Take a bow

Who else has little actors for kids?

MOPS was this morning. One of the few outlets I have to relax and socialize without my kids, or at least Keaton (Mark was strapped to me in the Moby all morning, as usual). Still...it's something I get for ME every other week, and I really look forward to going. I try to warn Keaton at least 24 hours ahead of time that MOPS is coming up. He's been going through a little separation anxiety ever since Mark was born. I think MOPS is especially hard for him because his first visit there was the day I went into labor with Mark, and he went with Karen and Lucas. I think he secretly thinks that every time he is left at MOPS, I'm going straight to the hospital and he won't see me the rest of the day.

"Hey Keat, guess where we get to go tomorrow? MOPS! We love MOPS, remember? They have Veggie tales there, they have Lightning McQueen, and Lucas will be there (the clincher)!"

He's usually okay with it as long as it's something we are doing TOMORROW. But, when TOMORROW becomes TODAY, that's when the real struggle begins.

"Mama, what are we doing today?" (he asks this every morning)

"MOPS! Remember?"

"No, mom. I just wanna stay home and play with my caws!"

"You love MOPS, remember? They have Veggie Tales, Lightning..." My whole schpeel -

"Mom, by belly HUTS! I'm sick to go to MOPS today!"

This goes on and on all morning, as I dry my hair, brush my teeth, dress him. It escalates as we pull into the church parking lot. Then the tears come.... he begs, he pleads, he cries, pulling at my hand as we cross the church lot. Then we reach the MOPPETS door. Oh boy, here comes the dry heaves.

"MAMA, DON'T LEAVE!!! DON'T LEAVE!!! MAMA, HOLD ME! HOLD ME!"

Thankfully, there is this great MOPPETS worker named Kiera who knows Keaton and seems to like him. I help Keaton find Lucas, sit him down in front of Veggie Tales, but he can't really see through the snot and tears. He just keeps clinging, pleading, crying like he'll never see me again. I leave him in Kiera's arms, his arms reaching out for me, the dry heaves still in full force.

As much as it kills me, I walk away, because there are friends, fellowship, food, and holiday-flavored coffee creamers waiting for me in the sanctuary. Just for the heck of it, I turn around and peep my head in right after I have left. He doesn't notice. He's already down on the floor playing with Lucas. No tears, no heaving.

Bravo, little boy. What a show for Mom!

Throwing in the towel

This is a sad day for me. I finally decided to do it. I'm giving up on coupons in Hawaii. As dorky as it may sound, couponing was a big part of my life in Nashville. It was a hobby, almost a part time job, and it was SO FUN! I loved that I could not only feed our family but make our pantry bust at the seams AND donate food by the boxful for less than $50/week. It made me feel like even though I was not "working," I was somehow contributing to our family's bottom line.

Confession: I used to spring out of bed extra early on Wednesday mornings, get my hot cup of joe and curl up with my laptop, just so I could read the Publix ad!

I gave it a fair try, but it just doesn't work here like it does on the mainland. Grocery stores don't double coupons, and the paper only contains a handful of coupons anyway. There are no awesome resources like Southern Savers, and Faithful Provisions to help scope out the deals and do all the matchups for me at my grocery stores. I've come to find that its just counterproductive and stressful to try to make it happen here. I'll still buy a Sunday paper and clip the coupons I think I might be able to use, but I think the best I can do is shop at Costco and load up on "sale" items at Safeway when I can. And - just accept that fact that I will have to budget $600 or more a month for groceries. GULP.

Now I need a new hobby. Any suggestions? Don't say surfing. I'm afraid of sharks.

Thomas and Friends

Meet Toby, Percy, Thomas, and James.

These guys, along with their other engine friends (not pictured) live on the island of Sodor and sleep at Tidmouth sheds.

Thomas is a very useful engine, Percy delivers the mail, James is vain (but lots of fun), and Toby - well, let's say he's square!

They are a part of our family. They travel with us in the car, we talk about them at dinner, read about them before bed, wear them on our underpants, and visit them at the mall.

We just watched Toy Story 3 this past weekend (SUCH a good movie by the way) It made me think about the fact that Thomas and his buddies will not always be a part of our life like they are now. Keaton will move on to other interests, and forget about these friends who now consume his little play world.

Me? I'll always have a special place in my heart for Thomas and Friends because they are my life right now. I know one day I'll open a box in the attic and hold one of them and cry because they'll always remind me of this time in my life and Keaton at this precious fun age.

And don't you ever worry, Thomas. I'll never accidentally throw you by the curb in a garbage bag like Andy's mom...

Baby Mark

I feel bad, like I haven't been giving Baby Mark enough blog time! He was 2 months old yesterday, y'know. I can't believe it! He is the most precious little guy and such a joy. We love him more with every glimpse of his little personality that he lets us see! So far, he loves eating, watching and listening to big brother play, snuggling with mom in the Moby, listening to classical music while he swings, and playing on his play gym.

Some of his dislikes: napping in his crib, napping of any kind, being left alone in a room, long car rides, and bottles.

He is a champion eater, never spits up, and sleeps pretty well at night.

I'd love to say that it so much easier the second time around, that I'm so much more laid back, I'm never tired, crying doesn't bother me, and everything is easy breezy! Sorry, that's just not my experience. There's nothing like caring for a newborn to make you feel completely helpless and inadequate.

The thing that I LOVE about a second child is that this time, I know what I have to look forward to in the coming months. I know that it does get easier and more fun with each day! I'm so excited to see Mark grow and learn and change just like Keaton did his first year!

