noooo!

I was about to do my Holiday Pictures post when I realized...

In the midst of tinkering around with our new computer, brilliant me accidentally erased many of our pre-Holiday pictures! To say that I was/am sad would be an understatement. I literally cried. As in, cried like a little baby, cried. Really. *sob*

I don't know what I was thinking! I even managed to delete all of the pictures from our recent Seattle trip...although thanks to facebook, I managed to salvage most of the memorable photos I uploaded there (albeit, the quality leaves much to be desired...oh well, beggars can't be chosers, eh?)

So, of the fun pre-Holiday photos missing from my album (*sniff*) there were the the pictures taken at the mall when the girls rode the Christmas Train with their cousins Hugo & Marques...(although I seemed to have saved the one picture without the train in it! - see below).

And there were the many pictures I took of the girls making their gingerbread house. Argh! It makes me so sad to have lost them ALL!! Anyway, here's the finished house...which I took just now-at least we still had the thing sitting on our table (which doesn't say much for our home decor-or "cluttered-ness"...but oh well. At least I have a record of what it looked like.)
Which brings us to Christmas Morning. (Which, thankfully, I was too busy to upload them onto the computer...so they were safely stored in my camera). This year, we had a very simple and small Christmas morning...the girls had fun opening their gifts and sadly, I took very little pictures.

Lounging around on Christmas Morning...

Jolee checking Anna's present out...

Kela and Anna....enjoying two of their presents. (A new video & their uber-cute chairs that go along with the adorable wooden table we, I mean, Santa got them)

Hope your Christmas was spectacular, and you all have a very safe and happy New Years!

all fun & games...until the power goes out!

Last night, I was home alone with the girls and it started storming. Rain, wind, thunder & lightning. When the lightning started, I got out our lanterns and candles...just in case. I actually love stormy weather, so we were all having fun! Until the power went out, that is! I was sure glad I had prepared the lanterns while the lights were still on!

So, we spent the rest of the evening in the dark.

Mitch was actually stuck at Honolulu Airport until close to midnight-3 hours after his scheduled clock-out time. With even the airports out of power, it was pretty much on lock-down! Very few flights were able to take off and land-so, I'm grateful that Mitch was stuck here in Honolulu, and not Hilo where he was supposed to fly!

Crazy, Crazy, night...the power eventually came back on at around 3 am for us. So, after an evening of playing games and drawing in the dark, we all slept in the living room-camp out style. :)

AND, I know, I know-I haven't posted any Holiday pictures...I'll get them up soon.

shortest game ever played

Today as I was driving to church with the girls (strapped into their carseats, mind you!) I hear Kela and Anna thinking of games to play. Here's what I heard from the middle row of our SUV (I have 3 carseats strapped into the middle row of our car-Kela and Anna are right next to eachother)

Kela: "What game do you want to play?"
Anna: "Hide-n-go seek!" (this is their favorite game)
Kela: "Okay!" (covers her eyes) "1, 2, 3, 4, 5....20" (opens eyes) "found you!"

5 months!

I just can't believe our little Jo-Jo is 5 months old already! She's getting so big, so fast...I can hardly remember her as a little newborn anymore! Nowadays, she smiles and laughs all the time, reaches for things with her hands & puts nearly everything in her mouth...including her little thumb (see pic). I'm a little anxious about her becoming a thumb-sucking addict like her sister, but for the time being, it soothes her need to gnaw on something so I'm ok.

I have no idea her measurements or weight since I don't own a scale, but she's getting HUGE! Moved up a new diaper size, has outgrown many of her newborn cloths & is seriously in need of a crib! The bassinet is just not working for her anymore!

Next month, solid foods! Can't wait!

Here's just a couple pictures of little Jolee with her cousin, Luke. They were born 2 weeks apart! Cousins are the best!

city lights!

