George Goes Gymnastics

Ok, sorry I haven't blogged in quite some time, but here are some recent pictures. After an incident when George was almost 3, he has had a fear of heights, and he has become very timid when trying new things. A friend of mine recently told me that she was enrolling her daughter in a local gymnastics program. I thought that gymnastics would be the perfect opportunity for George to build his confidence.

In late April, I enrolled George and his interest was sparked right away. He doesn't like the high bar too much, but he has no fear of the balance beam and the floor routines. He has learned a hand stand, a cartwheel and a back bend. IN May, George's gymnastics had a mini-olympics. I thought that George might have stage fright because it was in the CAC (BYU-Hawaii's version of the Marriot Center) and the CAC is large and intimidating to a 5 year old, but he amazed me. George ran right out when it was his turn and he remembered his entire floor routine! We are so proud of George and his new talent!!!

Kung Fu Fighter

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting...da de da de da de dum...
Here is Henry, wearing his favorite 25 cent yard sale find. Since the day we bought that Japanese head piece, Henry is convinced that he is a skilled Kung Fu fighter. I must admit he does have quick, cat like reflexes, but they seem to be sporadic and in no assuming pattern or nature. Either way, Henry is on the war path and all should be ware!

And on a side note, there just happened to be a family in our ward with the last name of "Suhawka". (I dont really think that is how you spell it, but that is how it sounds when said correctly) Either way, Henry attended nursery with the youngest Suhawka boy and Henry became quite fond of his name. The poor Suhawaka last name is now Henry's war cry. When he is in full Kung Fu swing, he will flail his arms and legs about and yell "Eh SUHAKA!!!"

Pregnancy Changes

Yes, I am Fat and Pregnant...I can't believe my body has changed this much. hahahahah

I thought you would enjoy this picture of this crazy cat (I actually think it is one of my sister Leslie's cats) hahaha

Hunt Pictures

The Hunt

Today Rachel, my sister, and I took our kids to Gunstock Ranch, a large ranch 2-3 miles from where I live. Every year Gunstock ranch holds an Easter Egg hunt that all the surrounding communities are invited to. George and Henry were excited with the prospects of finding eggs loaded with candy, but when we arrived to gunstock ranch our eyes were opened to a whole new style of egg hunting.

THOUSANDS of children were lined up in 1/2 acre sections according to age. Because of the age difference, George and Henry had to be split up. Rachel took the younger kids and I took George. We gathered with hundreds of other 4-6 year olds and their eager parents and waited for the hunt to begin. I couldn't understand why fathers and sons, mothers and daughters kept inching their way closer towards the eggs in the field. After questioning what looked like Egg hunting experts (they had really large garbage bags instead of baskets), I was informed that all the hard boiled eggs were worth money! Each hardboiled egg, depending on it's color was worth anywhere from 25 cents to 5 Dollars!!! Well My Word, after hearing this news I drilled George again and again, "No Fake Candy Eggs, you only want hardboiled eggs!" "Do you Understand"...confused and wide-eyed George quietly shook his head yes.

I could see that he didn't understand, but he would once we got all that money, lots and lots of MONEY!!!
The countdown began, and We took off. Sure there were times that I had to leap over small children in the way and drag George with me, but it was all in the name of fun.

In the end, George didn't heed my warning too well. He decided he liked the plastic eggs better; although, George did manage to pick up a few hardboiled eggs and one SILVER hard boiled eggs. George ended up making about 5 dollars and 6 candy eggs! What a Hunt.

Just to Let you Know...

(Please read the following in a cheap Scottish/Irish, American trying to be funny, accent)

There be a baby in my belly
and I don't like eatin' jelly
I am startin to feel niele (Knee-ell-e) (old)
There be a baby in my belly


Like a dog I be sick tonight
I'm feelin' weathered with all me might
So I sit and this poem I write
Like a dog I be sick tonight

The baby best be comin' out a girl (girrrrlllll)
And I won't be namin her pearl
Right now to the toilet I will hurl
The baby best be comin' out a girl (girrllll)

I just finished a great book!

I just finished Eragon and Eldest. If any of you have not read these two books, I suggest that you run as quick as you can to your car, get in your car, start it, drive to the nearest book store, purchase the books, drive home quickly, get snuggled in bed and begin reading. I had my students complete book report projects last term and one of my students completed a project on these two books. They are two books in a trilogy...the third book has not yet come out, but is expected to come out this fall.

