Birthday and Aloha

Seems like every time I get on here to post, I'm playing major catch-up. I guess I've just been too busy living life to post about life! This month started out with a bang as I turned the big 3-5. Here I am (with no make-up--bleh!) during my favorite part of the day--being showered with birthday gifts from my little men:

I received some pretty creative gifts....including this beautifully illustrated coloring book from Eaglet. He included all the things he knows I love about warmth, green, and outdoors.

My squirrely, can't-sit-still boy also gave me this coupon...and believe me, it is VERY valuable!! Can you decipher the precious, creative spelling?

Turned 35--check. Next on March 2010's To-Do List was to get packed up to go to (sigh...) Hawaii for the 3rd year in a row. YES, I totally know how ridiculously spoiled and incredibly blessed I am. I have appreciated the reprieve from winter and amazing memories with my dear mother SO much!! Here's my little keiki with Grandmom, shortly after take-off. He's a regular jet-setter now. This was his 2nd trip to Hawaii and his 4th take-off.

We were greeted with gorgeous leis by our wonderful friends, Walt and Betty!

There is nothing like that amazing scent of lilikoi.

Just about every morning, we went out early for a nice, long walk in the sunshine. Walt and Betty live on the North Shore of Oahu, which by FAR is the most beautiful and laid-back place on the island. It was so fun to dress Keiki up in his warm-weather duds and let his chubby, adorable bare-feet hang in the breeze...


Isn't this yard amazing? We passed by it and several others that were just as beautiful every day. I love how the Hawaiian yards are most often gated, and the people are so creative with their walls and gates and gardening.



Every day we made it out to the beach ASAP! I had been looking forward to introducing Keiki to the wonders of sand and surf. Like his mama, he is right at home.


One of the coolest things about making these repeat trips is that there were very few tourist attractions we cared to see that we hadn't seen yet. This whole trip was all about friends and the beach and hitting the best FOOD stops! I had to hit Ted's Bakery on day 1. I've been dreaming about Chocolate Haupi Cream pie for an entire year. JUST LOOK AT THIS:

It is the perfect dessert, and cannot be repeated by any other but Ted (Or whomever the baker actually is at this establishment.) Please know if you ever visit the North Shore you must hit Ted's Bakery. Other North Shore must-stop-and-eat places are Pizza Bob's (Order the Portuguese Bean Soup with salad and BREAD, and don't forget to top it off with pineapple iced tea,) Haliewa Joe's (Such fun evening atmosphere,) Cafe Haliewa (All about the breakfast,) Konos (TOTALLY about the breakfast burritos,) and last but not least, Fumi's Shrimp, which has the most A-Ma-Zing coconut shrimp I have EVER eaten in my life (and that's saying a lot.)

And then we pretty much had to cap off every day with a little shave ice:

Keiki began to recognize the colored plastic holders so well that he'd start fussing and toddling toward 'em whenever he saw someone holding one. The other great thing about making repeat trips is that we knew just what beaches needed repeat visits (or repeat upon repeat visit for that matter.)


Of course we had to take my little Keiki Honu to Turtle Beach several times throughout the week. I'm still amazed by these beautiful creatures...



And this, my friends, is my new Happy Place:


This is a beach up toward Ka'ena Beach. Not sure of the exact name, but let's just call it Jessica's Beach from now on...



Is there a rule about how long a post can be? Not sure but although I fully intended to hit it all in this one, I think I'll keep you in suspense (or have mercy, depending on how you look at it) until tomorrow.

There's a Five-Year-Old In Da Howse!

Time for a little blog catch-up... We celebrated a milestone in our Spunky Cub's life on February 9. The BIG 5-0. Hard to believe our fun-lovin' kid is five. He's learning to read, an expert K'nex creationist, and brings joy and LAUGHTER to our days. Ever the storyteller, Spunky comes up with some real tales. Yesterday he hunted a wild boar with his bare hands, and we heard ALL the details. Hmmm...sounds like a great idea for a blog post...

I usually go with some sort of theme for the boys' birthdays, chosen by the birthday boy, of course. Spunky chose to be ecclectic with camoflauge plates, police badges, gummy sour worms, and who knows (i.e. I can't remember) what else!

We took the birthday boy out to Rascals for a little bouncin' fun.


Daddy took a break from work to join in the fun...bring us some ice cream...and entertain the kids:


We had Spunky open his "big gift" at Rascals...so Daddy could be there and then the little guy could play with it all afternoon.

Celebrating pancakes! Per request, the birthday supper consisted of Mom's home-made pancakes and milkshakes (I fudged on that part and made some very wholesome smoothies!) Grandmom and Grandpa joined us for our unconventional supper; it was just grand!

Pancakes were followed up by birthday cake, of course!

Some Are Meant To Be Savored!