We headed out to the annual Honolulu City Lights festival this past weekend. Last year when we went, it was a day after Christmas & it was slightly drizzling rain so it wasn't too crowded...this year, however was a totally different story. It was a Saturday, for one, and number two-the final weekend before Christmas. It was packed! Needless to say, we didn't stay too long...just enough to walk around once, look at the fun decorations, and try (really hard) to get in the "Christmas Spirit." We went with my brother Atau and his family. The girls always enjoy spending time with their cousins, so it was a fun family outing!
And what made the evening spectacular? Jolee spent practically the entire evening in her carseat!! She even fell asleep for a little while! Only woke up about 5 minutes before we were about to leave!
*sniff* my baby's come such a long way!!
(click here or here for what I'm talking about)

a winter wonderland!

We made it!

With the Holiday travel season fast approaching, we weren't sure if we were going to make it out! (we fly "stand-by" - which is stressful, but well worth it considering it's FREE! Can't beat that!) Anyway, we flew out to Seattle for a very short, but adventure-packed 5 days.

Here's the jest of our fun-filled trip!

Our girls are "seasoned travellers." We know to keep them occupied with the DVD's and food...but they all (including Jolee) took naps and hardly fussed at all there & back! We were so proud-and happy. As were the neighboring passengers, too, I'm sure!

This trip we actually also flew up with my sister, Elika and her two kids. It's funny how strangely, more kids equals less work on our part! The girls behaved fabulously together!!

However, when we arrived at Sea-Tac Airport, it was so cold I almost jumped right back on the plane to go home to Hawaii!!

My brother Makoto has three girls (just like me!) And with Elika's little Aya in the mix, that makes for some SERIOUS estrogen overload!! Poor Mitch had no where to escape to!

The girls had an UBER-fun time playing house, dressing up, sliding down my parents' stairs, watching barbie princess videos, and of course, running around screaming and driving us adults INSANE!!

And, each time I go home we have to swing by my closest friend, Carrie's house. Kela and Anna love chasing around and feeding their chickens! They even got to collect some eggs the hens had laid! Well, ok-so technically, Carrie put a clean egg from her kitchen into the chicken coop for the girls to go pluck...but they didn't know any better & even braved the cold weather to chase the hens around. Me, on the other hand, ran right back indoors as soon as I got the chance!

Did I mention it was FREEZING!?!?! While we were relaxin' at my friend, Carrie's house...

It started SNOWING!!! FOR REAL!!!

Thanks to Carrie for the warm jackets and hats...we were all a bit unprepared for the weather.
What'dya expect from a couple of "Pacific Islanders" right?

So, after a few short hours, the snow was sticking & even deep enough to throw some snowballs and make a tiny snowman!

The only other time Kela has experienced snow was when she was only 5 months old, so technically this was both Kela and Anna's very first time playing in the snow!
Wouldn't 'cha know it, they practically lost track of time throwing snowballs and catching snowflakes with their tongue! They must have played outside in the freezing cold for over an hour while I only lasted about 15 minutes. They probably would have stayed outside for even longer had it not been for Mitch coaxing them back indoors!

Their first time in freezing weather and they didn't even complain!

AND, Lucky us, Santa allowed "RUDOLPH" out of the North Pole long enough for us to sit and chat with him! I think it may have been my very first time seeing an actual reindeer!! Too bad Anna fell asleep and missed all the action...although come to think of it, it was so cold out she may have been lucky to be bundled up asleep for this outdoor excursion.

And lastly, me and a couple of my "buds," Carrie & Rachel. We let the kids run around and play at an indoor playground while us ladies chatted away in the warm room. Sometimes, the best activities are indoor activities! I learned that on this trip-for sure!!


I wish we could have stayed a bit longer...although with the freezing cold, snow and ice, it may have been good timing to head home when we did. I hear Seattle just got pounded with some more snow just yesterday! I realized that as nice as it was to "feel the Christmas Spirit" with the cold winter weather...I am now and have always been, and forever will be, a "Summer" kinda gal. I love and miss Seattle often, but I'm happy to call Hawaii my home. :)

caring for baby 101

My friend posted this on her blog....and it was just too funny not to share.

