Occasionally, a nice long drive is good mommy therapy. And drive we did, up to the PCC and the temple visitors center in Laie. A 25 mile journey that takes an hour but one of the most beautiful 60 minutes ever. Bonus -both kids took a nap, which is what I was hoping for. Which is good because they needed it and I didn't feel like answering one of Avery's million questions about life. (Sometimes I wish I had one of those divider windows between the front and back seats, like in a limo)

I just wanted to watch coastline, the kids walking home from school barefoot (Alise you would love it here) and revel in the still novel fact that we live on an island.


And...Avery and I took an hour long Ukelele lesson at the PCC. I now know 4 chords and can, in theory, play "You are my Sunshine". It doesn't sound like an actual song to me but strumming it makes me feel like a local.

Ouch.

Mom births her 12th baby — 17-pound Nadia

And they all rolled over and one fell out...

Usually I sleep well. So well that I don't hear Ben's alarm go off. And, because we let our kids sleep in our bed when they are little I don't have to get up (or wake up even) for feedings so it's great. We've never even owned a crib. The baby is put to sleep in a pack n play bassinet next to our bed until they wake up and come into bed with us. Or sometimes they just start the night off sleeping on Ben. This works for us because Ben, having shared a queen sized bed his entire life (except on his mission we hope) with at least one, and probably up to four people, doesn't move an inch when he sleeps. And I have the motherly instinct/GPS that allows me to know where my kids are positioned at all times so I don't roll on them.

Our pediatrician had said that this was fine and when I asked if it would be hard to get Avery out of our bed because we had allowed this all her life he said, when she turns one she will probably want her own space. And magically, she did. At that point we were on the road with Ben's rotations for 9 months so she transitioned into a jr. Aero bed and then to her big girl bunk bed when we were "stable" again. Fine. So, after this rather long, pointless explanation of our sleeping habits comes the story. Back to Usually I sleep well... So, last night when everyone is in their correct location I hear a whisper at our door. It's Avery (obviously, because Miles doesn't talk, much less whisper) "Mom" I pretend not to hear her. "Mom" "Mom, can I sleep in your bed?" as she's making the ascent no matter what my answer is. I don't mind. She always gives me a nice squeeze and an "I love you mom" to ensure I won't send her back to her room. Fine. She doesn't take up much room and Ben is staying in his allotted 18 inches. Back to sleep until Miles feels lonely in his "crib" and wants to snuggle too. He comes over, falls back asleep and the kids start doing gymnastics in their sleep. Miles wants to sleep like the picture in the book. Avery, trying to avoid him, makes her way to the bottom of the bed and I realize that there is not room for 5 pillows and 4 humans on our queen. I realize that there is a book I want to read anyway. I take my reading light, a pillow and our duvet and make a nice little bed on the floor and before long I realize how nice it is to be all alone. And there I sleep.

Some might say it's time for the kids to stay in their own beds. I just think it 's time for a bigger bed.

P.S. - Of course Avery decides, after weeks of no accidents in her own bed, which has a waterproof mattress cover, to wet our bed the next morning. Luckily everyone else was up but does anyone know how to clean memory foam?

Speaking of Bananas...

I cannot stop making Chelsey's banana bread. I have the recipe memorized. I can even half, double or triple it in my head with relative ease and I am not a math person...but I am a FOOD person! It takes less than 6 minutes to whip up, and that includes getting the ingredients out of the cabinets. Beat that Rachel Ray! Last night for our Family Home Evening treat I threw in some wheat germ, chocolate chips and walnuts for added nutrition (flavonoids, Omega 3's and whatever wheat germ is good for). And not only can I not stop making it. I cannot stop eating it! Usually bananas are only good to me when they barely lose that last tinge of green (about one day) but now I almost can't wait for them to get "old".

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

We just discovered yet another fruit tree in our jungle of a backyard. Bananas! They were just hiding among some other palms.

Add that to the Guava, Pumelos (technically our neighbors tree but they said we can have some), Mango and Coconuts and we have quite the tropical fruit salad! All ours for only $2900 a month!

Avery and Elmo watching the trees grow.

Here is some Bonus material for the grandparents (in other words boring for everyone else) of Miles w/ his Pumelo. I think he is giving it a medical exam:

We all have our secrets

Once you've borne a child, your body is never the same. You may get back down to your pre-pregnancy weight, sure, but it's never quite the same. I'm not saying that it can't even be better. I don't mind my slightly curvier shape myself but there are some identifiable "trouble" areas. As a bonafide apple (which are you?) I have a surplus of dangerous visceral fat that has me destined for heart disease, diabetes, depression or myriad cancers. So far I feel fine (knock on wood), but in some clothes it just looks terrible. Would I trade for my trouble to lie somewhere else? I'm not sure...then I'd have to exchange my futile crunches for some equally annoying move like lunges so I'll just work with what I've got. And what I've got is a secret weapon called Higher Power, by Spanx. Thanks to Sara Blakley I can slip, okay slightly struggle, into this hosiery and voila! Goodbye propensity for heart disease...as far as everyone else can tell. I remember when I first got them, after having Avery. Ben was skeptical at first but even he is a believer now. To the point that he feels like he can tell me which outfits I might want to wear them with. For instance, we were going to church and he said (of course by this time we were already walking in, so too late to do anything) "you might want to wear your Spanky's with that dress" and I say "I am wearing them" he says "well, then your Spanx have lost their spank."

