Life with the Wood Family!

8 months old

2012-01-12T22:16:00.000-10:00

Today Lainey is 8 months old! Taking her picture these days is getting more difficult. She is quite the mover. Her 8 month photos went something like this...

and this...

Then we bribed her with a "no-no" object...a tape dispenser...hoping she would sit still.
And finally we propped pillows next to her and this was as good as it got.

But these days she is also doing a lot of this...pulling up on everything.

And the phrase I use most often with her is "Lainey what is in your mouth?"

I must say this is the stage I love the most. Happy baby, good sleeper, smiley, giggly, baby babbling (soooo cute), and still light enough to carry around. We love her so much and love seeing her grow and do new things. I agree with Ethan when he said "mommy, she's so cute I just can't stand it."

rest, relaxation, reading

2012-01-08T08:35:00.000-10:00

Going, going......gone.

My friend and I just got back from 24 hours of quiet, reading, yummy food, prayer time, relaxing by the pool time, and walking on the beach time...and a cocktail here and there. Needless to say we were both needing a little R&R. We started off with some Pinot Grigio, great conversation, salt and vinegar chips and watching the sunset over Waikiki Beach on our balcony. Sooooo relaxing.

Our amazing hubbies took all the kiddo's (and the responsibilities that go along with that) and we took the day to individually read Scripture, pray, reflect on Christ and our need for him, set goals for this coming semester and feel refreshed and focused to run the race well....by God's grace.

The sail boats were all trying to get a glimpse of the amazing sunset over the horizon.

The moon rise over Honolulu.

I love the sunlight coming through the sails.

break is over...back to school

2012-01-05T12:53:00.000-10:00

As the kiddo's and I were walking into a store this past Monday:

Jude: Mommy when is Christmas break over?

Me: Today is the last day.

Jude: Awww, Ethan I'm going to miss you!

I had to record this because it melted my heart and I didn't want to forget it.

some singing

2012-01-04T22:02:00.001-10:00

One of my new years resolutions (actually this is the only one I made) is to finish my count down to what I will miss about Hawaii. I honestly didn't mean to drag it out this long. Not that anyone cares. But before I get to #2 of my count down I will leave you with Ansley singing Jingle Bells...in her own rendition. Listen for the "slip-n-slide" lyrics at the end.

New Year

2012-01-01T11:36:00.007-10:00

So after surviving the night of fireworks on New Years Eve...being illegal this year did not stop very many people from breaking the law and shooting them off anyway... (I will not miss that about Hawaii AT ALL), we spent the day choreographing this little number for your enjoyment.

HAPPY 2012!!

3 years old

2011-12-29T18:23:00.003-10:00

Our little girl turned 3 today. It's amazing how much she has grown in these past few months. She is still the one that challenges us daily as parents but is coming to understand what it means to have control over her emotions...and boy is there drama at times. This girl loves to dress up (especially in anything pink...because that is her favorite color), wear mommy's jewelry, play house with her baby dolls, climb any obstacle in her way, show her independence in stating that she do things "by myself", color and "do school" like her brothers, take care of her little sister...or make her cry, run from place to place because walking just isn't fast enough, is quick to tattle on her brothers...even if she is in the wrong, and loves to sing and dance...as long as no one is listening or watching. She definitely keeps life from becoming dull and we sure do love her a ton! The theme this year was ladybugs...balloons, cupcakes, wrapping paper, decorations...

Mele Kalikimaka!

2011-12-25T15:49:00.005-10:00

We started off our Christmas weekend by taking our traditional trip to the beach on Christmas Eve. It was waaaay too cold and windy to swim, so we decided to do a hike instead...Mokapu'u Lighthouse. It was breathtakingly beautiful as always.

Waimanalo Beach on the way home.These are the only pictures we have of Christmas morning...and the hubby took these...not realizing he needed flash. So they're a little blurry. Jason and I both decided we wished there was a church service every year for Christmas day...whether it's Sunday or not. It was such a great focus for the day.
The kids were busy making gifts and cards for each other a few days before and enjoyed opening each others gifts up. That had to be my favorite memory of opening gifts that morning.Lainey preferred to eat all the paper...that was her favorite part.

Then that night we walked on over to "Christmas" street to see the lights again. These folks go nuts-o with the lights.

#3 No Daylight Savings

2011-12-19T20:13:00.002-10:00

We don't fall back or spring forward here in Hawaii...love it.

A-B Honor Roll

2011-12-16T14:48:00.001-10:00

Ethan received this award at school...

...and Jude wanted to be a part of it as well.

Christmas pix preview

2011-12-15T15:39:00.002-10:00

#4 Food

2011-12-14T14:04:00.007-10:00

There are certain food items here in Hawaii that I know we won't be able to enjoy on the mainland. Here is my list:
Poke (pronounced Po-kay) : my favorite is the Ahi Limu Poke. Limu is seaweed. I also really like sashimi but I know that you can get that on the mainland...not so sure I want to eat it being land-locked and all. Not sure how fresh the fish is in the mid-west unless you get it out of the river. But poke was something I actually craved during my pregnancy and now I am glad I can indulge in this treat once again. (the picture I got off the internet if you're wondering whose manly-tan hand that was)

Apple-bananas: these may look like regular bananas but they are not. It's hard to explain the difference other than they aren't as mushy as a regular banana, are smaller in size and have a little sweeter flavor. Yum!Frozen mochi: I know how to make regular mochi but I'm pretty sure that you can't find frozen mochi on the mainland. Bubbies is my favorite brand, lychee flavored...sooooo yummy!

