to catch up academically he'd have to sprint since he'd have to start reading simple books in the next 5 or 6 months. That ain't gonna happen. But it may not be as far a stretch as I'd been thinking. On Sunday at church after coloring for a while with Keahi and two other little kids in our row, Iz starting writing things on his page. When he pointed at J-A-R-O-M, Jarom actually said, "Jay-ar-om!" Then, with a little coaching, he sounded out cat, dog, dad, and mom. Actually, he got mom on his own. Yeah, we know who the center of his universe is. So here's me bragging about my second child. Aim spotlight here. Cuteness and brilliance abound. And now I'd better start focusing on him more.

Holiday Trip Part 5: Toledo

2009-02-08T18:35:00.002-04:00

Because we were driving instead of flying, we were able to make a pit stop in Toledo to see Lani, Nate and the tots. We haven't seen them since Paul was only a toddler so it was great to catch up and watch all the big kids play around together. When we arrived at their place they were actually still out shopping so we kicked back in the yard and played on the swings, slide and seesaw and threw snowballs at each other. At first Jarom wasn't sold on the seesaw but then he really got into it. And Keahi got blasted by Iz several times and even got snow in his ear once. But he also got Iz pretty well--I love Iz's dramatic flair. Color me jealous that they even have a yard. With a garage. The playground equipment was just salt in the wound. Oh for wide open spaces. Then when the Roehls returned, Paul quickly snagged Keahi to show him his new video game, Monkey Ball. The boys whooped it up in the basement (another awesome house tradition) while the rest of us chatted and got reacquainted. I love all of Iz's family and I love how big that family has grown. Watching Lani and Nate interact with their kids reminded me about all the things I love about my own kids and reinforced my goal to be a better mom. All this travel with two small active boys had really worn me down but it was rejuvinating to watch them play with their cousins and feel like a bigger family.

We sampled the local favorite pizza joint--which was tasty though I'll admit to liking our neighborhood pizzaria better (loyalties, ya know). But I was overwhelmed by the massive gyros that accompanied the pizza. That's right. Gyros. Then we relaxed with distended bellies while the kids watched Star Wars. Notice their rapt attention? I wish I could inspire that kind of focus.

We only stayed the one night and had to wake up early to finish our trek back to Brooklyn, but I'm really glad we were able to visit. Iz and I are acknowledged as the worst corresponders of either family, I think, but we'll try to rectify this. Soon. Just like I'm also committed to updating this blog with details that are now 2 months old. Anyway, the Roehls rock and we're glad to call them family. . . . .and I've only realized now that I'm posting pics that we didn't take any with the grown up Roehls. Wow. You can tell where the priorities are for us parents, huh.

Holiday Trip Part 4: Chicago B

2009-01-26T07:04:00.001-04:00

So we made it back to Chicago safely and quickly and had plenty of time to prepare for Christmas Eve dinner. We actually fed the kids at the regular time and put them to bed before getting out the good stuff for the real dinner when Tom got back from work. That's right. Work on Christmas Eve. But before we put them to bed we let them open their new pjs and one gift from popo. They really did look adorable in their new footies.

I have to say that dinner pretty much rocked. The turkey breast was moist and bursting with lemony herb goodness. The Chinese ham rivaled our Aunty May's. And the roasted veggies were a perfect complement. While Iz's custard pies didn't hit his usual standard, my attempt to recreate a childhood memory for Tammy worked rather well. She's a sucker for the no-bake cheesecake/Nilla waffer/blueberry (only the can--she hates fresh) thing. It was too much Coolwhip for my taste but I'm glad she got to relive the good ol days.

We spent Christmas morning opening gifts and picking away at leftovers while the Burton's traditional breakfast casserole finished baking. Wouldn't it be great if every morning could be like this? We relaxed and watched Happy Feet and exuded a general contentment with the world. Some highlights of Christmas presents included:
-Keilani's immediate fear upon opening Popo's Christmas Eve gift (a vibrating cuddly pink pig--Keahi loved the vibrating cow back in Laie). She's also deathly afraid of the small cow flashlight her parents bought her a while ago. She likes to take it out of the cabinet and then run away from it when it moos. I think she's got a hang up about barnyard animals. Luckily, Popo's other animal gift (a calico cat pillow with a blanket tucked into it) went much better.
-Jarom ignoring all other presents after opening the Thomas train track set from Aunty Tammy. He even started running a loose train over the picture of a bridge on the box cover. He couldn't wait till we let him open it up to play with the actual track pieces inside.
-Opening my awesome present: an ice cream maker attachment for the kitchen aid mixer Iz got for me. So awesome. We've made cookies, bread, ice cream, and flourless chocolate cake. Yum! My biggest Christmas present ever.
-Keilani's eyes following the candy wherever it went.
-Jarom and Keilani hanging out in a box learning to say Melekalikimaka.

Then for our last day in Chicago we headed to the Museum of Transportation which was a big hit with the boys. Life sized trains and massive farm equipment? What little boy wouldn't be giddy? The boys kinda crowded poor little Keilani, raining down too many affectionate kisses and hugs from rowdy little boys. Afterward, we picked up Tom from work and ate at an awesome Cuban restaurant. Everything was amazing and I loved mine especially (though Kervin's oxtail stew made me realize I'd been missing out on ambrosia all these years). I also really enjoyed the drive through hazy Chicago at night. You can understand why they filmed The Dark Knight here.

I feel like I'm missing plenty of amusing annecdotes but I guess that's what happens when you wait this long to record events. I'll edit later if I recall anything.

We really enjoyed our visit in Chicago--even though we nearly lost some fingers and toes to the cold.

While we were gone...

2009-01-24T15:58:00.002-04:00

Kervin and Mary arrived in Chicago the day that we left for our ski trip so we didn't get to see them till we got back. Poor Kerv was still sick and with the insanely cold weather he missed out on going to Monday night football with Tom. I wonder how crowded the stadium was with hard core--cold blooded--fans. But by the next day, Kerv was up for the Shedd's Aquarium with the little boys. We're sad we missed out on all the shark-filled fun (but not to the point that we'd have missed out on our ski trip) and the pictures were so cute I had to post some. I love the shots of the boys with their snow pants suspenders showing. Winter gear is so cool--pun unavoidable. It's always difficult to get in face shots when their attention is so riveted on the fish but Kerv managed to get a really good one of all three of them looking. I was pretty impressed.

There were some incidents and Tammy's response was basically "Wow. Boys are way different." I head about how Keahi got a hotdog out of Tom when he got home from work after being refused by everyone else. Tom said he gave it to him because he reasoned with Keahi. I wasn't there, but from personal experience I know that if you're not careful, that clever little boy can spin his logic around you pretty tightly in order to get what he wants. I know bath time was an adventure since it was when we got there. Popo seemed to coast through it all though and thought the boys were pretty easy since they like to play together and I guess Jarom's whining didn't bother her too much. I have a pretty rockin family to look after our two active boys for two and a half days.

PayPal Nightmare

2009-01-22T00:48:00.002-04:00

If any of you have a Paypal account, please check it right now to make sure no unauthorized transactions have taken place. We're in the middle of trying to sort out a whole ton of money (more than we actually had) being transferred from our bank account and we're racking up the overdraft fees and it's just a nightmare. I don't know if we are part of that whole credit card hacking incident but look after all your accounts.

7 year Anniversary

2009-01-15T21:27:00.008-04:00

Usually for our anniversary we go out to dinner. Chili's or something similar. This year since we had a house full of family to watch the kids, we opted for something more ambitious. We planned a 3 day/2night ski trip to Treetops Resort in Michigan. We'd considered many different possibilities but in the end we went with the most affordable one that would still put us in pretty landscape rather than something closer (and flater) to Chicago--against Tammy's recommendations. She'd been worried about driving conditions and she wasn't wrong. But our driving dramas start before we ever got into the car.

The morning we were to leave, we got up early and were mostly--amazingly--on schedule. But when we started loading up the car we had borrowed from Arron, we were shocked to discover broken glass littering the front seats and even the hammer the thief used to break the passenger window. We'd taken basically everything out of the car but the GPS mount on the window was enticement enough for someone to break in. They made off with a mount and a charger converter thing (with 2 regular outlets for laptops or whatever) but not the desired GPS. Honestly, I was so stunned I kinda shut down and my mind went blank. I just didn't see what we were supposed to do next and we stood there in the snow staring at the gaping hole with bags in hand.

Luckily, Tammy and Tom were not stumped. We pulled the car around back to the garage, cleaned out the bulk of the glass, attempted to get the cops to come make a report (a futile effort even with the hammer as evidence), moved all our things into their all wheel drive Outback and headed out only about an hour and a half later than planned. They even managed to get it fixed by the next day (Dec. 23rd--not the best day for getting anything done) while we were off having fun in the snow. Do I have the coolest sis or what? Oh and Tam and Tom also leant us their ski outfits. Awesome. Actually, I was wearing Tom's smaller pants. Not so great for my self-esteem.

So even though we were off to a rough start, we made it safely to our ski resort in about 8 hours (as compared to the projected 6 hours by googlemaps) which was excellent time since we were expecting worse conditions. The first hour was sunny and gorgeous. And then we hit the snow and icy roads. Iz got really good at driving in these conditions while I napped (I know, I know, but something about cars just sends me off to dreamland) and watched the scenery. It was beautiful to watch the landscape drift from urban to rural, all blanketed in fresh snow. How is it that snow can make even beautiful things more breathtaking? Maybe it's my rosy tropical eyes.

By the time we'd checked in, changed and rented all our gear, we only had a couple of hours to ski, which was perfect since it gave us a chance to try out our snow legs without the chance to overdo it and be too tired the next day. But before we hit the slopes we had yet another misadventure--we locked ourselves out of the room. We had the key card. But that doesn't do any good if the chain is also locked since we'd left through the glass sliding door. That also added to our lack of ski time that first night.

First, let me say that watching me try to skate across the level area to get to the tow rope must have bordered on the insanely ridiculous. Not a graceful line in my body. Second, that tow rope is trickier than it appears. It zips so fast and if you don't have a strangle hold on it the thing just slips through your fingers, burning through your gloves while you totter about on your skis making jerky little spurts up the hill till your husband tries to help and you both end up in a twisted pile of limbs, forcing someone at the bottom to turn off the dang thing. Sigh. And then you let a bunch of little kids zip past you while you regain your breath and try again. Fairly humiliating. But it only happened the one time and I quickly figured out how to get that strangle hold at the start and keep my poles out of the way, too. Soon I was zipping up to the top of the bunny hill with the rest of the kids.

I'm actually pretty proud of how well we both did. I only fell once and was even starting to get the hang of curving down the hill. It was all french fries for me down the bunny slope. No need for pizza feet. The time I did fall was in order to avoid another beginner who was swerving into my space I had to quickly turn aside and had too much speed to stop before I would have hit the side fence so I toppled myself over. Tom had given me a lot of tips but I had forgotten to ask him how to stop quickly. Iz made friends with an employee who took him onto an intermediate run using the ski lift. Even though everyone had warned us that everyone falls on the lift, Iz, of course, did not. Except for when the employee (this was his 2nd time snowboarding) went in front of him off the lift. By the time our 2 hours were up, Iz was pretty comfortable on his board, even carving up little hills and stopping in a swoosh of snow like a pro. And I even went down the intermediate run with him a couple of times without biffing it. Definitely pizza feet though. And I could skate better, too, except only on a slight decline and not on the flat parts. Problems with my momentum.

We headed back in and returned our rentals feeling pretty good about the world. Everyone at the resort was incredibly friendly (that may be our NY lowered expectations speaking here), the employees helpful and genuinely interested in their customers. They had joked with us before we headed for the slopes after hearing we were from Hawaii, telling us to save our more spectacular falls for outside their window. And even the kids getting their own gear on were nice, immediately striking up conversations and wishing us luck. The midwest is pretty cool.

We went into the nearby town, Gaylord to look for something to eat and found a gem of a Mexican place with friendly staff and huge portions. I was really happy with all our culinary samplings this trip. The next morning we used our free breakfast vouchers and had one of the best breakfasts in a long time. Iz's ham steak was extra thick and tasty and his eggs buttery and hashbrowns perfection. My huge plate of banana bread french toast was lush and almost like dessert with the caramel sauce drizzle. I guess they realize they have to feed you well to fuel your day on the slopes.

The day flew by with chilly rides up and exhilarating runs down the slopes. Iz did several harder intermediate runs while I stuck to the longer beginning one and the first intermediate run. The wind really picked up and the snow was coming at us sideways and I was really glad we'd gotten me a pair of goggles or I wouldn't have been able to see anything. I biffed it again, this time on the intermediate slope. I have a harder time turning toward the right than the left and I was going too fast and ended up going head first into the snow. Iz said the poof of snow was pretty impressive. Then it was my turn to watch Iz as he plowed through a little girl in the half pipe, grabbing her and trying to cushion the fall. Poor thing was so frightened--being attacked by a grown man must be pretty scary. But neither of them were hurt and they both made it down the hill. However, Iz's pocket was open and the car keys had flown out and into the snowy haystack. It took some time and lots of prayers but he eventually found them. Whew. Crisis averted. At around 4:30 (when the visibility really dropped and my hands were freezing inside my gloves inside my pockets)I got this really awful feeling that something was wrong. I couldn't really put my finger on it but as I timidly approached the run one more time (both Tam and Tom had warned about those "one more times") I said a silent prayer seeking protection. And it was almost like hearing a sigh. Like God was saying, Really? You're asking me to protect you as you set off to do something you already feel is stupidly dangerous? So I called it quits and returned to our room to warm up while Iz kept going, getting better and better. But just before I was winding down, I did get to see Iz Anyhow, while I vegged out in front of a tv with more than the 6 channels I'm used to, Iz continued to carve it up out in the blizzard. He did get injured though at the end--doing something reckless, of course, like jumping off a 15ft side bank. Jumping wasn't hard but the landing sure was--he'd tilted backwards and had his board slid out from under him while his arm was ripped up and around at body contortionist angles. And he still hasn't gotten back full motion.

After eating a mediocre dinner at the lodge, we went back to our favorite mexican place for the most massive brownie ever--served on a sizzling skillet with 2 scoops of ice cream. Awesome. Life is definitely good. It was a nice end to our little ski adventure. We'd decided to forego another amazing breakfast at the lodge since all the weather forecasts said the next morning was going to be brutal--as in only drive if absolutely necessary and be sure to have food and blankets with you at all times. But our immense driving luck (which apparently did not extend to parking luck) held out and we made it back to Chicago in excellent time. We only had torrents of rain instead of snow. Even with a pretty long breakfast stop at Steak N Shake, it only took 6 hours to get home. Plenty of time to help out with Christmas Eve dinner.

Holiday Trip Part 2: Chicago A

2009-01-08T20:42:00.009-04:00

Thirteen hours later we arrived in Chicago. Things of note on the drive:

While googlemaps said it would only take 11hours that's only drive time and unless you're traveling exclusively with young bachelors, you have to stop at least for bathroom breaks if not to eat. I'd heard about certain people's experiences peeing into bottles in the car but thought it prudent not to require this of either Keahi or popo. I exclude myself from this because of my preternatural ability to hold it and not because I was willing to be one of the guys.

Popo's portable dvd player was a godsend. While they didn't actually watch too many shows, each episode was a blessed brief break from Keahi's nonstop chatter and Jarom's mood swings between adorable happiness (when he'd say, "Mommy, I'm happy!") to cranky whininess (when he'd say "I want...I want...I want..." or, my personal favorite, "Waaaaaah!"). Popo was impressed with the sheer volume of opnions and thoughts Keahi liked to share with everyone.

Sliding in a vehicle on an icy road feels a lot like ice skating. Only you have even less control, are traveling much faster, and you can't just run yourself into the side walls without serious damage. Tom gave Iz quick pointers on the phone after our first experience sliding. Fortunately we didn't really slide again.

So we got there safely and were greeted with warm, helping arms full of stuff from our loaded trunk. After a quick dinner for the boys (hot dogs---actually they ate more hot dogs while in Chicago than they've ever had it in their lives before (because Keilani adores hot dogs and the tiny sweetheart is even more underweight than Keahi) which actually explains why Jarom had a hard time finishing his hot dog today), we sent them up to bed. Which reminds me about a key point of interest. The aerobed (a generic one and in this case apparently name matters) had sprung a leak and was deflating before our eyes. So what's there to do besides jump on it. The kids had a grand time bouncing around and then Tammy joined in to do some pretty entertaining launching of tiny children. But....when Iz got involved launching turned into something more like acrobatics.

And this was the second round. The first time he flew even higher. We told him we wouldn't do it again because he'd get hurt. At the end of this video (I wish I'd kept recording), he held his ear and laughing assured us, "See, I didn't get hurt." And then Iz launched Tammy up and over, crashing into the legs of the crib. What fun.

The next day the kids enjoyed playing in the snow outside until the bitter chill chased the adults--dragging the boys with us--indoors. At first Keilani was not a fan but she eventually warmed up to the cold. Keahi and Jarom were in snow heaven. Oh, and did I forget to mention that with wind chill it was 30 below? Yeah. And this is the day we picked for going around town. We only made it to Santa's Village for a quick photo op and then into Macy's for a rather lame letter to Santa gig that was hyped up far above its actual glamour. But the window displays were a big hit. Oh, and Iz was able to buy a couple of pairs of jeans since his (fairly new) ones ripped at the knee the night before. Not a good look for 30 below.

We ate leftover curry (from the massive amount Tammy thought was appropriate for company)and hung out in the warmth of the apartment and Iz and I looked forward to our ski trip the next day.

Holiday Trip Part 1: Maryland

2009-01-07T16:44:00.003-04:00

My mom touched down in Brooklyn on Thursday the 18th of December and after a quick drop off of nonessential luggage at the apartment we left for the first leg of our journey--a 4 hour drive to Baltimore. The first snag: the Rav 4 we opted to rent under the impression it would have those 2 extra seats in the back only had empty compartments. Convenient for storing all those presents, but not helpful in transporting 4 adults and 2 carseats comfortably. At least the journey there was uneventful. I got to dubious honor of sitting between the boys and refereeing all conflicts and roughhousing that naturally ensues from cooping up two active boys for 4 hours. It was almost a relief to be banished to the back trunk when headed for D.C. the next morning. But I'm jumping ahead of myself.

Arron Hieatt is a doll. A peach. A whatever more manly word is out there for the kind of thoughtful, caring person he is. He gave up his bedroom for me and the boys and even bought the kids Thomas and Lightning McQueen bedding. Yeah, he knows the way to a little boy's affections. After getting the kids to bed (but not to sleep since that didn't happen until close to midnight), we stayed up way too late talking and reminiscing in the usual way of old friends. Oops, I forgot to mention that my mom brought 2 bears for Jarom--Pooh Bear and Pooh in Disguise--which he was supposed to share with Keahi. She told them a bedtime story about the bears as they lay cozy under their new blankets, and then finished with the ground rule that while they both belonged to Jarom, he had to let Keahi choose which one he wanted to sleep with that night. Jarom quickly clutched Pooh in Disguise to his chest and stretched out his other arm with Pooh Bear in Keahi's direction saying, "Here. Choose." Smart boy. He's not taking any chances. Luckily, that was the one Keahi wanted anyway. So while the boys played with their bears and the blankets with flashing lights (who thought that one up?not so restful in a blanket), the adults went down stairs to chat.

In the morning we headed out to D.C. to see the sights, first stopping at a local dinner (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives--one of my fav foodnetwork shows) for some breakfast. Now I can say that I've tried Scrapple--which Arron said was a must while not having any for himself--and that it's not bad. Jarom, of course, loved it. And he practically inhaled the waffle with blueberry sauce that Keahi insisted on even though the plain one came with a combo for cheaper. Scrapple, for those of you unfamiliar with the delicacy, is made from the liver and other less savory parts of the animal that are boiled for hours before being shaped into patties and fried for good measure. The other noteworthy thing about the diner is that Keahi got a bear for his own from the vending machine outside. After a quick and unsuccessful attempt to snag the furry red bear, Iz was ready to pack up and leave. But popo pulled out another 2 quarters and said to give it one more go. We were shocked and impressed when Iz managed to grab it and then we were all in fits when the dang claw wouldn't open up once it was over the chute. But, some persuassive shaking later, Keahi had a brand new red bear to go with his old blue one back home. Sahweet.

What Jarom did most of the trip.

What Iz did most of the trip.

After an uncomfortable ride (Iz needs to learn about gradual acceleration/braking), we made it to the train station. Maryland trains are much nicer than the NYC variety. Carpeting, no visible bodily fluid stains, and cushioned seats. Awesome. While Jarom was obnoxiously whinny most of the day(except when he saw the tiny aquarium at the museum or when popo and I would swing him across the street), we did get to see some pretty cool things. The Natural History Museum. Lincoln Memorial. Washington Monument. And a pretty view of the Capitol building. Plus, I also got to help Keahi squat behind some bushes when he felt diarrhea coming while we were waiting for a cab. Nothing actually happened and I didn't have a diaper to put on him so I gave him a sanitary pad instead just in case. And I brushed off his inevitable questions about what it was and hauled him back to the street curb. Never a dull moment.

This picture just sums up our trip so well.

We had to leave early the next morning for our longer trek to Chicago so we swapped cars that night and prepared for another long haul by what? that's right, staying up late again. This was partly unavoidable since upon returning back to Arron's place we realized that Iz has left Keahi's winter coat in the bathroom at the grocery store we had stopped at along the way. Did I mention that he had previously left the baby wipes container in another bathroom in D.C.? Not his day. But while the wipes were history, we did recover the coat. The whole way back to the store I kept praying that it would be there. And then in the midst of telling God how much we needed that jacket, I'd also acknowledge that there might be someone out there who needed it more and maybe finding it in the men's room (though it seemed more likely that this someone would be a woman and so therefore never come across the windfall) would seem like a personal miracle and who was I to deny them that? So I was conflicted and a little guilty by the time we got there. But my relief was complete and unfettered by residual guilt when Iz walked out of that bathroom holding the jacket aloft. Whew.

Poor Arron was also up late with us and then picking up his sister at 1am and then waking up super early to send us off. He also inadvertently gave us his file cabinet key with the car key. The one that opens up the drawer containing his passport that might come in handy when traveling to Italy. Oops.

One regret: not having time to play Arron's amazing keyboard. You can't even really call it a keyboard. And not being able to hear Arron playing it for us. I wish I had more single female readers who could appreciate my bragging about my friend. I mean c'mon, what girl doesn't like the idea of a guy playing the piano?

Here ends the Maryland portion of our journey. Up next: Chicago.

dreams

2009-01-06T16:07:00.002-04:00

This morning as I was herding the boys out the door to take Keahi to preschool, I leaned around Israel's shoulder to kiss his cheek and thank him for doing the dishes. He mumbled something about it being silly that he gets thanked for doing something he ought to do.

"All right, then, No thanks for the dishes."

"And you're NOT welcome."

We laughed and I ran out the door after the kids who were already at the building entrance making a ruckus. I didn't really give the incident any more thought until Iz came home early from the hospital and told me about his dream. Apparently while I was dreaming about happy things, he was having one of his not infrequent nightmares about my leaving him. (Any psychology majors out there with an opinion?) I had been unhappy for months and been confiding in Letty Jackson about all the things that made me want to leave. And in this dream reality, Iz was hearing all about it from Letty at a church function.

