last minute update

it's finished!! and i. love. it. i want one. i think i'll make them for the whole family... um.... next year. it's not too early to start next year's list, right?

merry christmas!!!

better late than never

saturday we finally got around to decorating the house for christmas. sure, we're leaving in two days (TWO DAYS!!! I'M NOT READY!!), but we wanted to have a little something of our own to look at till we leave. the kids had fun making the ornaments and paper chain for our little silver tree:

the shepherd (above) is the new addition to our nativity this year.

the kids also had fun with the angels and the santas for the mantle. yes, we are missing one stocking, and i'm supposed to be working on that right now, as a matter of fact. so, i'd better head off and be productive for a bit. merry christmas, everyone!!!

movin' on up!

i totally invited myself up to "help" josh & kim move into their beautiful new house - i really wanted to see the kids, and especially meet daniel, who is 10 months old and mobile and loves to bounce and dance and loves me, too, by the way. thanks, guys, for accomodating me!! we are SO EXCITED that you are SO CLOSE!!!!! love you!!!!!!

December Fun

So Bess decided to leave for the weekend (OK, so Josh and Kim and the kids are moving back to the midwest and she's helping them out). Kawelo has been sick, but is showing signs of life recently. He started dropping toys behind the entertainment unit, and I pulled it out to find a treasure-trove of lost toys ... I made the comment to Koa that it's like getting new toys (there were cars, a Power Ranger, plastic animals, and all of the pegs that go into one of those blocks that you hammer down - among other things). A little while later I heard him saying that Santa brought him new toys and left them behind the TV...

Tonight the WKU bookstore did a promotion where if you donate a new or gently used book, you get 30% off of your purchase. I've been an employee for almost 3 years and still don't have a hoodie, so after talking with the kids about how it would be nice to help out children who don't have as many books as we do, we chose a few and headed over to campus. The holiday openhouse also included face-painting (Koa got a turtle and a butterfly - he's secure in his manhood, while Kalei got a cat in a Santa hat that said Meowy Christmas and a snowflake), story time, and a visit with Big Red (Koa actually went with Kalei and gave him a high five, which is a big step if you remember his Build-A-Bear experience).

We grabbed Little Cesear's on the way home, and during dinner Kalei lost a tooth! We stuck it in a baggie, and the Tooth Fairy needs to remember to leave her something special. (The last tooth Kalei lost, he kind of forgot to make the swap and she was a little disappointed upon waking, so we had her go to the bathroom while we frantically searched for something to exchange. Unfortunately we had no cash in the house at the time, so I grabbed a Chinese dollar and slipped it under her pillow just in time ... we played it off by telling her that the Tooth Fairy had to travel all the way from China, and that's why it wasn't there when she woke up. Kalei is pretty proud of her Chinese dollar, but I'm not sure how many times that trick will work!).

giving thanks

grandma invited us up to spend thanksgiving in warsaw this year, and we were so happy to oblige her. the kids had a great time (kawelo is missing his new best friend, my aunt beesa), and we forgot to take very many pictures (the above is the best photo particle i could scrounge). oh, well, the story of our life - sometimes we're really good at commemorating the memories, and other times our brains fly right out the window about it. it was good to spend thanksgiving with family, and black friday in a small town (small crowds!!). we are so thankful for all of our dearest family and friends! happy thanksgiving and black friday, ya'll!

critic's corner

WARNING!!! if you are going to see the twilight movie, and have not yet done so, do not read this post unless you want to be irreversibly biased!!

saturday night, i went to see twilight as a sort of "congratulations!" to myself for all the craftiness i'd produced lately. i had heard mixed reviews from others who had already seen it, and went in with an open mind. i guess i would have loved this movie if i was a teenager who had no convictions concerning character development. i thought the guy who played edward looked the part all the time (although, seriously, he should pump some iron) and acted the part about half the time (edward is 100 years old and has a mind that moves about a thousand times faster than humans' - he should talk in coherent sentences - like a grown-up!). i really disliked the actress who played bella. i thought she looked the part, but her interpretation was "bella with a 'tude." bella is supposed to be non-confrontational and extremely mature - this girl did not get that memo. and maybe she thought she was being intense, but it just boiled down to a lot of staring. also, i thought the actor who played jasper was totally wrong for the part. number one, he's supposed to look old enough to be in college. number two, giving someone blonde highlights does not make them a blonde. number three, his interpretation of jasper's uncomfortableness around humans looked like a 12-year-old with stagefright, or someone who's just realized they ate a whole pan of super-lax brownies. there were also a number of small things that bugged me throughout the movie (body language, positioning, awkward silences), but too many to list out here. so, overall, i was disappointed with the movie and i'm not sure what to expect if they screenwrite the rest of the books. on a side note - i did not like jacob in the books, but thought he was adorable in the movie - pleasant surprise! unfortunately, there were not enough pleasant surprises for me in this movie, and i would have to give it a thumb's down.

