And it actually paid off

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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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