Lots to Not Tell

Don't forget to enter my little giveaway before October 5.

I have lots to NOT tell. So I haven't been blogging.

Here are the things I CAN'T tell you about:

• a decision that prioritizes our family, resulting in no major change in our lives
• when I cried with someone this week because I empathized with them
• something I hoped Son1 didn't tell his teacher (it is a funny that can only be told in person)
• why someone got a really good night's rest
• why my backyard is weed free

These are all really good stories. None involve just our immediate family, so I can't share more without compromising someone else. The time just isn't right.

I do have more to tell...but only when I am less tired...it has been a busy week.

Aloha

I won! The Bottom Line, that is....

So, one day I was searching on Bloglines, and I found author Camy Tang. I entered her book giveaways and TODAY I am a winner of The Bottom Line by Kimberly Stuart. After I get this book and read it, I am going to give it away. Post a comment at the bottom of this blog entry by Oct. 5 and I will enter you in my book giveaway. You can post my teeny tiny little giveaway on your own blog, or not, that's up to you. It's not a requirement to enter. But you do have to post a comment here to enter.

Also, Camy Tang is having this huge book giveaway. She is giving away an iPOD NANO and three baskets of books and some amazon gift certificates. PLEASE enter my name OR my email address as the person referring you. That way I get extra entries. And if I win again, then I can give away MORE BOOKS!!!!!

Too much of a good Costco thing

If you have known the Farmers for long, you know how much we love Costco. The last three times we have moved my mom has asked how close we live to a Costco. And each time we move we live one freeway exit away. One lady on the island can never remember my name, but she calls me the "Costco lady." When people can't figure what gift to get us, we get Costco cards. We are just there that much! Son1 waves to Costco even if we are just driving by...bye bye Costco. We like to go to Costco sometimes just to see what new items they carry.

Friday night Son1 was at Awanas. I made a quick trip to Costco, thrilled to be by myself. I found something I had never seen before. Have you ever heard of corn tortilla bagels? Bagels that are made out of corn tortilla maza? Look for them at your Costco. Yesterday was the very first day I had ever seen such a thing. Now, I figured this couldn't be a Mexican thing. Both of my parents are Mexican, and I had never heard of having corn tortilla bagels. I called my mom just to confirm. No, this is not a Mexican thing. But it is a Costco thing! I was really skeptical about how they would taste. You know what? I had one this morning and it was the most delicious bagel I had ever tasted.

On the way out of Costco last night, I saw Auntie Vera. Two years ago we became friends when she fell in love with my chubby Son1. He was a big baby. Last night she noticed I was by myself. Hi honey! You are by your self tonight, eh? Yeah. Oh. She turned over my receipt and started to draw a happy face. And then she looked a little embarrassed. She was about to draw a lone adult woman a happy face. I am so used to seeing you so often, and you're always with your son. It's habit to draw him a happy face. That's right. She usually gives Son1 some lovin' and draws a happy face on the receipt. You know it's bad when the Costco folks think of you, and your kids as regulars!!

Survivor China?

For you Survivor Fans…this post is for you! Last night was the season premier of Survivor China (Season #15)…yes, we confess that we have watched every single episode and have had famous survivor parties with our fellow survivor fanatics…but last night there was no premier party, just us and a few other million people who also used their DVR. Last night something special happened. Leslie, a contestant, age 38 from Tega Cay, SC and a Christian Radio Talk Show Host did something unique.

When Jeff Probst, the Host of Survivor elucidated to the contestants that the temple ceremony wasn’t “religious” in nature, but just a welcome ceremony, everyone went into the temple, even though several of the folks had varied religious backgrounds.

Inside the temple, everyone had to go through certain rituals, put their hands together in a praying fashion, and bow multiple times to Big Buddha.




Right before the bowing part (on the knees...face to the ground), Leslie, left the temple distraught and crying saying that she can’t do this and that it feels like worship to her and she stated “the Bible says that you shall not bow down before any other gods.” Then she said that she knew that she did the right thing. Another contestant Denise, a 40-year-old school lunch lady said it was a great religious experience for her.

So, what is the point of this post? Well, I was glad Leslie did the right thing and didn’t cave to peer pressure and that she stood up for her beliefs. Her testimony wasn’t the strongest, but her actions were noteworthy. If you didn’t watch it and want to see what I am talking about you can view it online: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor15/

Here is another point, over the years, we have logged around 240 hours watching Survivor. That equates to about 6 weeks of full time work. Now what else could we have done with that time? We will probably continue to watch Survivor, at least with DVR we have about a 33% reduction in actual viewing time. ..v/r Big Hubby

Team Farmer

Son2 is 6 months on September 21! I am not sure on his present stats. We go to the doctor this Monday. He is probably as long as Son1 was at 6m, but a bit thinner.

