so samuel: showing our Hawaiian life

During lunch today (he stayed home from school
with a cough. Unfortunately, kids get sick in paradise) I got a chance to catch up with Samuel.

Me: What are you going to be when you grow up?

S: Good

Me: What are you going to do for your job?

S: Sweep the floor

Me: How are you going to make money?

S: I am going to do chores for people

It looks like a lesson on careers is in order. He used to say that he was going to be a red Power Ranger. I wonder what happened to that?

Here is a little slice of our Hawaiian life through photos of Samuel:

We go to garage sales a lot. Moving sales are the best. Most of what we have is from people leaving the island. It has been a great way to pick up essentials and some not so essentials. This is Samuel with his new cell phone (minus the SIM card). My favorite part? The case attached to his basketball shorts.

Japanese class. Once a week, and maybe a tiny not geared towards little kids. This where I saw that Samuel must have over 200 ways to sit in a chair. He did about 75 of them during this class. And I counted to 10 about that same amount trying not to interfere.

We go to the pool a lot. It is a beautiful pool, with amazing views and hardly anyone uses it. The kids like to take a ton of stuff (and then want whatever someone else has) when we go. This was the snorkel gear (or snorkelers as Samuel calls them) phase. (We feed him, I swear. But at the potluck lunch yesterday, he took some carrots, celery, cucumbers, and crackers. He went back for more celery. He also had a piece of cake. He didn't finish the cake.)

He has two speeds, a million miles an hour, or asleep. This is on the way to the beach after an already full day.

Since we have moved here, the kids have made the switch from tub to shower. Seems like a milestone. I asked him to hang the towels up. This is what I got.

so samuel: so long summer

Summer is coming to an end for Samuel.  His first day of kindergarten is coming up.  

Big milestone.

Every time I hear about someone losing their digital photos, I remember to download mine and back them up.  And that's about the only time I remember to do it.

This time, while downloading, I came across these two summertime photos that just made me smile.  They are so Samuel.

I would love to tap into this energy and enthusiasm.

Kindergarten, here comes Samuel.

little gym memories

I actually paid money to watch Samuel run around and jump off things and hide under things and not listen to someone else besides me.  

Since they have a rule that parents shouldn't interfere I watched behind the big window while I felt my blood pressure rise.

Since Samuel was well aware of the rule, that meant that he could pick his nose as he pleased, make faces at me as he pleased, but most of all, enjoy himself because his mom wasn't there to tell him, "no."

Samuel hiding while the kids are getting instructions on what to do next.

The instructor telling him to use his hands on his backward rolls (though he never did) and some kid in apparent agony.  

That medal.  Samuel loves that medal.  Not because it means that he accomplished something but because he just really loves that medal.  

Here's the thing that baffles me.  I will probably pay to go through all of this again.  

the kids came this way

Tonight at dinner at my parents' house we started talking about Halloween. The conversation then turned to scary stuff. Then we started telling scary stuff or times that we have been scared. I have been scared a lot. It is funny. Now. Brother in law told about a scary You Tube video. Now, I am kind of a little bit scared. I can't even think about it. If I think about it too much, I will have to quit posting and go to bed. But now I am kind of scared because I have to pass a lot of doorways to get to my bedroom. Now my heart is beating fast. Dang it.

Eva loves Halloween. She is not creeped out by it. Here is her tribute to Halloween:

"Halloween in fun. Thes are my cusins jrest (dressed) up."

Last year we had a Tinkerbell, a football player, a sock monkey and Speed Racer.

This is Eva's tribute to the dollar store:

I don't know why I think this is so funny. My kids love that place. Samuel will do just about anything to go there (and buy stuff that only lasts about 20 minutes, tops. But that is for another post). I guess the topic was something that she does with her dad. They go to the dollar store. At least it isn't Wal Mart (for a quick, cheap laugh, click on it).

Here is an example of the stuff that Eva does for her brother:

She made him a Bat Man mask. I loved watching her work and come up with this.

Okay, and while Eva seems to be developing her artistic skills lately, Samuel seems to be expanding his verbal boundaries. I made note of a few things:

Karl (trying to explain that you need to have ice cream in an icecream sundae): You can't just have hot fudge.

Samuel: Okay, then sprinkles.

(then we kind of think, why are we trying to make a kid eat ice cream, right?)

Samuel (marching in his underwear): I am a naked army.

Eva (pointing to an awesome Airstream on the freeway in the lane next to us): What is that called?

Samuel: It's a house-car.

Karl: If you say that one more time you are going to be in big trouble.

Samuel: Can I say it two times?

Samuel (at a time when I really needed his compliance): No-kay.

Samuel: I had a dream that there were pigs at the playground and one pig went down the slide backwards and I was really mad at the pig.

