WEATHER REPORT: NEITHER SNOW NOR RAIN NOR HEAT OR GLOOM

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Here is what my oldest son brought to school yesterday. His teacher sent a note home last week that said, "...please bring a small box - shoe box, cereal box, anything - we will exchange Valentines with one another." So here is the mail box that I designed and crafted out of a Costco-sized granola box. My little guy painted it blue all by himself. I took many more pictures of this box, but I have refrained from posting too many out of fear that I may look like I'm way too proud. His preschool teacher asked me to make her school one. Thinking about doing a quick tutorial. What do you think? 

Should I be worried? My son "vandalized" the mail box. 

WEATHER REPORT: VENICE, ITALY

My favorite picture I took of the Grand Canal, standing on the Rialto Bridge.  Copyright 2004

My husband took me from Maui to the other side of the world for our honeymoon. Yes, I know. Many dream of spending their honeymoon on Maui. I dreamed of Italy. We spent two splendid weeks traveling from Rome to Florence to Venice via train.

There are moments in my life that are easily recalled in vivid detail. One of these is the moment my eyes saw the Grand Canal for the first time. We had just walked outside from the train station after a 3 hour ride from Florence. Unexpectedly, we were immediately steps from the shimmering canal and ancient buildings that seemed to float on this divine body of water. The sunlight danced on the water creating hundreds of sparks of warm light. I was breathless. My eyes teared up as I stopped in my tracks. The best part of the story? My husband actually noticed the wonder in my face and stopped to take in the moment with me. A dream had come true.

WEATHER REPORT: SUNNY INDOORS

Jack soaking up the morning sun.

It all started with a brief moment on a street in Brooklyn, New York. Imagine a tall, well-dressed, attractive 20-something female in high-heels walking a teeny-tiny pup Yorkie wearing a sweater. Well, I'm not 100% sure what the dog was wearing, but I do recall it had some sort of saccharine clothing or accessory. What I do remember distinctly was the way the dog's legs moved like lightning. The pooch was confidently leading the way and his legs were a blur. It is quiet possibly the cutest little gait in the world.

I was hooked. I wanted a Yorkie and I wanted one bad. It would be two years before I could take my own little Yorkie for a walk. I'm quite certain that I did not look as posh as the duo I had seen in New York, but I can't help but smile when I see his little legs run like the wind.

I entered this photo into I Heart Faces "Furry Faces" Photo Challenge.

WEATHER REPORT: HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!!!

One year ago this little guy came into the world. He's been making me smile ever since. Here is a rare moment, though. It was bed time and I just had to keep taking photos even though I knew both he and my husband were ready to call it quits. I'm so glad I asked for just a few more minutes.

Oh how fortunate I am to be his mommy. He is a sweet baby who knows how to melt my heart. I am so very grateful.

WEATHER FORECAST: A TOUCH OF SUN

My little man checking the weather outside.

WEATHER REPORT: MAUI COUNTY AG FEST 2011

The Maui Tropical Plantation hosted the fourth annual Maui County Agricultural Festival on April 2, 2011. With my two boys in tow, I bravely attended this fabulous event sans the husband. I am a sucker for festivals and I love this one so very much (horses, cows, chickens, flowers, strawberries, hula dancing, onolicious foods...the list goes on!). I am going to make sure the whole family attends next year so that I can enjoy the event even more (i.e. run around visiting all the booths while my man minds the little ones).

 

 

 

WEATHER REPORT: APRIL FOOL SHOWERS

 

Posted the image above on my Facebook wall very early this morning.  Most of my friends know that I love, love my dog. Ever since my second son came it's been a challenge to keep that love going strong everyday because my dog is sometimes more needy than my two year old and 5 month old combined.

But I'd would never, ever give him away for free.

I would totally sell him instead...just fooling.

WEATHER REPORT: MY LITTLE FLYING FISH

My little flying fish.

Sadly, it is often easy to forget that we are on Maui. The daily grind can distract us from appreciating living on the "Best Island in the World," according to CONDE NAST TRAVELER Readers' Choice Awards Poll for the last 23 years. As the family CFO (Chief Fun Officer), I arrange for overnight stays at the Makena Beach & Golf Resort to help us remember the fact that we live on Maui. My husband thinks camping in Hana achieves the same goal, but I much prefer this kind of reminding. I used my new 55mm-200mm lens on my Nikon D5000 to capture this moment in time from across the pool deck while sitting on a lounge chair. 