I guess it's time to sign up for auto-delivery.

These could up my game.

For the fashion conscious swimmer.

Or for Britt.

Thanks Christy for this incredible find.

Monday Morning Randomness

So I just tried the Schick Intuition razor...and I may just start shaving again! Is that Ben I hear cheering? I have been waxing almost exclusively for the last ten years (thanks to a dear little Persian roommate who once asked me those very special seven little words "do you want me to wax you?"). I have used it all from Nad's to homemade wax, some good some not so good. I've even been professionally waxed a few times but feel like I can do just as good a job at home as long as I have a bathroom door that locks (kids and hot wax do not mix).

Honestly, I thought by this point my hair would have gotten the picture and stopped growing, and it is finer to a degree, but the problem with waxing is that you have to grow the hair out to a certain length to grasp it and even 1/4 inch isn't pretty. In the past I have usually only noticed (or cared) in the summer or at church when I look at my legs and compare them to the bald beauties around them (honestly, how does 90% of the female population maintain such smoothness? I'm so jealous) but at that point it's too late and I might as well go another week before I do anything about it. But now that I need to be beach ready at every moment, something has got to change. Which is why I am so glad I tried this razor (which I got for Christmas last year from gma Maggie...wait, was that an attempted intervention?! Very sneaky to give Britt the same thing even though she falls into the aforementioned 90%). So I wasn't loving the buky design and I despise their commercials (but who watches commercials anymore, that is sooo 2005) nonetheless, it is glorious to use. No shaving cream (which sometimes I like to use even when I'm not shaving cause I like the smell. Sorry Ben, now you know why yours always runs out so quickly-and for the record I do NOT like the new kind you are using) required, so I love the simplicity and ease of use. It comes with a handy suction-cup holder thingy to keep it away from tiny fingers. And the blades are super sharp (or maybe that's just compared to my pink Daisy razor that I've been using for the last year...those are disposable, what?!). So I've only used it once, but it has my whole-hearted recommendation. I'll let you know when I use it again next week.

In other news...Ben and I gave talks in church yesterday. So if anyone is asked to speak on patience or integrity in the future we'll sell them to you cheap. (I really do want to start a talk swap since I was able to piggyback a talk off of Sara's sisters topic a few months back and it made it way less painful)

As usual, we both made jokes that people didn't find funny, didn't get or didn't hear (excuse me bishop, is this mic on?). At least there was no audible laughter but it's not like you can really scan the crowd after you say something that you thought was funny to see if anyone got it. One joke that Ben made was "When we were given the topics to speak on, it was an easy decision who would speak on what, because if i spoke on patience you might see, for the first time, someone burst into flames at the pulpit" Of course I laughed. I love his jokes and I laugh at all of them. Which is the reason, as Kit says, that Ben married me. My jokes were more along the lines of the usual spouse-depreciating flavor. "I thought that I had better be the one to give a brief introduction on our family, to save Ben the embarrassment of not knowing how old are children are", for example. In a nutshell, I spoke on patience with others, ourselves and with God and Ben spoke on integrity as a symbol of our religion. We survived. And now we can rest easy until we are moving and are asked to give the obligate "we'd better use them one last time" farewell talk.

And lastly, somebody warn McKay : Man dies after 3-day gaming binge

It's a Grrrreat Day to be a Trinity Tiger!

I was at our city pool the other day about to swim a couple laps and one of the lifeguards asked me what my cap said. I showed her that it said Trinity and to my surprise she said "That's in San Antonio, right?". Turns out she had swam for a team that competed against us (she graduated a few years after me), but she is one of those insane distance swimmers so I wouldn't know of her anyhow. It's just funny how you cross paths with people some times that have some connection to your past. While I was swimming I was thinking about the good friends made and good times had on the pool deck and traveling around together so I thought I'd post a few memories.

The fabulous Shannon Clower with the fabulous Coach Ryan (who coined the phrase "It's a Great day to Be Trinity Tiger" Call him. It's probably on his his voice mail now.

This is a limited edition Coach Ryan doll (with your choice of three punishing workouts)that Shannon got from me when I was her "secret swimmer".

Me and Bama on the "best" day of my life.

On our wedding day or shortly thereafter, Ben asked me if that (our wedding day) was the best day* of my life. Without pause, I told him second best. Conference finals 2000 was. I wasn't the fastest on our team by a long shot, much less the fastest in our conference. But that day (with the help of an extreme conditioning and tapering program, an awesome mixed tape (we didn't have MP3's back then) and a sisters memory spurring me on)I was the fastest in the 50 free, and beating those girls from Sewanee that were talking smack in the locker room felt real good. All while free and clear of all performance enhancing drugs...okay it wasn't that amazing of a feat. But it was a fun day, and thanks to Ryan Hansen who once said he Googled my name and actually came up with something, I did the same and found the results of that day here.

*not to be confused with best decision of my life

The Little Mermaid..and her brother

Speaking of swimmers:
We've got a medley relay team here - Miles does back and breast stroke, Avery brings it home with the fly (at least the dolphin kick) and freestyle.

