Our Trip to town

So, we went to diamond head...

I was pleasantly surprised! i was expecting the kids to complain during this hike to the top of diamond head, and i was fully prepared to carry one of my kids on my back. HOWEVER, they were full of energy, and didnt even complain once! well, technically, aaron fell and skinned his knee (1 min. of tears), and charity (of course) had to hold herself as she said "i need to go potty" the last few mins down the trail, but besides that... they did awesome, and it was a decent hike!

After the hike, we changed our shirts so we didnt look like dirty sweaty pigs, and we went to the aquarium. in front of it, there was an awesome banyan tree - we all got to swing on it...

Then, we went into the aquarium and saw all the fish... didnt get any decent photos there though... but we were sure to show charity the blue bubbles.
since we were in town (on the whole other side of the island from my parents home) we did the obligatory stop at costco on the way home... it was an EXHAUSTING day, but the kids had fun.
thanks dawn for watching nate so i didnt have to drag him all over the place...

The Blue Bubble

So, we are having a blast here in hawaii (although, i really do miss my hubby)
HOWEVER...
Let me introduce you to a blue bubble: technically it is the portuguese man of war jelly fish. they are tiny, they look like a bubble blown in blue bubble gum (hence, the locals call it the blue bubble) PS. they sting really bad. people get stung occaisionally, but just a little welt on an ankle or something... Charity was not so lucky...
one must have wrapped itself all over her and got stuck in her legs... she just started screaming. i thought she fell or got sand in her eyes. she was shaking and pretty traumatized. she got the little stingers caught all around her legs, and well, here is the picture - all those little things that look like scratches are the welts left by those stingers- OUCH!! we rushed home from the beach, and i bathed her, poured vinegar (which i was told would help take the sting out), and she just wanted to go to sleep. seriously, i had to help her breathe through the pain... it took FOREVER to calm her down (well, part of that is she is pretty dramatic) but still.... she has since told me she doesnt want to go to hukilau anymore cause she is afraid of the blue bubbles. i think she is serious.

Another Hawaii Update

sorry about all the updates, but this is the way we show joe what we are doing here. SO - if you are bored of all the hawaii pictures and stuff... feel free to check out one of my friends sites.

PS, Dawn, is great and has done slide shows, of MORE pics of everything going on here...

Here is our day at PCC (the Polynesian Cultural Center)
This is us weaving - we made little fish! aaron and charity made their own, and they turned out pretty good! i was impressed - and they played with them ALL DAY!



This is the lesson they got in Samoa (well, the PCC version of Samoa) we watched the show where they climb the tree to get coconuts and make fire, pretty cool!! then the kids learned how to twirl the fire baton thinggy... nate even joined in!

This is the group before we went on the canoe ride (one of the highlights of aaron's day!) My mom, Lyd & kaitlyn, dawn and her kids, and me and my kids. (sue gilligan is here, but she took the pic...)


Ok, funny thing happened when i was there... right before the big canoe show where all the dancers dance in a parade thinggy... i was walking by the river, and saw a face that i recognized... it was a guy from highschool... (dan law)... how random is that? when EVER are you in hawaii, at a random place and see someone from highschool??? anyways, i met his beautiful wife, and caught up with him for a min. i just thought it was totally random/cool! what a small world!


um, this is the picture of the big goose egg nate got when he climbed out of the stroller and headplanted into a cement bench... sorry nate :(

Friday, me, mom, lyd, and dawn decided to go to the temple early in the morning... it was so nice to go! it is a little easier to go here cause it is so close (like down the street), and babysitting is free and in house! (thanks steph, sue, and dad!)


Then, after a quick morning at the beach, i was back to PCC with the big kids... dawn stayed home to watch the babies. Charity came for a little while, but then her feet started hurting, and i made Steph come get her. thank goodness it is so close! (like everything is here in laie)Here is aaron in the new zealand place learning how to do poi balls - seriously, i was impressed - he did pretty good! he was able to twirl the ball over his head with one hand, and with the other do it around his waist (well, mostly). ya, my son the genious - or at least the next professional baton twirler!! i know, any REAL man would want his son to be good a twirling! ;)

Then, we went to the fishing hut. Aaron caught a fish! So did loch and braeden (dawn's kids). Seriously, braeden is SUCH a boy! he didnt even need a fishing pole like everyone else... he would just put the bait in his hand and catch them bare handed! (as pictured here..) you can tell brae isnt my kid!! seriously, when aaron caught the fish, he was almost afraid to touch it to get it off the hook... meanwhile, brae is pretending to eat all the fish he is catching with his bare hands! just a cute little difference...

