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Mele Kalikimaka!

Merry Christmas!  We hope you all had as fun a day as we did!  And what a day it was!  Can you believe that Koa actually slept in on Christmas?  Of all the days...  He is usually like clock-work and wakes up at 7:00 AM sharp (especially if it is a day we could possibly sleep in), but Tuesday he didn't wake up until after 8:00.  We would normally be happy to let him sleep in but we were having a whole group of people over for brunch at 10:00, so we had to open presents pretty quickly after he finally woke up.

We got up and opened some presents and cleaned up that mess just in time to start another one.  We had about 12 or so people here for brunch, so I made batter for pumpkin waffles and blueberry waffles and we set up a DIY waffle station.  I also made cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, bacon and spiced cider.  Other people brought sausage, fruit and drink.  It was quite a spread and we were very full by the time we were pau.  We all sat around and chatted for a while and then busted out Cranium for a rousing game!  It wouldn't be a party without food and Cranium!

Everyone left around 3:00 and we did some minor clean up and then busted out the toys.  I guess this is just the way it goes when you have a child, but I'm pretty sure we had the most fun watching Koa open and play with his toys.  He was actually pretty uninterested in the whole Christmas/Santa/presents thing in general.  This entire week (or however long we've had gifts under the tree) he has not cared about them one bit.  He hasn't really even been all that enthralled with the tree.  Once he realized that he was not allowed to throw the "balls" on the tree he lost interest pretty quickly.  However, after we started opening gifts he got pretty excited about a couple of his presents.  The vast majority of his presents were books, and we had to stave off reading each one as we opened them.  He also got quite a few Signing Time DVDs, a couple Singing Bible Scripture CDs, some mini John Deere tractors and the best for last, a little laptop.  One of the funniest things that day was when I asked him if he wanted to take his lap top to the potty with him (his dream come true!  He made up his own sign for laptop a couple of weeks ago and has been asking to use a laptop when he is doing his business).  He actually ran to the bathroom pulling his pants down along the way!

"Big Island Revealed"

That is actually the title of the guide book we used on our trip.  It's the same guide book we have used for the last two or maybe three trips--as you can guess we didn't visit many new places this time.  However, that wasn't really our intention.  We were mainly using this trip as a chance to relax and regroup before the craziness begins again.  The only new things were the Thurston Lava Tube, the Volcano Winery, the Hilo Zoo, the Lyman Museum, and a "Yuletide Aloha" Christmas pageant.  Everything else was old hat!

It was a good thing we didn't intend to go see a lot of things this time, too, because it was very rainy all but the first day and the last day and a half.  The rest of the time it was very wet and cold.  Fortunately we had a fireplace and burned a fire every night.  We also had heat in the cabin and Zak swears the fire was just for ambiance, but I say it was for warmth since I was the one who stood in front of it like a rotisserie chicken for half the night. 

For those of you who have been to KMC, you know there is not much in the way of food out on the volcano, in town or at the camp.  So, the first day we flew into Kona and went to Costco for a few items and then hit little farmer's markets all the way down to Volcano.  It was a nice day and Koa especially enjoyed the stops and being allowed out of his car seat.  Three hours is a long time in a car seat when you usually can count on 30 minutes or less.  We had a lovely collection of mangos, papayas, tangerines, lilikoi (passion fruit), limes, pineapple, rambutan, abiu and a fig by the time we got to the cabin.

We decorated our cabin with a wreath (from Costco) and lights we brought with us, then unpacked and settled in for the winter.  I know you mainlanders are laughing (or rolling your eyes) right now, but it was probably in the forties!  That is cold for a girl who has been removed from her Colorado roots for more than 10 years now!  It was cold enough that Koa did not even balk at wearing long pants and covered shoes!  You can see pictures of the full garb in the Christmas 2007 photo album.  Zak has also done a great job of getting the videos edited and posted.  We've been very behind, so there is quite a bit of catch up on both the videos and the Foster Koa Zumwalt photo album. 

Included in the Christmas photos are pictures of snow--Hawaiian style.  Yes, we do get snow in Hawaii, however it is not really as easily accessible as it might be in some places.  So, in Hawaii folks drive to the summit of Mauna Kea and fill their trucks with snow and bring it down to share with the ohana.  Unfortunately, as you move between "micro climates", as they call them on the Big Island, the snow doesn't last long.  So, if you see pictures of random trucks in the photo album that is me trying to document the life of snow in Hawaii.

