Let's go fly a kite

It was a long day with two fussy kids today.  Ethan is wanting to be held most of the day--due to his sore mouth from his fall as well as him cutting another tooth.  I opted to take them to campus an hour early to pick up Doug to walk around.  Thankfully, there were a few guys flying some massive kites right by Doug's office.  It was captivating (for me as well) with a little goldfish ("fishies!"). 

It was still a thrill when ''daddy" came out to meet us.  Ethan ran toward him screaming and smiling.  It was one of those moments that take your breath away.

The perfect Halloween evening. We didn't trick or treat, but Doug can't wait until next year.  I, on the other hand, can wait.  :-)

Man oh man

After Ethan's big fall on Monday, I wasn't prepared for more injuries.  But, I guess it doesn't matter if I am prepared or not.  Wednesday, I went into Kaneohe (about 40 min away) to meet Amanda Kunz and her cute boys to play.  After I was nearly there, she called to say the bridge was closed and she couldn't make it.  I decided to venture on to the park alone.  I pulled up at the park Amanda had found online with a playground and felt a little nervous.  There were a lot of rough looking people in the fenced in playground area and I saw no children playing.  I took them out of the car thinking I was just being silly but the nagging worry didn't leave.  As I was shutting the sliding door to the minivan, I was looking toward oncoming traffic (I had parked on the side of the road) and slammed Sydney's arm in the door.  It was awful.  I felt horrible.  I consoled her and then opted to find another park.  They weren't excited to get back in the van...at all.

That night, I started making dinner and Doug was playing with the kids outside.  Ethan fell down our porch steps on his bike to the concrete slab--face first.  After 40 minutes of intense crying and profuse bleeding, he finally settled.  He refused dinner and we couldn't even see what was going on inside of his mouth due to all the blood.  He finally ate some yogurt, hummus (on a spoon!), and drank milk for dinner.

The next day proved to be full of doctor's waiting rooms.  He bled most of the night from his mouth and I could tell that he had bit his bottom lip pretty hard and his chin was scraped up. His two front teeth appeared to have been 'shoved' (medical term, I'm sure.) up into his gums. After waiting for 90 minutes at the student health center, I was told to go see a Pediatric Dentist in Kaneohe.  After many phone calls to our insurance and dentist, we woke E&S from their nap and drove to Kaneohe.  Doug took a sick day for the rest of the day to come with me (so nice to have that flexibility as his client had not shown and he had planned for 3 hours of testing and then the rest of the day to write up the report--miracles do happen).

We left with fairly good news.  The teeth didn't have any cracks (on the x-ray that Ethan LOVED to have taken) and were told the teeth would most likely turn grey but wouldn't fall out.  I've accepted that all family photos until he loses his front teeth won't be very cute, but glad he'll be able to chew his food!

I tried to get him to show his teeth for a photo on Friday, but he didn't understand me.  He thinks his teeth are his tongue.  He looks a bit vampire-ish with the two front teeth jammed up in his gums. Nice look, don't you think?

Doug is nearly finished with a large portion of his internship applications (hooray!), but needed to work Saturday.  I hit the road with the kids in the early morning to meet Kevin and Amanda Kunz and their boys at a pumpkin patch near Honolulu.  After the 1 hour drive, they were eager to run around and I considered it therapeutic because they were getting filthy dirty. I am such a pansy about my kids getting dirty.  Yuck. 

Maybe the therapy wasn't totally successful, because when we arrived home, I put them down for a nap and scoured our minivan (washed and vacuumed) as well as the jogging stroller.  I also washed our landlord's car for letting me use their hose, driveway, and soap.  It took me two hours.  I was in a serious mood to clean.

What started as a Sunday afternoon walk...

Ended with two very wet kids!  We don't take advantage of the beach in our backyard nearly enough.  We decided to take a walk on the beach this afternoon and it was a beautiful evening.  Doug walked along the water with Sydney and Ethan screamed when it came close to him.  Soon enough, Sydney was wet and we decided to just let her play.  It turned into a fabulous time and I ran back to the house to grab the camera.  They were having a blast!