When Hubby and I were dating we went to a lot of amusement parks. We always saw cheesy couples dressed alike. You know, like twins. We would never do something so silly, would we?

But these days we actually do, because we like to promote the whole team spirit attitude for our family. Dressing alike is not for everyone. And there maybe some people that talk about how cheesy we look, just like we used to talk about those couples at the amusement parks. But dressing alike works for us. It could work because I like to be subtle about it. I don't dress us totally alike, ever. But somedays I like to dress us in the same hues. Usually someone will look at us and say, "Did you know you were all dressed in blue?" Yup, yup, yup. Right now Son1 thinks it is cute, and Son2 doesn't know any better. Some day both boys will probably recognize that it really is cheesy to dress in the same colors, and insist on being different. But by then I hope that they won't need the clothes to recognize we are all still Team Farmer.

Will Cheat for Scones

(L-R: D, me, tea friend, and S. At the Blaisdell, we had gone to see South Pacific)

My tea friend is moving, and I am downhearted. Sigh. Our time together the last few weeks has been precious. She is much more than my tea friend, but that is how I have written about her here on the blog. We have also gone and had afternoon tea together and she gave me a tea shower for Son2. Hence the name "tea friend."

We had tea at her house right up until this Tuesday. Now the movers will come, and we will no longer have tea in 2007. But we will again someday. I just know it. Usually she has made the tea and goodies. These last 2 weeks I have brought the scones. She just needs less to worry about, now. And I cheated. And it was worth it.

If you love scones, try these. If you have wanted to make scones, but are afraid, TRY THESE. They are fool proof and they taste like they were made from scratch!! They are available at your local grocery store. They are called Bette's Oceanview Diner scones, and yes, they are from the restaurant in the CA Bay Area. We have tried the cranberry orange and the raisin scones. Friend likes the raisin ones and I like the cranberry orange. From now on, I have no desire to ever learn how to make scones. I am happy with these and will cheat for scones.

We sent it to Ayabana

Son1 loves everything mail related. When we have packages to mail at the post office, he helps carry them. A few days ago Hubby took him to the post office to mail books he had sold on half.com. He gave one package to Son1. When Hubby used the self-service, he turned to get the last package from Son1. Except Son1 was empty handed. He asked him where the package went. Son1 said, "I may-ed it." He pulled the handle on the mail drop, and placed the unpostmarked, unpaid packaged inside the metered mail drop. At about 5pm. Aaarrgghhh!!! he had told the people who purchased the books that they were going out in the mail that day. So Hubby rang the buzzer over and over to get a postal worker's attention. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

"Excuse me, my son just dropped my package in the mail without any postage. See, here is my ID. My name should be on the package. I need to put postage on it and send it out today."

Somehow Hubby has found that showing people an ID in tends to soften people into thinking you have some type of legitimacy and are not a total moron, in all different tense situations. The postal worker looked around Hubby. He did not see any such son. Hubby looked around. No son. There he was, bent over the stamp machine in the corner.

"Here daddy! I found money!" Son1 presented Hubby with some coin he dug out of a coin return. Uh huh. And how did the package get mailed without any postage? Who was watching this kid?

Reluctantly the postal carrier looked through the remaining packages. Nope. All gone. The driver was on her way to the airport with all the packages. Hubby would just have to wait until the main post office returned the package to sender. Except a few seconds later, in walked the driver. She had found a package without postage, and handed it to Hubby. He paid his postage, and sent the package off, postmarked on that day.

About that time Son1 sent a little stamp art to Grandma T. He was thrilled to put it in the mailbox, put up the red flag, and send it off to "Zona." You can read about that here. Knowing how excited Son1 has been about mail, I offered to send snail mail to anyone that was willing to participate in a little snail mail exchange. Well lucky you, LL. You were the only one that took me up on it. So you are getting an autographed copy of the counting book that Son1's preschool teacher wrote, called All Around the Islands for your munchkins. Son1 has been practicing finding AL on a map and saying it, too, for the last 2 days. I showed Son1 your boys' pictures in the capes and hats. Today Hubby took him to mail your package. And he said he sent it to Ayabana. So it should be coming soon. Much aloha.

Wooking for Money

Son1's classmate had a birthday party at a beach house, right on the beach. The kids went through different stations related to the beach theme to earn prizes. One was looking for "buried treasure". Well, Son1's pirate knowledge is limited to knowing what a pirate is, not buried treasure. So he wasn't too sure what to do here until I told him he needed to look for money. Ohhh he knows about money, for sure. So he dug and dug until he found a silver coin.Later, the kids played in the water. Son1 ran back up to the backyard of the beach house and came back with a rather large shovel. When I asked him why he wasn't looking for crabs with the other kids he looked at me with a blank stare and told me he was "wooking for money". I laughed so hard when I thought about the connection he had made looking for buried treasure.

