Horses, Cakes, and Other things I love

Downy Unstopables

2011-07-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. Alot has happened since then. Old Jack passed away on the hill. His death was not so peaceful and it left an ache in all our hearts. It doesn't make me feel better to think he might be in the glue sticks I buy my kids for the new school year. But it does make me happy to know he is at peace now. Souls are Eternal. I do know that.

The horses have had a number of illness, absesses, aches, and pains, but everyone is in pretty good repair at the moment. Cajun gets one more shot and then I think I start riding again-- really slow rehab.

We've seen quite a few snakes of various sizes. Hopefully they were all gopher snakes.

I ran over a squirrel and contributed to the Vulture's buffet.

And now something totally unrelated. I got a free sample of Downy Unstopables. In order to get the sample, I promised to review the product and post my findings. And while I know they have no way of knowing if I am a girl of my word, the truth is I am a girl of my word and I feel I must follow through and tell you what I think.

This product is to scent your clothes. It does not clean them. It freshens them in the wash and it stays in your clothes/linens for weeks after they are washed. The scent is nice. I particularly like it when the wash is running and the whole upstairs smells like it. It gives me a false sense that my house is clean. It is not overwhelming and so far has no triggered any allergic reactions. This is a big deal for my household as we all have sensitive skin. I have used it on towels mostly, because I am too scared to try it on clothes when we do tend to have allergic reactions. If all goes well with the towels, I will try it on outer clothes, and then blankets and underoos.

You don't have to use very much of the product to get good results. But in a way it does seem silly to buy a separate product just for smells.

Paja the trouble maker

2011-03-15T08:42:00.001-07:00

Paja went in for his x rays and what not. Too bad there isn't a mileage program from trailering horses. Paja would have earned some free flights by now.

On Saturday it was just me on the ranch. I took Shane and Cody up to the arena and let them stretch their legs. Neither one was very interested in running. Cody more so than Shane. They both wanted to stick their heads between the fence and nibble on the long green grass growing on the other side. I left them up there to graze.

I took out Cajun and let him roll in the round pen. He didn't like seeing the boys up in the arena, knowing he didn't get to join them. I tied him up and groomed him before he got an silly ideals. He is still going through treatment for his left injury. He can't be running around like a maniac. Next month we start the slow process of rehabilitation. I am going to do some research and write up a plan.

After I put Cajun away, I took out Prinze and did a 10 minute mini lesson. I would like to build up his endurance and get him in shape. He is in the prime of his life. Might as well. After wards we walked to the grass and I let him eat. He always eats the grass like it's the last time he will ever eat and he needs to get as much as he can. Kind of like me with chocolate.

I got the boys in the arena back in their stalls and locked up.

It felt good to get 4 horses out in one visit.

Another funny Aislin Story

2011-02-21T15:12:00.000-08:00

Aislin was telling me about her amazing day and I responded, "Whoa!!"

Immediately she stopped in her tracks and looked up at me.

When we both realized what she had done we broke out laughing.

Aislin my dear-- Prinze is not a kleenex and YOU are not a horse.

Naughty Little Prinze

2011-02-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

Aislin was walking Prinze in the round pen on a lead and I was on the other side of the fence grooming Cajun. Aislin yells to me, "Mom! You have to get Prinze! He is being naughty!" I immediately look up to see if naughter means dangerous, but they are both just standing there, doing nothing. So I yell back, "What's he doing?
She replies, "He is getting his boogers on me!" And just at that moment he nuzzles his head into her belly. She shouts at him, "PRINZE! I am NOT your kleenex!"

Oh man. It was funny.

Paja

2011-02-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

Paja is the alpha male on the ranch.
And he has an ulcer.
He also a some nasty thing I can't remember the word for-- but basically his bone is pressing on the tendon in his ankle bone-- it's irreparable-- and eventually the pain will overcome him.

Not a happy day.

So he is now retired.

Cajun's diagnosis is also more serious than we thought. 8 months of therapy and then an additional 6-8 months to regain range of motion. So he is on a walk only regimen until further notice.

Both of these horses are so full of energy and LOVE to run.
It's really not fair.
But it never is, is it?

Finally made it back out

2011-01-24T09:48:00.001-08:00

I had family events the past few weeks so Cajun was a little miffed with me today when I went out to see him. He was a little nippy--- regressing into old behavior-- because he hasn't had any reinforcement in the past few weeks. After the round pen he seemed much better and the grooming routine went really well. No pawing the ground or trying to get to the hay. He once again had lead in his feet when it came time to picking his hooves. He doesn't do this for the trainer or the ferrier. Just me. I think it's a challenge and he is seeing if he really has to listen to me, trying to jockey for position if you will, trying to see just who is the dominant one in the relationship. He has alot of trust issues, especially when you go for his face. I hope in time he will trust me and allow that trust to generalize to all people.

Prinze was a doll as usual. He had alot of energy and was still pretty nervous. He is getting much better at me touching his face and lets the ropes touch him all over, but he is still braced like he is ready to bolt at any moment. In time.... all in time.

Tranquility

2011-01-08T11:51:00.001-08:00

Peaceful morning at the ranch. Just me and the boys and a morning mist.

I worked with Cajun on ground manners for 30 minutes. And then 30 minutes with Prinze.
They both were very responsive this morning and show a tremendous amount of progress for such a short amount of time. It's especially impressive when you consider they are only getting worked 1-3 times a week.

And I like being assigned to these two boys. It gives me the time to get to know their personalities, to understand their behavior, and to individualize their training.

At one point I was standing in the middle of the round pen, Prinze was busy eating the leaves that had blown in, and I was just standing, staring at the mist. It was so quiet and still. The only sounds were an occasional plane, a few birds, and Prinze crunching on leaves. I am not sure how long I was there, doing absolutely nothing. It was too perfect of a moment to pass up.
I find it very restorative to be with the horses. To be away from the city. To be away from everything. Everyone should have a place like that.

Cajun diagnosed!

2011-01-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Cajun's phantom injury has finally been diagnosed. He has a torn tendon in his "armpit". He is going to recieve shock wave therapy at the end of the month to stimulate healing. It is a relief to know the source of his pain and also to discover it is something that can he can heal and recover from. I crushed a tendon in my foot several years ago when I dropped a piece of furniture on it. I was in alot of pain for a good 6 months and even now it aches in cold weather or when I spend the whole day walking. It makes alot of sense to me why he has lingering pain even after all these months and why he only limps after a work out. Tendons take FOREVER to heal properly.

The vet doesn't want him overextending so we are constrained to minimal exercise, though I am still able to ride. So I worked with the trainer to go back to basics and try to get rid of some of his bad habits. We spent a good half hour just going over things he needs to change while being lead on a line, being groomed, and saddled. I have done it on my own twice since then and I am really impressed with Cajun's growth. He has sort of an oddball personality, but he is kind and eager to please. As soon as I was able to communicate what I wanted from him in a language he understood, he was very willing to give it to me.

My handicap comes from only owning one horse most of my life and not having an arena or trainer. We kind of made up our own set of rules. She had my back and I had hers. I had some training when I first got her and then attended a week long horse camp once, but for the most part it was just me and my horse on a trail in the middle of Alaska. So the language I spoke with her is not universal and these other horses don't know what I am asking.
Cajun is not the only one going back to basics. I have to relearn everything. The trainer will show me something and I think, 'Did I know that and forget it? Or is this new?" Eitherway, it's like baking with a bowl and whisk and then someone buys you a kitchenaide. You think to yourself, "How on earth did I ever get by before?"

Wreckless Abandon

2010-11-16T13:04:00.001-08:00

My husband and I were having a discussion over two types of people. Those who seek stability and control. And those that seek adventure and spontanteity. It does seem you are one or the other. In general of course.

I lean towards the control side of things. And when I say lean, I mean I am 100% on the control side of things with my feet cemented in the ground and my arms buckled to the buildings.

On Saturday I saddled up Cajun and let him run. The past few times I've ridden I've been bareback and our lessons have been small and slow. But the weather was perfect. I felt good. He felt good. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

It was the first time he ran where I was in control the entire time. There was no moment when he pushed his head through the reigns and was running me around. And because I knew I was in control, I felt free.

You see, for me wreckless abandon is a cold, calculated, process, involving alot of data and planning. You research the event, calculate the risks, manuever to avoid risks, and then when all has been done to ensure success, you take that leap of faith-- which doesn't feel like much of a leap of faith-- because you are 99% sure where you are going to land.

I'd like to say I felt the wind blowing through my hair, but I was wearing a helmet. Again, a little preventative step that allows for greater freedom. Minimizing the risk of injury increases the amount of risk you are willing to take.

So there I was. With a horse I've grown to know. In a fully enclosed area. With a helmet. And someone else present just in case. Cajun had also been let out earlier so most of us wiggles were out. The perfect set up for wreckless abandon.

Not so wreckless. And when I say abandon, I mean as controlled as possible.

But that's me. And that's how I do it. And for me, it was bliss.

A New Path for Prinze

2010-10-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

First of all I have to admit I have no idea how to spell Prinze's name. I've seen it spelled 3 different ways and I am stumped. So I've decided to go with Prinze. We've made a drastic change in his training plan. Instead of harnass training, we are going to saddle train him and let Aislin show him next season. For one, the equipment is much cheaper. For another, there aren't alot of opportunities around here to show a mini in a harnass. This will give us a reachable goal and give Prinze the training and exposure he craves. Aislin loves Prinze and they have a certain respect for each other. I think it's a good fit and a good adjustment. When Aislin gets too big for Prinze we can train Oliver (who is currently 2) to be her replacement. Marsha also has some grandchildren who are younger that can take advantage of a small gentle pony trained to let little kid's ride. Marsha got the tiniest saddle I have ever seen on ebay. We just need a girth for it, as the one it came with is too big. I'll post pics as soon as we get a successful fit.

I have been working with Prinze on lunging which is way harder than it looks. Have I said that already? Who knew. Honestly. Who knew.
I have also been working in desensitizing him to having hands around his mouth and getting him ready for a bridle and bit.

Tracey is ever patient and often points out my lack of presense; I don't have enough energy in my body. Isn't that the story of my life? I am a walking zombie. Maybe I should start listening to some rockin' music on my way to the horses. Worth a shot.

Pomegranates!

2010-10-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

We found a pomegranate tree on the ranch. It is full of ripening fruit. We cracked one open and it was perfectly tart and crisp. If you are local and want a few, I am sure there will be plenty to go around, just let me know.

Cajun got a nice run in the arena today. His limp didn't seem so bad, but then when I got on his back and gave him a little trot, I could really feel it. It's such a strange injury. No one can find the cause or the injury or the treatment. But it's definitely there. I don't know if there is something I should be doing for it. Should I rub his legs down when I am done? Should they get wrapped when I ride? I am stumped. He doesn't seem to be in pain though, just irritated by it.

After riding him for a while, he decided he was done and stopped at the gate. It was impressive. He planted those feet. I had his head turned in so far his nose was practically on my boot and he still wasn't moving. Finally I took my feet out of the stirrups and gave him a hard kick. I don't like to do that, but he's like a toddler in a tantrum- it's a pivotal moment when you can't let them learn a horrible lesson. Tantrums can't prove successful.

Aislin rode Cody and Shane. Her first time on Shane.

Walnuts and Horses are not a good fit

2010-10-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today we started with Prinze. He rolled and I exercised him a little. Eliza walked him around for a bit. Then I had her lean on him and finally sit on his back. He was a little more startled by the weight. Eliza is 20 lbs more than Aislin. But he is a good pony and tries his best.
We got Cajun out to trot for Kylie. He still has a bit of a limp, but he is well enough to start conditioning. The vet has given him the go ahead as well. So now I just need to start formulating a plan for him.
There are a few nut trees on the property and Eliza got interested in the Walnut Tree and really wanted to crack a nut open. It was time for her lesson, but she was a little fixated on getting that nut opened. Her lack luster response to lesson time prompted the trainer and owner to decide Eliza didn't get to have a lesson today. They left to tend to the horses on the hill. Eliza was devastated and cried and cried. She told me she didn't realize that she was going to lose her lesson for not acting excited. I told her that if she acting like riding was a waste of her time, than the trainer didn't want to waste her time training her. I was pretty devastated myself as it meant I wasn't going to be able to ride this morning either. One of the very important rules is you can't ride solo in the arena. There has to be someone who can run for help if you get hurt. And since they were up on the hill, it meant I was grounded as well. I pacified her by telling her we could go on the hill and look for the left over pumpkins, but then I couldn't get the gate to open. So no consulation prize. Very frustrating. But we progressed with Prinze and got Mr. Easily Bored Cajun out of his stall for a little bit. You have to count your successes where you can.

