hot summer days

Well I know I can't complain about it being hot when some mainlanders have experienced 100+ degree weather lately...but...when it's in the mid-80's, with no trade-winds and no air conditioning it can be stinkin' hot. So I couldn't wait to take our trip to the beach after dinner. I wanted to actually get in the water (usually I just like to sit on the sand and relax...I don't like things floating around and touching my legs) and just cool off. So Ethan and I did just that and had fun riding some of the waves. Jude joined us a little later with much excitement, but after a few waves he calmed down. I thought he was too cold so I handed him off to Jason to wrap him up in a towel...only to find out that he was a little sea sick. Poor kid. He perked up after sitting still for a while. I guess the waves were a bit too rough.

These are some pictures that I snapped on our walk down to the beach. I love these flowers but I have no idea what they are called. I think they might be in the azalea family but bloom year round.

These were pictures on the way back. Amazing clouds.

the bradley lives on

Jason just sent me this. I can't believe his old car is still running. Jason sold it about 8 months ago but I guess the current owner is done with it already. It is easily identifiable because of the bazillion bumper stickers on it. They just don't make cars like that anymore.

Check it out

fun with shapes

Today for school we had some fun games with shapes. Ethan knows all of his basic shapes already but still loves to play these games. So I couldn't figure out why he seemed stumped when I asked him the name of a particular shape (rectangle). After a few seconds of thinking he said "Um, I think it's Sally."

I then re-asked the question by asking what is the shape rather than it's name.

big 'opu

Jude is our little scavenger. He can eat and eat and eat. At Ethan's birthday party he was trying to finish off everyone else's plates even after he already ate his dinner. A few months ago I noticed his piko (bellybutton) would pop out like a done turkey when he ate a full meal. So I thought I would snap some pictures of him enjoying his popcorn and then showing me his big 'opu (belly).

This is Jude coming up to the camera and saying "hi". He's quite the friendly little guy.

...school update continued....

Well it makes me laugh that my post yesterday was "I love teaching, this is so much fun", then have a day like I had today with Ethan. It's nothing he did, it was just a concept he couldn't quite grasp yet. But I think after some time his brain will catch up to it. Me on the other hand was not practicing that "being patient" thing. I know Ethan could sense my frustration and that is the opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish. I don't want to squash his excitement for learning by being a control freak that is not willing to come along side him and encourage him even if he doesn't get it at first. I think my mind thinks A) explain new concept and then B) Ethan learns it...instead my frustration grows because I understand it (a 30 year old that learned it 26 years ago) and I can't understand how he can't possibly understand the concept....or my frustration grows because I can't figure out how else to explain it to him, besides the three different ways I already explained it, so that he will understand. I think I prayed "Lord please give me patience" about 5 times before I said "you know what, we'll just work on this another day". We then moved on to another subject and we were back to "I love teaching, this is so much fun." The great thing about preschool is that it's all about repetition and review, so I'm pretty sure by the end of the year he will get it.

Thank you Lord for teaching me right along with Ethan this year!

school update

Well we are on week 3 now of our preschool at home. Ethan asks to do school every day and seems to enjoy every assignment. I've been a bit behind on planning ahead this week because of a sinus/bronchitis yucko sickness that Jude and I both shared. So my motivation and keeping on top of things mode has lacked, but we are on the mend.

I just realized today that I actually like teaching! For those that don't know I have a B.A. degree in Elementary Education. I taught for a year and tutored for 2. I always get asked if I will teach again whenever I go back to work and my answer has always been-NO WAY! (okay I don't shout it but I don't think I could be paid enough to do that again) So back to the "I like teaching part"...I love to teach and plan lessons (especially when I can go at the pace that Ethan needs to without having to balance 10 more children's paces and their needs) but the managing a classroom and parents of the children in my classroom were not my favorite part of teaching. But since I don't have to necessarily manage Ethan (except for our occasional shepherding a heart moment...or if it was yesterday a big moment), I just get to teach and plan fun lessons. And I am actually loving it...especially since I have a kid that thinks everything is so fun.

So on with the update...Ethan has learned the sounds of his letters, recognizing lower case and upper case letters, doing basic shapes and patterns and separating into categories for math, drawing lines and curves for writing, rhyming, a little bit of computer skills/phonics on starfall.com (thanks to beulah land), working on our five senses, lots of coloring, cutting, pasting, and painting. The curriculum has been nice because any manipulative's that I would need, I can find most in my home already...or improvise.

