The Building Zone and Golden Monkey

Earlier this month, the Bethesda Mommy Group made the trip down to the Building Zone. It was a fun group - the Harrisons, Browns, Huguelys, Christensens, Holbrooks, Gattens, and Hulets all came. It was super crowded that day but well worth the wait!

A few of us went down to the National Building Museum again last Wednesday - a fun activity for a cold day. We encountered a lady on the metro that insisted on sitting behind me even though there was plenty of seating elsewhere and our strollers were blocking the way. It was weird. Summer and Elise loved dressing up, Elijah liked rolling around in the giant legos and we had a picnic before heading home. We all had something to share - Trina had sandwiches, grapes and fig newtons... Gabriella shared some breadsticks and healthy cheeto - things that were covered in a tasty spinach (?) seasoning instead if cheese. I just had some Cheezits and some yogurt to share. Thanks, Trina for taking these pictures!

A few weeks ago, we met up with Sarah, Ethan & Issac to visit the Natural History Museum - which was really great for the toddlers. They love to ask what things are and are at a perfect age to enjoy walking around a museum because they find so much wonder in all the exhibits. We had to take pictures of the kids and that Golden Monkey in the theater. I was so impressed with Issac - he had such great timing and decided to eat while the kids were watching the educational movie. What a good baby!

Tears flowing endlessly

I was just talking to one of my girlfriends, Dana, about our different cultures and about this particular artist. This is an Okinawan musician, Rimi Natsukawa, singing a traditonal song called "Nada Sousou" which translates into "Tears flowing endlessly." It's actually about a teenage girl who has lost her elder brother. It uniquely blends contemporary and traditional elements, such as the sanshin (string instrument you hear in the background that my dad plays.) She felt a sort of calling to sing traditional Okinawan music . I love the purity of her voice and I am always moved by this song because it sounds so familiar to me. Dana posted another great musician on her website, Jake Shimabukuro from Hawaii. He plays a mean ukulele... I just wanted to share some of my culture with you all.

I'm "It." : )

I got tagged by Carol, a good friend from BYU-Hawaii. I just wanted to say how great she is... She ALWAYS made me laugh because she has such a great sense of humor, she's so charismatic, energetic and very down to earth. She has a little boy named Aaron and is married to a wonderful guy named David. Aren't they cute? (I "borrowed" this pic from her blog. : ) I'm so glad I reconnected with her via the web. She was in our wedding party when we got married. : )

TEN YEARS AGO: I was senior in high school at Dillingham, Alaska and preparing to be the valedictorian of my class of 26. HUGE, I know! I was involved with Student Body government, running cross-country, playing volleyball. Actually that year, Eike and I got to go to Hawaii for a program called, "Pacific Rim Close-up." : )

FIVE PLACES I HAVE LIVED:

1. Okinawa, Japan

2. Dillingham, Alaska

3. Seattle, WA

4. Tucson, AZ - Alamagordo, NM - El Paso, TX (mission)

5. Laie, HI

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST

1. Wash the dishes.

2. Write thank-you notes.

3. Finish Debs' watercolor gardenia.

4. Color flannel board story for JoySchool.

5. Call my sisters and family. (It's free on the weekends!!)

I ENJOY:

snuggling with the kids - elise & elijah's laughter - warm rain and cool breezes - the smell of fresh laundry and fresh bread - jumping into a waterfall pool - the smell of books - chatting with sisters and friends - the feeling after exercise - nature - reading a good book - aaron's hugs - watching movies - Alaska air - sound of the ocean and sound of palm trees rustling - the smell of aaron cooking breakfast - watercolor & drawing - Ja - waiian music : ) - blogging - hiking - fresh herbs - chocolate!

TWO BAD HABITS

1. Checking my email and friends' blogs way too much.
2. Leaving piles of laundry (sometimes folded, sometimes not) on the bed.

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME:

1. My Japanese middle name, Kame, means "Long life" or "Tortoise." I used to have a collection - it's stored at my parents house.

