halloween 2008

waiting for daddy to pick us up after the harvest festival
our pumpkin

watching daddy cut the pumpkin

snow white after story time

1st time trying on costume and looking in the mirror

snow white at leilani's

group shot at the gym halloween party

candy corn bingo

ben & kalia

painting pumpkins at gym party

Kalia had a fun filled Halloween week. We finally got her into her costume on wednesday -- after several weeks of trying and once it was on, she was twirling in front of the mirror. Wednesday we took her to story time at the coffee store. Erik was going to go surfing, but once he saw Kalia dressed as snow white, he wanted to come too. He did check the surf while we read stories and sang songs. Later that day we carved our pumpkin-- inside since it was sooooo hot outside!

Thursday after Erik got home we went to the Harvest Festival in Kapalua for a little bit, which was fun, overwhelming and wet. It was raining pretty hard as we left.

Friday was Halloween and although we were a little sleep deprived, we had a full Halloween day. Kalia and I went to the Halloween Costume Party at the gym. Her favorite part was definitely painting the pumpkin. We played bingo with candy corn (she even had a few), ate cookies and hot dogs and had fun with her friends. The funniest part for me was the pinata. They had this huge pinata that was an almost life sized elf and the boys were just beating it with a stick. Since all of the kids are pretty young, some were a little traumatized by the whole thing. Here we are beating this poor elf, what did he ever do to anyone? We've been trying to teach the kids not to hit and now we're beating the crap out of this elf. The grown ups had to finish him off at the neck and then when he fell to the ground he got another beating to get the candy out, some kids were crying. Kalia went for the candy and kept bringing back one at a time -- all Almond Joy--yuck. I think she just liked the blue wrapper. But now she knows how to pick out the packs of m&ms.

I was thinking about taking Kalia to the parade, but we sort of ran out of steam. We went to Leilani's so Erik could show off his little Snow White and came home to do some trick or treating. Kalia really liked it! We only went to a few houses, but she made out with a little bag full of candy and she was saying "that was fun", "look at my candy, i'm lucky!". She was really excited when we got home and she counted her loot. Overall, a great Halloween.

So the "hee hoo" fairy (although I would spell it "he who" since it is short for "he who must not be named", but Erik's spells it that way) came for Kalia's pacifiers on tues night/ wed morning. She has really accepted that they are gone, more than I even have. She has only asked/cried for them on wednesday and asked for her blankie today instead. Although she has accepted that they are gone, it still hasn't solved the fact that she is used to sleeping with them. It has been taking a long time for her to sleep--hours--but can only get better right? I might be missing them more than her right now. I think mommys and daddys should get left special presents too from the fairy, since we may need some comfort too. After tonight's night-night, I could use a beer.

pumpkin patch and no naps

I took kalia to a pumpkin patch at the montessori school in kihei and we met kalia's friend wyatt there. Photo is of the two of them in bouncy castle. We had a good time-- bouncy castle, crafts, food and picking out a pumpkin. Kalia wore her flashing halloween shirt from auntie kim, I did put in matching hair clips, but those were all torn off in the car.

Kalia has been sleeping longer at night and I guess she has decided to then skip her nap (or several this week). I can't decide if 12 hours at night is worth no nap...can't I have both? We're trying to have quiet time instead, but she ends up calling me in every 15/20 minutes. I'm trying to explain to her that quiet time, means no yelling "mommy!" at the top of her lungs or reciting sections of "Amazing Ants" at the top of her lungs . Maybe this no nap thing is just a passing phase...I hope.

This morning we made banana pancakes in the shape of farm animals (thanks, Di Couls for the molds). Kalia is quite the little helper in the kitchen, she is very neat and if I measure everything out, will carefully pour it into the bowl and mix. Then we walked to the park, played, Erik picked us up and then we went to Kaanapali Beach to play, swim and have lunch. All this and she still did not take a nap...am I dwelling on the no nap thing?

We've been stamping--we have several curious george stamps from Quinn's b-day party and some alphabet stamps (thanks Di Schei) and Kalia's been stamping the no-nap afternoon away. Oh, there I am dwelling again.

Kalia is usually fairly reserved with her friends, but with Bianca she has been quite bossy. She was telling her today, "No, Bianca put that back!" and "Bianca, that's not how you do it." I guess she's practicing for being a bossy big sister. Erik tells me that she is learning from example and imitating, what is he trying to say?

kalia's having a little sister!

We had our ultrasound today and they were pretty sure that we're having a girl! Erik will be living in the house of estrogen - my dad did it and he survived. We are excited and the baby looks great, 2 lbs. 2 oz., and she looks pretty cute. We got to see some great shots of her face, nose and lips. It looked like she was sucking on her hands and then had her knees tucked in and was grabbing on to her legs. 13 weeks to go...and we need to do some serious preparing around here. I'm starting to feel fairly uncomfortable and hot --and I know only more to come!

