I've Got a Crush on You

One Week Ago:

"Moommmm..." HS says with exaggeration as he peers around the stairs into the kitchen where I'm busily cleaning up from dinner.
"Mmhmmm..." I half say paying more attention to cramming the dishes into an already full dishwasher.
"____ & ____ have crushes on me." He announces with emphasis on the "me."
The wine glass I'm holding nearly crashes to the floor as I look up into his ever so sweet 7 1/2 year old face. Maybe I didn't quite hear him, after all, LD is playing with her baby stroller, HH is running the bath water upstairs. All that remained until he interjected once more, breaking my random grasps of deciding that this moment can't possibly have arrived already...
"Mooommmmm....I said ____ & ____ have crushes on me!"
Oh sweet Jesus. He did say the word crush.
"Well, honey, are they nice girls? Do they play with you at recess and treat you nicely?"
"Oh, yeah. We talk about kid stuff and then I go play basketball."
"That's great...what do you think of them? Are they pretty?" I inquire.
"Yep. Only both of them are about three levels are so down from you." He does a drive by hug and then dives into the freezer for some ice-cream.
Whew. Conversation done. All he wanted me to know was that they liked him. Obviously, the feeling may be mutual but his childhood charm is alive and well.

Fast forward to this afternoon:

After finishing up his homework, HS flops himself down in front of me on the rug.
"_____ doesn't know what a crush is." he says between mouthfuls of grapes.
"What do you mean...I thought you said she had a crush on you."
"Well, moommmm...she's only like...well...you know." he speaks in this 'I'm so old' tone. "She's only five. She just came from the ELC (the preschool attached to his school) this year....what would she know..." he continues as grape juice flies forth.
"Sweetie, she must know something if she said she had a crush on ya." I say and watch his eyes roll. Oh my...the drama of a teenager can be visualized now.
***Heavy sigh insues from HS***
"Well, she doesn't know."
"Darlin' do you even know what a crush is?" I inquire fully expecting him to utter forth those words I'm just not ready to hear because it means that the "girl craze" phase is about to begin.
"Of course I do...it's when someone like, loves, you and stuff and then they wait a long, long, long, long time to go on a date with you."
"Ok..so then where do you go on a date?" I ask as I lean forward waiting on baited breath for his reply.
"to Japan of course."

I could have swallowed him up with pride. He's following in what he has witnessed his daddy do obviously. I made HH wait years to go on a date with me and then two years after getting married, we headed to Japan. He hears the story often and some of it must have sunken in and made his definition of a crush. So, he is so not yet in the girl phase yet. He's beginning to notice them, but has know idea just what to do with them. I still have plenty of time to just enjoy his moments of being so mature that obviously, he knows more than a five year-old. Gotta love it!

A Hat and Two Girls

LD is now a mommy. I know, she's only two, but my oh my does this gal know how to mother. Where ever she goes, Alice and Corey come, too. Today, she dressed them in their pink hats and then went to the hall closet and smiled from ear to ear with her pink hat on! Then, before I blinked, she had both of them in the stroller and was by the door carrying on her own conversation with them as she bent over with her chubby little legs facing me: "Mommy, park?" "Yep!" "YEAH!" Then she was by my side grasping my fingers in her tubby hands leading me to the door. Yep! We're going to the PARK!

Whaling Good Time

I tell ya, we've really stepped into scouting! HH is at the helm as Cubmaster and I couldn't be happier as the one of the den leaders for a group of "howling" good little guys. Today we headed off for a pack hike up the Makapuu Lighthouse trail and were thrilled to capture the essence of the immense nature of whales who are in the Hawaiian waters to have their little calves before heading back to the frigid waters of Alaska.



Whales must know paradise...with crystal clear deep blue Hawaiian waters, it would be a challenge to be a miserable and unhappy whale here. As for our Pack, we are a happy and thrilled to be out adventuring in the Hawaiian sun!



Yes, indeed, from an awesome hike up Makapuu to witnessing smiles and laughter of happy Scouts, we had a whaling good time today!

Rocks, Surf, and Sighs

Our karate lover at his best...perched on a rock overlooking the ocean while practicing his kata during a North Shore sunset.