It's a good thing I am not taking him to the ornament exchange in November. You can steal the ornament up to three times, and if you are the last one to touch it, it's YOURS. No need for a three year old to make connections to stealing or touching things that don't belong to you.

It's All Starting at Three for Son1

Son 1 started Sunday School for the first time ever, last week at our church. At first all of the kids in Sunday School (preschool-8th grade) gathered in one classroom and sang songs accompanied by a ukulele. From there, Son1 went to his little class with his buddies B, N, and R. (His class grew from this little group again this week.) His eyes totally lit up when he got there and saw the preschool chairs, lower table, play doh, and craft supplies. He said goodbye to me before I got to take pictures. No way! I wasn't going to let Son1 off that easy. So I snapped a few. This day was important to me, too. They talked about how God created the heavens and the earth, and how God created Son1's hands. When I picked him up from class he was ready to show me what he had learned.




















God created all things...proud of what I learned in Sunday School.

My neighbor's church has an Awana's club. Ours does not. She invited us to take Son1 to their Cubbies class (3 and 4 year olds). It's Friday nights from 7 to 9pm. Now that's late for Son1 even for a Friday night. But I really wanted him to join an Awana's club, preferrably meeting on Fridays. We got to this church just as the Opening Ceremonies were beginning. Son1 was welcomed with some candy, so it didn't take much for him to warm up to a new place and new people. His Cubbies leader is a preschool teacher by profession, and she has a number of helpers in the Cubbies room. She does music and puppet shows and starts the kids on memorizing scripture verses. I was so glad I arrived early for the Closing Ceremonies, because his leader presented him to Commander Steve and the entire club (preschool-8th grade) with his Cubbies vest and Cubbies book for saying his scripture verses. He's ready to start earning his patches now!


Our neighbors that invited Son1 to Awanas along with their buddy in green....I have no idea who he is but he wanted to be in the picture, too.

Starting Sunday School and Awanas is trememdously important to me. Naturally I am pleased that Son1 bounded his way to Sunday School yesterday for the second time, and that he jabbered about Awanas the whole way home Friday. But it is more than just that to me.

First, let me clearly state that Hubby and I are entrusted to teach our children about God moreso than anyone else. That responsibility falls directly on our shoulders. Still, we feel it is important for our children to be in fellowship with other believers from an early age. I know Hubby and I look for churches that match our demographics when we church shop. We try to stay away from churches with a significant "gone gray" population, or people with canes, or moth smelling sweaters. We just aren't at that point in our lives. And when we find a church we like with a demographic group similar to where we are in life, we think, hmmm maybe this church will serve us, and we want to serve here, too. Not that we can't serve in a church with an elderly population, but we simply do enjoy the company of young growing families. Ultimately what is important is participating in a Bible believing church that emulates Jesus. Demographics are part of the appeal of a church to our family, and not the sole tipping point, either.

And Son1 is no different. He loves Sunday School because he knows he gets to be at a table with other preschool boys and do preschool activities, and pray to God like a preschooler. There are crayons, and play doh. He loves Awanas because he is with a peer group that loves puppet shows and music, just like him.

So turning 3 has opened new worlds for Son1. He started preschool a few weeks back. And now, he is beginning to fellowship with other friends whose parents want their children to know more about Jesus, too.

"Office" Party

Hubby's work gets together a few times a year for an "office" party, and families are invited. But there's nothing much office about them.

This was Son2's first one, at Hickam AFB. Lots of people wanted to hold him and make him laugh. 'Cause this baby just will.

A tale of two brothers comes full circle

Once there were two brothers that lived in Michigan. One decided to find work in Canada, while the other stayed in Michigan. After a time, William, who was living in Canada on a farm, decided to follow his relatives Edna and Stanley to California. They suggested he could make money in the oil wells during the Depression to support his family. He left his wife and children in Canada until he could make enough money to buy a home for his family. Soon after he was stable, the family followed William to CA. Now William loved picnics, baseball, and family. And the family eventually grew much larger. So the idea to have an official family reunion once a year, when the entire extended family could get together came about. The reunion would be picnic style, and include a baseball game. The expectation was that the entire extended family would meet once a year. Since the official recording began, this family has been meeting the Saturday after Father's Day for the past 39 years. Below are 3 of William's children, at the 39th Annual Bellenbaum Reunion.

(L-R, Dolores, Edith, friend of the family Vi, and Erine)

William's eldest son Ernie still lives near Irvine Regional Park where the family reunion has been held serveral times, and where most early reunions were held. He is considered the patriarch of the Bellenbaum family these days. He is 87 years old. His children and grandchildren live in CA. Second to the right is Vi. She has been a friend of t he family since 1929. To her left is Edith. Her children, grandchildren, and great grand children largely live in Washington state. And on the left on the end is Dolores. She is affectionately called GG by her great grandchildren. And her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren live in CA, WA, CO, AZ, and HI. Now if you look really close at GG's T-shirt (click on the picture above to make it larger) you will see that she is wearing a T-shirt from the 2007 Bellenbaum reunion held in Michigan. It has a Hawaii theme to it. Stay put, I am getting to that part in the story.