Please don't hate me.  

I am entering this image in iheartfaces.com photo challenge: Slice of Life. May I say, this slice is very sweet. Mucho Mahalos for looking!

 

WEATHER REPORT: PRETTY IN PINK

AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Hiroto Sekiguchi

On March 14, 2011 a four-month old baby girl, the same age as my second son, was rescued in Ishinomaki, in the state of Miyagi three days after a 9.0 mega earthquake and tsunami devastated the northern coast of Japan. According to news reports, she was swept away from her parent's arms by the tsunami on March 11, 2011. Three days later, rescue workers heard her cries and she was found unharmed, wearing a pink teddy bear fleece. The tsunami separated the family but God reunited them by His grace.

WEATHER REPORT: NO LONGER A NEWBORN

 

newborn /new·born/ (noo´born″)

1. recently born.

2. a human infant from the time of birth through the 28th day of life.

I spent a good portion of my afternoon folding tiny shirts and tiny pants. Worn by both my newborn baby boys and now sitting in a white kitchen garbage bag in the corner of my bedroom. I am sad. Will these clothes never be worn by another child of mine? It seems unlikely. What am I to do with this pile of memories folded neatly in little stacks? White kimono onesies, blue cotton pants, swaddling pjs, "my dad rocks" and "i love mommy" shirts, the outfits worn home from the hospital and the ones worn to the first doctors visits. I asked my husband if he felt the same sadness in regards to letting these things go. He said "no" and promptly walked out of the room. Men.

WEATHER REPORT: BABY BLOOM

My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl three months after my son arrived. I am overjoyed knowing our two little ones will be growing up as close as brother and sister. Here I took a photograph of my sweet niece sleeping after a nice warm serving of mama's milk. A stargazer lily plucked from a gorgeous bouquet served as the perfect accessory to complement one of God's most beautiful treasures. I'm in love.

WEATHER REPORT: MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHY

I love photography! I especially love portrait photography. I love taking pictures of people, love getting my picture taken, love looking at pictures of people I love and of people I will never meet. Love it, love it, love it. But, I did NOT love being photographed during this last pregnancy. I felt awful in the beginning and HUGE at the end. Nonetheless, after much contemplation, I booked a maternity photo shoot with the amazing Uilani Friedman regardless of my insecurities. I am so glad that I put aside my shame and let a talented photographer forever preserve this fleeting moment in my life. I see these images and know that God is amazing. He is able to give me the ability to make another person. Not a bad self-esteem booster, eh?

 

WEATHER REPORT: CO-ED BABY SHOWERS

I have mixed feelings about baby showers. I am always up for a party to shower an expectant mom with gifts  (especially when I'm the mom), but I'm not sure how many more games I can take! I'll pass on the "dirty diaper chocolate bar guessing game", thank you. I suppose I handle too many real dirty diapers on an hourly basis. Two babies in diapers. Enough said.

A trend that I am slowly appreciating is the co-ed baby shower. My husband and I had two for our first son. One at his office that his work mates creatively called a "Man Shower" and one our friends hosted. For our second son, my husband said he wanted to keep it more traditional. Ladies only.

Today the whole family packed up our beach gear and attended a co-ed baby shower for our neighbors. We all had an amazing day at Kanaha Beach Park. My husband took our little man out on the surf board to paddle around while I took photographs of the party. After lunch, a group of guys went surfing while the ladies played games.

The best part of the day was the part that didn't actually happen. Our friends did not open the gifts in front of us, instead took them home to open at their leisure.

A baby shower gift for the daddy-to-be.

MAUI BEACH BABY

Last weekend we took our little baby boy to the beach. He's been to the beach several times, but this time Daddy wanted him to go in the water. His little toes, anyway. Baby Beach on the North Shore was the perfect location for this milestone in our little man's life. A few tears were shed because of the new experience. We are hopeful, in time, he'll find a day at the beach as exhilarating as his big brother does...

 

 

WEATHER REPORT: SNOW MELT

Yesterday morning I pulled up the shade to wave good-bye to my husband as he drove away to work. Immediately, I noticed Haleakala covered in snow. I screamed, "It's snowed!" so my husband could hear me from upstairs. I'm sure my neighbors heard me, too.

According to an article by Melissa Tanji the Maui News, the snow melted by 1:30 p.m. It was beautiful while it lasted. Here is one of the images by Matthew Thayer published in this morning's paper. Stunning!

