The End...

2008 came and went so fast! This New Year's Eve was spent with our little family and for the most part, it was very relaxing.

We didn't worry so much about cooking something extravagant - we had peppercorn steak. We didn't have to rush around here and there - we stayed home and watched Shrek 2. The boys popped fireworks to their heart's content - about an hour and a half.

We might have started 2 new family traditions this year. Number 1 - watching a Shrek movie every New Year's because it seems all of us find something funny (even Lad) in those movie. I wish you could all hear Brennen's laughter - it makes everyone else laugh. Number 2 - only buying long sparklers. Once we went long this year, I don't think we can go back to the short, puny ones. It saved us a lot of "lighting" time.

We ate a simple meal, watched Shrek with some popcorn, then headed to the driveway to watch the (illegal) aerial show above our house, and pop our own fireworks. It was a really nice evening with just our family and I think most of us welcomed the the new year in our sleep. I know Chyler went down at her normal 8:00pm and slept through all the noise - even the midnight booms.

Happy New Year everyone! Hope your 2009 is a great one!

Ill-prepared...

So, it was raining for a majority of yesterday along with thunder and lightening. We knew that the electricity might go out so I hurried to put a load of laundry in the dryer and tried to finish cooking our dinner. We both took it for granted that the flashlights were in place and batteries were there too. My mom even called to remind us to have all those things in place. At about 6:30pm as I was simmering my spaghetti sauce - it went dark. Our house was pitch black - being downstairs it's already a darker area of the house but with no lights, you can't see your hand in front of your face. But, I went to get the flashlights in the kitchen cupboard - the lantern was dead and there wasn't a flashlight to be found. No problem, I have spare batteries in the drawer. I needed 4 D's - I found 3. YIKES!! Luckily, we had our generator and Lad was able to power it up and get some lights on. But, he only had 1/2 a gallon of gas left.

We really need to be more prepared.

Last time we had an emergency drill, we thought we were prepared as well. The generator didn't work, the propane for our grill was out, yadda-yadda-yadda...

Our electricity came back on at about 6:30am this morning and we haven't had a problem since then but this is a huge wake-up call for me to make sure we have spare everything in place, in proper working condition! Flashlights for everyone - especially because Brennen started to panic when he couldn't see anything.

One of my 2009 goals = work on our emergency readiness - food, water, re-up our 72 hour kits, etc. I've gotten a real wake-up call YELLING at me that we're not as prepared as we should be and I need to do something about that!

Catching up to Christmas!

Christmas has come and gone and it is still a blur! I can't believe that we're almost done with December and that 2009 is right around the corner.

Our family actually did something really neat this year - we went to a "Hawaiian" Christmas Tree farm and cut our own tree down! (Rather, watched the workers cut it, haul it, and tie it to the roof of the van) I read about it in the paper before Thanksgiving and then we saw it on the news - I asked Lad, "Don't you think that would be a good experience for the boys? Can we do that?" He grudgingly said "Yes - anything you want". I like that. I think he should say that to me all the time! Although I had hoped for more enthusiasm on his part. But hey, small steps...right?

So on a Saturday, we went to Wahiawa to go to look for a tree. The paper said Helemano Farms - so we went to the only Helemano we know that is right next to the Dole Plantation Pineapple Maze. The whole way there Dallen and Austen asked if we could go to the maze - they love it there for some reason. All I see is me lost in some hedges walking around in the hot sun. But, they LOVE it there. Next time boys! But, the actual tree farm is not connected to that Helemano...rather we had to go towards Whitmore Village and there it was! We got to walk around and look for a tree. What they do is cut off the tops of the trees so when you look to cut a tree for your home, you need to look at the top 2/3rds of it to see if that would be the size you want. They keep the bottom 1/3 for it to regrow - takes a couple of years. So, we looked - Dallen and Austen had a blast running through the rows and rows of trees - think maze, without the maze. And we came across one that we liked and then it was cut for us. A 7 foot tree is $40 and it's $10 for each additional foot...so it was pretty similar to the prices for already cut trees.


We took our 7 foot tree home and put in downstairs for the boys to decorate. They decorated it nicely and we realized quickly that we had 2 issues. One, Sugar Ray LOVES trees - pawed at it, climbed it, gnawed on the branches. And two, there's not much room downstairs for 3 rambunctious boys and a 7 foot tree. What do those 2 things mean? Our 7 foot tree crashed down and some of the bottom branches broke leaving us with a 4 foot tree. The boys decorated it again and we came home one day and it had toppled over again - probably thanks to a tree loving cat. All of us eventually gave up on it so it sat undecorated waiting for a new tree stand (which also broke). How sad!! Lad says that's the last tree we're getting for downstairs (waste of money) - I'll have to get a small artificial one next year.

Dallen and Austen both had nice Christmas activities at school - they went with Grandma - and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Here's Dallen's gingerbread house. I have a picture of Austen's but it's in my Mom's camera not downloaded so I'll have to add that later.


Christmas Eve brought us to Grandma's house to celebrate with our extended family. It was a nice, smaller than usual gathering this year but we all had a nice time. We got home late and the boys had to hurry to bed before Santa bypassed our house!

They woke up earlier than Mommy and Daddy would have liked but they were so excited - how could you not when you're a kid?!! I had to take my annual Christmas morning picture with them in front of the tree. I still can't get everyone to look at the camera at the same time - although, at least they are all looking up.




Our family is truly blessed in so many ways and with so many things. We have such a great family, immediate and extended, who love us and care about us. We have great friendships. We have healthy kids with endless energy. We have the gospel in our lives - without it, we don't know where we'd be! It's especially nice at this time of year to remember all we enjoy and give thanks to our Heavenly Father for the infinite blessings he bestows.

It's "Raining...so I guess I'll do some laundry" Day

Today was bedsheet day. I pulled all the sheets, blankets and pillowcases off all of our beds and ran them through the wash. I don't mind doing laundry or even doing the bedsheets but I hate to put them back on - especially on the top bunkbed. As I was doing this, I began thinking of all the other wonderful housework duties I'd rather not do:

1) Folding laundry and putting it away
2) Windows!!
3) Ceiling fans for that matter...
4) Dusting
5) Cleaning the oven
6) Toilets - in, not so bad but out and around the toilet & floor
7) Sweeping, mopping & vacumming

I cannot stand the laundry to pile up especially with kids - if I leave it too long there are stains - but because I'm doing so much laundry the put-a-way pile gets to be a heap so fast!! And I'm the one to do it because Lad still doesn't know whose is whose and what goes where. I think it's part of his ignorant tactic so he doesn't have to do it. I've always had a strong dislike for any type of dusting whether it be shelves, ceiling fans, windows, tables, etc. from when I was a small kid. Dusting was my chore growing up and my mom insisted on having wood and glass tables with all these little figurines, knick-knacks and dolls on them so I would have to take it all off, dust, and them put it back afterwards. I keep hearing her say, "You need to look at the table from the side and in the light to make sure it's dusted well." Urgh! As far as the toilet - I have 4 guys in the house and we all know how well males aim...hmmmm?? And luckily for me, Lad is intense about floors so he is always sweeping, mopping, and vacumming. Maybe that's why I married him??

I am thankful!

Wow! What a busy week!

Lad and Dallen had a chance to help the Boy Scouts of our ward prepare an imu pit! It was a great experience for Dallen to see what an imu pit is and all the preparations that takes place to make it a success. He helped carry "thousands" of rocks into the pit on Monday night and then helped distribute the pans of food cooked in the pit on Thanksgiving morning. It was a good thing for him to help and work - better than being a couch potato! No pictures to share - I completely forgot! Shucks!