I finished Les Miserables a few days ago, and I've been mourning ever since. I worked on Hugo's masterpiece for over a year. Yes, I said a year. On one hand it feels sort of pathetic to admit that it took me so long; however, at this stage of life it could not have taken any less time and still been enjoyed to the proper extent. As I told Tony, I had to have my wits about me to read this one. Somehow my wits have escaped me often during this past year of pregnancy, birth, and newborn bliss!

I love how in the course of this story, the different lives weave in and out of one another. Hugo takes time to show amazing depth and details of characters over the course of time. As in life, the characters change and grow and are faced with defining moments. The themes of redemption, forgiveness, and parental sacrifice change the careful reader and are as pertinent today as when this book was written. There were parts that I admittedly slogged slowly through. These were the painstakingly-detailed descriptions of battle. Great for learning about the French Revolution; not so great for this girl who doesn't care to know such details! These only last for a chapter or two at a time, however, and important details of the storyline ARE in there...only in short doses. The greatest reward of this book, for me, was the last three chapters. I positively could not put the book down, and yet tried to read slowly as to savor every bit of it. I knew it was coming to a close and felt sadness at the prospect! I felt the pain of Jean Valjean's heart. At times I found I was literally not breathing. Upon finishing page 640, all I wanted to do was go back to page 1 and begin again. I really cannot wait to read this book again! I know I'll glean so much more from it the second (and third?) time through.

Pennies to the Rescue!

My boys' hearts have been very tender toward those who are hurting in Haiti post-earthquake. We've been talking about a way they could get involved and help all the children who are hurt, scared, and hungry...to help give hope to all those precious souls who don't yet know Jesus. Pennies to the Rescue! is the answer. Today, they decided upon the name and logistics of their project. The details are simple: we'll be scouring change dishes, under couch cushions, nooks and crannies of the van, and of course our own piggy banks for loose change. We'll be carting around the change bucket we made today, and asking others if they'd like to put their spare change to work. The boys (with help from their parents) will be counting the change and rolling it up for bank deposit. At that time, we'll write a check out for the full amount and send it out to Compassion International. Their project launched today, and we've come up with a fair amount of copper already. Eaglet, with his compassionate heart, also raided his own spending money for a five-dollar bill he'd been saving. "The little babies with no mommies need it more than I do", he explained. Well said, Son.

All in One Year

One year ago today, I was 10 days post-due, labor began, I was in denial over it, and running all over Wasilla for various appointments. Today, my toddler baby is thrilling our hearts as he pitter-patters throughout our home. His babbles and giggles bring us unfathomable joy...and we are even more in love with this baby! This week he began to walk more than crawl...and our days of being a nursing couplet are coming to a close. All this in one year. My mommy-heart is so full...of memories...of hopes...and my tears fall freely. As is the case when one's heart is so incapable of expressing feelings in words, things are best expressed with music. And so, I share our little Keiki's first birthday gift with you...a walk through his first year set to his birth music. Settle in and enjoy; it is lengthy--be sure to watch through the entire three songs!

Amazing Christmas

What an amazing, fun, and meaningful Christmas season we enjoyed this year! Each year I try harder to be more purposeful about what activities we'll be part of. There are so many fun opportunities, but it's so important to choose just a few and enjoy them well. In that way, there is time for stillness--time to "just be"--and enjoy home and family and tradition. One of our favorite traditions around here is the Christmas baking. On one of our baking days, the fullness of what Christmas means hit me with full force. It was spoken to my mother heart, and with tears streaming down my cheeks, I knew I did not want to let go of it. I jotted the following down, so I could remember what my heart felt at that moment:

"There's a still moment just now. I hear Christmas music softly playing and I'm baking Christmas cookies with the big brothers...while our baby rummages around under the table for crumbs. Somehow this moment holds perfection. Snow is coming down and is blanketing everything...and I am pondering the deep love I have for these children...thinking of the fierce love I have for them when I hold them tight...imagining a young woman thinking the same things and feeling the same things in her heart as she cradled her baby...only her baby was God. Think about this for a moment--God put himself in the hands of humans."

God Incarnate was willingly in the imperfect hands of humans--humans like me--who lie and cheat and steal and are innately selfish. Yet He was willing to walk that road....all for the love He had and continues to have for us all.

This reality, thankfully, sunk into my heart early in the Christmas season. A couple weeks later, on our shopping date, Tony and I walked past a local art gallery and saw this amazing picture. Immediately the tears welled-up in my eyes as I took in this beautiful rendition of Jesus as a toddler. It spoke to me so loudly, as a mother of so many little men.

"Walking with God"


Every Christmas that allows for enough stillness to allow this truth to seep in is an amazing Christmas!