I snapped a photo from our back porch. Doug is such a good dad--it was sweet to capture it on camera.

Ethan even got in the water for a chance to throw rocks and make a splash. 

He always threw his arms over his head...

and then let out a yell.  Over and over.

They couldn't get enough of walking on the rocks and then returning to the water.

Pooh and Tigger

We found some great costumes at Savers and were excited to break them out for our ward Trick or Treat.  Ethan was less than thrilled with the hat for his costume.

We tried the 'trick or treating' part of the activity, but they had no idea what was going on and have never eaten candy before.  So, needless to say...they weren't too interested.

They were interested, however, in the music that was playing near the building.  They could have danced all night long if we let them.  We pulled them into the car crying because they wanted to dance.

Nainoa

My friend, Maeva, called and asked if her son, Nainoa (pronounced Neigh-Noah), could hang out with us Tuesday morning so she could work at the elementary school.  I jumped at the chance for a little play date with their friend.  Ethan and Sydney were so excited. His mom is Tahitian and his dad is Hawaiian...it shows because he's 15 months and way bigger than Ethan and Sydney.  He's so mild-mannered and adorable.

Happy Monday

This week started with a bang, literally. We arrived home from our morning at the park and Ethan hopped on his bike and I ran inside with some wet clothes that had been left in the car for a few days.  I dropped them in the laundry basket and heard a loud bang and ran outside to find Ethan face-first on the back of a chair that had fallen over.  I picked him up to find a HUGE goose egg on his forehead above his left eye.  Poor kid, but man...he's fast. The bruise later grew to cover half his forehead.

We went to pick up Doug on campus that evening and opted to eat in the cafeteria for the first time all together.  We were in line getting our food when a man stopped Doug as if he knew him.  Dan Leavitt, a man from Doug's mission, is here visiting his kids who are attending the university and recognized Doug right away.  We ended up sharing a table and he was GREAT at entertaining Ethan.  Almost too much because Ethan loved his attention and was being so funny.  It was hillarious--dancing and laughing for the entire room.  Wish a photo could do it justice.

At 9:30 pm, I got dressed in my Sunday best and headed to the temple for cleaning.  It was pretty funny to get dressed up to go clean.  The skirt was actually pretty problematic. 

The temple at night is breathtaking here with the waterfall appearance coming down from the temple.  Beautiful.  I was home around 11pm after a shorter shift than I anticipated. 

Kneeling

Scriptures and prayer and a big part of our lives, and especially our bedtime routine.  Just a few days ago Doug said to me, "I think it's time we start kneeling and saying family prayer with the kids instead of holding them and praying by their cribs."  I was shocked because I didn't think they would be able to kneel and fold their arms at this age.  However, just last week, we started having them "read" the scriptures with us instead of us just reading to them.  They responded so well and I was totally surprised.

After only a few days of encouraging them to kneel next to us, Sydney spontaneously slipped off of my lap (after she had just finished "reading") and knelt down and folded her arms.  I was stunned.  Ethan followed suit all before Doug and I were still reading the scriptures.  Amazing.  I realize that I often underestimate their abilities and what they can comprehend.

Ethan's initial version of 'folding his arms' was straightening and stiffening his arms and rotating them slightly.  Too funny.

I guess it's never too early to teach your child to pray.  So glad Doug had the thought to teach them.  Wow.

Downpour

We encountered a serious rain storm on Sunday.  We used our newly-purchased umbrella to walk to our car after church, and it was only 2 spots away from the door!  After spending the entire day indoors, Doug decided to play in the rain with Ethan and Sydney.  I walked out to find two VERY happy, wet kids.

We paused from our dancing in the rain for a family photo in the backyard.

I was reluctant to get all wet, but Sydney's smile was worth all of it...and the clean-up!