Finally, here is the pic of the boys all proud of their tatoos they got. i must say, PCC is SO much more fun when you have just older kids. when i took nate and had charity whining around me, it was DEF. not so much fun...

Update from hawaii

ok, my kids are adorable!

Nate eats the sand... yum yum. whats funny, is he doesnt seem to mind! What a cutie!

This is the tree the kids love to climb. there are some workers putting up a fence... of course aaron has a new best friend - he was asking all about the cement and whatever... the guy was nice enough to talk to him for a while. it was cute.

here are the neighborhood girls. they all come over to jump on the tramp or play badmitton or volleyball... how fun! the kids are in heaven.

Grandma gives the kids a music lesson. Ya, my mom is so fun! the kids love to play the auto harps!

another day in hawaii

Nothing like Sandy BUM!!!!


well, today we didnt go to the beach - we went to town and went to walmart and saw "surf's up" - very fitting seeing we are in hawaii!!!! the kids liked the movie, so did i!
yesterday, we just went to church, and then us sisters went to the fireside - bronco mendenhall spoke - it was very nice. the guy who did his introduction spoke a little too long... but it was a good fireside - i want to go play byu football now! :) fun to see a bunch of college kids here at byuh
here are some pics of the other day at the beach...
we are taking turns staying home with the babies as they nap... so when it was my turn at the beach, i took charity and ashlyn boogieboarding... they did so awesome! they rode the waves all the way in and were SOOO excited! i cant wait to go tomorrow. (we are staying clear of the beach today cause they are so crowded cause it is some holiday here?) the boys, of course, are already professional body boarders and boogieboarders.
Charity and Ashlyn LOVE being all full of sand... here they are - beached whales...

From Hawaii part 1

So, we got here ok...
well, the first flight (to LA) was a DISASTER! i wasnt even stressed about it, but we hit some turbulence, and aaron looked at me and said "my throat hurts" i said "do you need to pop your ears?" he just looked at me with a horrified look on his face - then proceeded to puke ALLLLLL over himself and the seat and his cars he was playing with. AGGGHHHH. i OBVIOUSLY looked like i could balance my baby on my lap and clean up his puke at the same time, so nobody offered any help. the stewardess threw me a bag and some towels. So, balancing crazy nate, i mopped up all the puke and stripped aaron down and wrapped him in a blanket. then, i said to aaron and charity - dont move... and i took nate (who i didnt trust to sit still) back to the bathroom and i soaped and washed aarons pants in that little bathroom sink... great times... we hung them to dry for about 2 hours of the flight, then he had to go potty so he just wore them wet the rest of the way. poor kid. the rest of the flight was pretty normal (nate screamed for about 20 min before he fell asleep) but that was about it.
i was DREADING the longer flight across the ocean.
BUT... i said, as soon as we get up in the air, you guys need to shut your eyes and be quiet. i gave nate some drugs but aaron and charity complied without any pharmacutical assistance. it was a lovely flight! (besides being a BIT uncomfortable for me) the kids slept the ENTIRE time!



we got here pretty late that night, so just went to bed. the kids woke up not too early (i thought they would wake up at like 3am cause of the time change) but they woke up with the sun :) and we went to the beach (at turtle bay). nate doesnt appreciate walking on the sand - he gets frustrated cause he has a hard time keeping his balance! grandma and grandpa took turns teaching aaron how to snorkel.


we came home ate lunch, and i CRASHED! (so did the kids) and my mom went to the airport to get dawn and her kids. when they got here, we went to hukilau beach. the kids had SOOO much fun boogieboarding! i am so glad they get to be here with their cousins!