Chocolate Haupia pie: Ted's Bakery makes the best pie but I was able to find a recipe...probably not the same but I'll have to try it anyway.Malasadas: These warm portuguese doughnuts are melt-in-your-mouth good. Although I do miss Krispy Kreme, those would be a close second to these yummy pastry's. Lychee: I know you can get these canned but there is nothing like fresh Lychee. If I could grow these on the mainland I would.

Bubble Tea: I don't know what it is about a frozen tea drink with tapioca pearls but we love them around here. Hopefully we can find these on the mainland...I've heard it's the newest "coffee shop" drink.

7 months old

2011-12-12T17:50:00.009-10:00

Lainey is 7 months old today. Boy did that last month fly by.

We tried taking pictures right before bedtime, but as you can see she just wasn't into it. She is trying to pull herself up on things, the couch, a chair, people (if they're sitting on the floor), even in her crib...thankfully she has only gotten onto her knees.

She says "ba-ba" and "da-da" but not in association to anything. (warning: the video below is long but I figured the aunties and grandmas wouldn't mind)

photography

2011-12-09T13:25:00.006-10:00

Jude has been interested in learning how to take pictures. So he had fun taking pictures of Lainey and I out in the front yard. He did pretty well...it's not blurry and we're centered.The photographer and his baby sis.

tree lighting

2011-12-08T15:11:00.005-10:00

We headed over to the local hospital to go to our last tree lighting with our friends. This has been a really fun tradition every year, and it's sad to think it will be our last.The night started off as usual with a trolley ride around Kailua Town while singing Christmas carols. We were singing Mele Kalikimaka and when we got to the verse where it says "from the land where palm trees sway...here we know that Christmas will be green and bright" I got a little teary eyed thinking about how this will be our last Christmas where things will be sunny and bright and green. We all counted down and they turned on all the lights. So pretty!

While we were leaving we got stopped by the processional of Santa Claus riding in on an old fashioned fire truck. There were even dancing gingerbread men, toy soldiers and a prince and princess. Fun times!

#5 Flowers

2011-12-03T20:09:00.007-10:00

There is a sweetness to the air because of the amazing flowers that grow here. I'm not a perfume person but if I could find scents of some of these flowers in perfume form, I would buy it. Here are my top picks:

Plumeria

Mock Orange

Stephanotis

Jasmine (pikake)
TuberosePua keni keni flower Gardenia

#6 Ocean and Mountains

2011-12-01T20:28:00.005-10:00

I remember last summer when we visited the mainland and I kept expecting to see the ocean every time we drove over a hill. It's funny how that is so normal to me now. I still am in awe when I see the ocean and the amazing aquas, greens and blues of the ocean water. I think I will have to paint a room in our new house those colors just to remind me of Hawaii.
The mountains in Hawaii are so unique...they are incredibly steep and green. They are not the type of mountains you hike (unless you hike the "stairway to heaven" trail), they are always green (because the clouds usually get stuck as they float by and dump all the rain on the mountains), they have waterfalls after a good rain and they have the neatest crevices in the volcanic rock from years of erosion....stunning.

an official crawler

2011-11-29T22:02:00.002-10:00

Lainey is all over the place these days...and one happy baby. She loves her freedom.

#7 Simplicity of Life

2011-11-28T20:11:00.002-10:00

This kind of piggy backs on the casual wear post. I love the simiplicity of life here. Houses are simple (having a laundry room in your house is a perk), cars are simple (you can have a piece of junk for a vehicle but you call it a surfmobile and it's all good), the days are simple (no need for spending all the money on vacations, we just head to the beach), clothing is simple, space is limited (so there's no need to buy a bunch of stuff because there is no place to store it). This may not be the case for everyone here but for us it has been. It's really helped us to see what we really need in life compared to what we want. God has always provided for us and we have never been without the necessities...and we have had a blast living here.

#8 Casual Wear

2011-11-26T13:37:00.005-10:00

As a friend of mine once said "This is the only place I know of where you can buy your shoes at the drug store." And that is the truth. I love that no one cares about name brands, the latest trend or trying to impress others with their style. We call it beachwear but to me it's comfortable, cheap and keeps me cool (since homes don't have air conditioning here).

Jason will have some adjusting as well because at his job here he can wear khakis and an aloha shirt to work. Now he's going to have to get used to wearing a tie....and tuck in his shirt again :o)

let the holidays begin

2011-11-25T20:46:00.002-10:00

The tree is trimmed and we're ready for the Christmas season.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T13:10:00.005-10:00

This year we did a thankful tree. It wasn't as beautiful as the magazine I saw the idea from but I loved what the kids wrote. Anything from being thankful for our family to being thankful for their Lord...and all three kids were thankful for our little Lainey-bug. I think this will become our new tradition.

Our table...with our welcome bouquet from the school board of Jason's new job.Our after dinner but before pumpkin pie walk. We had to walk off some of that turkey....gotta love my grease stains down the front of my shirt. Forgot those were there until I saw the picture later. Lovely.

UPDATE: I found out that if you use dish soap on grease stains, it takes it right out...even if you have dried the stain in the dryer already. And it works!

#9 Open Windows

2011-11-23T21:18:00.004-10:00

A lot of Hawaii homes have these type windows called jalousie windows. They are built for places like Hawaii where the climate is mild and there is no need to insulate a home. Our windows pretty much stay open all day every day and we have a constant breeze flowing through the house. I love the fresh air that is constantly blowing in. The draw back to always having windows open is that whatever noise is outside, you hear it perfectly on the inside. And all that breeze blowing around brings in dust from the outside. Once you dust your house you have about half a day before everything has a nice layer of dust on it again. But this count down is supposed to talk about what I will miss about Hawaii, not about what I won't miss. :o)

#10 The Weather

2011-11-22T20:27:00.006-10:00

One thing I have learned about living in Hawaii is that there is no point in looking at the forecast or watching the news for the weather. Everyday is basically the same temperature as the day before and it is either partly cloudy/partly sunny and possibility of a shower. That way they cover all bases. And yes, the forecast above says "chilly" on the days that are 81 and 82 degrees...we are wimps. As much as I miss the changing seasons and the cooler weather of fall, I think I will miss the mild days of Hawaii. I know having little ones it has been a life saver...they can play outside all year long or we can go for walks pretty much every evening (unless it is raining).