I think the hardest thing is not having a school room where all the school stuff stays and is set up and ready to go. It takes a little while to clear Ethan's "car lot" off the table, get our books and supplies off of our school shelf and get started. But it all works out.

the hair cut

For those who care...here's the picture of my new-do. I posted earlier of my new hair cut but I didn't post any pictures because I don't like having pictures taken of myself. But I had Jason snap a few...only he doesn't understand what good arm angles are or double chin angles are so we had to take a few before I was willing to even post one. Who cares right...well apparently I do.

camping out...or should I say in

Ethan got the "Tee-pee Maze Craze" for his birthday from his friend Carson. Well it has been a big hit in our home. It has two tunnels, a tent and a tee-pee...which all folds down so that it's easy to store...which is great for Hawaiian homes that have very little storage space. So Ethan has asked now if he could sleep in his tent for two nights in a row and thinks it's the greatest thing ever. He has all of his blankets, bedding and pillows in there so it's pretty cozy. I personally don't see how he can sleep on the hard floor but I guess at that age they can sleep anywhere.

This is some of their giggling and squeals...of course once I pulled out the camera they stopped. But I did catch the end of Ethan making Jude laugh. It was a lot more funny to watch them chase each other through the tunnel and hear them both giggling...but I have to take what I can get.

funny four

Happy Birthday Ethan! He has finally turned 4 today...he's talked about turning 4 for the past 7 months when he learned to say what his birthdate is and how old he will be turning. So now he can officially say that he is 4...although because of his height everyone thinks he's 5. We had a fun Cars themed party with Cars plates, car games, car cake and car party favors. It was a fun party with a few of his friends...and lots of car racing and other boy noises. At one point they were all out in the backyard in a huge dog pile and laughing their heads off. I love little kids birthday parties.

Ethan was so much more into his birthday this year. The whole day was just so exciting to him...so much so that he couldn't sit still pretty much the whole day. But I love that about my giggly little boy...he has such an excitement for life.

Ethan is still laying awake in bed because he can't wait to play with his new toys...and he just informed Jason that his birthday is tomorrow too. Jason told him no it's just one day each year, to which he applied "I think it's 10 days." I wonder where he got that idea from??

God's sovereign love meets human needs

This past Sunday Jason preached for our Sunday morning service while our pastor was out of town. He had asked me earlier last week to pray that God would use his words because he felt like his points made sense to him but wasn't sure if it would make sense to everyone else. Well I definitely felt like God provided him the words to speak and to speak them clearly. I want to give God all the glory but I also want to say that I am very proud of my husband. I believe God has gifted Jason with teaching and even though pastoring is not the route he feels led to, he will be teaching in the new middle school that is opening up next fall. I think he will be such an amazing teacher/leader because he loves to learn (he's been in school ever since I've met him) and yet balances (or strives to balance through God's grace and strength) intellect with humility and a servants heart.

Here's the sermon if you want to take a listen.

scones

Tonight we had a WIC fellowship time and tea....and you can't have tea without scones. So I thought I would post the recipe because scones are oh so yummy!

Blue Goose Inn - Basic Scones

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2-1 cup filler of your choice

1 large egg

1/2 cup heavy cream

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into dry ingredients with pastry blender. Do not allow the butter to melt or form a paste with the flour. Stir in chips/filler of your choice. In a separate bowl, mix together egg and cream. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Mix lightly until just combined.

Gather dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of bowl 5-10 times. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and pat dough into an 8-inch round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 to 12 wedges and place at least 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425 degrees until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

* My favorite combos are Chocolate Cherry Scones, White Chocolate Cranberry and just Plain with fresh whipped cream on top....yum, yum!

side-note: our WIC (Women in the Church) meeting went well and I'm excited to start this new year. I have a new council and a lot of fresh ideas mentioned at the meeting. So I look forward to seeing how God will work in and through us all as we seek to glorify God and serve, learn and grow together. I can see the challenges that I will face this year in this ministry and pray that I won't be discouraged or fearful...but rely on the strength only God can give me. I read this quote on someone elses blog this week ("Thank You that I have reached the end of myself so quickly so that I will more readily rely on Your strength and wisdom.") which I thought was such a great thing to pray for. I feel that I have already reached the end of myself as far as strength and am glad that God tends to all my needs and can use my inadequacies and weaknesses to do far greater things than I could ever imagine.