2 A*hole parents...

This is Aaron at his recent tball trophy party... he is making a weird face, but at least we went!

do you guys remember that SNL sketch about 2 a*hole parents? their kids came in Christmas morning saying - it's chritsmas! and the parents were like .... uh, ok, um, check in my closet- and the kids pulled out a designer dress and the mom said "i bought that for YOU..." etc... you can imagine right?
ok, well, that is officially me. i didnt think i was that bad of a mom, but i am! SERIOUSLY!
i need some reassurance. could someone (even after reading the following story) please make me feel better?

Aaron lost a tooth. Saturday afternoon, joe took them to the movies, and it fell out there. He kept it safe, then he gave it to me. i put it in my pocket. Aaron was pretty jazzed. We then, went to his cousin's house and spent the rest of the day/evening there. We got home way past bedtime, so we did the hurry up get in bed routine (no story) and shoved them off to sleep.
Sunday morning, aaron was so sad! he said - "mom, the toothfairy didnt come!" AGGHHHH!!! i totally forgot! so, i made up a story - i LIED! i said the toothfairy looked under his pillow and couldnt find the tooth and so she would have to come back tonight and the tooth really needed to be under the pillow (the toothfairy didnt know to look in mom's pocket)
So, before church, we found a tiny little box, and made a pillow for the tooth and placed it inside. We made sure it was under his pillow.
WELL.... sunday is crazy. especially that sunday. we were 'fixin' to leave to hawaii for the rest of the month. so, all day i was doing laundry, packing, cleaning... we still went to church, i still had to do choir, and we had friends over that evening for dessert. the kids stayed up SOOO late with their friends, and even still, i made sure i was a good mom and (cause they missed their story the night before) made sure i read to them and gave them extra cuddles...
monday morning came. aaron came down SOOOO sad. "mom, the toothfairy didnt come!" oh my gosh! how did i forget AGAIN??????? what kind of mom does that? i said... "oh yes it did! i dont believe you! why dont you tell dad what happened" so, as aaron proceeded to tell his daddy how sad he was (and joe was trying his best to make up a story that the toothfairy DID come, and he just didnt notice) i ran upstairs, grabbed the box, threw a dollar in, grabbed the tooth, wrote a real fast note (the toothfairy leaves cool cards for the kids) threw it in the box, and brought it down to aaron.
"SEE aaron! the toothfairy DID come, you were mistaken!"
aaron looked at me and said "you just did that!" i had to try so hard to get him to believe I wasnt the one who did the old switcharoo... i think he is skeptical, but at least he got a dollar?

anyways, i am feeling so bad about myself. even though i should be loading the car and heading out for my trip, if you love me, will you call me today and tell me that i am not the worlds crappiest mom? or at least laugh at me, but tell me it will be ok?

i copied audra

audra, i would like to thank you for inspiring me... i TOTALLY copied your recent collage!!!

here it is...

we went to the farnsworth's and our kids ran through the sprinklers...
phanelb was playing with my new camera and got some CUTE pics!!!
had to do a collage cause there were too many to choose from!

new camera

so, we got a new camera! (i dropped my old one and it doesnt stay on all the time...)
i thought i would capture some images around my house to test it out!

1. the kids playroom: - they had just dumped all their toys out AGGHHHH!!!!


2. my favorite thing INSIDE my house - my baby grand!!! i waited SO long for it and i LOVE it!!!


3. my favorite thing OUTSIDE my house - my mini rose bushes! they come back every year and they are SO beautiful!



now, i am no professional photographer (like most of my friends are...) but, i thought it was fun to take pics and give you guys a glimpse of my home!

Aaron's week

so, lately, i have been feeling like aaron (cause he is the oldest) gets all the attention... charity is the forgotten one, and nate is just the sweet adorable baby



for example... last week, we went to Aaron's last tball game... has charity even played in an organized league yet? by the time aaron was 4, he had played 3 soccer teams already but charity hasnt at all?????



then we went to aaron's kindergarten graduation... this one i am ok with making him feel special

the only thing charity gets to do is gymnastics, and piano...but aaron does that too... i guess i could remedy my guilt by signing her up for dance or soccer... but i think she is too young to do too much...

dont get me wrong. charity doesnt even notice... she is just so happy to do anything and has so much fun going to the games and going to aarons classroom and everything else, but i dont want to live just for my oldest... i want them all to feel special! i guess it is a matter of time before aaron has to go to all her dance recitals and other girly things...

aaron, i am SO proud of you! you are awesome at everything you do! charity, soon it will be your turn too! nate, you may have to wait a while...

