Saturday, March 31, 2012

16 Weeks

Still recovering from my gallbladder being removed earlier this week, i look rough, but we shouldn't overlook our 16 mark this week, and all that we've done.  i guess. 

taken on a little outing out to my mailbox, where we noticed there were exactly 16 mailboxes :)

 and wouldn't it make your day to get a package like this ????

Friday, March 30, 2012

Golfing in Paradise

I gotta be honest--i don't know the first thing about these golf courses or where they played, but i wanna get this last post of the Grandmas trip up and Mike's been super busy and not had time to post...  So--Mike and Carol played golf twice.  Two beautiful courses by the looks of it, and i think both were set in the Ko'Olau Mountain Range judging by the pics and the greyish weather.  On the second golf trip Grandma even joined them for the ride on her first golf experience ever.  


This course claims to be the "hardest in the nation"--i know this cause Mike got a shirt from it, and i'm pretty sure they lost a ton of balls ;)

Hawaii's Cardinal



Mike's is really gonna miss golf here.  My bet is he spends his last 6 weeks here without us on a golf course somewhere--at least every minute he's not at work ;)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Everybody Loves Pineapples

Mike took his Carol and Dorothy to the Dole Plantation one day and they did all the usuals--train ride, garden tour and of course the pineapple snack bar! 



 this is one of my favorite trees in HI--Hala Tree. It's root system is pretty cool, and i kinda love the name..."Holla"!
 just the cutest picture of the week

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Just Another Flat Tire

Except that this one was a little more eventful than the others.  The tire basically came off the rim completely while i was driving home from a coffee group dinner at 10:30 pm on the H3.  Meet the H3 below.  During the daytime it's a beautiful freeway that goes right through the mountains in the center of the island.   It's a road unlike anything else i've been on.  But at nighttime, its very dark, windy and a bit creepy and i was the lucky one to get a flat tire on it.  

 
I was lucky enough to have a friend with me, although she may not agree, haha.  We were also lucky to have a good shoulder to pull over on, but that didn't lessen the fear that we were sitting on this super high bridge way above the trees hoping everyone stayed in their lanes and didn't hit us while waiting the hour + on someone to save us.  

While speaking of someone saving us, i'd like to mention who DIDN'T save us.  The HPD.  There was a cop about a quarter of a mile back who had pulled someone over, and we were certain he would pull over and check on the car with it's hazard lights on, pulled over on the side of a bridge with 2 ladies inside--but we were wrong.  He didn't even slow down.  Worthless Cop. 

Anyway, thanks to our great roadside assistance program with USAA, which we have used more times than i'd like to admit, the tire was changed very quickly, while us two preggos stood outside the car, huddled from to block out the crazy wind i actually thought might blow us right off that bridge.  and because it's not everyday you're standing on the H3, we took a minute to peer down below us and look at all the trees below.  Pretty amazing. 

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Whale Watching and Windward Sights

Mike took the Grandmas and the kiddos on a whale watching cruise last weekend.  I opted out--afraid of a reoccurrence of the nausea-- and just met them after for lunch.  They had a great time and followed a mother whale and her calf around for a long time and got to see lots of breeches and whale play!


Waikiki from the water

cool green boat on the right


awesome pic of Diamond Head

after lunch, Mike took Mom and Grandma around to the east side of the island to see the beautiful sights.  Grandma thought it was very pretty, but didn't like driving along the cliffs beside the water.  


Monday, March 19, 2012

Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial

Mike's mom and grandmother are here visiting this week and they've been pretty busy since hitting the ground.  They visited the Arizona Memorial this Friday and it was a beautiful day to go.  Enjoy the pics. 

 on the ferry to go to the memorial site


 looking down at the ship remains

Sunday, March 18, 2012

14 Weeks

 and some sweet family shots ;)




Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Sweet Breakfast Date

Yesterday, i woke up feeling good and wanted to spend some time with the kiddos cause i have been missing them lately.  Really.  They have been coming to visit me in the bed the past few weeks and i've felt like a terrible mommy.  Anyway, feeling good and having a strong urge for some coffee, which i haven't had at all since finding out we're expecting, Nora and I went on a date to Starbucks.  

She was so grownup with her purse as she walked beside me and stood in line.  She asked for milk and a muffin, so that's what she got.  She was ALL SMILES,  
We sat by the window and talked about cars and birds and bicycles and you could tell she thought she was "big stuff".  
washing the muffin down with water.  she held on to that cup all day!
Mommy's Treat.  I do so love a White Chocolate Mocha in the morning.  yum. 

Random Happenings

I have hardly blogged...i know.  i  think i'm starting to feel better (knock on wood).  We're almost into week 14 now, the beginning of our 2nd trimester, so it should be getting better--but it's been a rough 7 weeks or so.  Little things like these brownies below really made my days better. When nothing else would be remotely appealing...my sweet husband would run out at 11pm to get me OJ, or a McDonalds sundae, or make me strawberry cake, or get me an Outback Bleu Cheese Chopped Salad, or my favorite brownies from Kulani Bakery.  He's the best.  
Game Day...this was the one they won against Duke. 
As you can sorta see, Nora was dressed up too, we just don't have a good pic.  this is N eating taco salad (her fav) with her friend at church, Ava.  Neither would actually look at me and smile.  Moody girls!
Jenn this is for you.  You wanted a rainbow and didn't get one.  You just came on the wrong week.  We've had a billion over the past week or so.  Only if you woulda came this week you would also seen TONS of rain, flooding, thunderstorms, strong winds, hail and a tornado.  What do you think?
Mike was trying to get the whole thing...too bad the car was in the way.  His ride to work really supplies some of the best rainbows you could ever see.  they are always strong and full and sometimes really low lying, like you could just walk over and stand in the middle of it. We'll definitely miss that. 
I am always miscommunicating with my food servers/providers here in HI.  i never understand how it happens.  Mike and I were both baffled by this one.  Embarrassingly, i've been ordering ridiculous things for the past few weeks and being really picky about ingredients in my food because the smallest thing can turn me off.  So i asked the server what was on the "dinner salad" she said, "cucumbers, a couple slices of tomatoes, and red onion".  Onions have been awful on to my stomach lately and i don't like tomatoes so i said "i'd just like the cucumbers".  and this is what i got.  obviously she took me literally, but i thought the fact i wanted a "salad" had already been established.  we laughed, i felt silly eating it in the nice restaurant, but when we talked about sending it back, i decided i'd probably just prefer the cucumbers anyway.  so that's what i ate. 

Here are the twins having fun at church with Auntie Dessie.  The kids stay in nursery so long each Sunday...like 3.5 hrs at least.   The workers, or sometimes just a random church auntie or uncle, always try and take them out to play.  It's not unusual to run downstairs for a second and find my kids in someones arms eating the breakfast sweets, playing drums on the stage, sliding down the playground equipment, or running around in big circles with someone willingly following their every move...our kids are spoiled at church.  We don't even think twice about it if we go to pick them up for nursery and they aren't there.  Once Mike and I were sitting in service and look across the room to see our son sitting with his favorite Uncle in service listening to the worship music. He looked so big and grown-up over there.  It's rare to be that comfortable and trusting with a body of people, but our church has been fabulous and they are so loving with our children.  We are truly thankful and appreciative.  
We normally just snap a bow in N's hair and go, but every once in a while we do something different. This day she wore pigtails.  Still can't quite get that bottom layer in, but we're getting there!
Pigtails, Baby Stella and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse