My Little Crawler

I can't believe it...way too soon for this little guy, well mom at least. Two days after he turned 7 months he began to crawl. Time to get out the gates and never forget to leave him upstairs unsupervised (our banister is soooo gappy). I am so thankful for this little guy in my life. He makes me smile all the time....literally, he smiles all the time. He only cries when he's hungry...he weighs in at 20 pounds, 2 ounces as of May 13th (one day shy of his 7 month birthday). Our little JoJo is what Zia calls him. I feel very blessed to be a mommy of some sweet and loving kids.

Can't Wait to See My Daddy!

My Purpose

My Mind in a Cloud

Click for a bigger image and please share any thoughts you might have.

Thanks!

Prezi A New Look at Powerpoint - Excellent Lesson for Students, Too

This new technology gives presentations a bit of spice. I really liked this one designed by a school teacher. Take a peek.

Changing the Rules of the Game of School on Prezi

Really, An Update!

I should be taking a nap right now....no really I should be. The tonsils came out yesterday and things have been good thus far. I have just felt very overwhelmed with the many thoughtful wishes, prayers, and help from family and friends. My mom has been so kind again to come and stay with us. This will be her 4th time since October staying with us to help. The first being after Jonah was born (this included a c-section and the oldest child having the swine flu), the second time was when I got Mastitis in November, the third time was in December when I got strep and swine just as Jason left for a week to D.C. for work, and this fourth time (the plans initially were to be in Southern California having fun) is due to finally getting my tonsils removed after suffering with a bad case of strep 12 days ago.

It's amazing to have such loving parents, family, and friends to come to the rescue when we come to these vulnerable times in our lives. I am so thankful for modern medicine and the blessings of service and charity that so many people in my life have shown me.

I am crossing my fingers that these tonsils being removed will be able to help me in so many ways. No more strep (which isn't always the case, but hopefully if I do get it again it will be a much milder case), better sleep (I don't have sleep Apnea, but hopefully it will allow me deeper sleep, feeling more energized, and no more breathing out of mouth), and last of all a continued desire to get and stay healthy.

It's not a guarantee that I won't get sick again and with having kids I will continue having interrupted sleep....but this is a light that I look forward too. Bring on the sunshine, a baby that's now sleeping through the night, and a kitchen that makes me want to cook in.

I don't know if I should share this for the world to see, but I want to write this down so I can look back at this journal entry for motivation. Jason and I have been trying really hard to make our family goals a reality and I just want to write them down so I can report on them as time goes by.

Family Goals and My Personal Goals are:

• Family scripture study each day after school with the kids. Get scripture mastery notebook in order. Review Conference talks and do Family Home Evening.
• Personal scripture study during nap time or prior to bed....savor those moments, even if there is laundry to fold.
• Personal Prayer-before getting out of bed and before climbing into bed. Most of all--always have a prayer in your heart.
• Family Prayer-before school (whether or not the kids eat breakfast at home or school, at least a prayer before heading off to school). At bedtime is always a must--try to discuss with the kids what they are thankful for and the blessings they received that day as well as things they desire to have help with from their Heavenly Father. Also, discuss with them that they can always have their own personal prayer anytime of the day.
• The kids personal goals: Work on these with them.
• Teaching my Children: Life skills (cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc., and most importantly hard work and earning money to pay for things). Social skills, etc.
• Healthy Lifestyle Changes- you're doing it already. Just keep up the good work.
• Continue paying off our debt...buying needs over wants. Continue adding to our Savings too!
• Get advertising for Preschool again!
• Callings-Do Your Best! Support each other and write down the whisperings of the Spirit.
• Family- Extended! Be supportive always and remember them in your prayers.
• Missionary Work-For family, friends, and temple attendance!!!!
• House Goals: Get rid of the clutter!!! Spring cleaning here we come. Get my office back in order. Get the garden started (do we add to it?). Treehouse plans. Fire pit. Painting-preschool, downstairs bedroom, hallways, etc.
• Summer plans- Colorado, San Diego, Camping trips, Disney, and 10 year Anniversary. Budget, budget, budget!
• There is always more to be added!