In other big news, we converted Kalia's crib to a toddler bed and tonight is her second night sleeping in her "big girl bed". I know I was claiming that I would have her sleep in a crib until she was 18, but it just sort of worked out. Erik suggested it and at first I was scared, but so far so good. I think I will still keep the video monitor until she's 18 though...

The second photo is Kalia with her Halloween present from Aunty Lo and Uncle Vere. And yes, that is a skittle in her mouth, proof that I did not eat all of her Halloween candy this year- like I did last year. Lo specifically said in her card, "Kalia, don't let your mommy eat all of your candy." Of course that is the only candy I've given her, but baby steps, maybe she'll get another skittle tomorrow.

Tonight after Erik called his dad and sister, he was telling Kalia that they wanted to give her kisses and hugs and she said, "and Allie too. Kalia and Allie are best friends." (Her cousin Allie and official bff?)

This video is of Kalia's new song. It's not a true version, since she knew the camera was on, but you'll get the picture. But she will sing this song non-stop and it will get stuck in your head..."birthday cake, you ever seen." I found myself singing it several times today.

tide pools & rainy day

Last wednesday was the first day in a long time that Erik didn't work and we didn't have some sort of doctor or dentist appointment. So we took little miss gumpy pants to the tide pools at napili- it was low tide and perfect. I think kalia was still recovering from her cold and just not feeling like a very happy camper. She did have fun looking for fish and collecting shells. The weather has been nice the last two days, rainy and cool. We still went to our moms' & keiki play group at baby beach and it was actually really nice in lahaina on friday. This morning it was raining and Kalia put on her rain jacket and played outside with Erik. Then we took her down to the Marriott pool -- we played at the pirate ship while Erik surfed Kaanapali point. We all had a lot of fun, we needed a fun family day.

We got a couple new chairs for our lanai and the only thing Kalia says about it is, "Where are the other ones Mommy?" Change is hard. She told me today that she was a doctor and she came to with this star/ball thing attached to a string to listen to the baby in my tummy.

We read her sesame & me book we got her for her b-day today, it stars Kalia and includes Kalia's head on a sesame street monster's body. But today for the first time, she realized how funny it was that she had a big purple ears, a fuzzy tummy and big feet. She was laughing hysterically over it, it was so funny to see her laugh that hard.

october crafts & winter is here!

concentrating on the task at hand

posing with our finished product
peek a boo!
Kalia has been a little sick and so we've been home bound. So to keep us from going crazy we did a little halloween craft project--pumpkin and ghost wreath. kalia had a lot of fun gluing the pumpkins together and drawing faces. It was a real test for me not to try to make everything perfect and uniform. At first I cringed a little when the stems were glued upside down or in different places, but they came out so much cuter when she did her own thing. Glue was everywhere! Erik tried to show her the joy of letting globs of glue dry on your hand and them peel it off...she wasn't buying it..she just wanted to wash her hands or rather turn the water on and off again and again. She really did a great job with our wreath, she's going to make a great little craft buddy.

Kalia has been sleeping so much at night since she's been sick, that yesterday she couldn't take a nap. So by dinner time she was soooo tired. I was washing the dishes after dinner and I didn't see her or hear her-- which is really unusual. I started calling to her, "Kalia, where are you? Are you OK?". She was lying down in her indoor tent and said, "yes, I'm just picking my nose". I know she will probably kill me later for writing this, but it was so funny to me! She has had a runny nose and I guess she found something to dig out of there, but she was so serious!

We have set up her indoor tent with connecting tube to crawl in, I guess she thinks the tube is like an airplane, because she keeps telling me that she's going on the airplane to go to Tutu and Grandpa's house. When she gets off the "airplane" she says she's at Tutu and Grandpa's and that she needs to go pet Chloe. I've been petting the ground (imaginary chloe) with her for two days now.

We drove up north today because there was a good size north swell and it really felt like winter was here. Family trip up north to check the surf--it's been a while. Erik surfed Honokahau and Kalia and I collected mini pinecones and rocks on the beach. I have a video of a set coming in, but it was taking too long to load...maybe later.

maui county fair & home again

hi horse!
waiting to go on the ferris wheel with daddy
merry go round with mommy
playing outside with daddy

Last saturday we took Kalia to the Maui County Fair. We had a lot of fun looking at all of the animals--pigs, horses, cows, roosters and rabbits. Kalia had fun on the rides, although she doesn't look thrilled on the slide. She did give us a big smile when it was over. She kept telling us that she wanted to go on all the big kid/adult rides. We did take her on the ferris wheel and merry-go round.

Kalia has been saying some pretty funny things lately. Her new phrase is "Mom, does that sound like a good idea?" after she suggests something. Or "Mommy, I have a good idea". She has two of her sparkle books that Aunty Kim gave her memorized, amazing ants and busy bees.