Even though being with my treasured family was my very favorite gift of all, I also received a gift that will always remind me of this Christmas. On Christmas morning, Tony handed me a gift. I unwrapped it, and once again tears fell as I stared into that touching picture of toddler Christ. Seriously--can you even fathom the Savior of men as a toddler? He was a trusting toddler who depended on men for all of his earthly needs. He truly knows my road.

Eaglet and the Big 0-7

Happy Birthday to our first "middle son"!

Last weekend we celebrated Eaglet. 7 years of pedal-to-the-metal fun we've had with this guy. Birthday Boy decided to go bowling with the family for his birthday. "The building looks like a barn" he noted...which was great, since the birthday theme was "farm". As many of you know, Eaglet is an aspiring farmer. He plans to go organic, and is still trying to decide if he will actually butcher animals or not. (As one dear friend noted, that would go perfectly with his "meat biznis.")

Alas, the only meat on the menu on this day was ham on the requested Papa Murphy pizza. After lunch, we had a "hay hunt" for candy in the backyard.



Then it was on to an old-fashioned apple bob...and let me tell you--it was a hoot! I wish I had digital pictures to share of that, but the only pictures are on my Canon. Daddy and Bobcat came out on top. Bobcat was really into it...he wound up taking off his shirt, even. So no pictures of that...but here is the apple bob tub:



Eaglet isn't real into cake, so he requested mom's scratch apple pies instead. I goofed and tried to make them with the "healthy" fat. Next time it's back to the regular ol', artery-clogging Crisco. Although nobody really complained, I guess. We also ate "chicken feed" (popcorn, sunflower seeds, and candy corn) and Cow Tails. Eaglet was pretty grossed-out by that. Bobcat and Spunky had theirs 1/2 eaten, while Eaglet was still questioning if it was candy or actual cow meat.

Our Eaglet is a total gift. He is "the catalyst" in the family. He adds zest and noise and MUCH joy to our days.

Thank you Lord for another year with this little boy.

Don't worry, Mommy. I've got my gun.

This Home is Used

Today I felt blessed...because our home is USED. Upon returning home I maneuvered through the evidence from our afternoon:

a) a huge train track all set up in a way I could never duplicate
b) scads of paper with amazing drawings
c) an entire living room set up as a farm
d) Little House on the Prairie cut-outs, depicting the most recently read chapter of On the Shores of Silver Lake
e) baked-clay creations from yesterday
f) a 1/2 assembled wooden helicopter kit

Oh yes...and the dirty dishes from lunch. I remember dreaming years ago about the household I hoped to be a part of someday--where home was where the action was at--where you couldn't wait to get back so you could see what was shakin'. Let me tell you...that dream has come true. We are quaking at about 8.5, and I'm loving it!

It's Nearly September....

...here's what been happening in Boyland!


Keiki started on real (sort of) food! He's tried brown rice, carrots, apples, and peas so far. His favorite by far is carrots. He loves 'em so much we have to cut him off after a jar or so.


Wise Bobcat celebrated his birthday!


I keep staring at this photo...because I see a glimpse of "the man" here.


How in THE WORLD did I become a mother of a nine-year-old? This is going way, way too fast.



Check out this handsome little man! Eaglet escorted his Grandmom to a wedding--his first one.


This pose was Eaglet's own idea. He was very, very excited to be all dressed up....and those of you who know Eaglet know that makes him very, very squirrely and shy. I think he felt comforted being somewhat hidden here.


His synopsis? 1--The cake was beautiful. 2--The place they were at was all-you-can-eat, as far as Eaglet was concerned, and he had delicious fish. 3--The bride was beautiful (insert sheepish grin.) 4--They were kissing when it was eating time; they were even kissing while they were supposed to be dancing. "They just thought it was...kissing time."


We've made it up Hatcher's several times this summer--thank goodness. Last year I don't remember if we made it even once? Here we are on a recent blueberry expedition. Grandmom deserves kudos for taking this shot--for taking the shot quickly in that one second while they were all still and looking in the same direction.


Keiki has been mobile now for quite awhile. He rolls all over the living room, and is now working very hard on getting those knees up under himself. Ohhhhh boy.


And this one's just plain cute. One's losing his teeth, the other's growing his teeth.

We had a great adventure down in Ninilchik last weekend, but I'll save that for it's own post.

Summer Date!

Time for a little blog catch-up. I've been (gasp) nosing around facebook and haven't been keeping up with my bloggly duties...

July 3rd the 3 big boys went for a sleep-over with Grandmom and Grandpa, and Tony and I took our little keiki on a date! We hit 2 favorites--Happy Family for Chinese and Hatcher Pass! Truth be told, we also hit a few other favorites during our date-marathon, including Dairy Queen for Blizzards and the local dive for chowder......but who's keeping tabs.... So here are some pictures from Hatcher's...because none of you really want to see pictures of us eating Chinese food...Blizzards....and local chowder. And yes, I really DID swim in Summit Lake, and it was wonderful!