Doctrine and Covenants Section 88 vs. 63: Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Yay, a Backsplash!!!

Well here it is as a finished product...haha...you know these projects never end. At least it's presentable. I think the kitchen turned out pretty awesome. It only took us two months to finally select blue (our first color choice) for the backsplash. We ended up getting the tile at Home Depot, of all places. I do have to say that having an IKEA kitchen is where IT'S at!

Birdhaus Happenings!!!

How many is that?  Four!!??

Another Bird in the Flock!

The kids super scary haunted house...yum!

Check out the countertops, knobs, handles and well...the almost finished product!

Our Little Jonah

It has been a very peaceful and enjoyable delivery day. Jonah was born via Cessarian at 9:48 this morning at McKay Dee Hospital. Everything went well and baby and Mom are doing fine.

Jonah weighed in at 8 pds. 4 oz. with a height of 20 in. The exciting part is that he might be our little redhead. He has a light layer of orange-red hair. Dad has been hoping and praying (he loves his redheaded babes!).

Unfortunately, the siblings did not get to visit. There is currently a restriction on visitors...no one under the age of 14 can visit and starting tomorrow only two people can visit patients during their stay. That means Dad and Grandma Terrie. This is due to the Flu pandemic hitting our area. In fact, Malakai tested positive for H1N1 this morning while Jonah was being born (thanks Grandma for taking him in). He is doing alright but will have to miss school the rest of the week. He doesn't like wearing the mask when out in public but he gets it.

Check out the pics of little Joe below...

Our Little Bruddah!

Cabinets, Countertops, and Appliances

We're getting closer and the goal of having the sink in before Jonah comes is complete. There is still a lot to do but most of the function is available.

You asked for it...

Another Can of Worms

Well the painting is done. Time to get the rest of those cabinets out so we can....sscccrreeeech...stop everything...what about the plumbing.

I think this is ultimately why it felt right to do this project. We've been leaking behind the sink for some time (I could hear it...just not see it). Well we (thanks Robin for the help) found it.

I tried to just cap of the water pipes with valves since there weren't any but in the process I ended up pulling the hot water supply line apart (where the leak was). Didn't realize it however and when I turned the water, no water came out of the lines but the main water line kept running.

Well it created water damage to the carpet, ceiling and wall of the Ginger's room in the basement. It also kept Robin and I up past one. I'm gonna be trashed at work tomorrow.

I love life...it's full of fun...and I'm serious!!

Well the suspense is over. Here's the kitchen with new sheetrock in place and a first coat of mud.

Thanks Frank

Funny thing...the camera was lost for a week. Frank and Sara came over last night and by chance had their camera. Below are the pics. When we went to bed after they left I found the camera in it's little hiding spot. So the next post will show pics from what I actually did today. Can't ruin the suspense for you right now....right?

The changes to look for are

upper cabinets are missing

as well as the drop down boxes above them

nearly 250 feet of rewiring in the kitchen

new light fixture(s) (others coming soon)

the drop down from the old wall is now 3 inches shorter

Check it out

I'm Already Falling Behind...

Well it looks like we may be getting that IKEA kitchen I've always dreamed about. I spent the day using the IKEA Kitchen Designer to digitize our ideas. (Ginger just doesn't want me to get the kitchen finished.) The only thing I accomplished on the project was knocking out the post. Wow...what a difference one 4X4 post can make. See below ---

Look at them muscles...ggrrrhhh!!!

Oh so proud!

My little helper finished off my tape measure so I "had" to get me a new one.

The Race is On

The big question is -- Which will come first, baby #4 or a completely remodeled kitchen. Well, Ginger does have 8 months head start on me but with the progress I made this weekend, I bet ("hope" may be a better term) I'll be done at least a week before Jonah shows up. That gives me until the week of October 7 (Jonah due to come the 15).

