It's SNOWING!!!!

At least it is down at Windward Mall every hour on the hour from 1-8pm in center court! We went to the mall with daddy today and enjoyed 2 Jamba Juices! Thanks to Melissa's tip on the buy one get one coupon. Thanks Melissa! So actually between the 3 of us we enjoyed 4 juices for the price of 2!

Anyway, back to the snow. This was a lot of fun. After Jamba (and waiting for 5 minutes for the rain to stop pouring) we walked as quickly as we could over to the mall. Dad hurt his foot pretty bad last night practicing kick boxing with some friends. Apparently when you kick some guys knee it hurts you a lot worse than it hurts them. So he could only limp as quick as possible. We got a little rained on, but it was totally worth it because there was SNOW!!





It's actually bubble-foam that they blow out of the middle of the big Christmas tree in center court. But, it's just about as close as you can get here in Hawaii. It looked pretty much like the real thing. It even melted in your hand when you caught it. It was soooo cute to watch Eden run around with her arms out, and try to pick the snow off the other kids heads and shoulders around her.

After the snow we watched a children's performing choir in center court and ate pretzel bites. Yummy! Eden loved watching the kid sing and dance. After each song she would clap and start saying More! More! with her little fingers in sign language. It was hard for me to not cry listening to Christmas music watching her dance around on her daddy's lap. It was the best day ever. Thanks for taking the day off homework Dad to hang out with your girls. We had the best day ever!

Another Thursday with Dad

I call it a Thursday with Dad, but the only time we spend with him really is the drive to school, and the drive home, or onto his next meeting. Even though we don't get to do the "fun stuff" with him, we still have a good time together. We went and dropped Dad off. Then we headed to the Hawaii State building for a State ID. I wasn't really thinking about getting a photo when I got ready that morning. Otherwise I might have gotten up to do my hair, instead of just re-doing my pony-tail. Luckily, the photo turned out all right. Once we were done, our meeter still had 30 minutes left, so I let Eden run around the grass out front for a while and chase the birds. She LOVES to chase birds. Oh, then a Japanese tour group came by. Tour groups love Eden probably as much as she loves birds. They all gather around her to touch her blond hair and ask if they can get pictures with her. She gets the celebrity treatment. She had a good 10+girls all fawning over her for about 15 minutes. Then we were on to Costco to get gas that is 50 cents cheaper than anywhere on the island. You just have to be willing to wait 25 minutes to get it. After gas, we went to kill an hour at Savers. Eden does decently well at Savers. She loves to try on shoes, so I usually end standing in front of the mirror next to the shoe isle trying clothes on over my clothes while Eden tries on every pair of shoes she can. It works with little kid or adult shoes. She just loves shoes. I got a pair of maternity jeans (brand new) $1, a training potty for Eden ($3), some socks for Eden for Utah ($.50), and a Christmas cartoon ($.69). Then to pick up Dad again. He had a meeting in Ewa at the hospital so we drove while Eden napped. Eden woke up when we were getting out of the car, so she and I hung around the hospital trying to have fun and not get into too much trouble while waiting for Dad. She loved pushing the button for the elevator. (I tricked her into thinking you press the key hole so we weren't wearing out the elevator, requesting unnecessary elevators). So, she would push "the button", wait a moment and eventually someone would be getting off. She would be so please with herself thinking that her pushing "the button" was what made people come off the elevator. Whenever someone would come to get on the elevator, she would always say "by-bye" and wave to them before the doors closed. I was worried she would eventually try to get on an elevator herself, but luckily she didn't. This clip below I took when she was starting to get over the elevator game. She is singing her new favorite song "Wind the Bobbin Up", and becomes infatuated with the water fountain. This was a perfect place for us to hang out cause I could sit on the bench, Eden could run around, and it was the most air conditioned area of the hospital.


Later, we found an open mail locker that Eden enjoyed opening, closing, and climbing in. After about 50 minutes, Dad was done! We had some soup in the cafeteria, a short trip to wal-mart, and headed for home!

Life Lately

I thought I would catch you up with Parker life lately with a few photos that we have taken. Some of them are cell phone photos so the quality isn't the greatest. But the memories are! ;-) So today I will say that I am thankful for all the moments I have been able to share with Eden in the past 19 months and 16 days, and I am thankful that her Dad works so hard so I can be the one who gets to spend her days with her. Here are a few of our more recent memories.