And as I hear from my mainland friends the pain of changing out seasonal clothes, I am very thankful that we can pretty much wear summer clothes all year (we do own a jacket and a couple pairs of pants each). I can buy an outfit for the kids a year in advance because I don't have to wonder if it will fit them for the right season.

As you can see by this picture Lainey is in for a shock. This is what we dress her in for our evening walks...sweater, pants and socks. As Ethan used to say, we are going to have to buy a lot of "tall pants" if we are going to survive a winter on the mainland...and coats, boots, socks, sweaters...

"aloha pumehana"

2011-11-21T20:34:00.003-10:00

A friend of mine wrote these words in an e-mail to me today. It means "good-bye with sincere affection", which sums up my feelings as we embark on a new adventure for our family. For those of you who are not family but happen to read my blog...Jason got a job on the mainland and we are moving May 2012. How funny that when we first moved to Hawaii all I could think about was how I couldn't wait to move back to the mainland. Everything seemed so strange here...very beautiful...but very different than what I was used to. And now 6 years later this amazing and unique place seems so normal and I'm trying to remember what it was like living on the mainland. So as our move gets closer I will explain more of our new adventure in detail, but for now, I thought it would be fun to do a "top 10" list of what I love and will miss about living in Hawaii.

Stay tuned...

jabong a.k.a Chinese grapefruit

2011-11-19T21:13:00.003-10:00

Jude having a snack with his homeschool buddy from next door.

baby food

2011-11-17T20:10:00.002-10:00

A friend of mine got me this great baby food processor for my baby shower. I was so excited to use it when Lainey started on solids. I always go through a blender for each kid because of making my own baby food. This processor is great because you can also steam the food before you puree it...so less dishes to wash. Woo hoo!Gotta love Costco pre-cut butternut squash.Turn the button to steam...wait about 10 minutes...turn on the button to puree and wah-lah! Pour it in an ice cube tray and done. Big savings.

6 months old

2011-11-12T11:36:00.003-10:00

Lainey is 6 months old today...half a year old! It's amazing how much they change in these next couple of months. She is already starting to scoot all over the place (watch the video below for her scooting/belly flopping moves). She got two teeth just last week. She has learned to scream at a very high decibel. She is sitting up with a little more balance. She does the snort face that all my kids have done...and it's just so stinkin' cute. She actually sits in a stroller now and likes it and she can ride in a car for longer than 10 minutes without crying. So many milestones. As hard as it is going through the baby stage, it's all worth it. We all love this little girl so much and can't wait to see what the next month brings.

matchy-matchy squared

2011-11-10T18:34:00.002-10:00

petting zoo

2011-11-07T20:19:00.003-10:00

We ventured out to Koolau Ranch to visit the free stuff...one being their very small petting zoo. Koolau Ranch is mainly known for it's tours of the movie sites that have been filmed in this location (Jurrasic Park, LOST, 50 First Dates to name a few) but we had fun looking at the animals, visiting a little museum on the history of the land, and viewing the "ruins" of the old sugar mill. Plus I just found out they sell 100% grass fed beef which was great for our homemade chili that night.

happy halloween

2011-10-31T21:16:00.006-10:00

We had a great time trick-or-treating with our friends.

Highlights from Halloween:

the boys with their musctaches.

Ansley so excited to wear her Fancy Nancy outfit (with sparkly shoes and a crown) because it had pink in it.

Jude and Ansley getting over their shyness really quickly...it's amazing what candy can do.

Ansley loosing her balance while running to the next house (her body out ran her legs) and ended up face-diving into their grass, candy flying everywhere.

putting our pumpkin in the fridge so that it would last longer than a day.

Lainey screaming all the way home because she was tired and it was dark...not a good combo for her.

getting home in the pouring rain with a crowd of people taking cover under our carport.

mario kart

2011-10-27T17:50:00.006-10:00

Jason brought home an old Nintendo game cube a few weeks ago and I am sad to say we are no longer a video game free home. The boys quickly caught on and now they are really into Mario Kart (Jason and I stay up after the kids are in bed and play Lego Star Wars...sigh). So when I asked them what they wanted to be for Halloween they quickly said Mario and Luigi. Thankfully we found some already made costumes (since I don't have the free time yet to sew or make anything) and everyday they mention how they can't wait for Halloween. So of course to go along with their costumes they had to make a Mario Kart to go with it.

our little Lainey-bug

2011-10-23T18:34:00.002-10:00

We have a mover now. She can only get in crawl position but she can still belly flop to where she needs to go. She loves her mobility.50% of my pictures of Lainey these days look like this....I think it is due to some teeth that are trying to make their way through. So I'm assuming her tongue is rubbing those sore gums.Our smiley girl.

And this one was just too stinkin' cute.

Jude will eat it...

2011-10-18T16:08:00.002-10:00

This kid cracks me up. He is constantly coming in from the garden or neighbors house and eating any fruit or vegetable...even sometimes herbs (basil and mint seem to be his favorites)...that he can find. This day our neighbor brought over a coconut from her tree. So after they drank the coconut water out of it they then cracked it open and ate the coconut flesh. I don't know if you have ever had raw coconut or the water for that matter...I'm not a big fan. But Jude gobbles it up. I think we have a future gardener here.

