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!!

flightless bird....

....cuckoo bird, that is. i heard the crying and followed the sound into the boys' bedroom. now, it is common knowledge that jumping on the beds is strictly prohibited. koa was quick to clarify that he was not jumping on the beds - he was trying to fly. his flight attempt left him with a giant goose egg with a gash across it. what a weekend for our poor koa! first, he was set upon by a deranged, ginormous bear, and then he finds out he can't fly. plus, he gets a concerned mama who is trying to determine if he has a concussion or not (look at the lights - don't go into any lights, just look at them). to top it off, james is stranded in chicago, and won't be able to get home till tomorrow morning sometime. i am so grateful that he is in the states and safe! now, if everyone could do me a huge favor and never fly american airlines again, that would be great. oh, the adventures of flight! (to which both koa and james can attest!)

saturday happenings

kalei had another soccer game today, but this time i did my mom thing and brought an umbrella for shade, sunscreen, bubbles, and chilled drinks. i also brought a 12-year-old! this is lici with the boys and a little girl who adopted us during the game. she was such a help!!!

to reward the kids for being such great helpers while james has been gone, we went down to nashville to the build-a-bear store! the kids had fun picking out their bears (anything from the cheaper half of the display - except some ugly puppy that i didn't want in the house), but kalei was the only one that would push the pedal for the stuffing machine to fill her bear. koa watched with his hands over his ears the whole time. things were actually going really well until they announced that it was bearemy's birthday and marched out a grown-up in a giant bear costume. koa promptly flipped out and was crying and saying that he didn't want to go near the "big bear." so, i was calm and reassuring and we did everything possible to stay away from the gigantic bear. we even waited extra time to be at the cashier that was the furthest away from the humongous bear. then, as we were leaving the circuitous route around the extreme edge of the store to avoid the hormone-imbalanced bear, it was time for bearemy's break and an employee was leading him to the back of the store - by way of our sheltered aisle. at this time, koa is borderline hysterical and convinced that this deranged bear is coming to get him. with my cat-like reflexes, i attempt to grab koa and steer the stroller out of the way, and end up with koa melting onto the floor and the stroller ramming into a display rack. yes, wonder-mom to the rescue! the employee guiding bearemy somehow picked up a on our distress signal and waited to the side while i herded our group out of the store to safety. the kids were easily calmed with treats from the food court. good times.

p.s. everyone has sufficiently recovered from the sensory near-overload of the build-a-bear store - and the kids still love their bears. it's a win-win situation!

an object in motion...

heavenly father knew i needed more exercise, so he blessed me with three children with boundless energy. i can hardly catch them to smother them with kisses! (i affectionately refer to this as the "kissing machine," to which koa always responds, "enough! enough!" and runs away, the little stinker.)

perspective adjustment

i love, love, love how heavenly father knows our needs better than we do. (well... i don't always LOVE it - especially when it doesn't quite add up with what i think i need at the time. one of us always turns out to be right, though. hint: it's not me.) i've been getting some gentle nudges lately to help me keep an eternal perspective now that i'm in the home stretch of being alone with the kids. kam's experience taking pictures for a toddler's funeral and kei's friend's news that the baby she's carrying has severe spina bifida have caused me to pause and look at my children and send up a prayer of thanks. however, that's all they've brought - a pause. a pause in feeling annoyed that kawelo has somehow caught a summer cold and is whiny and clingy. a pause in feeling frustrated that koa doesn't seem ro realize when he is not able to do something himself, yet persists in trying, only to end up extremely upset that he can't do it. (hello, bess, he's three!) a pause in overlooking kalei's needs because she does not demand attention like her brothers. i need to wake up!! i feel like i'm standing in front of the mona lisa and all i'm noticing is the decorative edge on the frame... or a dirt smudge on the wall next to her. everyone has heard of randy pausch (the "last lecture" guy), and the things i have been pondering these last few days were two mantras that his wife used. she said that when she was feeling sad or panicky about her husband's condition, she would tell herself, "i have everything that i need." so true. also, if she started having feelings of anger or depression, she would tell herself, "not helping." again, so true! okay, so here's my resolution: to enjoy these last few days (four, to be exact), but more importantly, to help my children enjoy them. i will not turn into momzilla at the slightest provocation and i will not be the guest of honor at my own exclusive pity party. so, look for some happy, upbeat, non-whiny posts from us in the next few days! this pity party is officially cancelled!

craft deprivation

about a month ago, i made a pilgrimage to fabric mecca (aka "hancock's of paducah" - not to be confused with the junky "hancock fabrics" chain that rarely carries a cute fabric line) and made several wonderful purchases.

the fabric has been waiting for me ever since.

before james left, i accepted that i would not be able to craft while he was gone.

accept it.

let it go.

as a result, our home has been fairly harmonious. (usually, when i try to do something crafty, the children are unconsciously drawn to me and instantly need something badly: a drink, a snack, a clean diaper - you get the picture.)

however, the fabric is calling me.

before james left, it wasn't as bad because i didn't have a plan for the fabic, and i was NOT about to cut into it without a plan! you fail to plan, you plan to fail, am i right?!

anyhoo, let's just say that this is lending an extra edge to the anticipation of james' return.

is it sunday yet?

just a sample of the cuteness...

budding photographer

kalei and koa have been having some fun with the camera these last few days and, i must say, kalei has some real potential. (koa is still coordinating the holding-the-button-down-long-enough-to-actually-take-a-picture thing.) i think these pictures really capture the essence of koa. see what i get to live with? i'm the luckiest mama in the whole world!!

soccer saturdays

soccer season has begun!

today was kalei's first game, and she had fun running around (until she got too hot, that is. next time, we'll take an umbrella and a cooler!).

kawelo enjoyed the snacks....

koa enjoyed the friends....

