Merry Christmas Birthday!!

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Honolulu City Lights and Nativity

We did it! We finally snapped a picture of Trey somewhere close to Santa!! Santa was perusing around the grounds of the Honolulu Hale where they had the City Lights display. Trey caught a glimpse of the man in the red suit so if you look closely he is about to wail. There were lots of Christmas displays including Santa and Mrs. Claus waving the shaka, penguins, sleighs full of toys, Christmas trees and wreaths and nativities. In the heart of Manoa, we ventured over to watch a living nativity complete with 3 kings, shepherds and sheep, a drummer boy, 2 angels, goats, a donkey and a horse and of course the family for which this season honors. The children all watched intently and all fell sound asleep as we left the lights of downtown and headed home! Of course there are more pictures added to my sets.....

Is it over yet?

Tyler went to the doctor Thursday for his 4 year old check up. My little boy has moved up in the world- literally. He is no longer in the 50th percentile for height and weight! He jumped up to 70th for weight and 75th for height! Yeahhh Big Guy!
The Christmas madness has settled in and kicked me in the butt. Tuesday I baked. All day I baked pumpkin rolls (I finally used Pam's recipe and it was awesome!), cheese balls, cookies and sausage balls. From these culinary, sweet creations I made little trays of goodies for the kids teachers and our work. My mother laughed and said the genetic flaw has surfaced. Work has been crazy, packages have been sent, received and wrapped, Tyler's birthday is today and the kids are acting as if they are on a strict diet of raw sugar. Yesterday our air conditioner went out with a 50/50 chance of being repaired before next week. I am at work dreading the idea of trying to sleep in the house during the heat of the day. I wonder what the rest of this day will bring?

The Nutcracker

I have fond memories of seeing the Nutcracker and I have been waiting for years to take Tara. I think it is just part of the holiday season and one of those things your just supposed to do. Tara got to wear her fancy black dress (finally) so she didn't really care where we were going. She was pretty impressed with the symphony and she was very excited to point out the instruments that she recognized. When the ballet began she ooohed and ahhhed over costumes and only once did she say very loudly "It would still be better if they talked, mom!". She enjoyed act I but by the end of act II she was bored. She didn't admit it but she got squirmy and she just wanted to unwrap the Christmas ornament of the ballerina she hooked me into buying at intermission. She did very well though. She was quiet, attentive and clapped appropriately. I occasionally had to be narrator because the story wasn't quite the same as Barbie and the Nutcracker. We had dinner after and did some shopping and I believe our Mommy-Daughter date was a success! Uuum...maybe next year I can take Big Guy? Nah! What am I thinking???

Billy Joel

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. 'Cause we're all in the mood for a melody and you've got us feelin' all right". Can't you just hear it? This is the part where the harmonica comes in.....Wow! I hadn't been to a concert in years. I am not a huge Billy Joel fan either and on the way to the show I kept thinking to myself , "Am I going to know any of these songs?" He put on an incredible performance and I think out of the whole show there were maybe 2 songs that I didn't know every word. It wasn't just him though. He had a band! Trumpet, multiple saxes, trombone, drums and percussion, keyboards, flute, guitars and of course the piano. They all had solos and the sound was so inviting it was hard to stay in your seat. He was also comical. He came out and introduced himself as Billy Joel's dad. He's balding and even his goatee is gray but he banged on the piano with the fire of a much younger man and his voice had a richness I think is getting better with age! His piano was on a revolving platform and he joked that everyone would get a look at his bad side. At the end of the show, when the crowd was clapping and stomping and yelling for an encore, I learned something new. There used to be a time when everyone held their lighters up high as they swayed back and forth begging for an encore that they knew wouldn't be refused. Not anymore!! Lighters have been replaced by the soft blue glow of open cell phones. Got to love technology! The audience was mixed in age from 18 to old, so there were still some lighters in the crowd. Anyway we were richly rewarded when the band came back on stage. We heard "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", "You may be right" "Only the good die young" and a very suitable ending was "The Piano man". It was an absolutely great show!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Last week we went to the Marine Corps Holiday Party. I showed you all pictures of the kids playing in the snow. We were supposed to keep a low profile because we were Navy infiltrating into a USMC party. (We really were invited!) I guess the kids were having too good of a time and it was obvious to all, especially the photographers. I did several interviews answering questions about the kids. This weeks edition of the base paper, The Hawaii Marine, came out and Big Guy's very intent face heaving a snowball is on page B3. He's so cute who could resist? Here's the link.
http://www.mcbh.usmc.mil/news/Dec15B6.pdf

Bad Day Ends Okay!

My Wednesday didn't start well. When I jumped in the van to take Tyler to school I noticed a paper sent home from cheer leading practice about a cupcake exchange for Thursday. Instant panic mode set in. I called coach Angela when I got home to find out how many cupcakes I would have to make and her first question was "Where were you on Sunday?". I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. To make a long, sad story short, I had the dates confused about Tara's end of season gala party and she missed it. The invitation has been hanging on the fridge for 2 weeks and Kev and I both thought the party was the 16th. That's the date written on the calendar and in our minds it was set in stone. The mommy guilt set in and I was miserable all day. To make amends, I got on-line and ordered tickets for the Nutcracker so she could still wear her oh-so-fancy dress.