Note- That is not Miles nor Avery coughing in the third video, and yes, those are the same goggles I was wearing in 2000. Apparently they don't get much exposure to the elements.


Okay gpa, you're the judge. Does she qualify for the grand prize?

"Do you want fries with that?"

Since we moved here the topic of preschool comes up quite often...people always want to know how old Avery is, inevitably followed by the question "what preschool is she going to?" Since I haven't given it much thought I say "I don't know, I haven't given it much thought". And I know this isn't a big deal and that people are either trying to start mommy small talk or help me adjust to a new place but I feel slightly embarrassed that I hadn't actually planned on her going to preschool. I didn't realize it was compulsory. That was, until we went through the McDonalds drive-thru and the cashier looks in the backseat at Abes and says to her "why aren't you in school?"! She's in a carseat. She's three! And I was particularly sensitive to the subject since it's been on my mind.

So, is there something wrong with me for not wanting her to go to preschool? I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with preschool itself. We did a pre-school co-op last year and it was fun but she hasn't asked to go back and she didn't (nor did I) particularly enjoy the rush to get dressed, eat breakfast, and hurry up to the car. I like having her around and so does Miles, we go to playgroups and libraries and do all sorts of stuff (we now have an annual pass to the PCC for goodness sakes), we even have a loose routine. But am I crippling her in someway by resisting? Please weigh-in.

It's 10 am and both of my kids are asleep, Miles just went down for his morning nap, Avery should be waking up anytime now and I get to have breakfast and read or do whatever. I like our lazy mornings and our non-schedule for now. Kindergarten will come soon enough.

photo by someone else

Four in a row

Congratulations Roger. You may not be the hottest, but you're the best.

Avery's 1st Talk

Avery was asked to give a talk in Primary. Topic - choose one of the Articles of Faith.

She choose the second one. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

She chose this because she likes the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. So being that she doesn't really understand any of the Articles of Faith we thought she could segue from this one into talking about what she does know. And what she does know is "Adam and Eve disobeyed and ate the fruit from their dad's tree. But we're not punished for their sins" {laughter} Avery sits down, turns around in her seat and tells everyone "It's not funny that they were bad!"

I'll try to get her to retell it and videotape it.

If I do. It'll be posted here.

The Luau

If there was ever a time to forget your camera, this was not it. So bear with me as I describe the festivities. We missed the "opening ceremony" so I have nothing to report about that. However, having participated in the remainder of the evening I wished I had been the first one there. In the parking lot of the church a full-fledged carnival was underway. A castle shaped bounce house, cotton candy machine, popcorn stand, miscellaneous games (darts, ring toss, fishing, free throws etc.) and prizes galore. When I went inside, I thought maybe I had stumbled upon a wedding reception but the larger-than-life size image of the honoree riding in a carriage above the stage eliminated any doubt. There were lights, centerpieces and a live band. Towers and archways of balloons. And about 250 people. The food was traditional luau fare including kalua pig, steamed crab (black and red), lomi lomi salmon, poke, squid luau, sweet potato, poi and haupia (see a picture of what it might look like here) and for the first time I actually enjoyed the poi as I found out it is meant to eaten with something, like lomi salmon for instance.

I must interject that I thought that I threw a pretty darn good fake luau for Avery's first bday. Granted, I served mexican food, but it was a luau anyhow. But this party would put all of my parties combined to shame. This party was like 'my super sweet sixteen" for a one year old.

After dinner there was slide show, it was only fair to stay since we had just scored big on loot at the "carnival" (avery got an awesome j.lo necklace) and had enjoyed a major feast, plus, how long could a slide show of her first and only year of life be (i should have thought about how long a slide show of avery's first year of life would be before I passed judgement) and there were two tables full of party favors for those who made it to the end (that made me want to retrieve the gift I had brought and return with something far more worthy of the occasion). So we stayed (even though the band was playing the slightly uncomfortable "Keep Hawaiian Lands in Hawaiian Hands", is it just me or is everyone staring at us...(can't they see that Ben clearly is 1/16 Hawiian?) (mental note - work on tan)) and I'm glad we did. The slide show was only 5 songs long and we got our gift bags and were able to leave, happy, exhausted and high on cotton candy.

Gift Bag for Prince Miles.

Nurse, can you call my wife and tell her I'll be late for dinner.

We usually schedule dinner around the 30 minute warning I get from Ben when he's leaving the hospital. Tonight, we had the missionaries scheduled to come at 5:30. When the calendar comes around at church I generally pass because I can't guarantee that Ben will be available but with this easier rotation and that fact that he has been home by noon for the last two Fridays I thought that today would be a good opportunity and a sure thing that he would be home.

It's 9:41. He's still not here or even on his way.

