The Skipper and Gilligan

We went over to the Haras’ house today for Halloween. First of all, it was like pulling teeth to get going. Wes specifically said “4:30″ but my mom sees it as 6pm. So she took her sweet time getting everything together. I had to constantly nag her to get stuff done. I especially wanted to get there early because the boys sleep at 7 or 8, so that doesn’t leave much time to do trick or treating and visit. My mom doesn’t think of these things, she’s too used to living the “no kids” life. Despite all the traffic and setbacks, I was able to get us there at 4:45. Not too bad. There was already a bunch of people, mostly Wes’s family. It was nice to meet his family and everyone was nice. After we ate all the good food, we quickly got the boys dressed in their costumes. Rowan was super upset because it was so hot for him, he had to wear 2 shirts. I guess he could’ve gotten away with wearing only the red shirt, but I didn’t think of that at the time. There was a mad rush by everyone to get out. Once we were outside, it was a little cooler so Rowan was ok. I think he was also a little hungry too. We just walked around, and going through the motions of trick or treating, but we had to tell everyone not to give us candy. The neighborhood that we were in (Mililani) was really good for kids, it’s a young neighborhood, so everyone was outside with their bundles of candy and handing it out. All the kids came home with loads and loads of candy, except us (thank goodness). My favorite costume of the day (beside theirs, of course) was this boy who was McDonald’s french fries. He made it out of cardboard and styrofoam. He didn’t really have a place to hold out candy either so I think someone had to collect for him. I love the homemade costumes, they are so creative. The boys were really good walking around and only the old folks knew who they were. The young kids were like “Who is Gilligan and the Skipper?”.

We stayed pretty late, the boys slept for a couple of hours in Kalen’s room. He had a nice air conditioner, so the boys could sleep very soundly.

When we came home, I was going to do the pile of dishes, but saw a rather large cockroach staring at me and grossed me out. My mom’s idea of getting rid of it is to run hot water on it. Gross!

Boarding the Pearlridge Monorail

I had to get some stuff and the only place that seems to have a Toys R Us is Pearlridge. I was hoping Windward Mall would have stuff (since they’re closer to me), but they don’t. So, we all made the trek out there. I had to buy the boys some booster chairs because they are getting really fidgety when eating and I didn’t bring ours from home. I also bought a teething fish that Rowan just loved and some new plastic bibs. The cloth style bibs that I brought aren’t large enough anymore and the velcro wore out on them so they are useless. After Toys R Us, we went to the mall proper and walked around. I had to buy new sneakers, because after the long walk I did and the big blisters that I got, I wanted better walking shoes since I hope to do some walking every day. I also had to buy a new watch since mine broke awhile ago. I got used to looking for clocks, but I really need one now. I also had to buy a gift for Lexi since she’s celebrating her birthday tomorrow (along with Halloween). So, we went to both Phases. It used to be called Phase I and II, but now they call it “Uptown” and “Downtown”. We rode the monorail between them, and I thought the buildings were further apart, but when we walked back, it was just across the parking lot!!! The monorail makes it seem like it’s further than it really is. I believe I got everything that I needed, so it was a successful trip. The boys were very good, they got fussy for a little while, but a bottle made them happy and they fell asleep within a few minutes of being put in their car seat. They have been so good throughout everything, I am constantly amazed by them.

We were pooped when we got home, shopping really takes everything out of you!

Here is Rowan, learning how to crawl. He hasn’t gotten the hang of getting up on his knees yet, but he’s getting pretty fast!

Shopping at Times Supah-Mahket

Today we didn’t do much, just went to the grocery store with my dad. My dad showed the boys all the different fruits and vegetables and was so excited. The boys loved watching him and looking at all the colors. We didn’t do much else, just stayed at home. The boys had poi for the first time and liked it. I didn’t make too much because I thought they wouldn’t like it at all. I had to mix more water with it because it was too thick. Rowan liked it more than Elijah. I also tried to feed them some japanese sweet potatoes but they always gag when they eat it. I don’t know if it’s the taste of if it’s the consistency. They keep opening their mouths for more, so I’m assuming it’s the consistency. I’ll have to mix it down more. I’m not supposed to introduce too many new foods at once, but that’s only to check for any allergies. Once they show any signs of a reaction, then I’ll slow down. I now hardly give them full bottles of milk, I only do that if we’re pressed for time or if I’m out of food. And now they are pooping like crazy. I think almost every diaper has poop in it now. Ugh!