Kisses for brother. Eden LOVES to kiss my belly, and try to poke my belly button back into the inny it once was before I became pregnant with her. Yup, my belly button will never be an inny again. But I don't care. I like it's new turkey timer appearance. She calls it baby, and sometimes brother. I think she is really excited for the new life that will be coming into our family. And I am sure he is excited to meet all of us.




The other night we walked with Daddy to 7-Eleven to get some hot cocoa. When we got home we sat on the porch and enjoyed the night breeze while daddy blew some bubbles and Eden popped them.



Eden and I tried a more formal approach to potty training a little over a week ago. She and her baby both started the day out in their new training pants. Eden did really great in the morning, but as the day wore on she had more and more accidents. By the end of the day I think we both ended up frustrated and confused. We tried again the next day, but gave up after a few hours, and went back to diapers. Eden still uses the potty at least once about every day, and we are slowly making progress. We'll make it there eventually.

Lately we have started traveling with Dad to school on Thursdays. We get in the car at 7:45 (which is early considering Eden sleeps in till 9), and drop Dad off at school at 9:15. From there the car and the day is ours till we pick him back up at 1. The first week we decided to go to the zoo. It was the best last minute decision ever. And for $4 Kama Aina you can't go wrong! Eden loved watching all of the animals, and you could tell on her face that she loves all the wonderful things and creatures Heavenly Father has created for this world. I couldn't take my eyes off her, and she couldn't take hers off the animals.



She was soooo excited to see the elephants. People would walk by her and she would start giggling and pointing at the elephants to try and get their attention, and try climbing up the chain-link fence to get a better look.




She loved playing on the playground, and met a really sweet Japanese little girl who shared her shrimp fries with her. A peacock came running through the middle of the play area and Eden began to chase it with a few other kids. We saw soooo many peacocks that day, Eden could say the word "peacock" almost perfectly by the end of the day.

Eden had a good time playing in the petting Keiki Zoo, and we even saw a dead Lamma. I thought this sign about the mother chickens talking to her eggs was quite cute.
She loved petting the goats and a pig. Unfortunately they were cleaning the Koi pond because Eden LOVES fish.





Oh, and one more photo I forgot. Eden loved putting sunscreen on my face, while I put it on hers. I'd say she did a pretty good job. It was a really really fun morning.





Then we picked Dad back up, and Eden took a nap in the back while we drove on to Makaha. Eden and I had sooo much fun playing at the beach at the end of the road. She realized for the first time that her feet make foot prints in the sand as she walked away, and she thought that was pretty cool. 2 seconds later she discovered her shaddow, but she mostly just found it curious. She didn't take long to look at it, and began walking again towards the tide pools. (Which the life-guards thankfully came to kick us out of because of the unpredictable tide). It was sooo beautiful there, and we had the beach nearly to ourselves.




We left to get Dad who was going to be done with his meeting soon, and got a tuna sushi roll from 7-eleven to snack on while we waited. It was really delicious!

Well, this post is quite long, and I still have more to tell you. But, I better do it later. And if you actually read this far...thanks!!! I hope you enjoyed it.

On the Road Again!

The blogging road that is. Well, so much for my thankful daily post this month. My Internet has been very unpredictable all month, so I haven't felt very inclined to write and awesome post, only to have my Internet cut out before I publish it.

So! I will do it this way...

THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR!
#3. Having Internet that works from time to time
#4. Being able to listen to Dr. Laura most days on my computer as background noise (when Internet is working). I just really like this lady's opinion...and boy is she opinionated.
#5. A sweet baby who is napping right now, so I can enjoy the sounds of silence in my house. She woke up way too early this morning to greet us. Thankfully she went back to sleep in our bed, so I could sleep an extra hour.
#6. Awesome friends who invite me to do stuff with them. I feel so loved. Thanks guys.
#7. The healthy baby moving in my belly. Even though I complain of the 30 lbs. he has made me gain already, thankfully I will be able to get the weight off once I am chasing both babies around.
#8. A loving husband who is at working right now, so I can be home writing this.
#9. Being able to go out with friends last Saturday to the Twilight matinee. I am also thankful that I really enjoyed the movie, and the extra large popcorn, and the Farrell's burger and fries we had after. (BTW- Did that food Bella and her Dad were eating at the diner make anyone else hungry?)
#10. A flu bug that only lasted 10 hours. As soon as I got home from the movie (after my sweet husband stayed home from 1pm-7:30pm watching our bug), he continued watching her while I threw up all the fun I had that day and then some over the next 10 hours.
#11. My house, even though it is NEVER CLEAN no matter how hard I try or don't try, and sometimes it feels a little like we are constantly stepping on each others feet here. At least I have this beautiful home.
#12. My sewing machine!! I have been sewing like a mad lady this month. So far, projects include, curtains for living room, curtains for bed-room, quiet book for Eden, baby blanket for friend, dress for Eden, and I made Eden a few new head-bands (with hot glue) but I count hot glueing as sewing. Now, if only I could bring myself to finishing Eden's couch before the end of the month.
#13. Old friends who call to say hi. I love hearing from my old friends. And when you are pregnant, it seems they call often to see how you are feeling. I love catching up with you guys...I miss you too.
#14. A fly swatter. My house has become infested with flies. As embarassed as I am to announce this publicly my house came down with a case of maggots last week. So, today and yesterday I have been killing an average of 2 flies an hour. (We switched to a larger garbage recepticle, so we didn't need to take the garbage out every night. I blame this for the infestation. We have since switched back to the smaller bucket)
#15. My sweet visiting teacher, and friends who have invited me to their homes for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to visit with everyone on Thursday, and gain 30 more lbs.
#16. The cute photo book my Mother-in-Law sent to Eden so she can learn faces before we go home for Christmas. Eden loves looking at her book of Ma-ma, Papa, and Nana (Breanna) and Rio.
#17. My cell phone that my dad gave me for Christmas last year. I think of him almost everytime I look at it. My friends call me and text me, and I get to take lots of fun photos and catch great moments of Eden when I don't have a real camera around.
#18. The fact that most of my family will most-likely still be in Utah when I go home for Christmas.
#19. The free turkey we got from Foodland using 2 Reward tickets.
#20. This 70% dark chocolate that I found on sale at 7-Eleven for $.85...which has probably attributed to a lot of my 30 lbs.
#21. We are headed home for the holidays in 23 days!
#22. The lunch I am about to go eat. Probably a turkey sandwich.
#23. Skype family conference calls on sundays.
There! 23+2=25. Today is the 25th, so I am all cought up. I'll add some photos after lunch!

-Nov 2 2008 Thankful Backpost-

Number 2 thing I am thankful for is my wonderful sweet sweet sweet little girl Eden Noelani. Her middle name means something along the lines of "Mist of heaven" or "beautiful child from heaven". I've heard both translations, and both are very true. This little girl is definately from heaven. She definately has her moments when I am not sure I want to claim her as my own like when she tantrums on shopping trips in the middle of the isle, or breaks my eye-glasses, or throws items in the toilet, pulls papers off the desk, throws her food from her high chair, or is just generally whiney, or drags out her bed time for an extra hour. But 90% of the time she is sweet and loving. She is polite and usually says "me" and "dee-dough" (please and thank-you) and I am so proud ane pleased when she does. If I ask her to give me something she shouldn't have (my phone, scissors, pens, etc.) she is usually compliant and says "Ee a go". She generally doesn't put up a fuss when it's time to go to nursery. She helps me get ready when it's time to go by finding the keys and getting my shoes. She shares her food and toys with her friends (and me), she says "I love you" and gives us hugs and kisses all day. She learns words quite quickly and tries to copy everything I say. Her newest phrase is "Where'd a go?" She loves to read books and sing songs like the Itty Bitty spider. She keeps a smile on my face, and she's a great mommy to her babies. She loves to wrap them in blankets, pat them on the back, shush them, feed them her lunch, share her water, read to them, teach them how to make an "iddy bitty spider" and make sure they feel loved. I know she'll be a great big sister. She's in love with her daddy, and can't wait till he gets home. If she has to fall asleep before he gets home, she wakes up every night on her own to cuddle with him before settling back in her own crib. She puts up with my own short-comings as a mother, and my lack of patience. She loves all animals (except the bugs which daddy taught her to squish with her fingers), and actually is very good at cleaning things up. She loves to throw away garbage and walks around the house singing the "clean up song" while she puts away her toys even if I haven't asked. I am amazed at what this little girl has learned in her short 19 months here on the earth. And I am so so so thankful to my Heavenly Father for blessing our lives with this sweet mist of heaven that is our little Eden.