5 months old

2011-10-12T14:45:00.004-10:00

It's hard to believe Lainey is almost half a year old. So many changes these past couple of weeks. This is when it's starting to get fun. Here is what she is up to:

as you can see chewing on her feet has become great entertainment,

rolling all over the floor,

getting in crawl position but can only manage to belly flop right now,

low army crawl to get to the toys she wants to get to,

and jumping jacks just like her sister used to do.

If you want to see her in action you can watch the video below. Just so you know it's quite long but I figured the grandma's and aunties don't mind.

reading

2011-09-26T07:56:00.003-10:00

Lainey enjoying some reading time...very enthralled......wait a minute, I've read this one before... ...hmm, what else can I do......I guess I'll just chew on my hand some more.

snakes and snails and puppy dog tails...

2011-09-19T14:08:00.005-10:00

...add to that lizards too. Jude brought this little guy in...it's his new found hobby...to catch lizards. They are fast so it does take some skill to catch them. So he brought this one in to show me. I must say I have had to learn, as a mom of boys, to not scream or react to things like this because I like that my boys love creepy crawly things.

So I calmly asked "Wow, how did you catch it?"

Jude: "By it's tail. Don't worry his tail didn't come off."

Me: "Oh, good."

Jude: "Aaaaaaaa!"

As I jump and look over at him, this little lizard has bitten his finger and grabbed on pretty tight. Thankfully these lizards don't have teeth.

Jude after he pried off the lizard: "Don't worry mom, there's no blood."

Then he asks "Can we keep it as a pet?"

4 months old

2011-09-12T19:44:00.002-10:00

Our Lainey is 4 months old! Here is what she is up to:

- she had her first bite of solid food. At first most of it came out of her mouth rather than in but she still loved every bite.
- flips over from back to stomach all by herself.

- she smiles and giggles all the time.

- lots of baby talk and cooing.

- she goes to sleep all on her own...as long as she can suck on her fingers.

- she loves to play with her sister...as long as Ansley doesn't try to squeeze her too hard.

- she loves to sit in her exer-saucer.

- she can scoot across her blanket when lying on the floor.

face time

2011-09-12T11:44:00.003-10:00

There is no doubt this little girl is surrounded by love and attention. As soon as the kids wake up they run out to find Lainey. And then they proceed to get down to her level, get in her face and shove toys at her or in her hands. Thankfully she has gotten used to this and rarely protests. I love how they act like it's been days since they've seen her. Their excitement for her definitely hasn't waned...if anything, I think it grows more and more each day.

Lainey talk

2011-09-08T21:07:00.002-10:00

This clip captures Lainey talking, screeching and smiling. All her talents in one video.

carrots

2011-09-06T20:28:00.003-10:00

The kiddos were with me at the grocery store the other day and Jude saw whole carrots in the produce section (I usually buy the baby carrots that are peeled and rounded). He asked if he could get a "real" carrot (as he called it) for a snack. Well of course I wouldn't turn away a request for such a healthy snack so I said "sure". Then Ansley who can't be left out said she wanted one too. I figured she wouldn't really eat it but I could always use it for dinner or something. Well apparently they were pretty tasty because they both ate the whole thing. It was too cute to see them enjoying their snack and to watch Ansley, who loves her brother Jude-y, wanting to be just like him.

what Lainey is up to...

2011-08-31T20:25:00.003-10:00

Lainey is learning how to roll over...back to stomach. If I help her to her side she does the rest. So now we're working on the back to side. It will be nice when she can do this so when she decides to roll over in bed, she won't have to cry for us to flip her back over. :o)

other 1st day of school

2011-08-29T07:05:00.003-10:00

Today was Jude's first day of school as a Kindergartner....head buff and all. It was mostly introductory stuff but it was fun having some one-on-one time with him.

1st day of school

2011-08-22T16:49:00.002-10:00

Ethan had his first day of "real" school...as he likes to call it...as a 3rd grader. I must say I was misty eyed and really missed him being around all day. But he loves his new teacher and seems to be adjusting just fine. I got to hear all about his first day in detail. Needless to say he's loving it.

highlights:

He has a Hawaiian teacher that likes to go barefoot in class

He gets to have swim class once a week for PE

Jason enjoys taking Ethan to school on his way to work

He has to wear uniforms so getting dressed every day is pretty easy

His teacher is really organized...which is perfect for a boy who loves order

He promptly does his homework when he gets home

He has met a few buddies but can't remember their names...huh?

He's adjusting to wearing tennis shoes all day...which is unusual for any kid in Hawaii...to wear shoes all day

nicknames

2011-08-19T09:48:00.003-10:00

I love when the kids have their own special names for their siblings...especially when they're learning to say their names. Jude used to call Ethan "nay-nay" when he was learning to talk (which is also the name of the Hawaii state bird). Ansley used to call Ethan "ee-ee". And now Ansley has started calling Jude "jude-y". It's not so cute if we all called him that because it is a girls name (Judy) but when it's coming from his 2 year old sister it's pretty darn cute.

the big 8

2011-08-15T14:48:00.004-10:00

I can't believe Ethan is 8 years old. I can't believe I am a mom of an 8 year old. Where does the time go? It definitely goes way too fast sometimes. Here is a run down of the days events. Ethan wanted to go putt-putt for his birthday so we had a bit of a golf theme.