"So. . .this morning I was doing the dishes."

Dreams are powerful things. Silly and unfounded. But, hey, I'm not going to look a washed dish in the mouth.

Ice Skates and Toy Soldiers

2009-01-06T12:27:00.008-04:00

After Iz finished up his pediactric rotation we had a little less than 1 week to get the house ready for company and play together before the holiday travels would begin so we decided to head to the ice skating rink at Prospect park to introduce the kids to the art of falling down on ice. Thankfully, Keahi's puffy jacket helped cushion the many....many...many falls. But he loved it instantly. Jarom, on the other hand, was having none of that. We ended up buying Keahi a pair of those double-bladed adjustable skate attachments but lost a critical screw so that he only got to try it out for 30sec. I've since fixed it so the next time we go he can zoom about on even keel. I was impressed with his determination and joy in it though. Iz and I, though with little grace, also made several rounds. So much cooler than Ice Palace.

Then the next day we went back to the park to play ultimate frisbee since we hadn't been able to play in a while. Only we somehow didn't get the message about the change of venue so after throwing the disc about with a couple of other forgotten players we headed off to the Bronx Zoo for some winter wonderland time with a brief production of the Nutcracker by the Albany Ballet Company. The kids loved all the colorful dancers and it was deliciously warm indoors. The jaguar ice sculpture and the goats were also big hits.

Waay too much to catch up on

2009-01-05T17:45:00.003-04:00

So this is what happens when you stop posting for almost a month right before a major holiday. I've got about a thousand (no rounding up here) pics to go through before posting anything about what we've been up to this month. For now, here's quick post about my brilliant kid reading a Christmas book to his class. When he practiced at home it seemed loud enough in our half bedroom space with only me, but with the larger classroom full of noisy kids both inside and out in the hallway poor Keahi's voice gets drowned out. But it sure was adorable. And I reread it to the kids afterward.

Scraping Snowballs

2008-12-17T19:52:00.005-04:00

So yesterday the boys got to play in snow for the first time ever. First, after I'd put Jarom down for a nap, I took Keahi outside for a quick run in the sprinking drift of wet snow/rain. He shrieked with delight and wanted to keep playing forever. After going back inside and supposedly having quiet reading time, he kept running out to update me on the progress of the snow and was pretty disappointed when it finally stopped.

(Keahi catching snowflakes on his tongue.)

Luckily, after dinner it started snowing more steadily and we got to get dressed up in snow gear (Keahi had insisted on full snow pants and jacket for the earlier snow/rain sprinkle as well) and throw snowballs at each other. I can't describe how thoroughly the boys enjoyed themselves. Without mittens their hands must have been freezing but neither complained or wanted to get back inside. There was only a thin layer on the cars, but it was enough to have a pretty satisfying snow party. We only managed to drag them back inside with promises of hot cocoa. A perfect ending to a very, very busy day.

Here Comes Santa Claus

2008-12-17T19:34:00.003-04:00

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Keahi firmly believed that Santa was made up. He said it was just a pretend person and I had to have several talks with him about not outing Santa with his friends. Then, suddenly, he came home from school announcing that Santa was real. Astonished, I began asking him questions about his sudden 180.

"So, you changed your mind about Santa?"
"No.....um, yeah." He looked at me with these bright, hopeful eyes, begging me to tell him that a jolly elderly man would be bringing him extra gifts this year. As we talked more about what he thought about Santa, his opinion seemed to solidify as he came up with an answer for each confusing detail.

According to Keahi:
-Santa's sleigh is magical so he can get all the way around the world (and Keahi knows a bit more about geography and distance than the average 4 year old, having learned all about continents, countries, etc and having been on many, many, many airplanes), including to the scientists who live in Antarctica. It goes really fast....but slower than a space shuttle since that's the fastest way to travel.
-Santa comes down chimneys and is always careful to avoid lit fires by bracing his legs against the inner walls of the chimney. He had trouble with how Santa gets UP the chimney though. I've only read him Twas the Night.... after this discussion and I'm not sure he caught the whole touching the side of his nose thing. Though I think he'd question that. Better to believe it's something to do with magic. That apparently covers everything.
-When there's no chimney, he comes through the door, of course. And I'm supposed to let him in to our apartment.
-But since I said I'd be asleep, Santa has a master key that opens up all the doors in the world. Hmmm, there's a scary thought.

Oh, and a talk with his friend Jada who told him you have to be good to get presents totally baffled Keahi who does not know the Santa Claus is Coming to Town song--the best part of the lore for parents. He told her he was going to be sleeping so how was he supposed to be good.

This past Monday when we had FHE and I asked Keahi what was the greatest gift Jesus gave us, he jumped up and shouted, "Santa!"

My smart little boy who questions everything and never believed in magic has jumped on the Santa wagon. Poor Iz might have a heart attack. So when we go to Tammy's house this week and Keilani gets gifts from Santa I guess we'll have to give him one as well or he'll wonder if he's being punished. Great. One more thing to do.

The First Snow of 2008

2008-12-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 10pm we here in Park Slope had our first snow. It was just a sprinkle but it was enough to coat the tops of the cars and throw a few snowballs and induce a winter glow--okay, to be honest it was more like giddy exuberance--in my heart. It was magical to watch the tiny white specks float down on us and scoop it up to throw at each other like kids. I imagine a few of our neighbors were shaking their heads at the middle aged (yikes!) couple frolicking in the tiniest powdering of snow. But I don't care because it was worth it to throw a jacket and scarf on over my pajamas to enjoy our late night adventure. Seriously, I love this whole changing of seasons thing. I love Hawaii. It's beautiful. But the more I live elsewhere the more I discover so many other kinds of beautiful. Tall, naked trees, stripped of their autumn brilliance against a dark sky with snow drifting down definitely makes my top ten. I almost got the kids up to see it, we were that excited. But, the thought of cranky kids in the morning and trying to get them back to bed after waking them up to smother them in jackets and pushing them out into the cold night stopped the errant idea. But after we told Keahi about it in the morning he's even more anxious to see it for himself. I don't particularly want a ton of snow all winter, but I'm crossing my fingers for one good storm to cover us up once. I just really want one white Christmas to remember back in the rainy greenness of paradise.
(First snowball thrown by Iz.)

(My first snowball.)

(We're really smashing snowballs into the air--but it sure looks as if it's snowing hard.)

(This is what it really looked like.)

O Christmas Tree!

2008-12-10T21:08:00.003-04:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, our family loaded up into a zipcar and headed north to find the perfect Christmas tree. I had looked around at different farms and settled on the one that offered a free breakfast--of course. Two hours later in beautiful Duchess County we arrived at Bilmar Nurseries. We were welcomed into the warm Christmas Shop and greeted by the friendly dog who begged for a bite of our breakfast--which included huge waffles and OJ. Then we climbed into the hay wagon for a ride to the tree fields. I'm kicking myself that I didn't take pictures of any of the previous details--especially the 3 old fashioned fire engines that also carried people to the fields. One was dalmation patterned. So fun.

But at least I did get pictures of our family picking out our first tree and cutting it down. At first, Keahi was dead set on one particular tree at the bottom of the hill. He even tried to guard it from poachers while Iz headed up the hill to look for more possibilities. He cried out to us as we ventured farther into the field, "Stop! Someone might take my tree! Or you'll forget where it is!" But with some coaxing we gave him a choice between 2 more suitable ones and he picked this beauty. A lush, healthy 7 footer of a perfect specimen. He even got to help cut it down and the boys tried to help drag it back to the wagon. It survived being dragged and tied to our car (being driven at about 90mph or so) and into our apartment unscathed. We even found a bird's nest nestled in the branches. Presto! Instant table centerpiece.

