Friday, October 31, 2008

It's Trick-r-Treat Time

This Halloween I remembered a few things from my childhood: Mom always made us eat Hamburger Beans for dinner before we went out. We all hated hamburger beans, but we had to eat it before we could go trickrtreating, so of course we ate it. Mom's are smart like that. Very devious.
I remember one Halloween with my friend Amy Goodrich in my highschool years (I was so small no one even noticed I was a Senior). We made up this rhyme and sang it at every door "It's Trick-r-treat time and we're all feelin' fine, so give us lots of candy and we'll all feel dandy!"
Trick-r-treating in Hawaii is so different. First of all, it's so warm you can't wear those fuzzy costumes. Like poor Zion was getting way overheated. We had to take off the hoodie part and unzip him partway. And also, since it's so warm out everyone just stands outside on their porch and waits for the kiddies to come up. No more doorbell ringing. It makes for much faster trick-r-treating.We had dinner over at Darrell's house with all the cousins. It's so hard to get a good picture of all the kids at this age...Anjuli was a little hesitant at first. Darrell dressed up as a big gorilla and scared the heebeegeebee's out of her. But after a few doors, Anjuli was going as fast as she could as she realized how fun it was to get candy. She didn't even want to hold my hand.Anjuli didn't want to wear her princess outfit at first. But Zui read her Cinderella and I guess she changed her mind. Although she still wouldn't wear the tiara or hold the wand. Oh well.
And the Loot!
Anjuli is in Candy Heaven!
All the pretty colors are fun to play with :) Zion just doesn't know what to think about the stash.
Now what do we do will all this candy??!

To Be Like Shawna

Early this morning I woke up and got this crazy idea to make pumpkin pancakes. I imagined being the perfect mom having cute little orange pumpkin shaped pancakes coming hot off the griddle as my sleepy children came in all cheery and ready to eat. Well, what really happened was quite the opposite. There I was trying to find a pancake recipe, while everyone was screaming in the background. Anjuli was inbetween my legs wanting attention, Zion was hungry... Then I noticed Zui looking at me with that look like, "why? why are you going through all this trouble when we could just have cereal" look. To which I exclaimed, "I just want to be Shawna for once!" You see, Shawna is the Hawaiian version of Martha Stewart. She is always cooking up cute things for her kids to eat. To give you an idea, here are how my pancakes turned out: The orange food coloring did nothing. Pancakes are already that color...kindof
In case you couldn't tell, this is a cat, a pumpkin, and I can't remember what the other one is supposed to be--maybe a bat?

These are Shawna's creations. She calls this dinner. I call it amazing.


This is lunch. Can you believe any child is lucky enough to go to school with a lunch like this?



Oh, to be like Shawna. Well, I don't think it will happen in this lifetime, but maybe I'll learn a few things in the world to come.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Army Crawl

Zion is a much happier little boy now that he can move around freely. He has become so wiggly lately. As soon as I'm done nursing him, he wriggles right out and wants to be on the floor. Anjuli likes chasing him around the house, doing the army crawl too.

Best Friends



Anjuli and Zion are becoming really good friends. Anjuli always has to know where Zy Zy is and what he's up to. Zion smiles and laughs whenever his big sister is around. I love it!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Little Mozart

Anjuli has become quite the pianist now. She loves to sing and play at the same time :) I'm so glad my little girl loves music!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I sit up!

Zion is finally getting the hang of sitting up! He especially likes this toy my friend Britni gave to us. You can tell he really wants to figure out crawling. He reaches as far as he can with his little fingers but sometimes that's just not enough :)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Sisterly Love

Anjuli loves her little brother, can you tell? All day long she plays with him. When he naps, she is so bored (and it makes my job harder). I love having 2 kids, there is nothing better than seeing them love eachother.
Anjuli going in for the kill: first, the pinching of the cheeks
Getting closer...
Mwah!!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

