Arkansas: Part I

We're visiting Gabe, Laura, and Gabrielle in Arkansas, enjoying the 50 degree weather and living it up in general on vacation, a needed vacation after a stressful month.  Here are a few pictures (since they have a functioning camera) with more to follow.

On Stage

I cannot begin to describe how stressful this month has been. Really i can't even begin. But tonight was Raph's shining moment - his beauty pageant, a chance to compete for the title of Mr. DHS (Dover High School). There was a choreographed dance, displays of western wear and summer wear, an interview, and of course the talent. Raph used his ninja guise all the while. He wore his ninja costume with cowboy boots, and then with his swimming trunks on top. But for his talent, little Makili got to show his stuff. Dressed like a ninja as well, and super tired, Makili loved being on stage. He never actually did all the hi-ya ninja moves that we had practiced in the hall but he was still super cute toting dad around the stage and even said "bye" into the microphone when his show was over. I was so proud!

It doesn't take much...

It doesn't take much warmth to make a difference. Enough to melt the snow on the roof of the shed, creating little puddles full of rocks that Makili can play in. It is so nice that when he is bored with the toys inside he gets shoes and a jacket and points to the door.

It doesn't take much soy milk in Makili's hair to look super-stylish.

It doesn't take playing the song "the wheels on the bus" too many times before I want to shoot myself, but Makili never seems to hear it too much and he just rolls his hands in a circle emphatically asking me for more of that particular song.

It doesn't take much...

We Showered.

These are the last picture I took on my camera before I broke my lens, which may account for why I've procrastinated so much in posting them. But we had a terrific time at Amanda's shower - eating awesome food cooked by Connie, playing fun games organized by Jayme (want to guess who won the poetry contest?), and watching Amanda open her lovely gifts. It was a great time!

Go Steelers!

I felt pretty fortunate to be in Pgh for Superbowl weekend.  So I had to get Makili a Polamalu t-shirt and some pompoms to get him pumped up.  So we listened to all the Steeler fight songs this morning and got ready for the big game tonight.  It was pretty awesome.  Makili, as you can see, knew just what to do.

Scenes from the Strip

To start I want to share the news that I broke my portrait lens yesterday.  I don't want to talk about it because I'm still very upset, but I want you to know because once I get the pictures I've already taken posted, there won't be any for a while.  So here we go...as in "Here we go...Steelers.  Here We GO!"

We went down to the Strip yesterday morning in subarctic temperatures to land some Steeler gear and some goodies to eat while watching the superbowl.  Amanda came cute and pregnant, and Emily and Caroline came with their watchful eyes for goodies.  Mostly they were into the snacks - the cream horns, the cookies, the salsa, the dips, and then all the stuff they didn't buy - the mung bean pan cakes, the sausages, the breads...  

There weren't nearly as many people as there were three years ago when we went, but I'm blaming that on the fricking unbelievable cold.  Our toes were unprepared and kept steering us back to the car...but it was fun to be there for a little while.

Oh Pittsburgh

So I made it to Pittsburgh.  We were forecasted to receive less than an inch of snow, and I think we're at about six inches.  My mother was recently in the hospital for a semi-serious condition, a hemotoma, that resulted in three pints of blood floating around in her abdomen.  She has been puking all afternoon, and making running trips to the bathroom.  We're debating about taking her back to the emergency room, but the next door neighbor doctor is coming over to check her out first.  Makili came down with a fever this afternoon, and then Nadine called to tell me that Morgan came down with a fever on Wed, which has since been found to be pneumonia!  Blair and Amanda just arrived for Amanda's baby shower tomorrow, which my mom is already crying about the fact that she might have to miss and Emily, Caroline and Suzanne get in within the half hour.  Whew.  

And, my Dad is tormenting my mom.  He just walked out of the bedroom with a disposable stethoscope on.  Then he went back in and I heard my mom scream "get the hell away from me with that."  Followed closely with "You're annoying the hell out of me." 

Fun fun fun.