Since we spent so much on the tree itself (mostly it was the rental car cost), we had to go cheap on decorations. So paper ornaments--including the star made of wrapping paper, 1 box of silver balls, and popcorn/cranberry strings which Keahi helped make and Jarom helped eat off the tree completed our first real tree. I think it and our suji wire mantle for the stockings turned out pretty well. I'm definitely feeling the holiday spirit.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-12-07T21:46:00.006-04:00

Now I know it's already December but there are a few November things to cover including Turkey Day. We were going to go to the Johnston's house in New Jersey for dinner but things got more complicated what with the terrorist threats against Penn station and the extra 2 hours to get there on top of the 45 min to the parade. I felt torn over the threats because my first reaction was What? how is it that someone from NJ had to call and tell me about it and I hadn't heard about it from anyone here. But then after watching several clips about it and seeing the multitude of AK toting men in uniform sweeping the station, I reconsidered. I mean, how stupid would I feel if I ignored it all and then a bomb did blow up the station while I was there. Assuming, of course, that I and my family were all still alive to feel stupid about it. So at the last minute (about 10pm the night before) we canceled on our friends. Now what to do.

Luckily the local market is open till midnight so a quick trip later we had the fixings for a pseudo turkey dinner--the largest chicken in the store. We had rosemary lemon chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. And Iz made a wonderful pumpkin roll for dessert. Not bad for a last minute meal.

I also found online a fun template for pilgrim hats. I think the boys look adorable. Then a few days ago as part of our advent calendar scripture/activity the boys made a list of things they're grateful for. Keahi's first thought was Derek and Carson. His family came in second. I guess I should be grateful to be included at all. Watching shows made both boys' lists, of course. And Keahi insisted on pink paper which meant that Jarom's had to be pink as well. Who are these boys who like pink when their mother had an abosolute horror of the color as a kid.

But I skipped right past the New York milestone. We got up early and took the train to Manhattan to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Within five minutes I'd filled my quota for crowds for the next year, but even though we were way in the back we got to see lots of massive balloons and only slightly smaller floats. We lasted about half an hour before fighting the crowds to get back to home sweet home. But it was a great experience and one we wouldn't have missed for the world--unless, of course, the terrorists had blown up Columbus Circle station. That would have complicated things.

Derek has Left the Building

2008-11-28T19:05:00.006-04:00

So last week Thursday was Derek's last day here in New York and he spent the day and most of the night with us. He and Keahi lived it up with lots of toys and a few good tiffs to round out the day. The next day when I picked Keahi up from school, his teacher told me he had been very "serious" all day. Apparently he was missing Derek. Gee, I guess I'll have to find him a new friend now. So here's my tribute to Derek and Keahi.

Entering the Thirty-something zone

2008-11-28T01:34:00.005-04:00

So I realize it's been weeks since the blessed events and still nothing to document it but I guess I'm slipping in my old age. As of the 7th and 19th, Iz and I have hit the 30 milestone. Yikes! Both days were commemorated appropriately--though, as you'll see, sadly lacking in the picture department--and full of laughter, songs, and presents--but light on cake.

Israel's b-day:
Sadly he still had to work at the hospital on his special day, but at least it was a friday. I feel bad that I let his birthday sneak up on me since I was more focused on Halloween with the kids the week before. But I asked around for ideas and the one that stuck was going to a show on Broadway since we have to take advantage of all the newyorkish things available while we can. And what's more new york than the oldest running show on Broadway--Phantom of the Opera. I know, it's a bit of a girly thing to do for Iz's b-day but I told him we could do something equally manly on my birthday like go to a hockey game or watch some good ol UFC action. And I also have to fess up that I didn't cook anything special for dinner or make a cake since I had a dentist appointment and other assorted excuses. But we did have a couple of pretty tasty burgers from a nearby dinner and red velvet cake for dessert. And while Phantom may not have been exactly Iz's tastes, the break dancing in the subway station and standing in Time Square more than made up for it. Plus, he just looks really good all dressed up. One of the many reasons I love him. And here's a few more--though not the traditional 30 for 30 years cause I still have to cover my birthday and that would be a long post. But here's a quick selection:

-He likes musicals.
-He’s musical. Sings. Plays the sax.
-He'll make a complete (loveable) idiot out of himself to get me to laugh.
-He accepts me with all my flaws and rarely ever complains about them.
-He's definitely the fun parent.
-He’s very smart without being arrogant about it.
-He’s curious and interested in so many different things.
-He’s athletic without being aggressively competitive or easily frustrated with less talented players.
-He’s the kindest person ever with telemarketers. I am so rude in comparison.
-He cuts the boys’ hair. Mine, too.
-He thinks I am beautiful.
-Well, just look at him. And he smells nice, too.

Cailin's birthday:
So we didn't do anything particularly manly for my day. We ate leftover pizza and watched Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig is definitely my favorite Bond. Much less wimpy than Brosnan. Anyhow, instead of spending a bundle on a show, Iz got me 2 great gifts. If you're wondering about the odd perspective in the pictures, Keahi took several and these are the ones with our heads still in the frame. I don't play my brain age every day but when I do I spend hours on it. I know, I'm obsessive. And I haven't read the book yet though Iz is about 2/3 through it. Overall it was a good day--particularly because I didn't have any extra kids to watch. The last week had been particuarly kid heavy as was the previous 2 days and the day after. Wednesday was the only non-4-kids day. It felt like a breeze. Plus I didn't have to make dinner and I neglected the laundry and dishes for the day. But while my birthday was good, after midinight it got less good. As in spending the wee hours spewing from both ends--crude, I know, but that's the way it was. At least the stomach flu waited till after the movie to kick in. And a few days (and pounds, though those came right back) later, I'm good as new. So after the whole thing, I feel like shrugging and asking what's the big deal about 30. And then secretly hyperventalating that I'm no longer in my 20s and anticipating in horror being called ma'am. Yelck.

Anyhow, as I review my 3 decades living on this planet, I feel like I've learned a few things and figured I'd share them with all of you.
Wisdom gained over 3 decades:
--1st decade: I'd rather be too cold than too hot since you can keep putting more clothes on to warm up but there's only so many things you can take off when you're hot. (one of many interesting conversations I had with Leah Shlachter as a kid)
--2nd decade: College is cool. I should have taken more time to enjoy it.
--3rd decase: Life is whizzing by faster every year and I'd better try to do more with what I've got.....and being a mom is way harder than I thought it was in previous decades.

Barf Bowls

2008-11-24T12:50:00.002-04:00

Jarom and I have had the stomach flu this past week and as you can imagine it's been jolly. A regular bowl full of jelly. Hmmmm...that's perhaps more accurate than I'd originally thought. It's made me grateful for simple things like a sink in easy reach of the toilet for simultaneous emissions. Or for tile flooring instead of carpet. (Looking forward to potty training also makes me grateful for this.) And I'm particularly grateful for the relative ease with which the boys puke out their guts. I remember the first time Keahi ever threw up was during the night our first semester in Grenada. He didn't bother to get out of bed and come to me or cry out at all so the next morning when I went to wake him was the first I knew about it. The sight of his inflatable Thomas bed covered in dried up, half digested dinner--not to mention the state of Keahi's hair and clothes--was both intensely gross and strangely sweet. He got up and we washed him and the bedding and went about our day. After that I made sure to give him a Barf Bowl whenever he felt sick and he was excellent at using it--especially for a 2 year old. And now little Jarom, also 2 now, has also shown remarkable self control. Last night during dinner (of which he had maybe 3 bites before requesting a banana), he started drooling and scraping his hand through his mouth like he tasted something bad. He said, "Barf, mommy, barf." I wasn't sure if he was serious but I went and got a bowl for him. As soon as I placed it on his high chair table he leaned forward and spewed the meager contents of his poor little tummy directly into the bowl. When he felt he was finished he pushed the bowl away, let me wipe his mouth, and continued to eat his unfinished banana. He seemed much happier after that. So when Keahi tells me his stomach hurts or Jarom cries, "Baaarf!" I know to respond immediately and thank my lucky stars I got any warning at all.

Quote of the day

2008-11-06T20:34:00.002-04:00

This one was a bit too long to put in the sidebar so here's the story:

Jarom usually doesn't like bread--I know, whose kid is this--so when we were at Subway on Monday I had few hopes of him eating the outside of his sandwich. But he got the idea that it was a bridge so I made up a song variation of London Bridges and sang: "Brooklyn bridge falling into your mouth, into your mouth, into your mouth. Brooklyn bridge falling into your mouth, all the way to your stomach." And I'd trail my fingers down from his mouth and tickle his tummy. He loved it. And after the second time I sang it, Keahi piped in with:

"You mean all the way to his anus!"

True, that's more accurate. Though I'm more concerned with the filling of his tummy than what happens afterward. And it would be nice if Keahi learned how to whisper his little jokes.

1st trip to the Brooklyn Children's Museum

2008-11-06T01:24:00.005-04:00

It rocked. The hour long walk to get there on the other hand did not rock. I don't know what we were thinking. Keahi has been spoiled with his buggyboard and complained about any walking he had to do and dragged his feet so much that I wanted to scream. Oh, wait, I did. At him. And guess what, it didn't work. Threatening, cajoling, reasoning: nothing. But once we got there, suddenly his legs perked up and he, Jarom, and Caleb were up and running. It's a good thing Iz had the day off or I never would have attempted this on my own with 3 active boys. We only saw a tiny portion of the newly renovated space, but I think the boys all agreed that they're favorite part was this water play area with levers and things to manipulate and splash with. And Caleb loved dumping cups of water on Jarom's head...and Jarom loved it, too. After the water play, we headed up to the space science area where Keahi made a rocket and learned about eating and using the potty in space. The bulls-eye target you attach to your rear was particularly entertaining. But the rocket launching was definitely the big closer. Now we have to get a film canister and some alkaseltzer to recreate it at home. With our family pass, we'll definitely be going there again.....by bus.

We got a new computer--YAY

2008-11-06T01:13:00.003-04:00

On Monday morning I walked about 40 minutes to Amy's place to borrow this lovely, compact (great for NY living) dolly so we could go to the Atlantic center and pick up a new computer. While Iz prides himself on being able to fix most problems that hit our laptop, the time had finally come to buy a new desktop that doesn't overheat, freeze, have a new virus every few days, and has a fully functional dvd drive. Aaaahhhh. And I love the huge screen.

So no pic of the computer but here's one of Keahi getting a ride on the dolly to the mall. Iz had planned on going during naptime but then decided to wait till Derek was picked up by his mom who was delayed till 5:30pm at which time I was not going to whip something up for dinner so we all trekked out together for subway and computer. The perfect family outing.

Jack-o-Lanterns

2008-11-05T14:11:00.004-04:00

Before:

After:

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-03T16:02:00.008-04:00

After picking up Keahi from school (and having missed their Where the Wild Things Are parade) we headed out to Derek's house for play and lunch. Iz met up with us there after getting home early from the hospital-YAY! I tried to get pics of the boys in their wild things costumes with limited success.

It was slightly easier to pull Keahi and Jarom away from Derek's place since I could promise them they'd see him again in 3 hours to go Trick-or-Treating. And it still took some convincing to get them out the door and home for naptime. And then we had to get them out of these lovely leaves. Keahi loved riding home with daddy.

While Laie 3rd ward's Halloween bash may be more festive than our new ward, I must say that street trick-or-treating here in Brooklyn far surpasses my hometown. There, streets might be blocked off to make it safer for the kids, but here they have to block it off for the costume parade full with oversized puppets, loud cheerful music, and tons of people showing off their costumes. We met Derek and his dad to ToT at the local businesses along 7th Ave. Keahi refused to stop at any place until we had met up with Derek who was not so fastidious and thus was taking longer to reach the rendezvous point. The boys jumped for joy and shrieked with delight at seeing each other. The glow bracelets and the fun flashlights were both big hits. I love that Derek bothers ToTing when he doesn't like sweets. I guess it's just part of the Halloween experience. Some of the costumes we saw in the parade were amazing. I loved the mini float that was only supposed to have Cleopatras riding it but ended up carting a bunch of tired tots. And we also ran into our friends the Dargers and the Wolfgrams with their boys Peterson and Caleb. So it was big fun all around.

M.O.M.S.

2008-11-01T20:08:00.004-04:00

I think there should be a union for stay-at-home moms. I know, we don't get paid so what's a union for and how would we pay for union dues. But something's gotta be done for moms so we can get sick days, too. Other hard working citizens get days off--sick leave, personal leave, heck even weekends.
So when's my break?
I got sick Wednesday night and felt terrible the next morning. Later I felt worse when I had to disappoint Keahi and his friend Derek by canceling our playdate. I just didn't feel up to watching 3 kids when all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and shut out the world of "mommy, I want..."(I had actually had 4 boys the day before since I had overbooked myself with both Caleb and Derek overlapping--Yikes.) After Anne Marie finally got Derek out the door with the promise of pizza and trick-or-treating together the next day, Keahi cried for half an hour. "I-I-I'm saaad because I wa-wanted Derek to staaaaay!" Bad mother.
Oh, and did I mention I also yelled at Keahi in the school playground when I picked him up? Yeah, my "Keahi Sui Loong, come here right now" sure got the other moms' attention. Furtive looks and whispered comments as well. On Iosepa st. Sister Oleole's "Kupa'a, get your but home right now" reverberated throughout the neighborhood quite regularly and never got a single shocked reaction. Only you-better-get-going looks from his friends.
So I had 2 grumpy boys to mother instead of 3 hyperactive, happy ones. Maybe a lateral decision on my part.
Iz said he'd come home early to help out and he did get home about 3:30pm and he did make tuna sandwiches for dinner. I'm grateful for his help. But is it bad of me that I secretly hope for a union to proved a pool of well qualified substitutes to fill in when I'm sick? I'm not talking the kind you might have had in high school when they'd sit at the desk reading while you watched a video that may or not have anything to do with the teacher's original planned lesson. I'm talking about the ones that step right in and continue where the teacher left off so that when he/she returns to class the students are up to date, the grading finished, and a complete review provided to ensure a smooth transition to the next lesson. Because as much as I appreciate not having to make dinner, it would be so nice to have a fill-in mom to do the laundry, clean the kitchen, do the floors, read to the kids and provide stimulating and creative activities for them while making the Butternut Squash soup with Bacon and Swiss Cheese I had planned as well as the spiced banana bread--and not give the kids 2 of the 3 bananas needed for that bread. So tonight I will do the laundry and clean the floors (Iz awesomely washed the dishes and will make a pie crust for tomorrow's Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie I want to try out)and probably not get to bed as early as I should.
Moms need sick days, too.
I'll vote for any candidate that can show a serious plan for this goal. We could call it something lame like Moms Out Miserably Sick. I'd vote for that.

Crazy Saturday

2008-10-29T15:16:00.007-04:00

This past Saturday there were so many things we wanted to do that we had to pick and choose and sadly leave some fun things out of the list. So here's how our day went:

8:50am head out to the park to play ultimate frisbee which was to have started at 9am-we got there around 9:30

11:30am leave frisbee to get on the subway to Coney Island to see the Ascarium Aquarium (we were supposed to leave at 10am)

12:30pm arrive at Coney Island in the freezing gale-like winds and light rain to search for Famous Nathan's Hot Dog place. After braving the mad crowds in the one not on the boardwalk since that one was closed, we tried to eat on picnic tables outside only to be chased back to the boardwalk to eat under the canopy by the bathrooms once the rain started.

BEST BURGERS EVER. And the corn dogs the kids had were tasty, too. Ah, and the bacon cheese fries. And the lemonade. Sigh. Even if the rest of the day were to have been a bust, this would have made it all worthwhile for me.

