Questions

Questions that no one asks me...

What is the best movie you have seen lately?
Mama Mia! I can watch that movie again and again and still laugh, sing, and cry in the same places.

What is the last thing you watched on You Tube?
A Soldier's Silent Night. A very moving tribute to those who serve our country and are away from their families during the holiday season.

Do you love reading bedtime stories to your kids?
I adore it. Especially when they snuggle and giggle at the voices I use.

What blogs are you inspired by lately?
A number of them. Right now, I am enjoying keeping up with friends from Japan. She always writes great stories of what her kids are doing.

What are you craving?
A big pile of Nachos dripping with everything that isn't good for my diet.

What should you be doing right now instead of blogging?
Laundry. Showering. Cleaning.

What is on the docket for tomorrow?
Laundry. Shower. Crafting with the kiddos. Commissary. Must get food!

How was your day today?
So relaxing that I can't get motivated. I think I'm stumped from a great family weekend.

Why can't you keep your car clean these days?
An active 6 year-old and 1 year-old. Sand. Sand. SAND! (Remember I hate the stuff!) Need I say more?

Memories Captured

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

Ahhhh...

vacation. We've had a splendid Christmas four day holiday. I feel like a happy slug who has discovered a new leaf to sit under. The sounds of chatter, Wii, giggles from LD, and shouts of glee are in the air around here. The coffee pot has been brewing cawfee flavors from distant lands (thanks to my LS: Lovely Sis) almost all day and I shudder at the thought that tomorrow HH goes back to work. What a sluggishly wonderful Christmas it has been spent enjoying the days together..with no where to go (Thank God...it's about time nothing is on the calendar!).

As I sip cawfee this afternoon and reflect over the past four days, here are my highly memorable moments:


~ The look of awe on LD's face as she stood by the Christmas tree on Christmas eve
~ Enjoying hot and sour soup at our annual "Happy Buddah" Day dinner after Christmas Eve mass
~ Watching HS walk down the aisle as one of the Wisemen in the Christmas Eve pageant
~ Enjoying the creativity spring from my clan as we decorated gingerbread cookies for Santa
~ LD opening her gifts and saying "WOW!"
~ HS focused on putting together his lego set and then proudly showcasing it
~ Skype"ing" with family over the pond...seems like we are right there...
~ Eating turkey sandwiches at Bellows Beach the day after ChristmasYep. It's been a good Mele Kalikimaka here in our little corner of paradise...now, back to reading...ahhhhh...vacation.

Mele Kalikimaka...

is the thing to say on a nice, Hawaiian Christmas Day!

It is a balmy 80 degrees as we wish you a very merry Mele Kalikimaka!

Today as you enjoy opening up your gifts and enjoy a meal with your loved ones, we send loads of Aloha from our hale to yours. We hope your day will be filled with magic in the air, the spirit of the Christmas season in your heart, and the love of the birth of a babe resonating in your soul.

Box Bollix

Bollix: tr.v. bol·lixed also bol·loxed, bol·lix·ing also bol·lox·ing, bol·lix·es also bol·lox·es Informal
To throw into confusion; botch or bungle: managed to bollix up the whole project.

Ok. This will certainly go down in the record books for our clan as being a huge Christmas box bollix. It's hard to begin this blog without first grabbing a glass of wine before diving in to the story of how we finally managed to receive the box in picture next to this paragraph.

Can you believe what I am about ready to type? Please do. I wouldn't lie to you. This is the box that we have been waiting for to arrive since the 10th of December. The very same box that we have been repeatedly told that it had already been delivered to us...on the 12th of December. Uh..huh...and I have flowers growing out of my hiney if you believe that one.

Our pre-Christmas week, which is suppose to be full of fun and memory making, turned into trying to search for a Wii system on a tiny little island. If you've seen "Jingle All the Way" where the most popular item of the season is trying to be found, then you can understand my problem. Clerks looked at me insanely as they tried not to laugh in my face that I would be such a terrible mother as to not purchase a Wii system much, much earlier than four days before Christmas. All hope had been lost by the time DF asked if I had checked at the Marine base. With joy in her heart, she headed over to the exchange and made a purchase...a Wii...at about the same time, what to my wandering eyes should appear but a chubby postman and his parcel for us...the box...the very box that had already been "delivered" uuuhhmmm...to us over a week ago.