We started off with our traditional breakfast where our breakfast food is in the shape of the number they are turning. Usually this would entail homemade pancakes. But with a newborn in the house we tend to do what's easiest and fastest. So our Eggo waffles were cut into the number 8.The birthday cake was a golf course...of course.Ethan opening his camera. He had been hoping to get one so he can take his own pictures. And my favorite part of the whole evening...putt-putt. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. Our kids acted like we were at Disney Land. Glad they're so easy to please. Each hole was pretty much this chaotic...I kept telling them to take turns and then I just gave up.Jude looks like he's playing baseball instead of golf...especially the way the boys would hit their golf ball. I think they were trying to hit a home-run rather than a hole-in-one.And then I realized why I don't take pictures of myself within 6 months after having a baby...no makeup, no hairstyle, pasty skin and frumpy formless nursing shirts. Lovely.Lainey was as content as could be...as long as she could get her hands into her mouth.I think Ansley thought this was the best playground ever.

And a little video of Ansley who would shout out after every hole she made "I won!"

What a fun day we had celebrating Ethan's life. We love this kid and are so thankful for him.

3 months old

2011-08-12T08:40:00.004-10:00

Lainey is 3 months old today! Wow, we made it through another month. There are days where I felt like we weren't going to. :o) Having 4 kiddo's has been quite the challenge. But our little Lainey is growing like crazy and brings so much joy to our family. We love her so much!Here is one of those cute smiles she gives us. She wasn't very smiley for her other 3 month old photos next to the bear...although she was very interested in putting everything in her mouth...

...a bear leg...

...a shirt...

...and her hands. She learned that this past month.

She has also learned to sleep through the night (11 hours). Yeah! She can now flip over in her bed...not so great. She giggles when we tickle her. She tries to "talk" to us when we talk to her. And as you can see below she has loads of energy....kind of spazzy actually.

Oh Lainey-bug we are so thankful for you and are looking forward to the months ahead. I think you're itching to keep up with your brothers and sister.

finger paint

2011-08-06T12:30:00.002-10:00

Grandma sent us some fun finger paint the other day...or as my boys use it, hand paint. It was quite entertaining....and a bit messy. As you can see below, Ansley gets the concept of finger paint better than the boys do.

painted toes

2011-08-04T08:22:00.005-10:00

This is what I imagined when we found out we were having our first girl...doing girly stuff together. So Ansley and I painted our toenails...pink of course. She loved having her toenails painted (especially in pink which seems to be her favorite color). She asks every day if we can paint them again.

So now I look forward to baking together for the holidays (right now she's more interested in putting her fingers in to test everything we bake together...although the boys are fun to bake with too), going out to tea, watching Anne of Green Gables, going shopping, sewing...you know all of those fun girl things to do.

Ansley is my girly-girl, more so than I ever was. It's funny that she is just that way. She also has more of that strong-willed/bratty side that has humbled us beyond anything else we have ever faced. We've been overwhelmed and astonished at her disobedience, tantrums, mean spirited behavior at times and the sin that she doesn't try to hide (especially in public). At times it helps show us the sin in our own hearts. She's learning and growing and we just pray that we will rely on the Lord to show us wisdom as we try to raise her and mold her heart to love the Lord, love his Truth and true repentance.

It will be fun to see how God uses her spunky/fiesty personality...beyond our sanctification in trying to raise her. :o)

more of Lainey

2011-07-27T12:15:00.003-10:00

Here is some video of Lainey so the grandparents and aunties can see Lainey in action. There's just something about photos that can't quite capture real life.

So this first one is of her trying to chew on her hands but she just can't quite get them to her mouth...which really frustrates her. She's better at it these days (the video is about a week old) but this made me laugh and I thought I would post it anyway...even though it's a little outdated. Babies change so much in these beginning months.

This next one is of her smiling. They weren't the best smiles she's given us but she was very distracted by the camera lens.

happy anniversary

2011-07-22T19:58:00.002-10:00

I would post a picture of Jason and I for our 11th wedding anniversary but between my dark circles under my eyes (due to sleeping problems I am having...not Lainey getting up) and Jason's blood shot eyes we're not a very attractive couple. But if you would like to see us smiling and normal you can refer back to last years anniversary get-away...sigh. One day we will be able to be normal again.

Happy Anniversary Honey! I love you and am thankful for my partner and best friend.

comparison

2011-07-21T13:34:00.005-10:00

I think I finally have a child that looks like me. What do you think?

Me as a baby...and Lainey.

life with Lainey

2011-07-17T13:52:00.005-10:00

Oh, Lainey. You have only been in our lives for 2 months and we can't imagine what life was like without you. Your brothers and sister shower you with kisses every chance they get and they fight over who gets to hold you next. We all talk really funny when we're around you...just hoping you will flash one of those precious smiles. Your daddy and I walk around in a daze most of the time from being up in the middle of the night feeding, burping and putting you back to sleep (although you did prove to us that one day very soon we will be getting better sleep since you slept through the night last night...12 hours).

We have learned to be more quiet when we walk by your door while you are napping...Ansley still hasn't learned that very well yet.

Ansley has learned to "back off" while mommy is trying to feed you and has found other ways to keep herself occupied.

We have learned that going on a walk with daddy in the evening keeps you quiet and gives mommy a break.

You get a bath every night before bed because you love it so much and it seems to calm you down for bedtime.

From the very beginning you have enjoyed laying on the changing table and hanging out.

Just yesterday you had decided to stop breastfeeding. Not sure why. But thankfully you decided to take a bottle 7 hours later. We're thinking you are going to be one particular/opinionated little girl.

We don't take you in the car very much because...well you just don't seem to like it yet.

We can't wait to see what the next two months bring...hopefully a full nights sleep.

head buff and tie-dye

2011-07-14T14:31:00.002-10:00

Jude made this cool tie-dye shirt with his buddy Jed and Nyah. I'm not a big tie-dye fan but it's different when you see the process and make it yourself. He was very proud...especially since it's on a Cars t-shirt! He's also sporting the head buff he got at VBS. It cracks me up that he wears it all the time. Jude definitely has his own style and he's not afraid to show it. The other day I asked him if he wanted me to give him another hair cut since it was getting down into his eyes. He told me "no, the neighbor kids like my old fashioned hair cut." Not sure what that means.