Tara got home and I tearfully gave her a hug and apologized. My dear sweet child looked into my eyes and said "It's okay mom" and that made it even worse.

Shortly after I got the bad news, I got another call. The cheerleaders had been invited to an impromptu performance by the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders at Hickam. Well of course we had to go. The show was the closing performance for their USO event they had been performing in the desert for our military. It was actually pretty awesome and the girls were entranced. The show was about an hour and a half. Certain girls were selected from each base to go up on stage and place a lei on the Colt girls as part of their finale. The coaches chose Tara since she missed the party. She talked non-stop on the way home and she caught a t-shirt and got all the girls autographs. I got major cool points for this one. I am now mommy guilt free!

We got Tyler and Trey's pictures in yesterday too. Tyler got a t-shirt with all three poses on the front. He slept in it last night and insisted on wearing it to school today. The pictures were great and I have posted them under More Photos Here. The USO show pics are there too!!

Happy Birthday Grandma Judy!

http://www.vidiLife.com/index.cfm?f=media.play&vchrMediaProgramIDCryp=6D2A50F2-F05F-4373-BCAC-5

Thanksgiving- Revisited

Our fire on a cold night

My neighbor Rey is in the USMC. He is married to Melissa and is the father of Asia, Cassidy and Rey Rey. He had a temporary duty assignment in Vietnam. His job was to actually go to various sites that the US had gained information about to look for any fragments/pieces/scrap metal etc of MIA soldiers. The story is pretty interesting. Hopefully their work will give some families some long deserved answers. He worked hard, lived wretchedly and missed his family greatly. When he returned, Melissa decided to cook him Thanksgiving dinner since he missed out on the self-imposed turkey gluttony. She created this feast on Sunday and being the good neighbor that she is, she included her neighbors and even brought the entire dinner here. She fixed a fabulous meal! She made a Jiffy cornbread stuffing that was wonderful and my personal favorite is her pumpkin roll. Kevin and Rey ate pumpkin roll till they were orange. All the kids thought it was wonderful to have such a fabulous feast and when we eat here, we put the kids in the kitchen while the adults enjoy some peace on the lanai. Rey brought over his fire pit so we had dinner by the fire side. It was actually 68* and breezy so we truly needed it! That's cold!! Thanks Melissa for another great meal and I can't wait to make Tamales at Christmas.

My friend Kelly's (Richmond Kelly as opposed to Florida Kelly) daughter recently tried out for all district band- and made it! She plays the french horn (along with piano and sax) and made 4th chair! Congrats Lexi!

Just for a laugh......Mike Furey saw Tara's pic on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was on his way out to buy a few copies! I told him not to bother because I had bought them all so he wouldn't be able to find any!!

LOL!

One more pic from our breakfast with Santa!

16 Days Till Christmas!

16 days till Christmas! Wow! We have seen the tree lighting ceremony on base, Saw Santa at Tyler's school, Santa was at the tree lighting, Santa was at the holiday party where we played in the snow and we had breakfast with Santa too! How many times will we see Santa this year? Really! Tyler is now convinced that Santa got rid of the sleigh and lost all of his reindeer. Why does he think this? Last year Santa showed up at Kevin's work in a leer jet. This year he keeps riding up in the fire truck with sirens screaming and horns blowing and lights flashing. Every time we ride past the fire station he wants to stop so he can go visit Santa. Makes sense to me. If he always arrives on the fire truck he must live at the fire station. Right? Poor kid. The best part of the Christmas season is the threat of toy deprivation based on behavior. "You better be good because Santa's watching you" really works. Although as soon as the sentence is spoken Tyler looks over both shoulders and up in the air as if he might actually catch Santa watching.
I was able to drag Kevin out shopping twice this week. He has done more shopping in the past few days than the entire time he has spent on the island. He really needs to leave the base more. He never has a clue where we are or how we got there. I think the holiday madness is beginning to take it's toll on him though. Every time he comes home from work he talks about a new det he might have to go on. I believe it's wishful thinking.
Tara has upcoming parties and she's getting very excited for her month break. She is already asking if we can do more hiking and go to the beach and go snorkeling etc etc. She has a fancy black sequined dress for her (oh so fancy!) cheering end of season party and she made the cover of Sports Illustrated. You can view the photos under links.
You may notice a lack of pictures of Trey. He doesn't want anything to do with the bearded fat man in the red suit. That will change next year I'm sure!

Snow in Hawaii???

What? Snow in Hawaii? Yes!! That's right! You're not looking at a picture from KC or Colorado. That's the basketball court across from Ft Hasse beach covered in two giant snow mounds. The Marines used their re-con know how and produced snow, even in Hawaii. The kids had a wonderful time throwing snowballs and sliding down the ice hills. Baby Trey just couldn't muster up the courage to jump right in so he enjoyed the fun from the sidelines. Those Marines can do anything!

