boy crazy

i never suspected i'd have two little boys. kalei was so laid-back and sweet as a baby and would just sit and chill with you. i'd see little boys her age and see them tearing around and burning off energy and think very superior thoughts about how those parents should get some control over that child. :) then i had a son. now i understand: boys are just different. it's funny - i kinda expected all my kids to be the same. i mean, they all come from the same set of genes! and then i'm surprised when they look and act uniquely them. kalei is still sweet and silly and loves to laugh. koa is energetic and talkative and such a ham. kawelo is still pretty new, but he has shown a trait that the others share: the demand for food. (i think it's a toss-up whether that comes from the flora side or the navalta side.) i'm way intimidated by the idea of staying home with two little boys all day. kalei liked to color and paint and make bead jewelry and play with her dolls. koa likes to run and kick balls and throw balls and dump out all the toys and build towers so that he can knock them down and laugh and laugh. do i have the stamina for boys? what was Heavenly Father thinking? i feel like He is nudging me and chuckling. i know that He knows that i can do it. and with His help, i can do anything... even raise two sons. :)

strong boy koa

this is koa's "broken" shirt. (it's the only one he has that's sleeveless.) his new response to everything is "no!" he's absolutely hilarious (to us) and has a great sense of direction when he throws (even though we have to keep reminding him we don't throw in the house). he definitely likes to show his strong muscles... and his strong will. -bess

separation anxiety

so, kalei's going to school has definitely brought up some separation anxiety... in me. :) she's doing fabulously and loves school and is learning about the letter A and eating lunch with her friends (although she doesn't know their names, yet) and eating snack and playing on the playground (not this week, though, because we have a heat advisory) and singing songs and coloring and just loving it. i am remembering the 5 elementary schools and 2 middle schools i went to and hoping with all my might that the other kids will be nice. that's it. that's my worry and wish for her. i know she'll have no problems learning what she needs to know. i know the staff at the school will make sure she gets to wherever she needs to be. i just want the other kids to be nice. i want her to find some good friends. i remember each time we moved (dad went back to school when i was little, so we moved for his residencies and then with jobs), i wasn't worried about me - i worried for my brother. would josh make friends? would somebody sit by him at lunch? of course, looking back, these were silly worries. josh made friends easily. but at the time, they were very real. i'm not as consumed now as i was then, but the start of school has definitely made me remember. i'm sure my worries are as silly now as they were then. kalei is bright and happy and friendly. but, still, in the back of my head, i pray that the other kids will be nice...
-bess

First Day of School

After weeks of anticipation, the golden moment finally came for Kalei to begin her formal education (it couldn't come soon enough for her - the countdown was 14 excruciating days since returning from grandma and grandpa's in Florida - every day was the same "is it time for me to go to school today?").

I'd also like to point out that Koa was trying to get out the door for school. It was a sad little boy who had to stay home with Mama and Papa that day (he is Kalei's little shadow, and she is good natured about it). Notice that he only has one slipper on ... segue into the only Australian joke I know: the setting is the deep Australian outback, and a guy walks into the only bar around wearing only one slipper. The barman looks at him and asks "Lose a slipper, mate?" The man looks back at him and replies with enthusiasm "Nah, found one!"

Thank you, I'll be here all week - James

catching up!

so, we're catching up with the whole blog scene! i don't know that our thoughts will be as interesting as others', but they'll be ours and they will definitely be random. of course i can't think of anything to write about right now, but maybe this'll get easier with practice. welcome to our blog!