If You're Happy and You Know it

Yikes. I taught Ethan and Sydney this song and have gotten pretty creative about all the things they can do "if they're happy".  If you're happy and you know it:
- clap your hands
- stomp your feet
- shout hooray!
- kick your feet
- say woof woof
- blow a kiss
- say meow
- brush your teeth
- run over there

As you can tell, this song has started to come in handy for things they don't enjoy.  Here's a few others they've enjoyed.  If you're happy and you know it:

...shout hooray!

...ride a wave.

...get your own board.

...hop in a box.

...read a book.

...fall face-first in the sand with your mouth open.  (that one is a little long)

...get pulled on a boogie board at Hanauma Bay.  (thanks Kevin Kunz for pulling them)

The last photos were taken at Hanauma Bay yesterday.  We had a great time with Kevin and Amanda Kunz and their kids Max and Andrew.  We took turns snorkeling and watching the 4 kids.  It was a great time and the kids were worn out!  We kept them awake the entire hour drive home singing, mostly "If You're Happy and You Know it". 

Here's a few other great shots from Hanauma Bay with the Kunz family.

Play with that kid's toy

One of the things I love about the islands is the chill atmosphere.  A few examples we've seen so far:
1. I go to the park everyday completely sweaty and nasty directly after a jog and don't even care - no one else does either.
2. You can show up to church wearing just about anything and people don't look at you differently.
3. I used to be upset if I didn't brush and style E&S hair before we were out in public, but after seeing kids playing barefoot with just a diaper on as clothing, I decided to chill out a little.
4. I think I have worn make-up less than once per week and really have forgotten about it because no one else is wearing it.
5. At the playground, kids leave their toys there and they are okay for anyone to use.  At first, I kept telling E&S not to touch toys at the park because "they aren't ours" but soon discovered that those same toys were there day after day and new kids were playing on them every time.  They now play with those toys and have found their favorite ones.

I love the times when they play together without me stepping in to make that happen.  It is precious.

a TWO seater

After starting back to my running again, we are back in our normal routine of a jog, the park on campus, and then home for play time and lunch.  Tuesdays are usually a play day around our house and I skip this routine.  Doug is now working feverishly on his applications for internship for Summer 2012-Summer 2013, so although today was his day off, he spent the day in his office with the "Do not disturb" sign out. 

I made an amazing discovery at the park. These swings fit TWO little kids in them!  I am usually rotating children on the swing because there is only 1 of this type.  Ethan and Sydney were pretty happy with the discovery as well.  This must be why there are two set of leg holes!

Please do not feed the chickens

There is something strange about this island and chickens. They wander in the streets in flocks.  I walk out of the grocery store near campus and there are 3 chickens walking right in front of the doors.  Bizarre. 

Today we went for a Sunday afternoon drive to the botanical gardens in Kaneohe. We had planned on a drive up a nearby canyon, but were stopped at a dead end.  We did, however, spot a wild boar walking along the side of the road.  I couldn't get my camera out fast enough before he darted out of sight.

It was about a 40 minute drive to Kaneohe although only 21 miles away.  The windy roads with a top speed of 40 MPH makes for long travels to get anywhere.  When we arrived, the gate said "closed at 4 pm" and were felt deflated.  I told Doug that it looked like we could walk in through an obvious opening in the fence, although the road was closed.  We felt like rebels for a few steps until we encountered many people walking through and discovered it was allowed.  We saw a sign instructing us to not feed the chickens and thought it was hillarious.  

It was a beautiful walk.  We fed Ethan and Sydney dinner as we walked.  We wished that we could have seen more but it is dark here around 6:45 pm, so we needed to walk back to the car after going about 1 mile or so.  There were several chickens and roosters we spotted along our walk.  If you look closely, you might spot one in the photo where Ethan is in hot pursuit.

We live here...really

We met Doug on campus today and went to a park for lunch.  It's rare when Doug takes an early 11 am lunch, but when he does we love to play.  Ethan and Sydney nap at noon here, so lunch must come early.  We went to a play set by the temple that is identical in setup to the one where they play almost every morning.  The university has several of these sets around campus housing.  So awesome.  The public parks are mostly grass around here, no play equipment, so this is so nice!  I snapped a photo to show the temple in the background.  So beautiful!