He called at 12:30 to tell me that he probably wouldn't make it before 6. So I rescheduled with them for between 6:15 and 6:30. He called again at 4 to say he probably wouldn't make it before 7. I rescheduled with them for 7. At 6:20 he called to say he could stay or come home but probably needed to stay and I agreed. He said he would probably be able to make it by 8, which was the latest the missionaries could come. When they called to get our address I asked if they could still come at 8 but they had to be at an appt. at 8:30 in the next town so I said come over at 7:30 and I'll have a plate ready to go (they are not permitted to visit a "single" female alone). Unfortunately, in all the scheduling and rescheduling they arrived at 7 and I was in the kitchen chopping avocado, wearing only a towel and a hairnet. Okay, just a towel. Not appropriate attire while having these righteous young men over, or anyone for that matter. Before they can get out of their car I dash into my room, close the windows and change with Miles crying cause I left his sight and bacon burning on the (Foreman) grill. I return, welcome the missionaries to sit outside on the lanai still hoping that Ben will make it home, if only for dessert. That's when I get the call. Luckily when I saw the hospitals number come up on caller ID I wasn't snippy because it was one of the OR nurses calling to tell me that "Dr. Westbrook" (ha) wouldn't be making it home in time for his guests.

So the missionaries got a fabulous meal (if I do say so myself), served in courses (only because I was still running 30 minutes behind and I couldn't really sit and chat with them anyway) and Ben gets:

-Spinich Salad with Tomato, Avocado, (slightly burnt) Bacon & Grilled Shrimp Skewers
(it's supposed to be served wilted...but not that wilted)
-Popovers
(the reason they are supposed to be consumed immediately is because they deflate)
-Kalbi Ribs
(can be reheated, so those were fine)
-Macadamia Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies
(if I'm left alone with a freshly baked cookie for that long, they will not survive the wait. sorry)

It's 9:57, he's leaving the hospital now. Bon Apetite.

Poll Cheatsheet

In case you don't follow the game but want to participate in this weeks poll...

Reminiscing...

I know it is Labor Day but I finally uploaded these pictures Heidi & Sara took of our houseboating trip over Memorial Day weekend. God Bless America!

Bloggers Beware

WIFE CUTS OFF HUSBANDS HAND TO CURE INTERNET ADDICTION

August 31,2007. Ananova

A Chinese wife has cut her husband's right hand off because of his internet addiction.
Jiang Ming of Chengdu city promised his wife, He Ling, that he would not go on the internet anymore and would spend more time at home to take care of their newborn son.
But after a short time he started to sneak into nearby internet cafes again.

"I was on the internet, and suddenly felt a numbness in my right hand. The arrow on the screen stopped moving," says Jiang Ming.
"Then I found that my right hand was on the mouse pad, and blood was shooting out."
In court, the husband pleaded with the judge to release his wife, since he was to blame for breaking his promise.
The court has adjourned and will announce its verdict on another date, reports Chongqing Evening News.

OTHER NEWS FROM 中国...

BEIJING INTRODUCES ANIMATED POLICE TO PATROL INTERNET

AP, BEIJING Thursday, Aug 30, 2007

Police in Beijing said they will start patrolling the Web using animated beat officers that pop up on a user's browser and walk, bike or drive across the screen warning them to stay away from illegal Internet content. The cartoon alerts will appear every half hour on China's top portals. The animated police appeared designed to startle Web surfers and remind them that authorities closely monitor Web activity. However, the statement did not say whether there were plans to further boost monitoring.
The male and female cartoon officers, will offer a text warning to surfers to abide by the law and tips on Internet security as they move across the screen in a virtual car, motorcycle or on foot, it said.

August Recap

Ben- After thinking I might have to launch a "save Jerome" campaign, being that the long, stressful days of being a bottom-dwelling intern were starting to take a toll on the personality we all love so much, Ben is back. His alter-ego may be gone forever; there's not room in the hospital for a Dr. Jerome anyhow, and if there was he would keep the legal team busy that's for sure. So what caused this rally? A short vacation and visit with one of his brothers for one and a change of rotations to top it off. Ben is currently the plastic surgeon on call at the hospital. (Does that worry anyone else?) Although on call 24/7 this month (I am finding the pager on the hip surprisingly attractive) he doesn't have to leave until 6am and can be home as early as noon! (once a week) The attending doc actually told him, that he didn't expect him to leave at 1pm every day but that if he stayed past 3pm he would think less of him and not more. What that means for us is more guitar playing, more tinkering around the house (he built a nice little outdoor shower), some skateboarding, and commandeering of the television for football, tennis and team USA bball (just when do you go back to the hospital?). The unsettling part...Ben has a 500 page book of breasts that he "has" to study. And he likes to say he's "making the world a better place, one breast at a time". I hope it's two at a time and I'd like to remind him that he should spend as much time studying noses and eyelids just to be fair.

On a more sacred note...

At church we were called to be ward missionaries. We have done this before back when it was a stake assignment and enjoy supporting the full-time elders/sisters with their needs. And it's an easy one to work around a tight schedule such as Ben's. Since our church doesn't have a paid clergy, the members are relied upon to take leadership and teaching positions in various auxialliaries which is a calling. So far, I have also taught primary (11 year old boys, what a challenge), Young Women and been a cub scout den mother. The last two were probably my favorite. But It'll be a great way to meet people that's for sure. It's still weird for me to actually leave immediately after church and not chit chat in the hall, although Ben is glad for that.

Avery- Has made great strides in being helpful around the house. She learned how to clean her room and she can perform her bedtime routine (potty, brush, pj's, read book) with minimal supervision and is often the one who gets the process started. She has also accomplished a basic 8 foot swim to the wall and is determined to really learn now that grandpa Mark has promised her a bike when she can officially be called a swimmer. A pink one.