crafty fun

this past weekend was a tad crazy - i had my very first craft shows! ....back-to-back! one was friday at the university's student union, and the other was at an elementary school on saturday. james kept the kids both days - i think he was a bit eager to get back to work today! both shows went well - i sat next to friends and laughed and learned a lot. i was also invited to be in another craft show in december (one that you are either invited to or apply to be a part of), so that gave me a nice ego-boost and will give me something to work toward.... cause i'm sure i'll have nothing to do between now and mid-december, right?

second skin

a few weeks before halloween, koa announced that he would like a skeleton shirt. we hadn't seen any anywhere (that i could recall), he just decided he wanted one. a week later, we found this gem at target (the most perfect store in bowling green... and sponsored by bess). he was so excited to wear this with his pirate costume! i figured the newness would wear off and this shirt would become like any other. boy, was i wrong. koa LOVES this shirt. thankfully, it's not the i'm-wearing-this-shirt-no-matter-the-filth-level-and-you-will-have-to-wrestle-it-off-me-to-wash-it kind of infatuation. koa will just happily wear it as quickly as it can be washed. i love this boy and his.... determination? independent mind? stubbornness? whatever it is, it's koa.

fall foliage

our maples in the back have a brief burst of color before they turn a nasty mustardy-brown color, so i tried to capture their autumn glory. the kids were all for it - any excuse to play outside is a good excuse! happy fall! (or winter, i guess, for you northern and/or mountain types.)

halloween happenings

the anticipation built up around halloween was almost a tangible thing by the time friday rolled around. the kids were so incredibly excited about their costumes - kalei was super cat (of course), koa was a pirate (with a cape - kalei had one, so he needed one, too. sure, why not?), and kawelo was a moth (a moth, i tell you! see the brown wings?! okay, so it might look a teensy bit like a girl's butterfly costume, but the brownness we added obviously makes it a moth. obviously. this is what we'll tell him when we bust these pictures out during his dates.). here are our attempts at getting pictures with the three of them:

kawelo was a tad uncooperative, but adorable.

here are my favorite photos:

(thanks again, malia, for linking the cape tutorial!)

needless to say, candy was given away, candy was collected in, and the kids rode the sugar high all the way till koa feel asleep on the ride home. good times!

grand opening!

drumroll, please! i am pleased to announce that i now have an etsy shop! for those who don't know, etsy is an online forum where people can buy and sell handmade items. so, i've posted a few of the pincushions similar to the ones i will be selling at a few craft fairs next month. i have a linky thing at the bottom of the sidebar on the right side of our blog, and i'll be updating it from time to time with stuff that i put in the shop. the web address of the shop is:

http://simplybess.etsy.com
feel free to check it out and let me know what you think!

punkinheads

the long-awaited day finally arrived on monday: the kids were able to carve their pumpkins! (seriously - there's been a countdown for at least a week.) they had a ton of fun and were thoroughly and deliciously grossed out by the pumpkin innards. don't let their faces fool you - they took utter delight in the slimyness. the kids drew the best faces - they were a lot of fun to carve. (a bit of a challenge for james, who carved kalei's cat face. how he followed her exact drawing with just kitchen knives, i'll never know. silly man let me choose which face i wanted to carve first. ummmm... i'll take the less detailed but equally charming one, thank you!) now we have two beautiful pumpkins that totally match the personality of their creators. happy halloween!

Parent-Teacher Conference

This past week we met with Kalei's 1st grade teacher, Miss Cindy Baker. To be honest, this school year has made a whole lot of difference as to how we view her school (and by extension, her schooling). Speaking as a parent, last year's kindergarden experience left something to be desired (from the fact that her name was spelled wrong on the bulletin board since orientation ... and was only "corrected" midway through the semester, to assuming that Kalei spoke Spanish and needed help with her English ...).