2 months old

2011-07-12T21:09:00.004-10:00

Our little Lainey-bug is 2 months old! Yeah! Not much new to report on. Some social smiles, naps are a little better, night time sleep stretches have been 7 hours, and this girl likes to move. I'm not sure why we have such active children but all of them have been super strong and when awake constant movement.

So happy 2 month birthday to our little girl. Never again will her double chin and muffin-top over the diaper look so adorable.

summer reading program

2011-07-11T08:41:00.003-10:00

This is my attempt to take pictures of my kids and their certificates stating that they completed the summer reading program at the library. The last picture is the closest I could get to everyone smiling and looking at the camera.

The kiddos loved going every week to the library to turn in their book lists and get a prize. I've tried to have a few "normal" things for the kids while we're still in our newborn fog and this was one of them. To be honest I'm glad the pressure of it is over. Having 4 kids has been quite the challenge and doing anything extra outside of feeding, clothing, changing diapers, doing laundry, making meals and keeping the house sort of clean is about all I can handle right now.

splish, splash

2011-07-06T09:09:00.002-10:00

What we do to keep cool... a little snorkeling and boogie-boarding...

my two fishies...

yippeee!

photo shoot

2011-06-28T21:03:00.004-10:00

My favorite pictures that my friend Sohee took of Lainey...

slip-n-slide fun

2011-06-23T20:17:00.001-10:00

different faces of Lainey

2011-06-19T20:19:00.002-10:00

This is the "tasting the air" face...people get it confused with "she's hungry because she's sticking her tongue out"...not necessarily true.This is the "get any closer and I'll punch you out" face.This is the "I'm bored" face or the "I'm getting sleepy" face.This is the "serious" or "contemplating" face.And this is the "I'm so done with this photo shoot" face.

snippets

2011-06-15T12:46:00.004-10:00

When I was downloading my pictures off my camera I found a bunch of pictures and video clips that Ethan took. So much so that he filled my memory card. Thankfully I have him to record our lives because taking pictures hasn't crossed my mind much lately.

Anyway I thought it was a true representation of my children...and some behavior from a little girl that she would have been disciplined for if I had known about it...she definitely has a bratty side that I can only pray that God will give us the wisdom as parents in molding her little heart. One of these days the boys are going to slug her back and maybe she'll think twice about doing that again.

This video is of Jude...he's our ham.

And this one made me laugh. I can see Ethan as a commentator in his future.

1 month old

2011-06-12T10:03:00.007-10:00

I think I've said she is one month old for the past week that I can't help but think "she's only 1 month old?" But here we are. Our little Lainey has been a part of our family for 1 month. She started out as a pretty easy, content little thing and I thought this transition was going to be pretty easy. But as she's gotten past that sleepy newborn stage her naps have seemed to shorten which is followed by fussiness that can only be helped by holding. Ah, I am thankful for this little girl but I will be so glad to be out of the newborn phase.

We're looking forward to the next few weeks as she continues to be more aware (which may contribute to the lack of longer naps) and content. The kiddo's continue to adore her although she usually responds by crying...especially to Ansley who doesn't understand personal space very much. A sort of smile...

...and then we were done.

lemonade stand

2011-05-28T15:21:00.003-10:00

The boys and a neighbor friend decided to have a lemonade stand on Saturday. I thought it was a cute idea and had no idea what a hit it would be. They made $16 in a couple of hours.

It's always good to sample the product you are selling...Ansley sampled a little too much.

And you had the option of buying a colored rock with a glass of lemonade...for a small fee of course.

lots of love

2011-05-28T15:16:00.002-10:00

Mimi holding Lainey

brother Ethan has got the magic touch

first time brother Jude holding Lainey

Big sis enjoying her baby sister being home

uploading pictures

2011-05-28T15:02:00.004-10:00

My time is limited these days so I am just going to download my pictures from my camera and put some captions.

Mother's Day flowers for Grandma and me

Day at the Aquarium with Grandma (before baby Lainey arrived) watching some lizards sunbathing

Ansley kissing the baby (my prego belly)

watching the seals

Jude holding a hermit crab

introducing....

2011-05-15T14:50:00.004-10:00

Lainey Adeline Wood

7lbs. 9 oz.

19 1/2 inches

May 12th at 4:40pm

The proud brothers and sisters.

Our family of 6

where does the time go

2011-05-02T20:51:00.004-10:00

I don't think I've ever gone this long without blogging. So I'll just give a quick update:

~We're on a mission to finish school before this little babe comes. We plan to wrap up Wednesday on 4 subjects and the other 2 we'll finish the following Monday. So we've been busy around here being diligent in our studies and it has paid off. Ethan is wrapping up 2nd grade and Jude is anxious to start Kindergarten in the Fall. Ethan took his standardized testing about a month ago and passed with great scores so it's good to know he has been growing in his learning over the year and is right where he needs to be (it reassures this homeschooling mom who wonders if he is learning what he needs to and understanding it). Jude's big accomplishment is that he is reading some basic reader books. He is very proud of himself and I love seeing him light up when he realizes he can actually read!
~I've had a few orders for my bears so I have been sewing in my free time. It's nice to have the extra cash and have time for a little creativity before my life comes to a standstill for a few months. :o)

~This baby girl is growing and so is my belly. I have to say I am SO ready for her to come. Two more weeks until the due date. Jason's mom comes tomorrow and I told this little one that she can come anytime after that. Hopefully she's just as ready and will make her debut soon.