On our way to Mauna Kea, along Saddle Road, Koa had his first bout of carsickness.  His nose was pretty stuffy that day and I imagine that didn't help his inner ear adjust to all the curves in the road.  I was also a little carsick which hardly ever happens.  I made the mistake of trying to read along the way--not a good idea on that road.  When I started to feel a little off I reached into my bag where I happened to have some candied ginger (left over from a fruit stand that first day).  When I did, I offered some to Koa and when he refused I knew something wasn't right.  He started to cough and his eyes looked all weird and I told Zak he needed to pull over.  When he did we all got out and got some fresh air.  Koa got a little sick, but nothing too major.  We let him run around on the a'a (lava) for a bit and he was back to normal.  I fed him ginger along the way for the rest of the winding parts and he took it like a champ.

This was our last day on the Big Island and we drove almost all the way up to the north point to see King Kamehameha's birthplace and back down to the Kona airport which meant a REALLY long day in the car for us and Koa did really well again.  It was back on the plane that night to come home and the end to a very nice vacation.

I have several little tidbits about Koa that I have to add in here somewhere--some from the trip, some  not, but I need to record them, so bear with me.

--Koa still believes that the thing we flew on was a choo-choo, not an airplane.  In fact, he pretty much stopped doing the sign for plane and would only sign and say choo-choo.  We think this is because he watched them drive around (instead of fly around) at the airports.

--Now instead of just leading singing he goes through all the parts of worship (unless you count collection).  The other day I was watching him and he would stand up and lead a song (number 6, of course) and then he would stop and walk over by the couch and bow his head for a minute, say, "Amen" and then move back to the middle of the room and start leading another song with the same number.  When we were at the airport he was leading a song when the lady on the overhead started making an announcement.  He promptly bowed his head until she was done (with his hands behind his back) and then walked over to some imaginary plate and picked up a very small something and pretended to eat it.  Also, one night when we were at the cabin he was eating before Zak and I, but he kept asking for Daddy to pray with him.  He finally got tired of waiting apparently because he bowed his head, held out his hands, said lots of things in his own language, and said, "Amen".

--He now tells me which direction to turn when we are in the car.  It's always "right."  He often points in one direction or the other when he says it, too.  However, he is very accurate in some instances and I'm afraid it is a little too reflective of his parents.  He knows exactly how to get to the Starbucks by the church building and he gets very upset when I turn instead of going straight at the light.  He will actually point in the direction he wants to go and explain to me in his own language why I need to go there.  He actually used to say Starbucks when we would pull up, but he hasn't said that in a while.  He will also sometimes point in the correct direction of our house when we are out and about and say, "Home!"  He is the son of a navigator!

I think that's all I have for now.  There will be more to come, soon!

Funny Story For Today

I just thought this was too good not to share....  Today Koa and I were looking for a ball under the couch, so we were both down on the floor looking for it and I said, "I don't see it.  Do you know where it is?"  He said, "No."  I said, "Well, if I don't know where it is and you don't know where it is, who does?"  He said, "Jesus."

You can't argue with that!  Bring on the two year old class--he's on the fast track!

Aahhhh, Monday...

What a week this last one was!  We had near hurricane force winds (around 60 mph) blow through here on Tuesday night and we spent the rest of the week recovering from that.  We had no electricity for two days last week--one for no apparent reason and one from the storm.  There were trees torn out of the ground, terrible traffic woes, flooding, high surf, and 18 power poles knocked down on the leeward side of the island.  It was a little crazy around here to say the least.  I wasn't feeling well for a couple of the days, so Koa and I mostly stayed home to ride it out.  Zak had to work and was teaching a class so he couldn't stay home.  Fortunately his building had power, so he showered there in the morning.

Zak had two of his three finals of this semester a couple days ago.  On Friday he finished Ethics in Leadership and on Saturday he finished Philosophy of Religion.  He is now one final away from having his bachelor's degree complete!  He doesn't officially graduate until March, but he will be done with classes on December 15th!  Yea!!

Zak also wrapped up our Malama Group Leadership Training yesterday, so we had a little celebration with ice cream and brownies at our final meeting.  It was rather emotional for some folks, and I think the nervousness about this whole thing is starting to set in with most of us!  We'll have our first group meetings the week of January 6th, so we have about a month to get ready.

Yesterday seemed like a culmination of the rest of the week as we rushed around to get last minute things done and nothing went smoothly!  It was a day of Murphy's law, I think.  Everything went wrong from a broken copy machine at the church to running in the commissary for a couple of things and having someone set off an alarm, so I was stuck there while they did a "thorough investigation."  Of course it was my idea to go to the Hickam commissary because I thought it would be quicker!  That was how our whole day went.  By the time we got home we felt like we had participated in the Honolulu Marathon along with several of our friends.  Fortunately we have fewer blisters to show for it today.  I think we have mostly recovered.