Hero

2010-10-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

I am not aware of all the details of Hero's backstory. If I remember correctly he was purchased for a younger rider and he was just too much horse for her. He is fine on the ground and fine at the walk and trot, but once he starts running he becomes uncontrollable. He was going to be used as a jumper but he has very high withers which make jumping a bad fit. I think he was rescued by Marsha by purchasing him for a whole dollar. A buck for a bucking horse. Seems about right. He is a purebred thoroughbred and 16.1 hands. My first horse was a thoroughbred-morgan. So I have a special place in my heart for thoroughbreds. In some ways to a fault, I am wired for a thoroughbred. I understand their temperment and what drives them forward. It's strange of all people that I understand this type of horse because I am the exact opposite in nature. I am not competitive. I have no desire to be first place. I'd rather everybody get along. I don't want to go fast or furious to anywhere. I'd rather go nice and steady and get there in one piece. But maybe that is why I am good fit for these hotbloods. I can tame the beast so to speak.

Anyway, I've had a secret crush on Hero since the first day I met him. But I was still new to the ranch and had to prove myself. I think she was waiting to see if I actually knew anything about horses and also waiting to see if I would show up the next week. He lives on the hill with Timber and Jack. They are free range horses. They roam the hillside in a little herd. They have human contact when getting fed, when getting their shoes, and when being put in their stalls on occasion. Beyond that they have really reverted back to a pack mentality with Jack as the Alpha Male. Today we went on the hill and brought them into the arena. Once again I was awestruck but Jack's massive head. He brought his nose up to give me an inspectory sniff and I think my whole fist could have gone up that nostril. What little control you think you have over a horse seems to get lost when you realize just how small you are. In the end I really don't think you could get Jack to do anything he didn't want to do. Luckily, he's an agreeable sort.

We tried to get Timber and Hero to run around, but they wouldn't leave Jack. So we tied Jack up and put the other 2 on leads and just walked them around. We just talked to them and pet them and reminded them of their past lives when they were people's horses. I walked Hero. Apparently, he spooks alot and Marsha reminded me to be careful everytime he raised his head and perked his ears. Hero stopped on a dime each time I asked and followed my lead. I gave him a quick brush down and then we put them in their stalls. I hope this leads to further contact with the boys on the hills.

Then I worked with Prinze and the trainer Tracy. We measured him for his harnass and it should get ordered this week. I also got a lesson on lunging. In Alaska I didn't have an arena or a round pen. I just put the saddle on and hit the trails. So lunging is something I knew about, but never did myself. It's alot to think about all at once. It's a good thing I don't embarrass easily, because I flounder quite a bit. Prinze is very forgiving and in a way it's good for me to make these mistakes againsts a 300 lb horse instead of the 1200 lbs ones. I asked Marsha at what point we would get the cart trainer working with him and she said she didn't feel he was going to need it. That between the lot of us, we could make it work. In a way that is exciting. It means I get to be a part of it from start to finish. In a way, it makes me a little sad. Prinze is the son of a champion. He was born and bred to do this. Everytime I work with him I can feel his desire to do well. Alot of the horses there are going blind or have injuries that prevent success. Prinze still has a life in front of him that could be exciting and meaningful. I have no desire to enter competition. But I hope we can find someone who wants to use his skills and show him off. Maybe he can be in parades. I don't know. I guess I never thought about to what purpose we were training him. I am not sure there is one, other than it's good for him. Something to ponder.

Reprimanded by a little girl

2010-10-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Went out to the horses by myself yesterday morning. Cajun and Cody had a grand time chasing each other around the arena. Then we saddled up. I only walked him. Since he ran so much with Cody, I didn't want to push him too hard. We worked on stops, starts, turns, backing up, side stepping. A pretty girl horse walked down the road with her rider and Cajun thought that was fantastic. What a boy. So easily distracted by a pretty girl.

Then we had some visitors out. One was a girl, early teenage years. After she had a ride on Cody, we put the big boys away and got out the 3 minis and let them stretch their legs. Watching Quincy run is one of the silliest things you can imagine. He is such a barrel with this short stubby legs. You really don't expect him to be able to move that fast. I brought Prinze back up to his stall and began brushing him down. At first I do short brisk strokes and curve the brush up at the end. It brings up all the dirt and hair to the surface so I can brush it off. The girl visiting came up to me and said something along the lines of, "That's not how you brush a horse. What works for horses and humans is to start at the top and make long smooth strokes. It soothes them."

Of course, what she said is completely true. To get a nice shiny coat you do long smooth strokes that follow the natural fall of the fur. It was just so funny to be reprimanded that all I could do was smile and laugh. She is adorable and I hope we meet at the ranch again.

A Night of Firsts

2010-10-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

Tracy was out on Thursday. Normally she comes on Tuesday when I don't bring children, so she was able to meet Aislin. Since we had a trainer, a mommy, and a very light weight willing child, we decided to have some fun and experiment with Prinze. He's worn a saddle before, but never had a rider on his back. Mostly because he is so tiny, he can't bare the weight of a full grown adult. Aislin presented us with a unique opportunity. After doing his ground work and practicing with the saddle, we brought him to the round pen bareback. Tracy held the pony and I help the girl, just in case I needed to rip her off his back quickly. But no such action was needed. Prinze seemed a little confused at first, but then tolerated her quite well. We didn't want to push our luck so after about 5-10 minutes we ended the exercise. It was very encouraging. Prinze knows Aislin. She leads him around and pushes him into fences. He stops when she stops. He walks when she walks. She is also climbing up the fences and jumping all around while I am working with him, which has taught him to tolerate sudden movements and has helped him learn to relax and trust the world around him. I think because it was Aislin on his back, he knew to stay calm and trust. Tracy also taught me how to begin training him to take a bit. It was surprisingly easy. It makes me wonder if he had some sort of training on this before he was rescued. Or maybe he is just very eager to make up for lost time and get on with his life.

Cajun was annoyed that the other horses were getting out and he was stuck in. He kicked at the stall whenever I walked by. So right before I left, I took just a few minutes to bring him down to the round pen. He rolled in the dirt and I had him trot for Tracy to see his improvement on his limp. Tracy has been around horses enough to have a knowledge and confidence I don't have. But because of her lengthy experience she has also experienced more of the dangers horses can represent. It keeps her on her toes and makes her aware of situations I don't see. So she is more confident in the areas you should be confident and more cautious in the areas you need to be cautious. Sometimes I faulter and get cocky when I don't have the expertise to back it up and get scared when I should be confident. Tracy is retraining my brain and reminding me of the horsewoman I used to be. And hopefully, in the end, an ever better one.

Cajun must have read my blog

2010-10-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Cajun must have read my blog because he was a little angel when I picked his feet. He is usually a real pain in the neck to pick. Instead of adjusting his weight and lifting his foot for you, he leans on the leg and pushes against you. Finally if you get the foot off the ground, he lets his leg hang in your arms and you carry the weight while you try to clean his feet. I am usually sweating by the time I am done. However, this time he picked up each foot real nice and easy and I was done in less than 2 minutes. The farrier came out this week and trimmed them, so maybe he had a refresher on proper horse foot cleaning etiquette.

We had the 3 boys on the arena, getting some exersise. Cody, Shane, and Cajun. Shane is the responsible adult out of the group. He moves with such grace and dignity. He is often appalled by the behavior of the other young boys. Cody inspires Cajun and they find trouble together, trying to catch each other's halters in their teeth, etc. We walked around bareback with only halters. I mean--- I may have ridden bareback-- except the chiropractor told me not to ride for a week and Saturday only would have been 5 days. But if I had ridden-- I only would have walked and paid special attention to my neck position the entire time. The best part was when Marsha asked if I had ever ridden Cajun bareback and when I said no her advice was, "Well I don't think he'll roll with you on him, but you know, it is Cajun." Shane became very jealous of Cody and Cajun and he actually spooked Cajun at one point and he jumped to the left. I was a wee bit proud of myself for predicting the movement and not losing my seat. It's been 13 years since I've ridden bareback.

I also worked with Prinz. We fashioned a saddle on him and made him lunge with the girth tight around his waste and the stir ups flopping by his side. He did just fine.

In the time out chair

2010-10-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Went to the chiropractor for some pain and found out my neck is all messed up. Instead of a backwards C shape, I am a forward S, or something like that. So 3 months of therapy. For this week and maybe next I am forbidden to ride. If I have an increase in pain because of therapy they want to know it is the therapy causing the problem, so they are eliminating the other possibilities, no horses, no gym, etc etc.
So on my last visit I just did some ground work. It was really hot. And to tell you the truth, we were dragging our feet anyway. We spent some time letting the horses munch grass in the shade and we studied the walnut trees and the 2 hind legs of a rabbit that some creature left behind. My guess is coyote. A snake would have take the legs.

We had all three minis out. Dusty's leg was worse than ever. Locking up and then popping back with a loud crack every time. He seems annoyed, but not in pain. But maybe he is like me and has just learned to live with pain on a daily basis. Quincy was as stubborn as ever. Prinz as eager as ever.

I walked Cajun down and he didn't feel like moving a whole lot. I made sure I picked his feet really well to avoid aggrivating the thrush. I am pretty sure if the chiropractor saw the amount of effort it takes to pick Cajun's feet he would say I couldn't do that either. Cajun makes you carry the weight when you pick his feet. It is a work out. And it involves alot of neck strain. So don't tell my doctor.
Because of course I am going back tomorrow to do it all again.

My first wedding cake

2010-09-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for Johnny and Nicole, my cousins. Technically Nicole is Jeremie's cousin, but by marriage I am a cousin and by marriage Johnny is now my cousin. And I don't do all that wierd "Hi, this is Nicole, my husband's cousin." Whatever. She's my cousin and she's my family.

Anyway, I thought they were all very brave to let my very first wedding cake be their wedding cake.
Thankfully, it was my best work to date.

These first two photos were just me playing around with the flowers to figure out how they should go. The ribbon and pearls are both fondant, but the flowers are silk. Someday I will learn to make sugar flowers. Maybe.

The final product.

A close up of the final product. The ribbon and pearls both had shimmery glitter on them.

Jeremie said I should take a picture with the cake. It's really hard to say no to a good looking man when he talks all perdy to you......

Thrush

2010-09-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Cajun's blue boot got left on a little too long and he has a bit of thrush. Thrush is a fungal disease causes by a bacteria falling in love with the moisture trapped on the horse's hoof. We treated it with some purple stuff that dyed the hoof, half of his leg, and half of Marsha. The boy needs to understand we can't go play unless he is well. Besides the foot treatment, I just brought him down to the round pen and he rolled and rolled. I tried to lunge but he won't lunge at all. He just wants to follow me around. I am going to need to do a bit of research, because this behavior baffles me. Then I gave him a good brushing and rubbed his leg a bit.

Aislin lead Prinz to the round pen and successfully steered him away from the grass. I lunged him for a bit and then had Aislin join me for a mini lesson on lunging. I was curious to see if Prinz would obey her commands. He listens to her really well on lead, but it's a whole different animal when they are free in the pen. He didn't listen. Either Aislin or Prinz didn't believe it. I am not sure which one it is. Either Prinz looked at her and thought, "You are joking right?" or Aislin looked at Prinz and thought, "Not gonna happen." So I put him back on the lead and she practiced walking and stopping. I had a proud mamma moment when she was in between Prinz and the fence. He was edging closer and closer to the fence, starting to squish her. I heard her say to herself, "Aislin, now don't panic, just go in a circle." And then she turned away from the fence, moved him in a circle and lined him back up along the fence at a safer distance. Being the nerd that I am, I nearly cried. My baby girl is learnin'!

Cake Balls

2010-09-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

I am sure there is a dirty joke in there somewhere, but I am too much of a prude to figure it out.