We had lunch at leilani's today and erik was working. He took Kalia behind the bar and she poured a beer, really well too--this is not a good sign. This might be breaking some sort of liquor law too.

I had my drs. appointment wednesday and everything looks good. She is going to let us have another ultrasound, so October 22nd will be our final chance to find out if we're having a boy or a girl...let's cross our fingers.

family road trip part 5: morro bay

kalia and erik in front of harbor hut
pre dinner beach walk
with allie and aunty kim
kalia with "her allie"
group photo at montana de oro
montana de oro beach climb with aunty kim & uncle jay
hi erik!
group shot in front of beach house
kalia and her cousins

We met Erik's family by the rock in Morro Bay on Friday just before lunch. There was a sea lion just sitting on the rocks and otters in the water. Lunch at the little hut in front of the harbor hut. Then we checked in to the beach house we were staying at. We loved the house-- ping pong table, jacuzzi, fire pit and they even provided stuff to make smores.

Evening walk to beach and pizza and games. The next day the whole group headed to Montana de Oro for some small hiking and exploring. Our neice Alana just began her freshman year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Erik wanted to show her around the area (Erik lived in Morro Bay for 5 years) and all of the surf spots. They were up early checking the waves. Erik had a great time seeing old favorite spots and meeting up with friends.

Saturday evening we BBQ'd, played games, celebrated Jay's birthday, jacuzzied and made smores. I think everyone had a great time. I know Kalia did, she really does love her cousin Allie. She was telling me "I need my Allie". Our first day back on Maui, after traveling for so long to get home, she told me "I want my Allie".

Sunday we packed up and headed to San Luis Obispo for lunch and a little shopping. Then the drive to Tutu and Grandpa's house.

Monday I was able to see my friend Di's beautiful baby Logan and friends. Kalia and Erik went to "Allie's house".

We survived our almost 12 hour day traveling home. It's been a little bit of an adjustment being home, but nice to sleep in my own bed with my 3 pillows. At times it's nice sleeping in bed with Kalia on vacation, but I don't miss her foot in my ribs. I'll be feeling another little foot in my ribs soon enough!

family road trip part 4: monterey

checking out the sea lions and otters at fisherman's wharf
hi otter!
kalia at a little beach... it's cold!
kalia and erik at the water
monterey bay aquarium touch pools
cannery row
kalia's favorite part of the aquarium!

We arrived in Monterey and cruised down to Fishermans' Wharf to watch the seal lions and otters and eat yet another bowl of chowder. Kalia liked looking for the sea lions and otters, but her favorite part was probably climbing up on the railing over and over again. After leaving Fisherman's Wharf we took a little drive toward Carmel and stopped at a beautiful beach just before sunset. It was pretty fun to get all bundled up, since the weather so far was much warmer than we anticipated. We collected shells and made an offering, Kalia collected rocks. The next day we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had a great time, Kalia really liked the kids areas and touch pools. After the aquarium Erik met Tommy Dale for lunch/drinks and I took Kalia back for a nap, as she didn't seem up for socializing. After her nap we went back to aquarium for the last hour and Kalia had all the kids areas to herself. Her favorite parts were the sea otters, the slide in the back of the kids area and the little tunnel to see the "nemo" fish and sea horses. Dinner at cannery row by the water and home to watch a movie and early bed time. We were meeting Erik's family in Morro Bay the next day!

family road trip part 3: santa cruz

casa de fruta train
she loved this caboose!
at the pier looking at sea lions
a family shot!
at the lighthouse playing with daddy
at the forest of nisene marks state park
After leaving great grandma and great grandpa's house, we drove 3 1/2 hours to Santa Cruz. We made a pit stop at Casa de Fruta and Kalia loved the little train and caboose. It was very difficult getting her away from the train and back into the car seat for the rest of the long drive.


We finally made it to the Super 8 motel we were staying at and walked to the boardwalk and pier. The boardwalk rides were all closed since we were there mid week. We were maybe a little disappointed at first, but then realized that the only ride we probably could have taken Kalia and myself on was the merry-go round. We walked out to the pier and could hear the hundreds of sea lions from so far away! We had a great time checking out the sea lions and sat down for our first bowl of chowder. We ended up having clam chowder every day for 4 days -- and I wonder how I gained 4 1/2 pounds in 10 days! Kalia loves chowder too!

We headed for downtown Santa Cruz that night for shopping and dinner. Kalia was definitely a little overtired at this point and we finally headed home for bed. Erik got up early every morning and had his own little cruise around time while Kalia and I slept in. He went to check the surf by the lighthouse and later that morning, after checking out we headed up there for a little walk. Was all had fun playing around the lighthouse area and looking for sea otters.

On our way from Santa Cruz to Monterey we stopped at the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park for a little picnic and a short hike.