She has become rather concerned lately about her intake of food and drink. When I offer her water, milk, etc. she says "oh but it'll make me pee" and likewise food, will make her do you know what. Her other concern and one that made her all but stop eating one day was the fear that if she kept eating she "would become a giant" and she wants to "maybe become as big as mom and dad, but not as big as a giant". I guess this is all of our encouragement to eat so she'll grow "big and strong" backfiring.

Miles- Still our love bug (or "Herbie" as Ben calls him) but he is getting feisty and I am seeing what having a little boy entails. We don't have many boy toys but we do have some generic unisex baby things of which he instinctually prefers the cars, trucks and mechanical type things. He will bring me balls to play "catch" (or roll, depending on the ball) and he has started to climb on anything and everything. Today he climbed up an entire slide at the park. Maybe he really is a Gecko! But I'm glad that he and Avery can already play with each other. Although today I got to experience the "Mommmm, Miles is touching me" whine from the back seat for the first time.

I've also determined that Ben must pay Miles to keep me on task and on my feet all day. If I even sit down for a second he is there to get me up again. He always wants to see what I am cooking and is generally on my hip all day long. That is until Ben gets home. Then he must be off duty because he goes off and plays by himself.

Miles may also be in the running for a bike as he is a darn good swimmer himself. He kicks his little legs hard on command and can hold on to the side and try to pull himself up. I have let him "swim" by himself under water which he doesn't mind but I don't think the lifeguards like that very much. It's just like being back in the womb!

Also, Miles has chosen what his second word will be recorded in the books as. And that word is....Kit. Great. He also popped a second tooth.

Brittany - She's back in the blog. I know that I have had my brush with celebrity this month with the Dog but alas Britt has outdone me again seeing not one but two major stars. And I mean major. Firstly, while casually browsing in the menswear dept. at Fashion Island, Britt's gal pal says "oh, that guy is really big, he must be an NBA player" Britt glances up and is looking directly into the eyes of none other than the Black Mamba* (or the link that I prefer - Black Mamba, I particularly enjoy the part about her strength level) himself. What does one do when your eyes lock with number 24, perhaps the greatest to ever play the game? You quickly look away. Even though you are close enough to touch him. Or smile and say hello. Or get the sales associate to take your picture with him because your brother-in-law would really appreciate a text of you with his favorite athlete. Or look away.

He bought underwear.

The other encounter, that probably would have been more exciting had one not seen Kobe the week before, was our favorite British transplant. Yes, Victoria Beckham was enjoying some quietude at the same posh (hee hee) Santa Barbara getaway that Britt and Sam were at to celebrate his bday. Happy Belated.

August Stock Picks

COST (Costco) Up 60.12 to 61.75 +1.63

HON (Honeywell) Down 57.15 to 56.15 +1.00

ERTS (Electronic Arts) Up 48.10 to 52.94 +4.84

*Disclaimer - Black Mamba is NOT a name that I or anyone I associate with, gave to Kobe Bryant. Even though it turns out to be female comic book character, he gave it to himself. I think he was going more for the deadliest snake in the world connotation but maybe he should have done a little more research on that one.

You Can Run But You Can't Hide...

Check, and check. It's not exactly the way I had imagined it would happen, but there is still time for me to inadvertently run into Duane "Dog" Chapman while I'm out and about and while he's roaming the streets, fighting the war against ice, but for now catching a glimpse of his weathered skin in person at the local Borders will have to do.

We heard he would be coming to promote his new book You Can Run but You Can't Hide so we loaded up and went to the mall to see him. The four of us, along with the entire East side of Oahu that is.

But we were not disappointed as everyone was there...

Dog himself

Beth and the girls...

Both of them.

I was hoping Leland and Tim would be there. I guess someone has to be keeping the streets safe though. Before we left the house I was familiarizing Avery with the superheros we were about to meet and when we got there she asked "where are the straight guys?" And I thought to myself, how does she know their sexual preference, but quickly figured it out when she said "well, there is the fat lady who is gonna have a baby (Beth, not pregnant, unless she is carrying awfully high and having twins) but where are the straight guys?" To clarify I asked her "am I fat or straight?" and she said "you used to be fat but now you are straight". So there you go. And bless her heart for moving me into the latter category.

A few more pictures and then this chapter is closed.

This last one is of Dog saying "Noooo" to a girl who was telling him that her uncle Curtis had been in prison with him back in the day. He wrote Curtis a special message in her book. I bet Curtis wishes he had a TV show.

We got invited to a real LUAU! I am so excited. It was one of the things on my "to do" list while living in Hawaii. (And for those of you looking for that perfect baby name there are a few to choose from here) Now if I can only meet Dog the Bounty Hunter ...

The First Guests

Ben's brother Brady & his wife Theresa were the first visitors we have had in Hawaii. They were actually one of the last visitors we had in Maryland, a mere 4,900 miles away, a six hour flight in either direction from California. Joining them a few days later were Andy and Yolanda, who came via Austin. I, of course, love having company, especially those as easy to please as these. They rented a van so we could travel around the island together and here is a photojournal of some of our expeditions:

Of course every trip has it's highs and lows. A few of the highs include: Ben taking a few days off, Ben, Brady & Andy seeing a smallish (4 ft) shark while snorkeling, Brady retrieving and opening fresh coconuts off of our tree in the backyard, the Polynesian Cultural Center, the new green tea flavor shave ice (with vanilla ice cream in the bottom) at Aoki's (good choice Theresa), Yolanda & Theresa taking turns holding Miles so I could actually cook an entire meal using both hands, seeing Hawaii through vacationers eyes.