On Wednesday afternoon, we all had dental appointments. This was to be Brennen's first visit and I was not sure if he would actually sit in the chair or not. He has, on previous visits to the doctor, screamed "bloody murder" when Dr. Russell was trying to listen to his heartbeat with the stethoscope. I'm not sure why - that is just the way he is. He's my opihi but there are other instances where he shows much more bravery than his brothers. Anyway, he didn't want to go into the exam room so I took him and had him on my lap - then, we reclined and it all broke loose. When our dentist approached him with the little mirror instrument, he started to scream and thrash. He's heavy and tough - it was extremely difficult to hold him. Well, after about 5 (seemed like 10) minutes of that - we gave up. He will have to go to a pedodontist and will probably need to be sedated for his safety for any exams and/or work. The good news - the rest of us didn't have any cavities. The funny thing was when he came back out to the waiting room, he immediately climbed into the stroller and locked himself in. When I came out of my cleaning a half hour later, he was still locked in the stroller. Maybe it was his "safe" place?

That night, the 3 of us (Dallen, Brennen & I - Austen opted to stay with Grandma and Chyler) attended a BYU-Hawaii Seasiders basketball game with Lad. They killed the other team winning by 20 points. It was Brennen's first game ever, I think. He did pretty good. I thought he would watch the game a little more because he's very attuned to anything to do with sports but I guess there was a lot to watch all around us. He ate nachos and drank fruit punch and ran around the arena a few times. My point on Brennen's bravery - close to the half, the Seasiders Gecko mascot came out on the floor. Brennen's eyes immediately locked to the mascot. He was so intrigued! He actually went up the the Gecko by himself 3 times - trying to get his attention. He finally succeeded on try #3 and ended up dancing and holding hands with the Gecko. (I was sick that I forgot the camera...again!!!) Dallen and Austen would never have had the guts to go up to any larger than life mascot at Brennen's age. They are still wary of Chuck E. Cheese when we go there. I can't figure out what is more scary about his pediatrician and his dentist? Maybe if they dress up with big, bobble heads???

Finally, to Thankgiving Day. Our family came to our house and had a wonderfully filling dinner! It is so nice to get together with family and just hang out. My cousin, who has the only other little person in the family here on Oahu, had to leave early to go to her in-laws but the boys had fun with her while she was here. Brennen couldn't wait to get started on my Aunty's famous layered jello and Chyler was seen trying to attack Dallen's plate! All in all, it was a great day!

I am thankful for so many things and probably don't express it quite as often as I should. It's nice to have reminders during the holidays to really make you stop and think about what is important and special in our lives. I am thankful for my family - for parents who have loved and supported me in so many ways. I couldn't have asked for a better Mom and Dad. And I am thankful for my husband - even though he exasperates me probably the most out of anyone, I know he loves me and cares for our family. He works hard and is stretched in a lot of directions (which I tell him is his own doing) and even though he needs reminding about what is most important (US!), I know he does his best to care for us. And I am thankful for my children. For Dallen who I am enjoying more and more. He surprised me tonight - I put all the kids down, Lad was at a game and I came upstairs to blog and left him playing his DS downstairs. Next thing I know I hear him tromping up the stairs. He sits next to me in the office and continues playing. I asked him how come he came up here...he said he was a little scared to be by himself. I thought he was oblivious to anything while playing and it was nice to know that he still needed me. I can't take that for granted. For Austen - I love his sweetness. Yes, he can be very hardheaded but he is the most sweet and affectionate child I have. He is also the biggest helper in our family. He loves to help Lad in the yard. For Brennen, he'll always be my baby. He is the most attached to me and deep down, I love it! I love how he's the one to greet me every morning with a hug and a "Good Morning, Mommy!", always with a smile. And for Chyler - I've been waiting for her so long and she's been well worth the wait. She's always smiling and has brought so much joy to all of us. With her personality coming through more and more, she's such an important part of our family. I am thankful for the gospel - I just can't imagine my life without knowledge of the gospel teachings. What a different life I would have! I am thankful for my home. I am thankful for this beautiful place where we live - we travel and enjoy other places but it is always a welcome relief to come home to Hawaii. Last but not least, I am thankful for my friends who help keep my sanity in check and always make me feel that I'm not alone in my fears and flaws - that is such a priceless gift.

Oh, and I am also thankful for our animal friends. Bunny is there to greet me when I come home wiggling her nose and unlike my children, is always happy to eat what I feed her. And for Sugar Ray - who is such a nut! I took some pictures of him - he sneaks into bed with our sleeping children - there he is with his greatest tormentor, Brennen, after he fell asleep. He's scoping out the birds outside - darn that screen door! And finally, there he is after some Thanksgiving turkey - he wouldn't (or couldn't) move!!

Not very interesting I know, but...

So, I'm blogging really drab topics lately and I'll try again later for a more interesting topic...but for the record, I paid $33.09 to fill up my 16 gallon gas tank today...at Costco! The wait took less time than I thought with the slew of cars that were there but the price was just too good to pass up. $2.04. That's about a 65 cent savings. Plus, I was there to brave the pre-Thanksgiving crowd (YIKES!) with 3 kids in tow, no less. So, if I survived that without losing my head or a kid...then, what's a 15 minute wait in a gas line!??

Could it be??

Thankfully gas prices are consistently dropping (KNOCK ON WOOD) as of late. Today I found myself driving from Sam's Club on Kamehameha Highway with the gas light on so another fill-up was needed. On a side note, I've noticed that the Odyssey guzzles gas. With the same amount of driving, I could fill-up my Caravan maybe every week and a half to two weeks. But I'm lucky to go a full week without seeing my needle hovering over the E in my Odyssy. And I believe the Odyssey has a slightly larger tank. Anyway, back to my gas light being on. Leaving Sam's, I had the full intention of stopping at the Aloha gas station ($2.85) at the entrance to the Penninsula but then I thought..."It's humbug to go in and out of that station so I'll go down a bit to the Chevron. The prices there won't be too much more." I went down a bit only to try to pass the bus and could not get back in time for the Chevron ($2.87). So, I went down some more while eyeing my gas gauge - it was still a smidgen above the E line (don't worry Mom!) so I was good. The next gas stations are near Pearlridge across the watercress patch. I took a look at the prices - "Oh, good! $2.76. But, we were at the stoplight so I was able to check out the prices for the station across the street. $2.75! I turned in and the whole point of this post? For the first time in a VERY long time, I filled up my gas guzzler for under $50! Yeah!! $46.20. Wow! Amazing!! I know Costco is only $2.40 now but I am such an impatient person I refuse to wait in line for gas. I know, I know...I'm still working on the patience thing!

Gender Confusion

So, we took Sugar to the vet yesterday and our Sugar is now a Sugar Ray. She's a HE! So much for the balance in the testosterone in this house.

On Tuesday, I had the kids take their annual Christmas picture. I dread this every year because it is such hard work!! This time around, Dallen and Austen did really well but the monkey was Brennen. He lost interest pretty fast. I think we got a couple of good shots - but that's always a fluke rather than by design.

Chyler has been pretty good about pulling herself to a standing position for quite a while now. She can now go up, come down and cruise a bit. Yesterday, I saw her let go of whatever she was holding on to and stand on her own for a few seconds. I know, walking is just around the corner but I'm not looking forward to that. If she does walk before age 1 - she may be my earliest. Dallen holds the record of walking = 1 week before he turned one. Austen walked in his 13th month and Brennen in his 14th. We shall see!

Catty!

I'm at work but eating lunch so I'm multi-tasking and reading other people's blogs. One had a video featuring a cat so I had to view it. Then, being the YouTube-type addict that I am, I had to view some others. I loved this one! I have to get a dog to go along with our cat. Granted, our cat is very much dog-like. I never imagined a cat would be like this...she's SO opposite from the stereotypical CAT. Anyway, enjoy this video - I'm thinking that the dog is a boy and the cat is a girl...happens in every species!


Puppy Versus Cat - The best home videos are here

It's Hallo-weeeen Time!

This year, since our ward didn't have any Halloween activities, we had to fend for ourselves! What a hard job! There's a lot of decision making when it comes to Trick-o-treating. What to do? Where to go? And that's not even including costume decisions!

