where have you *been*??

Funny, I was (am) soooo far behind, I just didn't even know where to start, so I was considering just not blogging anymore. But that would suck since this will be my kids' only record of their childhood since pictures are never developed at my house and the word journal is not yet part of their vocabulary. I'm sure Scouts or Faith in God will take care of that or something, I know it's not gonna be me... 

Now I'm in the midst of my love/hate relationship with WorldFest (no, pretty much hate) and I want to be doing *anything* but that, so I urgently, desperately wish to blog again. Alas, not gonna happen for another week and 12 hours. Here's some recent good news though, can't decide which one I like better:

Chenzilla. Do you get to tell your kids to change the name they chose? Will that break their little spirits? I couldn't decide, so Chenzilla it is. We call him Chen.

The above pink carpet is part of this. Pink. Don't care at all, and strangely, don't even think about having a little girl anymore.

It's been a pretty good, um, seven months.

attitude adjustment

My *someone at work* is getting on my every last nerve.

I seriously need to be grateful to even have a job.

Speaking of jobs, T has some exciting changes on the job front and we are soooo happy to have our dad/husband back-ish. He still has to teach three evening classes for another 8 weeks or so but after this term, he's pretty much back to normal hours. Wow, my boys are sick of me. When the evenings consists of:  

running up to Auntie's house to pick up Keo, getting back around 7pm, fitting in dinner somewhere in there (eating out a WHOLE lot more than is remotely healthy), checking homework (the bane of my existence - I'd better be a stay-at-home mom by junior high), baths, chores, scriptures, prayer, karate, scouts, blah blah blah, then after they're in bed, laundry, cleaning, lunches for the next day (only Keo & mine, I've completely let go of my once honorable determination to send my kids to school with healthy lunches and have gagged as I pay the monthly bill for school lunches), pack Keo's bag for Auntie, sorting mail, bills, blah blah blah 

 *anyone* would be sick of me. The weekend rolls around and the hubby is all excited to do something fun, while I'm wiped out and the kids just want their DAD! It's been an interesting first third of the year.

So work stress is not my top priority nor do I have the patience for something that is merely keeping me from my babies. K, it does pay a substantial amount of bills but I have found very little gratitude for that in my overly-blessed life. Figures.

So I am in need of an attitude adjustment. Nothing that a lil' blog stalking can't fix. This blog is so much fun! I don't particularly love bugs but I saw it on "blogs of note" and it makes me happy for some reason. Then sweet Jul makes any day more peaceful. Through her blog, I found this one (haha, look at the April 23rd post). And Ms. NieNie just percolates happy.

I found one more quote on Rhonna's blog that really struck me:

You can do anything

but not everything

-David Allen

Love this. I can't do everything, only attempt to do it all and do it all halfway. And poorly.

Ahh, we all have stuff we don't love. I suppose that's life. So it's freezing outside but it's beautiful. I'm meeting my much free-er husband and so stinkin' perfect(-ly spoiled) baby for lunch and I think somewhere in there I'll find my smile and figure that my work will get done, somewhat, and that we are all healthy, happy and loved.

I have new pictures of my kiddos which would make anyone happy in my very-not-objective opinion and am sooo excited to try and locate my camera & camera cards so that I may post and brag. Someday. The kids are getting cuter and giant-er.

i like this...

http://101happypeopleproject.blogspot.com/

and this...

http://tippingbucket.org/

having a lovely day?

i am.

*****

 

i learned from some of my students today:

i found out today that Palestinians aren't the touchy-feely sort; a lovely girl in my office from Jerusalem said it's bewildering to her when people rub others' backs or when girls put their arms around their friend's waist, and things of that sort. so i gave her a big hug. yeah. i'm that sensitive. she laughed cause she's used to my obnoxiousness...

i found out that there's no "rule" in Slovenia like there is here that the flag should not touch the ground. i think that may be rare. Mexico and Brazil have the same aversion to the flag touching the ground as Americans do. i bet most countries do.

*****

 

also, it's my grandma's 84th birthday today! i love this woman that i see about once every 10 years. she is the cutest lady. she will tell you every single detail of an experience she had. every. single. detail. my sister and i used to laugh at it when we were young and now i *love* that characteristic. she's a neat lady. she never had the opportunity to finish high school and then she had TEN children so there never was a chance for her to go back and finish later. but she decided, when she was 69 years old (!), that she was going to get her GED. and she did. and she's awesome.

she gives and gives and loves and loves.

she would elbow my sister and me when we were giggling during church services, which would make us giggle more, but quietly.

happy birthday grandma!

love this:

"There is surely a piece of Divinity in us, something that was before the Elements, and owes no homage unto the Sun. Nature tells me I am the Image of God, as well as Scripture: he that understands not thus much, hath not his introduction or first lesson, and is yet to begin the Alphabet of man." 

Sir Thomas Browne

happy day...

I *love* St. Patrick's Day. 

This morning I made the boys green eggs and spam. Have you ever had spam? I hadn't until I married into a family with strong ties to Hawaii, where it seems to be one of the main food dishes. It's not bad. Anyway, back to the subject. Kai & Jo came to the kitchen happy as can be. 

What is it with this holiday? There's no particular treat or gift or day off, but kids just love it!