(click on the image to enlarge so you can read)

Hmmm...I think I may have been doing some things wrong! I guess we shouldn't get that fish tank after all...

i am thankful for...

First and foremost, my family-immediate and extended.

I love my hubby, Mitch. He's probably too good for me (ask my parents, the'll surely agree!). He works less than 80 hours a month (yes, that's full-time for a pilot) and is home enough to take care of the girls while I sleep-in many a-mornings, endures my moodswings like a champ, forgives my late-night blogging sessions (not unlike tonight!), give me massages, and even cleans the bathroom without me having to ask!! What a guy, right? :)

Then, there's my 3 beautiful little girls. Although they sometimes feel like more work than anything else, they give me so much joy and purpose in life. Truly, I can't imagine life without my kids. What did I do before them?! I can't even remember!

I feel so blessed to be able to not only live in beautiful Hawaii, but to live so close to family! I'm never far from a helping hand, a baby-sitter, an outlet for venting frustrations, and a shoulder to cry on. Plus, my girls have the luxury of having 11 cousins right here on Oahu to share all these holiday memories with. (who needs more kids when you got cousins, right?)

I am also grateful for my testimony-the Faith that I have in my Saviour, Jesus Christ. The knowledge of where I came from, my purpose here on Earth, and most importantly, the GOAL of where I hope to go after this life is through. I can honestly say that I am at peace. Despite all the turmoil and confusion in the world around us that can cloud our minds-to be grounded in the knowledge of these simple truths is a blessing I strive to not take for granted.

I'm grateful for Thanksgiving! A holiday set aside for all of us to take a step back and think about the big and little things in our lives that make us who we are, and drives us to be better people. To express that gratitude to those who are responsible for our happiness and successes. And most importantly, a time for us to think of ways we can share this joy and happiness with those around us as well.

Here's how we spent Thanksgiving morning (or, was it afternoon?). Running around the yard with Airi's bunnies, Oreo and Ella.
And then in the evening, it was dinner and relaxation.
Too much food...
Good times, good times!
We missed you, Daddy!

(p.s. The outfit Jolee is wearing is 10 years old...Riho wore it when she was a baby! CRAZY, huh? Rediculous hand-me-down, I know!)

seina's baptism day

This past week, my niece Seina turned 8 years old!

I still remember the day she was born. It was one month after I returned home from my mission when we heard the good news. Then just 2 weeks later, the joy turned to fear as we all learned of her heart condition. Not knowing what to expect, or even how long she would be able to stay with us, I recall the jumbled mix of emotions we all felt that day. Sorrow, Joy, Fear, and Faith. Now, 8 years (and 6 open heart surgeries) later, you couldn't even tell she has a heart condition! She's seriously the toughest little girl I know!

We are all so happy to be able to celebrate Seina's birthday and baptism!

Here's just a couple of pictures we took at the chapel after her baptism. It was one of the most Spiritual and uplifting baptismal services I have ever attended! Then afterwards, we all got together at Airi's house for some yummy food and festivities with family and friends.

For all those details and pictures, check out Airi's Blog.

operation: "finger freedom"

As most of you are probably aware from looking at our pictures...Anna has a bit of a fixation with sucking her fingers. It drives me CRAZY and I've secretly been plotting ways to get her to stop. Today, I decided to put my plans into action.

Day 1 of operation "Finger Freedom"

You can't tell too well from the flash, but I wrapped her middle finger with some medical tape. She usually sucks her index and middle fingers together...and this afternoon when I wrapped her index finger, she just switched to sucking her middle and ring finger. So, tonight I decided to go with the middle.

