wii, doggies!!

Ok, ok- I've heard your complaints- you few- and I am here, and I remember my blogger password. Forgive my slacking, and read again!!

Lots going on here lately.... Namely- coughing, high fever, nose blowing, etc. (No it's not swine flu- or if it was, they survived it... Just something very nasty and long lived- Easter weekend to just- the past few days!) BUT- unfortunately for you readers, I failed to take pictures of named afflictions, so I'll move on to the other, more pleasant aspects of our lives in April.

Two new and exciting things in our household this month, both from Grandparents! First, from Grandma Flavia, the gift of the Wii. Yes, our little house on the prairie has been brought into modern times with a GAMING SYSTEM. (Still no TV though- just the "monitor") I confess to feeling less than thrilled with the addition initially, but- now I've been won over. It is actually lots of fun, not too addictive, and good to play as a group. (Like I need to convince the world that the Wii is fun...) The kids have had way too much fun making themselves "Miis," changing each other's Miis, competing, etc. They get a kick out of the animated personal trainers, who are a nice shade of grey/white and use overly encouraging language. They named the male trainer "Mutton." Somehow, it suits.

Here is Eva in action- she loves the balance games, and is super competitive. Surprise! :)
Now, as if a new game for all was not enough, we had the pleasure of dog sitting for dear Mattie and Roly while my parents were in New Zealand. Roly was a constant delight to the children- playful and snuggly too. And faithful old Mattie is always good to relax with when you're tired.

Josiah and Roly particularly loved snuggling to sleep- they were always super warm when I'd check on them!

Mattie is also very sweet and tolerant. She put up with the girls dressing her up as some sort of lady. Later Josiah tucked the scarf into her collar and said, "There. Now she's the Queen of England." But when the girls turned to Roly with a gingham skirt in hand, Siah had a crying fit. "They can't put that on him! It's not fair! He won't like it- he's a BOY!!" When I convinced the girls that while it seemed like a non issue, it was just too sad for empathetic Josiah to take. They compromised, put a tie on him, and saved the girly clothes for Colbie- Roly's sister.

Oh, and below? Maybe you all can help me solve this puzzle... Ever since the Wii came, a mysterious phenomenon occurs... Each night as I tuck in the kids, my dear husband disappears, leaving me as lonely as a wiidow with only Roly to snuggle. However, in his absence, a fierce professional boxer appears in my living room for a few hours- completely focused on battering his opponents. He must be a serious athlete, training for an important competition, because when I interrupt him to ask if he has seen my husband, he appears unable to hear or even to sense my presence. Hmmm... Well, let me know if you can ID the guy in the blurry snapshot below. It might give me a clue as to what on earth is going on around here.

to do...

Tonight I went to the white board to take a peek at my to-do list- just to see all the things I didn't do today- and I found yet another item... Written in what looked suspiciously like the printing of an 8 year old was the final bullet: "-take a break mommy!!" Underlined, too. And then, "I love my mommy." Thanks, Eva! What a thoughtful daughter you are.

Well this makes two posts in a row that are somewhat about how my kids love me- how self-serving!- but really it's about their loving personalities and how they are (mostly!:) ) thinking outside themselves- and it's always a joy to see.

heartfeltish prayers

Above, a few great old (relatively) pictures of Naomi. I think she is three here.

Below, a prayer that was somewhat contrived in motivation, though sincere, I think, in word, as is everything that comes from Naomi's mouth (for better or for worse). She is trying to complete her book for Awana (a church club for children) which entails memorizing scriptures and completing various activities and charts. One of the charts is about praying for people. That annoys me, because to me I think praying should be a personal choice, not something that one can check off ten times in a row. It's one thing to suggest that it is thoughtful or helpful to pray for others, but to make a checklist to "pass" a section, well it just seems silly and artificial. So I've never really emphasized that section.

Anyway, so when Naomi said she was tired of working on this (she always forgets) and wanted to do it all at once, I didn't object. (When it's about filling in the box, it's going to be about filling in the box!) The box she was working on was "pray for your teacher." (Being home schooled, of course that meant me.) She had five more prayers to do, and was determined to knock them out in one shot. She was sitting in at dining room table by herself, and I was kitchen. This is what I overheard...