Oh, and I have kind of already shared but just so it gets recorded that this is the month that Karl had to teach Samuel that people don't like it when you tell them they are fat. "But she is," Samuel argues. "Even if she is, you can't tell her that, it hurts her feelings." Samuel, I am sorry. I know it is kind of confusing. But trust us on this one.

I find myself analyzing the kids actions probably more than I should. I wonder if this or that trait came from Karl or I. But, for now, I am thinking and kind of hoping, that they just came with their traits and tendencies.

so samuel goes back to preschool

Samuel started preschool yesterday.

And maybe I am admitting too much (so, what's new, right?) but in the rush to get to school on time, we forgot to take his picture before school. A second child thing? But, not to worry, we got some by the tree right after school. Yeah, and maybe I had to threaten him to stop scowling. Something about not being able to go to the dollar store later if he didn't smile.

That dollar store trip was because of another momentous occasion. The loss of his first tooth.

Can someone please tell the tooth fairy that she needs to stop bringing some kids presents and five bucks? Some of us have lot's and lot's of teeth to go. Thanks!

He was chomping some delicious roasted corn on the cob and the MN state fair and it came loose. Was already loose, but the corn just seemed to set it free. It set some tears free, too. Four seems a little early to lose a tooth, but Samuel does his things his own way.

So Samuel came walking out of school with his crown on upside down. And then when it was right side up, he thought it was really funny to wear it over his eyes. Whatever the case, this photo shows his missing tooth really well.

And keeping with tradition, we got a picture of you last year by (or behind) the tree. Looks like it wasn't easy to get a picture of you back then, either.

So, I was thinking...

One day Samuel is going to want to know what he was like when he was a kid. Hopefully he will want to remember some silly old habits because he will have grown out of them and they will sound really funny to a well-mannered man. Hopefully.

These are a few things that I might tell him:

When it came time for your spring preschool program, I was so so so scared. Scared because your preschool Christmas program was one of those I-definately-failed-the-parent-test nights.

So, in fear, I made sure you got lots of sleep, made sure you ate before we left, got the early (yes, early), and prepped you over and over. Grandma was even worried. She promised you a trip to the dollar store (man, that store has a lot of power for you).

Your teachers were ready, too. For times when you do things like wave your "Mary's little lamb" in front of your friend's face. She could stop you. Sometimes you were so lucky that you had two teachers "helping" you.

I will tell you that you there was once a time that you picked your nose right in the middle of your preschool program. And you will think it is funny and say, "I can't believe I ever did that" because you will have quit that long long ago (please?).

I will tell you that when your teacher handed your tiny diploma, you asked if you could have two. You liked to always have one more than what was offered.

I will tell you that you did a great job in your program and that we all took a huge deep breath when it was all over.

I will show you this picture of you jumping off the diving board and tell you that is how you basically approached life. I will tell you that almost every where we went you would scare someone by jumping, falling, climbing, and they will hurry and tell me as if I could stop you somehow. They didn't know that I was totally used to it. Sometimes I would even pretend like I was surprised, just for them.

I will tell you about how you liked to help your dad. As long as it was fun. About the time that you carried the slate scraps around to the side of the house. How you wanted to work with your shirt off. About how it took just a few heavy loads with your hands before you showed up with your Tonka truck to help you carry the load with ease.

I can't look at that picture without giggling. Your tiny muscles, your serious face, your squat, everything.

I will tell you about the time the carpet cleaner came and how much you loved him. You thought he was so neat because his "real" job was a fire man. You followed him around and talked and talked and asked question after question until he said, "He talks to me more than my own son! I love it!" He even let you help.

I will tell you about how much I loved to watch you (finally) sleep. I will tell you about how I loved it how your lips got all boogie when you were sleeping (and hopefully that will not have changed).

I will tell you about the night that you made your dad make you a new car with his printer box. You wanted a big truck this time. It was so big and you loved it. It was so big that you got stuck when you walked into the step. You just kind of tipped forward and then called for help.

You let Dad have your old car. The car that was made out of a fruit box. The car that you got at preschool the year before and loved so much. The car that was good enough until the giant truck came along. You made dad put it on. He barely fit. You honked for his car. It sounded like this "mee-meep." You honked for your truck. It sounded like this, "HONK HONK!!!"

I will tell you about how you used to cover yourself in a towel or blanket or curl up in your night shirt and then insist that we look for you. You really thought we mistook your for a rock. I will tell you that I wondered when that would wear off. Maybe I will show you "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" and when you laugh at Arnie, I will tell you that you did the exact same thing.

I will tell you (like I do right now) that you used to be so cute (and then I will laugh at my own joke). I will tell you that inside that tiny body was the biggest personality I had ever seen.