~I just started preparing for this baby this past weekend. The ladies at the church threw me a baby shower and we were overwhelmed by everyones generosity. So I washed clothes, raised the crib mattress, washed out the car seat and have a diaper supply (from the shower) that will last for months. So I think we're ready...except for a middle name. We can't agree on one yet. But I think we have nailed down a first name. Ansley keeps saying "baby come out", which I thought at first was because she was excited to have a baby sister. But I think I've realized that all she really wants is my lap back.

~Ansley is moving along on her potty training. Not quite accident free but she's getting there. She has grown up so much lately and it's really fun to hear more of her thoughts and see her little personality come out more and more. I am curious to see how she will react to being a big sister. With her it could go either way.

~ Jason has his lessons planned out for the rest of the school year so he can pass off his classes when our baby girl arrives. He's been busy completing house projects, moving furniture, doing house chores, and helping any way he can. Who says nesting is only for the mothers?

Hopefully that wasn't too boring. But our lives are all about preparing for this baby and doing our day to day routine. And because of that I have taken about 2 pictures this past month...mainly because I forget to take my camera places and captures our lives on film.

photos

2011-04-07T15:15:00.002-10:00

I took some pics of my kiddos for our hallway picture frames. I realized it had been a while since I took some portrait type shots. Jude is my hardest to get a real smile out of and Ansley just doesn't like to look at the camera. But I managed to get these 3 that I thought weren't that bad. Well I guess it's actually 4 since I can't decide on Jude with teeth or Jude without teeth. What do you think?

short update

2011-04-05T12:45:00.006-10:00

Wow, this blog thing is hard to keep up with. I have no pictures but I thought I would update everyone on the past week.

First, my ultrasound was fine. Baby is normal size and growing great! I guess I just measure small. A smaller baby would be fine with me if she was growing normal.

Second, Ansley is potty trained!!!! I have about a month of being diaper free. I feel bad that I was so frustrated and impatient with her when it took her about 2 days to get the hang of it. At the time I thought she would never catch on but something clicked and she gets it now. She was even dry all during Sunday school and church on Sunday. The nursery workers said she told them when she had to go. Maybe girls are easier to potty train...once you get over the stubbornness and girl drama of it all.

Third, I have caught a cold. For any regular person it probably wouldn't be such a big deal. But to a pregnant woman who can't take anything to relieve symptoms, it's pretty miserable. Thankfully Jason took yesterday off so I could rest. He even did school with the boys so they wouldn't get behind...then he told me how much he admired me for what I do everyday. Gotta love that. So after drinking lots of hot tea, breathing in bowls of steam and squirting saline up my nose, I feel like I am turning a corner. Still feel like I was hit by a truck and I desperately need naps in the afternoon, but hopefully I will be back to normal in a few days.

That's the big stuff. Everything else is the normal day to day. I'll try to post some pictures soon...just have to actually get the camera out and take some.

same week - part 2

2011-03-27T21:15:00.004-10:00

This post is the same week but the emotional heavy side. It started off pretty normal except Jason had a work trip to Texas with some other staff members to observe some other Christian Classical schools. I knew we would miss him and the week would be exhausting but we've done it before and I knew we could do it again. I then had my doctors appointment where I was told my baby is on the small side and they want to do an ultrasound to make sure she is growing fine. They say it's really nothing, just being overly cautious. So I tell myself not to worry.

On Tuesday we got word that a new family to our church had one of their children in the hospital due to a fall from a second story window. From then until Thursday we got updates a few times a day on his condition and by Thursday his parents were given the devastating news that their 5 year old son was gone. There is so much I could say about the testimony of this family, my roller coaster emotions this week, this little boys faith, the fear I dealt with for my own children, the exhaustion, the church service this morning, the church body surrounding this family with support and prayer, the humility it brought to so many of us, the anger, the tears, the sadness, overwhelming thoughts, the prayers, wanting a miracle so badly, remembering God is a sovereign God and being reminded His will is for our good. This family's life was changed in an instant and it will never be the same. Yet through their tears this morning the family rejoiced that their little boy still has life in heaven with his heavenly Father and repented openly of their unbelief through these past few days. As Christians we are not promised a life without pain and suffering. The difference is that we have the comfort of the Spirit, the amazing love of the Father and hope in our Savior to unite us in his Glory. Death is not the final word. There is still grieving and sadness and will be for a long time. But knowing and believing what is Truth...what God has promised helps us to heal. My heart still breaks for this family and I still hug my children tighter every chance I get, but it also has made me very aware of how much I want to control my life, how much I desire comfort and how scared I am to trust in His perfect will.

a week - part 1

2011-03-27T20:42:00.006-10:00

I have so much to say about this past week that I thought I would make it a part 1 and part 2 kind of deal. So here is some highlights with pics for part 1. We decided to watch the life-cycle of a caterpillar again. It's easy to do here because there are these great trees called Crown Flower Trees that have an abundance of these little critters on them. We started off with two caterpillars and ended up with about 6 when some little eggs hatched that we didn't know were on the leaves. It's so amazing to watch God's creation. We observed these little babies turn into very fat caterpillars to then wandering off to spin an amazing green cocoon. So far we have had one butterfly "hatch" and fly away and we are waiting on 3 more. The boys and Ansley check on them throughout the day...Jude named his favorite and Ansley always says "Ah, cute". Ansley has entered the big girl bed phase. She actually enjoyed the fact that she is in one and I enjoyed the fact that for the first few days she didn't even think of getting out of it. Of course now she has realized her freedom to roam the room and nap times have become a source of training and learning patience for me. But at least the crib is available to this baby girl who will be here soon. Next is potty training...more patience learning.And speaking of this little girl...she is quite an active one. Here I am at 32 weeks. I'm feeling good...or as good as you can when you're 8 months pregnant...and the due date is coming at a fast speed. At my last visit I measured small so I am going in for an ultrasound tomorrow. Normally I am not a worrier but I am glad that the ultrasound is tomorrow so we can check and make sure she is growing fine.