Snow melting on Haleakala with Central Maui in the background. Photo by Matthew Thayer of the Maui News. January 19, 2011.

WEATHER REPORT: SNOW ON MAUI!

My sister took this picture of Haleakala covered in snow from her house this morning, January 19, 2011.

Photo of snow-covered Haleakala with  Ma'alaea and the West Maui Mountains in the background taken by Matthew Thayer in 2008, the last time it snowed on Maui before today.

Another amazing photograph by Matthew Thayer at Haleakala in 2008.

WEATHER REPORT: CLIMBING FIG PROGRESS

Climbing Fig in late August

Climbing Fig in early January, less than 5 months later!

The wall. Looking forward to the day I can no longer see the gray cinder blocks!

WEATHER REPORT: UNEXPECTED RAIN

A dear friend embroidered this dish towel. I bought it for myself at a Christmas craft fair. I love it.

Christmas Eve began as a lovely day, filled with the anticipation of enjoying my mom's tamales and tacos for dinner. A late nap for one of the kiddos set us back so that we did not make it to church.

We did make it to dinner at my sister's. The meal and the company were fantastic. Watching my nieces and nephews build lovely memories with my boys was so endearing. For the first time, I began to really appreciate this time in my life. The past few years have been a struggle of survival. Now I was watching my children experience the love of family as we celebrated the birth of Jesus.

We came home late and as soon as I walked into my living room I began to have a pain in my chest. Was it heartburn? No. It felt different. I mentioned it to my husband as I contemplated staying up late to clean the house and wrap the presents. Taking care of a two-year-old boy and a newborn made it a bit difficult to spend time doing anything but feed them and then clean the resulting dirty diapers. 

The chest pain began to worsen and then I began to feel nauseous. My breaths were quick. My attempts to lay down and relax were fruitless. I began to throw up and my hands and feet went numb. I began to hyperventilate. I began to panic.

I lost control. I thought I was dying. My husband rushed me to the ER. They gave me an EKG and a brown paper bag to help me stop hyperventilating. I could not calm down no matter how hard I tried. I began to cry. Failure flooded my body. Why was I in the ER on Christmas Eve?

My heart was fine. I was having a panic attack. It was such a cliche'. Wife and mother of two has panic attack after walking into messy living room on Christmas Eve. I felt so embarrassed, so sad. The doctors sent me home with a sleeping pill (anxiety medication is not good while nursing). I was still shaking. I was still sad.

Christmas morning arrived and my body and spirit were a bit off. I thought I had dreamed the entire thing, but knew it really had happened. I was bummed. I quickly snapped out of my funk when I realized we had a little boy calling from his room to come out and his toy from Santa was still in the box...disassembled! Thank goodness my husband is so handy and quick.

The holidays turned out to be wonderful. A panic attack in between only made it more memorable. When a challenge presents itself in my life, I attempt to understand why God put me through a struggle. Sometimes I can't figure out why something bad happens, but this time I really felt that my panic attack occurred so that I might be more empathetic to others who suffer from extreme anxiety. One day I know it will help someone else. I do not plan on having another attack, but I know exactly where my brown paper bags are in the pantry...just in case.

WEATHER REPORT: ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH

My son is one month old. I am in love and I only wish I felt this way with my first born. With my first son, I was so depressed and exhausted. My love for him slowly developed into the intense motherly-love that it is today. I'm still exhausted, but with my second son I am also delightfully overwhelmed with the sudden love-sick feeling I have for him. I praise God for allowing me to feel both experiences. It makes me understand and empathize with other moms who suffer from depression. It also makes this time around that much sweeter.

BROTHER LOVE

Big brother kisses.

Two boys. I'm in love with both of them. It's been 6 days since I gave birth to my son. I am blessed to feel so in love. I remember how bad it was at this same time with my first. Depression robbed me of bliss, but only for a short time. This time around I am not depressed. I am not anxious. I am not "crazy." 

I am happy. I am grateful. I am blessed to be perfectly content in my newborn-induced exhaustion. Thank you, Jesus.   

WEATHER REPORT: SPECIAL DELIVERY

Gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy on November 9th. He came a little early, but am I glad he did! At 4'10" (on a good day) and a tiny torso, I was glad to push him out! Feeling so different this time around...no signs of depression and so thankful for my medication. It is still early, but I am confident I am going to feel healthy this time around. I am exhausted...so trying to sleep when the baby sleeps, but it's next to impossible because I'm so excited and in love!!!!