2. My secret ambition is to write and illustrate children's books. (I guess not so secret anymore!)

3. I studied General Health Education at Rick's College then switched to Business and Accounting at BYU-Hawaii.

4. I used to play clainet in high school.

5. My feet and ring size are the same - size 5. (I know no one cares, but I can't think of anything else! : )

FIVE JOBS I'VE HAD:

1. I helped Eike pick salmon off the net at fish camp. She's a commercial fisherwoman.

2. I've done lots of temporary manual labor jobs - laundry, cleaning condos, ect. (good preparation motherhood and wifehood, I guess!)

3. I worked as a Resident Advisor for the only co-ed dorm, or "Hale" at BYU-Hawaii. (Of course the dorm was segregated.) Then I moved over to join Kaelene Harrison in the married housing as an RA. (TVA)

4. I worked at Tomassita's Pizza while attending Rick's College.

5. I worked for Gemini Observatory in Hilo Hawaii as an administrative assistant.

Now I'm a mom, wife, JoySchool teacher, housekeeper (ect.) !

I tag Dana P, Jacelyn A., Elizabeth H., and anyone else that might be interested in doing this! Don't feel obligated but I think it was fun... I think everyone else I would tag has already done this one or a similar one. I look forward to reading yours if you write one! : )

We beat the toddlers' scores!

We met up with the Woodbury's for an early dinner at Cici's Pizza, after our morning at Arlinton Cemetary on Presdent's Day. It's this fun little family pizza buffet right by Target on Rockville Pike. It only costs $7.50 per adult and the kids were free! : ) After that we went for a little game of bowling.

Sadly beating the toddlers in bowling was a highlight for me because they smashed Sarah and me last time. The funniest thing though happened as we were leaving. The kids made a bee-line for the door, so Sarah took off after them. At home she found out that she accidentally hijacked her bowling shoes!!

Who wouldn't want a pair of these babies?! They're so comfy and cute. (Not really.) : ) I hope she doesn't mind me sharing that! So funny.

I think this is the funnest family activity! The kids are totally engaged, it's noisy so noise doesn't matter and the kids can play!! We think the Woodburys are really great and Taylor and Aaron are in both studying at GW's Business School (Taylor's full-time) so they have lots to talk about.

Poor Taylor got a skateboarding injury and so he couldn't use one of his arms. Aaron won and this video is four little clips put together... Elise and Ethan cheering, then Elise bowling, Aaron getting a strike and then Ethan bowling.

Window Movie Maker is great because it helps you create movies from your clips, with transitions, credits, and you can add music. It also compresses the files so that they don't take up as much space and are much easier to upload. If you choose to compress the file, it's not the best quality but for the purposes of the blog it's fine.

The Price of Freedom...

We decided that on President's day we wanted to go visit Arlington Cemetary, our first time in the 2 yrs we've been here. It was an absolutely goregous day.

I was so moved when our tour guide said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, take a look at the price of freedom." And this is what we saw: rows and rows of headstones marking the graves of those who gave up their lives for our country, all lined up to symbolize military formation. It was solemn and powerful.

Once we hopped onto the bus, Aaron spotted the Harrisons hopping on the same bus! It's a such small world. We love them and it was so good tour these sites with them. Elise was so happy to have a friend!Below is John F. Kennedy and Jackie Onasis's gravesite. Behind them is the eternal flame, or presidental memorial, lit to honor his memory.

This is the National Ampitheater, I love this photo! We also toured General Lee's mansion ( which was being renovated) and saw the changing of the guards. We really enjoyed this family outing and were so happy that we could do this with the Harrisons!

Valentine's Day Slideshow

Where there is love, there is life. ~ Gandhi

From my love. : )

We had a really lovely Valentine's Day with good friends and fabulous food! I'm so glad that Alexandra had this idea - she and Brigham are such gracious hosts! They are so sweet together, and they are one of my favorite couples ever!

I have to restrain myself when I see Brigham now because I just want to thank him again for parking for me and I don't want to become annoying. But he is really an angel! I was about to cry because I couldn't find parking, and then when I did I couldn't park. I even bumped the car behind me. Panic-stricken, I jumped out to check if there were any damages, and everything looked okay, but I was a little shaken. And his sweet wife, Alexandra, probably knew that I was lying when I said I was okay so she called me back and really insisted that I let him park for me. Maybe she heard the desperation in my voice, or maybe Michelle mentioned the crazy look in my eye when she saw me. (Thank you for everything!) What a great guy! Alexandra said that he often parallel parks for her.