I was able to put up two new movies, so please check it out! One is of them laughing, and the other is of Rowan doing his commando crawl. I’m sad that I don’t have any music on this machine, so there’s no music, only video/voices.

Rowan loves cherries!

This morning while I was feeding Rowan, Elijah was on his hands and knees rocking back and forth. Lots of people have told me that this happens before they start really crawling. He hasn’t been able to figure out how to go forward yet! The big outing for today was to eat at Boots and Kimos, a “famous” Hawaii restaurant. We didn’t think there would be a wait, but sure enough, we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. They also didn’t have high chairs, so we had to put them in booster seats and keep one arm in front so that they don’t fall. They were really well behaved though. The pancakes w/mac sauce is very dangerous because you can eat and eat and never get full, kinda like rice I guess. Anyways, after that, I was so tired that I kept cat napping all day while my parents took care of the boys. My mom was off work today so she could spend more time with them. In the late afternoon, I took them for a long walk which I now regret because I have blisters on my feet. I didn’t bring any sneakers so I walked at least 2 miles in my moccasins. It was a very nice walk though, not too hot or cold.

Today’s new food was cherries and they really liked it although it is very messy and probably stains. Of course we had to take the pictures before we cleaned them up. Also, I’ve decided that we really need booster chairs because they are so distracted now when they eat!

At the Farmer’s Market, Isn’t that lady distracting?

This morning we went to the Kailua Farmers Market that goes on near our house from 9am - 10am. It is state regulated and they are only allowed to sell stuff for an hour. Crazy, yeah? So there was a lot of people walking around and everything was pretty cheap. We walked over there since it was close to our house. My dad bought some stuff, and I just walked around. It was really small and most people had the same things. Really weird though, some people had garlic packaged up with a big tag that said “product of china”. Who would buy that? I certainly wouldn’t! After that we went walked around a little bit then we visited Mrs. Bunton, our neighbor across the street. She is 94 years old and doesn’t look a day over 60! Seriously, she is in really good shape. She knew all about the boys because whenever Shaun was there, she told her about them. I was amazed at her memory! Of course my dad in the background was taking cuttings of the yellow plumeria tree she has.

We didn’t do much in the day, just hung around the house. I had to go to the store again to pick up supplies. Rowan is getting really fast with his commando crawl and is getting into everything. Elijah still goes backwards. A big breakthrough today though, I actually put Rowan down without swaddling him and he didn’t cry! Geez, took him long enough! And then this evening when I fed them, they ate A LOT! They ate some green beans, peaches and pears. They ate so much that I didn’t give them a bottle. Usually I do to “top them off”. But I think they’re getting the hang of eating enough that they don’t have to.

Michael went to open another bank account since I didn’t like the fact that we would have to wait 2 months for an ATM card (what’s the deal with that?). He’ll try for PostBank or Citibank. Also, on the home front news, the buyers signed the papers and so we’re just waiting for the $$$!

Babies ate peas today for the first time and loved it! So far the only thing they have rejected is avocado, but that I haven’t given them more than once.

Today for our outing, we went to Costco, Best Buy and did some visiting. I had to go to Best Buy to see if they could fix my laptop that wasn’t closing properly. They said that they would have to send it away and it would take 3 to 5 weeks. Never mind. My dad also was excited to get a headset because this morning Michael and I “discovered” GoogleTalk and Skype. They both are free programs, but the advantage that Skype has to GoogleTalk is that you don’t have to have a gmail account, and you can call a land line for very cheap. You can also send files, have conference calls, etc. So we did a test where Michael and I were talking and then we called his mom in Texas on a land line and it worked great! I highly recommend doing it. The only downside is that you have to buy a headset ($15 - $25) and you also have to sit next to your computer while talking. Might be a good way to catch up on all that solitaire.

Anyways, after Best Buy, we went to Costco and it was the easiest trip to Costco I have ever been on. I guess because it was during work hours and maybe there aren’t as many stay at home moms as Washington. Anyways, we had parking almost right in the front, and it was pretty much uncrowded. We did have a lot of people stop to look at the boys, and they were so well behaved and patient. We got some food as well as diaper wipes and formula. They had a super huge big can for $28. I bought 4 and can take whatever I don’t use with me to Germany.