Santa's Wonderland

Saturday was another busy day here on the island. Tara had a game at Pearl Harbor at 9am. Kevin didn't get back till 2am but there's no rest for the weary. We all piled in the van, picked up another cheerleader who needed a ride, and headed over the hill. Once we got there we discovered that one of the football teams was a no-show so we drove back over the hill and went to Santa's Wonderland. Santa's Wonderland is set up at Tyler's school every year. The admission is free with a Toy-for -Tots donation, and Santa is there for pictures along with different classrooms set up for activities. In the classrooms, you could make leis, Christmas ornaments, gingerbread men, treat bags, wreaths or get your face painted. If that wasn't enough they had 2 jumpy houses and a playground full of fun too. The kids all had a great time with just one small hitch. Kevin stood in line for Santa pictures. I took the kids to the different rooms for the activities. Tyler refused to get out of line. I don't know if he wanted to be with Dad or if he thought he may somehow miss Santa, but he wouldn't budge. He stood in line for an hour patiently waiting to see Santa. Personally, I was a little disappointed with Santa. They had a long line of people waiting and I understand there was a time crunch but..... it's Santa Claus. He didn't utter not one HOHOHO and he didn't ask any of the kids what they wanted for Christmas! What kind of commercialized crap is that? He's got to ask what they want for Christmas! They scooted them in, snapped a few pictures and moved on. Anyway, they all got pictures and they were all happy to see Santa, so if the kids were happy Mom was happy.
Kevin did the icicle lights last night while the kids and I finished the rest of the house. Whew! I can't believe it's done.....and we still have weeks left!

Tyler's School Pictures

Today was Tyler's very first "school picture" day. He was most excited. He just could not get out of this house fast enough. The photographers allowed siblings and Tyler was very pleased that he would be the only one having pictures taken with baby Trey. He smiled ever so sweetly upon demand and when they did the sibling shot he held onto his brother as only a true BIG brother could. He followed directions and his smiles were genuine. I believe the entire show he put on for the photographers was only for the reward offered. He talked about this tiny red brush/comb for days and when they placed this plastic trinket in his hands his face filled with joy and he treasured it as if it were the best McDonald's Happy Meal toy ever. Hey- whatever works!!

TGIF! Kevin comes home tonight, it's Macy's birthday (happy birthday Macy!) and we have a new little 5 year-old boy moving next door named Ty. Another little kid on the block- just what we need! I truly know I am a little warped, but I took great pride in snapping this shot of Trey crying today...hehehe! He's always laughing- I needed proof that he cries!

Cheer video

This is another video from cheer practices before opening ceremony. Just a short clip- I promise. I am trying to download these clips so that you can access them here rather than being linked elsewhere. But like everything else it is a work-in-progress. If I can get this figured out I'll use the video feature of my camera more often. Enjoy!

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Post-Thanksgiving Day Skit

Ms. Wolff's 1st grade class did a little show during this month's Citizenship Awards assembly. Tara was one of two narrators. If you click on the following link you should be able to view a short segment of their show!

http://www.vidiLife.com/index.cfm?f=media.play&vchrMediaProgramIDCryp=1563A423-5D1A-4219-B4C5-C

They were very cute and very proud of themselves. If the show wouldn't load here are some pictures:

Post-Turkey Day Update

Aloha! I am sure by now everyone has recovered from their self-inflicted turkey gluttony. This morning I actually threw out anything that was left, which wasn't much. Tara was greatly disappointed that we were out of the Thanksgiving ham. She asked if we could cook another so she could continue to have that ham on her sandwiches for lunch. I told her to wait a couple of weeks because Grandma Linda usually sends one of those awesome Heavenly Spiral Sliced Hams at Christmas (hint! hint!). Turkey Day was fabulous. The food was wonderful and, as it should be, there was way to much of it. We missed our family but we spent the day with lots of friends.
Congratulations goes to Pam for having the perseverance to sit at Walmart on the eve of black Friday. She was one the the 6 lucky shoppers to take home a 52in HDTV for $500.00. Way to go Pam! Tammy woke up early enough (with a little help from her brother) to get some good deals and shared the shopping experience with Darby and Macy. I also have heard about a dance involving Macy and an incredible black dress. Please send me a picture!!
I am going to pat myself on the back a little too. I have 95% of my shopping finished. I have a couple of small things to pick up but I am basically done! (Wow! This could be the year I actually have time to bake, but then again....) It's not even Dec 1 and my Christmas is just about done. My tree is beautiful, the lanai is festive and the reindeer are grazing in the front yard. Yeahhh me!
I finally gave in and went to the doctor Tuesday morning. I have a double ear infection and strep throat. I was sick for two weeks, on the mend for a week and a half and then woke up the day after turkey day miserable again. When I noticed my throat decorated with white spots I decided to give in and went to the doc. Hopefully, with the help of antibiotics, I'll be well soon. The lack of pictures is directly related to my misery.
Tara has a post-Thanksgiving Day skit at school tomorrow. She will be an Indian girl narrator and she has been reading and re-reading her part for weeks. I am sure there will be some pictures from that little performance.

New Baby!

Happy Birthday Ryan Dakota Harrington!!!!

We have been waiting and waiting and the day is finally here! Happy birthday baby Ryan! Our newest addition to the neighborhood was born today @ 527am, he is 19 inches long and weighed in at 7# 15 oz.He is absolutely beautiful and mom, dad and baby are all doing well. To see more pictures click the link to the right. Check back often because I am sure there will be many more pictures of this new bundle of joy!!

Long time no write

I apologize for not updating of late. I've thought about this and justified it in my brain and I shall lay it out for you in a numbered list.

1. I got a new laptop (HP entertainment notebook).
2. I have once again discovered music
3. I left for a quickie trip to the mainland

Well, the list is not quite as long as I had hoped. Let me see if I can expound on the listed items to make it seem more realistic for my long absence.
1. The new laptop. It is actually an early Christmas present to me and Kevin. He wanted one for his many trips so that he can view pics, web browse, games, etc. I have found that I spend lots of time on the computer. I am either battling with Tara and Tyler because they want to play their games or I am inside where I can't see the kids when they are out playing. Trey would rather be outside and he just can't be out there alone. Now, when one gets a new computer you can lose hours of time. I don't know how or why it happens but you lose precious hours of your life that you can't explain. I am sure you know what I mean so enough said.
2. Music!!! I don't know what happened to the person that I was before children, but I am slowly getting bits and pieces of her back. Case in point would be my love of music. I love alternative, classic rock, bluegrass, jazz, country, contemporary christian- all types of music! When I found out I was pregnant with Tara my music was closeted and I listened to kids music. Raffi, kids bop, Baby Einstien, Praise Baby, if it was designed for kids I listened to it. I still play them and sing songs with and for the kids but......I want to hear my old favorites too! (Wow! I feel like I just went to confession!) I discovered Limewire and I have downloaded hundreds of songs to the computer. I have lost 7 years of enjoying music. I have always been one to know titles and artists and I have almost an entire decade of music that just sounds familiar. So, I am having a rebirth. I want an Ipod and satellite radio and I want music in the house and in the car and on the the lanai and wow! Am I expressing how excited I am? Anyway, Limewire is of course on the web and downloading takes time which goes back to my point of losing hours on the computer. I think my renewed appreciation stems from the fact that I have my 3 kids. That is what I wanted- 3 beautiful children. I am happy and complete and I don't feel as if I am waiting for my next child. I can move on. Once and for all I can pack away baby blankets, bottles, bibs and all those items you save just in case. In the pursuit to be the best parent we can be, we lose a part of who we once were. I don't want her back completely, but it's nice to get the occasional glimpse.
3. My trip to the mainland is the last item that took up a great deal of time. The trip had been mentioned and I really wanted to go but I was, basically, waiting for permission. One hour before arrival time I got the call. I had found jeans and long sleeve shirts from the depths of my closet so I was ready. Melissa took responsibility for the kids and off I went. We arrived the following am and then I had a 3 1/2 hour drive from Andrews to Va Beach. I had that day to spend with my parents and Nanna and visit my Poppop and my dear Aunt Peggy. I also had to fit in dinner and shopping at Target (the shopping part was very important!). The next day we had to jump back in the car and head back to Andrews so that I could catch a 330 flight that never left until 700pm. I returned to my house about 330am Hawaii time. That left me completely zapped of all energy over the weekend. The trip was very fast but very worth it. Poppop was completely surprised and I hope I was able to lift his spirits and convey how much I love and care for him. Thank you Mom, Dad and Nanna for letting me visit even though I didn't have the kids and for being my chauffeur.
Happy birthday to those that we missed, including you Nanna, but especially to Grampa Barney. He turned 96 while tearing up the town in Vegas. Congrats and I hope your pockets are full!

Zoo Day!

Tyler, Trey and I went to the Honolulu Zoo today. It's not as big as the KC zoo, not as small as Norfolk. There were orangutans, lions, chimpanzees-all the animals you expect, but I was really impressed with their Keiki Zoo. The animal exhibits had small tunnels or some type of rope swing to climb or just something that made them completely interactive and kid friendly. Tyler had a blast climbing into the middle of a fish tank or climbing a rope ladder into the goat pen. I definitely see this becoming a frequently visited destination. Extra added bonus: it's at the end of Waikiki so as you leave the zoo, you walk along the beautiful beach and enjoy the view (it's also close to Sam's and Wal-mart!).
The night before I had vacuumed really well, so while the floors were still clean I wanted to mop. To make this as efficient as possible Kevin took all the kids out for a walk and to play. Baby Trey was able to get on the trampoline and Kev said he had a blast jumping with Ray Ray and Big Guy. We cooked kabobs on the grill, Kevin let Robert repeatedly beat him in darts and Tara had another night of cheering. After dinner Kev and I were sitting on the lanai and Trey was just spinning and "dancing" and laughing all by himself. He is such a happy baby. He laughs and smiles at everything. We are blessed!!
Tomorrow is another holiday for both the kids and Kevin. I am at work tonight and thinking about coming back again tomorrow, Veteran's Day, for the holiday pay. (The only problem is I'm on a med-surg oncology floor. It's a shocker to see patients that are sick and old when I'm used to healthy child- bearing women.) Hopefully Kev will think of something fun to do with the kids. The pool? Maybe the zoo again? The beach? It ROCKs to be able to do this stuff all year!!

Happy Day!