Emily Needs...

So, i found a cool one.. ya, didnt i just do 7 interesting things and a MEME????
i am feeling a bit narcissistic! it isnt like anyone cares... and isnt that really why we blog?

here goes....
google "(your name) needs"...
these are the things i found:

as for the reason behind the picture? um...

1. Emily needs: to be told "No, there are certain things that just are NOT allowed"
i dont really consider myself a rule-breaker, but perhaps, i should be told things like, dont allow your husband to bring panda express egg rolls to sacrament meeting on fast sunday?

2. Emily needs: eating companions around noon on wednesday
i need eating companions every day - i LOVE company and i love to eat...

3. Emily needs: to give Tim food in social studies today
i dont know tim... but if i did, i would definately bring something - maybe some tater tots?

4. Emily needs: a boogiewoogie night
heck ya! lets go!

5. Emily needs: almost 24-hour care because ... who doesnt?

6. Emily needs: to be whipped into shape by Nanny 911
um, sorry to say, this one is most likely true!

7. Emily needs: to rely on this system so that she can learn through experience.
um, i think we all learn from experience. as far on what i rely on? i'll stick to my fam, friends, and the gospel!

8. Emily needs: a new computer
nope, i dont. its one of the perks to being married to joe! he is always buying new components, fdisk-ing, flashing the bios ;), reconfiguring our entire home network...etc... we all (even my children) LOVE computers, and we have a MILLION around the house (all of course networked together and working in complete harmony) ;) hence, the lovely picture... joe wanted me to get all my junk off of one of his drives....

really, i dont need anything... except perhaps to take my own kids to disney world, so that in 15 years they can look back and laugh thinking... poor mom... couldnt get us to brush our hair or put on descent clothes....

OK blogger friends... it is your turn! this one was fun!

7 interesting things

so, i have read the 7 interesting things on many blogs, and like summer driggs... here i go... 7 interesting things about me:

1. i LOVE sugar! i eat my "treats at noon" every day - it usually consists of 4-5 chips ahoy soft batch cookies and a tall glass of milk - YUM YUM...

2. i HATE to cook... i blame it on the fact that i teach piano ALL afternoon most days of the week, but in all reality, i just dont like it. it is a chore that doesnt bring me happiness. i dont like salads, and i dont really even like healthy or home-cooked food all that much... so give me something that microwaves in minutes! (i know, it is SO bad) my kids eat veggies and lots of fruit, but if i didnt feel a constant need to teach healthy eating habits to my children, i seriously would do frozen burritos or lean cuisines EVERY night!

3. i cant ever say NO. i dont know how. when it comes to EVERYTHING. can i take another piano student? sure. can i do this or that for this random person? ya! it drives joe crazy, but i just feel like i need to be nice, and help others... in regards to my church choir obsession, and compulsive need to say yes to teach ANYONE in ANY ward here in texas how to play piano... blame it on the fact that i feel i am just doing my part to "build the kingdom"!

4. i love to work out! i feel so good about myself after a good session at the gym. i mean, i LOVE it when my legs are all wobbly as i walk down the stairs, or my arms are so tired i can hardly pick my kids up! ps, i LOVE my gym - it is well worth the 20 min + drive it takes to get there! yay lifetime fitness!

5. i LOVE to waste time on the computer... especially recently, i have developed an addiction to blog hopping! it is so fun to see the chains of people other people know. honestly, just today, i happened upon some friends i had in NJ! seriously, how fun! do you remember that game 6 steps to kevin bacon or something like that?

6. i love change. i crave excitement and drama. i love moving and meeting new people. i love how it feels to start fresh! i totally enjoy getting to know people and trying to learn great things from them!

7. i enjoy being alone with my thoughts. i dont listen to music when i clean or work on my computer... i hate background noise... just leave me alone with my random chain of thought, and i am happy and a LOT more productive! seriously, while i am doing my chores, my mind is free to roam and ponder all of life's mysteries! (i am truly a dork)

ok, now it is your turn!

