5 years later...

My once-upon-at-time baby is now a big kindergartner:

Boo! I keep asking him to stop growing, but he refuses, and breaks my heart every time.

Summer 2009 - or at least I'm pretty sure these all take place sometime between Mayish and Augustish 2009:

There were some pretty hot days this summer...


While my cupcakes were melting in the inferno I call home,


I was out running in record breaking temps, at 6:00 in the evening, while really needing to pee (long story - or not really but let's just say the run was uncomfortable for more reasons than the heat....making a disgusting porta potty seem like a day spa).


We watched the Seafair Parade - it's tradition after all.



We visited this ultra-cool (literally - the water was very cold) Slip n' Slide at Ensign.



We went camping (very short and sweet) and Jack's obsession with music escalated this summer (Heath you will be shocked to hear him play the uke...and he is coming along on the piano as well).

In August we flew into Santa Ana's John Wayne, for a brief Disneyland vacation.

Here we are right before the fireworks (notice we only bothered to take pictures one day, as evidenced by the not-so-varied outfits).

**On our way to Disneyland we stopped at a little gift shop (I can't even remember why we went in there, b/c I am pretty sure we didn't actually buy anything), and Jack was so excited by all the Disney paraphernalia that he was refusing to leave...I tried to explain to him how crappy that little shop was in comparison to the park we were about to go to....and how he could waste far more of my money at Disneyland than he could dream of doing at the shop; however, he wasn't convinced...until we got there:



...and here we are on our first ride of the visit, the Buzz Light Year adventure (of some sort). Jack finally decided I might (might) know what I am talking about, as the park did prove to be far better than the crappy gift shop.



And then there's me. All alone. Ditched by my first (and only) born. He decided he would rather ride with his aunt Jaime instead of me, making it appear as if I waited in that ridiculously long line (which I am pretty sure was far longer than ANY other ride in the entire park....including the actual big name rides i.e. Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, etc.) b/c I actually wanted to go on a ride that circles until you puke...or at least feel very close to it. (For the record, I absolutely adore roller coasters, and rides of a similar genre, but anything that just spins and/or circles is: One, BORING!!!! and Two, vomit inducing.

(I Haven't the slightest idea where this picture came from, what it is, or who took it, hmmm...)

Here Jaime looks very excited that I am taking her picture...in front of California Adventure. Now I may be wrong (as I have never tried to verify it - nor will I as I rather like my observation, and hope no one proves it wrong) but I believe that California is the only state to have an "experience itself" themed park...which really makes me wonder: If you are already in California, why do you need to go to a park to 'experience' it? Weird. On a side note, well a side note to what is already a side note, I was disappointed that there wasn't a mini Disney Land within the park (after all Disneyland is certainly part of the California Experience) - or a mini California Adventure (within the California Adventure) for that matter. Someone should get on that!

Another 'right-before-the-fireworks-so-we-are-killing-time-by-taking-pictures' shot.

Jack and his sweet cousin Kaleigh.


On our way to the Indiana Jones ride here...Jack is soooooo excited. This is also, curiously, the ONLY ride that anyone actually bothered to measure him....and they did it 3 or 4 times. Apparently, on every other ride (where he had to be at least 41 inches) he clearly looked the height, but for this particular ride he all of the sudden looked much shorter. Maybe it was the lighting, or the angles?

...and here we are on our way out - and relieved that Jack made it out unscathed despite his questionable height.

Here Kaleigh is trying to escape while I am doing "something" to distract her parents (not sure what, but Jaime, Allison, and Isaac are all looking at me like I'm crazy).

Allison is obviously very excited to have her picture taken.

Jaime and I on the Winnie the Pooh ride - which I think was a pretty creepy ride btw....in fact I thought it was interesting that Jack had no fear problems on any of the big rides, whereas some of the little kid rides (crazy little creatures singing in possessed voices, etc.) freaked him out.


We also went to a water park while in SoCal, and I must say water parks truly are trey fun - as far as the actual slides go - BUT has anyone else noticed how ghetto they can be? I can't pin point exactly what it is about them...all I know is they always feel a bit trashy!

Now the real reason we went on this trip at all was to attend a family reunion (Kimo's side), and here he is getting in touch with his roots:


err....I mean here he is getting in touch with his roots:

This is Kimo's biological Mom and sister,


his mom and dad,

and his sisters Lianne and Liora (and a little stinker in the middle),

And this is a group shot of the Kipeni line...not even a fraction of the total people in attendance...and Jack (who has no stage fright) got up in front of the whole family (total around 500 I believe) and played his uke and sang a little song - I was very impressed, but sadly missed the live version:(

And now summer is over. Boo! Jack starts his first day of kindeygarden next week. I already almost started crying at his open-house yesterday - so I'll surely be a basket case next week. How sad. The school just looked too big for him: He is going to have a locker (? - I didn't think that happened until Jr. High); he will eat lunch in the cafeteria (sans teachers after the first month) - which again I didn't think happened until Jr. High (we always ate at our desks - while being supervised by the teach); and to top it all off, the new trend these days is all day kindergarten. Ahhh kids have to grow up so fast these days!