Dallen made it easy - he wanted to be Spiderman again. Austen switched from Thomas to Bob the Builder from day to day. He finally decided to go as Bob so I went to get him some 2nd hand overalls and a plaid shirt and found a "Bob" tool belt and tools. He was so happy when he put the whole outfit on. Although he gave up on the hat pretty quick. Chyler was a Pumpkin Princess. There's a reason why Gymboree is pretty pricey - their stuff is SO cute! Anyway, I found this relatively cheap costume on eBay. She was, at first, annoyed with the headpiece but after distractions - she kept it on. It was a really beautiful costume. And when she sat down, she really had the shape of a pumpkin. And then Brennen. I bought this Nemo costume last year because I thought it was so cute and it was but he insisted he wanted to be Elmo. So, we were going with Elmo (Dallen's old costume). He put in on - he was so happy - then, the headpiece kept covering his eyes, he was getting hot and "itchy" - and then finally, the meltdown of "off, off, off" happened. He really wanted to be Elmo but I think the costume was a bit stifling. I remember Dallen hating the head thing too. So, to my glee, we did the Nemo. It was so cute! He insisted on wearing the headpiece which I thought would be a no-go since Elmo was a bust. When he walked, his tail swished. It was too cute!!


Since we have such good friends who were also looking for the answer to "what do we do for Halloween?", we all decided to trick-o-treat together then have a potluck at our house. And we all know that more kids = more fun! Our family had a great time, especially our boys. Dallen was looking forward to this day all week. It was a really fun evening!

Can I get a minute, please?

I'm at a point right now that I absolutely crave time alone.

It seems every minute of every day I am surrounded - by bodies, by noise, by other demands - it almost feels claustrophobic. I'm thinking that I may have such a hard time because I grew up by myself. It wasn't loud in my house and I had space as an only child. I remember going outside to sit with the dogs if I was lonely and except for a few licks, they were content to just sit with me. That was enough.

I love my kids but at times, they feel like literal walls closing in. There isn't a time or a day where I can leave them without feeling that guilt that I really should be with them not away. Even if they are with Lad - inevitably, they are MY responsibility. I'm always asked when I'll be back before I even leave. Which makes me feel that I can't enjoy any time alone because I will always have to hurry back. But really, even if someone gave me the whole day or even a few hours to do what I want - I can never get away from that feeling of "responsibility".

And don't kids have a tendency to need quite a bit? By this I mean, from the time they wake up they have needs. Everyday - from the moment I trudge out of bed in the morning - the first thing I hear is "Good Morning Mommy. I want cereal!" Good morning to you Brennen, can I pee first?? Then, it's getting Austen dressed, prodding Dallen to do the same - and brushing teeth and breakfast. By the time they get out the door, we've gone through multiple whines and adamant demands and it's not yet 8:00 in the morning.

Just doing the basics - cleaning, cooking, helping with homework - is enough to make me drown. I always watch these shows with these seemingly perfect moms who do art projects or have all their kids around them sitting nicely and quietly while reading a book. I can barely keep my head above water and you want me to do what???!! Yes, it would be great if I can look at an art project as something wonderful but all I see is one more thing to clean. And wouldn't it be great if I could have all my children sitting around me quietly listening to the story. Never happens! When we attempt to read a book - there is always a fight about which book to read, where everyone will sit, everyone talking at once, etc. Our family is never that perfect picture. But does it really exist?

I think the one thing that wears me down the most is the grumbling and whining. I can never say, "Dallen, can you take out the rubbish" without hearing a grunt and groan. If I tell Austen "No", then he starts his whining. Brennen will ask the same thing over and over again even if I answered him the first time. I guess he didn't like the answer. Maybe the fifteenth times the charm? And Chyler, although she's very sweet and easy, she's mobile now and has discovered the DVD shelf and the kitty litter. And speaking of the kitty - she is always underfoot meowing for food. Everyday I ask my kids to give me 5 minutes by myself so I can actually focus my thoughts and collect myself. To date, I've never gotten a full 5 minutes - usually it's interrupted by a tattle-taler or a cry. I'm worn out without means to recuperate.

But, I do enjoy my kiddos - they are hilarious and fun a lot of the time. It's just exhausting because it's always 4 to 1. And while one to one would be ideal and I think I'd be good at that - it's not in my realm of reality. Every one of them needs something at the same time so I'm always outnumbered!

One day, hopefully soon, things will settle and they won't be so "needy". Some say it gets better, some tell me it gets worse. Let's be optimistic, shall we?

Brotherly love??

We Love Chyler! from Mari Panis on Vimeo.

Party of 8

We already have a big family with big responsibilities. So, when our kids (Dallen) started asking for pets...we put it off for as long as possible. We even took the kids to see the stray cats that live in the Aiea Loop Trail park at least once a week for their fix. But, it was time and we added some new members to our family.

In July, we were given a big, beautiful bunny named Cream from the Kurihara's. Dallen asked and asked and asked for a rabbit ever since he went over to their house to play with their bunnies. By chance, Airi and I were talking about how her kids wanted another litter but they needed to find homes for their current bunny babies first. So, add Cream to our family. She's a terrific eater and is very gentle. Her fur reminds me of Cookies and Cream ice cream. I put her in a harness and let her hop around the yard at least once a day (I try!). She is very soft and very cute, we think. Lad is STILL not a bunny man. But, the boys enjoy feeding her veggie goodies and Dallen's been very good about cleaning her cage. It's nice to have her right by our back door - she is always there to greet us when we come home.

Fast forward to yesterday, October 18. We had soccer in the morning then went to eat at Shiro's. In Panis tradition, we go the pet store next door to give the kids their "fix". Before I knew what was happening, Lad was asking if the kids wanted the white kitty. I was floored. Never did I think Lad would #1 BUY a cat as he feels that cats should be free to good homes and #2 would he do something so spontaneous like that. Wonders never cease. So, now to add to our family - Sugar - a very skinny, 8 week old kitten who is white with blue eyes. What struck both of us at the pet store was that she came up to the boys even when they bumped her cage and made lots of noise...she wasn't afraid of them. Now that we brought her home, she has proven to be a very good kitty - she pees and poops in the litter box, she tolerates all kinds of handling, petting, and noise. She does need her "space" at times - hiding under the bed or behind the sofa - but always comes out for more almost immediately. They all adore her - even Chyler squeals with delight when she sees her.

What's great about this now is that our family of 8 is now equal - 4 boys and 4 girls!

SoCal Vacation

Our family took advantage of the fall school break and headed to Southern California! We had your typical "theme park" vacation and here's a bit of what we did...

We headed out on Thursday night, October 2nd - the boys were VERY excited. While checking in at Delta we saw the Kurihara's who were heading to Florida. It was funny because our bags looked like we were moving to California and the Kurihara's looked like they were going on a day trip - they had no bags! I'll have to get trained on how to pack from Airi. Lad just couldn't believe it - he kept saying over and over, "where are their bags?" "Now that's traveling light!" Then to me, "you should ask Airi how she does it." Yes, I realize that I'm a heavy packer but I hate the thought of being without something especially with the baby.

Anyway, our flight was great - the kids slept most of the way. But, Delta had this wonderful contraption on the back of every seat - a little entertainment console with TV, movies, and games. Our kids were enthralled and stayed up WAY longer than they should have - but what a wonderful thing. Plus, if you fly over the Pacific Ocean, the whole thing is free. I watched Indiana Jones 4 which was, unfortunately, really disappointing.

Side note: When I did the picture collages, they were nice and clear. When I uploaded to Blogger, all of a sudden the text is all blurry. I don't want to re-do all the pictures so I'm going to decipher the unreadable text to you in red so look for it!

(Austen playing games on the entertainment console...so glad it was free!)

Originally, we wanted to go visit Lad's sister in Las Vegas over the weekend. But they had a birthday party to attend and it wouldn't have been a good time so instead we headed south to San Diego.