Koa was happy to begin the week with mow-mow day.  That is what he calls the lawn mower (or any other small engine he hears).  He spends most of his Monday mornings dashing back and forth from his step in the window of our bedroom to the step stool that I usually set out on the lanai for him.  As the mower leaves one area Koa runs to the other area to try to catch a glimpse!  He can't get enough of it!

In addition to all the madness this week an important evolution has taken place at our house.  Koa has moved on to slippas (flip flops) without the additional strap to hold them on his feet.  Prior to this week if we even so much as thought about putting a strapless slipper on his foot he would have a meltdown right there in front of the house and refuse to take another step until the offending shoe had been removed!  However, this week he decided he wanted to try wearing his shoes around the house sans strap (usually shoes stay outside at our house), so I let him try it.  Eventually I went to him with the scissors and chopped off the extra strap.  From that day forth he has been sans straps.  He's still learning the art of clenching with his toes to keep them on when we pick him up or he is sitting in a chair without his feet touching, but he is catching on very quickly.  I must say, I don't know if I have ever seen a prouder Zak!

Along with the big-boy shoes apparently comes imagination.  He has really started to use his anyway.  For a while he has done things like pretend he has food in his mouth when there is no food in the vicinity just to get a reaction out of me because I always think he has stuck a rock in his mouth or something.  Sometimes he will take my pack of gum and mess with it and then pretend he is chewing gum.  Well, today he decided Daddy was in the computer desk and he would get me to open the little door to the tower for him (because the magnet is too strong for him to open without a handle) and he would yell inside, "Hi, Dada!" and shut the door real quick.  Then he wanted me to do it, too.  So, we took turns saying, "Hi, Dada!" and "Bye, Dada!" into the computer desk and he thought this was great fun.  For the rest of the morning anytime he closed a door in the rest of the house he would pretend that Dada was on the other side.

I think he is also getting the concept of sharing a little bit.  I'm sure we're not home free, but there have been some good steps made this week, I think.  When he goes to the potty I still give him one chocolate chip for going without a fuss and one if he tells me he needs to go.  So, when we get out the candy container I tell him if he gets one or two.  (If he only gets one he tries to plead his case by holding up four fingers and saying, "Two?")  Well, one day this week he got two, so he very carefully reached in and got out the first one and put it in his mouth.  Then he reached in and got the second one, looked at it and offered it to me.  I thought it was so sweet and I let him know that it was very nice and told him "thank you."  Then he prompted me to open my mouth because he wanted to see it.  I had already started to chew it and I put the remainder on my tongue for him to see and he exclaimed, "Oh, it's a mess!"  It's so funny when he does stuff like that because most of our communication is done in one word sentences.  So, when he makes a statement like that it always catches me off guard.  Since that day he has shared his candy with both Zak and me, and twice it has been when he only got one candy.

He's also learning a lot more about language through his signs.  One day this week he had been drawing on an envelope from a card we had received and he brought it to me and I looked at it and said, "What is this?" and he gave me the sign for "surprise!"  I would never have even thought to teach him that sign, but he learned it on Signing Time.

I absolutely adore those videos.  I never thought I would say that about a children's video series.  However one day this week he asked to watch them and Zak said, "No, how 'bout you go get a book?"  Normally that statement would have been met with much rejoicing and running to get a whole stack of books, but this time he just got kind of sad and never would go get us a book.  That happened a couple of times so we decided the videos needed to go back to the library for a while.  They were due anyway, but normally I would have checked out some more or at least renew some of the same ones.  This time however we left empty handed.  We still work on all the signs and he still uses them very well, but we figured a break from the videos was a healthy thing.  Even though the videos are educational, Zak and I don't want to raise a child with the TV.  Ya know, I don't think I have woken up with "The Silly Pizza Song" in my head once since then!

We get to wrap up this week with another vacation to the Big Island (this will be our 4th!).  We are celebrating the end of Zak's BA in Religion and using this as our family Christmas gift to each other.  We get to stay on Kilauea Military Camp which is a very nice area and it gets nice and chilly there during the winters, so we can indulge in hot cocoa and fires in the fireplace without sweating while we do!  They have been having blizzards over on Mauna Kea and got a foot of snow a couple of days ago, so we may actually get to see some snow while we are there!  Then we can go to the beach when we get tired of the cold!  That's the beauty of Hawaii!!