Seems like we live near the imaginary world of the giants. The box looked like a big giant with wet pants had sat on top and then rocked, back and forth, just having a merry good time. The presents inside were worn and torn as though a tiny man had squeezed through the opening of the tape and had a great time taste testing the ends of the packages. Thankfully, the precious Wii that I had been having a coronary over was in the house. Unscathed.

Now my story is told...or at least the PG rated version. Note to mailing things in Hawaii: Do not send a box worth a lot without first making sure their is a signature required at delivery. You never know when they'll try to say it's been given to us...at least my John Hancock is good for something. As for my blood pressure, I'll let you know...I'm still reeling.

Santa Claus

It is a time-honored tradition. We are so eager to line up and pay our annual salutations to the jolly ole' man in the big red suite. Our kids are dolled up in their Sunday best, we clamor to discover where the "best" Santa is located and with great excitement we announce that today is the day we will go give Santa our wish list.

Taking the kids to visit Santa this year, I couldn't help but want to die laughing. First, the line was long, but not as long as expected days before Christmas and in the middle of the NEX (Navy Exchange) mall. Santa looked ideal. The Christmas set-up was perfect. Only problem, I had the Christmas Story scene running through my head.

"Come on kid, get moving!" says the elf to the child in the movie.
As the child is revolved around seamlessly to sit on the lap of Santa, we get a close -up of him saying, "Ho, HO, HOOOOO!".

Ok, with that in mind, is it no wonder that our time-honored tradition always gets the kids under 6 crying and screaming? Why in the world do we put our kiddos through such pain? We ask them not to talk, touch, sit, or take things from strangers, but then we place them on the lap of someone we don't know all in the name of "Christmas Spirit." Sorry. I'm still laughing.

LD wouldn't even go near the man in the red suite. She looked at him. She glared at him. She then proceeded to wrap her chubby legs as tightly as she could around my waist and then pull herself in tighter to me. "You are not placing me on his lap!" her grasp on my hair seemed to say.

I tried everything. "LD, look....big brother is sitting right there...let's sit down with big brother." Nope. Chubby leg hold was still in full effect. "Wow! He's wearing Jingle Bells...you love bells...let's look at them." The scream in my ear pierced my eardrum. Nope. She is smarter than I give her credit.

So, what more could I do? I sat down with her and told Santa what I wanted for Christmas along with HS. Trying to contain the laughter as HS eagerly told his wish list without skipping a beat, "I wanna lego set, Kung Fu Panda DVD, and a GI Joe....oh, and for my sister to stop screaming when I talk!"

LD said nothing except screeched in Santa's direction every time he tried to chat with her. It's a good thing that I have a direct line to the North Pole...she's sure to get what she wants in her stocking, even if she wouldn't look at Santa.

"HO...HO....HO!!!!" and then here goes the next howling little one behind us. Tis the season.

Screaming MeMe On Board

With the passage of turning 1 came the process of finding the perfect carseat for LD. As HH and I shopped, visions of the first time HS went from rear-facing to forward-facing bounced around in our heads. We remember giggles, grins, and the face that seemed to say, "Thank God. You've finally turned me around. I was getting tired of staring at the seat cushion."

So please excuse our utter shock when we placed LD in her seat for the first time and she not only howled, but screamed like someone had stuck her in the hind end with a billion of the sharpest needles on earth. She didn't stop. We drove down the street, with her screaming and us trying to reassure her that she wasn't going to die. HS even tried his hardest by telling her he knew that he was wonderful, but not she could see other things...like cars, people, and big trucks. The wails she sent out seemed to say, "I don't care about any of that...just turn me back!!!"




We have discovered one solution to our screaming meme princess. HS. Always known as the drama king, he has taken it upon himself to provide comic relief to her dilemma of not liking her car seat. When he's in the car, he hams it up and giggles come forth like oil just being discovered. Our only hope is that eventually, she'll grow out of the fear of facing forward and embrace the fact that she can see everything now, including her hysterically funny brother. Thank God for siblings!

Bye...Bye...

Last Saturday, HS was sitting and eating an apple for his afternoon snack as I pittered around the kitchen getting ready for our department Christmas party.

"Mommy, is my tooth loose?" he inquired.
I walked over thinking to myself that for the past year and a half or ever since he discovered everyone else was losing their teeth, but him, he has been wishing and hoping and praying that his teeth would fall out. So, thinking that this was just one of a zillion times I've peered into his mouth to check out a possible wiggle tooth only to discover that it was firmly implanted, imagine my shock when I went to wiggle it and it not only wiggled, but made a little popping sound. Ewwww...it moved! "Oh, my! It is moving!!! You've got a wiggler!!!"