...and kalei enjoyed the beautiful day!

the weather has been super mild the past few days and lulled me into a false sense of security - it doesn't matter if it's 80 degrees, it's still boiling if there's no shade! (and, go figure, there aren't any trees or shade-giving structures snuggled up next to these soccer fields.) so, (bad mom alert!) poor kalei didn't have cold drinks waiting for her (just room temperature ones) and kawelo might've gotten just a teensy bit sunburned. overall, though, kalei decided she still likes soccer. she's still not uber-competitive (which is totally fine by us! i think i was the only parent out there yelling "have fun out there!"), but it'll get her used to sports for when she's in third grade and can start the sport of her destiny: volleyball!

children of the corn

this year, we couldn't decide on a garden plot, so we planted veggies in our flower beds around our deck and in the flower pots on the deck. (at this point, is anyone wondering why there aren't flowers in our flower beds and pots? the answer is: at some point in the near future we will have to replace the deck and i didn't want established flower beds trampled during that effort. doesn't that sound nicer than i was too lazy to plant flowers?) anyhoo, even though we got a late start, the corn is now tassled and little baby ears of corn are showing their silken heads! we also have several green tomatoes and the pumpkins and peppers are flowering!

it's enough to inspire brotherly love.

i love their stair-stepper heights here.

i'm hoping the kids will be more open to eating veggies we have grown ourselves. i'll keep you posted as we test this theory.

cheesy noodle pirate

the other night, kalei & koa had ramen noodles for dinner (i don't normally serve them, but i had promised mac & cheese only to discover we were out, and ,thankfully, koa got a kick out of the "curly noodles"). kawelo wanted this hat on and was promptly infected with the pirate spirit as he repeatedly try to steal their noodle booty (you know what i mean). (btw, "noodle booty" would make a great name for a band or workout video, don't you think?)

today, as i was taking kawelo's picture, he actually started saying "eeeeeeeese" when i told him to say "cheese" - he's brilliant, i tell you, brilliant! (and adorable and spoiled and whiny, at the moment...) does "eeeeeeeese" count as a first word?

enough excitement for one day

today, we had two notable adventures: one i anticipate reliving every year, and one i never want to experience again. i finally looked at the information kalei's new teacher gave us last thursday and realized that there was an actual school supplies list in there! (amazingly, not much was required for kindergarten - just tissues and hand sanitizer.) luckily, i take advantage of the 1 & 5 cent back-to-school deals every fall, so there were just a few things we needed to go out and buy. shopping for school supplies was very exciting for kalei and kawelo (who liked to squeal and point to anything brightly colored), but sad for koa. koa would really like to go to school this year. thankfully, he's easily distracted and fruit snacks and capri sun cheered him up, and he's old enough to understand that he gets to go next year. the other adventure was horrific. picture this: it's 11:00 p.m., you decide to take the trash out, as soon as the door to the garage shuts behind you, you realize that the door is locked, you're shoeless, your neighbors are all asleep, and there is not a spare key anywhere outside your home - not hidden outside, not at the neighbor's - nowhere. oh, and your husband is halfway around the world. that was me about half an hour ago. after some intense praying and about 15 minutes of banging on kalei's window (that's right - 15!!), she woke up and let me in the garage. (again, picture this: me, standing on our a/c unit, knocking on kalei's window until my knuckles are raw, feeling like wee willie winkie as i'm yelling in her window for her to wake up. ...on second thought, maybe i'm glad all the neighbors were asleep.....) i was so worried that i had freaked her out, but she just let me in with a quizzical look and went straight back to bed. i love that girl! what an exciting day we've had! almost as exciting as james' trip out to china, but i'll let him write about that on his blog. the important thing is that kalei is so excited about starting first grade tomorrow, she doesn't seem to be permanently damaged from her late-night ordeal, and tomorrow is a whole new day with its own adventures that will include having keys made! yes!! bring it on!

pics of the day

well, he actually went through with it! james left early this morning to catch a flight to chicago, and then on to shanghai. to think, he'd rather go to china and the olympics for two weeks than hang around here and do household chores! (by the way, james, that fence will still need fixing when you get back.) anyhoo, we're excited for him, but miss him like crazyheads. kalei and koa each said today how much they miss their papa, and he'd only been gone a few hours! i guess you just can't get too much of a good thing. i'm going to try to post more in the next few weeks so james won't miss a thing going on around here. so, sorry if these posts bore you out of your skulls - if you want action, go check out james' olympics blog. (woohoo - kayak racing!!) here are todays top pics:

we love you and miss you, james!!!