I got together with the ladies on my husband's side of the family to make over 200 cake balls for his cousin's wedding reception. We made Lemon, Red Velvet, and Chocolate. We doubled the recipe which produced approx. 65-70 of each flavor. After baking your cake, you crumble it up and mix in 2 cans of premade frosting. It helps to melt the frosting in the microwave for about 20 seconds beforehand. It's best to chill the dough for at least an hour, but it's not necessary.

Use a cookie scoop to roll your dough into balls.

These are lemon.

Melt chocolate and dip your cake into the chocolate.

We used white chocolate for the lemon.

Chocolate for the chocolate.

And half of each for the red velvet.

To differentiate the chocolate from the red velvet. Chocolate got white drizzle and Red Velvet got mini chocolate chips. If you are putting on chocolate chips or sprinkles do it right away so they will stick to the chocolate.

For some reason I didn't get a finished picture of the white ones. I will take some at the reception for you.

We all showed up at 4 pm (or around there) with our cake already baked- so lets say 1 hr for baking the cakes. With 6 of us working together it took about 2 1/2 hours to turn plain cakes into these little master pieces. Obviously we were chit chatting and attending children at the same time. And we made over 200. So 3.5 hours, 6 people, and 200 cake balls. A wedding cake to feed 200 people would cost at least $1000, unless you know someone who is giving you a deal. This cost about $75.

Another horseless Tuesday

2010-09-21T09:26:00.001-07:00

I have to admit it; it's been a hard adjustment giving up Tuesdays with the horses. I have roped my mother in law into babysitting so I can still go on Thursdays. I really can't justify getting a babysitter twice a week. It was different when it was daddy at home with them. It was quality time with their father. Nonetheless, it is hard for me. I've had a bit of a rough year or two. As much as I love my children and would never ever choose a paycheck over the rewards I get from raising them, there were sources of pain coming from other places that were slowly killing me. I feel like the time I have spent out there has reawakened a dying soul, rebalanced a life off kilter, renewed the audacity of dreaming.

I am a whole person. A mother. A wife. A woman. A dreamer. An achiever. And so much more.

I understand that picking poo out of a horse's hoof wouldn't thrill everyone and release their passion for life. I understand that running like the wind with 1200 lbs of power and muscle beneath you might be terrifying for others, while I find it the ultimate freedom. I am not saying a horse will solve all your problems (though you should probably give it a try). What I am saying is: Find balance in your life. Find a passion that is just for you. Continue to develop as a human. Find your reasons to smile and laugh. Count your blessings. Seek love. Experience a moment of bliss every single day- whether it's the smell of something tasty cooking in the kitchen, the smile of a baby, getting a compliment at work, stealing a kiss, find a moment and live in it.

You deserve it.

Later this week I am making my first wedding cake. It's small and simple and I am very excited and a little bit terrified. Stay tuned.

Cajun's Rescue Story

2010-09-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Cajun with his mommy. She is to the right.

When Marsha told me Cajun was purchased as a foal, I just assumed that meant he was purchased the more traditional way and that he had a normal background. He actually has a pretty fascinating story though. He was adopted out of Canada as a PMU foal.

PMU stands for Pregnant Mare Urine. While horses are pregnant they produce a special estrogen that drug companies use to make Premarin: PRegnant MAre uRINe. They are basically breeding machines. The female foals are kept to replace their worn out mothers. The colts are useless. They are sold directly to farmers or sold at auction. Many good people with good intentions will adopt these animals, but there is simply too many horses and too few buyers. Quite a few of these animals are sold to kill buyers--- people who keep them long enough to fatten them up and sell them for slaughter. To encourage adoption, the med companies have allowed better breeding resulting in strong healthy animals with good dispositions. Cajun was rescued at auction in Canada along with 2 other horses.

Here are some adoption websites I found if you want more information.
www.uan.org/index.cfm?navid=75
http://www.pmufani.org/

Today at the ranch, we put Cajun in the roundpen for a bit to air out his hoof and let it dry. Then we fitted his rubber boot on and buckled it at the ankle. I took him up to the big arena and tried to chase him around to see how he would move with his new boot. The same thing happened as last time. He just walked around and thought I was acting crazy. I tapped on the but with the whip and (just like last time) he immediately stopped and looked at me. I think this tap triggers a sort of shut down mode and he refuses to respond. But it is strange that with me running around, making noises, and snapping a whip, he simples ambles around like it's a stroll through a spring garden. For a horse so spirited, I really don't understand this behavior. Eventually I got a little bit of a trot out of him and the boot barely caused a flinch. We called it good and brought him back to his stall.

I reviewed with Prinz, lunged a little bit, desensitization with ropes, and had him drag the matt. This time I had him trot with the matt. We also measured him for a real harnass. He really is ready for the next step and we need something so he can start learning to take direction from someone behind him.

We fed the horses on the hill and picked the biggest zuchini ever. The hawk paid a visit and called to us. All in all a full and happy morning.

X rays

2010-09-17T20:18:00.001-07:00

Cajun was x rayed today by a track vet. He specializes in race horses and is therefore an expert on leg injuries. All of the x rays came back negative. He has strong healthy straight bones. So his shoes are coming off and he is going to be treated as if he had a soft tissue injury. Perhaps he has a stone bruise or an absess. He will get his foot soaked in epsom salt water twice a day. And his shoes are going to come of and stay off for a while. The good news is I will still be able to ride and as long as he is happy, I can do whatever he wants to do. If he wants to run I can still run.

Because I missed Tuesday, I am sneaking in a ride tomorrow morning. Yay!

Minow Takes a Ride

2010-09-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

I had to skip Tuesday because of my husband's new job. Not a bad reason to skip the horses, but still a painful sacrifice. In my absense the trainer worked with Prinz and was impressed with how much he seemed to enjoy pulling the matt. Such an improvement. Unfortunately she also noticed Cajun was still not putting full weight on his left front foot. So tonight I took him to the arena to chase him around for a bit. He really wasn't interested in moving until we threw Cody in the arena too for a little competition. Then Cajun put on such a show. Running, bucking, rearing, side kicks, jumping over the corners of the jumps, abrupt stops and turns. It was really quite beautiful and entertaining. Then I saddled him up and walked him around. Eliza was wandering around the arena. The other horses are safe as far as animals go. But I didn't feel comfortable with anything more than a walk with Cajun while Eliza was on foot. Once she got on Cody, I moved Cajun into a trot. He was limping pretty good. He is getting x-rays tomorrow and maybe we can get to the bottom of this. As bad as it would be, I actually kind of hope the vet does in fact see something so that there is a name to the problem and a solution. If the vet sees nothing then we continue down a foggy road. And I want the boy to be happy.

While riding though- I had a funny moment. I was riding Cajun, Cody had a rider, Shane had a rider. And I looked to the round pen and Minow had a rider!!! Minow is BLIND. It was a yoga moment. One of those times you feel in the moment. Aware of all. And at peace. I just felt a funny connection between me and all the humans and all the horses and all that we were doing out there, conditioning these horses, giving them a good life, a second chance, and most importantly love. Where else is a blind horse going to have a life like this? Anybody else would have put that horse down, but here he is, enjoying life, being ridden. I go out there for purely selfish reasons. And yet, now I can add some self-righteous doing a good deed feeling to my selfishness. Pretty cool.

Cajun

2010-09-14T10:54:00.001-07:00

When Cajun starts to run wild, I go to the back of the arena and turn him in smaller and smaller circles until he physically can't go that fast to make the turn. You can also see how tight I have the reins, attempting to remind him there is a rider on his back.

Turning yet again. It is especially fun to do this when you have an audience. Geesh.
At least no one makes fun of me.

His ears are back because he is listening to me. He is not unhappy. Quite the opposite.
He is in bliss and doesn't understand why on earth I am asking him to slow down.
Again notice the reins. I am pulled back pretty tight. Did you notice it is just a halter?

Finally! We are calmed down. The tongue hangs out in happy bliss. I look a little winded though.

Cajun was purchased by Marsha and her husband Don, to be Don's horse. He is a purebred Quarterhorse. He is big and brawny and clearly doesn't know his own strength. He was raised very much as part of the family, a pet, not a work horse. Because of this he is very social and doesn't do well alone. He not only craves attention from the other horses, but from people as well. He has been well trained in Western riding. When Don picked up another horse, there was no one left to ride Cajun. The majority of the other horses on the ranch are unadoptable because of their various issues. As Cajun was the only one trained and sound he was sold. Twice. Both times the new owners couldn't figure him out. For whatever reason the last owner had shoes put on him that caused his legs to turn in. He became lame. He was not being ridden and not receiving the human contact he was used too. He became depressed. The poor shoeing and the isolation increased his pains- both mentally and physically and the owner returned him. I don't blame her, she thought it was corrective shoeing and she was unable to ride him from that point on. It took weeks to correct his feet. And perhaps a little longer for him to feel safe and happy again. He is so happy when you talk to him. So happy to receive a pat. And 1000 times happier when he feels that saddle go on and he knows he gets to go play.

I don't know why we connect with some people and not with others. Sometimes I meet someone and think to myself that they would make a perfect friend, but I just can't seen to make the connection. We just can't seem to get a conversation that really flows with that ease and comfort. It's the same with horses. Cajun and I just mesh well. It's a mutual respect and understanding that results in that ease and comfort we all want in a good friend.

My disasterous achievement

2010-09-11T15:40:00.001-07:00

It all started with the wrong chocolate cake recipe. It was too soft so it couldn't support the weight of the fondant. I watched it sag and buckle more and more each hour.
My second mistake was using store bought frosting to dirty ice it. Again too soft.
My third mistake was rolling the fondant too thin. So it cracked in places and created shadows of the dark chocolate icing beneath it.

And you know what they say. You must have a good foundation.

This is my first tiered cake. It is also my first attempt at using pearl dust.
I like the effect the dust had on the white, but think it looks a little gimmicky on the colors.

My 100th mistake was on the cake topper. I formed a bow out of blue and orange and it shattered into 1000 pieces. So the curling ribbon was a last minute fix.

All in all I am really proud of it. I made alot of mistakes, but I recognized each one and now I know how to do it better next time. I think it looks happy and cheerful, despite it's flaws.

And it's raised my confidence for next time.

The Little Prinz

2010-09-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Prinz was bred to be a harnass horse and pull a little single-man cart.
He never really got the training though because his owner got sick and she had to relocate to the East Coast. When he arrived on the ranch he was curious, but super scared of every little thing.
He is still very flighty and nervous and one of my main goals in working with him is to build his confidence and learn he is safe.

This is his sire (father). He was a champion.
This is what he will be training to do.

Tonight I brought the whole family with me so Jeremie could see what we do when we go.
I am not sure he really got to see too much though as he had to chase Oliver the entire time.
I worked with Prinz in the round pen at a walk and trot. Then I worked on desensitization with ropes. I work the ropes across his back, around his legs, I let them flop and bang. He used to run away from the ropes. Now he just stands there and waits for me to be done. Occasional he forgets and thinks the ropes are going to eat him, so I do this for at least a few minutes every time to help him improve. Then I attached a rubber matt to a long rope and had him drag it behind him. I kept it far away from his legs, bringing it up closer and closer, until it was practically bumping his heels as he walked. He will have to get used to things bumping and flapping once we get the harness and eventually the cart.

Cody and Cajun were already saddled for us when we were done with Prinz. I should have known better. Cajun is a spirited boy and needs to get his wiggles out before you saddle him. If I can get him to buck before saddling up, I know he has spent enough energy and he'll be more responsive. Every time I pulled him into a trot or canter all he wanted to do was run like the wind. It was a battle. He is a good boy though and wants to listen. I just need to make sure I do my part and run him first. Jeremie snapped a couple pictures while Cajun was running away with me. I will post them when I get the chance.

Then we drove up the hill to watch the sunset and get more zuchinis. Anybody need a zuchini? we have alot.

How it all started

2010-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

So Jennie sold some fairies and since the buyer was local, she asked if she could pick them up instead of pay for shipping. The buyer, Marsha, happened to rescue horses. So Jennie brought all of us out with her to make the delivery. All the horses have a great story. A race horse with a shattered leg that had to be trailered off the race track. A horse with fungus growing all over his skin and coat. A miniature with a bum leg. All unwanted. All needing home. Now Marsha has 11 horses. And needs help exercising all of them.

