31.10.10

Happy Halloween!



Long Distance Realtionships

A good friend told me today that she is moving to Egypt in December which, of course, made me sad.  But, it also made me reflect for a moment on my own life.  Both she and her husband are in the hospitality industry and, as such, expect to be moving every few years.  When Mr A and I moved to Hawaii, we really intended for this to be our last major move.  We committed to raising our family here and, with the exception of possibly moving to Oahu at some point, have no intention of going anywhere else.  This move was not a temporary thing.

I always joke that it was either here or Wisconsin and that I could adjust more easily to paradise than Mr A could to the Midwest.  Sometimes I question our decision.  I am far away from my family, which is hard - both emotionally and financially since I think it's necessary to travel and be with them at least once or twice a year.  We don't have any family here.  We have friends, but it's not the same.  I wonder if I can really live the rest of my life feeling so isolated.

But then I see my kids enjoying their life here.  I see the community we are a part of.  I see how accessible their culture is here.  I know that my family will always be there for the boys and that we will all work together to make sure they know and understand their roots - their mainland roots.  I know that my parents will welcome them in during summer vacation so they can go to CYO camp and do other activities that were significant to me growing up.  I don't think they would have that kind of a relationship with Hawaii if we weren't living here.  I don't think they could understand it with the same depth if they were learning it vicariously through their dad.

So maybe the irony is that because I have such a close knit family, we are able to live great distances apart.

It was strange listening to my friend talk about her upcoming move and realizing that I am where I am...at least for now.

30.10.10

29.10.10

Movie Review Get Him to the Greek

What's up with Judd Apatow?  First Funny People and now this?

Mr A and I watched Get Him to the Greek last night and it was hilarious!  I was cracking up.  I can't believe I enjoyed P-Diddy acting in a movie...but, sure enough, I did.  So clever and funny. 

Yet, so dark.  I've watched too many episodes of Celebrity Rehab or something.  This movie was so funny, but at the same time it was so sad because it was real.  Almost grotesquely real.  The theme of how the industry and the fans really don't give a shit about the personal struggles of drug addicted stars and enable them to the point where all they really have is that one hour of live concert.  I have often wondered how you could lead a life that is so exciting and be so wealthy and still be so depressed.  Why do so many rock stars end up killing themselves?  Well...there you have it. 

The movie really tiptoed on the boundary of being tongue-in-cheek while still being based on a reality and being just a tragic commentary on our times.  I think the writers did a better job than in Funny People, when the social commentary was so obvious that the whole thing just seemed depressing and the comedy was lost.

I liked this movie more than I thought I would and I got up from the couch thoughtful, not just mindlessly entertained. 

27.10.10

Halloween Costume Idea?

We left Mr A's daughter to babysit Ikaika for a few hours today and came home to this:


He look like one of the Lost Boys from Peter Pan...if they had been lost at a drag show in Miami.

(sorry about the terrible picture - my camera is running out of batteries)

26.10.10

Chatty Kathy Koa


Koa was just so sociable last night, I had to get my camera.  This might be somewhat boring - but at the very end I unlock the secret of big smiles (apparently, its a violent full body tickle).

25.10.10

Patty Duke


A few weeks ago I shoved this picture under Mr As nose and said "just look at your son!" and he replied "great, nice, good for Koa."

Which, of course, was my point.  This isn't Koa.  It's Ikaika.

21.10.10

Too Many Clothes!

There comes a point where we must admit that we have too many clothes for our kids!  At least I have too many clothes for my kids.

Kekoa is almost out of newborn size. He's right on the cusp.  I was sorting through their closet today and I came to realize a number of things.

1) Certain things Ikaika has been wearing for almost a year now.  Other sizes will come and go but one or two shirts just keep sticking around.  Does this mean that at one point they are huge and at another they are skin tight?  Probably.  Just makes me wonder why I don't buy all things in that certain size that seems to transcend growth. 

2) My kids wear the same ten things over and over again.  There are sleepers Kekoa hasn't even worn yet and there are sleepers he seems to wear every other day.  Why do I have the other stuff?  I should keep a few things around for an emergency, but it would save me gads of space if I just donated the clothes they honestly don't wear.

3) On that same train of thought, the ten things are different for each boy.  I saved all my favorite things that Ikaika wore all the time.  Oddly, Koa hardly wears those items.  He wears new stuff or other outfits that I overlooked before.  So, darling family, feel free to keep the clothes coming - one of your picks just might be a winner!

4)  I am emotionally attached to my boy's clothes.  I have been considering a quilt project that would utilize my favorites from the boys collection.  That way I could snuggle up to their adorable baby clothes for the rest of my life.  So now, when I sort through their clothes I have 3 piles: one is for donating, the other is for sending to my sister for whenever she decides to have kids, and the third is for cutting out squares for my quilt project.

5)  Even though we only added one child to the house, the amount of laundry I wash and fold has quadrupled.


Both are outfits that I love.  Beth, you will be getting these.

19.10.10

Koa Photo Update #2

Because I haven't posted pics of him in over a month I shot some new ones today and let him demonstrate how fun he is to hang out with.  Yay Kekoa!!!



Koa Photo Update


This picture is actually from about two weeks ago.  He's already so much bigger!  He babbles and laughs and smiles.  Not all the time, but he's so much more responsive than he was just a month ago.  He likes staring at stuff and, unlike his brother, likes to suck on his hands.

18.10.10

Two Years Old!!

 My makamae, my precious baby turns 2 years old today!


Didn't really plan anything special.  After I post this we are going to head down to the beach for a birthday picnic. 

"hey mom, i thought you went to Knox."

He opened a few gifts this morning.  Thank you so much to my awesome family for the love in wrapping paper.


I killed all our little guppies by accident so my moms gift will hopefully pass for a "pet".


It glows too.


Many thanks to Granny and Grandpa for the trike :)  and thank you to the Blairs for the helmet.

16.10.10

There's Always Room for Jell-O (shots)


My friend Jill turns the big 3-0 tonight.  I was told to bring pupus/a snack (no brownies, tacquitos, or local food) so I went with Jello.  SHOTS!  Party on.  Feels like Flunk Day, Knox friends.

Jill is a friend from my Christian moms group so I'm hoping that this won't be a misunderstood gift/social faux pas.  It's an "80s Party" so I'm going under the assumption that anyone who throws a party themed after the most excessive decade of the last century is probably looking to get trashed (or at least buzzed). 

Using vodka, I made watermelon, strawberry banana, and peach.  I also used tequila with lime jello to make margarita shots and now the whole fridge smells like a morning after in Mexico.  I am so curious what those will end up tasting like.

10.10.10

New Picture of Ikaika's New Haircut


I had to chop off the mohawk.  Granny was out here for two and a half weeks and she said politely, but firmly, "I can't take that hair.  I don't want any pictures with that crazy hair."  Since she was only here for awhile and I'm sure she wanted to take pictures, I acquiesced and shaved it off.  I reasoned that it can always be grown back.  Now I'm thinking that I'm just going to grow it all out.  It was so cute up in a ponytail :)

btw - still can't find my USB cord.  Boo.

7.10.10

Kekoa 2 month update

My USB cord seems to have moved into a different house...

I had two of them at one point, so this is particularly annoying.

Today was Kekoa's 2 month check up.  He is 11lbs 2oz and 22inches long. 

At 2 months old, Ikaika was almost 14lbs and he was 22in when he was born.  Now, with some perspective, I see that he was truly a big baby.  And still is.