(L-R, Hubby, me, GG, Son1, Son2, Grandma T., Aunt M. and Uncle T.)

So here is how the Farmer family fits into this tale. William is GG's father. GG is Grandma T.'s mother, Hubby is Grandma T.'s son, and he is named partly for his great grandfather, William. On the far right is Hubby's only living sibling (2 are in heaven) and that is Uncle T. to Son1 and Son2. And then there's me. I started going to the family reunion about 10 years ago, when Hubby and I had been dating for less than a year. And Aunt M. started going 4 years ago, when she was dating Uncle T., and he was actually deployed.

Friday night dinner at Uncle Ernie's

Definitely gotta click on the picture to make it worth your while

So there is also a tradition of having a pre-reunion party on Friday night, before the reunion. And we are usually all a bit slap happy from lack of sleep, travel time, and some good ol' family traveling. You know what I mean. From being in the car hours together. This year, our family came from CA, AZ, OR, HI, CO, and TX.

Well, over the years the West Coast Bellenbaums have kept in contact with William's brother's family in Michigan. We send them invites to our family reunions, and they send us theirs. Truth be told, they know we are out West, and we know that they are in Michigan. In 2006 the West Coast Bellenbaum family reunion was held in Hawaii. The Michigan Bellenbaums couldn't make it. However, they thought it would be great fun to have a Hawaiian themed reunion. So that is just what they did, even though most of them have never met most of us! This year, though, GG and her middle daughter, Inez went to visit. The Michigan Bellenbaums hold their reunion the weekend after Mother's Day.





GG and Inez went to Michigan and stayed with Robyn and Charlie. Robyn is the granddaughter of the brother that stayed in Michigan. She is Dick Bellenbaum's daughter, and he is GG's first cousin. That makes Robyn and Grandma T. second cousins, since she is GG's daughter. So, Robyn and her husband Charlie knew they had a trip planned to Hawaii this Sept. They have been in contact with Hubby, a cousin they never have met before, for months about their trip to HI. They planned to meet up one day so Hubby could take them on a private trip to the USS Arizona Memorial aboard Admiral Willard's boat, The Remembrance.

And it's not a super romantic tale. Hubby pulled up in his convertible along the side of the road and picked them up at a bus stop. He and Robyn were each on cell phones, and Robyn had a picture of Hubby from the 2006 reunion in Hawaii.

Two of Admiral Willard's boats,the 4 Star Admiral, the Pacific Fleet Commander for the Navy

USS Arizona Memorial


View of the Flag from the USS Arizona Memorial

So Hubby, Robyn, and Charlie all went to lunch together at Sea Breeze on Hickam AFB. They had a great time. And so the distance between distant cousins became as close as across a lunch table. I was sad to miss it, but I had to pick up Son1 from preschool. Robyn and Charlie brought us some special preserves from Michigan, and special Michigan mints. At the end of their time, Hubby drove them back to Waikiki after lunch. And this is how the tale of two brothers comes full circle...all the way on this little rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Robyn and Charlie at the USS Arizona Memorial

Happy Birthday Aunt N**ty

Other things happen on September 11, too. Today is Hubby's Aunt N. birthday. And she is so cool. She came all the way to see us on this little rock just because she loves us, all by herself. She is a "great aunt" to our kids. She got this bright little idea to take Son1 on a 1.5 hour train ride along the coast. The conductor even let them blow the whistle.

On the open train car

She hiked with son1 all the way to the top of Makapu'u Point when I had to stop because the stroller couldn't go any further on the trail for Son2.

That's her in the window, and we're having tea.

So let me tell you why she is cool. She will hike to the ends of the earth with us. She will swim until she has goosebumps and can't take it anymore. She loves on Son1 like he were her own grandson. And she has one that is 7 days younger. She comes to our house and cooks, cleans, does laundry, and watches our kids. She is so organic that when she was here I was so regular I lost 4 lbs. She loves to take pictures of me when I am nursing (COVERED) so that I can be in a picture, too. She is only 11 years older than Hubby and she tells everyone he is like her brother. And she has never treated me like an inlaw, even if I am one. She makes me tea and makes me cookies. And she even spent 2 extra days in southern CA just to see our little family of 4 before we left. Happy Birthday and we LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!

Remembering September 2001

Taken days before the September 11 attacks...Hubby said we had to get a picture with the WTC in the background

Lady Liberty looks on at the WTC towers


In awe of her...it took me a few tries to get her in full view, and a few cameras, too.