All last week, the house has been abuzz with the wiggling tooth. I thought for sure that he was going to lose it when we weren't around. That thought just paralyzed me. I couldn't imagine missing such a momentous occasion after waiting for so long for him to lose his first one. With each day I picked him up from school he would point to his mouth and say, "nope...didn't lose it, yet, mommy!"

Well, this mornin' as I was laying in bed debating if I wanted to close my eyes for a few more minutes, I was thrilled to hear as footsteps charged up the stairs, "mommy....mommy...guess what?!?!? My tooth...it's fallen out!!!" I sat upright and was overjoyed as he bounded into the room with a grin from ear to ear. With a gap! He had lost it!

So, it is official. Bye, bye baby tooth...hello adult teeth. It will be like a domino effect, I'm sure. But there's more...yesterday, at the dentist, he was given the clean bill of teeth health. He's a 6 1/2 year old with a cavity free mouth, so far. The pressure is on. He has a whole new world ahead of him...with adult chompers.

Now, his focus is not on the wiggly tooth, but making preparations for the first visit from the Tooth Fairy!

It's the Most Wonderful Time...

For the past few weeks...ok, I admit, since a little before Thanksgiving, I've had my radio tuned and set to set me in the Christmas spirit while I drive around the island as the chauffeur to HS and the go-fetch it gal for the family. I sing, I giggle, I think fondly of times spent with my family. At home, that same channel plays through our speakers and with each song further relays that tis that time of year. By gosh, it is time for Ho, Ho, Ho and Mistletoe! We're embracing it even in 85 degree weather. The Christmas spirit is going to come to the islands, too. Without snow, without cold, without big bulky coats and hats...bring on the most wonderful time of year:


Last Friday, the school held their annual Christmas program. It was phenomenal. With stage lighting, holiday accents, twinkle dinkle lights galore, the kids in grades K-3 put on quite a show. By the end, my little Shepard smiled up at me and asked, "did I make you cry mommy?" When I replied, "yes." He smiled even bigger and shouted out, "YES!!!" while making a silly arm motion. It is true, I was more proud than I could ever thought possible as he busily sung out loud and clear and even remembered all the choreography!




On Saturday, HS participated in his first belt test for his new found dojo. He headed into the gym in the hopes of fullfilling a Christmas hope: earning a solid yellow for this style of Karate. I only wish I had the discipline it takes to preform what he does...his sparring and forms are getting sharper and stronger by the day. He came through like a champ an hour and a half later and went to sleep that night with visions of a yellow belt dancing in his head.

For, HH and I, we went straight from being so proud of HS to hosting the department Christmas party at our house. It turned out to be a wonderful evening and as my first time meeting the majority of them, I can proudly say, the night was a success, so when my head hit the pillow I nestled in for my long winter's nap, HH rolled over to me and said, 'well...what do you think about inviting more next year?" Guess he had a good time, too!

By Sunday, we were exhausted from all our adventure on Friday and Saturday, but took a couple hours to descend upon a few stores in hopes we'd have success finding HS's wish list items..success we did and now they are all wrapped with ribbon and bows awaiting the eager hands of a little boy on Christmas morn.


This week was HS's last week of school before the holiday vacation. He enjoyed a Polar Express day on Tuesday, complete with wearing his favorite cowboy PJ's and taking in Duffey to enjoy the festivities. By Wednesday, he was so pumped up he could barely stand it as Christmas the class Christmas party proved to be just as great as they had all hoped it would be. With cookies, frosting, and loads sweets to decorate their cookies with, how could it have been anything but fun? HS even dawned his elf nose (a blob of frosting a top of his nose) that has become synonymous with cookie decorating and HS. Even with the excitement, he managed to come out with an all green week...yee-haw for him!

The post office has already made it into my previous post, but with this being the season of keeping in touch with everyone near and far, the cards have all been signed, the Christmas letter written, and photos attached. Now, I just sit back and keep fingers crossed that I had all the addresses correct as many of you have PCSd this year along with us...ahhh...the life of never being able to write an address ink.

This mornin' has cinched that we are certainly enjoying the most wonderful time of year. HS's first day on vacation has led us to further cookie baking and decorating, playing with little buddies in the yard, and watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." We are eager to head out into the harbor with friends this evening and see the ships decked out showcasing holiday spirit and creativity.

If you're eager to toast the most wonderful time of year with some eggnog and sugar cookies, head on over tonight. We'll keep the candles glowing in the windows for you.

Are my Ears Working?

I think I need to go get my hearing checked. The world around me here is all a buzz and I'm not sure I'm hearing it all because some of what I've heard just seems out of place....

~ HS to LD in the car...."you know you're crying because I'm so great and now you can't see me." (what? should we have named you Adonis?)

~ K-Mart clerk to me on their pricing woes..."well, next time bring a piece of paper and write down all the prices so you have proof that the sign said that price." (should I strangle her or her manager for rudeness during the holiday season?)

~ Darlin' HH..."Wow...you are in really great shape. You must love running now." (Nope. Just run because it takes the pounds off. Nothing more.)

~ HS to me while making reindeer food packets for his class...."I wonder if the reindeer see us making their food...they are starving you know." (I think he's gotten confused...people...reindeer...we all have hungry bellies, right?)

~ In the post office today trying to mail a Christmas package from the big post office of Honolulu...a rooster cockle-doodling. We mail roosters for Christmas from Hawaii? I just thought macadamia nuts and pineapples were popular. Watch out...you may open a box with poultry when you get your boxes from us this year.

Hearing aids. Do you think they'd help?

He loves me...

HS made my entire morning with only two sentences before driving up to his school.

"Mommy...could you walk me to my class this morning? We could chat a bit more."

Music rang in my ears. This is the same little guy who for the past month has been trying to be Mr. Joe Cool...no mommy necessary to be walked and then kissed in front of his little buds. Well, he must have decided to say the heck with that, because as promised, he bounded out of the car. Waiting patiently for me to get LD our of her carseat he continued with his conversations and then once I had locked the door and began to turn towards him, he grabbed my hand and began walking. Still chatting. Still smiling. Gripping my hand and allowing me that little surge of pride when your son (or daughter) lets everyone know that they still think their mommy is pretty cool stuff.

I stayed through the morning assembly and watched as he carried on with his friends, prayed for a good morning, and pledged his allegience to the flag. It was then, during his walk to class that he reinforced he loved me. He stopped. Told his teacher he'd be right there...and then gave me a bear hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, mommy. Try to have a good day without me." He smiled and bounded towards his class.

I stood for a minute relishing the moment. He may not ask me tomorrow to walk him to class, but I know as sure as I know my own name that one thing will never change. He loves me...or at least for now until I'm uncool.

Honor...Courage...Commitment

It was a day unlike no other. In a region that I joke is perpetually stuck in summer, where everyday is just like the other and the only way you know you are on a different day is because Mr. Weatherman is wearing a different Aloha shirt, yesterday, was a day that was not like any other that we've experienced since arriving on island.

It was a day to pay tribute to those men who tragically lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor, a day that does remain in infamy. It was a day to take a moment out of the chaotic lifestyles that many of us lead. It was a day that made you proud to honor those men who had been laid to rest unexpectedly in their ships 67 years ago.

Yesterday, a Naval vessel cruised around Pearl Harbor, decks deck railed with white uniforms of individuals proudly serving in the armed forces, rendering honor to those who were on the USS Utah, USS Arizona, and USS Nevada during the time of the attack 67 years ago. A fly-by by Air Force F-15's preforming the missing man formation over the USS Arizona at the moment that the USS Arizona was sunk, brought tears to my eyes, a tender hand of a six year into mine, and a hug from a man who I'm proud to say wears the uniform for his country everyday.


It was also a day to think of the courage it takes to be a person in uniform. Not only for those who serve now in unstable regions and work more hours in a week then most Americans work in two, but to think of the courage it took for those individuals here on Oahu 67 years ago, to look up into the darkening sky and view a harbor full of screams, explosions, and rumbling enemy aircraft, and know that they were now fully thrust into helping and rendering up the flag and defending America for all that she stands for on U.S. soil.

Finally, it was a day to ponder the commitment that we all have in making sure that these days of war are not forgotten in our youth. They are not pleasant ones to discuss, but even for the young, they must know what has been done before them in order to know how vital it is to protect, serve, and defend America. We truly live in a wonderful country. We are blessed to have the freedoms we enjoy everyday. It is because of those who made a promise and raised their hand and swore to defend them that you enjoy them.