It was a fateful day when she met us.

Now Eliza works with Quincy and Dusty, two miniature horses, walking them on the lead and brushing their coats. She also takes lessons on Cody in the English saddle.

Aislin works with Prinz, a miniature horse, and rides Cody as well.

I am training Prinz to eventually pull a cart. I've never done it before. But it's amazing. Marsha even has a trainer come out to coach me when it's time to take the next step.

I ride Shane, a gorgeous Palomino. He is 17 and content with his life. When I ride him I ride English. My real job with him is to let him stretch his legs and canter. I am also working on getting him to stop sooner. It usually takes about 10 steps. But the truth is, Shane is going to take the back burner for a while because I met my horse soul mate.

His name is Cajun. He is 7 years old. Quarterhorse. He is so brawny and powerful. And such a playful kid! He reminds me of Aislin in nearly every way. He presents a bit more challenge and needs someone to play with. He is exillerating. When I ride him I ride Western WITHOUT a bit.

Here is Eliza taking a lesson. You can tell from her position that she is posting. Posting is difficult. It requires alot of muscle control and coordination. It is done at the trot.

These two photos are for your comparison to show the diversity of the horses on the ranch.
Little Quincy vs Big Jack
Notice how Quincy's shoulder comes up to Eliza's thigh. And Jack's shoulder is the same height as her head!!!

This is me and Cajun. I strategicially chose this photo as the bar on the fence covers the mommy pooch. Clever huh?

Two Cakes

2010-06-18T22:21:00.001-07:00

Not sure why it's so tiny, I took them with the same phone.
This beach cake we made for Linda's birthday. Sand, trees, flip flops, water, sea weed, and of course a shark. We tried some new techniques so it was fun.

This is the cake for Aislin. She wanted How to Train Your Dragon. All the dragon cakes online were WAY out of my league, until I found this one. That is a toy dragon from the movie bursting out of the top. I can make curls and balls. Dragons not so much.

The LOST Finale Review

2010-05-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

So let's get this straight. Whatever happened- happened. They did crash on the island. Jacob's touch prevented them from dying in the crash because he was hoping one of them would be his replacement. The smoke monster killed everyone else because he could. Because he didn't want the candidates having help.

Setting off the bomb worked. It brought the 1970's Dharma imposters back to present day. It broke the time travel cycle and corrected the timeline. Eloise sent her son to die because she knew the balance of good and evil was at stake and the loss of one is sometimes the answer to save the many.

Why did Jack have to go back? Because Sun and Jin needed to be reunited. Because Claire deserved to raise her baby. Because he had to go back and get the people they left behind (those that survived anyway) And because he had to get rid of the Smoke Monster.

When Jack tried to fight against the pricks and ignore his destiny, he failed. He became an addict and his life was falling apart. As he began to embrace his destiny, he was able to come to terms with life, lose his fear of both living and dying, and embracing love. By becoming the new Jacob he made the Smoke Monster human. By killing the Smoke Monster, he eliminated the single greatest threat to Humanity. Will there be people who want to exploit or extinguish the light in the future? Sure. That's not the point. Jack save the world and perhaps more importantly, did the one thing he set out to do, get his friends off the island.

They were not all dead from the original plane crash. Christian specifically says to Jack that they all died at different times. Some before him, like Boone and Charlie. Some after him, like Kate and Hurley. It's possible Hurley lived 1000's of years after him. We know he had "eternal life" and we know he had a nice run as Jacob by his exchange with Ben. Everything that happened- happened.

Sideways world was a moment in time where there was no time. The Spirit World. Paradise. Some sort of Purgatory, without the Dante's Inferno aspects. But not Purgatory as a punishment. More like a waiting room. There are Eastern religions that believe you must have a remembrance of your past life and a knowledge of all those that helped you in order to move forward to your next life. As they all remembered they were ready to move on.

Why didn't Ben go? Because he was hoping he would have a chance to move on with his daughter. He wanted more time to make it right.
Why didn't Miles go? I think he answered that question himself when he said, " I don't believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape." He wasn't ready. Despite his obvious belief in life at death, he wasn't ready to consider faith.

Where did the Polar Bear come from? The original Dharma Initiative that was their to try to understand the Island's gifts. They had a fully operating zoo. It wasn't until after the Purge that the zoo fell into disrepair and animals ended up back in the wild. The bear. The shark with the Dharma logo, etc etc.

What was up with Walt's power and why was he written out of the script? They have said more than once it was altered by an 11 year old boy playing an 8 year old character, who then had a growth spurt and is now 6 feet tall. They said they would explain more in the dvd.

What was up with Aaron's pre-birth curse? And why was he such a big deal? That is one I would like explained.

Why didn't the Man in Black have a name? Because his mother didn't give him one. She named Jacob and then when the twin was born said she only had one name picked out. It was fake mother's tribute to their real mother is some sort of sick way, to not name the son that wasn't hers and to keep the name their real mother had chosen. She killed their mother for 2 reasons. One- mothers can't be candidates because they love and are attached. So she was useless to Fake Mother. But more than that, she would raise the kids on a different path and Fake Mom wanted to sculpt them to replace her. So she isolated them from all other influences and raised them to believe the Island was all there was to living.

I am not sure Jacob brought people to the island that were not candidates. I think he brought the candidates and the others were just lucky enough not to die in the plane crash. He tried his best not to interfere because he wanted the Candidate to feel he/she had a choice, that there was free will. He knew eventually his brother would figure out how to kill him, so he was trying to be prepared. Alot of people died over many many years in trying to find a candidate, but it was for Humanity, the very balance of light and dark. We send people to war for far lesser reasons.

I think the ending was beautiful. Many of the deaths throughout the 6 years were so that other's could live. And it showed that death is but a small separation and that in the end, we will all be together. And love is what really matters.

Let's start a discussion on what you liked and didn't like. Feel free to disagree with me. That's part of the fun.

Hike For Hope May 1st

2010-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Hike for Hope is a Memorial Hike/ Fundraiser to raise money for The Hope Hospice, the facility that allowed for my father to pass away in his own home, surrounded by his books, his dog, and his family. The nurses would come to the house and administer a plethora of pain killers to make him as comfortable as possible.
At the time of his death, the Hope Hospice told us never in their history had they received so many donations on behalf of one individual. They said to make a t-shirt or wear a photo of the person you were hiking for. It was a no brainer. We were The Bears.

We had to flip Oliver's hat inside out. You can't wear a red hat when you are wearing Oski.
He is always trying to sneak in the back seat of the van or into the passenger seat and use a "real" seatbelt. So imagine his glee when we road the shuttle to the hike's starting point. Bliss I tell you.

In addition to identifying flowers and looking for birds, voultures, and butterflies, we had some grazing cows to hike through. Aislin decided to be scared about that. And as the sensitive thoughtful mother I am, I took a picture.

This was the backside of the hike. Rolling green hills. The first half of the hike was along the river and Little Yosemite. I think in total we went just about 3 miles up and down hill. Very proud of my girls.

Oliver had the best seat in the house, on DJ's back. Near the end he conked out. I think we were all a little envious.

The only incident was when the volunteers directed me to a parking spot in an overgrown meadow. I slowly pulled into my designated spot and got high centered on 2 boulders. Now Terri has to take her car in and get it checked out because it is making an uncomfortable noise.

The Cal Bears theme was a major hit. Not alot of people wore their commemorative shirts, etc, and certainly no one was a unified team like we were. We received alot of attention and compliments for our team effort. We made a few people cry too. It was sad and nice at the same time. It felt good to be a part of it. In total the event raised $76,941.00

Larissa's Sweet 16.

2010-02-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

Here I am in the air chamber.
This was my 2nd flight.

My first flight I bounced off the wall and ground several times, so I'm not posting that one.

If Jennie posts her pics, I will steal some to add to this.

We also made another attempt at a fondant cake.
I will persevere until I can figure out how to get those wrinkles out!

When the creativity flows.....you go with it.

2010-01-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

Terri and I have been spending some serious time with the Cake Boss lately. And we decided to take on Fondant for Rachel's Baby Shower. NOT BAD for our very first attempt.
The hardest part was laying the white fondant. You can see the ripples on the bottom. It worked for this cake, because it was supposed to a present and presents can can crinkles in the wrapping paper, but I really don't know how we are going to get that super smooth finish you see on tv.

It required alot of cutting and measuring, but in truth, was relatively easy to work with.

Later, when rereading the directions, we discovered a missing ingredient that would have fixed alot of our problems in molding the fondant. Lesson learned.

And this is what the girls did for Christmas gifts.

Plan craft boxes decorated with modge podge and clippings from magazines.

I asked them to think of that person and then think what color they were. Some of the answers were fun and surprising, most were blue for boy and pink for girl. Then they flipped through magazines and decided what each person should have. I "helped" with some of the ideas, but for the most part, they really chose what was going on each one.

Pretty sweet. And less than a dollar to a piece, even counting the glue and paint brushes we bought.

When in Rome.....eat chicken head

2010-01-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a semi-comprehensive list of things Jeremie has eaten in China.

Chicken Head
Frozen Swallow Spit
Frog
Jelly fish
Chicken Knees
Fish eyes balls
Crab brains
Shrimp Brains
The Entire Shrimp- shell, eyeballs, antennae and all
eel
tips of pig ear
Duck tongue
Cow stomach
pig stomach
goose
chicken feet
goose feet
Scorpion
bitter melon
cubed Ostrich
purple sweet potatoe
abalone
5 new varieties of mushroom
steamed chestnuts
squid tentacles
3 varieties of Tofu, including dry tofu
Durian
fish meatballs
And McDonald's pineapple pie

Hair Cut

2010-01-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

The shorter cut. I do it without bangs too, so I will post those to show the difference.
I have to admit I liked it better before the chop, so I will probably grow it back out to the one below. However, another part of me thinks I should cut it one more time and try something short and drastic. I mean, I don't know if I will ever be this short again, this is my chance, I kind of want to jump with both feet. But I am also chicken. So we'll see.

Wild and free

Normal

No curling iron

Small flip

Curled

Unfortunately, it took me so long to post these, I've since cut it even shorter. So I will try to get some new ones. It is hard when you have to take them yourself and be like those crazy facebook people that take pictures of themselves all the time for their profile. If you are one of those crazy facebook people- I love you and your constant photo updates make me happy-- so don't stop.

Breakfast With Santa

2009-12-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry, it's been such a long time since I've updated. First I lost my camera when we moved somehow. And lost alot of pics that were on it. Then I got a new camera, but I still don't have internet on my laptop, so I can't download all my pics. These were emailed to me, so I got to post them. I had to post the one with my big mouth catching flies. I thought it was neato.

Aislin's Face

2009-10-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Day 1, 2, and 3.

These pictures don't do it justice at all. You could see the swelling and black eye from a mile away. It was encredible and jaw dropping. We stopped people in their tracks walking in the store.

She face planted into the corner of the coffee table. It swelled so fast and furious, I really thought we were going to the ER.

It's been 8 days now and there is still bruising, a bit of swelling, and there is some hard tissue under the scrape. I am a little concerned about the hard stuff because I don't want her to be disfigured or lopsided. My hope is that it will go down, dissolve, whatever.

We'll see.

My poor injured baby.

Jeremie's blog

2009-09-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Jeremie does not get blogspot or facebook while in China, so please visit his blog to keep up with him. http://worldtraveler1978.spaces.live.com/

I think you need to be invited by him to view, so let me know if you need an invitation.

First Day of School

2009-09-09T12:04:00.001-07:00

Eliza started the 1st grade and Aislin started Kindergarten.

Eliza had to have Skechers because she saw them on a commercial.

What is this world coming to?

Oliver's First Birthday

2009-09-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks Grandma Theresa for throwing a party for Oliver!

Catch up Posts Part 1

2009-09-09T11:40:00.001-07:00

A beauty day at Waimanalo Bay to celebrate the wedding of Caleb and Chloe

Eliza was the flower girl. She was so grown up and did such a good job.

Even standing up there through the whole ceremony.