Alexandra looks so tiny next to the bouquet! : ) I feel so lucky to know her, because I really think she will be famous. She has been a wonderful friend to me. She's a person that has every reason to feel superior - she's beautiful and looks a little like Ellen Pompeo from Grey's Anatomy but is much prettier: ), she's smart and accomplished (she passed the bar while pregnant with Will), she's well-read, she's a witty conversationalist, a talented writer, and she's the funniest person I know! But, she's completely unpretentious, humble, generous, and she's truly empathetic (she finds common weaknesses bonding : ).

A little tribute to the food... because it was amazing!! The Cannons served delicious pizzas that I discovered came from Costco. The women labored over creating seriously delectable treats that really artfully displayed... These amazing, cute puppy cupcakes were made from scratch, and were Tiana and Elizabeth's labor of love. The strawberry, heart shaped cake-cookies were Michelle's great idea, as well as the dipped chocolate strawberries drizzled with white chocolate. Yum!

Alexandra's long-time friend, Carrie, made a really delicious seven-layer dip. Sarah made some sweet sugar cookies, and Michelle said that Damon kept sneaking back to pick the M&M's off of them. : ) So cute!

The kids thoroughly enjoyed running around with each other. Alexandra mused that wouldn't it be great if our kids could grow up having friends that they've have since they were two? I really wish that could be! I'm grateful for you all and learn so much from you... I don't want these friendships to fade when life inevitably takes us all on different paths ... At least our children's friendships have been captured and immortalized on our blogs, and I will eventually turn mine into a memory book. : )

Happy Valentine's Day!

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

First Day of School

It was so great to see these kids on their first day of JoySchool! They did a great job, listening and participating. Gina did a great job teaching! It was so fun. I'm looking forward to this semester with a great bunch of kids and their moms. Thanks, Tiana for watching Elijah today! I posted some cute little videos and my whole Picasa web album on the JoySchool blog Tiana created, if anyone is interested. : )

The Stars Align on Feb. 6th...

So, Aaron and I just discovered that we were both baptized on his birthday... How crazy is that? Of course, I was baptized a year before him because I am older, but that got me thinking. What other cool things happened on Aaron's birthday?

I share a birthday with Martin Luther King - awesome. : ) But Aaron shares a birthday with Bob Marley (1945), Babe Ruth (1895), Ronald Reagan (1911), Tom Brokaw (1940), Natalie Cole (1950), and a ton of other great people according to Wikipedia. Check out it if you like!

We just wanted to say thank you to our wonderful ohana in Hawaii and Utah for their thoughtfulness and love! He got two boxes, that came in just in time for his birthday! Mom Lyn, I know you know but Aaron could not get enough of that poi! It went along great with the fresh ahi we got him. Take a look at all the goodies in the box! Elise and Elijah also immediately started devoring the goodies.

He also loved the soccer ball (FIFA approved) from Vickie and Jun and he appreciates all the emails and phone calls!

Last but not least, we are so grateful to Michelle and Damon for coming over to play with Elise and Elijah so that we could go watch "The Great Debaters," which we thought was really moving and inspiring. Aaron and I love movies!! Not only did Michelle play with the kids and put Elijah to bed, she scrubbed my kitchen too! If it was anyone else but Michelle, I would be completely embarrassed. : )

10 things we love about Aaron...

My husband doesn't like when I write nice things about him to be read by all, but I think it's my priviledge as his wife on his birthday... So here's to our big birthday boy!

10 things we love about Aaron:

1. He's an amazing dad and big kid at heart. Elise and Elijah love the times he'll put on his swim shorts and hop in the tub with them during bathtime.

2. He never tires of Hide and Seek and finds maybe more delight in hiding from the kids than they have in finding him.

3. He tries to out the trash before going to work in the morning. It's rare that he won't have time to do it. And if he's in a rush, he'll apologize! He's so funny.