Happy birthday Mike! Poppop had surgery and came through just fine and Kevin's home!!! Yeeaah!! What a great day! I'm posting from work (yes I'm at work and it's still a great day!) so this is getting out later than I wanted. The kids were out of school for elections so Kevin and I took the kids and went to the beach. We all managed to get in some snorkeling and I even got to lay in the sand and soak up some sun. Kevin, being the fun Dad that he is, was pushing the big kids in on the boogie boards so they could "surf". This was the first Trey had been to the beach since he began walking. He has no fear. Walked straight for the water each and every time and would laugh as the waves lapped at his feet. He too shall be another welcomed water baby! Kevin was rolling a ball with him and as he chased it, he covered himself in sand from top to bottom and laughed the entire time. The kids had so much fun and they are always so excited when Dad comes home. I've been pretty miserable with my cold so I haven't done much but lounge on the couch (and take care of kids and play taxi) so Kevin was being Mr. Mom tonight. He washed clothes, cooked dinner and cleaned the kitchen. It is so nice to have him home. And did I mention I feel much better? Is there anything a trip to the beach can't fix?
Poppop had surgery. His docs had discussed the possibility of having a Garterstone procedure. (If anyone can tell me about range-of-motion after this procedure please e-mail me.) Fortunately, when they got him in the OR and were able to visualize his hip, they were able to do a simple replacement of the ball. He's got a lot of rehab to do but with lots of love and support I am confident he'll do just fine.
Grandpa Mike, one day we'll be around for your birthday. I'm glad the kids were able to sing to you but I promise you don't look like a monkey or smell like one too! Hope you had a great day!

Hey KC this pic is for you (thanks Amparo)!!!

Cosmic Forces

Have you ever heard of Sedona, Arizona? If you haven't it is a town nestled into the North West portion of the state. It is known for it's beautiful red rock formations. The red rock is actually sand stone and the entire area illuminates in brilliant reds and oranges with every rising or setting sun. Some call it the metaphysical center of the Earth. Whatever you feel about it- it is absolutely breath taking. When I visited, I took as a souvenir, a small piece of sand stone to remind me of the beauty that I saw there. That was 10 years, a marriage and 3 kids ago.
A few days ago my youngest child picked up my sand stone memory and hurled it across the room. I now have 3 rocks from Sedona. Just as dear, baby Trey was going to begin to pulverize the remaining pieces of stone- I saved them! They are now up high and out of reach.
Since Thursday I have been fighting a nasty cold. There is nothing worse than that feeling like your head will explode if you tilt it towards the floor. Friday wasn't too bad. Tara & Ty were both at school so Trey and I napped and became one with the couch. It was Saturday that I was dreading. Tara had a game over at Pearl. That's an hour and a half in the hot sun, chasing baby Trey and Tyler around while trying to keep an eye on the girls cheering so that I can, in good faith, congratulate Tara on their new stunts. But that is not what happened....
Tyler never misses an opportunity to go to cheering. Zach and Jake are Coach Angela's boys and that is the only place he gets to see them. Remember the mud ball pics? That's them! Anyway ,Tyler announced as we were getting ready to leave that he was going to stay here with Mr. Robert. I instantly said yes trying not to look too pleased. It's a 20 min drive to Pearl. Trey normally sleeps no more than an hour and he fell asleep almost instantly as we left the base. I pulled up to the field and I got rock star parking. First car, first row- I could see and hear everything the girls did as I sat in my air conditioned vehicle reading my book waiting for Trey to wake. Our girls didn't cheer at half time so they had the post game performance. As if on cue, Trey woke up about 5 minutes before the game ended. I strolled over, I watched the new routine, Trey sat in the stroller quietly drinking juice and then it was over. Completely painless! Enjoyable even.
Lucky day or the cosmic, metaphysical forces reverberating off that rock thanking me for not letting it become pulverized bits of dust? Uuuumm? Here's a picture of the little girls and their new stunt.

In the Navy...

Once upon a time, long, long ago I was in the Navy. Consuella, Barb, James and I went through boot camp, A-school and we were all sent to El Centro, CA for our first duty station. Suella sent me some pics that I ran across today while cleaning out my mailbox. For some reason I had to take pics of the pics, but they were too classic to resist. Barb is in Afghanistan doing security work, Suella is in Atlanta breaking hearts and James is in Texas still playing cowboy, only now he is showing the "ropes" to his son. Nothing exciting is happening here so I might as well send out a good laugh. Unfortunately there are more of these in the Navy set under More Photos.....Enjoy!

The rain is still falling. Day after day of rain is unusual for this time of year. The problem with rain here is that it's just rain. Rain should always be accompanied by loud cracks of thunder and bolts of lightening that sizzle and light up the sky. A brilliant, electrifying storm makes the rain okay in my book. Since we don't have cold weather here, rainy days tend to bring on those yearnings for chili and hot cocoa. The rain could also be categorized as torrential downpour, and even with an umbrella one still gets wet. Wet people in the air conditioner get colds which would be the reason I'm sitting here with a box of tissues, Alka-Selter Plus cold medicine and my small, but always treasured, bottle of Vick's Vapor Rub. The kids have fared pretty well. Tara did her one day of being "sick", Tyler had one night with a crummy tummy and baby Trey just has a runny nose. I am the last one to get sick so hopefully we are done!
I'm never sick so I don't do colds well. I feel grumpy, sleep deprived and of course I don't get sick till Kev is out of town. C'est la vie!
As of November 16th Tyler will be attending pre-school 5 days a week!! Yah hooo! It will be just the baby and me! If I am this excited now wait till baby Trey starts pre-school too! I won't know what to do with myself! I can go to the gym more, go to the beach, the pool, the mall even.... OOOOHHHHH! I can almost feel the glorious solitude! All in good time.
I think for now I'll go make some chili.