chop, chop

I'm not sure if it's because of the sweltering heat we've had lately here in Hawaii (and no air-conditioning) or because I can't justify or afford getting my hair-cut every 6 weeks...but I cut my own hair. And not just a trim. I cut my hair off after telling Jason I wanted to cut my hair off...but I don't think he thought I really meant it. So it's pretty short. I might post pictures later...we'll see. It is nice to have my hair off my neck though.

discipline

I just picked up this great reference chart from our church book table called Wise Words for Moms. Jason and I both agree with a lot of Shepherding a Child's Heart by Paul Tripp...in that we want to discipline so that we are addressing the heart issue and not just the behavior. So it was nice to find this chart by Ginger Plowman that can give us some tangible ways to put that into practice. The book addresses many "bad behaviors" common to young children, questions to ask so the child can search and evaluate their own hearts, and verses to reprove the sinful behavior and encourage them in righteous behavior. I know it's not a fix-all for parenting, but it is nice to have a plan that Jason and I can both reinforce so that we are consistent with how we're disciplining. I know this sounds weird but discipline has been such a better experience since we've had a "plan". I'm calmer and feel like Ethan is learning way more than me telling him to "not do that" or blanking out when I try to figure out what to say on the spot.

I found 4 behaviors that we are disciplining Ethan for, more often than others, and printed them out on paper so that I can easily take him over to it, ask him to explain his behavior and then tell him how God has called us to live...plus repenting, forgiving and followed by kisses and hugs. One that he is getting very good at is on obedience...All the way, Right away, With a Happy Heart. I am so thankful for tools like these that help with parenting because I feel so inadequate at times. I think I get really overwhelmed at times to think about my responsibility as a parent...but then I am comforted remembering God's sovereignty and his amazing grace. I am thankful that He is strong when I am weak and that He is still glorified through my inadequacies.

1st day of school

Jude wanting to be a part of the 1st day of school too.

Today was Ethan's first day of pre-school...at home. We even packed his lunch box for lunch and he took it outside to eat at his picnic table. We did a little bit of writing, phonics and math. So far so good.

happy happy birthday

Happy Birthday little brother (well not so little anymore)!!! We love you!

shoo fly don't bother me...

I'm glad that Jason still enjoys my sense of humor (my dad always says it comes from my mom's side of the family) and doesn't find it annoying....yet. I definitley believe that laughter benefits our well-being...and it burns a few calories too....so laugh, it's good for you.

One day last week I was out shopping and found this fake ice cube with a fly in it and thought how funny that would be to put in Jason's drink to see how he reacts. So I tried it out the other night for dinner and was trying not to say anything or make it obvious by my weird smirks. Let's just say his reaction was....really no reaction at all but if you know Jason that fits his personality (besides he said if you could of heard what he was saying inside of his head...) If he jumped up and screamed while throwing his cup across the room, it would have been a little out of character. But it was still funny none the less...I just keep telling him how boring life would be without me...tee, hee.

kids workshop

As you can see he is very proud of his work...actually he was just humoring me so I could get a picture of him in his cute little shop apron.

Today we went to the free kids workshop at Home Depot. A friend of mine told me about it and we decided to check it out. It is the first Saturday of every month (at all Home Depots...check it out in your area if you have a child Ethan's age or older) and it's free...I love free stuff. The workshop includes a little shop apron, a kit for an art caddy (Ethan calls it his tool box), a box of crayons to put in the caddy, a certificate and a little pin (kind of like a boyscout badge) that says he completed the art caddy. Each month is something new and we are looking forward to what the project will be next month. This was Ethan's first carpentry experience and he did a pretty good job hammering the nails in...I think he only hammered Jason's fingers 3 times (since he was the one holding the nail).

two little fish, a man-of-war and some splish-splashing fun

The best sand box and pool in the world...we come here almost every evening after dinner.
The cutest plumber crack ever!!
Ethan's 3rd jellyfish or man-of-war sting since we've lived in Hawaii. It doesn't seem to bother him that much because he never cries...this time he came running up to me while rubbing his stomach and saying "it hurts mommy". My first thought was "oh no, he's going to be sick" but when I looked closer I saw blue tentacles stuck in his bellybutton. So I cleared it out and he ran back out to the water.

These are my two little fish...we don't have to work on the getting over the fear of water, but we do have to work on the swimming lessons part.