We checked into our hotel for a quick nap before heading to the park. Chyler absolutely loves mirrors and was delighted to see a full length mirror on the bathroom door which she immediately crawled to and began looking at her lovely self. (Left: Mindless TV watching & catching up on some exercise. Right: Hey you...would you look at me?! Gosh, I'm cute!)

We spent 2 days at Sea World. It was really fun and everyone enjoyed looking at the animals. Dallen loved the Journey to Atlantis water ride. They have a Sesame Street themed area for kids with a huge climbing apparatus, bouncer/trampolines, sand pits, games, and rides. Brennen got to meet Elmo and Zoe - although he's kind of shy and bashful, he still went up to the bigger-than-life-sized characters and gave them hugs...although in the picture he looks like he's not having fun...he really loved seeing them. They also had free trick-o-treating which the boys just loved!

Then, on Saturday we headed up to Anaheim. We stopped by at the San Diego Temple to show the boys. Only Dallen was up but it is a beautiful temple nonetheless...maybe next time they'll actually see it. We checked into our timeshare resort for the week. It was like a 2 bedroom condo - very homey and comfy but nothing to write home about. Sunday remained a day of rest (by choice and need).

Monday we headed down to Carlsbad to go to Legoland. This is a really fun park and they have really expanded it since the last time we were here when Dallen was about 3 years old. We could have used another day since we only got through half the park but we'll definitely be back. Austen was in heaven from the minute we came through the gates - as he saw Thomas the Train made completely of Legos. Then, a few feet away was Bob the Builder. Wow! They have a huge water play area which is where our journey in Legoland ended because once my boys see water, they see nothing else.

Tuesday, we took a day off and drove up to Universal City Walk which is where Universal Studios is although we didn't go into the park. I think it's more for older kids especially now with Halloween going on. They have Halloween activities which are supposed to feature Jason, Freddy and Leatherface. Not for my kids! But, my boys enjoyed going to a HUGE candy shop and getting their own gumballs. They also enjoyed the Universal Studios spinning & misting globe...as you can see. Austen and Dallen were brave enough to take a photo with this life-size monster man. I love how they are leaning into him like he's Mickey Mouse or something. Nevermind that he has a nasty face and rags hanging off him! Oh, and we parked in the Curious George parking lot and had to take a picture because we really think Austen looks a lot like George.

We spent Wednesday at Knott's Berry Farm. This is one of our favorite parks because it has a lot of big-time roller coasters but also a large area for kids called Camp Snoopy. Plus, it seems no one really comes here so there are absolutely no lines. Dallen and I rode roller coasters to our heart's content, over and over again without getting off. It was really fun! May I recommend not riding the Ghostrider 3 times in a row. Even Chyler got to ride the "big rig" truck ride with her Daddy and brothers. If you could only see Lad's face while on the ride.

Thursday and Friday were our Disney days. Disney was a bit disappointing this time around because of the crowd. We've come a couple of times before on this fall break and there weren't a lot of people there so it was perfect - good, cool weather and no lines. However, we have found out that now some schools in California, Washington and Arizona are also on break at this time of year so it seems that October is no longer not so crowded.

On Thursday, we spent most of our day at Disney's California Adventure. We did our rounds at the Bug's Land then onto the Pier. We love Disney but have been so many times before there's nothing really new to report. So, here are some pictures to share. Of note, upper left corner - Lad is pretending to smile really big because I just gave him a lecture about the need to get off the phone with the office and focus on the kids.

Thursday night and Friday - all day - we spent at Disneyland. Austen loved riding the train around the park. They had a lot of Halloween decor all around. I took a picture of the picture of Dallen and I on Space Mountain. Note to others going to Disney (or any other theme park) - a lot of people are doing this - make sure you take a digital camera with you on the ride's with photos and just take a picture of the screen instead of buying the picture. You can save money that way but still have a memory of your mouth mid-scream, right? I think the highlight of Friday was about 11:30pm - the Buzz Lightyear ride. No lines so we rode about 4 times before the park closed. Brennen absolutely loved this ride as did his brothers. Bottom left picture - my sons really love mist.

I felt bad for Chyler because her trip consisted mostly of sitting in the stroller. She is such a good baby and a great traveller though, she didn't fuss much at all. She seems to really love sitting in her stroller and looking around. She was very patient while her brothers had all the fun. In many instances, Brennen was also very patient as he couldn't ride a lot of rides Austen and Dallen could - but he didn't mind sitting next to Chyler and I. He was a trooper too. I kept telling Dallen that he should be really grateful to Brennen and Chyler because if they weren't so "understanding", we couldn't do half of what we did. He's 7 so he still thought that he was missing out on a lot.

All in all, the trip was good. Although we had a 3 hour flight delay coming back, the kids did well on the plane once again. I got to watch the Incredible Hulk - much better than the Indy movie. And guess who we saw at baggage claim? Yup, the Kurihara's again!

Thank you to Dad for coming by to check on the house and taking care of the bunny while we were gone. Thanks to Mom for the delicious soup when we got back - so I didn't have to cook. Plus, we were famished!

Now, I really need a vacation!!

The darndest things

We were driving to Waikele and were passing the Century Park Plaza buildings at the edge of Pearl City. Austen asked, "Mommy, is that the airplane's house?" At first, I didn't understand him but he asked again. Then, I understood. I went through a lot of emotion all at the same time. I love that he is aware of his surroundings and that he can relate things he sees on TV to things in real life. I love that he doesn't know what tragedy is and how horrific 9/11 was. But at the same time, I really hate that he has to try to organize such a thing into his realm of reality such that airplanes must live in high rise buildings. We talked about airplanes that fly in the sky, WAY above buildings, right through the clouds. He didn't ask about the airplanes he must have seen flying into the WTC - thankfully - and seemed to accept that airplanes fly high in the sky and don't live in buildings. He moved on to "can I get candy?" soon after that.

I hope and pray that all of my kids can keep that innocence about the things happening in the world around them for as long as possible.

More, more, more

MORE SKILLS

Chyler's getting really good at her crawling thing...much to my chagrin. She gets across the room now but I haven't gotten a good video of that yet. Here's a sampling of her crawling with a lot of coaxing from Mommy.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books



MORE FROM THE FAMILY BED

More of Brennen and Chyler in the morning. And lucky you, more singing from me...SORRY!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books



MORE EVIDENCE THAT SHE LIVES IN A CRAZY HOUSE

Her Daddy has her oldest brother jumping on his back while her 2 other crazy brothers are running around playing chase (when inevitably one gets hurt). She's just minding her own business...

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

My babies are growing up

Chyler has been sitting up like a pro for awhile now and she could do a 360 circle in place for a few weeks now. Lately, we've been noticing that she will stretch out on her hands to reach for things but has usually flopped over onto her tummy in the process. After being on her tummy, she would usually scoot backwards until there was no room left to move. We thought that she would start crawling soon and yes, it's happened. Yesterday and the day before she was getting up on her hands and knees and swaying front to back. Today, she actually moved forward a few paces to get to items out of her reach with great success. Even Dallen noticed that - he came home today and said, "Look Mommy, Chyler's crawling!" She can even get from her tummy back to a sitting position. Wow, she's great even though she can't roll over yet...go figure!

One thing that concerns me is her teeth. She has her two bottoms out already and I noticed about 3 more cutting through. Her top left front, a bottom right second to the middle, and one of her incisors. Do you notice that she will have no top right front before one of the incisors comes out?? She'll look like a Jack-O-Lantern just in time for Halloween! No costume needed! YIKES!

Brennen is reaching that age where you want to ship them off somewhere and wait until they've passed the 2 & 3 year old stage. He is a little (or rather big) bugger! Man! He knows how to push everyone's buttons and does it with a little grin. He's always getting into some sort of trouble and all I hear all day is "BRENNEN!!!" from either Austen or Dallen. He knows just how to use his baby age to get what he wants and will also try to do everything his older brothers do - doesn't matter what. If they go outside, he goes outside. If they are playing with a toy, he wants it. If they talk back, he talks back. If they want something to eat, so does he. It never ends! And to think, we've got another one that needs to go through this horrible 2 & 3 year old stage!