"Dear God,

Thank you for mom.

Thank you that she is my teacher, and I don’t have to go to school OR day care.
Thank you for mom.

Please help her to live way longer than I think she’s going to.

I love mom. And I love you. I love you and mom the most. Well, I love you the most, but mom almost as much- only one inch less than you.

Thank you for mom. I love her. I love you. I love everyone in the whole world. Practically.

Amen."

Check!

a day's work

Well, it's official: Josiah is now a workin' man. With the economic "slow down" and all, we decided it was time he went and git-hisself-a-job. Actually, he asked for a job. And he will actually earn a little money- probably to buy things like more light sabers and pop-guns- just the basics. Anyway- so this Saturday we were all working on projects outside, and somehow he decided he wanted to learn to scrap metal (that is separate the metals into categories and eliminate the junk- thus making it more valuable for resale). Jason and Eva showed him the ropes, and in no time at all he was fishing out angle stops, clamping them in the vice, and using the wrench, pliers and screwdriver to take them apart. He worked out there for probably four hours! I was amazed at his determination- some parts took him a very long time, but he persisted.

After he had been working for quite a while, he sat outside and watched Jason mowing the lawn. Jason was aware of him watching, and finally stopped to mower and came to ask him- "You need help with one? Are you stuck?" "Nope," said Siah, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm somewhat of an expert."

And here's some of his loot. He's feeling the draw to the garage all the time now, and is disappointed that he can't spend the day out there working. He feels so grown-up, I think, and also just really enjoys the authenticity (this is not playing work) and the challenge. Of course, he probably didn't feel quite as grown-up when mama had to come out there and take a bunch of pictures, but you know I couldn't quite resist.

birds, plants and landscape of Kauai

Jason and I both enjoy watching and identifying birds here at home, and it was no different in Kauai.... Below is a bird we usually associate with barnyards. Not so there- roosters and chickens are everywhere! There are over 20,000 on the small island, it is estimated. When I told Eva this over the phone, she replied in dismay, "Oh, no! Is that going to ruin your vacation mommy?!" I think she had more of a Hitchcock type of birds everywhere in mind...


Can you guess where this rooster is standing? Look closely... the concrete, the red cans, the white and red benches, large parking lot in the background... the smell of cheap hot dogs w/ soda and cheese pizza... need I say more?

This rooster is dining in style at the Costco Cafe- Kauai! I thought it was just too funny, though a local thought I was ridiculous for taking these pictures. Who cares. It's novelty to me.

So the roosters / chickens escaped their pens during a hurricane a long time ago, and have proliferated ever since. But below is a native bird, the Nene (Hawaiian Goose) that was (is?) endangered. I don't think they are any more- we saw quite a few.

Above is another endangered native- I don't recall the name of this plant. We learned that all the flowers we associate with Hawaii- Hibiscus (most) Plumeria, Bird of Paradise- are all non-natives that flourished when introduced. The less showy plant about is a native that some are trying to re-establish. And below, a native tree (this one is just a baby-about 18 inches tall) that is so endangered is apparently hand pollinated by scientist who dangle down cliff sides with paintbrushes to do so. Or at least they think that's what they have to do anyway- who really knows. At any rate- it was a very unique looking tree. I wanted to touch it, but resisted.

Above and below are different views from a National Park / Wildlife preserve that has the lighthouse with the largest glass clam shell light ever made. (Now it uses an electric beacon though) The silly thing is no one can go up to see it. So you just have to hear about it at the bottom of the lighthouse, and then take pictures of all the lovely scenery, which is what we did.

You can't really tell in this picture, but the little island below had all these white spots on it, which we took for birds from afar. Only when we looked in the binoculars did we discover that the large white spots were actually streaks of bird poop. Still pretty if you don't know what you're looking at!

And here are a few shots of beautiful Waimea Canyon- a popular place to hike on the island. We haven't really explored it either time we've been to Kauai- this was just a scenic overlook- shoot a photo and drive off- type of sight. I would love to spend more time exploring it though, which is another reason we must return some day! We're thinking in another ten years, with the kids this time, who would all be teenagers. Wow!

sweet stuff

An old picture- Naomi on her fourth birthday- but one I can find quickly of Naomi and me together! She said something funny and sweet just now, and I wanted to get it down before I forgot it... One thing as background information- I can often be found in some stage of bread baking, and the kids are all familiar with the process, and the tastes and smells that go along with it...