Aislin drumming. Music is in her soul. She can't help it.

Daddy and Oliver. Jeremie was an usher, but really a groomsman. He had the same clothes as the groomsman, walked the groom's mom down the aisle, and stood in the pics with all the groomsman. Yes, a rose by any other name is still a groomsman.

It was a beautiful day and a wonderful way to spend one of our last days in Hawaii.

Waterfalls

2009-07-25T14:32:00.001-07:00

We drove all the way around Big Island in search of a waterfall we could swim in. Never found it. This is Waimea Falls back on our home island of Oahu. We have lived here a year and finally made it to Waimea Falls. The life guard swam out at one point to check on Jeremie and Oliver. That was a little embarrassing, but comforting at the same time.

Akaaka Falls. 400 ft drop. Big Island. No Swimming.

This was part of a botanical gardens tour....can't remember the name of the falls.
I'll get back to you on that.

Rainbow Falls. The signs said no swimming, but later we were told that locals swim here all the time. Drat.

Volcano

2009-07-11T19:33:00.001-07:00

Hopped over to Big Island with Aunt Deanna. What an amazing trip!

Not sure how well you can see in this picture, but the Vog coming off the volcano was very red.

We went through a Lava tube. It was alot bigger and longer than we thought.

The entrance to the tube was in a gorgeous rain forest. Everything looked oversized, like we were in a cartoon or fairy tale.

Inside the tube.

Example of the ripples, as the lava slowly rolled and cooled.

Mass Devastation. Half of the island looks like this. Just massive destruction on a scale I have never seen before. We walked on lava flows from the 1800's to 2007.

The Plume. Very intimidating. It just felt crazy to be driving closer and closer. Who drives TOWARDS a volcano! Pure exilleration. We could have gone closer, but the gates didn't open until 5 pm and we had a LONG drive to make to the other side of the island. That just gives us a reason to go back!

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

My heart bursts when I look at this photo. I think I am going to have to frame this one.

Our excellent castle building skills.

Jeremie pointing to Deanna, who is floating off to sea.

I love you like a mango. And so does Oliver.

We are up on the hill behind our house. You can see Diamond Head over my shoulder.
Like the coordinating 4th of July colors?

Neighborhood Mystery Fruits

2009-06-26T16:26:00.001-07:00

We always see fruit trees around the neighborhood full of fruits we don't recognize. If we see one on the ground, we take it home and attempt to discover what it is. There has been one tree that has been driving us all crazy. It had gigantic green balls growing all over it. We desperately wanted to take one home, but they were never on the ground. I've taught the girls it's only ok to take from the ground and this was a true test of my integrity because I wanted it badly.

It just so happened that on one such walk the tree's owner was outside! Eliza, being the shy, reclusive type, waltzed up to him and asked what kind of fruit it was. Jeremie's guess was some sort of grapefruit and he was nearly right.
It was a pomelo. The Pomelo is a citrus fruit closely related to the grapefruit.
He said most of the neighborhood steals all of his pomelos long before they are ripe and he can harvest them. To reward Eliza's admiration for his fruit, he gave her one! Hurray for us!

To show the size. It really was bigger than her head.

It tasted like a sour grapefruit. We added ALOT of sugar and it still wasn't very good. I don't know if that is because it's a pomelo or because it wasn't quite ripe yet.
But it was a fun adventure.

Oh- and I guess I should explain Eliza's skull cap. It is one of Oliver's baby caps that the girl's wear when they pretend to be goblin's in Labyrinth. "Say the right words," the goblins said...

A few more bday pics and Oliver standing

2009-06-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

We had the party on Saturday, but Aislin's real birthday was Monday.
We went to Punahou and played at the play ground.

Oliver has been pulling himself to stand for a couple of weeks now.
He is VERY proud of himself and thinks he is such a big boy when he does it.

SUCCESS!

Then we went to Menchie's for dessert with a gift card Aislin got as a gift from a gorgeous Russian lady.

Aislin getting a birthday phone call from Uncle Joshy.
You would think she is over reacting, but this is pretty normal behavior for her.

Aislin The Birthday Girl

2009-06-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Lovely matching dresses courtesy Nana in Utah.

I made cupcakes for all the guests and purchased an ocean- themed mini cake from Safeway.

Even though everyone had their own, my sweet girl still shared hers with her sister and friend.

Very cute.

She was embarrassed by the singing, which is funny seeing as she is the singing machine.

Can you see how the cake is melting? This was a bout 30 seconds before she dropped that cake on the ground. The kids still ate it......

And then after that my camera battery died.

And so it goes.

Goodbye School Hello Summer

2009-06-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

Since I don't know these kids' parents, I am not going to use names or even name the school for their protection. I mean, if someone's in the witness protection program I don't want to blow it.
Every Friday after school we stayed to play at the playground with all the other kids who stay after because their parents work, etc. It consisted of many of Eliza's friends so it worked out well.

We took the camera so we could add some photos to the back of Eliza's yearbook with her and her friends.

These girls mauled Oliver every Friday. I tried my best to keep them at bay.
I am sure that is why I had two kids on antibiotics last month.

Eliza and her boyfriend. He is "pretending" to kiss her in this photo.
My he is brave. Rest assured I had a little chat with him afterwards about not kissing until he is 16.

They were boyfriend-girlfriend for the entire school year.
I honestly can't believe it. Maybe I should have stopped it.
I don't know. But I was impressed they never "broke up". I guess there isn't alot to fight about in Kindergarten. They made a pact to find each other in college to get married.

Can you believe how quickly she has grown?

Oliver's First Crawl

2009-06-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Showing off his Aloha Wear from Grandma Liz.

What are the odds you will actually have your camera in hand when your baby takes his first crawl!? I am pretty excited to have these photos. He's been doing the army crawl since about 7 1/2 months, but this was his first forward movement with his belly off the ground. Pretty impressive ma boy.

Great Grandparents Come to Visit

2009-05-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

The 1st and 4th living generations.

Liz and Eliza. Eliza was pretty excited to figure out
Liz stood for Elizabeth, and thus has Eliza in it.

Picnic in Manoa. For a while there, we offered the only choice in premium quality great grandchildren, but Tyson was born in November and Grandbaby #5 is due in September.
The reign is over.

I am rarely in the photos since I am the photographer.
So here I am with ol' blue eyes.

Pineapple ice cream from the Dole Plantation.
We saw the sea turtles, went to the aquarium, made them eat L&L, walked the mall, splashed at Waikiki, strolled The International Marketplace and ate, ate, ate.

Thanks for visiting!

Aislin the Fisher Queen

2009-05-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Park Ranger, or whatever he was, hooked this guy and let Aislin bring 'em up.
She was excited, but terrified to be near it. She kept swinging it as far away from her as possible, so finally the man had to hold the fish close so I could get a shot. By the end she was touching the fish. She is a slow-to-warm kind of girl.

Climbing a tree.

Here is another classic Aislin look.
Hold on to your seats folks. We're in for a wild ride.
She is feeding the ducks and the fish on the other side of the lake.
You can't feed them on the catch and release side.

On my last cast I finally caught something. Cute ain't ee?

So now my mommy-daughter dates are done and it's daddy's turn again.

So much fun!

Eliza Ice Princess

2009-05-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

Eliza and I had a mommy daughter date to the Ice Palace.
My guess-- 8 out of 10 of these places are called the Ice Palace.

She clung to me and the wall for the first half hour or so and then slowly got braver.
The animal came out when the disco balls dropped and the spot lights spun.
She HAD to be in the spotlight and let go of my hand to chase it around the floor.

Warming up with some extremely hot scalding hot cocoa and popcorn.

She now says she wants every mommy daughter date to be at the Ice Palace, as well as her birthday party.

One cute note: whenever something really good happened she would comment that she wished her little sister was there to "see that" or "hear that" or "try that". What a sweet girl she is.

Running from Ducks

2009-04-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Mr. Oliver checking out the ducks. I couldn't find his hat, so this is a newborn hat that doesn't fit. I think it's pretty funny.

The one picture I got of Aislin feeding the ducks. She was too scared and kept running out of the picture. Most of them looked like this:

When we started the walk we had about 4 ducks with us. As we progressed to the lake, additional duck troops came out of the woodwork. We weren't even feeding them yet! They just knew! Somebody pay the piper!

The mongoose may be considered a rodent or pest by some, but I think they are so darn cute and I love to watch them. Here is a little guy that wanted to see what we were up too.

Wild Jellyfish

2009-04-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

It began one innocent evening as in 1997-98. Somewhere around there. I was accompanying a bunch of mormon kids to the movies. I didn't even think about the movie because I assumed that with the crowd, I would be safe. I bought my ticket and glanced at the title "Event Horizon". I had no idea what it was about, but Horizons are hopeful right? Wrong.
It was one of the scariest movies I have ever seen and one particular scene involved jellyfish. And my fear of jellyfish began.

Living in Hawaii I have been able to work on this fear and I have to say I have come a long way. I think I have a healthy respect for jellyfish and no longer fear them.

My new fascination is with the cookie cutter shark. One fun thing to do is to google images of cookie cutter shark bites, you know, if you need something to do.

But moving along, despite my more rational relationship with the jellies, I couldn't help but be in awe at this experience.
We were walking along the Ala Wai, a fairly disgusting canal along Waikiki, when Eliza said, "There's a jellyfish." Without even looking I replied, "It's probably a plastic lid, not a jelly..." And then I saw it actually was a jellyfish. There was another jellyfish every few feet along the canal. Some were the size of an Oliver fist, some the size of a Jeremie fist. It was pretty encredible to see them free and wild. We've seen them at the aquarium and dead on the beach, but this was the first time they were there, all threatening, etc. I told Jeremie I would touch one if it came close enough to the side, but fate was against me. Maybe next time.

Rapunzel Hair

2009-04-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Lava Lavas have so many uses. The princess is using one as a dress and the other as a wig.

All the way to the ground, just like Rapunzel!

You can see the fire in those eyes. Heaven help us.

And the little man is starting to scoot around.

He pulled himself up the side of the playpen. So it's time to lower it.

Too bad for me, now I'll have to bend down to lift that hefty 20 somethin' pounder out.

Charles Widmore - 0 Melinda - 1

2009-04-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

Looky Looky, Momma found the Dharma Initiative!

I even found the burnt building but when I went back to snap the pic it was gone. Boy they are good!

Notice the awning over the yellow box on the wall.
Then look for it in this screencap from darkufo.com

Charles Widmore has spent how many years and how much money to find this?

And I found it! Yippee!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Grandma Theresa for this great bunny full of goodies!

They love their brother. Not sure if he is returning the love in this photo.
Looks a little concerned.

Thanks Aunt Cherie for the cute bunnies!

Almost a smile from the little man.
The matching outfits courtesy of Nanna.

Easter Bunny. And two gorgeous girls.

more photos tomorrow.

Diamond Head with Daddy

2009-04-12T00:04:00.000-07:00

Eliza and Jeremie hiked Diamond Head together.
She got to hold the map and was the Navigator.
Below is a tunnel cut through part of the mountain.

The colors of the ocean are amazing.

Viewing the Waikiki side.

The view of the middle of the crator.

Jeremie said Eliza didn't complain, never got tired, etc etc.
She did a great job and felt her importance as Navigator.
What a great memory in the making.

Teacher's Baby Shower

2009-04-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is a strategic photo. I was actually trying to sneak in photo of the boy in front of Eliza. This is her BOYFRIEND. Yes, you heard me right. She told me about him the first day of school, that she was in love with him, but he didn't know it. Apparently, they've been in love since October. That's quite a long term relationship for Kindergarten. She says they play together, sit together at lunch occasionally, but do not hold hands or kiss. Thank goodness! One time we we were playing at the playground after school he was there. When we were leaving he ran over to us to make sure he said goodbye to her. It was really cute. So do I let this be a cute kindergarten thing or do I lay down the law and tell her she can't have a boyfriend until she's 16?

This is Eliza's teacher. She had a babyshower for the class at school, during class time. I sort of thought it was weird to use class time to get gifts and eat cake. But it was really nice for the kids to be a part of the celebration. She is on maternity leave now. I am actually hoping she never comes back. I love mommies to be able to stay home with their babies.