There were few low points including a minor kayaking accident which was taken in stride but the major one was thankfully mitigated by the in-house doctor...and I actually mean Ben this time. Brady woke up one morning with the inability to blink his right eye (he had to manually close it periodically so that it wouldn't dry out!)and general paralysis of his facial muscles on that side as well. Of course it was an easy diagnosis of Bell's Palsy (and a touch of Tourettes), but I don't have any herbal salves for that, so Ben M.D. had to step in and save his brothers life. A quick prescription actually did stop the progression and Theresa was relieved to find out that it wouldn't be permanent. I'm sure it was scary to Brady although we did manage to find the humor in his discomfort:

WARNING: Rated PG13 for Language, Frightening Images

How Great Thou Art

I joined the choir today. I'm not a singer as many of you well know (unless you count lip synching...which I am excellent at..."Mack the Knife" anyone?) but I've always wanted to become a better singer and thought that church choir would be the place to start. No tryouts, no solos, sometimes not even the greatest singers so no pressure. I've always had an excuse not to however, but a few things about this wards choir made me take the plunge.


1. Chocolate. The choir director brings chocolate to all practices for participants. I'm talking full-sized candy bars, not keep-you-awake-in-relief-society hershey kisses.

2. They sing in Hawaiian. Cool huh?

3. Their next performance is "How Great Thou Art" (He Nani No). A classic beloved by all Christian demoninations and one that is not too incredibly difficult to sing even with zero vocal talent. It also reminds me of my great-grandmother Fern, who taught piano for 75 years (!), and I can visualize her powerfully robust (yet graceful) hands spanning chords, foot pumping and humming (never singing that I can remember, maybe an intermittent la ti da da or something) many great hymns, including this one.


The chorister said she was glad to see a little "color" in the group..referring to me and another "haole" friend who just moved in. I said "you mean, lack of?" Anyhow, the men in the choir are particularly incredible to listen to. Should be an enjoyable learning experience.

Great Gma Fern & Gpa Lewis
(or is it Ben & I in 40 years?)

Duke's Oceanfest

This weekend was Duke's (as in Kahanamoku) Oceanfest. They had various surfing competitions but my favorite is the tandem. The pics aren't too easy to see because the break was pretty far out but it was fun. They announce the teams and the moves they are doing over the loudspeaker. The names of the lifts are kinda funny, but not as funny as ones I thought I heard but that actually don't exist...like "french backpack" I think it was actually "grass shack" but either way...

Where has the time gone?

So it looks like it's been a full week since I last posted something (I know, my grandparents are the only ones who noticed). The sabbatical was partially intentional as I was finding myself suffering from blogsomnia - that's when you lay in bed at night trying to think of what to post instead of sleeping - and I knew that when I started to consider staging events to have fodder for the blog that it had already gone too far. Luckily I stopped myself before seeing if Ben would want to have another baby so that I could have a pregnancy to track... the labor story and the pictures of a newborn would have been so great and would have given me at least two new entries!

That's a joke, it never crossed my mind till this moment, but you see how this illness works. I'm sure they must have a Betty Fordish center in Silicon Valley with a wing for bloggers and another for for texters. Fortunately I think I have this addiction under control and am ready to enjoy this outlet of thoughts once again. Besides, it's the only way Ben can find out what we are up to. He didn't even know that Miles now has two teeth because I hadn't posted it. And he requested more pictures.

So what I have I been doing this last week if not blogging? Well, having a good time playing with the kids for one, paying nearly overdue bills (no electricity means no internet access...), reading friends blogs and also being tour guide, chef and hotelier to our very first guests! (More on them later) Also, sadly I still find myself watching old recordings of SYTYCD (speaking of addictions). But it's getting better, I'm ready to consider erasing them to make room for something equally inane. Like maybe the Miss Teen USA pageant? Which I watched tonight until the evening gown portion, during which it flashed one of the girls hobbies as "texting her friends". Wow. Anothers was cliff-jumping. I just checked to see who won and it was a beauty from Colorado who's aspirations are to become an ENTERTAINMENT journalist. Like she wants to work on Access Hollywood or the E! channel?! I'm suddenly very frightened for my children (and vowing to not watch trashy television in their presence (or learn how to text message)). US Open starts in three days.

Can you hear me now?

Avery had her audiologist appt. and her hearing is perfect. Nearly bionic in fact. I, on the other hand, had to ask if it was problematic if I wasn't hearing some of the sounds that she was responding correctly to.

She actually stopped the "huh" thing once I brought it to her attention...and realized I do a similar thing to Ben fairly often.

But she still talks loud.

Creepy but flattering.

This is a real letter that I just got, sent to Banning Realty (thanks Tarah for forwarding that. Yikes!) If you click on it it should appear larger. This letter came from a correctional facility. I'm not sure why he told me about his hair. I'm not sure why he had a Banning newspaper. I do understand why he might want to write to me...I knew that picture that Sara took for my real estate stuff would get me clients! Photoshop and a skilled hand can make anyone look good.