Here are a few before and during pictures:

Finish writing in the week prior to coming Home!!!

I have to finish the week of Hawaii.

Monday:  Blogged in the morning, but will have to write in details later.

Tuesday:  busy getting us ready to pack (maybe more).  Jason spent the evening with Paul after work. Can't remember much!  Jason then met up with us for an evening swim at the pool.

Wednesday:  The kids and I took the bus at 8:45 a.m. to head toward Aiea (I think).  We stopped at the fabric store I have been waiting to visit.  I purchased some fun prints that I need to get busy working on.  We stopped at a few other shops.  Then walked to a park where Jason picked us up to take us to his Work Luncheon.  What a great experience that was!  We met up with about a dozen of his coworkers to an Italian restaurant (brain freeze).  We were given leis and Jason was rewarded with a koa wooden surfboard indicating his time working for DISA PAC.  It was so wonderful to experience that with him.  What an amazing experience we have all had and the opportunity!  Jason needs to write in the details of who presented him with what...but he received an Air Force pin and some other keepsakes from working there.  It was so great!

Afterwards, one last stop at the swap meet.  Yeah, we found the newly weds a gift!  A turtle carved out of wood with their last name and wedding date inscripted on the shell.

That night....Makaha beach one last time.  The waves were very disappointing.  The kids managed to find their own crab this time.  We'll miss it! 

Thursday:  Cleaning and packing.  I'll have to check my camera to see if we did anything else that day.

Friday:  Jason went surfing early morning, went into work for the last time to finish up some paper work, then came back home.  The kids had to manage themselves while I did the last of packing.  We then headed to Wet N'Wild till around 4 p.m.  We came back to the house/condo to find that the cleaning ladies didn't see my note or didn't read it cleary to see that I had washed all the linens.  They went ahead and changed it all, packed up the clean stuff, almost took our suits and towels out of the dryer, but thankfully Jason caught them in time.  

We then finished up the house and Ryan picked us up.  We went to Ige's for dinner.  Yummy stuff, but not a good number on the tummies.  Got to the airport and unloaded.  Curbside would have been nice, but because of agriculture inspection it doesn't exist.  Thank goodness we had Ryan to help as well as Jason to get me through the line.  The journey to get home was a nightmare (see complaint emails written to Hawaiian Air and Delta for details).  Not included on the email complaints was the terrible stomach ache I had, as well as throwing up the next day after having 1 hour of sleep.  

Exhaustion but thrilled to be home.  We got in the van at 3 p.m. to drive to Kmart and Arctic Circle for quick stops, to then head to Khloie's first birthday.  It was so great to be home to see family and friends again.

That night we were surprised with a fully decorated house, including a decorated van, and a stocked fridge.  What a blessing and memory to cherish.

Wet, Jamming, Bitten, and Chillin

Wednesday the 22nd- Wet N' Wild...yeah for good friends to loan you their truck. The kids and I were only able to go for 2 hours because I spent the morning cleaning the house for a showing. But it was plenty of time for me...I am getting too tired of walking around, up and down stairs, and from pool to pool. Thank goodness Kai and Kezia help me out with Eli. I didn't have to go on one slide. The kids took Eli up the stairs to ride on the various slides that only the little ones can go on. Kai is also patient with the idea of not getting to go on the other bigger kid slides because he can't go alone...so he has to wait till Friday to go with Jason when we go to the Dive-In Movie Night...and some of the other slides are even closed at that time. Eli fell asleep right away of leaving the waterpark...which was sooo packed. Lots of kid day camps were there. Over 4,000 that day compared to 1/4 of the parking lot full on Monday.

We are having issues with Eli falling asleep for a late nap and not wanting to go to bed later when we are all screaming to go to bed. After waking him up from his nap for dinner (which was a chore), we went to the pool after dinner for an evening swim. So relaxing, especially when we were the only ones there.

Thursday the 23rd- Jason got to see the USS Hawaii Submarine arrive at Pearl Harbor to be its' official home. I watched the news broadcast about this huge creation and am blown away and the technologies...much of which were thought up 12 years ago.