On the other hand, Austen - our previous bugger child - has done a lot of growing up. He still whines but when you call him on it, he will usually smile at you and stop. He can be reasoned with now. He is toilet trained like a pro now (but still announces just what he needs to do in the bathroom). He goes to school with no problems and is apparently now, a great, enjoyable student! He likes to do his homework (yes, we have homework every weekend) and it's fun to talk with him. His speech has improved and his vocabulary usage is so much better now! This happened before I knew it and now I have 2 big boys in the house. He has his moments but don't we all?

Dallen is still hating on being the big brother but still does it very well. He'll do anything for or give anything to his baby sister but is getting to understand that Austen and even Brennen are old enough to know better, to share, and to have responsibilities so he doesn't give in to them too often now. He still hates homework but does it diligently. If I look at him in the grand scheme of our family, he really is an obedient child (SURPRISE!). He handles responsibility well and is a good example MOST of the time. He asks me why he needed to be the oldest when in frustrating situations with his siblings - I tell him that it's just the way it is...but really, he was destined to be the oldest because he has all those good qualities that the oldest sibling needs.

When I look at our family, I just know that our family here on earth is the same as it was in the pre-existence because everyone just fits so perfectly in their role.

Weekend getaway

Lad and I got to go off to Portland Oregon for the UH vs. Oregon State football game this past weekend. The game was a bust due to the shellacking that the Warriors received and despite other zany incidents, we both thought that Oregon was a very nice, beautiful city.

On Friday, we went on a tour of Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, and its surrounding areas - supposedly. The tour was supposed to be a 9-5 day tour. The tour driver's name was Ramona and she was a native of Germany. She has, apparently, lived in various places including Hawaii but has been in Portland for about 12 years now. She showed at almost 10am but promised the tour would go for the allotted amount of time - little did we know that by the end, we'd be begging her to get back to Portland. I don't know how long she's been a tour guide but for most of the tour, she chatted about gas prices, politics (went off about Sarah Palin), and when asked about things...her response was usually "You know, I really don't know" but in a nice way. Note to any tour guides out there - the people in the van aren't from around here, so whatever you say - whether truth or not - will sound good to them...MAKE IT UP! To top it off, after lunch there was a fire on the highway so we had to go across the bridge into Washington where she had to ask for directions at the 7-11. We must have aimlessly driven for an hour or two because she was bound and determined to take us past the fire area to the waterfalls of Oregon. Finally, we reached the Bridge of the Gods and went back to Oregon. By this time, all of us in the van were a bit stir-crazy and after 2 waterfalls, we really wanted to get back. So, we started back to Portland and the first road sign we saw said Portland 87 miles. YIKES!! It was a long day...

We went up to Timberline Lodge - took some pictures of what I think is Mt. Hood (because Ramona didn't really tell us) and caught a picture of a chipmunk looking for food. You know you're from Hawaii when you MUST get a photo of the chipmunk or squirrel. From the van, I took a lot of pictures of various bridges, trains, and train paraphernalia because I thought "Austen would love this". Then, there's Lad and I with Chyler at Horsetail Falls. Lad didn't even get out of the car at Multnomah Falls.



I could tell you about a guy on the van from Argentina named Carlos who kept us all in stitches with his dry wit - but "you had to be there" to appreciate it. I think it seemed funnier at the time because we all felt so trapped on an endlessly bad tour. Thinking back, it probably wasn't THAT funny.

We got a chance to visit Lad's cousin Terry and his family after that long tour day - had HUGE steaks which were delicious. Thanks Terry! So nice to see your girls and Lad's Uncle and Aunty as well.

Saturday was the game. Another long day but much more organized. We were in the "heavenly" seats about 10 rows from the top and although the weather in Portland was nice and cool, we were in the direct sun without a cloud in the sky - so it felt really, really, really hot. Chyler made it through almost the 2nd quarter before letting us know she had HAD it! Me too, it was HOT!



Chyler was a great traveler - rarely crying, never fussed - just going with the flow...even through the long days of the tour and the game. But, I was carrying her for most of the trip and now that we're home - she doesn't understand why I keep putting her down. She's been expressing dismay at that for the past few days.

Thanks to Mom and Dad for taking care of the boys who said they LOVED being with Grandma and Grandpa. Mom says that they were REALLY good too. Thanks again to Nei for watching Brennen while giving my parents some relief time.

Labor Day

Our ward had a Labor Day picnic at Ala Moana Beach on Monday. We had fun - the boys love the annual picnic. This year, someone put Airheads on the food table so they had SO many. I swear I kept saying "this is the last one" but inevitably they (meaning Austen and Brennen) found a good soul to open yet another one.

This was Chyler's first time to spend any kind of time at the beach. There were a lot of firsts: she went in the water for the first time and also ate some sand for the first time. I don't know what it is about sand and my kids - they always sit on the beach and think that "Wow, this stuff looks yummy. I think I'll try a handful!" Never fails with every kid. Chyler liked the water when I was carrying her but just hated being put in the floater, thus the crying picture. She has the cutest little swimsuit but I bought it awhile ago and it's 3-6 months and clearly, she needs a larger size.

All the boys love the beach. They can spend all day there. A big part of the fun is playing with sand on the beach. Most of the time you can find them on the sand. Brennen was making "castles", albeit one-story units, for a really long time by himself. He had a small shovel and a small "sand castle thing-a-ma-jigger" (that orange thing) and sat there making mounds all around him. Then, he practiced his baseball throw with some sand. Luckily, there wasn't anyone around to aim at. Austen played with his trucks emulating Bob the Builder for most of the day and then went about shoveling and yelling into the wind for the rest of the time. He is just a free spirit - you notice it a lot with him - he just does what he feels and a lot of times, what he feels is loud and big. On a side note, we noticed with SuperFerry a couple of times that day and on it's second pass, Dallen posed in front of it.

It was a good, L-O-N-G day! One of my favorite parts of the day was watching Brennen chase birds by himself. I think that he is just SO cute! Excuse the wind and the shakes.

Big Bad Bird Bully from Mari Panis on Vimeo.

Lastly, what happens when you leave your cute, cuddly, clean, and well-dressed baby girl in the hands of her Daddy whose past experience with little girl babies is nil?

She's still cute and cuddly, right?

ABC Tag - a very new thing for me

I didn't know such things existed...

When I was reading Yumi's, I found that we have very similar answers - I could have written your U.

ABC's "getting to know you" TAG. ABC's of you. Each player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then go to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

A- Attached or single: attached when he's home

B- Best Friend: I keep telling Lad that it's SUPPOSED to be him.

C-Cake or Pie: Cake especially Peach Barvarian from Napoleon's

D-Day: Friday, I get some relief because Lad's home...not much, but some...most times I get more irked because I THINK I should be getting relieved only to find him snoring, upstairs, or "working" outside leaving me to tend to the kids by myself again...so maybe not Friday. Hmmmm???

E- Essential Item: Television

F- Favorite Color: Green

G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears, the Black Forest kind in the brown wrapping, especially the green ones.

H-Home town: Aiea

I- Indulgences: Using the air conditioner at night as of late

J- January or July?: January, it's cooler

K-Kids: 4

L-Life is incomplete without: my family and the gospel

M- Marriage Date: June 12 1999

N- Number of Siblings: 0, I'm a lonely only

O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges, those little clementines to be exact

P- Phobias or Fears: I fear having no control over situations - I dream about that occasionally. I think it may involve having something bad happening to me or my family and there isn't anything I can do to stop it, avoid it, or get out of it. Maybe the fear is being trapped?