Apparently, I've given up on blogging (this one doesn't count)....

...and now I only write solicitation documents, rejection letters, and the occasional formal ultimatum. I could always post one or two...just to keep my blogging numbers up; however, that might be against the law (actually i'm pretty sure it is), and, more importantly, it would make for some incredibly boring posts (unless you happen to be a Consultant - or you REALLY have nothing better to do)!

A little out of order (in terms of trip chronology), but...

1: I haven't downloaded any new pictures as of late, so instead of posting another set of overly fluorescent people in bathing suits I choose to resort to plane pics;

2: I am extremely lazy, and more than likely won't download any new pictures in the near future (unless of course someone else decides to be helpful and do it for me), so I am forced to work with what is available (i.e. plane pics); and
3: Though it may bore the life out of every poor soul subjected to it, I must post something/anything (even plane pics) in order to rob Heath of enjoying being the "last to post" for too long...

...and so - without further gilding the lily - I present my boring post.

Vacation 2009, Day 1 (Tax Day 04/15/09): Travel Time.

After working a 12 hour day, returning home quite literally sick to my stomach with stress (due to all the work I didn't finish before leaving combined with all the work that will inevitably be piling up while I am away), and quickly packing - I only managed to get an hour or two of shut-eye before my alarm kindly saved me from horrible work dreams/nightmares. I feel compelled to share this not-even-close-to-interesting bit of information because I believe it provides sufficient reasoning for my drugged out/crazed appearance in the above pic (...i.e. the reason I look like a couple eggs shy of a dozen - like a pair of children's scissors: bright and colourful but not too sharp - like my mind is in neutral, but my body is in gear - one neuron short of a synapse - elevator's stuck between floors - wheel still spinning but hamster's dead - a few too many yards between goal posts, etc.)...(see in particular my crazy person eyes). Jack didn't get much sleep either; however, he didn't end up with morning mad eyes...though a few hours into the flight he did suffer a bout of hysterical laughter before finally, instantly, and without warning passing out in the middle of his in-flight meal.

Of course Jaime and Felicia had to show up looking all cute, awake, and (more importantly) sane in order to adequately contrast my not-so-hot/not-so-compos mentis state - little brats!

Even Kimo y Papear, who both opted out of sleeping altogether, seemed to handle the lack of zzzzzz far better than I did with my 2 hour stint - meaning they both managed to come across (relatively) mentally lucid....Although I can't say for sure, because to be perfectly honest I really don't remember most of the day.

I didn't sleep on the plane (technically), but I might as well have been considering how little I'm able to recall post flight. Beyond a few fuzzy memories (Jack laughing uncontrollably, some lady who never got the "use your headphones when on a plane" memo rocking out to her laptop, and a pretty rough/puke inducing - almost - landing) I don't really know where the 5+ hours went.

....the Honolulu airport is all but missing from my conscious mind....

...and though I have many pictures of myself frolicking in the sand upon our arrival at the beach house.....



I can't say I necessarily remember doing it...at least via first-person experience.


(I have no idea when this was taken - but it's a cute non-airplane pic addition to this post)

So, long story short....I missed quite a few moments from the first 24-48 hours of my vaca - but I don't really care. As long as I get to do plenty of this:



(regardless of what I do/do not remember about this trip) I will consider it a well spent vacation!

Bathing Suits, Ballet, and Butt-Crack at the Beach!

Two Gringas and a Mexican in Hawaii...

A crazy Hawaiian playing his Uke...

...and Hapa Muli-crack! (after only one cloudy day in the sun and Jack already has a tan line).

I can always tell when my Dad has been around.

Case in point:


Jackson was beside himself with excitement while watching his Grandpa draw on these oranges and banana...

(Jack's excited look)

...though I'm not sure if he was more excited because he thought it was so blooming hilarious, or because he thought Grandpa was going to get in trouble for writing on the fruit in the first place (as opposed to an approved writing surface). As I am currently trying to impress upon the young lad the necessity of using paper WHENEVER using a pen, pencil, crayon, marker, paint, or other conceivable writing utensil - he was VERY interested in how I would react to Grandpa's infraction of the paper laws (this indicates to me that he must be listening...to a point...though not as thoroughly as he could be...just ask the inside of his closet door!).

My benign reaction to Billy et al puzzled him...

I watched his little face process the fact that Grandpa did not actually get in trouble for writing on this 'non-paper' surface, and I could almost see that little light bulb above his head begin to flash - I anticipate that fruit will be the new canvass of choice around our house for while...or at least until I have a discussion with Jack as to why Grandpa is allowed to do things that Jack is not allowed to do! (Also known as the yes-it's-a-double-standard-but-life-ain't-fair,-so-deal-with-it conversation)

I wish I had a better excuse for not blogging lately, but alas....there it is!