Immigration Frustration... warning, politically charged!

ok, so usually, this blog is about my family, and very cute things they do...
but not today, so if you are in the mood for something cute, go visit one of my friends' blogs...

i listen to a lot of talk radio. WARNING: i am going to wax very political and very controversial....

it seems like our government is trying to gain support for their latest regarding “immigration reform”... i dont really care about the legislation - i know it is just words on paper. what i care about is the fact that whatever they say, probably wont solve the problem! the whole time i was listening to some congressman spout his opinion on this matter, my mind kept going back to all the debate a few years ago, when the UN security council was passing resolution after resolution that was continuously ignored by Sodamn Insane (: i mean, Saddam...

anyways, come to find out, there were a lot of creepy things going on (i.e. the french) taking money and bribes... and although resolutions were being passed, nothing really got accomplished. Cherry's impression of a brittish cop yelling with his little baton "stop! or i'll yell stop again!" comes to mind…(completely incapable and disrespected). am i the only one who finds all this "immigration reform" distinctly parallel to all the "resolutions" passed by the UN security council? am i the only one who sees that the real ineffectiveness of all these "reforms" regarding immigration is the lack of ability (or lack of incentive) to enforce them? and also note the conflict of interest because our own government representatives are actually pandering to these businesses and special interest groups who are snaking our own country from us? where is our representation?

interesting to note, that here in texas, farmers branch (a suburb of dallas) had a vote, that strongly supported a new legislation...

"The measures include apartment renters providing proof of citizenship or residency and making English the city's official language…
The English as official language measure does not restrict businesses or individuals from using other languages, but does mean the city will stop the practice of printing official documents in languages other than English, thus putting the translation responsibility on the individual, as it should be.
The renter measure, which will go into effect January 12, 2007, imposes a daily fine of $500 on violators." said hereby city council OR...click here for a related story about the actual citizens voting for it to go into effect may 22

HOWEVER... yesterday, "A federal judge Monday blocked the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch from enforcing a controversial ordinance that would bar most illegal immigrants from renting apartments." click here for that story

i especially appreciate the comments at the bottom.... (taxation w/out representation??)

does anyone else feel that they are no longer being represented? um, does anyone else want to NOT thank the ACLU? does anyone else want to scream AGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

i dont know what the solution to the problem is.

i like immigrants. i think it needs to be easier for people to come here legally. but i think that our government and its new "legislations" and ideas for "immigration reform" bear a strong resemblance (i am trying to emphasize a negative connotation) to the UN when it deals to actually enforcing the laws in regards to them. i am frustrated.

are we again thriving from slave labor? ok, they are being paid... but not very much. they are sending huge amounts of cash to their own country... am i mistaken or at walmart is it cheaper to send money to mexico than to another state in the union?

ok, i am rambling... better go fix my kids lunch.

but i am curious what you all think? am i right? am i mistaken? or do you just not care? i would appreciate any comments regarding this…

MeMe

I copied this off of Amy's blog...i LOVE these! For those of you who don't know what a MeMe is, it's basically a quick list of questions to answer. It's a lot of fun to visit your friends blog's and see their answers to the same questions. Here are my responses:

TWO:

Two Names I Go by: Emo, Moe

Two Things I am Wearing Right Now: jeans, ponytail

Two Things I Want (or have) in a Relationship: security, and something physical ;) lots of other things, but those were the 1st two in my mind!!! where are my thoughts????

Two of My Favorite Things to do: watch my kids be sweet to eachother (side note, yesterday, charity tripped on a toy, aaron climbed up, got a bandaid for her, put it on her, hugged her, and had her tell him all about how she got hurt) and waste time on the computer?

Things I Want Very Badly At The Moment: someone to clean up after me, and new flooring

Two pets I have: nate and joe

Two things I did last night: went out to dinner (for my bday) w/my hub, watched the STUPIDEST movie! actually i only got about 15 min. in then turned it off - 10 commandments the musical with val kilmer- something you can all laugh at, but i am pretty positive he isnt very proud of that work! the music wasnt that great and he had his shirt off (which i thought i would love) but he was out of shape :(!!!!

Two things I ate today: cake (birthday!!), arbys (they just opened one close to my house!

Two people I just talked to last: Joe, the Branns

Two Things I'm doing tomorrow: going to church early for choir, hopefully taking a nap?

Two longest car rides: from here to colorado for new years... um, it took us 2 nights and almost 3 days because we kept getting snowed in and trapped!, and from either dallas or houston to mesa (done that a couple times)...