Halloween 2006

Rain, rain go away come again another day! Yep! It rained all day. Tara's school had a parade for the kids at 815. The school is a typical island school. All the classes are linked together by hallways but they are all outside. The parade was supposed to be around the track. Thanks to Mother Nature the kids walked around the school under the slight cover of the hallways. The kids had fun showing off and there were lots of cute costumes.

I worked the night before so the rain made for awfully good sleeping. I should make a note to self here. Never work the night before Halloween. Kevin had to assume the responsibility for getting Tara off to school in costume and the application of make-up and hair just doesn't come natural to him. The day in general just felt rushed. After I woke up it was a blur trying to get pumpkins carved, kids dressed, house straight and I was trying to help my neighbor for a birthday/Halloween party.

The party was from 3-6. Melissa did a great job with decorations and games. There was a tub of worms (noodles) to dig through for small prizes, bobbing for apples which they got to dunk in caramel and lots of spider webs, spooky music, cemetery style birthday cake and more. It was a great pre-cursor to trick or treating. We didn't have to listen to a repeating chorus of "Can we go now?". Kevin walked with the neighbors and all the kids. I stayed at home to give out candy and listened for the phone to ring. While carving the pumpkins I got a bit of bad news. My dear Poppop went in to the hospital. He has a hip that pops out quite a bit and this time they don't know if they can fix it. Everyone cross your fingers and say a prayer. We love you Poppop! Come home soon!

With everything that went on yesterday I didn't get the best pics.

Hope you all had a great Halloween!~

Bob the blurry Builder, the Angel with the appropriately crooked halo, and the Halloween kitty.

Pre Halloween- Tricked and Treated!

Tyler was very excited this morning. Today was the day he got to take goody- bags to school for Halloween. He was up at 7, dressed and ready to leave. His school doesn't start till 8:15. The night before he had sat and watched as I packed orange, black and purple bags with an assortment of spooky toys. I packed all 20 bags into another sac and he sat by the front door, holding the bag full of treats--waiting.
Tara woke and announced that she was sick. This is a child who is never sick. Sometimes she sounds as if she barely has any voice at all (Kevin calls this her "cool voice") and she will tell you that she feels just fine. So today when she said she was sick, I went through my mental checklist. Runny nose? Yes. Sneezy? Yes. Temperature? 100.4. Sick? No way! She played me! Okay, yes she may have a little cold but she wasn't sick. She stayed in her PJ's, wrapped like a mummy on the couch and (no joke!) watched TV for 7 hrs straight. She was laughing, singing and telling me how I needed to come watch this or make sure I record that. I dutifully brought in chocolate milk when requested and food for lunch. When she thought I wasn't looking she snacked on candy she secretly stole out of my candy cauldron waiting for All Hallows Eve's children. In my defense, we just had a parent/ teacher conference. Up to this point she hadn't missed a day or even been late. I'm going to call this a mental health day- everyone needs one of those!
By the way, Tyler made it to school and had a grand time passing out his treats.....

The Peanut Conspiracy

The peanut. Small crunchy, packed with protein. Yuum! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, peanut butter and crackers, peanut butter pie, peanut butter cookies, celery sticks with peanut butter, peanut butter and apples, pancakes with peanut butter- so many wonderful creations from a jar of peanut butter. Yum! Yum! Yum! Imagine my surprise when my daughter came home with a note from school announcing the horrors of peanuts. Peanuts and peanut products have been banned from her school. Think about that. Do you have any idea what that entails? If not, here is condensed list of what needs to be eliminated from the diet. http://kidshealth.org/parent/misc/nutallergy_cutout.html
No PB&J, no granola bars, no PB cookies- all of which are lunchtime favorites for kids and have been for generations. There are 848 kids enrolled at her school, 3 that have a peanut allergy. What about kids with latex allergies? No pens in schools! Dairy allergies? No milk at lunch time! Bee allergy? How about a giant bubble over the playgrounds to keep out those pesky stingers? I think this should get lumped in with the same idiots that are taking the Pledge of Allegiance (or yes, even prayer) out of schools. Isn't our country founded on the principles of democracy? To me, this would mean majority rules. We shouldn't have to cater to the needs of 3 out of 848 kids! I'm sorry but if little Susie goes to a party of 30 people, I hope little Susie's mother doesn't expect to be coddled. I would hope that little Susie's mother was vigilant in educating her child in what she can and cannot do. Ooops! I just implied that the child's parent should be responsible for the child! Oh my! That was a major faux pas in today's society. Today people want the government to be responsible or take care of their problems, or in this case it would be the DOE. I should probably contain myself though, those peanut haters might decide to include me in some multi-million dollar frivolous lawsuit.
Look- I am not a complete ogre. If you want to set up a table in the cafeteria that is peanut free...be my guest. I am not an uneducated moron either. I know how reactions occur and the risks involved. It would probably be a good idea to have an epi pen in case some type of emergency situation does happen. Haven't kids with bee allergies been doing this for years? The idea that a school can police the lunches and snacks of all students, faculty and staff for any products containing peanuts infuriates me. What is the problem?? What did the peanut do?
In a show of support for the peanut, I have chosen to buy all bags of candy containing peanuts that I can find. I will open my door on Halloween to the chorus of "trick-or-treat" and I will proudly give out handfuls of those delicious, peanut containing candies.