She's been sucking her fingers since she was about 4 or 5 months old. We had hoped she'd stop around 9 months or so (when Kela stopped sucking her fingers) but it just kept on going and going! I've rubbed vinegar, garlic, salt, etc. on her fingers...to no avail. So, this is my first attempt at some extreme intervention. Wish us luck!

sittin' pretty

My friend Mari gave us her Bumbo seat that her daughter no longer uses. As soon as we brought it home, Kela and Anna wanted to try it out so we plopped Jolee inside and watched. Lo and behold! She loved it! Hooray for sitting up! And, to top it all off, this was the first time she actually grabbed a toy and played with it! You can tell by the picture...she's really concentrating on that thing (it's actually a little mirror she's looking at). Anyway, thanks Mari! Jolee loves her new seat and I'm hoping to enjoy some more "hands-free" time! (hoping, hoping)

And, today we had Jolee's 4 month check-up. Her stats are:

She weighs 14 lbs. 9.5 oz. (71%)

She's 25 inches long (75%)

Head is 40.3 cm. (30%)

Once again...big baby, small head.

four months ago today...

...our little Jolee was born.

Feels like just yesterday we were rushing to the hospital, worried that we wouldn't make it in time! And then getting there just in time for the doc to tell me, "don't push!" right as Jolee "slid out" in all her perfect 8 lb. glory! Oh, the memories we can now look back and laugh at (now that it's OVER with)!

A couple tidbits of our little #3 child:

• Jolee now weighs 14 lbs. and is probably our chunkiest baby. It may not look it in the pics, but Boy, does she have some thighs!
• She's beginning to enjoy her car seat more and more! Yippee!!
• Sadly, she isn't too fond of Mitch...she cries and cries with him. *so sad*
• She's our smiliest baby-if that's even a word. Kela was our least smiley baby...hmmm...maybe we're loosening up as parents already?!
• She rolled over for the first time a couple weeks ago-in her bassinet. And then just today (right before the above pics were taken) she rolled over again! I just can't seem to catch it in the moment, though.
• Has already discovered her little fingers and "munches" on them all day long!
• If I could have it my way, she'd be our last baby...but I'm not holding my breath on that one.
  

mr. mom

Not to brag, but seriously, what guy would volunteer to take 4 kids to the mall - all by himself? And 2 of them aren't even his own kids! That's my Mitch. He occasionally takes Kumen off of my sister Airi's hands - sometimes at our house, but once in a while to the beach or the mall. Did I mention by himself?

Well, today I had to run a few errands with Airi so Mitch offered to take Kumen to the mall with Kela and Anna. My other sister Elika called and since she had some work errands to run, Mitch invited Aya along as well! So, Mitch braved the mall solo-with a 4 year old, and three 2-year old's in tow! And even managed to cram all four of them on to our stroller made for 2!

Yes, apparently, he did get a few surprised looks when he strolled around the mall looking like this.

And, the reason he went to the mall was for the "Keiki (kids) Time" activity. Today was balloons and face painting. They all got to bring home their "animal balloons" except for Kumen. Apparently, there were a couple of popped balloons which prevented them from getting their face painted (ran out of time), but the kids all still enjoyed the day at the mall with Daddy, a.k.a "Uncle Mitch."

*I apologize for the horrible quality of the pictures. I had the camera with me, so Mitch had to snap these with his camera phone - apparently, he was a bit shaky. But, you get the idea...

3rd time was the charm...it seems

I just couldn't resist posting this funny story.

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This afternoon, on our way to the chiropractor's office, we walked by our very favorite shave ice place. The owners are these two very lovely Chinese ladies, probably well into their 70's, if not 80's. They also speak fluent Japanese, and since we are regulars there, they know us very well. And I mean, really well. As in, they know us, my sister Airi's family, my Mother (who lives in Seattle & speaks Japanese) and even my Mother-in-law (who lives in Arizona & is Chinese) and asks about them all the time. Did I mention we are regulars there? They practically know us by name!

Anyhoo, as we walked by this afternoon, they stopped us to look at Jolee (who is usually strapped in her dreaded car seat, but today happened to be awake in my arms). They both get this startled look and repeatedly tell me (and each other) how pretty she is--like they're surprised Mitch and I could make such a cute little baby or something! Anyway, I'm laughing it off because really, they're oogling at my too-cute baby so obviously, I can't disagree! :) And then one of the ladies goes (after glancing at Kela and Anna), "She's prettier than her sisters!" My jaw just about dropped, but now I'm just laughing out loud because it's just too darn funny to take offense! Then, she points to Anna and says, "She'll be pretty when she grows older!" And then they both go back to oogling at little Jolee for a brief minute before walking away.