Here's to a great year full of great memories and more great stories that I will be able to tell you when you are older.

been hosting

Many years ago, this Utah girl found herself in the big city of Chicago. My first year teaching and I decide to take on a class in the Chicago Public Schools. 33 students, 23 of them boys. I am telling you, it was loud and it was hard. No recess, no playground, 20 minutes for lunch, and a big-city-used-to-be-a-cop-and-proud-of-it boss, and, well, it was quite the reality check for this thought-teaching-was-supposed-to-be-like-a-fairytale-because-she-went-to-USU girl.

One of the reasons I was able to get through it was my mentor teacher, Elisa. She lent me supplies when I showed up with almost nothing. She handed me the box of tissues when I showed up in her classroom crying. She helped me get through it and eventually succeed. I am so grateful. Oh, and she also taught me how to make the tastiest Mexican rice ever.

Elisa recently came to visit. I was so excited.

We took her up to Moss Ledge for a picnic dinner and s'mores.

The kids had so much fun climbing and finding sticks and rocks (seriously, remind me why we keep going to Chuck-E-Cheese). Eva found the cutest rocks in perfect shapes. A heart, a diamond, a square, a trapezoid, a pentagon...

This is what Eva looks like when she finds out that Samuel threw her rocks into the stream. That kid is so fast. None of us saw him do it.

Elisa and I have a lot interests in common. She loves to scrapbook. Can you believe it? I go all the way to Chicago and I find a scrapbooker. So, in the short time she was here, I showed her "my Utah."

Zumba class

Creme Brulee French Toast

Hip and Humble

Koo de Ker

Lunch at Mezza

Heartland Paper Co.

Roberts

the Quilted Bear

Dinner at Tin Angel

Elaines Quilt Block

Pho Green Papaya

Just a few of my favorite places to go. We both had a great time.

I decided I love having visitors. Family? Friends? My guest room is open!

spring... fevers

First, I need to say how grateful I am that we had beautiful weather for Easter.  

Two days later, we had this:

And this (yes, this is how we store our bikes.  Just keeping it real):

 

 Girls and boys are different.  I get that.  First and second kids are different.  I get that, too.  But this?  This just cracks me up.

Eva with a fever:

 

Samuel with a fever:

  

Eva was obviously sick.  Samuel?  He showed no signs.  We took his temperature as an afterthought.  That kid slows down for nothing.  Which is why he is just a blur in the photos.

I used to be

imagine your favorite break-up song playing in the background...

It used to be only me that you would sit so close to.

I used to be the only one that you would gaze at with those big brown eyes.

It used to be only my hair that you would reach up and play with while not even realizing it.
But I understand that you are going to grow up and away.

You kept saying you didn't want to go the temple open house. Until you heard that beautiful Alex was going.

I just didn't think it would happen so soon.

Prepared

We are going on a trip (Beaver Creek, CO.  Karl's work wanted him to go.  The kids and I wanted to go, too) tomorrow.  Yep, still packing.  

So, before the kids went to bed, I asked (told, demanded, bossed, whatever) them to put a few toys and books in a bag for the trip.  I opened them up to do a little editing and this is what they came up with:

 

Samuel's essentials:

1 Leapster 

3 Leapster games (he used to have 5.  Must not sweat the small, kind of expensive stuff, right?)

1 Rocket ship

6 Cars

1 Camera

2 capes

1 half gone sheet of stickers

1 Speed Racer coloring book

1 black crayola marker (no frills, huh?  Why do I think that is so freaking funny?)

1 woobie

1 (precious, he made it for us for Christmas but won't let us have it) handprint framed in macaroni

1 baggie full of tiny plastic weapons

1 bicycle bell

1 pair of goggles

1 set of fake car keys that keeps making car noises ever time the bag is bumped

2 DVDs (please don't lose them on the trip, they are from the library.  Note:  I had to talk him out of the Megatron fighter guys Robot things or whatever testosterone movies.)

He also called me in his room three hours after he had been asleep and let me know that he needed a flashlight.  "Right now or for the trip?"  "For the trip." Check. 

 

These are Eva's essentials:

1 (giant. Like 10 lbs) Treasury of Bedtime Stories book (that got edited out)

4 other (much lighter) books

2 DVDs 

1 camera

2 flashlights (1 with batteries, 1 without....?)

1 Nintendo DS 

1 diary with a lock

1 pencil

1 4 color pen

1 pair of goggles

3 Polly Pockets 

1 Bitty Baby named Maren

1 suitcase that holds Maren's stuff (but was empty, huh?  Edit)

1 silver slipper.  It's Maren's.  Just one?

1 set of pajamas for Maren

1 big teddy bear

1 orange toothbrush

So prepared.  How would it be to have that be all you had to worry about?