My Nerdy Husband

Raph likes to guilt-trip me about not helping him with his homework. Like I should grade his lab reports and what not after having cleaned the house, done the laundry, cooked dinner and taken care of Makili all day. But occasionally I give in and try to help. Last weekend he wanted help writing questions for his final. He told me I could either read and article about the sun or paintball, and then I'd have to write questions. I don't care too much for paintball, so I chose the sun. It was the most annoying article ever and I quit on the second page after reading this paragraph about the nuclear fusion that takes place in the core of the sun:

The fusion cycle beings when two protons, or hydrogen nuclei collide to form a nucleus of deuterium (2H). This fusion is accompanied by the conversion of a minute amount of mass into energy - a lot of energy. In fact, it is enough energy to cause one of the protons to be converted into a neutron, releasing energy in the form of a positron (*) and a neutrino (v). The positron annhiliates an electron, and two gamma rays (y) are created (this is omitted from the figure for clarity). The deuterium combines with another proton, forming a helium-3 nuceus (3He), releasing a gamma ray in the process. Then two 3He nuclei fuse together to form a normal helium nucleus (4He), ejecting two protons, which start the process over again.

Seriously! He makes his poor students read this garbage. Come on. You're a positron.

Paka

Ann and Larry (aka Annma and Paka) came down this weekend, after pukefest 2009.  They brought homemade bagels and a sled with them.  Larry had a grand time whipping Makili all over our glare-ice road.  Makili thought it was great, till they let him out, then he did NOT want to get in again!  It was fun while the frigid temperatures allowed us to stay outside...

About Saturday

Makili puked randomly ALL over me on Wednesday and then proceeded to seem fine. In fact he wanted to eat five seconds afterwards. Then I thought he might puke yesterday morning, but he didn't. So I packed him off to head to a birthday party. Raph puked first thing yesterday so I kicked him out of the car and took Makili by myself. We drove the 45 plus minutes to get there. Right after I got off the exit, he puked ALL over himself in the car. Joy. Not having brought an extra set of clothes for him, I changed him into Morgan's accident outfit that was still in the diaper bag (she just potty trained) in the freezing cold while he screamed the whole time. Then I scoured the floor for enough money to get back through the tolls and turned around and went home. The whole way home he screamed at me for more mangoes.

Makili and Raph napped together, still in Morgan's shirt, with his hand in his diaper. Then they got up and both puked again.

This is him today having found the bag of candy that Nadine gave Raph for his students. He is so naughty.

Parenting Tip for the Day

Kids don't have throw up burps, they just plain throw up. (If you're lucky, all over you.)

Blue Skies and Snow

Yesterday morning was the kid of morning you love when you live somewhere that gets a lot of cold and snow. The deep blue skies brought early sunlight into our bedrooms, and lit the snow with soft orange light on all the trees and in the fields. It wasn't too cold, and we took advantage. Raph spent almost an hour snow blowing and Makili was totally captivated and followed him around until he saw me kick the snow bank. He thought that was awesome and then walked around kicking all the snow banks. He would only stop to get his mittens adjusted. Eventually he fell face-first into the snow bank. That was the end of the morning's fun...

Snow and Ice

We were expecting 2-4 inches. But it just kept coming and coming yesterday. At least it was warmer after a week of temperatures well under 20 degrees, with wind chills below zero. What torture. Makili loved the snow yesterday, trudging right through it. It was adorable. He and I took a digger, while he was on my back, and I am still suffering with a hurt thumb, but that appears to be the only injury sustained. After that, Raph took an axe to the ice on the back deck, which was the culprit.

This is frozen salt water by the way...

What it once was...

I went back and looked at the first posts on my blog, more than two and a half years ago. I wrote so much more then. It was even decent writing. I started this blog hoping it would help me be a writer, something I always thought I might like. Let me laugh at loud at this point at the sheer absurdity of thinking that I would be able to find the time in my day to write anything longer than a paragraph. It took me a week to write Makili's last update. Our poor second child can not count on the same level of documentation that time afforded to me after Makili's birth. So my blog has become a depository for photographs, and I suppose that is alright for a while. (What, like 6 years?) Maybe at that point, I'll start having coherent thoughts again and the time and energy to write them down in a meaningful way. In the meantime, here are a few more pictures.

This is the face Makili makes when he knocks over the block tower, or throws something that he shouldn't, or he is being naughty and knows it.Shake, shake, shake.

I like these crazy eyes.

Hanging out with Buds

We've been somewhat social lately, hanging out with Ryan, Jess and Rachel, and Mark Lauren and Kayden. And testing out the new portrait lens. Here are a few pix from the last two weeks.Lauren is modeling the chemistry glasses our nerdy husbands wear.
Here is Makili at the Children's Museum complaining about having to walk.
Cute Kayden and the windmill. Kayden might be the only kid I know with a proportionately larger head than Makili.
Here is Makili making a present in his pants for us.
Cute Rachel always has a smile for the camera.
If we give him enough books will he entertain himself?
Ryan says no.