Two little ladies in a line.
There were playing a game to measure the teacher's belly with string. They both chose too small. It was a nice party. I really don't know alot of the other moms because they won't let me volunteer for anything because I have younger kids. I do try to show up and spend money whenever they have events. It's the best I can do. How are you involved with your kids in school?

Oahu Guest Bedroom Available!

2009-04-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
We've had 4 families come to visit in the past 7 weeks. It has been a little messy, but SO much fun. We don't have any scheduled visitors again until August, so the guest bedroom is available to anyone who wants to spring for a cheap(er) Hawaii vacation. Plus, now that we've had a few guests, we are way better at hosting. Flights are cheap(er) these days. And with no hotel costs, and a kitchen available for cooking, the major expense will be plane tickets and car rental.
The beach is free people and it's beautiful.

***Just added*** my friend's husband snapped this photo outside his work today. It's the Dharma vans being driven to storage. THANKS SIMEON! They filmed the finale last week and only have a few re-dos to shoot this upcoming week and then filming is all wrapped up for Lost Season 5. I guess that means my chances of running into them are pretty much gone, but it also means the Dharma Initiative should be abandoned, and since I found it last week, it means I can go back and snap my photos without fear of being throw off the island!

Swim lessons

2009-04-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

Aislin on her first day of swim lessons.

Oliver in his Bronco's gear.

Eliza with her front teeth. She's lost them since.

Little fish.

Eliza was able to take swim lessons in the fall, so this time it's Aislin's turn. The community of Manoa offers them for free if you are lucky enough to get a spot. So far we are only lucky one kid at a time.

New Glasses

2009-03-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to adjust my glasses on my nose my super human strength suddening surged and snapped my frames right in half. It's special mom powers you get when you have to lift a 20 lb 7 month old around all the time. My sweet husband attempted to tape them for me, but I would rather be blind. And I was for 3 weeks. During that time I also had to take my hawaii drivers license and I had a heck of a time passing my eye exam and got placed on restriction. It says so on my license- B restriction- must use side mirrors. So this time instead of getting one pair of glasses I got two, so hopefully I won't have to suffer blindness again.

Blow it up to see the bling. This is my black pair. They have bling on the sides.
I am hoping to eventually treat glasses like shoes and have many to choose from to go with my outfits. These will be part of my Bling Collection.

Me, trying to recreate the Napoleon Dynamite pose. This feels right.
These are brown and turn into sunglasses when I go outside. They are bigger and will block out more sun. They will go under the Outside-Inside Glasses Collection.

9 Years and Counting

2009-03-21T23:41:00.001-07:00

Jeremie won a Ruth's Chris gift certificate at his last job that we have been saving for our anniversary. Our babysitter ended up with sick kids, so the very sweet VanTress family stepped in and watched the wild ones while we dined. And oh did we dine. I think everyone should ask for a Ruth's Chris gift certificate for Christmas so you can have a chance to go. We ordered a sweet potatoe casserole with candied pecans on top as one of our sides and it was heaven. I can't believe sweet potatoes and heaven are in the same sentence that is how good it was. Everything was fantastic and we got a special dessert plus a $25 card to go back, plus the manager even came over to wish us a happy anniversary. Great food, Great service, worth the pretty penny is costs to go there.

John McCain Supporter--- we found one in Hawaii

2009-03-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

So back before election day Eliza had a Voting day at school where they learned about the candidates and had a fake voting booth, etc. When she came home I asked her about it. She was all about the info. "Did you know Barack Obama was born in Hawaii? Did you know he went to my same kindergarten? Then he went to Punahou. His grandma lives down the street. He calls her Toots."

Wow Eliza, what do you know about John McCain.

"Um....I don't remember them talking about him."

All I could do was laugh, but today, today was a special day.

Now- I know the boy and the mom in this story, so for their sakes, I am leaving names out and you will soon see why.

Eliza came home and said
"Mom, boy X is saying something that's not true and all the other kids tell him it's not true, but he says it is true because his mom told him and I said No that's not true and he says, yes it is my mom told me."

Well, what does his mom say?

"Barack Obama kills babies."

Jeremie and I were so stunned we burst out laughing and then had to have our first talk about a woman's right to choose and how Barack Obama has not, in fact, actually killed anyone himself.

Gotta love it.

Whale Watching on Oahu, the Star of Honolulu

2009-03-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is a shot Tim took. The best of the bunch.
We saw a half dozen whales, but none very close, and none breaching.

Something seriously more entertaining than whales.

In front of the Star of Honolulu. The girls' made the leis on the boat.

There is in fact a sleeping baby in that pouch.

Shaka with the Captain.

Hurley's Golf Course

2009-03-02T23:31:00.001-08:00

Me and Ol' Blue
I think it's fate that my horse was Blue.
And I think it's a perfect name for a horse.

Larissa riding Slick, Melinda riding Blue, and Jennie riding Grinder

HURRAY FOR ME!
This was off the trail, but since we grew up with horses they let us walk the horses over to the field to take this picture. IT'S HURLEY'S GOLF COURSE. Hurray for me again! Our guides told us the trailers for Lost were there the 2 days previous and that someone was even filming that morning down at some pond on the ranch. That morning. I could have seen them filming.
Rats. So close and yet so very far away. It was a great tour. Horses, Ocean, Family, and Lost, all together at the same time. Bliss I tell you! The boys and the kiddies took the bus tour since they couldn't ride the horses. They had a good time too.

Happy Birthday To Jeremie!

2009-02-27T12:36:00.001-08:00

Lovin' some malasadas. Whoever said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach was spot on with this man.

Lovin' some Pacific Ocean. (notice the Smoke Monster? No more photos with the smoke monster...sigh......)

He never wants to dress up for Halloween and I force him to every year, but one, where he refused and wore a shirt with a pumpkin on it for some sports event he participated in.

Lovin' some baby. Jeremie is a great dad, very hands on, very present and participatory.
In fact he wants more.....I told him we'd have to reinstate polygamy first.

Happy 31st Birthday Jeremie. We love you.

"Talent" Show - we use that term loosely around here

2009-02-20T19:58:00.000-08:00

Margaret is Fijian, she grew up in Tonga, and she taught us a Tahitian Dance.
The girl is encredible. She taught us this dance over the course of only 5 lessons at maybe 6 minutes of actual dancing time each lesson. I am glad she is in the far corner so you can't see how badly I am really doing it. I am SO proud of the little girls for getting up there and performing.
Aren't they so cute?

Tahitian Dance at the Talent Show

Cameras Don't Like Salt Water

2009-02-20T13:42:00.002-08:00

A lady's slippers were being washed away by a huge wave and I reached in to grab them without remembering my camera was around my wrist and I dunked 'er right in.
I am hoping the memory card is still ok so I can extract my photos, but the camera is lost forever. I will miss this little thing, even the bit of dirt that was on the lense so all my photos came out with their own special "Smoke Monster" in them.

Soo-- I want a camera that takes great photos, but most importantly has no delay from when you push the button to the actual photo taken and no delay from when the last photo was taken to when you want to take your next shot. Make sense?

Does anyone have any suggestions on makes/models/price ranges?

Let this be a lesson to you all about helping strangers.

Random Photos from the Goldsberry Visit

2009-02-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

Is was Spirit Week for Eliza, leading up to her school Jogathon. She went to Jeremie's school and talked to his MBA peers and they each gave her a dollar. We also had support from family and were able to raise $66. She was "required" to donate $25, so she felt pretty cool to be able to give so much. This was crazy hair day. I stole the idea from another friend's blog. After school I picked her up and looked around. She really had the best hair there, so for one day I felt like a really good mom. Actually only half the day, I was a bad mom for taking that photo. She really didn't want her photo taken and this was the "best" smile she could do because she was so heart broken over the cruelty of having her photo taken against her will.

We went to stroll the beach on the sabbath. We told the kids just to get their feet wet in an attempt to make this a serene, holy, Sunday experience. See how well it worked? Yes, they are in their church dresses.

Happy babies + happy kids = happy parents

The Zoo. The Howler Monkeys would not perform for us. I was disappointed. The baby tigers were very cute though, pouncing on twigs and things.

We took the free Waikiki trolley to the Hilo Hattie store. I had never been to the one on this island. Very cool to get lei'd with shells upon arriving and getting a little free drink. It felt nice to be pampered that little bit. I had a coupon for a free sarong if I spent $10, so I had to do it. I don't think you can have too many of those.

North Shore - or- the day all my dreams came true

2009-02-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

I add this photo for Tammy, who is unaquainted with LOST. I forgive her because I've never watched an episode of 24.

I'd like to thank Ryan and Jeremie for forgetting the cooler with our picnic lunch which forced us to go out to eat in Haleiwa. I'd like to thank Kristi for choosing Cholo's even though we made fun of her for choosing Mexican while vacationing in Hawaii. And my husband again, who volunteered to take our daughter to the potty because when he came back he whispered in my ear the most magical words I may ever hear,

"I think Sawyer is right outside."

"Are you serious?"

"That's his back right there."

So then I had to walk by and there he was Mr Josh Holloway with his pregnant wife eating Cholo's.

I was in such a state of bliss and so happy with my husband for fulfilling one of my last Oahu wishes that I even forgave him when I bought new sunglasses a few minutes later, put them on, asked him how they looked, and he burst out laughing.

Oliver's First Bite

2009-02-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

Oliver has been growling at the table for some time, vocally making it clear he was very irritated that we were eating food and he was not. Since we don't have a high chair yet, we used the car seat.

Not convinced.

Sleepy baby in a sailor suit.

I had to get a picture of this sailor suit that Aunt Cherie got him for Christmas because the way the boy is growing, he'll probably outgrown it tomorrow.

I've never had a thumb sucker before. He doesn't do it too often, but I think he might develop the habit, maybe like 5 times a week. SO CUTE!

The Year of the Ox

2009-02-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

Riding the bus.
I think the girls may have liked riding public transportation more than anything else.

I always put them in matching, loud clothing when going to busy public places. That way they stand out in the crowd, it's easy to remember what they are wearing, and people tell me how cute they are all day long. And what mom doesn't like to hear that?

The very long 2 hour parade in Chinatown.
We didn't have money to put in the lion's mouth so a lady behind us gave the girls money to feed to lion for good luck in the New Year. Are we so poor that strangers give my children handouts?Apparently, yes.

Ma boyzzz.

Ah the wonders of youth. When everything was simple and magical.

Feasting on Foreign Fruits

2009-01-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

I was telling my sister Jennie that I couldn't identify alot of the fruits and veggies at the Farmer's Market, so she told me I had to experiment so I would be prepared for the even more unidentifiable fruits and veggies in Guangzhou. The first is a starfruit. It takes a little like celery or lettuce spliced with an apple. Not very sweet, but probably the best of the bunch. Next is a Korean Apple Pear. It is huge. It tastes like an apple, pear, and potato mixed together. It is best sliced very thinly and eaten in moderation. We also got baby sweet pears, they were tiny, but I forgot to take a picture. They tasted like a pear soaked in beer. There are a few more still to try, but I have to spread the budget out. I love buying stuff at the Market. It is one of the few moments I feel Kama Aina.

Punahou Playground

2009-01-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

The girls always ask to go to Punahou School, the private school Barack Obama attended. It's a pretty close walk from the house. The funny thing is they never play at the playground. They spend their entire time climbing this Banyan tree. It's very old so I like to think little Barry climbed it too.

Jeremie couldn't resist.

But momma stays grounded. (which is usually the case, someone has to do it)

Rolie Polie Olie

2009-01-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

Oliver has been rolling back to tummy for about 2 months now and just rolled tummy to back for the first time last Wednesday. The title reference is from a cartoon Disney show. I don't call him Ollie or anything other such names. I call him Oliver, Hoku, and Hokulele, or Oliver HD Brecheisen and then I make funny jokes and him comin' atcha in High Def, etc etc.

These photos were taken at Punahou, Barack Obama's private school he attended. I'll post more pics from the play ground tomorrow.

The Rock Star

2009-01-12T11:46:00.001-08:00

The soul of Alicia Keyes and the attitude of Pink.

This is her cousin's christmas present. At least I know what to get her next year.