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of Liberty

I gave Hubby a hard time when we planned this trip to NYC since it was so close to the start of the school year. We got back two days before school started. I was teaching third grade in Fairfax County, at a school eleven miles south of the Pentagon. I am so glad we went to NYC that weekend. This was the last time I would ever see the WTC towers standing. The skies were so clear. It was unthinkable what would happen just a week later.

Sept. 10 I met 2 friends from Bible study for dinner at Generous George. All of our husbands were out of town. I told my friends that I had a hard time getting to bed when Hubby traveled. I told them I just had this uneasy feeling about the next day. I know I don't have any type of clairvoyance, and the feeling was coincidental. But it is still eery to me that I felt that way the night before.

The next morning I woke up in a hurry for school. I popped on the TV for some company to the Today show. Katie Couric was commenting on the absolutely beautiful weather, and the show panned to a skyline of NYC. I absentmindedly looked up and thought to myself, yeah, that is a pretty blue skyline, for NYC. Shortly thereafter, I hopped in my Pathfinder. I drove up Beulah Road to school. At the stoplight I looked up, and thought, man, the sky really is super blue today.

Sometime in the 10am hour the door to my classroom opened. The school counselor was red eyed, and motioned me into the hall. Oh no. Something is terribly wrong. Someone has died. My stomach turned. I know she told me about the first 3 planes. But I barely heard her. Is there someone you need to call? Somehow I know she asked me about Hubby,....and I remember mumbling something about him being out of town. Many of our friends in DC, working, and going to school..., my mind raced and raced. She said something about not being sure if the attacks were over. No school buses will.....students will need to stay in school until......there will be no recess or leaving the building....we aren't telling the students until we know for sure.....please don't turn on your television in class....Mrs. Farmer? Please take a few minutes....I'll watch your class. I left the class and walked down the hall. Teary eyed staff members...uncertainty and tension to the left and right of me. I must be ok. I wasn't the only one feeling it. But I was shocked. I returned to my classroom, and counted down the minutes til lunch time, when I could find out the latest in the teacher lunch room or in the office. And then the news that a fourth plane was down...

I picked up my class in the cafeteria. Some of my students were crying. Mrs. Farmer...it is true? Is it true about the planes? Is it true DC was bombed? Is it on fire? What about my mommy? What about my daddy? I want to go home! I held out my arms to them and quieted them enough to say we would talk about this in our classroom. How could they know already? Soon, I found out that they had been at lunch with the fifth graders. Their field trip had been cancelled, and they heard over the bus radio about the planes. And at lunch they told my third graders what they thought happened. I called the office.

I need a counselor in my room for my students. They know...

Well, they are all busy with the the fifth graders since...

Those fifth graders told my third graders that DC has been bombed and on fire and I have students crying, here.

Oh!!!...Someone will be there in a minute, just a minute.

All of the DC area shut down. And most kids' parents worked in the city or just outside of the city. Children were dismissed left and right. Parents picked them up as soon as they could. It was a mass exodous out of a school with over 1,000 children. Mrs. Farmer, is my mommy ok? Why hasn't she picked me up yet? I want to go home, too!!

Finally the day came to a close. And the next day the school district cancelled school. I sat and watched too much TV, and relived the events happen over and over. Our church held a service on the 12th. The house was packed, and we honored local firefighters and police officers, as well as military members. We remembered, we cried, and we prayed. We prayed for those families from our church that still had loved ones missing, and those that had been burned, and those that did not want to return to work.

The 13th school was in session. And I wasn't the only one that watched far too much news coverage. It was all the kids talked about. Some were afraid to be back. Some were afraid that it would happen again today. Some were queit and reserved. Others just wanted to talk and talk. Many wanted hugs all day. And others prayed during the moment of silence that is a daily observance in Virginia public schools.

Eventually the newness and the rawness of the September 11 attacks started to fade. But the students did not forget. That year, students drew family pictures with planes falling out of the sky or under fire. Machine guns and gunfire were present in drawings about animal kingdoms, or the ancient civilizations we studied. Those planes were in journals, and everywhere else they could doodle. They were forever impressed that their country, their immediate surroundings, had come under attack.

And I could write more, about how my students made a memorial for Veteran's Day that resembled the Vietnam War Memorial, with the names of all of the lives lost at the Pentagon, or what it first felt like to walk through Reagan airport with service members wearing M16s, or through the Smithsonian museums with armed securtiy guards. And more and more about how our lives were forever changed....even up until I left the area in 2005. But when I remember 9-11 I most remember those children in my classroom, and the moments we shared together that year and the absolute fear those students knew. That was real. And I remember that beautiful blue skyline. And I know Lady Liberty still stands, and she still looks on.

Fourth Farmer Update

We got in to see the pediatric neurologist on Friday! This is such a praise! The original appointment was November 6. And I didn't have much choice. There are only 4 pediatric neurologists on this island, the most populated of the islands. My doctor will go to the outer islands to hold appointments sometimes, and then she is spread between a few different offices on this island, so it is hard to get in with her. Ironic that we have so few pediatric neurologists here, considering we are the #2 hotspot for pediatricians. From experience with my mom's stroke, though, there is a huge shortage in the field of neurology in general.