My Little Monster

Today we went to a Halloween Party that my friend Kathleen threw. It was a blast!
Doesn't Zion just make the cutest little monster?
Anjuli's favorite part was the Peter Pan movie, of course.
Here Kathleen is showing Anjuli the ring toss onto the witch hat. Most kids just walked up and put it on :) Everyone had a really good time: tons of good food, good company, and good entertainment. Thanks, Kathleen!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch with the Pulama I Na Keiki group a few weeks back. Anjuli had a great time!
To get Anjuli's fingers out of her mouth we told her "up!" (like in Twinkle Twinkle)
We even got to take a hayride!
Anjuli held onto this pumpkin the entire time, so I guess it's her favorite :) Happy Halloween!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

"Wee-Wee's"

Anjuli loves "wee-wee's" (movies), so this post is dedicated to her :)

Zy Zy is into this spitting thing right now. He'll spit so much that his whole face is covered in spit droplets.

Anjuli can make Zy Zy laugh like no one else. These are just too cute.

If you don't like nakey kids in the tub, don't watch this one...but I think it's worth it :)

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Pool Daze

Lately we have been going to the pool a lot more often instead of driving to the beach. It's just so much more convenient, and we love cooling off in the heat of the day. I love these pictures of Zy Zy. He is becoming a little water baby--he loves bath time and the pool.
I love being a mom!
My wonderful man.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Waikele Playground

Meilani, Kathleen and I took our kids to the Waikele playground this morning. It's nice because there is shade, a place to sit, and no vandalism. The one right by our house is next to an elementary school and is covered in all sorts of words you hope your child never says... We had a great time, and Meilani even got Anjuli to smile!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Ah Pop?

Anjuli loves otter pops. If I ever need to bribe her, an otter pop will almost always do the trick. I figure for 12.5 calories I can ease my mind, avoid a tantrum and make a little girl happy. Now Anjuli uses lots of baby signs, some which I taught her, and others (many) that Baby Einstein taught her. So I guess Anjuli just decided to make up her own sign for Ah Pops, as she calls them. Now she can make sure I know what she wants. What a smart little girl I have :)

P.S. When we started teaching Anjuli to say "more, please" she combined them to be : "meee," along with the baby sign for "more."

P.P.S. Zui started having Anjuli really work for the things she wants... now if she wants almost anything she has to go through a long show of please, I love you, jumps, hula, do a dance, and recently added, touch your nose. She doesn't mind, and we love the entertainment.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Aiden's Bday Party

Happy Birthday, Aiden! Aiden turned 2 today. He was Anjuli's boyfriend back when they lived right next to us, but now that they've moved I think he's found other girls...
Anjuli loved playing in this little playground.
I wish I had pics of the dinner, it was amazing! Ribs, potato salad, corn on the cob, and rolls.

Britni has been such an awesome friend for me. She's done so much for me: babysat, brought me dinner, taken me shopping, and treats to DQ. I always call her when things are rough and I need some time away from the kids. She's the best!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Les Miz


Zui and I went to see Les Miserables at the Diamond Head Theatre today. It was soo awesome! Unlike most home-town broadway lookalikes, this one actually performed. So nice to have a date with my hubby (thanks Jamie and Julius!)

Friday, October 3, 2008

Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens


Today we went to Ho'omaluhia to feed the ducks. We had a great time! Those ducks are bread-crazy... as soon as they saw us coming they just started lining up for a handout. We tried to ignore them long enough to go to the lake (as suggested by a dear friend who's been there) but as soon as they realized where we'd gone the whole flock flew over--it was madness!

Anjuli loved chasing the ducks. She kept trying to pet them but was never quick enough.

Zui was working on circus training skills: getting the big geese to jump up and grab the bread out of his hand (which they did).