Q- Quote: "This too shall pass"

R- Reason To Smile: Time by myself

S- Season: We only have 1 season here but I think I like winter best because it's cooler

T- Tag Three: I don't know alot of people who blog so the only ones are Airi and Starr

U- Unknown fact about me: I am a licensed social worker. I not only have my MSW, but I also passed my licensing exam so I can technically place an LSW behind my name. Not that it does me any good now!

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: An oppressor of animals?? Yikes! My husband is the world's foremost carnivore so had I even attempted to veg out on him, we probably would have a hard time being together.

W- Worst Habit: Yelling and rolling my eyes

X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I've had both but prefer neither. I guess X was a hard one to come up with.

Y-Your favorite food: Any kind of Japanese food since I don't get it too often. The husband does not like Japanese portioning so he refuses to pay for it most of the time. So, taking me to a Japanese restaurant for my birthday or other "special" occasions is a real act of love on his part.

Z: Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Seriously late!

Dallen started 2nd grade on July 29th (or was it the 28th??) and I totally forgot to post! I'm telling you...my old brain!

Lad took him to school on his first day along with all of his supplies...I asked him to take a picture but of course, he forgot. So, these are pictures of his Open House. I'm happy to report that Dallen is again 'very smart' and 'a really enjoyable child' according to his teacher but that he 'can get distracted' which is why he is front row center. I like that he's positioned there because I think that he'll maximize his learning! I can just see him rolling his eyes at me when I say things like that out loud.

His homework is more challenging this year which is a really good thing and he still does it with minimal grumbles. He still enjoys math a lot more than reading or the dreaded...sentences...but he does both with good skill. This year he is having to read at last 20 minutes a day as part of his homework assignment. So, we went off to Borders (and ordered through Scholastic) to get some chapter books that would be of interest to him. He likes the Ready Freddy series a lot.


I don't think you can read his little "Guess Who" page that I have a picture of but it says...

• My favorite color is blue.
• I like to eat Sushi.
• I have 8 people in my family - he's including Grandpa & Grandma - or he has other siblings I forgot about...
• On the weekends I like to play video games.

Dallen also painted that dinosaur and drew that picture of himself. He's always been a very neat color-er although his handwriting can be atrocious. Dallen, what does atrocious mean?? I've been using it alot lately!

Catching up and the mortification that potty training brings...

Austen's toilet training is getting better. He is still having a few accidents here and there but for the most part - those accidents consist of #1. So, he's pretty much a pro at #2. The only thing is that he always makes an announcement when he has to go and if you know Austen, the only volume is L-O-U-D. So, tonight - we were at a busy chinese restaurant having dinner and were about to leave when Austen yells, "I have to make doo-doo!" as he's standing right in the middle of the entire restaurant. Mind you, Lad is near the door and I am gathering Chyler and our things at the other end of the restaurant so we're on completely opposite sides with our dear son right in the middle. Lad and I looked across the room at each other completely mortified. I dared not look around but I just knew there were some offended and some snickering. But hey, it's better than a poopy diaper, right? As a parent, I'm finding that I have developed very thick skin.

Haven't blogged for more than a week now so I need to catch up. I wanted to write about how much I love our little morning routine. Chyler, our princess, does not do the crib. She loves our large, pillow-top king size bed with 400 thread count sheets. She knows exactly when we move her into her crib because she lets out a very disapproving wail almost immediately. So, for now due to need of sleep - we've cheated and relented. She's right there in the middle. It's called a "family bed" right??? Lad and I usually find ourselves on the opposite edges of the bed trying to find a comfy position. Chyler is only (almost) 8 months old but she is spread out to the very maximum that she can possibly be - who knew a little baby could take up so much room?! So every morning, I wake up to Chyler babbling away. I usually sing her a little song which I remember my Mom singing to me - "Good morning Chyler sunshine...how do you do today...you wake up all the flowers...and chase the stars away". Here's a video of me singing to Chyler - please EXCUSE my singing - babies don't care about your voice, right?! I'm the contestant on American Idol that Simon just thrashes! But, I have the better sense not to even attempt public humiliation like that. Or maybe I do since I uploaded a video of me singing...hmmmm...


Good Morning Chyler! from Mari Panis on Vimeo.

Then, Brennen usually waddles in because he's our early riser - throws his shirt up on the bed and climbs up. He usually lays down next to her and says "ood ornin' Waiwer" and then hugs her and holds her hand. On this particular morning, Brennen got Chyler's heel in the face so he's saying, "Mommy eye" and pushing her a bit.




Brennen's Morning Greetings from Mari Panis on Vimeo.

Then, we went to the Family Fun Fair at Magic Island. The kids LOVE the carnival. Brennen is at the age of wanting to do everything his brothers do and this included doing all the rides. They did the merry-go-round which he loved. Then, we hit the airplane that went up and down in a circular motion. He sat next to me but told me that he was scared. So, I thought he wouldn't want to do the roller-coaster but he did...and he said he liked it. I guess he's like Dallen who doesn't like up and down rides but he loves roller-coasters! Chyler was pretty bored the whole time but liked the lights for awhile - then, she fell asleep. We have a single jogging stroller which maneuvers like a breeze on grassy terrain and it has a nice foot-thingy at the end which is perfect for Brennen to sit on - so who needs a double stroller?

Lastly, since Austen has made such strides at preschool - not crying and not wetting his pants for several days - we promised to take him to Chuck E. Cheese. He was so excited he didn't even care that he was wearing two different slippers. His brothers loved it too! They loved the climbing contraption - we love it because it's FREE - but Brennen liked the climb but didn't like the long tube slide down so he climbed back down instead.

More blogs I enjoy

I found a few more blogs that I like which I added to my links on the left:

And they wonder why
The Customer is not always right
Passive Agressive Notes
The Spunky Coconut - a recipe blog and the food looks yummy!

Conference outcome

We met with the "team" for Austen today. I think it was productive. I finally heard some positive things about Austen and his daily doings. Apparently, once he stops tantruming or running away - he enjoys listening to stories, singing, and playing with "manipulatives" ie. blocks, puzzles, etc. (HAHA - I always get a laugh at the educated when they start using the seemingly educated language. Manipulatives? Why can't you say blocks? Or puzzles?) Anyway, he plays well with others. Shares. Participates. Apparently he is a very smart boy as they kept on saying.

Basically, the meeting's goal was to find out for sure if Austen acts out in the ways he has been acting out on a normal basis. Does he run away? Does he cry? Will he not listen to you when he is in his tantrum mode? Yes, yes, yes!

Austen in tantrum mode = uncontrollable crying, some screaming, he won't answer or talk to you, lying on the floor, running away, and he will not allow you to console him or hold him. When he is in his "mode", get ready, because it will be long and strong!

On the other hand, when he is compliant and happy - he will participate and attend to activities in the same manner. Long and strong. Which we know he does because he can play with his trains by himself for a very long time.

So, knowing that - the "team" got a plan in place of how they can help him.

• Give him forewarnings - "we have 5 more minutes until clean up".
• Do the First, Then - "first we need to clear the table, then we can have puzzle time".
• Have a visual schedule on the wall - pictures to show the kids what's next.
• I added, make sure he hears you - get his attention and have him answer you stating that he understands that he'll need to clean up in 5 minutes.
• If he needs to be taken out of the classroom to cool down, another teacher/aide will come into assist in the classroom.
• Most importantly, give him time to adapt to his surroundings and the new people. They agreed that time would probably make the most difference.

Today, when I picked him up - he was already in his extended day program. I think he really loves this program because it's all pretty fun, hands on activities which is right up his alley. They do puzzles, blocks, water, books, sand - a little bit of everything. Plus, his extended day teacher is very warm - very "aunty" if you know what I mean. She sang his praises when I picked him up - told me that he did so well today, no problems. She noticed that he felt more comfortable with her than the other aide so she told me that she would take the lead where it came to Austen until he gets used to the others. She really was so nice and friendly. I can tell Austen likes her the best - he even gave her a hug goodbye. Very rare for Austen to hug "strangers"!