The student in my class let me borrow the books and I read both over the weekend. These are the type of books that you just cant put down. REALLY!!! After reading Harry Potter I thought my world was caving in because there were no other books out there that intrigued and delighted me so...but I was wrong. Don't worry, I have not renounced my leadership in the Harry Potter Religion (Just Kidding) but I was enthralled with these books. You must read them and then reply to my blog! READ READ READ READ ERAGON READ READ READ READ!

ONE OF THESE...

Does anyone look at the last blog and think ONE OF THESE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS? hahahaha...I love my little haole Henry!

A serious of Unfortunate Events!

When my mom came to Hawaii, she brought with her the pictures that we took at Christmas time at Target. Because the pictures didn't come back in time for us to pick them up before we left Utah, my mom picked them up for us and waited to bring them until she came.

I was so excited to get the pictures. We only get around to taking a family picture or even boy's pictures at Christmas time. Unfortunately this year a great tradegy happened. The other day I was cleaning my home and I placed the packet of all the pictures on the table. Later that day when I had returned from grocery shopping, I noticed one of my cans I bought was not sealed correctly and most likely the soup in the can had gone bad, so I placed the can in a bag and placed the bag on the table.

The next morning, after one of the largest rainstorms Hawaii has seen in almost 10 years, I noticed that there was a small amount of condensation in the home. Everything felt damp. When I was cleaning off the table I noticed a puddle coming from the bag with the rotten can. I guess the pressure in the air and the extreme moisture in the air made the can bust open and the soup contents leak out and find my precious Christmas pictures and destroy EVERY SINGLE ONE!!! I am devestated and not quite sure what to do. I think I will try to call Target today to see if I can get reprints, but other than that, this one single scan of the picture is all we scanned before the fatal accident. So here is your copy of our family picture for 2005.

Mom Is here!!!

Since the end of February my mom has been staying with us to help watch the boys while I work during the day. I have to say, I have enjoyed spending time talking, touring the island and beating her at almost every scrabble game we have played in the last month. We have spent most of our time on the air force bases because it has rained almost every day since she came. Hopefully next week the rain will clear and we can go to the beach. She returns to Utah next week and when she gets there she will be able to spend time with my sisters who will all be visiting Utah. I am sad that I wont be able to go, but it has been fun while she is here.

LOST in Hawaii

Mark works downtown on Merchant street...that is in the heart of the business district of Honolulu. The other day he took the long drive to work and was surprised when he had a difficult time getting to his office building. Right in front of where he works, a camera crew was set up to film an upcoming scene of the tv show LOST. Now watch the upcoming episodes really carefully and you will see a small haole man jumping up and down in the back of the character's flashback bank scene...hahaha just kidding, but Mark took a few pictures of the people taking camera shots.

long time no talk eh....

Hey, I just wanted to write and let everyone know that we are still here and alive in Hawaii. Eventhough the entire side of the island has been flooded, we are still alive and well. We weren't able to do much because the rain was pouring down like sheets of water. At BYU-H the field was so deep of water that it was waist deep in some areas. A few locals pulled out a kayak and used that as transportation. In many areas along this side of the island, the constant rains made the ground too soft. As the flood water ran out to the ocean, it took down a few homes and caused a few small landslides.

Luckily, my mom is visiting for the month of March, and we spent yesterday cleaning out my sister's store and playing scrabble...no need to ask who won...but just to rub it in...it was me, by a "landslide"!!!

George and Henry are now staying at home everyday with my mom and she is teaching them school lessons in numbers, letters and keeping their room neat and tidy.

Mark has been busier than ever as he works all day long and then attends U of H in the evening. We almost never see him, but I know he is there because there is a dish in the sink in the morning, and the lunch food I packed the night before is gone.

That is pretty much the excitement we are having here. Talk to you later!