Honor those who have served. Pray for those who have the courage to wear their military uniform now as they all face unexpected twists and turns, all the while thinking of your safety. Make a commitment to set aside some time to pass down the stories of old to the youth of tomorrow so that we never forget those who have taken up our beautiful flag and run with it...

If you want to see more about the events of yesterday's Pearl Harbor rememberance, visit the following websites for further insight.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081208/NEWS08/812080316/-1/RSS02?source=rss_localnews

http://www.nps.gov/pwr/customcf/apps/eventcalendar/events/usarevent16733691.html

The Big One

It is official...one year ago today, I delivered via C-section the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. Today as paper lanterns blew above our lanai and crepe paper streamers lined the fence line, LD turned one. It is so hard as I know in my heart this will be the last time I ever watch a child of mine reach this milestone, yet I feel so blessed. I have two wonderful children and a loving husband. Sappy, I know. I'll try to steer clear of grossing you out, but nevertheless, reach for a tissue because I never said I wouldn't make you cry.

A letter to my LD on her 1st birthday....

Do you realize that you are a gift from God? Truly. You are. Do you know that your big brother foretold of your birth long before I ever believed I would watch my belly grow again? Do you know how long, how hard, and how painful it was to try to have such a blessing as you? Do you know that every night while you are sleeping, I open the door just to check on you and smile at you and say a silent prayer to God thanking Him for giving you to us? You my dearest LD are a blessing from above. You have completed our clan and made us feel more love for two children then your daddy and I ever thought possible.

My how your 1st year has gone by! It seems like yesterday that every two to three hours you and I would get to snuggle as you nursed and then snuggle some more as you slept. It seems like a moment ago that you sat up for the first time as you tried to play with Mr. B as Granma shouted out for me....thank God I didn't miss it...and you shared it with Granma which was even more special. It seems like a second ago that you took a likening to crawling. Why sit still when you can explore? It was only a millisecond ago that you pulled yourself up for the first time flashing the buds of two lower teeth.

It just doesn't seem possible that you are now the big "one." You are the apple of my eye and an incentive for my heart to skip that extra beat. Your brother and you will never quite know how much I longed for both of you and how much I treasure those moments together. Yes, I could be teaching in a classroom, surrounded by kids, but you my dear are one of the best students I will ever have the joy of being around. As you begin another year I look forward to all the little gems we will enjoy. First words spoken in sentences (maybe only two or three, but hey...I'll know what you mean!), steps that will take you rapidly to any place you want to go and then run you quickly back into the waiting arms of your mommy.

Yes, LD, you are now one and even though I've shed my tears, I'm so delighted to watch your expressions, hear your giggles, and listen to your words as you explore this wonderful world.

Happy Birthday, princess!

xxooxxoo,
Mommy

Deck the Halls...

Talk to any of my friends and you'll find that I'm been craving seasonal changes. Don't talk to my HH. He'll just try to make wise cracks because he is a warm weather lover...he'll never succeed in turning me into one. Twelve years into our marriage and he still hasn't figured that out.

Usually our family tradition is to put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving, stand back and admire our work on it while sipping eggnog. Well...the tree went up on Friday. Saturday we thought of a billion other things we could be doing...including going to mass. By Sunday, we set our sights on getting it decorated and trimming the house in Christmas beauty.

I am happy to report that the tree is now proudly glowing with lights, ornaments, and garland. The rest of the house, however, is staying pretty simple. As the following little ditty illustrates, Christmas in Hawaii is a little different than what you mainlanders will be experiencing. Enjoy it for me. I'm going to try embracing the spirit of the season...island style.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN HAWAII WHEN:
-- Author Unknown

The only snow you see is in a cone shaped cup and covered with syrup.

Santa arrives on the beach in a canoe.

Aloha shirts and muumuus are worn to Christmas services.

Winter clothes are a sweatshirt, a jacket and shorts.

Little Jimmy and little Mary are little Kimo and little Malia.

Diamond Head is majestic and green.

"Silent Night" is played on the ukulele.

It's macadamia nut candy instead of fruitcake.

You leave your slippers and sandals at the door, not your snow boots.

Fans wear tank tops to the Aloha Bowl game.

Little boys want a new boogie board instead of a shiny new sled.

"Big girls" wish for a Hawaiian heirloom bracelet.

Sushi and passion orange juice are left out for Santa.

You have to build a fireplace to hang the stockings.

Families enjoy their Christmas meal at the beach.

The little angel in the kindergarten play wears a haku instead of a halo.

"Me ke aloha" (with love) is written on Christmas cards.