This year's experience has been a nice change. In meeting with Miss Baker, it is apparent that she knows Kalei and her strengths and places that could use improvement. Miss Baker noted that she enjoys reading Kalei's journal entries and said that Kalei would draw all day if she would let her, also that Kalei gets math easily some days, and not others (which she assured us is perfectly normal), but Kalei tries hard every day. These may seem like small things, but they certainly left us feeling that our daughter is known and appreciated. We don't expect her to be the head of the class, but we want her to do her best - this teacher is dedicated and positive and seems to inspire joy in Kalei. We love our sweet girl and are so pleased that her teacher has taken the time to get to know her, as well as teach her the required curriculum.

saturday night lights

we were able to go to the western football game last night and had a great time. koa talks a good game about wanting to see the football players, field, game, etc., but then he had his hands over his ears before we were even in the stadium. he's such a funny guy. sometimes, he would forget himself (especially when the band was playing) and would just dance or play without the ear covers, but once he stilled, he would remember and protect himself from hearing damage. we took sandwiches and snacks and the kids enjoyed their football picnic. the top left picture is the new side of the stadium. now that western's division one, they needed some high priced skyboxes, and seats with backs. nothin' but the best, baby! (notice that we are still in the $5 seats.... and we even got those for free.) just goes to show, you don't need to spend a lot to have a great time - and if you get the tickets for free, you don't feel bad leaving at half-time. words to live by.

the frost is on the pumpkin

we are embracing the halloween season and have decorated the house accordingly. the kids love any and all halloween decorations. koa, who used to be afraid of his own shadow, really LOVES to go down halloween aisles and be surprised by mechanical skeletons that jump out at passers-by, and he also makes himself useful by pointing out all the "punkins" and "ghostes" that he sees. we have decided to wait till next week to carve our big pumpkins, and the kids cannot wait. we are especially proud that the white pumpkins on the mantel and the corn on the front step came from our garden this year!

and the winner is....

we'll be sending you all something very soon! :)!!

(thanks, jeni & alan and susie for your wonderful comments!)

my new motto

i love it!!

100th post!

these were koa's socks last night - he does so much running around that he wore a hole right through them. (not many of his socks are in good enough shape to hand down to kawelo, but socks and underwear are things that each kid probably wants to be brand new for them, right?) this picture reminds me of spencer w. kimball's quote about wanting his life to be like his shoes: worn out in service. james & i are making a family goal to increase our service and a goal as a couple to follow president monson's advice and find joy in the journey. so, since this is our 100th post and we want to celebrate, we'll have a giveaway! we'll pick someone randomly from the comments on october 10th, and figure out some way to do something service-y and joyful for you! good luck!

it's just not fair

okay, if i were wearing this outfit, would anyone think it was adorable that the buttons are about to pop and the horizontal stripes are only emphasizing belly roundness? i don't think so.

p.s. that gave me an idea: a challenge! who can top this photographic evidence of an outfit that is so incredibly endearing on a baby/toddler, but would be horrific on an adult? sort your photos, people! let's see those pix!

mr. sleeping beauty

i took the boys to the park this morning and now both are sleeping like rocks. i'd really love to get some crafting done, but i just know that the moment i sit down at the sewing machine, some little person would be peeking over my shoulder. so, i'll just settle for watching a movie of my own choosing. that is a beautiful thing in itself.

p.s. kalei is wearing the primary colors today. and, no, nothing matches. c'e la vie!

creative license

lately, kalei has really been enjoying dressing herself. at times, i attempt a suggestion for an alternative outfit or accessory, but mostly i've been biting my lip and letting her have free reign. (well, almost free - i have veto power on sundays - heavenly father might not care what she wears, but i can't allow major clashes in the chapel.) my mom let me dress myself when i was little, and, apparently, i looked like a bag lady 100% of the time, but, as my mom says, clothes are really not that big a deal in the big picture, and she's loving making these choices on her own. win, win! here's kalei's outfit for school today:

she called it her stripey outfit. what can i say? it could be a new classic.

koa loves to go out to wait for the bus with kalei each morning, and he, too, feels the need to accessorize. he requires a jacket (if kalei has one) and a backpack (since kalei needs one) and a snack bag (just like kalei's). are we sensing a theme here? good thing kalei doesn't wear high heels and miniskirts. (and, of course, never will!)