Now what...do I write him? I feel bad for him. The crime was accidental. Like as in what? He accidentally tied her up and threw her in a river? (You know I love to research so if he does even exist I will find out and I will find out details) Maybe I'll send him a postcard if I'm ever on the North Pole. I wish I could help but he's just gonna have to find another pen pal...Kit, Dave, you guys have a soft spot for criminals. His address is as the bottom.

In case you forget my name.

Every baby needs an airbrushed onesie.

Thanks Uncle Nate.

I live in HAWAII!!!

It has finally hit me.

I have very much loved every place I/we have lived - California, Texas, Utah, Maryland and I am very much excited to have this on our resume of locales. I now live where people come to get away from it all. Ben likes to joke that I'm always on vacation and now I actually am!

I set up a babysitting trade with another new girl at church who has a baby girl about Miles' age and two older girls that Avery loves to play with and who's husband also keeps long hours (he's an Air Force chaplain) so on my "free day" I didn't want to run errands or clean house or do anything that I could possibly, maybe accomplish with kids around so I hit the beach. Ben helped me load up the surfboard the night before, I dropped the keiki's off, turned on Jack Johnson, rolled down the windows, opened the sunroof (mostly so I could stop the board from rattling and ruining the mood), and I was off. I didn't know exactly where I was headed but I was going. Until I got about a mile down the road and started thinking about how I was going to surf without my key fob enduring the same death by water as our other set had (bathtub + two year old). I had thought ahead enough not to bring anything but my license but the keys you can't leave hidden in the car. So I went back to the house, grabbed the valet key, and started over. I had two options in the search of a perfect wave (which for me is about a 2 footer with nothing pokey or dangerous (i.e. - reef) below.

So, choice number one, a place called Flat Island, a long paddle out (okay by me) but dangerously near the recent shark attack (not okay by me). Option two, a place lovingly known as "Cockroach Bay", there are some mossy rocks on the ocean floor here but the real potential problem could be not being wanted by the locals who live on the beach at this spot. Sharks or locals. I took my chance with the locals. (Although I did end up with a flat tire later that day...) Unfortunately I got there and no one was in the water. I had already told myself that I wouldn't go in alone no matter what (Alise, if you would just come visit this wouldn't even be an issue). Anyhow, the reason no one was in was beacuse it was flat. So I countinued on and came to Sandy Beach. A hotspot for bodyboarding, bodysurfing and waves that are known for break ing necks. At this age, I'm not interested in breaking my neck, but I've always wanted to go there and watch so I did and it was incredible. The kids were doing crazy stuff, like standing on their body boards as well as the usual riding in the tube, spinning etc. I did see one, rather stately (ref. definition one - Dignified and impressive, as in size or proportions) woman get washed away, luckily the waves brought her back safely to her equally large mate, whom the waves couldn't budge. Meanwhile, a guy was sitting on the tailgate of his truck strumming the ukelele, enveloping us all with aloha. All I needed was a Jamba Juice to enjoy on my way home while listening to the Beach Boys to call it a perfect day. A day which will be recreated and hopefully become routine.

I did finally get in the water. On my way home there were two people in the water at Coakroach Bay, even though it was still pretty flat. But I couldn't resist the chance to get in. So I paddled out, said hi and then just laid there, an island unto myself for ten minutes.

I live in HAWAII.

Malasada's

Malasada's are a Portugese doughnut that we get to enjoy here on Oahu. Ben can't resist pulling over to get them when he sees the van that sells them (must be the Portugese in him). Leonards Bakery is the most famous vendor. They are the Krispy Kreme of Hawaii, and like KK, these are best enjoyed hot and fresh out of the oven. I like mine with chocolate pudding inside.

How late do you stay up?

I've got kids in bed, bra removed (I probably just lost some readers right there) Chelsey's banana bread in hand, and a glass of milk on the rocks ready to catch up on some good Wed. night TV here. Excellent dancing tonight on SYTYCD. My favorites were Lacey/Pasha's hip hop (thanks goodness no one tried to Krump this week) and wowie Neil and Sabra's Apprentice-esque boardroom jazz routine! I've decided that Cat Deely is one of the best reality show hosts. She's cute. Although Ben (maybe it's an aspiring plastic surgeon in the making) can't get over her crooked nose but I think she wears it well!

Has anyone seen Carson Daly's show lately? He's lost like 30 lbs. Unfortunately, it still doesn't make him funny.

Conan O'Brian on the other hand has really grown on me. I remember watching him when I was living in China and he just got on my nerves but now he is truly hilarious. And Jay and Dave don't have the jokes they used to either. Although I do look forward to Ross the Intern! Anyhow, I can't wait for Conan to take over the Tonight Show and I vote for Joel McHale from The Soup to take over for Dave.

In completely unrelated taste changes, I used to prefer flour tortillas to corn...maybe that's because you can't get a decent flour tortilla out of a package (and making them, although delicious, is time consuming and messy)

When you start musing over tortillas it's time to go to bed.

No YOU be quiet.