Halloween Fun

Saturday mornings are always a little nutty when Tara has a game on the other side of the island. It doesn't help when Kevin has to "run to work real quick", I am on an early morning cleaning rampage, the kids need baths, Trey has a runny nose and a friend's child is at the house that we will be taking to the game with us. Did I mention they all need to eat, get dressed, brush their teeth etc, etc.? We all get ready and leave the house every morning, why is it that Saturdays are crazy? I'll tell you why- it's my mothers fault!! The only difference between a Saturday and any other day is a genetic defect passed on from my mother that expects me to clean the house. Now, please don't get me wrong, this doesn't happen every Saturday but when the mood strikes- yikes!!!! Just call me Linda- my head spins and fangs show. So....eventually the kids were dressed, ready and fed, my house was cleaned (thanks Mom!) and we made it to Pearl Harbor, on time, for the game which occurred without incident. The island has a pumpkin patch and since Halloween is quickly approaching and I love to carve pumpkins off we went. There were ponies to be ridden, fields to search for just the right pumpkin, small farm animals to pet and lots of Kodak moments. If you want to see all the pictures find the 2006 Halloween Fun set at More Photos Here! When we left we were all starving so we went to Chuck E. Cheese. We fed them, gave them lots of tokens and then sat back and watched as they ran from one machine to the next on a quest to be the one to get the most tickets out of one machine!!! It is nice to be able to watch without having to actively participate. Peace for Mom and Dad....

Tara was recognized with the Citizenship Award for the month of October for Ms. Wolff's 1st grade class. Way to go!! We all gathered in Mokapu's cafetorium for her assembly Thursday morning. She walked to the stage, shook the principle's hand and then turned around and beemed with pride. We were offered punch and cookies (peanut free of course) after the ceremony and as we were all leaving Tyler said "love you Tara!". Even Big Guy was proud of his sister.

Tyler has been reading a special Halloween book with his teacher. There are several pumpkins in the story but his favorite is the lumpy, bumpy pumpkin. I found one while shopping and presented it to the boy. He carried it off like a treasured toy and gave it a position of prominence in the living room. I wonder how he's going to react on carving day?

Earthquake day has come and gone but I still have e-mails to answer so I'll address it here. They say that animals, especially dogs, inherently know when quakes are about to occur. I am convinced I must be part dog. After being awake till 4am, for some reason, I popped awake at 7:05. It was the kind of "popped awake" where your mind is racing, and you have a sense of panic that makes you want to run through the house making sure everyone is breathing. Couple minutes later the quake happened. See? Part dog- explains it for me! The first one hit hard and lasted. I was holding my breath in anticipation of the crashing noises I would hear as all of our stuff fell off walls or vibrated off the shelves. When it was over I ran downstairs and asked all the kids if they felt it. Nothing was out of place and everyone was ok. Half of them were still sleeping soundly (we were having a sleepover). I turned on the news and the next one hit. Then we lost power. We spent the day with friends and neighbors. We all gathered at my house and cooked on the grill all day. I had my small AM radio, a hurricane lamp, lots of candles, tons of water, extra propane- I thought it might be a couple of days before they restored power to the entire island. The day passed without incident. The lights came back on around 9pm. It was actually a good day. It was an event that pulled friends together and we all hung out, played games and enjoyed each others company.

Fall Break

Year round school. Sounds frightening doesn't it? Ask at the end of the year again, but so far, we like it. The kids have a 2 wk fall break, a week for Thanksgiving, a month at Christmas, 2 wk spring break, 6 weeks for summer and lots of 3 or 4 day weekends scattered throughout the year. The weather is always beautiful here so a break any time is reason for an outing. If we were on the mainland, I think I would like it even more. When you live far from loved ones, vacations are not true vacations but whirl-wind trips to stay with one family or the other. You are rushed from one scheduled visit to another trying to see as many people as time will allow. Year round school gives you more options. The traditional summer vacation can be added to a week camping in the mountains during the fall, or you have extra time over Christmas to enjoy some skiing without being pressed for time due to the holiday rush. The idea is that you have time to visit family and have a pleasure trip too. (Not that visiting family isn't a pleasure!!!) Tara just had her fall break 2 weeks ago. (Right after Dad left for his latest trip to Italy, Germany, yes- Germany in Oct., Prague, etc, etc.) The kids had 12 days off. Some of those were spent hanging out close to home but we did lots of day trips too. We finally went to Hawaiian Waters. We had been so busy doing island stuff that we had no desire to visit a water park. Big mistake! The kids had sooo much fun. We went with friends who have kids the same ages, so Christa & Tara, Joshua & Big Guy, and Nikki and I and our babies, all had a blast. I was in the pools sliding down slides and splashing and having such a good time I forgot to break out the camera. Who knew?