The kids and I chilled for the day...laundry time for me and pregnancy exhaustion. We welcomed daddy home to go to Makaha Beach...but instead with not as much time as needed and some fears of the high waves going on, we went to Lagoon 3 for a relaxing evening. The kids love not having the enormous waves to get intimidated by and we didn't want to get home too late. Eli loved playing baseball with dad on the sand. Kezia loves creating Barbie's beach house. Kai had a blast learning to skim board. I loved just being able to put my feet up and watch!!! Jason has so much energy and I feel so blessed that he's so willing to play with the kids after a long and early day at work for him. We experienced an amazing sunset and got to listen to some great entertainment behind us at the Resort. I was really touched when the entertainer sung IZ's, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Please click on the link for a wonderful treat! Listening to this song and seeing the sunset was a humbling and memorable experience for me. I am going to miss this Paradise...and feel so lucky to have had this experience with my family.

Friday the 24th- no parade for us this year. It felt weird not being home to celebrate the 24th. Time in the morning was spent doing various things around the house. Mostly trying to clear some space on the laptop to get our camera's memory card empty. Over 12 GB's used in pictures and videos these past 3 months. Lots of fun memories.

The evening was spent at Wet N' Wild waterpark. This time the place was almost empty compared to Wednesday. Jason takes Kai on some of the bigger rides, while the little ones hang out with me at Water World. Thank goodness for free life jackets and that the workers allow the 2 little ones to go on the rides by themselves with the jackets on. We set up our things on a hill for the movie, "Monsters vs. Aliens" with a large curly fry, soda, and later 2 shaved ice. It was a fun evening out, even with the dumb flying ants and occasional other creatures.

Saturday the 25th--our last Saturday here! We made the best of it! We got out the door at 8 a.m. headed towards the famous North Shore. We ate breakfast at Kono's..yummy Belgian waffle with macadamia nut and banana topping, a loaded bagel, and a delicious breakfast burrito. I love that our kids are willing to try them all. It makes it so nice that we can share all three things and get a variety of eats. An early trek to 3 Tables Beach...good thing because the parking was already getting busy.

We had an amazing time. We ended up staying from 9-3 p.m. (I of course burned myself, but thank goodness the kids were fine.) I think this was my absolute most favorite day of the entire 3 months we have been here. We have done some fun things, but this day's adventures I will never forget. We set up our stuff under a few trees further from the water for the shade. But as the day went on and we didn't want to leave, we set our things up almost at the shore break. Awww...water hitting my fit while I sat in the camping chair was wonderful.

We set out with the kids with the floaties, snorkel gear, and me-a boogie board for the safety reasons to explore the reefs that lay ahead. The water at the shoreline is quite clear. About 10 feet out the water gets deeper and the rocks on the ocean floor appear. You barely have to be out very far to then stick your head under water to see fish! We saw Trigger fish (humuhumu's), parrot fish, yellow and black striped fish, and other varieties just swimming near the rocks. The kids loved it. Jason and I took turns for the day going back and forth with each of the kids and sometimes Jason would go out by himself and I would go out by myself.

Some of the fun things...Jason was being followed by a purple fish, possibly a Parrotfish, and got bit twice on the feet. Kai and Kezia said they saw an eel....I had a hard time believing that, so when I went out by myself I heard a man say, "Did you see the Eel?" I quickly went over there to say, "Where?". He pointed in an area. I swam to look and watched his finger point in the water. All of a sudden he puts his head up from the water and says, "That scared the ___ out of me!" I looked down in the water again to see this huge eel come out from the rocks. I said, "Was that not the eel you were talking about?" He said, "The eel I saw just got eaten by that eel you see now." I looked down again to see that the eel came out again from his home and started to swim toward me. It's one of the creatures I freak out at when it comes to the crazy creations in the ocean. This eel was as long as my arm from shoulder to finger tip or longer. It was huge and it freaked me out after it started to swim toward me. I didn't know if it would pass electricity through me, bite me, or what have you. I swam back and around and quickly to shore.