Yesterday, around the time the day gets exteremely long (but still rewarding) staying home with two small people and no husband I just wanted to sit on the couch and read a magazine and watch TV. Plus I thought I had a chance being that I was one down since Avery was still napping after a hard day of playing princess (apparently a girl gets tired slaying dragons and running from evil queens all day). I am trying to insert the binky so that Miles and myself can relax but he's resisting and shaking his head around. But I'm not really watching him because I'm checking out my list of saved shows. All of the sudden he has control of the bink and he shoves it in my mouth. And then he laughs.

I want these...

Not the legs. The sandals...I mean slippers (that's what you're supposed to call them in Hawaii) , they are called Fit Flops and since I don't have a gym membership I need them. I think they're cute anyhow, and they are sold out everywhere, which always makes me want something more (like the Wii that I desperately had to have but haven't played in months).


Here's what the website says about them:
Every step you take in the FitFlop helps tone and trim your legs. The FitFlop's uniquely built multi-density midsole activates muscles midstep to help tone your thighs, your calves and your glutes. In fact, FitFlops are biomechanically engineered to absorb shock, lessen joint strain, and recreate the gait of barefoot walking - but with a powerful new built-in micro-wobbleboard workout-enhancing effect. Available in UK women's sizes 4-8 in Red and Black (Sorry, blue is not available until July). RRP £36. Patent pending.


I wonder if they work if you wear them while you sit and blog...

July Recap

*WARNING* This post is extremely long.

Summer has ended here. School is back in session. I guess when summer is "endless" then you can go back to school on July 31 without much complaint. They get out of school at the end of May so it's not too long of a break. I heard that they get some other days off throughout the year to make up for it...no snow days, but that's just a wild guess. Maybe you get out of school when the waves are going off somewhere on the island. It's weird that school is back in though because nothing else changed, the pools remain open, the Fall back-to-school sales are just new shipments of summer clothes and shave ice is still a hot seller. I guess all it means is that there is more room at the beach for me between 8 and 3.



So here is a person by person, topic by topic recap of the mundane for July -


BEN - We don't see much of him but he works here, and says the view from inside is incredible. He finished a month of General Surgery and has started a month of ENT which means he gets home a few hours earlier but I think he also goes in earlier as well. I don't even hear his alarm go off so I can't be sure, but I know it's still dark.





AVERY - Wore the same two outfits for all of July. But I'm not complaining because A. At least she is wearing clothes B. She gets herself dressed and C. It lessens my deluge of laundry. She has also been staying dry at night now that her parents have figured out that it helps to make her use the potty before she goes to bed. Duh.

We have an appt. with the audiologist (Christy do you know any good ones? :)) after someone at the commissary commented (in a nice way) that she sounding like a little Marine. I think she was referring to the drill instructors. In addition to her high volume level, she says "huh? an awful lot so we're gonna get it checked out. Hopefully it's just wax.


MILES- Still small but trucking right along the bottom curve of the growth chart. Makes his dad proud by saying dad, dada and daddy all in reference to Ben, can catch and throw (when rolled to him) a regulation sized basketball (Spud Webb maybe?) and drums everything that he comes in contact with so he's the percussionist in the family. We have a two-man band with Ben on strings and lead vocals. Avery is the back up vocalist/dancer and I'm the adoring fan...okay I'm a dancer too.


Miles has a surprise for everyone in August. It's a sharp one.


BRITTANY - She doesn't live with us, but she doesn't have a blog so I'm going to include her on mine (until she court-orders me to remove all references to her). As I write, she's on a plane with the owner of $tarbuck$. Not just any plane. His plane. After spending the weekend at his house. And dining with the family. All I need to know is how many degrees does this separate me from Kevin Bacon?


ACQUISITIONS -

One sofa.



Two surfboards. One long, one short.



WHAT WE'VE BEEN LISTENING TO (and Miles has been bouncing to) -

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium

Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls (Dad - you'll like the "Stand by Me" bass line) I like this kid cause he says he won't use bad language cause he considers himself a role model.


WHAT I HEAR BEN LISTENING TO WHEN HE'S "STUDYING" (he's probably watching the video)-

Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry


WHAT MY NEIGHBORS ARE LISTENING TO -

The Carpenters

They are college age boys.

INTERESTING READS -

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Biceps from Men's Health July/Aug. The best thing I've read in a long time.






STOCK PERFORMANCE - I'm going to change my picks on the side bar for the next month so for the record here's a what happened this month:

(Disclaimer - These are for fun and should not be construed as advice. You obviously shouldn't hold a stock on a one month basis just to, some are meant to be owned long term - others for a day. These are just companies that I like from an investment perspective. However, if you make money from a stock you see here I will gladly take a commission. :))


UA - Under Armour Up 45.65 to 65.13 Gain of $ 19.48/share

CROX - Crocs Footwear Up 41.84 to 58.58 Gain of $ 16.74/share

TGT- Target Down 63.60 to 60.54 Loss of $3.04/share (but it did hit above $70 during the month)

FSLR - First Solar Up 89.29 to 107.50 Gain of $18.21.share (this stock was all over the place)

NTDOY - Nintendo Up 45.85 to 61.25. Gain of $15.40 (i love this stock. i bought it when i couldn't get my hands on a wii.)

It was a good month...now only if we had some major amounts of real money to invest...

Are you still alive after all that?