The reason our original appointment was so late is not only because of a limited number of slots, but also because Son2 had a normal CT scan, EEG, and bloodwork in the hospital. If any of these tests would have shown abnormalities, our appointment would have been immediately following our hospital visit. All this aside...we were happy to get in!



The doctor was super thorugh. She spent 2 hours with us (Hubby went, too), taking extensive family history, measurements, and conducting a lengthy exam. Basically, she concluded that these episodes are probably not seizures, though they are seizure-like. Son2's head moves rhythimcally from side to side during the episodes, unlike seizure activity. Also, he can do something purposeful during the episodes, like nurse, so that is unlike a seizure. The negative CT scan and EEG also indicate that these episodes aren't seizures. He hit all of the developmental milestones, and he is super social. (Tell me again, who is his mother?!?) She called him a big flirt. But the seizure like episodes continue to happen....



I am supposed to call tomorrow for an appt in 4 to 6 weeks, and continue to log the activity of these episodes. She wants to hold off on an MRI for now, and we will decide if we need one in 4 to 6 weeks. There is a special anesthesia that is used during an MRI that will keep Son2 asleep for the 1 hour imaging. So that is where we are for now........



We lean on our faith...below is a passage from the book of James, 1:2-3, NASB.


2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.



So we choose JOY, and it's not easy. It's a choice Hubby and I make every day. And in this passage the apostle Paul uses the word "when", and not "if". Here on earth, we continue to live in an imperfect world, and it goes without saying that we will feel pain of all sorts. Just because we are good people does not mean we get a ticket out of pain in this life. And it is painful to watch these episodes. Heavy sigh. But it all comes down to how we choose to respond. And by choosing JOY we find the endurance to enjoy Son2 in all of his babyhood, babbling, and giggliness despite the trials. I'll keep you posted as to what's happening....thanks to all who have loved on us during this time.

Doh-In to Zona

People ask all kinds of geography questions when they get here. Like which way Japan is, or if our island is bigger than__________. I have no idea and I am terrible at geography. So we keep a globe in the guest bedroom for all of the geographically inclined folks.

Son1 is missing Grandma T. He wanted to show her some stamping he did. We told him we could mail it to her. Now he gets how the mail works. And he has been on several airplanes. So he understands going across the ocean to get somewhere. So Hubby thought to show him on the globe. See, this is where we live on this little island. And when the mail man (ours is a man, not a carrier) takes the mail out of the mailbox, it will go to the airport. And then it will go on a plane to Arizona, to get to Grandma's.

Son1 recited this over and over for two days. Put it in da maybox. Put da fwag up. Da may-man comes and takes to airpot. Doh on a pane. And then, doh in to Gramma's at Zona. And he is able to find Arizona and our state on the globe. Let us know if you get in Grandma T.

If anybody wants to do some mail exchanges with us via snail mail, Son1 will love to participate. We'll send to you, but you have to send back to us, or Son1 will be disappointed, and I don't want him losing faith in Dean, the mailman. Let me know. And besides, if I show him enough on the globe, I may get better at geography.

Leapin' Wizards

I was sitting on our bed on the phone when I noticed a lizard clinging to the lip of the bookcase. Now it is not so strange to see lizards in homes here. Geckos and more common lizards run in and out of homes. Usually they are on walls or ceilings. And they are welcome creatures because they eat bugs. But there was something really wrong about the way this lizard looked. And since it didn't look "right", it gave me the girlie hee bee jeebies. I ended the conversation quickly, and went to find Son1.

Now this is the great thing about having little boys. They are totally uninhibited by outdoorsy things. I am sure some little girls are, too. But for sure I know I can count on Son1. If it was just Hubby and me awake, we would have to flip for who takes the lizard out. And usually I cheat and don't use my hands to catch them, or I really pitch a fit and make Hubby do it. But like I said, there was something really wrong about the way this lizard looked. I walked down the hall, and there was Son1, all snuggle bugged under the covers, ready to say good night prayers with Hubby.

Um, I want Son1 to see something. Can he come down the hall to our room for a minute?
R., we are about to say prayers, and he is about to go to bed.
I know, but I think he will really want to see this.
What is it?
Hey Son1, you want to see something in Mommy's room?!??
Yeah, yeah, yeah!! See mommy's room!

So I led the way back down the hall to our room and pointed to the bookcase.