I was tucking Naomi in tonight, and snuggling with her in her bed. She was hugging me, and said, "Mmmm, you smell like bread dough." Then she started to feel my face softly, "And you're soft like bread dough," then more of a kneading motion, "Soft and squishy like bread dough." Then she sighed a bit and let her eyes close. "Maybe you are bread dough," she said sleepily, "My bread dough mommy; 'n' I'm your lil' bun."

kauai- at the grand hyatt

Here are some photos from our recent trip to the beautiful island of Kauai! Many of you already know, but Jason and I were offered an all expenses paid vacation to the Grand Hyatt Kauai by Consolidated Supply Company (they sell plumbing supplies- pipes, water heaters, etc.) We honeymooned in Kauai ten years ago, if you can believe that, and haven't been on a real "alone" vacation since, so thought we ought to take the opportunity. The owner of the company Jason works for, Brian, and his fiance Nan went on the trip too- there were about 350 participants in all. Consolidated put together a very nice vacation, with every perk imaginable! Unfortunately, I was sick throughout most of the trip had to eat very plain food- a relatively sad experience when all your food is paid for at a 5-star hotel! And the weather was unexpectedly overcast-very rainy and windy- but still deliciously warm. But despite my pesky illness and the lack of sunshine, we had a good time revisiting favorite spots from our honeymoon, and enjoying the lush tropical scenery.

My had family graciously and readily agreed care for the children while we were gone, and they had a wild vacation of their own at Camp Grammy and Gramps. They spent their days and evenings with their aunties, uncles and cousins who lovingly indulged them in all their wildest dreams. (For example, a Star Wars movie marathon complete with red hots and popcorn!) From the sounds of it they did ten times as many things as we did! Thanks to a good deal of effort on the part of my family, they stayed very busy and entertained, and came home with a million exciting things to talk about! We have never been separated for longer than 2 nights, but I think the time passed very quickly for them with so many people surrounding them and so many fun things to do. I don't have any photos to post of "their trip", as they call it, at this point but might later! I think Eva was "way too busy", as she says, to take any pictures.

I have a lot of photos from Kauai so I think I will break them up into different posts. These are all taken on the hotel grounds- 56 acres of luxury and beautiful landscaping.

Below, the view of the hotel from the beach.

We couldn't figure out why this crane was always standing in the same spot in the pond, and concluded they must have stapled it there.

All the trees were lit from the ground at night, a look I always enjoy.

This looks like a rock, but is a Hawaiian monk seal- an endangered species. Whenever one lands on the beach, volunteers come to rope off the area so it can get a good days sleep without disturbance from curious humans.

This restaurant sits on the koi pond, which had more koi in it than I had ever seen in one place. They are less charming and almost a little creepy in such a swarm! Prettier when spread out a bit, I think.

Below- at a "formal" dinner. I was a real rebel and never wore my name tag. I just doesn't go with anything, really!

Below is the pond we sat near at breakfast every morning. There is a swan that is constantly swimming around the pond. (It can't be stapled- maybe tethered?)The best thing about this hotel is that there is no real barrier to the outdoors- it is all so open you are never really inside except when in your room. The birds fly in and and out of the dining room, and the ocean breeze refreshes everything... Not a bad way to live!

The two pictures below show the view from our room.

We loved all the different plants on the island. I wished I had a plant guide because I enjoy knowing what I am seeing. Most of the time when I travel, I return home really appreciating the lush greenery of Western Washington; but in Kauai the growth is just as thick, if not even more so, though nearly all the plants are different than ours.

The girls were very excited about the idea of leis, especially when I told them that dad would be getting one. They made me promise to take a picture, as it just tickled them to no end to imagine Daddy in a necklace of pink flowers- apparently they thought it would look incredibly silly.When I showed them the picture, they smiled for a while, and then Eva said, "You know, he actually looks sort of nice with it on." I agree! Pink flowers- it's a good look for him.