So today was a good day for Austen. We'll see if he's making a turn for the better. Hopefully he gets used to things soon because I know he enjoys preschool and being with other kids. Cross your fingers for tomorrow!

I'm a little irked.

GRIPE #1: Austen is having a difficult time "blending" with his new class at Kamehameha. Over the sporadic "get to know you" time at preschool the last 2 weeks, everyday I picked him up his teacher would give me the report. "Austen didn't want to come sit down. Then he ran away from us. Austen didn't want to clean his area. Austen had a bit a tantrum...how do you deal with that? What do you do? What does it mean? Austen doesn't want to talk to us. Austen peed in his pants today." Austen this, Austen that...and he hadn't gone to school all day yet. We got called 2 times to "talk" more about Austen and his behaviors over the 6 half-days he was there.

Fast forward to today which was his first full day of preschool. Everything was going well, it seemed, until we got a call at 1:30pm. School ends at 2:00pm. Lad took the call. "Austen is getting up but he's kind of starting to cry, is this normal?" Lad tells the teacher that Austen is normally a grouchy "waker upper". At this point, he hadn't had an accident. So, I decided to go pick him up early instead of sending him to his extended day program which is like afterschool care where they do more outside play. Apparently in the last 30 minutes, he peed in his pants twice because he was getting more an more agitated.

Anyway, long story short - they want to call a meeting with us, the preschool teacher, extended care teacher, principal, counselor, and outreach person to discuss Austen. So, we're set to meet with them tomorrow.

I guess my problem is that we seem to get a list of issues regarding Austen from the school everyday. They say that they bring it up because they are concerned. I believe that they are but as a parent, it's hard to hear that your child is almost nothing but trouble everyday. "What can we do to make Austen's preschool time better??", they ask. I know Austen is a handful. I know that he's difficult. I'm his mother for goodness sake! I've seen it all and experienced it all with him. Both Lad and I think that they really need to give him time to adjust. The fact that they bring all this stuff up to us makes us stressed out, which in turn makes Austen stressed out because we feel we need to talk to him about his behaviors. Today, they kept on telling me that Austen is so mad. "Why is he so mad? We need to know that from you. Why is he so mad??" My point is that Austen is 4. He's in a new place with new people and normally takes awhile to warm up to people and new situations. The way Austen handles his stress and anxiety is to act out by crying, whining, and running away from what he sees as the "threat". He did this at his other preschools but both preschools just seemed to go with the flow, console him when they could and most importantly, they gave him time. Eventually, he became familiar with the staff and surroundings and was a perfectly normal preschooler. This was his first full day and here we are on the eve of a parent conference with the principal and counselor. I think it's a little much...but I could be wrong. They kept telling me that this meeting wasn't about disenrollment...heck, I wasn't even thinking that! Wow!

GRIPE #2: We had Stake Conference on Sunday and I brought some things for the kids to occupy themselves during the 2 hours. Quickly we found a couple more kids around us which is fine - I really don't have a problem with that - I think it gives my kids an opportunity to share. My problem with the whole thing is that not once did their parents come to check on their kids - one girl was there for a good 30-45 minutes before wandering away and not once did her parents come by to check on her. Do they think that there are free babysitters at Stake Conference? Heck, I'd like to send my kids off to someone else so I can watch conference in peace too. I was talking with Lad about this and his solution - don't bring anything so no one will come around. I told him that's not the point - it's the fact that these kids' parents didn't even have the courtesy to come by to check up on their kids. Doing that would have made it all ok...the fact that it didn't really irked me. Not too Christlike I know...lot of pettiness on my part that I feel bad about but I would totally be checking up on my kids and I don't think I would let them be with perfect strangers for that long! I would feel really bad for the strangers...

Aaah, we're going nuts!

Our family has entered the realm of multiple child activities. And it's a killer! Austen started soccer and Dallen has both baseball and soccer going on at the same time! Yikes! What does this mean? Well, it means that all the work I did over summer break trying to get rid of my shirt tan was for naught...

Austen started soccer on August 2, 2008. His team's name is RED HEAT! He's a young player. I think the cutoff birthdate was in mid-July and he's mid-May so he just made 4. I'm not sure how old the other kids are on his team and on others but "watching" him has been a challenge. It could be his age or it could be his difficult time adapting to new people and situations but he absolutely refuses to do anything in the game. What they do for the young kids is to gather them up a half hour prior to the game for a "practice" and then they play. They have no weekday practices. The first game day we got there to meet his team and get his uniform. He didn't want to even put on his uniform or stay near the team. The next week, I had to run around the field holding his hand trying to get him to kick the ball. He did kick it a few times only if there was no one else around him. This last game he stood on the field just inside of the white lines and watched his teammates run back and forth - he could have been watching tennis for all we know. He says he wants to play soccer and when I ask him if he wants to leave he always says "no". I'm not sure - all I know is the sun is hot and the day is long! He is also saying he wants to play baseball - OH BOY!


Dallen started soccer on August 16th. His team's name is GANGREEN. He totally enjoys soccer - it's his favorite sport. This year his team sports very bright green jerseys. The great thing about that is that we can easily spot his team on the field. At least they don't have the matching bright green socks. He has practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and games on Saturday. He played very well on Saturday - was one of the more agressive players. Lad jokes with him that he looks like Yao Ming next to all of his shorter teammates. Dallen has always been tall for his age - he's only about a head shorter than me at 7 years old. Lad tells him that he's so big he should roll over all the other kids. Dallen tells him that would be a penalty. Dallen is also playing summer baseball for the Yankees. He has practice on Wednesdays and Fridays - has midweek games and Saturday games. He goes to baseball more willingly even though it's not his thing...my good, (for the most part) obedient child.


These later summer months have brought much activity and busyness to our lives. But, the kids are fun to have around. Here are some fun pictures...top left, Chyler with a burp cloth on her head because I failed to bring any type of shelter while we sat in the hot sun watching Dallen's soccer game on Saturday. Poor thing! Top right, Brennen cooling off in the inflatable pool. His latest thing is pouring water on his head. He thinks that's a hoot! Bottom left, Dallen and Austen before Austen's "big" first game. Bottom right, the only reason Dallen plays baseball. Reward for his obedience? Video game time. He couldn't even wait to get into the house to play. I think he stayed fully dressed in his "hot" baseball gear on the steps for more than an hour.

Jumbled thoughts...

On Sunday, we were sitting in the back of the chapel again in "our" pew. Right after sacrament, Brennen is pointing and he said "Daddy peeping". I said, "yes, that's Daddy up there". He knew I wasn't really listening to him and he said again, "Mommy, Daddy peeping" with his finger pointing to the stand. I look up and Lad's head was nodding...yet again...and knew exactly what he was saying. I said, "Yes, Brennen Daddy is sleeping." I was chuckling to myself and I think those around us must have been chuckling too.

Although getting up isn't my favorite thing in the world now days - I have to admit, I love to get up to seeing my kids. I wake up to Chyler gurgling and while on her back, her legs raising to a vertical position and crashing down on the mattress. Then, Austen and Brennen climbing on the bed to see her too. May I never forget Brennen throwing his black shirts (2 of them) up on the bed first then hoisting himself up and climbing up the mountain which is our HIGH king size bed. They both speak to Chyler in their high pitched voice - Brennen saying "Ood ormin Waiwer". She gives them both a big smile with more leg crashes. Then, 5 minutes later - I remember that I really didn't want to get up yet...

I hate that I yell everyday. I start the day saying that I'll try not to and 1 hour into it, I usually have to make a new goal for tomorrow. I've desensitized my kids to my voice and now, they don't seem to respond unless the volume is loud. Either that or they're deaf. But, they always seem to hear me opening some cookie package...hmmmm...

It's amazing how laundry piles up on a daily basis. My boys seem perpetually dirty but they usually stay in the same clothes all day. Yet, the laundry still overflows in the basket everyday.