After that, we went to visit my Uncle Morris and the house that we used to live in. It’s so weird that everything is much smaller than you imagine. That house used to seem so big! It was good to see them and meet my cousin Marvin, although he wasn’t very talkative. We got the last of his mangos and they were really huge! I wish I had a mango tree, but I guess then I would be sick of mangos!

And then after that, we went to visit my Aunty Elaine again because Debbie got a sailor hat for Rowan for his halloween costume and we wanted to make sure it fit. It did and it was really cute. The boys really liked the toys that they had, one was a wood stacker toy, but they could only “remove” stuff and not stack stuff. The other was this cute wooden shoe that had music tones that played when you pulled it. Gotta love the old wooden manual toys. Elijah charmed everyone by doing his “shy smile” face. So strange, he only does that around strangers. I’ll have to see if I can get it on video.

On the way home, I decided to stop by the store called “Down to Earth”. I saw it advertised on TV and it looked like a mini Whole Foods market. Sure enough, it was a great store, just like a small Whole Foods. It had a nice produce section and every organic/natural product you could ever want. It also had “Smart Puffs”, which I used to get at Safeway. I was so excited to find this store, I’m sure I will be a frequent visitor. Also, Michael’s mom will probably frequent this store when she is here!

First time on the beach

Today my dad and I took the boys to Kailua beach. We didn’t walk to the usual place we go to, we went to the “tourist” part of the beach. It was a nice day, but maybe a little bit too windy, which made it a little cold. I slathered them up with sunscreen though! They both didn’t like the water, Rowan just cried and cried and clung on to me as if his life depended on it. Elijah didn’t like it either. Every time you put him down, he lifts his legs up to avoid the water. So, we just sat on the sand and let them get adjusted to it. I had to have Rowan close to me because he was so scared. Poor baby! Elijah was very curious about the sand, he never had something stick to him and all over him before. They were used to it by the end. We tried again to go to the water, but it wasn’t any more successful. Then I probably traumatized Rowan by washing all the sand off in the shower (at the beach). The water was pretty cold and there wasn’t really any good way to wash him off except to splash the water over him. Next time I need to remember to bring some kind of bucket for better water control. We brought them home and then I had to give them a proper bath because I couldn’t get all the sand off at the beach. They were ready for a nice nap after that! It was a lot of work going to the beach with them, I didn’t realize how much. I think next time, we won’t need to put them in their swimsuits, because it would probably be awhile before they get used to the water.

Babies ate papaya today for the first time and loved it! How can you not?

Today I found an organic health food store called “The Source”. They claim to be Hawaii’s first organic food store. I went in and was disappointed. It was one of those super small, mainly vitamin store. Lots of powers and pills. Their produce section was really small and sad. The woman who owns(?) it had plastic surgery go wrong and she had unusually large fake lips. It was horrible. She kind of looked like Donatella Versace, but with really large lips. I shouldn’t say anything though, she was a nice woman. I was just disappointed. I wanted something like Whole Foods…

In the evening I went over to my Aunty Elaine’s house because my cousin Debbie had some free formula that she wasn’t using (woo-hoo) as well as some great coupons. Formula is super expensive here - $30/can, in WA it is $23. I’ll have to check Costco prices. We had a nice talk and it was good to visit with her. She is the aunty that is really creative and likes to do lots of crafts, and is so thoughtful - always sends us something at Christmas.

Grandma with all her great-grandchildren

Today we spent the day cleaning and getting ready for a party at our house. I found out that they haven’t had one in 8 years, very sad. Anyways, one of my jobs was to clean the carpet. It hasn’t been cleaned (except for vaccuuming) since they installed it, so it has a foot oil trail going from door to door. My mom has this carpet shampooer that you’re supposed to use with a machine, but we used it with a hand scrubber. It actually worked too well, so now there’s a “clean” trail instead of a dirty one. My mom also didn’t want wet carpet while everyone was here, so I just did the worst spots. You can totally see where was cleaned and where wasn’t. It was kind of satisfying.

We told everyone to come over at 3 - 3:30pm, but everyone is always on Hawaiian time and so the first people showed up at 5pm. There was tons of food and it was the first time since the boys were born that all of the great grandchildren were together! We had to take a billion pictures, of course. It was good to get caught up with everyone and we’ll see them again at Halloween.