4. Sometimes he'll bring home dinner, just because. We can usually count on our favorites: sashimi, miso soup or orange chicken. Sometimes, it's so great especially if I'm too tired to make dinner. Even other times, when I have something already made, I think it's sweet. It's great to have leftovers the next day!

5. He makes me feel appreciated through things that he says and the prayers he offers in behalf of our family. He's very affecionate and says he loves us often. I feel pretty because he says I am even though I am the heaviest I've ever been! He's my Johnny. (as in Lingo)

6. He makes me laugh by being silly and goofy - which balances me out when I'm stressed. What does he do that so silly? Welll, he plays beach soccer (with an imaginary ball) with our brother-in-law, Jun. He sometimes sings in his sleep, and says the randomest things. ("You don't like Bon Jovi?") He's has a wonderment for life and it's opportunities, which makes life very full.

7. He'll cover me with blankets if I fall asleep on the couch.

8. I love the way he cooks breakfast. I love breakfast but I am too lazy to make a full-blown breakfast very often. I usually eat oatmeal or scrambled eggs. But when Aaron gets inspired, he goes all out with bacon, eggs, potatoes, or sometimes fried rice.

9. He's impossible to be mad at. We have differing opinions, but we don't really fight. I think it's because of Aaron's nature, because I can be resentful and I know I have a temper if provoked... I fought with one particular companion on my mission, a bunch - I mean, like I saw red a couple of times. That has never happened with Aaron, I think it's because he's so loving, so quick to apologize and so quick to forgive.

10. Even though the list could go on and on, I'll just end with how Christ-like and charitable he is. He has a heart of gold and he is full of the spirit of aloha. He often fixes a plate of food for a homeless person or scounges around for a couple of dollars to share with someone in need. He's always striking up conversations with people and always prays to find people to share the gospel with.

Hooray!

Elijah can now say, "Hurrah!" He also gives sweet little kisses, blowes kisses, waves and mimicks other actions and small words. I think he'd catch on to signing really good. I should break out my baby signing book.

"I'm not a fan of Mitt..."

I was concentrating hard on making Elise's rug for JoySchool (We start next week!) when I heard Aaron say this while he was sitting by the computer.

"Really, " I said, " What are your reasons? What makes you feel that way?" I recalled how I read earlier about Mitt Romney dropping out of the presidental race.

"What?" He said kind of suprised. He came to sit by me on the couch. " Well to me it's kind of like Sorbet... or like medicine."

"Huh? In what way?" Now I was confused. I looked up from my work and realized what he ACTUALLY said was, "I'm not a fan of MINT!" I had made mint brownies for his birthday. So, I guess he doesn't NOT like Romney, but he likes brownies, just not mint.

I loved it, though it didn't turn out very pretty. : )

Erica's Evening

A couple of evenings ago, Rachelle organized a surprise birthday celebration for Erica Hall. She told her that they were going to visit teach Kaelene, whilst Kristina and I "happened" to be at the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Shop they were going to. It was kind of a big visiting teaching party because Kristina and I are Erica's visting teachers.

When Rachelle told me "Ben & Jerry's on Fairmont," my brain converted it to "Ice cream shop on Woodmont." Luckily, I while I was waiting at Haagan Daz, I called Kristina to confirm and was able to run to the right place in time.... However, we ended up at back Haagan Daz because the other place was closed, so funny!

Rachelle is a party hostess queen, and she brought fun questions so that we could learn random things about Erica, like, "What's a show you love to watch that your husband hates?" I learned that Jacob thinks Gilmore Girls is annoying but that Bobby actually likes it, Sanoe doesn't really like that fashion makeover show, and that both Aarons would rather flip past reality TV shows (like Biggest Loser) to something else. So I guess we learned a lot about everyone. : )

For those of you that know Erica, her birthday is actually Feb. 17th, we just celebrated earlier because Rachelle is out of town that day. : ) I'm grateful for the chance that I've had to get to know Erica because she's really fun and has some really interesting experiences. Two of my favorite involve the band Hanson. She met Bobby at a Hanson concert and has a poster of the band overlooking the crowd, that froze that special occasion in time. And you'll have to ask her about the other one. (It's funny and embarrassing so she should be the one to share it. : )