Aislin sings. She sings everywhere, all day, at every volume. She sings happy songs, love songs, angry songs (usually when I've told her no about something), and all songs are full of passion and purpose. She even has her own songs that have lyrics and the same consistent tunes.

Aislin sings.

Christmas Recap Part 4

2009-01-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

We all got sick over Christmas. Aislin's poor asthma nearly sent her to the ER, but a blessing kept her home with us. We wasted several precious days lounging on the bed watching movies.
At least the kids are cute.

Christmas Girls.

Christmas girls and Duke. Aislin is wearing a red bow she got for her bear named Whip Cream from Build A Bear.

Christmas Recap 3 of 50000 Meeting Oliver

2009-01-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

Oliver and Grandpa
This was the first time Oliver met Jeremie's family and most of my family.

Oliver, DJ, and Grandma Terri

Jennie, Oliver, and Larissa

Oliver, Sarah, and Eliza

Oliver and Grandma Theresa

That boy outgrew half the clothes I brought down for him over the 2 week vacation.

He is now 5 months old and 19 lbs.

Christmas Recap Part 2 of 50000 -- Cousins

2009-01-10T13:19:00.001-08:00

Technically, these are Jeremie's cousins. So does that make them my kid's 2nd cousins? I don't know how it works. Cousin's once removed?

As far as I can tell, this sweetheart is always smiling.

Three princesses.

The girls had alot of fun playing with their cousins.
And I am glad Oliver got a chance to meet his extended family.

Christmas Recap Part 1 of 50000

2009-01-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me apologize to everyone lied too.
We didn't go to Big Island for Christmas. We weren't planning on going to California for Christmas, but then plans changed. We had already told everyone we weren't coming, so we used this opportunity to surprise everyone. The surprises worked great. I'll explain those in another post.
This first picture is Eliza and Aislin singing Mele Kalikimaka at Uncle Rick's Broadway Christmas Concert at Temple Hill in Oakland, CA. I was very proud of them, as there were a good couple hundred people in the audience. We have it on tape, we just have to figure out how to post it, then you can hear them. The next pic is of The King himself, performing his magic.

Because we weren't planning on any Mainland trips during our year in paradise, we didn't have jackets for the girls. So they wore Aunt Cherie's shalls until we could borrow some from our very good friends the Goldsberry's.

I think you can see they felt like princesses in these.

This picture was taking at Noelani Elementary at Eliza's Kindergarten Christmas Concert.

She did excellent, all the hand motions, singing loud and clear. This is the same girl who wouldn't sing with the primary and ran screaming through the Chapel just a few years ago. My little girl is growing up.

The rains came down and the floods came up

2008-12-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a frog that I thought was a dead cochroach. He must have come in to get away from the flooding. I am ok with snakes, geckos, frogs, etc, but I was scared to touch him because Hawaii has some poisonous frogs. Normally they are brightly colored and this one was not, but then I thought, what if only the boys are brightly colored and the girls are ugly like birds? So I didn't touch it, I just let it out in the front yard.

Here is the rain gutter breaking on the lanai. I wish you could hear how the rain sounded. It was so loud you couldn't really even hold a conversation with anyone without raising your voice. The puddle in the driveway kept expanding until it got all the way into the carport and just kissed the house. At that point I did start to make some evacuation plans, but then the puddle receded and finally disappeared. We were lucky. Some people had water up to their doorknobs. We have some roads closed, damaged, etc. Some school are ruined, the first floor of BYU Married Housing, etc. Right now it is sunshine though, so we'll see how it goes.

Great Grandpa sent money for Christmas and my girls have wanted to go to Build A Bear for pretty much their entire lives. So to get out of the rain we went to the Mall. We forgot a large portion of the mall is outdoors, so we still got soaked. The girls had so much fun.

They felt really cool walking around with these boxes. Kind of like how I would feel walking around with a Tiffany box.

Giving Twila and PolkaDot baths.
We had a wonderful gay man help the girls assemble their creations.
I think the same gene that makes you gay must also be the gene for lisps.
(is it bad for me to say that? I just mean it to be funny)

Family Photo Shoot

2008-12-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in seeing our photo shoot on Kakela Beach, just click on this link , find Brecheisen Family, and them type in your email address. It does add you to a reminder list for my photos, but he won't try to sell you anything.

http://holladay.instaproofs.com/

I am sad I didn't lose a little more baby weight, and also sad I am so pale. You'd think I'd have a better tan living in endless summer. I also wish there were a few more family shots to choose from, but Aislin was uncooperative that day and we were lucky to get the few we have.

If you want to purchase, feel free, but I am going to buy the cd and rights, so if you want images, email me and I will print them at Costco for you super cheap- but probably not until after Christmas.

I didn't realize how dark my hair was. That's my natural color, which I haven't seen in a long time. Jeremie pleaded with me to grow it out, so I am going to grow it as long as it will go and then donate it to locks of love. You can't dye your hair if you donate it, so I suppose I should get used to the color.

I think we have some really fun shots. And of course I think my kids are gorgeous.

Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

We went to the beach of course. It was a perfect, hot, and breezy day.

We met up with the grad students at UH. Oliver was passed around quite a bit. Eliza and Aislin were feeding one pigeon, then two, then five, then 20. It was really funny. I don't think all the people trying to eat around us thought it was as funny as we did. After we ate, we played at the beach. I nursed the baby and may or may not have flashed a few people.

We are doing our Thanksgiving on Saturday so we can have our own left overs.

Twilight Review! SPOILERS LIKE RICE at a Hawaiian Potluck

2008-11-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

There is something to seeing your imagination on screen. You've fantasized about these characters, their homes, cars, town, what facial expression would be in their face as they said certain things. And in that respect, this movie can not disappoint because you get to see one of your favorite books come to life. There are so many books that never get that chance and it's just fun to see it happen to Twilight.

THINGS I LOVED:
The baseball scene.
Any time Edward is driving
Charlie (SPOT ON my friend SPOT ON)
Emmett
Rosalie
All the human HS friends
The James - Edward fight scene with one exception that will be explain on my HATE list
The use of exact quotes from the book
Bella's clumsiness is done naturally and not over the top
pepper spray
the Stephenie Meyer cameo

THINGS I HATED:
The sound effect to Edward's sparkle in the sun. Is Tinkerbell coming? Is there a chandeliere in the forest? Oh- it's just a vampire in the sun. The sparkle effect was satisfactory -- minus the twinkle twinkle sound.
The special effects of Edwards legs running fast and going up the tree. I laughed out loud.
In the movies you should believe it's really happening, not be constantly reminded that it's special effects.
Some of Edwards lines were perfection, some of them were so forced I laughed, at what should have been really dramatic moments.
Jasper- does he even speak in this film? I can't remember him doing anything but looking bug- eyed and frigid. I expected him to have more of a presense. Sexier. More confident with all of his life experience. You can still be trying hard to control yourself without looking like a scared zombie kitten.
Carlisle's make up when he is introducted in the hospital. He's a vampire, not dead, not a ghost, not a person who fell into a vat of white paint. All the vampires had their moments of too much stage make up. I think all the make up artists should have gone to see Interview With a Vampire to learn how to pull off a pale face.
At the very end of the fight scene when Edward is removing the poison from Bella's wrist.
Very strange facial expression on Edward and very strange camera work.

Truth be told, most of my complaints are the director's fault. She should have upped the budget on special effects, spent more time on make-up, and taken a couple mroe takes on some of those scenes to get it just right. She jumped the camera angles enough to make you feel like you are watching an Independent Film and almost enough to make you consider the film needing an epileptic seizure warning. I think she did this so you could see facial expressions and eyes. You see alot of that. Alot.

Pattinson and Bell do a fair job. I am not sure they were the best choice, but I am sure they were the right price. I would say about half the time they did really well and the other half, it was just ok.
Part of that is the choice of editing. From the moment they meet to the moment of confessing undying love, it is chopped up, and random, so if you didn't read the book I think you would have a hard time believing there was any real chemistry there.

I give it a 3 out of 5

Three Months Old and Three Months BIG

2008-11-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, I just added this one because I thoguht it was a funny face.

Sweet adorable baby.

A little smile.

It's just been the last week that he has started chomping on his hands.

He has also started laughing and rolling from back to tummy. It's been an impressive week for him.

Ok, so the angle makes it worse than it really is, but I thought this showed off his chunk pretty darn good. He is 15 lbs already.

He is still a bundle of lovely goodness. He is in someone's arms almost 24/7 which leaves him very little time to complain. I didn't know baby's like this existed. What a gift.

Oliver and the Ocean

2008-11-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

Palm trees, blue skies, a warm day at the beach. Somebody forgot to tell Hawaii it's November.

Me, being tolerant. How many women want pictures of them in swimsuits right after having a baby? This is our favorite beach, Ala Moana. Great shot of Honolulu and Diamond Head.

Oliver's first touch of the ocean. We've taken him to the beach before, but he was too little to go in. This was the first time he actually touched the water. He didn't like it.

VOG = Volcanic Smog

2008-11-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

I took these a few weeks ago and just forgot to post them.

This is Volcanic smoke and ash from Big Island that is trapped with the Honolulu Smog becauseo of a lack of Tradewinds. Fascinating.

Everyone I talked to said it was the worst they had ever seen in over 20 years.

It smelled like a weird camp fire and made me want to make s'mores.

It lasted several days and then it was swept away over the ocean.

Interesting isn't it?

Happy Birthday to Me.

2008-11-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

Saturday was my big fat 29th birthday.

We had a quiet morning and then went to the North Shore to take our family photo at Kakela Beach. It was beautiful and very private. The shoot went as well as can be expected with two children who desperately wanted to be in the ocean and not taking photos and one wiggly infant.

After the shoot the photographer, Mark Lee, said, "Don't step on the blue bubble." Confused, we asked further questions and he explained that the blue bubbles are man-o-wars. They can still sing even when dead and washed up on the beach. So of course, after he left we went on a jelly fish hunt. It was fascinating. My sister found some in California that are around basketball size, ours weren't so big, but it was still cool. I mean, of all people to get jellyfish for their birthday, it would be me. (I have a repulsion for jellygish) Just like in Finding Nemo, I touched the top of the jellyfish, because that part doesn't sting. We strolled the beach and watched the sunset. It was so peaceful and lovely. Once we got back to town we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It's really not smart to eat out in Waikiki. They jack up the prices because of location, even more so than the already nasty island prices. On Monday Jeremie surprised me with an appointment to a massage. Lovely. Quite Lovely.

I got enough money for my birthday that I am getting my little family tickets to do the Movie Tour at Kualoa Ranch, and I will have enough left over to go see Twilight with Margaret, and maybe some other ladies. One of the glorious highlights of my birthday was making my birthday dessert. You take Dove chocolate caramels and wrap them in phyllo dough that has been brushed with melted butter. Bake them until golden brown and serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. The last time I enjoyed food that much was last February when Jeremie took me to Ruth's Chris. All in all a fine birthday.

Halloween Festivities

2008-11-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Eliza's teacher sent a note home saying that the kids were not wearing costumes to school, but if they wanted to participate in an exchange they could bring treats to school on friday. Eliza brought pencils and stickers. One of the benefits of living in the rich neighborhood is that you get stuff like this:

Can you believe it? This is just from her class? There were toys, books, chocolates, and several Japanese candies. Pretty impressive.

While at the library, we were invited to a neighborhood halloween party by the parent of one of Eliza's classmates. She was super excited to be invited and I have to admit I was too. I have really been wanting to meet some neighbors. We went to the party. I brought pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. The can of pumpkin was SEVEN DOLLARS. Where ever you live right now, be happy you are not buying groceries in Hawaii. We met some really nice neighbors. One child was a cancer survivor and was asking people to get donations for the Children's Cancer Fund. Aislin announced she would not participate. At first I was embarrassed, but then later, when talking to her, realized that she thought if she participated in the fundraiser, it meant she was going to have to go to the hospital because she got cancer.

This is my girls with Alex, the boy who is in her class at school.