Too funny!

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A few things were running through my mind as we walked away:

1. Was it so shocking that Mitch and I could have a cute baby?
2. So, if Anna is destined to be pretty once she gets older...what does that say about how she looks now?
3. And finally...What about Kela? (poor thing...I probably shouldn't mention this to her when she's older! )
4. I suppose one cute child out of three isn't so bad, eh? *hee hee*

Anyway, like I said, it was just too funny to take any offense. If you know old Chinese ladies-you know that they simply say whatever they think-regardless of how it sounds to the person listening. They meant absolutely no harm, I'm sure...I just had to laugh!

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And, since I can't post without a picture, here's a couple of pics of the girls with their cousin Aya the other night. We hung out in Hau'ula with my sister Elika and her kids for the evening.

where there's smoke...

This morning at around 10 am or so, I put JoJo down for her morning nap & was doodling on the computer when I smelled something funny. I started worrying that Mitch had forgotten to turn off the toaster when he left to take Kela to preschool...then checked the computer wires for signs of damage. I have a sensitive nose-and I smelled smoke coming from somewhere! Then, I heard the crackling of wood burning & sort of panicked. I headed up stairs to look out the window and sure enough-clouds of black smoke billowing across the field behind our house. One of the units across the way from ours, was on fire...and on it's way to burning down the rest of the adjacent homes. How scary...

Thankfully, everyone in the entire complex escaped, along with the mother and baby in the the burning unit, and it took the firefighters only 20 minutes or so to extinguish the flames. Oh, but the loss...I feel terrible for the families who will undoubtedly be shocked to come home to such a horrible sight!

Then it got me thinking...with little JoJo fast asleep on the couch next to me, I started thinking about the material things in our home. Even if I were careful, what if my neighbor's unit caught fire? There would be NO escaping damage to ours as well. What would I save? What would I run out of the house with if I only had a minute to decide and act?

Honestly? I'd grab Jolee and run. Maybe my wallet & phone...but with the clothes on my back and precious family safe, I know I'd be okay. That's all that really matters anyway, right? The computer, the shoes, television, cars, even the numerous (and I have a lot!) photo albums wouldn't even be a flicker in my mind if I had to run out the door.

So much to think about...I guess it put some perspective to the things that are happening around me-and the world. I'm grateful for what I have-the things that can't be burned and lost in a fire. Things that are eternal and sure. I feel grateful today.

guess where we went today??

Nope, not the polling booth! (We voted absentee this year and avoided the crowds...can't beat voting at home and mailing it out! It just doesn't get much easier than that!!)

So, to celebrate our Democratic agency, we decided to hit the zoo on this blessed and excruciatingly hot & humid day. How original, right? :) Like I always say, my girls love the zoo and could go every day-doesn't take much to please these girls of mine!

Since cousins Seina and Riho also had a day off for the elections, we met up with them and of course, Kumen. Did I mention it was hot? It was really hot...and humid...but the girls had fun anyway. In fact, it was SO hot, we decided to hit some shave ice on the way home!
Mmmm...Waiola's shave ice is sooo good! There really are few things sweeter than some refreshing shave ice on a hot day!
Gotta love Hawai'i!

trick-or-treat!

This year, I tried really hard to put a concerted effort into Kela & Anna's Halloween costumes. Usually, I seek out a hand-me-down from Airi or throw something together from their dress-up drawer...but not this year! Kela wanted to be Dora, which was so easy-it almost felt like cheating! All I had to do was sew her a purple backpack to go along with the clothes. Then I decided to stick with the same theme and sew a "Boots" (Dora's side-kick monkey) costume for Anna. Sure, it sort of looked like a telletubbie...but still-I was proud of myself for making the effort and I think it turned out better than I thought it would! I couldn't stop laughing, she looked so cute! :)

OH,and to top it off, cousin Hugo was Diego! As you can see by the pictures, Hugo and Anna were inseparable the entire night. He decided to take Anna under his wing and held her hand around our friend's townhouse community for trick-or-treating. The kids had fun and we didn't have to walk too far, which was LOVELY! Especially since Jolee was super tired & I had to carry her everywhere. I was going to put a flower hoodie on her, but she was so tired that I let her off the hook this year.