Two Favorite Holidays: Christmas and Easter... love the music, love the reason, love candy, and love presents!

Two favorite beverages: Dr pepper and Water

So go ahead copy and paste this and do your own....I would love to read yours!

Funeral for my sheets

i am so sad. i think i am going to have to permanently retire my FAVORITE sheet set...
i never get this way. i never get attached. i am the queen of purge! but, this one is going to be so hard. a small tear has extended (because it is right at the spot my toes go) to a rather large rip in my FAVORITE high thread count egyptian cotton sheet set.
i just feel like i DESERVE way nice sheets. i dont buy much makeup. i dont buy jewelry (not very good at accessorizing), i dont get my hair done (except once or twice a year i get a trim at great clips), i dont get all those things to feel like a pampered woman. most of my clothes come from walmart or target... ALL I WANT IS A NICE SET OF SHEETS! and my favorite set of sheets is now dead. i am so sad.
honestly, i have tried replacing them. i bought what i thought would be even softer and a slightly higher threadcount sheet set from overstock.com... not as good... not as soft.
so, here i sit. disappointed...silly, and materialistic... and sad. i am sure my husband would just laugh at me, but can any of you relate?

Wishful thinking

so, i have to admit, i am not the most patient person in the whole world. it reflects into the way i mother as well! i love my babies, but i am always feeling so ready for the next stage - perhaps i should just sit and enjoy the phase i am in? i cant help myself though! what is making me think of this? nate has recently found the toilet - he likes to splash around... i think it is so gross. we keep all the bathroom doors shut and the lights off, but he seems to find a way to sneak in... so, putting both together, i decided to see if i could get him potty trained early. not really, but i would rather have him sit on the toilet than play in it! i just had to get a picture cause he was so thrilled to be on the pot! ;) in all actuality, i will probably not get him potty trained until he is about 3, but these pictures perfectly capture my psychotic wishful thinking!




ps - notice the pink eye... ya, fun.

week at a glance

This was a big week!
Friday May 4th: Sam's wedding... Joe gashed his toes apart and had to get 2 layers of stitches, didnt make it to his own brother's wedding reception till 9pm - he wasnt really in the mood to dance :(





Saturday: Kids' Houston birthday party - aaron's bday was the 3rd, charity's was the 7th... it made sense to have a party while all the cousins were together in houston. i also got to see some of my old friends from houston!!!



Sunday: drive back up to dallas.

Monday: Tried to make it normal. go to the gym - come home - uh oh! charity has pink eye- AGGHHHH!!!! Aaron goes to gymnastics... hurry quick to the dr. we have a busy week ahead! i hate having sick kids!

Tuesday: fighting to get eyedrops in charity's eyes... looks like aaron has bugars in his eyes! keep him home from school...marathon piano teaching day (from 2:30-8:30)false alarm on aaron - he is clear.

Wednesday: sanitize house, charity gymnastics, teach piano (from 3-6), running late but make it to achievement days father daughter activity (that is my calling)...

Thursday: (Kids' birthday party here). clean, make 2 cakes (technically, i made 3 batches of cupcakes), babysit neighbors kid, CRAZY water slide bounce house party 40+ kids and their moms!! it rained, did the pinata and treats in the garage... stopped raining kids got back on bounce house... big grassy muddy mess... nate is FINALLY walking!!!







Friday: clean, go to mother's day tea party at kindergarten, visit girlfriend (ya, i have to do something fun!) teach piano... make a movie for mothers' day, finish cleaning, aaron t-ball game

Saturday: nate woke up w/pink eye! quick sanitize house, babysit girlfriends 3 boys, take everyone to mcdonalds, do yard work, clean, make brownies and other treats for recital, make kids practice, get house set up for piano recital... piano recital i was SOO proud of aaron and charity! what sweeties for endulging their mom and taking piano so young and doing so well! they werent even shy! ps..oh my gosh, one of my older boys gave the NICEST tribute to his mom before he played! i SERIOUSLY cried! clean house finish family movie thing...





Sunday: RECOVER!!!!! i am so relieved that i have no more projects hanging over my head anymore! i feel like such a weight is off my head. here is a link to the movie i made my mom...