I love the look of Coney Island. It's so retro. I feel like I've been transported into "Wild Hearts Can't be Broken" (shame on all you who don't know this chick-flick classic) and I wish we'd gotten pics of the closed down Astroland Amusement Park and all the old Freak Show posters. But here's one of a retro-style store front.

And here's another reason to love Coney Island. I can't believe Kobayashi has been dethrowned for 2 years now.

1-2:15pm See the Aquarium. The kids liked the music and the pumpkins in the Ascarium tent and the boys played a couple of games. But the Haunted house was too much for Keahi as was the 3D Deep Sea Adventure ride--the whole reason we had come. He came out crying about how it felt real and how the sperm whales were coming straight toward him. Strike two.

3pm Get back home and shower (yep, that's right, we skipped the shower after frisbee and caught the subway straight from the park) and take Keahi to the chapel for the last primary program practice before the ward party. Jarom fell asleep in the subway and stayed asleep in his stroller till it was time to go to the ward party.

Poor Iz had to make the Black Bean Salad, get the kids' costumes, and cut his hair before walking to the church a couple hours later with Jarom. In the rain.

5-7 Ward Chili and Pie Cook Off. The dishes were pretty tasty but I wish we all could have tried a bit of each entry so we could either agree or disagree with the judge's decisions. And Iz got there just in time for me to scramble to get the kids into costumes while they were taking pictures only to miss it by 30 seconds. And that was after missing out on the costume parade. Sigh. Poor things. But they were dressed in time for room-to-room trick or treat which is the main event anyways.

I was so impressed with the mom who made the Grinch costume--she also made a Cindy Lou one for her younger daughter. And a dad made this cute fish costume for his son. I couldn't get a good pic of him with the hood on but it was adorable.

8pm arrive home soaked and sore with an almost useless umbrella and my stylish-yet not so comfortable--stilleto boots. I think my feet may have died. Just a little bit. After putting the kids to bed and cleaning up, Iz and I collapsed on the couch in exhaustion. Too tired even to veg properly.

So it was a crazy busy day and we didn't get to do all the prospect park halloween activities. But it was great to spend the day as a family. And get free candy, too.

Quote for Monday October 27, 2008

2008-10-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

This particular quote required a picture so it gets it's own post.

"Our ancestors were hairy, human-apes with anus-like things."

Keahi: an out of the blue comment that required some follow-up questions on my part. After talking about it a bit more he went and got the book that he remembered reading about it in and showed me this picture.

He was like, "See, they look kinda like apes but they've got butts like us." It may have been more impressive if he'd remembered that they were called Australopithicus, but I like his description better.

Elephants on Parade

2008-10-29T08:18:00.004-04:00

I know New York can be a cold, unfriendly place in general, but if you were walking around with these two little elephants you'd see a lot of smiling people. I think at least a dozen people stopped me to tell me how adorable they were. A couple of women even followed me into Key Foods to ask me to turn Jarom around because they thought he was adorable from behind but wanted a frontal view. Then they aaaahhhed like the rest. If my boys don't put a smile on your face, you're simply made of stone.

Of course, this is how Jarom wanted to dress for the rain.

Waianae MENSA

2008-10-22T19:12:00.003-04:00

My brother, Kervin, likes to send us emails or text messages about his "MENSA" kids' antics, proving that Waianae breeds a whole new level of intelligence. I'm going to start posting them because I think these jewels shouldn't be kept to ourselves. I think Mariko and all the other teachers will especially enjoy them. Here's the latest one.

One of my students from last years nerd class typed her five paragraph essay and double spaced it like her 10th grade English teacher said.......double spaced it after every word.

And that was a G.T. student. You gotta love Waianae.

Here's an older one.

"Mr. Oshima, how do you spell A&C?" that's what we call the Arts and Communications academy for short, A&C

Boo at the Zoo

2008-10-15T18:28:00.005-04:00

Just one more reason to love living in New York. We've been to the Bronx zoo several times but we had to go see what Boo at the Zoo was all about. It was our first time taking the subway there which meant leaving the house at 8:45am (only 15min off our intended schedule) so we could make the most of the day. Sometimes I question my need to fill Israel's few days off with family activities when really maybe a quiet day at home might be more welcome. But who wants to blog about that? So poor Iz gets to trade a student day off with a daddy day on.

I'm very grateful the subway has not lost its allure for the boys. I mean, I guess even I still marvel that $2 can get you so far or that we're going under water but on the whole the subway has become a sorta dirty, pedestrian mode of travel. Yet I still enjoy it. I like watching people on the subway. I like imagining what they're lives are like or where they're headed and if they're happy about it. Of course the running commentary from Keahi makes people-watching less of a quiet sport. "Is this Clark St? Is Wall St. next? Are we in Manhattan, now? Is Brooklyn bigger than Manhattan?" fills our ears the entire journey.

It is so hard to get these boys to smile. Jarom only shouts cheese cat and Keahi makes faces.

We actually hit only a few attractions at the zoo and it was still a very full day. We finally saw the lonely bear waddling about. I gotta say, I was hoping for a sprint or a roar or something less teddy bearish but it was impressively big.

We went through the Children's Zoo which was Iz's first time. Honestly, we could probably just do that and Skyfari every time and the kids would be happy with the trip. The aligator got some ooooohs and I think Peterson was a bit frightened at first. Though it quickly wore off and he was giving it glass kisses by the end. We crawled through every possible tunnel and climbed every possible structure. But I think the tree slide was still the unanimous favorite. Though Jarom did enjoy hand feeding--more like hand flicking--the sheep.

No time for Skyfari this trip, but we made trick or treat bags, ran through a hay bale maze, stopped at a few treat stations, marched in a costume parade, went on a hayride sing-a-long,and the World of Darkness was a fitting end.

We stopped at a grocery store for some vittles and I got a bit nostalgic as we ate our meat pies. Grenada gains in happy thoughts the longer I'm away. The meat pies there were better. But I wouldn't trade New York for anything.

Your Kid Eats Glue?

2008-10-12T20:25:00.004-04:00

Mine eats Superglue. Iz had asked me the other day where the superglue was but I had no idea since I've never used it. When Iz got home I informed him that Jarom had found it. And eaten it. I was making dinner and Jarom was standing on a chair looking over the counter while I preped the fish sacks. He kept eating all the green beans and bell peppers so I moved his chair back out of reach, not realizing that there was worse mischief on the counter behind him. His cries made me spin around and the sight of him clutching that tube in his crusty fingers with glue all over his lips and cheek was one of those horrible moments for a mom. At least you can't actually swallow the stuff and it doesn't adhere when wet so I picked off the clumps from his tongue, and scraped the rest off his face. I guess I was also lucky that he was so snotty cause most of it came right off and it was only his cheek that suffered any damage. I tried to get a picture of his reddened, scabbed cheek but it was blurry and then was pretty much gone the next day so there's no pictoral documentation of this egregious parenting mishap. And now the superglue is kept up, up, up, and far out of reach of little curious hands.

So here's a picture taken about 4 days later. Not too bad, right?

He Giveth and Taketh Away

2008-10-07T15:20:00.002-04:00

Our weekend adventure to the farm was amazing and totally worth the expensive zipcar. It also helped that we used the car afterward to make a Costco run where I finally got us a printer for half off and on the way back scored several free items from people who had just finished a stoop sale. The little bookshelf, clothes hangers, and mugs sent a little thrill of satisfaction down my spine. I had just thought to myself that I should have checked freecycle and craigslist to find things to pick up since we had a car for the day when one block later I spotted the stoop sale. We've really been lucky about this kind of thing and I'm so grateful for the bounty and blessings of people's excess.