All the little cousins together! (except little Jolee who was sleeping).
Sure hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!!

i can breathe again!

Last year, I got called to be the 1st counselor in the Primary Presidency...a calling I was happy, but not eager to accept. Why? Because the responsibility of the annual Sacrament Meeting program rests with me, the 1st counselor. So, the past 11 months since receiving this call, I've been dreading it. Loathing it. Dragging my feet, hoping it would go away-or I'd be released before the program time came. It didn't. And even with the birth of Jolee...I didn't. Shucks. Bummer we have a small ward.

Anyhoo-this past month and half (yep, I'm a procrastinator with a capital "P") I've been stressing out over it...feeling inadequate and just plain worried that I'd do a horrible job. Today was the pinnacle of my fears and worries: presentation day.

I said a prayer (or, several prayers) that all the kids would show up, that they would remember their lines, that Jolee wouldn't cry with Mitch in the pew, that Kela wouldn't be too tired and shy to say her lines (her very first time, too!!), that I could remember my lines...the list was too long! But, just as I had hoped (and everyone reassured me), all went super smoothly-too smoothly. We were blessed and the kids did beautifully. Not in any way because of my program (which I thank the Idea Door for!!) but simply because that's just the way it goes-when it comes to the Primary, the children, we are always watched over. I surely can attest to that! We were blessed today.

I would have taken a picture of all 25 of the kiddies...but since our ward ends at 5:30pm, you can imagine after the closing prayer-the kids are dispersed in a flash! I was too late.

So, instead, I'll post a shameless picture of my little Jolee. For no other reason than I just think she's too stinkin' cute. :)

visitors!

So, this is my friend Clara & her husband Chris. They used to live in Houston, but now live in Florida and they both work for NASA! How cool is that?! They passed through Oahu on their 3 week vacation (who takes 3 week vacations, anyway?!?! CRAZY jealous!) in the Islands. It was great seeing them as it had been nearly 4 years since I saw them last-Kela was still a wee baby...apparently, though, Mitch thought it was just last year. His mind is slipping, too...

Anyway, Clara is my friend from high school...and interestingly enough, back in hs, we sort of looked alike. I think. Or, that's what people said. I should dig up a photo of us back then. We both had short straight bobs above our shoulders, wore similar silver rimmed glasses, and were-you know, Asian-looking. Nowadays, I think we look nothing alike. Aside from the obvious difference in skin tone, I look like I've had 3 kids! Well...I have had 3 kids...and look it, too! *sigh*
Regardless, it was fun catching up!
And eating malasadas at Leonard's! Anything to do with fried doughnuts is a good time, if you ask me!

happy 3 months

I can't believe our little Jo-Jo is 3 months old already! Time sure seems to fly by quicker and quicker these days...maybe it's a sign I'm getting older...

I have no idea how much she weighs now since I don't own a scale, but she sure feels heavier these days (Can you see the rolls?! And those cheeks?!). She smiles so much lately and seems to be getting better at focusing. My favorite is when she stares into my eyes while I'm feeding her-and then smiles. It melts my heart.

She's even started to giggle...just a little bit.

Kela and Anna still love to hug, kiss and smother their baby sister. I'd say about 70% of the time, it makes Jolee smile...the other 30% of the time, it makes her cry and I have to rush to rescue her from her over-bearing sisters.

As for the carseat, Jolee still hates it. She's lasting a bit longer these days, especially with Kela sitting next to her & holding her hand...but most all of our road trips end in wails from the back seat.