Scrapbooking and the Sickies

Well, I have been bogged down with school lately. Everytime January hits, kids loose their motivation for school, not that many of them even had it, but as a teacher I have to work extra hard to get kids motivated and interested in what I am teaching. So lately I have been grumpy a lot because of some of the stinkers I have to deal with at school and I have been wanting to play a little hookie myself.
Remember the old phrase, be careful what you ask for. On Sunday night I sat in my grumpy, I have to go back to school tomorrow, mood when Henry, who just ate a whole bowl of chili with cheese and tortilla chips, suddenly announced, "momma, I don't feel good." I unwisely told him to just go get changed for bed. Within seconds Henry was in his bedroom puking all over his cream colored carpet. Mark ran in first (hahaha) and sent Henry towards the bathroom. I ushered Henry over to the bathtub and tried to soothe him as he threw up 4 more times! After his episode was over, I cleaned him up and gave him some water (Bad Mistake).
After drinking the water, Henry didn't make it to the bathroom, he lost all the water and the few chunks that were left in his stomach, all over the hallway. Mark and I spent the rest of Sunday evening cleaning puke from the bedroom, bathroom and hallway.

We put the boys to bed and laid down for the evening, when we heard crying again. Henry had thrown up all over his bed! So everyone was up again and we were back to cleaning.
The next day, Henry was in better spirits, but because of the late night, he took a really long nap. So long, that he didn't even notice that he had wet his bed. So for the second time, I removed his sheets and took them down to the laundry. While Henry was peeing the bed, George had suddenly took a turn for the worse and puked all over the hall (in the exact same spot Henry had thrown up). George then went to the tub and finished off there.
Needless to say, I had to take Monday and Tuesday off of work to do endless amounts of puke cleaning, pee cleaning and laundry! (but in the end, I did have time to scrapbook a page of George)

Back Home Again!!!

ok...sorry, long time no blog. We got back from vacation in Utah and we have been bogged down with getting back to life. School started again for me (erin) and the semester ended for the students. The students had finals, which means a lot of grading for me. Then a new semester began, which means a lot more lesson planning for me. Other than getting back to teaching I have been scrapping like a mad scrapper because there are a few contests coming up that I would like to enter.

George and Henry have started preschool at Sunshine Preschool. They enjoy their time there. Henry likes the great treats and George loves writing letters...EVERYWHERE!!! We had a talk about writing on the furniture...hopefully his writing love will be expressed on paper only.

You are probably wondering why the boys are attending Preschool now. Well, Mark accepted a job a few days after Christmas at T.M. Hogan (a benefits firm in Honolulu). In order to get to work on time (Honolulu is 33 miles from where we live) Mark leaves at 6:15. Work starts at 8:00 am. Eventhough the drive is long and bogged down with traffic, Mark enjoys the beautiful view of the mountians and the ocean. Mark also started his MBA program. He attends school from 6-9 Monday through Thursday. Needless to say, we only see Mark on the weekends (between his studying for school).

The rainy season has started and between the sudden downpours and sheets of rain, we enjoy the sticky sunshine. Life is good!

Thank You!!!

Our family really enjoyed our time in Utah. We were able to see a lot of friends and family. We stayed with my parents and we visited with Mark's family. The holidays were filled with great food and lots of visiting with others. I was able to hangout with, scrap with and have fun with the Pleasant Grove Wives Club (a crazy group of ladies that love to eat junk and scrapbook).

I also spent my birthday in Utah and I was so excited to get The Chronicles of Narnia from some really CRAZY friends. I recieved such thoughtful gifts like, wonderful scrapbooking items (Pughla), a microwave, a Michael Jackson CD and a beautiful memory quilt; and as tradition held, I went to breakfast with aubrie dawn ivie at good old Jim's restaurant. I cant believe I have finally turned 25 (hahaha) I am getting so old.

I really enjoyed the holidays and my birthday. Thank You to all of you who made it such a wonderful time!