(this is the picture of koa with the least blurring. stillness is not the way of the koa.)

super saturday

this weekend has been one for the record books. thank goodness sunday is a day of rest! thank you, heavenly father! friday night kalei, koa, and james camped out in the back yard. they had planned it out a few days ahead of time and the kids were very excited. it all went down really well (no kids freaking out in the middle of the night or anything like that). it was a little chilly that night, but kalei and koa were so excited that they didn't even notice... and james woke up to find them curled tightly into little balls in the morning, despite multiple blankets. silly kidlets! we woke them up early to get a head start on traveling to dinosaur world. dinosaur world is an attraction about 40 minutes north of us that we've passed on the interstate, but never stopped at. saturday was $1 day, so of course we went. it was totally worth $4!!! (not sure it would be worth the $40 it would normally cost, though....) the kids had a great time and enjoyed digging for fossils and bones and going on the dinosaur trail. the weather was perfect and we missed the huge crowds and we even saw everything and made it back in time for kalei's soccer game! sometimes the stars align just right, and yesterday was definitely one of those times. by the end of the day, after camping, dinosaur world, soccer, and two birthday parties, we were all filthy and pooped, but in a good way. james and i even got in a few games of "pass the pigs" after everyone was in bed! perfection!

full of hot air and donuts

last saturday, we got up early to go watch the hot air balloons fly in for a local festival. the most we saw at one time was 15! i guess it was some sort of landing contest, and that makes absolutely no sense to me. how can you have that with hot air balloons? you can't have them all land in a certain spot, so they must just have to... land? is that like one of those "competitions" where everyone's a winner? what's the fun in that? they should have to fly low and catch things shot from a hot dog cannon! i should be in charge of that next year - they apparently need some fresh ideas. anyhoo, the balloons were fun to spot and the kids got donuts afterwards, so, in our family as well as the hot air balloon "contest," everyone really was a winner.

koa quotes

koa (to mama): i picked my booger, but i put it back in my nose.
mama: there's probably a better place for that. would you like a tissue?
koa: no, i just put it back in my nose.
mama: okay, then.

weekend getaway

this past weekend i got to jet out to colorado springs for my cousin, kaitlyn's, wedding!

and it was all kid-free! (i had to stop myself from moving breakable items up out of kawelo's range - habit!)

some friends from purdue, travis and allison, met me for lunch in denver. allie has three boys - i think that sums up this picture:

here they are being their adorable selves. thanks for meeting me, guys!! it was SO fun to catch up!

here are some highlights from the wedding day. everyone looked gorgeous (especially kaitlyn, of course) and the reception was fabulous!!

apparently, grandma doesn't like her picture taken (look closely at her snapshot). i must get that from her. also, she used to hide candy in her underwear drawer (sherri was unclear on why they were snooping in there), so i get my sweet tooth from her, too. thanks a lot, grandma. on the other hand, i get my love of quilts from her, and koa has her beautiful eyes, so i guess it evens out. it was SO wonderful to see all the fam in colorado!! thanks, everyone, for a thoroughly enjoyable weekend!! our house is always open - feel free to visit!!

Play-Doh Fun

Last night Bess and Kawelo went out shopping for some essentials (food) and took a little longer than a 3 year-old could handle. To curb the hunger pangs, and as a distraction tactic, we brought out the Play-Doh. Snowmen and penguins are pretty easy (and recognizable) so I stick with those. Here is Koa proudly displaying the results of our joint venture:

Below are penguins. I shaped the bodies and put the beak and wings on the pink one, then left to help Kalei with something. When I came back, Koa had provided eyes for Pinkie as well as a beak, wings, and eyes for Brownie. I'm excited because he usually just squishes the Play-Doh, but now is showing some of the creative ability that Bess has in leaps and bounds.

Koa also noticed that one of the eyes had fallen off of the green penguin ...

... Problem solved.

what's cookin?

our corn is ready!! and it was delicious. the kids gobbled theirs up, but we'll see how they do once the bell peppers are ready.

the baby boo pumpkins are quite adorable.... and plentiful. we'll have to start giving them away soon.

i was walking through the kitchen today and the following two displays pleased my eye. (alas! i'll never have a clutter-free kitchen! but, i think i've accepted it and moved on.)

i haven't figured out what to put in the third canister, yet. i don't use whole wheat flour enough to put it out there. (the other two hold white flour and sugar.) any suggestions?

hope your kitchen pleases your eye!