Wook mommy! I see a wizard! See it?!!!? I see a wizard!
Yeah, you want to touch it? (You know, pick it up and take it outside like a good boy, for me?)
Son1 reaches out his little hand about to clasp it when......
Wait a minute, R., there is something wrong with that lizard.
Hubby gets a kleenex, holds it up......
Ohhh, he's dead.
Oh.
And he has no eyeballs.
Oh.
I wanna see da wizard!!! Wook, see wizard?
No you don't want to see the lizard. But mommy wants to see the lizard...don't you mommy? Smirk, smirk.
Ewww noooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the more I squealed the more Hubby thought this was funny.

You know you live in a house on an island full of boys when......ugh......

A Vacation Picture

Click on the picture to make it bigger...it's worth it to see me in a bikini!

So I don't think I told you everything that happened during our vacation. Hubby and Son1 speared a shark while Son2 and I went surfing. Son2 is more comfortable riding a turtle than a surf board. He has really worked on his balance, though. Grandma, well, she just worked on her tan and hung out on the beach. Right.

Seriously, Hubby and I first saw this artist 9 years ago, and have seen him on our trips to the Waikoloa since. We have always wanted to do one of these pictures, but this is the first time we actually got one. And we are so glad because he is moving back to the mainland after 14 years of working at the Waikoloa. We love the way it turned out.

Drink It and Drive It

View from tea at the Banyan Veranda in Waikiki

We get asked about the price of milk and gas pretty often. I hardly look, because when we need either, I swipe my card and don't think twice.

I made an effort to look yesterday. Gas averages $3.10 a gallon. I paid $2.98 at Costco Gasoline, the most economical on the island.

A gallon of 2% milk was $4.97 yesterday.

A pineapple was $2.97.

Living here....still worth it for now.

You’d never know by looking at me that I....

I have until Sept. 12 to answer this question via email for my Baby Hui group. I always struggle with these kind of ice breakers because I want to give the "right" answer or the answer to be remembered. I know it's a personal problem. But I think that the topic for this ice breaker is a loaded one. You'd never know by looking at me that I.....

So we can start with the obvious. Remember these folks don't know me that well. By looking at me they probably would never guess I was 104 lbs and a size 4 when I got married. And I don't want to share that with them, anyway. That would only put them in a position to guess my weight and clothing size now, and that is not necessary. Not that I'm huge, I'm just not tiny. I could go the skin tone route, too. You would never guess my only sister is about as fair as Liv Tyler, and I have a different skin tone from my parents and sister. But that's boring. So is the fact that I love to wear make up, but I hardly wear it here near the Equator because I am sweating it off my face every day.

There is the cultural answer. You would never guess that I love the opera (TRUE) and big band music. But that's not anything special.

Then we can go to the political. You would never guess by looking at me that I took part in demonstrations (unless you knew me then) when I was "left of left" in college. Of course, that is before I met Hubby who is pretty conservative, and reminded me I am, too. Well, except for education issues.

There are things I can go on about, but I don't want to sound like I am bragging....like all of the accomplishments I had when I was under 10 years of age. Ridiculous, don't even think about it, Mom. I know you are proud...but no need to remind me of how great I was. That is between the family. And besides, no one cares about the Spelling Bee or how many Girl Scout cookies I sold, ok?

The only outrageous thing I can think of is that I am #45 of 46 grandchildren of the first generation on my dad's side of the family. He is kid #13.

So here is what I have come up with:

• You would never know by looking at me that I have a set of Frank Sinatra's dishes that were used for his 80th birthday party, held in Las Vegas, in storage in VA (true).
• I want to buy and wear 2 kinds of muu muus before leaving this island. I want to wear the mermaid kind that you have to be very thin to wear with the double ruffles at the top and fishtail at the bottom, and the old fashioned Victorian kind, with the long poofy sleeves and go to tea somewhere worthy of my dress.
• I prefer short hair even though my hair is nearly to my hips.
• I sing softly in church so that no one besides God can hear.
• I have one cavity in my mouth and I feel like I have failed my teeth.

But I am totally open to something different, and more impressive. So for those of you that think you can top something on my list, please share!

Aloha and Goodbye, Grandma T.!

All good visits must come to an end. Grandma T. left on Monday night. We had dinner in Waikiki at Benihana's just before her red eye flight.

Click to enlarge; this picture is better, larger.

Dinner at this Benihana's is always fun. Here, the chef is making Diamond Head (the volcanic cone on this island) out of grilled onions. The water he poured in caused the steam to "erupt". The only mention the people in this picture get is that they shared our table and initially seemed perturbed to be sitting with 2 small children. But who can sit at a table with us and not be won over? These people are visiting their daughter (center) from CO Springs. About the chef...he did all kinds of fancy tricks with his knives and spatulas. He juggled them, tossed food in the air, made a pretend fish out of diced shrimp, and made Son1's day.


The hostess was nice enough to make Son1 trainer chopsticks. And this is really how kids here learn how to eat with chopsticks. You take a straw wrapper and fold it up inbetween the 2 sticks. You wrap the sticks together with a rubber band, and the chopsticks stay in place! Son1 ate his shrimp pretty easily after that.