Deer Hunting at KMart

If you have been to KMart lately you might have noticed the mounted deer head for sale for the ridiculus price of 89 dollars! True to Christmas consumer form, this deer has no other purpose but to amuse its owner. The large wall mounted deer head resembles a trophy deer head that you might see in an avid hunter's home, but this deer is special. It is rigged with a motion sensor and as you walk by it will say cute one liner comments or sing a variety of Christmas and Country songs.
I had gone to KMart with a few friends, and one of my friends was taken back in disgust when she saw the talking deer head. Well I noticed a microphone next to the dear and a switch on the dear that indicated Mic. I switched the deer to microphone and taunted my friend by talking through the microphone. (The deer's mouth moved as I talked through the microphone, and my words were blasted through that area of the store.) I said over the microphone, "Hey Aubrie, do you want a BUCK?" and then I laughed really hard.
Well to my good fortune some young kids came by and saw the dear talking (I was hiding down the isle). The deer noticed the kids and said Hello to them. A boy about the age of 10 said his name to the deer, but the deer couldn't quite hear his name and did not respond. So the boy thought he would be cheeky and say, "Hey you idiot deer, cant you even say the name Braden?" Well the deer quickly responded, "Hey Braden, it looks like your the idiot because you are the one talking to a dead deer!" (I was about peeing my pants because by this point I was in hysterics.) The shocked boy ran to his mother and said, "Mom that deer called me an idiot and said my name!" I was laughing so hard, I could hardly breath. I suppose that talking deer could be worth the 89 dollars it cost.

A Santa Story

Henry and I arrived in Utah last week Saturday and then Mark and George arrived on Monday. The weather is much colder here than in Hawaii, but we enjoy spending the holidays with our families.
This week we went to the mall to visit Santa. On the way to visit santa, we stopped at a store with my mom. George had a great time looking around the store and picking out treats that he would like. One of the treats he found was a plastic farm animal that you fill up with candy and then wind up. After you wind up the toy, it will walk and drop out candies. George was emphatic that he buy that toy, but I explained to him that this is the season of giving and not the season of buying everything for yourself. So George sadly left the store and we decided to cheer him up by letting him visit santa.
George and Henry waited patiently in line to visit santa and when it was their turn, they weren't shy at all. They climbed right up on santa's lap. Santa asked George what he wanted for Christmas and George replied, "Chicken Poop!" Santa's face looked really confused and he asked George again what he wanted for Christmas. George replied again, "I want Chicken Poop." Well Mark could see that santa was utterly confused and Mark explained to santa that George meant the Chicken toy that poops out candy as it walks. Obviously that is not a toy that santa makes at his shop.

Packing To Go Home

Today I am packing to go home. Eventhough it is really cold in Utah, and I dislike the cold greatly, it just doesn't seem like Christmas without the bitter cold. We will be staying with my parents through the holidays. It just doesn't seem like Christmas without spending it at home in Pleasant Grove, UT.
Henry and I leave tomorrow evening and Mark and George will come out Sunday...tickets were cheaper that way.
This year we are fortunate to be able to spend Christmas Eve with my cousin Aley, his wife, Sarah and their daughter Audrey. Aley lives in Hawaii, but Sarah's family lives in Utah. They will be staying with Sarah's family over the holidays, but have decided to spend Christmas Eve with the Calabios. We are so excited to come home to visit. If any of you are in Utah during that time, please stop by and say hello!
See you in Utah...

More Family Pictures from Thanksgiving

Auntie Abbie Abbie and Auntie Gail cooking in the kitchen!!!














Me, the boys, Grandma and Auntie Janet at the City of Refuge Ampitheater.





















The boys with cousin Jarom Auna!
















Jarom, Auntie Danelle, Henry, Uncle Aley, and George



















Another picture of Auntie Abbie Abbie and Auntie Gail.

Spending time on the Big Island was such a neat experience. I enjoyed taking pictures of family!

Christmas Shopping

As many of you may well know, I am an avid yard saler. And lucky for me, I live in a world of year round yardsales! This last weekend we tried to get the boys in the Christmas spirt by giving them each a dollar and we sent them off to buy Chirstmas presents for each other. They were really excited about the venture and each one set off to find a treasure. Yes, they found lots of interesting odds and ends treasure, but neither one of them wanted to buy it for the other one. "I want this for me," they cried. In the midst of my frustration, I was reminded of the time I bought some candy for (I think) Nikki. I wrapped the candies in a purple and white bandana and then wrapped the present. As Christmas drew closer, I realized that I wanted the gift for me and I would daily poke at the gift. The hole I poked grew bigger until I was able to sneak out some of the candy. I can't remember all of the details, but I remember Nikki getting upset because I ate almost her entire gift. After that my memories are vague and all mesh together into an eating wonderland...but I do remember getting in trouble. Ahh...such fond memories of Christmas.