On our way to the park, I got a call from the doctor with my MRI results.  I have NO TEAR in my meniscus.  This is evidence that prayers are heard.  All my symptoms pointed to a tear, so I feel very lucky.  He said the tendons and ligaments looked fine also and I can return to running when I feel ready.  He said there was some fluid behind my knee still in the MRI so perhaps I had formed a cyst that burst.  I am just so happy that I can run again, I don't need surgery, and I can play while I am here!  It is still stiff and somewhat painful, but my range of motion is coming back and changing diapers is getting a little easier each day.  I think I'll take a short run this next week and see how it feels.  Woo hoo!!

After playing in the sun, they took an extra long nap--4 hours!  I didn't know what to do with myself once 2.5 hours passed.  I went out on the patio by the ocean and made some calls for work.  I was interrupted by a couple asking me to call for help because they saw a sea lion that looked like it needed help just 30 feet or so away from our house on the rocks.  I was shocked (and excited) and made a few calls before discovering that this is normal behavior and it was in fact a Hawaiian monk seal.  I snapped a few photos to send to the wildlife 'people' and stood in awe of something like this in my backyard.  After walking back inside, Sydney and Ethan were awake and I was so excited to play with them.

When Doug came home, he taught Ethan and Sydney how to hold hands.  I think watching them interact sometimes takes my breath away.  They kept saying "hand" to let the other know they wanted to hold hands.  Kissing, holding hands...all 'regulars' around here.  We're pretty affectionate people, but maybe it's the spirit of Aloha...

Blue skies

While we got word that it has snowed in Utah, we are here hanging out in the heat.  It feels odd that fall weather here means temperatures drop 3 degrees...yup, that's it!  Those 3 degrees make a big difference though.  I am rarely sitting at our kitchen table with sweat on my forehead.  That's a welcome change.
In my efforts to snap photos of Ethan and Sydney REALLY growing up and not just of the fun things we do, I thought I'd share a few of the everyday happenings at our beach house.

On Monday, we were playing inside as the neighbor is moving and all the gates are constantly open to the beach and the street.  Doug inherited this foil pan from the previous intern that was here and I decided to sacrifice it to our children.  They had a blast!  I was doing a load of laundry while constantly telling Ethan not to hit his sister on the head with the pan.  I turned around to see them sitting in the pan together and instantly laughed out loud.  So funny.  Two children almost were prepared to serve as a meal...

The next day was Doug's day off.  We have typically done something around the island but were both tired of driving into town and opted to hang around our beach house instead.  It made for some fun memories. 

Doug let me sleep in while he fed the kids and I woke up to find two caped crusaders in our living room.  They were all smiles.  I got a photo of Ethan with a very stern look--he's serious about this superhero business!

We went down to the beach in our backyard (called Alligator Pond by the locals) and attempted to play in the water.  Ethan does not like sand on his hands.  At all.  Sydney usually runs for the water, but was a little 'off' today.  It was a little windy and they were both freezing, so I held Syd in a towel until Ethan was too jealous and joined us to become a pretty colorful 3-headed monster.  I learned that swim diapers do not hold urine when I felt warmth down my side.  Nice.

With our neighbor moving out, we now have access to the patio right by the ocean and opted to move their feeding seats there for lunch.  We gazed up at the sky to find some pretty sweet looking clouds and Doug hit the water for some boogy boarding while I watched him (you know...for safety) and fed E&S some lunch.

We took to the mountains for a short hike after nap time.  Hauula loop is just a few minutes down the road and is right next to our chapel.  We were eaten ALiVe while we fed them dinner on the trail.  We opted to not finish the entire loop and head back to our bug-free minivan.  It was fun to take our first family hike, but next time we will arm ourselves with some serious bug spray.

Tuesdays are usually the best day of the week around here!