Grandma T. is totally in love with Son2. Coincidentally they were both in green.

Son 1 had so much fun with Grandma T. She took him all kinds of places and played all kinds of games with him. They giggled, and laughed, and hugged a lot. He was so sad to see her go.

Big Fun on the Big Island

Just a bit more about our Big Island trip:








Grandma T., Son1, and I went for a swim at Ahalanui Beach Park. The pool is surrounded in part by the man made lava rock wall behind us, palm trees all around, and also an inlet to the Pacific Ocean. The pool is made from a spring, and the earth volcanically heats the pond between 91 and 95 degrees. The small inlet in the rock wall allows ocean water to mix with the fresh spring water and also allows fish into the pond. The water was warm and clear. I didn't quite get the huge ocean spray that happened behind the rock wall. The surf was super high behind the rock wall and the ocean sprayed about 10 feet in the air after it would slap the lava rock wall. The ocean seemed pretty dangerous which was a stark contrast to the calm pond where we floated.

Son1 was taken by the lifeguard playing the ukulele. He was ready to save us at any time, of course. :)

Afterward we headed north east. We drove through the lush foliage just outside of Lava Trees State park. These trees grow over what was once a devestating lava flow. The cool thing about the Big Island is that it looks so different from the Hilo side (where we were) to the Kona side (where we were going), and all of the totally different scenery. I didn't take more pictures of our drive along the Hamakua Coast, which is dramatic and totally breathtaking. Sigh. The kids were sleeping and we didn't dare stop. They were way overtired. We did see Akaka Falls from the Road and also Umauma Falls. Travelling with the kids is so different than when Hubby and I travelled by ourselves. We don't stop and see everything. That's ok, though. This is our third trip to the Big Island and we do different stuff each time. Eventually we will see it all. The Big Island is about 4,000 square miles. All of the other 7 Hawaiian islands could fit inside of it. On the up side of going so many times is that it also allows us the flexibility to see things off the beaten track!

Hubby found the Hawaiian Vanilla Company for me in a tourist attraction magazine. Now YOU KNOW I love tea. This is a family owned and operated vanilla mill. They also serve afternoon tea. Unfortunately, they were not serving tea at the time when we went, but at least the gift shop was open. I purchased Hot Vanilla Cinammon Tea. The tea is made with pure vanilla that only grows for 4 hours each year, and then is hand pollinated. Pure vanilla costs $175/lb...totally different than imitation vanilla that we all have in our pantries.

inside the tea room at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company

Well, we rounded the rest of the Hamakua Coast, down through the paniolo country (cowboy country) in Waimea, down the Kona Coast, until we got to our hotel, the Waikoloa. Along the drive, the landscape of the island changed again. And no, I didn't take any pictures of the Kona Coast on this trip. But basically, on the Kona coast it looks like you have landed on the moon. The land as far as you can see is black everywhere....black lava rock, set against the crisp, mouthwatering, azure Pacific Ocean. It looks like an oasis in the midst of a tropical desert, of sorts. The coast is decorated with lush vegetation along the water's edge. We got to our room around sunset, and here is the view we had from our room:

The next morning Son1 and Hubby swam and swam and swam at the main pool. Now this pool is gargantuan. It's really about the size of about 5 different pools interconnected with a monkey bridge overhead. There are hot tubs in different spots around. At the extreme far end on one side is a keiki (kiddie) beach with a sand bottom that flows into the wrap around pool. At the far other end are waterfalls and a water slide. Son1 was too short by about 2 inches to go down the main waterslide, so we changed to other pools later in the day. We had lunch first, though. This is what happened at lunch:

From the lunch table, we spotted a shady spot on the keiki beach (kid's beach) and we put Son1 down for a nap, under a palm tree.

Son2 had been fed, and was somewhat rested. So while brother napped, he got a chance to play.

Now with Son2 doing all of his strokes...you know, back stroke, butterfly, and crawl, he was just plain tired. So he took a little snooze in daddy's arms. Son1 was up and we walked to a different pool with smaller water slides.

Son1 coming down the slide into Grandma T.'s arms

It was finally time to get everyone out of the pools and start thinking about dinner. After dinner, all Son1 thought about was riding the boats. He had ridden them the last 2 days with grandma. Along the entire center of the hotel, you can take these little boats to different shops and towers. When Hubby tried to join Son1 and Grandma T. on boat ride Son1 did not allow that! He wanted the ride to be for just HIM and GRANDMA.

He did allow Hubby to take him on the tram. It runs through the center of the hotel, too.




It was finally time to leave the Waikoloa yestereday. Son1 was not happy. He cried and cried. MY BOATS! MY TRAIN! It was a great vacation, and we were all a little sad to see it come to an end.




Aloha, Big Island. Until we meet again...........