weekend update

okay, so you know how the scriptures tell us we need to become as a little child? it's amazing how having kids opens your eyes to what exactly that means. western's game vs. indiana was fun... for james & me. it was a tad muggy and slightly scorching in the stadium. (think 90 degrees with no shade and 100% humidity.) but, it's live action football! it's worth it, right? right! anyhoo, koa had his hands firmly clamped over his ears before we entered the stadium. "too loud!!" he asserted over and over. we calmed him down and found our seats - right smack in the middle of indiana's fans. they were very nice and laughed at western's stinkiness right along with us. (we left at half-time, and the score was unchanged from the above photo, although i do think western scored, eventually. it goes without saying that indiana continued to score.) the kids kept a running commentary about their physiology: too hot, hungry, not hungry, really hot, thirsty, thirsty, thirsty, is it time to go, yet? james & i were grateful to make it to half-time, and ended on a high note (the band played bon jovi songs). so, as we're preparing for the four hour ride home, i'm totally thinking the kids are going to remember this as an experience bordering on child abuse, right? but, when i asked them what they thought of the football game, they smiled and laughed and said it was fun! even koa, whose hands had been perma-glued to his ears the whole time! what funny creatures these tiny people are, with their memory editing and happy ways - they drive me crazy: crazy-crazy and crazy-happy. what a perfect combination.

spellcheck

so, today we received a great surprise: thad, james' former department head, just happened to have four tickets and a parking pass to western's game this weekend vs. indiana university at indiana, and he couldn't use them. someone gave them to him, he can't use them, does james want them? let's see.... yes, please! the game starts at 11:00 am on saturday, so we're thinking maybe we might drive up to indy on friday, perhaps see jeni & alan and their construction zone/new house. i decide to check out hotwire to see if they have any deals. however, i'm instantly confused because when did hotwire start peddling hollywood gossip and post anime' girls sporting immodest outfits on their site? then i check my spelling: i had forgotten the "t." i had looked up howire.com. james could hear me laughing from the back of the house. thank goodness it wasn't as riske' as it could've been! believe me, i'll be a little more careful with my typing from now on. speedier is not always better!

copycat

kawelo cannot get enough of kalei and koa and wants to do everything they are doing at the exact moment they are doing it. i remember koa going through this with kalei (and, to be honest, he's still going through it). kawelo has decided that he is big enough to brush his own teeth. every evening, when the big kids go in to brush their teeth, kawelo chases them into the bathroom, opens the drawer with the toothbrushes, grabs one at random (i don't think he can actually see in the drawer, yet), and brushes away. it's actually kind of nice not to have to introduce this hygiene habit to a reluctant toddler - kawelo just loves it because the other kids are doing it and he can, too. sometimes peer pressure is a beautiful thing.

mall rats

our local mall has this glorious carousel that the kids LOVE. we love it, too, cause it's only a dollar for the kids to ride, and parents ride free. plus, there's a frequent rider card that gets you a free ride when you fill it up - i've got about six of those floating around somewhere - i think they're hiding out with some misfit socks and the missing cherries from the hi-ho cherry-o game. anyhoo, i wanted to check out a sale at gymboree, so we let the kids have a ride. they loved it, of course. kawelo got to watch from the sidelines with me, and had fun smiling and waving to his beloved siblings. i love it when everyone enjoys a shopping trip!

home at last!

sorry for the silence, but we've been enjoying james being home

AT LAST!!!!

in honor of his homecoming, we ate chinese food for dinner on monday. (except for james - it seems being adventurous and trying the exotic foods of his host country did a little number on his digestive tract.) the kids had fun using chopsticks, and managed to eat quite a lot of noodles with them. i was impressed!

james generously jumped into mr. mom - mode yesterday. two friends and i traveled down to the church cannery in nashville to increase our food storage. here they are in the attractive hair nets and rubber gloves we got to wear. (they promised to take a picture of me the next time we go. um.... yeah, we'll see.)

also, yesterday, i went to a farewell dinner for my great friend, bethany, who is moving to italy with her family for three years. i will miss her so much, but am excited to visit her while she's there!

dove' il bano? i'm set!

(this is bethany with her mom - two craft queens! seriously - they can slipcover anything.)

anyhoo, we are so wonderfully happy to have james home again and he has been quickly restored as favorite parent - his rightful place, of course. it was so fabulous to have the day yesterday to get my stuff done, and to be able to leave the kids in his capable (and possibly dozing) hands. we love you, james!!