When we got home and ready for trick or treating, we realized it was way too late to meet our friends at the mall. I was sad because I really like the women I was meeting up with. They are fabulous woman and great examples to me, and I really didn't want to look like a flake. But flake I was. So we walked around the neighborhood. It was amazing. Hawaii is such a community. I can't explain it, other than they are indeed the true meaning of community. We met so many wonderful people as wetrick or treated and the good were spectacular. Tons of houses gave us bags like these:

They were filled with goodies. They even got stuffed animals at one house. We only went out for maybe an hour and look at all the loot! Quite a few houses were decorated. Many people were sitting on their porches with spooky music and neighbors chit chatting with them. Oliver was a huge hit. We spent alot of time at each house as they wanted to know his name, how old he was, etc etc.
Once home, the girls picked their 14 favorites. 2 a day for 1 week and the rest we put in a bowl for The Great Pumpkin. The Great Pumpkin came in the night for the candy and replaced it with the new Tinkerbell Movie.

Church Party

2008-10-25T16:35:00.001-07:00

We attended the Young Married's Halloween Party last night. I am wondering when you are no longer considered young married. I am feeling pretty old these days. Every couple had a tombstone. Everyone else had the party's date of 10.24.08 Ours was the 28th.
I hope that is not a sign.

These were the costume contest winners. This is Eliza and Aislin's boyfriend Eli. Aislin was too scared to go near him with the green face. Lindsay here is the RS President. Why do they always do things like that to pregnant women? Hey, I heard you have morning sickness, want to be President? Bless her heart, she said yes.

I had no costume, so I painted my face and became Future Girl. Lame I know, but not as lame as showing up to a costume party without a costume. The best part was Aislin watching me take the curlers out of my hair and telling me "You look like Ander's mom in Springville." And then I walked into the living room and Eliza says, "Are you Katrina for Halloween?"

I let the girls put pn their dresses sans the antennas and wings. They were giddy.

Ma boyz.

if you give a mouse a cookie

2008-10-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Or in this case, if you give a girl a time out, she'll sneak into your bathroom and cut her hair. Then you'll have to give her a talkin' too. Then pack up three kids and then take her to the salon to pick out a hair cut to hide the damage, then spend 30 minutes trying to get her to be still like a statue, console an infant, and entertain a kindergartener in a place full of things to "look at, not touch". Then get three kids back into the car to drive home. Several hours later you've fixed the damage caused by a 1 minute time out.

``````````````````How time flies

2008-10-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

1 week

8 weeks

Folder Tag

2008-10-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

Go to your 4th folder and the 4th picture and post it. Explain the photo.

Then force 4 of your friends to do the same thing.

So Carly, Allison, Alisa, and Josh K. You are tagged.

This is Aislin in the backyard. If you look closely there is a Day Gecko sitting next to her
next to the hot tub. He was so cute. We took the picture to show daddy what he was missing
while we were in Hawaii and he was still in Utah.

On a side note, Oliver had his 2 month check up and his specialist check up today.
The doctor tolerated my desire to have less vaccines per visit really well. I was so happy. He weighed him in at 12 lbs. At the speciaist's office 3 hours later, she told me Oliver was 100% recovered from surgery and didn't need her anymore. She weighed him in at 12 lbs 14 ozs.
Her scale seemed modern and scientific, so I think her's is the more correct one.
But 1 lb 7 oz in 13 days? Is that possible? My baby's got talent.

And Eliza came home with homework to draw a picture of herself and finish this sentence:
I am special because....
I asked her to fill in the blank and she responded,"Mom it doesn't even matter." I was concerned because I thought maybe she didn't think she was special and that I was going to need to do a pep talk. Eliza is very sensitive. I asked her why it didn't matter and she said, "Because it's what's inside that counts. Jesus loves me and that's what special."
So her home work says "I am special because Jesus loves me."
I wonder what her teacher will think of that......

2 Months

2008-10-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

Not sure how old Oliver is. He is 8 weeks, but won't technically be 2 months until Saturday the 11th. We've been trying to snatch a smile, but our camera has the slowest delay ever. And then it takes forever to ready itself for the next shot. So this is the best we can do.

It's fairly easy to make him smile right now. He's contect as long as he's in someone's arms or staring into someone's eyes. He cries in the carseat- the entire time. But rarely cries outside his carseat so I can't complain.

11 lbs 7 oz and 23 inches long at 8 weeks.

Impressive.

Protecting my Assets

2008-10-03T23:40:00.001-07:00

My children.

They are my most prized, my most beloved.

During hurricanes, floods, earthquakes,

it's not uncommon for a child to be separated from

their parents. This website

http://www.kitsklub.com/

offers a great tool for parents at times of emergency.

You send a photo of your child and you and your spouse,

along with vital information, like phone numbers, allergies, etc.

And she puts them on a laminated card that goes around

your child's neck. The cords are very fun Hawaiian prints too.

These would also be good for Disneyland, State Fairs, Museums, vacations,

or any other busy place where you might get separated from your little one.

She also offers infant and toddler 72 hr kits.

Yes, you could put one together by yourself, but will you

actually do it? Sometimes it better just to foot the money

and have someone else do it for you.

The website is owned by a very wonderful lady

in my ward. Buy the stuff and you support a

great mom!

Alisa- I was wondering if you could put her website on your

blog too, since you get so much more traffic than I do.

Thanks for looking ladies.

The ID necklaces are only $5.

Long Day

2008-10-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Starving baby in an infant hospital gown. I was
sad he had the gown. I wanted him in his clothes
so when the staff looked at him they would see
Oliver and not just another patient.

Unexpected IV. And a very groggy Oliver. This
was in the recovery room right before leaving.

I nursed him at 5:15 am. At around 8:15 am I gave him just over 1 ounce of pedialyte.
Then I dropped off Aislin at the babysitters and went to the hospital.
A nice man got my admission information and put a bracelet on Oliver's right ankle.
It was so big it slipped off within a few seconds. I waited for a few minutes and then was told to head down to the basement to the surgery waiting room. I took my baby with the oversized identity bracelet and his paperwork and went to the basement. The sign above the hallway said SurgiCenter. I thought that was a silly name. But it also made it seem more real, here I was strolling into a surgery center. I was sent to another waiting room. A mom and dad were there with their little baby boy. He was hungry. Oliver was anxious and hungry too. I bounced him and rocked him, this way and that, until he gave up and went to sleep. This was almost more painful then hearing him fuss for food. It was as if his body shut down and went into survival mode. just a few minutes before our time, Jeremie arrived. And then our time slot came and went. When then anesthesiologist came in to brief me I asked a few questions to remind him just how small my baby was. (I couldn't help but think of Dennis Quaid's infants that received an adult dose of medication instead of the infant dose) He told me Oliver would be out when they put in the IV. This was supposed to comfort me, that he wouldn't be awake for the needle, but it didn't comfort me because no one told me he was going to need an IV. I was told he would go under, get the snip, and be done.

An hour after his schedule time, a nurse came in and I was told she was taking my baby away. I didn't even get to go with him and be next to him while they put him under. I was sad and had to cry for a little tiny bit about that.
Then we went up the cafeteria and ordered lunch. I ate fast because I always eat fast so that I can get back to Oliver. Usually Jeremie starts out holding Oliver at dinner time and then I eat fast and take him, so then Jeremie can finish.
About 40 minutes later, the pager rang and we headed down to the post op room. Someone at the door said only one of us could go in. I didn't even look back to consult with Jeremie I just went in. I passed two beds with two small children in them and I was led to a metal crib with a large pile of blankets. There were alot of tubes going into the pile of blankets. I leaned over and in the middle of the whole mess, deep down, was a tiny face I recognized. There was relief to see him breathing, but I still wasn't happy. I wanted to see him awake.
It took about 10 minutes. He started to fuss and then he opened his eyes. He was staring right at the nurse, Mike. Mike told him hello. I was kind of secretly angry inside that he got to be what my baby saw when he woke up and not me. But how could I help it? I was on the unlucky side of the crib. They untangled all the blankets and let me try to nurse. Oliver was confused and angry and couldn't latch at all. Not sure if it was because his tongue was still numb, or if it hurt, or if it just felt too different. After about 5-6 minutes he finally managed to latch and then promptly passed out. He slept in my arms for an hour, as they monitored his heart, temp, breathing, etc.
About half way through this I had a terrible realization that it was much later than I anticipated and Eliza was supposed to be picked up from school. I tried to call Aislin's babysitter, but the phone had no reception. I asked to borrow a hospital phone and I called Margaret. She made phone calls for me. I called the school and told them someone was coming for Eliza, who was sitting in the office, rightfully annoyed to have been forgotten. Lana picked her up and took her to Margaret's for me.
That little drama under control, they removed a bunch of the monitors and wheeled Oliver down to the recovery room. I got him to latch this time and he was quietly nursing when they interrupted to removed the IV. He didn't like that, but even when Oliver is really upset he is still an angel. I got my discharge papers. Orajel 10 minutes before feeding (how are you supposed to know your baby will be hungry 10 minutes before he is hungry?), tylenol with codeine, and antibiotics for 5 days.

Oliver is still groggy. His tongue looks so strange. A little scraggly with the stitches. It is such a noticable different. To see how far back it goes how, it is obvious he would have had major problems with speech development.
My sister Alisa told me my dad had a small chin and at one point was recommended for surgery. I was telling my aunt that and she said my Uncle Morgan did end up having that surgery. The ENT told me the chin was heriditary so it looks like he got it from my dad. As horrible as it is, because this causes breathing problems and may lead to surgery, it is in some weird way very comforting to know he got something from my dad. Like someday I'll be making weird jokes about how he never got to meet Grandpa King, but he gave him his faulty chin.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. I could feel them. I was so much calmer today than I've been all week.

Surgery Oct. 1st

2008-09-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

The ENT told me that Oliver was too big and strong and his tongue too severe to do a quick clip in the office, so we had to schedule surgery for Wednesday October 1st. She said if they had caught it in the hospital, they could have done the quick snip, but now the skin is too thick and if they clamp his tongue he will resist and be traumatized and increase the chance of the doc messing up. I hate the idea of putting my child under.

It is terrifying.

I also have to starve him for about 8 hours.

That is going to be awful.

The doc also said that Oliver's chin was underdeveloped. Most of the time this grows out on it's own, but he may need surgery for that later in life. Because of his tongue and his chin, he struggles to breathe on his back at night, so I've been holding him all night long since he has been born. She told me to get a wedge and have him sleep on his side and inclined. I thought it was kind of funny that he is supposed to sleep on his side with the whole campaign to have baby's sleep on their backs.

The procedure will help Oliver breastfeed properly, hopefully allowing him to consume more oer nursing, so he can go longer periods of time in between. He nurses twice as often to make up for the fact that he can't nurse right. It will also correct any future language development concerns. We are hoping it will also improve his breathing at night, as he will be able to move his tongue off his throat, but it might not because his chin will still be too small for his tongue. The snip may encourage the chin togrow better as well, as they won't be tied together anymore.

I am fairly discouraged. I would appreciate prayers for Oliver, but also for his anxious mother.

The amazing part was Oliver weighed 11 lbs 7 oz!!!

I am in shock. He's 6 weeks old and has almost doubled in weight.

It's just encredible.

What happens when you give the kids the camera

2008-09-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

No Olivers were hurt during the filming process.

However, he was momentarily angry.

You can sort of see the dent in the middle of his tongue from

where it's being pulled down. I'd have to really tick

him off to show you the underneith, so this

will suffice.

Update on the Tongue

2008-09-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

I met with the doctor this afternoon and in less than a second he told me Oliver needed a referral to an ENT. I thought I was going to have to argue my point and show proof. But he just opened little baby's mouth and saw it right away. In a way, it was very validating. As you know, I am a bit paranoid about health issues and people tend to make me feel like I am being crazy, so it was comforting to know I was not being crazy. On the other hand, it is a strange feeling to be told your child has a "birth defect".
It's hard not to suddenly think, did I do something wrong? It was my job to grow him and I failed. I know it's not a big deal. If we proceed with surgery it's a quick snip and basically no recovery. But it's still scary to know there is a problem and that a doctor is going to use scissors on your child's face.
I called the ENT, the one and only on the island, and scheduled for Sept. 25th. The receptionist had me for Jan 8th as the first available appt, but then at the end of the phone call she said, "Oh, I just got a note from the doctor for you to come in on the 25th."
Hurray for me!