So, FYI, if you ever catch me in the car & I don't pick up my phone...it's because I merely can't hear it ringing. Or, I just don't want to "freak" out the person on the other end with the sound of a screaming baby. *sigh*

a little off the tip...

**WARNING**

GRUESOME DETAILS, SO IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH, DON'T READ ON OR LOOK AT PICTURES.

YOU'VE BEEN FOREWARNED!

Last night as I was cutting lettuce for dinner, I carelessly and inadvertently cut off the tip of my finger. Ok, not the whole tip, but a nice chunk of it. It was pretty bad-enough to see the severed tip on my chopping board. And it bled. A LOT! It took over 3 1/2 hours to slow down the bleeding to the point where I could disinfect it and bandage it up. We contemplated going to the ER, but it was nighttime & I was worried about baby crying in the ER waiting room, so we decided to wait it out. Kela prayed for it to heal, and Mitch gave me a blessing that all would be ok...and we went to bed.

This morning, it had gotten better, but since it was still bleeding a bit when I redressed it, we decided to go into the Urgent Care clinic at the hospital-just to be safe.

Anyway, they looked at it, said it really wasn't that bad (relief!) and cleaned me up, put some type of foam dressing on it, wrapped it up, stuck me with a tetanus shot & sent me on my way.

While I was waiting in the room, I decided to snap a few shots of my tip-less finger.

Like I said before, if you're squeamish, don't look! But, if you're like me & love to get creeped out, enjoy! :)

Oh, and the only positive thing to come of this? No washing dishes for at least 2 weeks! Yay!

why i don't have a craft room...

This is basically reason #1 ... or really, the ONLY reason ... why we chose to dedicate our third room for our girls' toys and "stuff."

Embarrassingly enough, this is what the room looks like all the time. A friend dared me to post a picture of this mess, and I refused because...well, look at it! But seriously, all shame aside, so long as the rest of our house is spared from this mess, I'm okay with it. Is that bad?

However, despite the fact that my kids make a heck of a mess...there is one thing that almost makes up for it all.

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Having girls who actually know how to clean a room:

PRICELESS!

*I promise...Mitch helped with the books, and only the books. The girls did all the rest by themselves. And yea, it's not perfect...but would you complain?!

gymbor-wheeee~!

Lame title, I know...

But, the other day, Kela and Anna went to their friend, Adia's birthday party at Gymboree. Honestly, it was their very first time stepping foot into that place. Yes, it's probably really germ-y and practically highway robbery what they charge to use their "room o' bright, plushy toys" but the girls had a blast! I must say, I'm almost tempted to use the free trial coupon their goody-bags came with. Almost...

kela was here.

Surprise!

This is what I found when I opened my drawer to scrapbook the other night. Hmmm...I think I remember the benefits of having all my crafting stuff stowed away and out of reach.

let's get scrappin'!

Since the prospect of moving into a 3 bedroom house came up, all I could dream of was having my very own crafting room with a separate and distinct area for me to spread out and scrap away! Well, when we moved in, I realized that this was most likely not going to happen. Our third room became home to all of the girls' toys...and nothing but toys. Granted, it's wonderful to have a completely separate place for their toys as we were used to sharing EVERY OTHER ROOM with their endless piles of tutu's, dress shoes, stuffed animals, books, etc.

Anyway, long story short (too late, I know) all of my crafting stuff has been piled up in a corner at the back of the house since our move. Just thrown in a pile. Which is why I've been on this dang computer so much lately...unable to do my scrapbooking, I've drowned myself in blogging and facebook. Well, no more! We ( I should say, I) finally got a table to organize my "junk" (as Mitch would probably call it). It's not the dream craft room that I had hoped for, but it's sufficient for my needs. It's now a "craft-cubby". Although the pictures really don't show much significant difference, believe me, it's better than I've ever had.

Next task: Catch up on 5 months of scrapbooking back log!!