My dear neighbor Melissa talked us in to hiking up to the Mokapuu Lighthouse. She swore it was just a 1/2 mile. Uuuumph. Mile and a half, straight up, with 8 kids and 4 adults. Unfortunately for me, Tyler wanted to join Trey in the baby jogger. That's a lot of weight to push straight up hill. After lots of huffing and puffing and sweat covering us from head to toe, we reached the summit. We all made it without experiencing true physical injuries. The views we found were incredible. We could see the windward coastline one way and up to Diamond Head in the opposite direction. The island of Molokai was outlined in the distance too. We enjoyed the views our efforts had provided us and then we had to go back down.........

Another awesome adventure we had was thanks to Tina and Ron. They came to visit back in September and borrowed my copy of Oahu Revealed. Kevin and I spotted a turtle when we were snorkeling in K-Bay but we have been looking and looking ever since. Tina found a page in the book that talked about Lanikea beach or Turtle beach as the locals have labeled it. The beach is on the North Shore and Tina, Ron and the kids saw turtles in the water and turtles in the sand and we did too. Turtles, turtles- everywhere. I think they live there. The beach is covered with algae covered rocks and the algae attracts the turtles like an ice cream truck does kids. So far this year round school stuff has been a blast- and add this to your list of things to do!!

Shrimp Truck Plate Lunch

Anyone wondering why shrimp truck plate lunch is in my web address? Well, if you know me, you know food should probably be listed as a hobby. If I go on vacation the one item I want as a souvenir is a cookbook. The food here is an eclectic blend that is derived from the many cultures found here on the island. Musubi, Poke, Sushi, Kailua Pig, Malasadas- my list could go on and on. When you visit here it is a must that you drive to the North Shore. Stop in at the Dole Plantation for a pineapple flavored treat and maneuver the maze or relax on a train ride. Meander through Haleiwa to explore the surf shops and have a shaved ice. Stop and watch the beautiful and sometimes turbulent beaches of Waimea, Pipeline and Sunset, which is considered the surfing capital of the world. Take time to snorkel the many coves and reefs at Shark's Cove (the sharks don't really live there!). As you pass the Turtle Bay Resort, this is when you really need to start paying attention! The shrimp ponds will begin to replace the views of the awesome coastline. Normally, this would be a bad thing, but sprinkled around the ponds are the shrimp trucks which I crave. The trucks vary and in time I hope to try them all. Two of my favs are Giovanni's and Aloha Chef. A shrimp truck is just as it sounds. A truck on the side of the road with some sort of picnic-type area around it. There is nothing fancy here. Your order will be served in a styrofoam box with a plastic fork rolled up in one single napkin. I think the lack of ambiance is just part of it's charm. But the smells- the smells will unwilling make saliva form copious amounts within your mouth and your stomach will begin growling in anticipation of this island treasure. The menu is sparse, usually including a garlic shrimp scampi, a lava shrimp and maybe 1 or 2 variations. You will receive 10-12 large shrimp and a pile of rice. (Did I mention rice comes with everything here? Rice is for a whole other post...... ) The shrimp scampi is prepared with chunks of whole garlic and the shrimp are hot and fresh and the buttery concoction is drizzled over a heaping bed of hot rice. Yum! The lava shrimp is hot and spicy and if I could duplicate these recipes in my kitchen I could leave the island without fear.


So, when you come here... go everywhere, taste the many different foods the island has to offer but do not miss the shrimp trucks. If it has not become glaringly obvious these are my most favorite of island fares and for which the address was born. Is anyone else now hungry?

Kathy, Tom, Barney, Judy and Rose Marie

Today is the day. I have talked about setting this up and now is the time. I am isolating myself at my desk but this will be done today! Wow! I can scratch this off my list....
Yesterday began very early. Tara had an opening ceremony for football/cheerleading which began at 0830. The event occured at Hickham AFB which is on the other side of the island. The hot side. This cheerleading stuff can be "all consuming". We (the moms) have painted, glittered, re-glittered and applied sealant to a 5 gallon bucket that our aspiring little girls will use as stools as they cheer. Uum? What happened to standing and cheering as you rally the stands in support of the game? Anyway, the 3-4 weeks of practice 3x a week for an hour and a half paid off. Our girls looked wonderful and had quite a perfomance!

The entire armed services from Oahu was there to show off their football players, cheerleaders, coaches and staff. Each group perfomed a routine and those important to the Youth Activities program were recognized. A final pass and review was done and then it was over. The coaches presented the girls with a lei and that inspired more picture taking. One thing I always enjoy with anything military. An event, even a movie, begins with the Parading of Colors (the flag) and the National Anthem. Two little girls from Hickam sang the Anthem with such pride it brought tears to my eyes. I enjoy that aspect of miltary activities. It inspires pride and respect and that is a good thing.

The day was not finished there. Tara had a game at noon. They were able to then use those beautiful buckets!! The real story here was not how cute and adorable my little girl was, but how nasty and dirty the boy got. The boy would be Tyler. Trey is still dubbed the baby. It has rained here lately which created lots of puddles, muddy puddles. A football? Mud puddles? Little boys stuck at their sisters game with nothing to do? I am sure you can connect the dots here..... In case your curious, my husband was the one throwing the ball to the boys- and the one that walked Tyler home.