The ocean churns and the sunset over the mountains hearlds the end to another marvelous day in Hawaii. It's hard to imagine that our families on the mainland are being hammered by snow while we are enjoying sea spray and magnificent weather...the door to our hale is always open for guests (especially those who face cold, blustery, grey skies!)



LD and Alice take in the sound of the waves and the colors of the Hawaiian sky.




I love the North Shore. I adore everything about it. The surf is hypnotizing during the winter months as huge waves attack the shoreline with rage; summertime brings calm and peace to the mighty rocks that stand like sentries guarding the coves that teem with beautiful fish. It has since become a ritual since moving here a year and a half ago to drive up to the North Shore for a drive along the coastline to enjoy God's beauty and take in the rocks, surf, and sigh as we think "WOW! This is where we live." One of our newest additions to this monthly ritual is to drive up on a Saturday afternoon after LD's nap and explore and enjoy the shore before heading to mass at Schoefield.

This Saturday, however, we were so entranced by the rocks that we didn't exactly make it for our usual pilgrimage to Matsumoto's for shaved ice (which HS and I wouldn't let HH forget) but we did arrive to mass by the homily (nevermind that we were out of breath and still craving shaved ice!) and thanked God for a wonderful evening in paradise.

Imagine the Possibilities

My word has our little gal begun to follow in the creative footsteps of her big brother. Today, a plastic toy bin became a hat, a boat, and even a sleeping spot for one of her favorite dolls, Alice. All the while, LD babbled in her sentences and even put her hands on her hips and said, "Noooooo...STAYYYY" when I tried to walk away from her "world" to step back into laundry world. What's a mommy to do? Dump the laundry folding of course and step back into the magical world of a two year old. If you need us, we're floating down the lollipop river with Alice.

OSU! Happy New Year!

While the rest of the island stayed in bed sleeping peacefully and dreaming of all the things they wanted to accomplish during 2010, we awoke bright and early and headed down for Japan International Center's "Karate on the Beach" at Ala Moana Beach in downtown Honolulu.



The beach is strewn with unblemished white gi'd wearing karate members warming up and preparing to practice as one unit in front of the crystal blue waters of Hawaii. "OSU! Happy New Year!" sensei shouts into his megaphone. "OSU! Happy NEW YEAR" over 150 voices shout back in unison.



An hour of practice ensues and sand floats down gently after kicks and jumps. As students gather in pairs to spar, there is an air of joviality and excitement for beginning another year of Karate. This is indeed a memory HS will have for his lifetime. Where else can you practice karate in the middle of winter on a beach as a way of signaling your devotion to practicing karate with self-motivation and discipline?



LD and I enjoyed sitting and witnessing the spectacle from the benches lining the beach park. We loved running in for a dip into the ocean with HH and HS after the practice was finished.



From Hawaii to you, OSU! Happy New YEAR!!!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Someone pinch me. I'm serious. Don't stare at the screen and reread the request. Where in the world did 2009 go? Just yesterday, we were ringing it in!

It seems as if this year is a blur of events and since we have no way to base any of these events in a seasonal way, they all seem to have occurred simultaneously. It is only when I look through the pictures over the year that I can see just how much we've accomplished and just how many triumphs and challenges we've faced. Our book for 2009 will be closed tonight. Placed on a shelf in our minds.

We begin a new book at midnight. What will be etched on these pages? What will be our special moments, triumphs, and tribulations? Will 2010 vanish as quickly as 2009? All I know for certain, is that New Year's Eve always gives me pause. It makes me contemplate who I have become over the year and what opportunities I may have over the New Year to change or build on myself. Here's my "short" list of desires for 2010:

~ Learning the ancient art of Hula.
~ Volunteering twice a month in HS's classroom
~ Searching out ways to make my writing work for me
~ Enjoying the little moments with LD
~ Developing enough patience to withstand the terrible twos
~ Seeking ways to build an even stronger relationship with HH
~ Taking more time out for my Faith
~ Saying "no" to things that do not build my family up and only serve as time
drainers.
~ Allowing myself to dream, read, and share those dreams with my family
~ Relishing in visits from family and friends


Hau'oli Makahiki Hou dear family and friends! May you have the best New Year full of happiness, good health, and as much love as you can hold!