Loving every minute with these boys!!

Drinking our Veggies

Despite his love of Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, and Mr. Potato Head, Keaton is not a veggie eater. I've tried to be creative with my display, the way I cut the veggies, dips - not to mention plenty of bribery and threatening, but nothing really seems to work.

Partly inspired by my friend Carolyn's post, and also the Jamba Juice across the street that we got addicted to while my mom was in town, I decided I would give it a try at home. Granted, we've done smoothies at home in the past, but always as just a treat if I happen to have some frozen berries and extra yogurt on hand. Now it's our new morning tradition!

Here's just a few of our creations:

The fun part for Keaton seeing what new fun color of "poodie" he gets every morning. It's a game for me to see how many kinds of goodies I can sneak in there without him noticing. So far, he's eaten raw spinach, pumpkin, wheat germ, corn, peas, green beans, carrots - and he's totally clueless!! It's amazing what you can cover up with some juice, yogurt, bananas, and other delicious fruits - pineapple, papaya, raspberries, blueberries, peaches are some of our favorites.

Smoothies are genius! Now, I don't have to so paranoid that he's not eating a salad with us every night, because he's drinking his veggies, and loving every last drop!

By the way, you don't have to have a fancy blender to make smoothies. I bought this one at Target for $16 on sale, and it can liquefy raw carrots with the best of them.

Twick or Tweat!

Our friends, the Heaths, just moved into a new house and wanted to meet their neighbors, so they asked us to come along for some "twick or tweating" with them in their neighborhood in Kailua. Keaton was skeptical at first, and wasn't really too wild about having to wear a costume. But it didn't take him long to figure out this is one holiday tradition he did not want to miss out on! Isn't he the cutest little ninja?

Keaton with his pumpkin

Lucas and Keaton

Don't mind if I do!

On to the next house, Lucas, no time to waste!

Chowing down!

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

Living the HI life

Believe it or not, we've actually lived in Hawaii for 7 months now! I thought it might be a good exercise for me and maybe interesting for you as well to summarize my personal pros and cons so far being an islander.

Things I love about living in Hawaii:

Culture - even though Hawaii is part of the USA, it still feels like a foreign country in many respects. In our short time here so far, we have really only just scratched the surface of learning the deep culture that surrounds us. It has been really fun to hear the legends, taste new foods, and even learn a little of the language and lingo. Don't get me wrong, though, we are "Haole" to the core!

Natural Beauty - I had never lived in a place (or visited, for that matter) where I was so in awe of the beauty of God's creation on a daily basis. And we haven't even visited any other islands yet! The ocean, the mountains, the beaches, the rainbows, the waterfalls, the flowers - all of it is breathtaking. This state is a masterpiece of God! This is the view from our lanai - never gets old.

Weather - High in the low eighties, partly cloudy, breezy, occasional rain shower - this is our forecast almost every day. No wonder they call it Paradise.

Contentment - For whatever reason, since living in Hawaii, I feel less pressure to "keep up with the Jones's." I have much less of a compulsion to shop and I feel more compelled to share what we have with others.

Aloha living - Flip flops (or "slippahs" as they call them here) can complete almost any outfit year round. Wearing a swimsuit under your clothes or by itself is acceptable attire almost anywhere. You always have the "aloha time" pass for being late to any event. It's just truly a more casual lifestyle,

and I love it!

Friends - It is scary moving to a new place. God has been faithful at every destination he leads us to surround us with amazing friends to love us and support us. He certainly did not disappoint in Hawaii. I have felt welcome and loved since the moment we landed in Honolulu. It's been wonderful to see how God has allowed not only Scott and I to have new friends, but Keaton as well. Church, playgroup, story time, the pool - there have been endless opportunities for Keaton and I both to meet new friends.

Minimalism- Because it is so expensive to live here, people get used to living with less. Less square footage = less furniture and toys. Less closet space = less clothes. Less pantry space = less food you can have on hand at a time. One parking spot = learning to live with one car. I can't say that it has been easy for me to adjust to less. I miss my two story house in Nashville with my stocked pantry, extra fridge, and the furniture and dishes we had to leave behind. But, it is a liberating experience when you are forced to "purge." It makes you realize how much you have and how little you really TRULY need.

I only have a few gripes of living in Hawaii, but here goes:

Expense - Ugh! Food, gas, rent, EVERYTHING is so ridiculously expensive here!!

Distance - this is probably the hardest one. In 7 years of marriage, we've never lived further than a day's drive away from either of our families. There is something so depressing and lonely knowing that a trip home will require at least $400 a person at least 10 hours in transit.

Familiarity - Hawaii is just so different, and I'm still getting used to it. Everything has been an adjustment. It really is like living in a new country. I still sorta feel like I'm on vacation here, and I get homesick often for the familiarity of the mainland.

No seasons - Not complaining about the weather - don't get me wrong. But it's so strange being stuck in a perpetual summer while I watch the temps drop on the mainland. It's hard to get excited about baking pumpkin bread or making a big crockpot full of chili when I'm still wearing tank tops and going to the beach. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune when its 10 below on the mainland, and we still have our windows open!

Overall, living in Hawaii has been a very cool experience. I still have not tried SPAM (nor will I) nor or have I surfed, but it's feeling more like home the longer we are here. We really have no idea how long God plans on keeping us here, but we are doing our best to soak in every minute of this experience while it lasts.

Now come visit us!