BEFORE:

AFTER

**And FYI, my lovely sister-in-law made that "Family Home Evening" sign for us...and since we were living in such a small place before, this was stowed away in the closet. Upon our move, we busted it out, anxious to finally put it together and up on the walls--but we seemed to have misplaced all the hardware to construct and mount it on the wall. Sorry, Collette! Hmmm...I'm sure it'll surface sometime. Somewhere... Eventually...

fill 'er up!

Monday morning, Mitch comes home-very excited-and tells me, "Guess what I saw today? Gas is LESS THAN $4!!" Sure enough, later that afternoon, this is what I saw.

Save Alaska, Hawaii has the highest gas rates in the country! Sure, it doesn't help that I drive a less than eco-friendly, gas guzzling SUV, but seriously! Gas truly is a kicker when it comes to trying to budget! Anyway, this is the first time gas has dipped below $4/gallon since I can't even remember! (ok, apparently since June-according to the newspapers) Woo Hoo! Let's go for a drive!

...and the answer is...

Actually, Kela was the picture on top and Jolee the Bottom pic. Gosh, I guess us being parents, I thought it was a bit more obvious...they sure must look alike!

Of course, as Mitch pointed out, Kela's eyes have changed a bit since she was a wee baby. That, and me covering up the hair ( I think the tell-tale difference) made it difficult to distinguish one from the other. So, don't feel bad for guessing incorrectly!

As my sister kindly put it, at least there won't be much mystery as to what Jolee will look like when she gets bigger!

Here's just a few more random pics from that same day-of me trying to get the closest pose of Jolee to Kela's original "post-bathtime" shot.

an uncanny resemblance

Ever since Jolee was born, all I could think of was how much she looks like Kela when she was a little baby. Even now, people will come up to me and say how much JoJo looks like me and/or Kela. So, I thought I'd post a side-by-side picture...can you tell them apart?

Jolee really does look a lot like Kela, but has slightly bigger eyes and finer hair like Anna...sort of a good mix of the two. But seems to have been blessed with the smoothest skin out of all my girls. Since Kela and Anna both seemed to have inherited my eczema...I'm really hoping little Jolee comes out unscathed and rash-free. So far, so good!

Really, though-can you tell which is which?

cousins

The other night, we had my brother and his family over for dinner. Atau held up both Luke and Jolee...and I couldn't resist taking a picture. They are 2 weeks apart. How cute to have them grow up together!

Oy, and look at those cheeks! Doesn't it make you want to just squeeze them? Those are all Atau's cheeks. I should scrounge up a baby pic of Atau...they look almost too similar, it's scary.

somewhere, over the...hot dog?

Several weeks ago, on our drive to Kela's preschool, Kela explains to me where her preschool is. She says, "My preschool is the one with the blue hot dog, the red hot dog, and the yellow hot dog!" I'm driving now, so I'm basically half-listening as my daughter repeats the same explanation, this time with hand motions mimicking the shape of a hot dog. The third time she says this, I'm thinking in my mind, "must be some type of craft activity she did? Or was it lunch? Nah, they wouldn't feed her hot dogs for lunch...or, at the very least NOT a blue hot dog!"

Then, as I pulled up to the school... I realized what she meant.

* Ahem, do you see the um... blue, red & yellow "hot dogs"

hee hee...the mind of a little child!

Then, a few days ago, I took the girls to the park since Mitch has been working a lot lately and I didn't want to just hang out indoors on such a nice day! It's such a waste! Plus, I've pretty much had my fill of watching "Little Einsteins." You know you've seen a show one too many times, when you can repeat the dialogue verbatim...

Anyway, while there, Anna seemed interested in just hanging around the stairs...more specifically, the pole attached to the handrail on the stairs. I thought nothing of it until I realized she was twirling around it like a ... um, you know..."pole dancer." She did this nearly the entire time we were there-and stopped only to swing on the swings and slide down the slide maybe twice. Then returned right back to the stairs and twirled around again. She got pretty good, actually. Not that this is a skill I need encourage her to enhance...

**oh, and don't mind the terrible quality of the picture. I forgot my camera & took these with my camera phone...which is by most standards, sub-par.