Fast forward to my triumphant return to unload my newest finds only to discover that we had been unintentional givers of free stuff as well. When we had returned from the farm and unloaded everything and gotten the kids undressed and all that important responsible parenting stuff, I had left both carseats at the top of our exterior steps to the basement. I had planned on going down to the basement from inside and bringing the seats in since I didn't have a key to the outside basement door. But I when I finally remembered while at Costco, I discovered I didn't have a phone and couldn't tell Iz. No big deal, I thought.

So......when I hopped out of my heavy laden car, I looked behind the iron gateway (without an actual gate to close) at the top of the steps, I saw only Jarom's carseat lying on its side. The person had apparently not found it to his or her liking and had taken Keahi's instead. It looked a little lonely and self-conscious at being cast aside. And poor Keahi cried out, "Who's the mean person who stole my seat?!"

I guess those Great Material Continuum currents are harder to navigate than I'd thought. (If you don't get the reference, tough, you non-trekers.)

Temples at the Farm

2008-10-05T15:39:00.005-04:00

Last week I got the brilliant (no that's not sarcasm) idea to take the family up north to pick apples from an orchard. I'd never gotten to do anything so mainlandish as pick fresh fruit for a fee. So I looked around at rental car agencies in the area only to discover that they had drop off times on Saturday around noon and were closed on Sunday. Because I'm not smart like Nadiya who told me about her method after the fact, I didn't look at agencies an hour out of the city in order to get a cheap weekend deal. Instead I went with Zipcar which while more expensive was awesomely convenient. The Zipcar people at the Manhattan office were friendly and helpful. I know. NYC. Surprising. One girl gave Keahi a rubber frisbee which we later had fun with zooming around the house. I'm still a little unsure about the whole using your zipcar card to open the car. Does that mean anyone with a card could open my car while I'm away? Or does only my card work on this particular car during my reserved time? Hmmmm. Anyhow, picking up the car went smoothly since it's in walking distance of the house--another plus for living in Park Slope. The one snag was my ever slowing gait due to my oven-shrunk shoes giving me heel blisters and numbing my toes. Note to self: do not dry sodden sneakers in the oven even though it works for Israel's shoes.

So we loaded into the tiny Rabbit car named Rita (yes, actual name--not picked by us)with enough books and activities to keep the kids occupied for 2 two hour trips. The car ride went mostly smoothly except that the kids didn't grove quietly to the jazz music as Iz had hoped. It felt wonderful to see country again. Thick forests sprinkled with fall colors and "tall, tall mountains" as Keahi called them. I told him we'd go to Alaska someday and he'd see what tall and big really meant. We saw some deer along the way--though Keahi missed it because according to Iz all he could have seen were deer-like blurs at the speed I was going. I do love the open road with no cops in sight.

As we got closer to the farm (Lawrence Orchard Farm), Iz and I talked about how hard it would be to decide where to live permanently in the event that we somehow didn't end up back in Hawaii. There are so many beautiful places. After the cramped living in the city, we kept getting space envy looking at all the large properties with their manicured lawns and two car garages. A swing set in the front yard? Is that a soccer goal? Yeah, as much as I love the convenience of living in Brooklyn, I do long for open spaces and the privacy of living anonymously. I can't wait to not hear people walking, repairing, talking, washing, and other private activities through the thin walls of our cubicle apartments. Divisions like walls are really mostly for show and you have to train yourself not to hear things.

Soon we arrived at Lawrence Orchard Farms. Rolling hills covered in fragrant ripening fruit.

We picked up a wooden wagon for the fruit and the kids and set out on our first apple adventure. Keahi kept jumping out of the wagon to pick dandelions and Jarom couldn't keep his fingers off the rotting fruit on the ground, but it was a joyful family outing.

We let the kids munch on a decent apple from the ground--really, they've got to expect that kind of thing--and picked ourselves some huge Fujis and Granny Smith apples. We couldn't find any pears and were distracted from our goal of peaches, but we did manage to get sweet and hot peppers, an unintended eggplant that Keahi picked too quickly for us to stop, corn, one tomato and pumpkins.

I'm sad we missed out on the hay bale maze and the horse-carriage rides but maybe another time. The boys enjoyed feeding the swans in the picturesque pond/lake. I called it a pond but Keahi said ponds were smaller.

The boys and I also picked a bunch of pretty fall leaves that I will hopefully make into wrapping paper for Christmas while Iz took pictures of the tire mountain, red wagon graveyard, and other not so pretty parts of the farm.

I am officially in love with autumn. I started out freezing in the chilly breeze in the morning but by the afternoon I was down to the first layer of clothes. I can't wait to see this place covered in snow when we (if we can afford it) come back to get a Christmas tree. Our first one ever. Yay.

Picking the Grapes---well, apples anyway

2008-10-05T14:37:00.002-04:00

We didn't get any grapes though we did enjoy their sweet fragrance filling the air. As we walked by I mentioned that I'd never picked fresh grapes before and Iz contradicted me. He laughingly reminded me about picking imaginary grapes years ago in seminary class.

Flashback to freshman year in seminary. We used to meet in the GCB at BYUH in one of those classrooms with 4 tiers of table seating to allow students to view their instructor unobstructed. David Wade was our recent RM called upon to nurture our testimonies. All the Laie 3rd ward misfits were there like Leah Taala, Kimberly Miller, Sarah Underwood, and, yes, my husband Israel Temple. I think the lesson was on the parable of the servants in the vineyard or something like that. The "master" sent out servants to pick grapes and report back. As much as I might like to look back on myself during the high school years as mature for my age, this incident reminds me how immature and hyperactive I could be--but only that freshman year, of course. I don't remember much except that Leah and I decided to run along the tables, jumping to a higher tier at the end of the row while shouting PICK THE GRAPES as loudly and annoyingly high-pitched as 14 year old girls can get. Israel remembers running up and down the aisle steps but does not claim any part in the tabletop running or the yelling. Yeah, no one in that room would ever have imagined Israel and I married with 2 kids picking grapes together in upstate New York. It's amazing what can change over the years.

Singing with the boys

2008-10-03T19:59:00.002-04:00

Keahi has always loved music and singing which made me surprised at Jarom's reluctance to sing anything. But recently he's shown more interest and requests songs now like "wheels bus" or tonight "Jesus Christ Baptized" and he's just barely starting to sing along. Keahi, on the other hand, sings readily and loudly. I do miss his little boy perfect pitch--not that he really sings off key now, more like he shouts/sings like all the other big boys. But I really love how he makes up his own songs or adds verses to things like Wheels on the Bus. Here are 3 extra verses.

The strollers on the subway go side to side...
The shuttle bus goes fast, fast, stop....
The rocket ship goes blast off....

I'm sure we're a joy to all the other passengers. Heck, at least he's not whining or throwing things, right?

Chrysalis or Cacoon

2008-09-26T18:04:00.002-04:00

I was going to put this in the quotes but when I decided to include a WikiAnswer I decided to make it a post.

Daddy: "Look, Keahi, I made a chrysalis around myself."
Keahi: "No that is not a chrysalis. It's a cacoon."
Daddy: "Chrysalis. Cacoon. What's the difference?"
Keahi: I can't write exactly what he said but it was something to the effect that chrysalis is for a specific butterfly but inside a cacoon could be other things.

So I looked it up and he was right. Here's something from WikiAnswers:

From WikiAnswers:

A cocoon is a covering made of silk that encloses a pupa, and a chrysalis is the pupa of a butterfly. The chrysalis is covered in a hard, chitnous shell.

Note the difference: A cocoon is a covering of a pupa, and a chrysalis is a particular kind of pupa, usually with no enclosing cocoon.

Inside a cocoon, you will often find a pupa of a moth or other insect with an inner chitinous shell, but it is not called a chrysalis unless it is the pupa of a butterfly. The pupae of some insects have visible external body structures, such as wings and legs, as they develop, while others (such as moths) have a smooth outer shell that encloses the developing structures.

When we asked him where he learned this he said from a show on Noggin: Little Bill. And he proceeded to describe exactly what happened in the episode. Wow. He really is a sponge.