We bought some new couches for our family room and instead of paying $100 for delivery and removal, Lad decided to do it himself since he has a truck. So, over the course of a few weeks - he took out the old couches and brought in the new. He hasn't gotten around to taking the old couches to the dump so they have been conveniently placed on the side of our house for the last couple of weeks. Mind you, he didn't want to put them out on the curb for bulky pick-up because it looks "trashy". As opposed to what? Keeping them on the side of the house picking up dirt and being rained on everyday for weeks on end?! I've really felt ghetto for the past month or so...along with our screen door being all raggedy and Brennen using it as a curtain saying "I'm here!". G-H-E-T-T-O!! So tonight, he put them in the truck himself and will take it to the dump tomorrow. But...not before he takes Dallen to school in the truck with the old couches in the back. Yep, we're ghetto all right! Poor Dallen...hopefully, he doesn't realize that he should be embarrassed.

Helping with homework?

Everyday I help Dallen with his homework and thankfully this year he seems to have more challenging work. When I help him with spelling, I usually over-enunciate so he can hear all the letters and spell it correctly. Well, tonight was no different. I was helping him study for his spelling test and I was reading off the words from the list. MASK - mmm...aaaa...ssss....kuh; SAD - ssss...aaaa...duh; HAS - hah...aaaa...zzuh; AS - aaaa...sssss. I covered my mouth and started to crack up. Dallen, innocent as he is, didn't get it and wanted me to explain why I was laughing. No, 'as' is not pronounced 'ass'. Two totally different things. I shook my head, stopped laughing and went on to the next word.

Potty Diary, entry 3:

• Austen is on his fourth full day of no accidents.

Vindictive observation:

• Even if you're dog tired and say that repeatedly over and over after your husband comes home, he can still - with clear conscience - lay on the couch and snore while you feed the kids and clean up after them. No amount of "busy noise" you do around him motivates him to get off the couch. These are the days you just wonder, why?!!

Austen, the preschool years...

We usually start our kids in preschool at 3 years of age. Since Dallen went to Alphabetland, I applied there but was disappointed when Austen got waitlisted. So, he started off at Kamaaina Kids in August 2007 because I was at a point where I just could not stay home with him on a daily basis and keep my sanity. I was a few months pregnant at the time and was petrified that I would have a new baby, Brennen, AND Austen at home with me. But luckily a space opened up at Alphabetland in January 2008 and we moved him to that school. He had adjustment issues at both schools but eventually thrived at Alphabetland. Then, we got the notice that Austen was accepted to Kamehameha preschool. I have to admit that I didn't want him to go because I was worried about having him go through yet another adjustment period - oh, and he's wasn't toilet trained yet. But, Lad felt that it would be a money saver as well as an opportunity to take advantage of the "Queen's legacy". Okie dokie then...

Monday was his official first day at Kamehameha preschool. He is part of the Pakalana class. His first 2 weeks consists of a special schedule to help him adjust to the new school. The good thing about this school is that everyone is new - to the school and to the class. Anyway, the school year starts off with the teacher and the aide coming to our home to do a home visit. Then on Monday, he went to school from 10:00-10:30 with only 4 other kids. I got to stay with him that day. Today, he went from 8:30-10:00 with a total of 10 kids. On Friday, he'll go from 8:30-11:00 with the same 10 kids. Next week for 2 days, they will be with their 10 kids group but stay for lunch on one day, then lunch and 15 minute nap the next. On Friday, the whole class (20 kids) will come to class with the lunch and 15 minute nap schedule. They will go full time (8:30-2:30) starting Monday, August 18th.

Having been accustomed to other preschool programs, a lot of things about Kamehameha preschool has surprised me. They seem to treat the preschool like they would any other "regular" school class. They have a school year of August - June and the hours are only from 8:30-2:30. They also have the kids write/draw in their journal daily and they have a daily reading log. It's good and will probably help him get used to the whole "school" thing but you know the first thing I thought of - "what am I going to do with all 4 of them next summer????"

Here's Austen in his classroom. It's a really nice classroom - very clean and neat. Maybe because it's not seen the kids yet. HA! They have 2 computers in the room - the kids will have 15 minutes of computer time a day working with reading software. They have a Home Center which is that big wood thing you see in the picture. There's a "stair" ladder and is arranged like a regular "house" - Austen's eyes lit up with that. Each child was given their own pencil box with their own crayons, pens, and glue which they keep in the cubby hole above the one with their other belongings (see picture) They serve hot lunch everyday and their AC runs all day, all night. Luckily, there is a bathroom right in the classroom. Whew!

Overall, Austen seems to like it, despite his facial expression. (Lately, he's been doing that eyebrow eye thing when we take any kind of picture) Lad said that Austen didn't cry or cling when he got dropped off this morning. But, the parents (or whoever drops off in the morning) is encouraged to stay awhile to do their journal every morning. Lad is like "WHAT?!!" but he stayed and drew a family picture with Austen this morning. When I picked him up at 10:00, he asked me "why you come now?" - I didn't quite understand the question, but eventually gathered that he wouldn't have minded staying a bit more. Oh, did I mention the playground?

The playground area is fabulous! When he first saw it on Monday, Austen was in awe and in love! The deal was to go to class then afterwards, we could stay awhile to play. DEAL! The area itself is large, beautifully kept, and very comfortable with lots of grass and trees. There is a big play structure on cushy padding, then up on the hill there are 4 swings + 1 tire swing again on cushy padding, and then there is a sand"house" with lots of toy trucks and shovels for the kids to use. Austen and Brennen had a wonderful time playing afterschool. Dallen saw these pictures and said it wasn't fair that he didn't get to go to pick up Austen.

Even though at times he's shy, he wasn't at all today on the tire swing. This girl (about Dallen's age) was playing with her little brother (a fellow preschooler) and Austen invited himself on the swing and kept telling her "faster, faster!" But she was really sweet and they both seemed to enjoy his company too.

The Potty Diaries 2

So, we started on July 30th in "serious toilet training mode" with the gun to our heads with the start of his new preschool year looming. Here we are going into the eighth day and Austen is doing very well! This surprised me, the skeptic. But, I'm exhausted. Toilet training is not for sissies! I feel like I'm spending my life either in the bathroom, asking about the need to use the bathroom, and handing out goodies for the successful use of the bathroom.

He has been in underwear all day everyday since last Wednesday and has gone from the first three to four days with accidents - #1 and #2. Fast forward to today where he is going on his 3rd day accident free. Leaps and bounds! Since yesterday, he has started to tell me that he needs to go or even going by himself. He even stands up to pee now whereas he used to sit. He has even gone through nap time with a dry underwear.

Although it seems like we've been going at it for a long time, it's really only been a week. So for all the many years of diapers and pull-ups, I'm on the verge of saying that Austen is toilet trained. The real test is at school where he is busy doing things and the toilet is far from his mind. I told him that we cannot pee or poo in our pants at school - only in the toilet. He says "okay" but you never know if he truly understands. Luckily, Kamehameha has a gradual schedule for introducing the preschool year so he goes every other day and stays at school only an hour on one day, 2 the next, 3 and lunch, 3 and lunch and 15 minute naptime, etc. So technically, I have 2 more weeks to continue the training...

I now know what it's like to drop everything and head for the bathroom. Yesterday, we went to Daiei to shop for groceries and Austen says he needs to go to the "baffroom". So, I told Lad to take him - he asks Austen, "Do you have to go now? Can you hold it? Hold it, okay?" I'm like "take him now - he says he needs to go - TAKE HIM!" So reluctantly Lad walks clear across the store to the bathroom. They come back (after a successful pee) and not 5 minutes later Austen says that he needs to go "doo doo". Lad scowls, tells him he just went - I tell him take him now!! So they go and there's a successful poo. I'm not sure Lad gets it but I'm telling you, I live and die with the pee/poo!

Now, I have to find some elastic waist shorts for him to wear to school because buttons aren't going to cut it!