We also saw several squid (about 10 inches or so long), a fun crab, lots of sea urchins, and Jason got to see a rather big sea turtle. The sand there is amazing...lots of small colorful pebbles. We had a great time collecting sea glass and the younger boys had a blast playing on the boogie boards.

Around 3 we headed further north for a scenic look at one last time at the North Shore. The kids fell asleep quickly. Jason bought me and him a fried banana and some fresh corn ($1 an ear) from a place off the side of the road. While the kids slept a bit more, we parked out front of the 'Growing Keiki' to shop a bit. I found a homemade burp rag...I know I could make it for cheaper, but I loved it and had to have it. We also got a board book and Jason surprised me with a beanie for the baby saying "Bruddah". We drove down the road and stopped at the surf museum and at a surfboard resurrection art display and music jam session. The Artis family (11 kids) was all inside jamming out on their instruments and then you could walk around to see many of the used surfboards painted and formed into amazing pieces of art. Click on the links to see the surfboards and family music.

While waiting to be seated for dinner, Kezia (the little artist she is) enjoyed watching a man paint just outside of a shop from where we were waiting to be seated for dinner. He was painting a beautiful ocean scenery inside a painted whale tail. We ate at Cholos Homestyle Mexican. Not the best food, but it was fun with the family. Afterwards we watched some glass blowing and purchased a small honu (sea turtle) and then headed toward the Haleiwa Bon Dance and Lantern Floating Ceremony held at the Haleiwa Jodo Mission. People gather to dance to Japanese music to welcome the ancestors' souls. There was a variety of ethnicity's there dancing to the music, but my favorite was watching the elders dance to the music performing the necessary hand movements and steps to the music. It was very touching watching them. With all of the culture experiences we have had on this trip, it makes me wish we had more traditions to pass on to our children. The Festival ends with the Toro Nagashi/Lantern Festival. Paper lanterns are illuminated and then set afloat to sea symbolically signaling the ancestral spirits' return to the world of the dead. There were at least 1,000 floating lanterns lit up floating in the dark ocean. It was an amazing site.

Sunday the 27th--I am exhausted and couldn't seem to wake up this morning. Thanks to a loving and patient husband we made it to church on time with fed, bathed, and nicely dressed children. During sacrament meeting the kids made thank you cards for their teachers. They have really had a great time in this ward. Kai emphasized how much he'll miss it, but is so excited to come home too. After church, sleep again for me (now I am up past midnight typing his because I am too awake to go to bed) while Jason made snacks and dinner for us. Yummy grilled chicken, grilled pineapple, veggies, and so yummy sticky rice. After dinner we walked in and outside of the hotel just outside of Lagoons 3 and 4. The kids were envious of the fun pools they had there. We let them play on the playground for a bit and then got another glimpse of the amazing sunset.

We headed back home on the golf cart...to then stop to see the black swans. After telling Kezia and Eli not to throw things at the swans (making the swans believe it was food they were throwing at them), Eli got bit on the hand. His shriek was so loud and full of fear. No broken skin, just tears. We watched the 2 swans head back over to meet up with the 3rd swan. Then all 3 quickly swam back over to us...almost as if the 2 swans went and told their mommy that we were teasing them because the 3rd swan jumped out of the water and approached us. It had no fear of backing off, but instead made us get scared and quickly jump onto the golf cart to leave.

While backing the golf cart into the garage, Jason went to help me back up a little more with a push which in turn threw me off and I bolted backwards in reverse almost hitting the car and kids. Luckily I found the brake in time and we didn't have an adventure at the ER tonight and trips to the auto shop for 2 vehicles...I am so lucky!

Kezia won us all in a few rounds of Uno. Dessert was Boston Creme Pie (I think...not a huge pie fan, but it was good) and Neapolitan ice cream...again thanks to an energetic and loving husband.

The week ahead and last week here...not too much planned, but hopes to make the best of it!