The big geese were really aggressive, and at one point even pecked at Anjuli to try to get her bread. Oh, that made me mad... Anjuli hasn't stopped talking about the ducks since we left. It was really fun to see her excitement.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Bathroom DIY Fun

Alright, So I never have a chance to post on Jenn's blog, and since she's busy with a scrapbooking party at Aunty Grace's house I decided to stop playing video games and try posting something on our blog. I guess it does say Jenn and ZUI Kim Ohana.
First of all before I start this bathroom fun tale, I just wanted to say how much I LOVE JENN and am so amazed at the mother and wife she is. I am especially amazed at how patient she is with my idea of fun projects...
So the story goes, our bath tub had 4 cracks in the bottom which was pretty severe (I actually got acrylic chips lodged in my foot from the cracks before). So after a year of scrubbing mildew off the cracks Jenn wanted the bathroom fixed ASAP. We got contractors to come quote out how much it would be to remove the bathtub and surround and install a new one. Most were over $1000 just for the labor. Well I decided it was too much for my parents (the landlords) to pay, and thinking like a financial planner, I told them that I'd do it for $500. Although I have worked in plumbing, maintenance and apt renovations, I've never undertaken any DIY (Do-It-Yourself) project on this scale.
So after checking out forums, blogs, and other websites and finding out how to actually do it, I committed to doing it myself.
9/12 Friday Day 1
After taking out fixtures I really had no idea what to do next. So I decided to go old fasion and crowbar/hammer down sides without breaking plumbing & have fun demolishing old bathtub.

4 hours later shower at Daro's house go on a date with Jenn.
9/13 Saturday Day 2
Get truck from Dad's house, remove tub/surround to Waipahu dump, go to Lowes with dad purchase new tub and surround.


Two hours after bringing home the tub we finally got it in. Had to do the drain & overflow plumbing through small crack while dad was trying to hold up the tub. Probably the hardest part of the whole operation. Fits perfectly in framing =) Next, drill holes in surround to allow access to plumbing. Mount surround and tub to framing, caulk and let dry.

9/14 Sunday Day 3

Church. Shower at neighbors house

9/15 Monday Day 4

Office meetings, Jenn teach piano, find out that the plumbing doesn't match the surround and will have to return the surround.

*Jenn contacts a contractor to see how much it will be to finish my project.

9 /16 Tuesday Day 5

Remove caulking, borrow truck from dad go to Lowes and return surround, pick up different one return home. Measure & drill holes in new surround again. Caulk again. Wait for caulk to dry.

Run to Home depot to pick up 1/4" dry wall, mud, and other spackling tools. Add shims to the 2x4s so the flange and shims are level. Measure & cut drywall. Nail drywall to shims/2x4s and flanges.

Business appointments in afternoon and night.

*Jenn tired of bathing kids and showering at Kevin & Ven's house.

9/17 Wednesday Day 6

Add first layer of mud onto drywall. Wait 24 hours to dry.

Head to Kailua for work.

*Pictures of me worki ng slows down as Jenn finds project not-so-entertaining. Jenn showers at Jo & Kanoa's house.

9/18 Thursday Day 7

Mud mostyly dried, decided to go ahead and apply second coat of mud. Bring fans in to speed up drying process.

Head to City Mill to get paint matched with existing color through their computer matching system. Buy high-moisture primer and other painting/texture supplies

Sand the mud to smooth it out. Clean lightly with damp rag.

Tape tub and fixtures, primer the walls. Remove tape. Let dry.

9/19 Friday day 8

*No pictures by this time. Jenn is completely sick of project.

Tape tub, apply 2nd coat of Primer. Remove tape. Dry.

Tape, add texture. One bottle of texture insufficient, run to Lowes for second bottle, finish texture. Dry.

9/20 Saturday day 9

Paint final semi gloss matched color.

Finish putting bath fixtures on & PAU HANA.

Have to wait another 24 hours to dry before showering--Jenn's thrilled...



So maybe the process wasn't exactly all fun, but it sure was nice getting my hands dirty and working hard. Although I would definitely do it again, Jenn say's you can't pay her enough to have had a contractor do in half the time =) One of the joys of the DIY lifestyle I guess.

Notes to self:

  1. Don't attempt full bathroom project if there's only 1 bathtub in house, and 4 people share the only tub.
  2. Buy fast drying mud.
  3. Don't start before Sunday
  4. Remove tape quickly after caulk/paint or it'll peel off on parts you want it to stay on.
  5. Check fixtures colors before buying.
  6. Tell Jenn how much you love her every night that project is still in progress.
  7. Thank Jenn for her patience =)