Good one.

While re-doing our photo wall to include Leilea, I ran across a new favorite pic from Tootie's wedding. It's Kawika and Grandpa Steve.

Don't mess with Texas

This is my last week of summer and I can't believe the summer has gone by so quickly!

John and I got back last week from our farthest, longest trip without any children. We went to Sam and James' house about 2 hours outside of Dallas. It was a great trip- we did a whole lot of nothin' at one of the most beautiful places I've ever been able to stay.

I guess when the kids aren't involved, I subconsciously assume I won't want to take pictures- I forgot the camera. We took some photos with James' camera and loaded them onto John's ipod only now we can't figure out how to get them on our computer.

...anyway, I have nothing visual to share from the trip.

I do, however, have some highlights I'd like to share:

-Hard 8. Where else do you pick your meal starting with the meat, have it dipped in butter, and pay by the pound and (if you're into this sort of thing) have all you can drink beer? Only in Texas, my friends.

-The cows were taunting. Their huge black eyes were full of malice and I think I narrowly escaped with my life.

-The stars at night ARE big and bright (clap, clap, clap, clap) deep in the heart of Texas. I think we used to sing that song before the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance when I was in elementary school in Texas, but I saw that it is so true. I think we were somehow closer to them.

-Everything sounds better on vinyl.

-When I'm away from my kids for any amount of time, everything reminds me of them (but it was still a priceless break for all of us, I think).

-The Ikea store was designed by the devil.

Great trip, fabulous hosts, good times.

The lake

I don't know if this is becoming a tradition or what but this is the second year we have been to the lake for the 4th of July with the Friskillos. It's a nice tradition if you ask me. We always have lots of fun, and it gets even more fun as the kids get older. Kawika got some sunglasses and enjoyed them on his head more than on his face.
One night John caught a toad for Kawika and put it in his critter cage (which don't stay vacant for long in this house). The next morning we were getting stuff ready to go out on the lake and the kids were in the camper with Grandpa Tony and Grandma Martha. John poked his head in, gave Kawika the cage with the toad in it, and shut the door. Next thing we hear is Martha saying, "Aw... what is that? (pause) AW!! WHAT IS THAT THING?! NO! DON"T LET IT OUT!!!" That's when the toad moved back outside. Kawika was letting him out on the table in the camper. We still haven't located the toad or the critter cage. I hope he's not in my car somewhere. Yeesh.
Leilea enjoyed herself in her new camping chair, and the many stroller walks she went on around the campgrounds...
...and Iwalani found out that she likes beef jerky. a lot.
We played a lot on the beach and I think that was the kids' favorite part of the whole weekend. Iwa kept calling the lake the ocean. The last day we went out, the water was very choppy and when we got to the beach, there were lots of waves almost like the ocean. Kawika would stand knee deep in the water and crack up every time a wave knocked him over. We really do need to get these kids to a real beach.

Here's John and Iwa and Uncle Buck and Kawika swimming. This was our last trip out on the water. These kids have always fallen asleep within minutes of the boat running but I'm sure he was just exhausted. He refused to lay down but he couldn't help himself from falling asleep. The day after we got home we all went took a nap at noon and didn't wake up till it was almost time for John to come home. The Friskys were pooped but it was a good time for everyone.

The last KC post

On our way home from Kansas City, we went through Springfield, MO and stopped therefor lunch. I remembered that they had a pretty huge Bass Pro- which turns out to be their headquarters or something. We went there for the kids to stretch their legs for a bit.

While most of the displays were under construction and the huge museum next door was closed for renovations, we had LOTS to do and ended up staying around much longer than we planned. It was so worth it.
They have lots of cool stuff for sale to look at- three floors of it- but I'm not even sure the kids realized that it was a store. They were too busy looking at all of the animials and fish they have around. We definitely recommend it if you're in the area.

*actually overheard at this Bass Pro near the giant real stuffed bear*

Wife: "Smile for the picture, Dale!"
Guy named Dale: "Why I gotta smile? I ain't got no teef!"

Stats

I haven't mentioned, but Leilea is crawling now! Now I have 3 mess makers in the house, emptying bookshelves, spreading shoes around the house, and generally wreaking havoc. She's so much happier now and screams a lot less.The quality of this picture is not the greatest but it's the only picture I've taken of her crawling. It reminds me of photos of Big Foot in the wild- like we were hiding behind the bed in the hotel room to capture this moment.

She also has two bottom teeth and smiles frequently to show them off. (although you can't see them in this picture- I just like it)She waves bye-bye (and says it sometimes), says mama and dada and uh ohhh.

Lately Kawika has not really been himself (or so I thought). He hasn't been sleeping too well at night without someone with him, his appetite is low, and he's been a bit clingy and uh... challenging. I've noticed this is how he gets when he has had ear infections in the past, with no other symptoms, so I took him to the doctor.Usually, we go in for a well child check-up and end up with an ear infection, but this time it was the opposite. We went in for an ear infection and ended up having his 2 year old well child check up. No infections, perfectly healthy. Just a 2 year old boy.He's 37lbs and 34? inches. I don't quite remember the height but I do remember the doctor not believing what the nurse told her because he was only a little above average height on the percentile chart.

Let's catch up..

Part 3

With all of this catching up, I've created quite a "to do" list of blog material. I'm going to make this short and sweet. Picture dump, here we come!

We also went to a shopping center in KC called Zona Rosa. It has a little sprinkler park where you can bring your kids to play. Also, there is an indoor play area for the smaller ones. A little something for everyone. Great idea!
Iwa and Kawika are enjoying the water here. She calls this swimsuit her "kini" bottoms and "boobie thangs".
Remember the "Parent of the Year" award John and I sarcastically award ourselves from time to time? This was one of those moments. This particular sprinkler hadn't gone off in a while so I guess Kawika wanted to get down and get in for a closer look. That was when it erupted. All I could think was how I needed to get a picture of this moment. He was okay, of course. Leilea loved the indoor play area while the big kids played in the water. It was filled with these huge hard-looking soft sculptures to play on. They were subtly creepy for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's the 70's style air brushed look? So maybe this was a hint but this photo was taken at Pac Sun while John was browsing. Kawika was walking around and totally bonded with this mannequin. He rubbed her legs briefly, planted his feet and held her hand for quite a while. I have no idea what the deal was but he was very sad to leave her. I just like this picture I made Iwa pose for in a bathroom hand dryer.

Not many pictures were taken on the way home. There weren't many Kodak moments.

Trust me.