It's probably the chance to pinch your brother or the even more attractive chance to pinch your brother ten times because you purposely wore your shirt inside out, hiding the green, and got pinched by the little squirt and now you get to get back at him.

...I don't know, that may just be my house.

But the kids offered zero complaints this morning as they got ready. They just love this day; it's so cute to me.

K, focus, Kiki.

So anyway, this morning Jo comes to the kitchen, checks out his plate and observes, "green eggs and spam, but only the eggs are green. I'm ok with that."

Lucky, I guess. :)

*****

Keo has added to his bossiness, "stop being a bossy cow!" Then, in a warning voice startlingly like mine when I've counted to three with him then three again because I'm lazy and he's spoiled, "you gonna go time ouuut."

*****

On my way back from lunch today, I scored the best parking spot in the lot, which makes my whole day.
Normally.
But today what made my whole day is that I saw Stephanie Nielson! *And* I was brave enough to go knock on the poor woman's car window, make her roll it down, and tell her how much I love her blog. She has the most beautiful, classy air about her! She acted like a stranger knocking on her car window wasn't creepy, but normal. She thanked me and then straightaway complimented me about something. During the 30-second exchange, two of her little boys popped up to the front from the back seat to tell me, "hello!" so happily I couldn't help but laugh. Their spirits matched their mom's.

I've seen celebrities before (Angelina Jolie is seriously as beautiful in real life as in movies. We saw her at a film premier in Hollywood and she stopped to tickle my Jojo's foot (he had just barely turned one and was *adorable*) in passing through the crowd. T actually said - out. loud. - that we would never wash that foot again. I did. That night. Hollywood is not a clean place.) and thought it was cool.

We spotted Sandra Bullock at the airport some years ago and I thought that was neat.

But this was awesome.

This woman is an inspiration, and in real life, she is so beautiful!

I wanted to just stand there as long as she would put up with it and ask her to share her wisdom, faith, and perspective with me. Instead I decided that she probably has many, many claims to her time, so I let her be and went back to work. If you haven't read her blog or heard her story, you'll love it.

Smiling.

That really made my day.

Happy Lucky Day!

...let the *sunshine* in...

i ran across this on the most fabulous rhonna designs website:

you know people who are just happy to be? i love those people.

******

ahhh, it's not acting like Spring these days but i sure am feeling it! time to cheer up, and sweep out the little dust bunnies of winter blues, i'm thinking. whether winter is done or not...

t and i are dying to get away...just for a minute. he's working like crazy and the kids are sick of school and i'm sick of trying to figure out what to cut in order to get through each day somewhat successfully.

can't cut homework; that comes back at you.

can't cut scriptures and prayer; our family may just make it because of that.

can't cut bathtime; the big boys have the perfectly-named-by-my-sister-in-law "recess smell" *all* the time and keo thinks bath time is the best thing ever - he cries when i take him out.

can't cut karate; they finally love it.

it's settled then: i'll have to cut housework.

;)

anyway, when i saw yesterday that costco finally got the BIG tent that they carry each year, i was soooo excited. it's a little posh for our tastes, but i'm willing to sacrifice and be one of those ridiculous campers who i normally laugh at for their idea of "roughing it." :)

so that's to be t's birthday gift and i can't wait to use it!

(hope he's as excited as me or i may feel a touch guilty...)

yeah, we gotta get away. and soon.

******

the other day after karate, we stopped for ice cream cones at mcd's since the boys' cousin kea was visiting. the conversation between these kids is pretty much always quotable. this one was particularly ridiculous. kai was teasing jo and jo was getting very upset:

kai (in a singsong-y voice): "I gave Jojo a wedgie!"

jo (huge scowl): "You're so stupid, Kai!"

mom: "K, you're getting upset when it's not worth it at all. Just tease back or something. Tell him he doesn't even know how to give wedgies or something." (yes, i know. lame. but it was the best i could come up with on the spot.)

jo (determined now): "Yeah, Kai! To give a good wedgie, you have to rip the underwear!"

mom: "k, new topic..."

and while we're on sassy little boys, keo's favorite thing to say these days is, 

"hey [jojo/kaikai/mom/dad]! stop being bossy cow!" 

he is without question the bossiest of my boys.

******

long overdue...

...and random. and in no particular order...

some recent pictures of my little men

 

 Christmas program at church

 happy boys on Christmas Eve

 possibly my most favorite picture ever.

 keo's favorite 2nd (!!!!!) birthday present: a lego thomas the tank engine set from grandma & grandpa in Seattle!

 "um, is that for me? really?"

 my big boy two year old with grandma & grandpa.

 best buddies.

 we have learned (not right after this episode - we're slow that way) to keep the kids' toothpaste far, far away from keo. it came out of the pillow but not out of the area rug.

 reading books...

 kai at karate (we couldn't find his brown belt and he was anything but thrilled to wear his orange one...)

 does he look excessively old to anyone else??

 the boys' favorite Christmas gift: pogo sticks!

getting their brown (with yellow stripe) belts!

 keo *loves* cool phones. he also loves auntie "vin" as he calls her.

 auntie vin :)

 warming up with mom.

 no explanation.

 ramen boy just like his brothers.