hawaiian hurricane popcorn with mochi and nori

2011-03-21T20:44:00.004-10:00

Did you just read that title and say "what?". Yeah when I first saw this popcorn I thought how could you ruin such a good thing like popcorn and butter or cheesy popcorn or caramel corn. But this has really grown on me. I must say seaweed (nori) in my popcorn is actually really good and I kind of prefer it now...plus all the salt and butter they throw on there too. And the rice crackers (mochi) I don't even mind anymore. I think I'm becoming more local the longer I live here. As you can see my kiddo's love it too. The thing I have a problem with is the little pieces of seaweed everywhere.

cow's heart

2011-03-17T11:39:00.003-10:00

For our science co-op group we studied the heart. So a friend of mine who was teaching this unit brought in an actual cow heart to look at the chambers, arteries, veins, muscle, etc. It was funny to see what kids were utterly amazed and which ones were a little squeamish. Of course my boys couldn't wait to stick their fingers through the ascending aorta and pull on the valve tendons.

tricycle rider

2011-03-14T15:30:00.002-10:00

Ansley has learned to ride her tricycle and I'm not sure how that happened. I'm thinking her brothers had a part in it though. One day she was crying because she couldn't move forward on her tricycle, her feet would get stuck between the peddle and wheel (ouch!), I would push her and she couldn't steer so we ran into everything or she would tip over and get all dirty. Next thing I know she's riding around all by herself...and steering!

happy 5th birthday

2011-03-12T22:35:00.007-10:00

Jude turned 5 today! As I say for each of my kids...how can he be 5 already? But Jude loved the fact that he had a birthday and used every opportunity to use that to his benefit. We heard many times today "but I'm the birthday boy" or "since I'm the birthday boy..." He also loves the fact that he is so old now. He even told us that he felt like he was 5...as apposed to yesterday when he was 4.

As you've heard on this blog one of Jude's favorite things lately are Lego's, so of course we had to have a Lego party. He had a few friends over and we had Lego games, Lego party favors, Lego decorations, Lego cakes and just some free play with all of Jude's "neatly" organized Lego's.

We started off with a speed game of building a Lego person.Jude's favorite way of taking Lego's apart is with his teeth. Many of his Lego's look like the dog chewed them all up...except we don't have a dog.

Our last game was called "who can pick up the most Lego's" and amazingly they all joined in with much enthusiasm. Then we weighed their bags to see who had the most Lego's...plus the living room was all cleaned up before everyone left...bonus! Jude provided some of the table decorations...
...which went well with his Lego cake. Then we topped off the party with some present opening...which consisted of more Lego's. A great way to end a party. Boy was this little boy excited...you just can't tell by his face. He's a little reserved in that area.

Pablo Picasso

2011-03-10T20:22:00.004-10:00

My two little Picassos...their rendition of Flower Bouquet.

And Picasso's version.

legos

2011-03-08T23:51:00.003-10:00

Jude is Lego crazy...as I've mentioned on a previous post. Ever since I told him about the Lego store he has not stopped asking when we can go. So I decided to go on the "build a free Lego figurine" day and didn't tell the boys until we got in the car. I must say the video didn't even capture his excitement...I think he was in shock. But on the way there, after about 15 minutes in the car, he just came out and said "mommy, I love you!" and a couple times he said "this is so es-citing."

dishwasher in training

2011-03-03T20:49:00.002-10:00

Ansley is in a phase of wanting to do what I do...right now it's wanting to wash the dishes. I must say I don't mind, even if I have to wash them all over again. She has quite the determination though because she didn't quit until every last dish was in the dish drainer. It was quite impressive.

happy birthday jason

2011-02-26T21:13:00.007-10:00

Warning: this is a very long post but at least it has pictures. I am combining two weekends in a row...Jason's "surprise" party to celebrate completing his Master's degree and then Jason's birthday.

First, I planned a "surprise" dinner party with some friends. I invited people that have come along side Jason these past 4 years and have either encouraged, supported, proof-read papers, brought accountability to finish or to prioritize better or have just been praying for him and our family during these past years of study. I say "surprise" because we weren't as sneaky as I thought we were being and he was picking up on clues left and right. But at least he felt congratulated.I provided the bar-b-que and beer and everyone else brought the sides. It was quite the feast.Congratulations, Jason, for a job well done! We are so proud of you for finishing so well!And of course Ansley had to steal a bit of the spot-light.

And on to the second party weekend...the birthday. It started off with a great breakfast with the fam and then Jason opened our gift to him...Tim Hawkins on DVD. Little did I know the rest of our morning was being glued to the TV watching Tim Hawkins on DVD. Jason thinks this guy is hilarious and couldn't wait to watch it...even the kiddo's enjoyed watching it.

Then we had a big lunch together since Jason had to coach his basketball teams that night. Ethan made a great sign for the cake.

We met up with Jason at the gym to cheer on the boys and girls basketball teams and the students had a great time showering him with gifts...Mountain Dew being a popular present...and then ended the night by dousing him with a cooler full of water to wish him a happy birthday and wrap up the season.

grandma

2011-02-20T20:42:00.007-10:00

My grandma of 98 years passed away this past week. Because I couldn't make it back for the funeral I wanted to sit and think back on memories, what I knew about her and realize the blessing of having a grandmother like her. One word comes to mind when I think back to the visits we took to grandpa and grandma's house...family. There were always large family gatherings for holidays and special occasions. We were all spread out all over the US but when we came together it was if we all lived next door to one another. As an adult I see how rare that is to 1) have joyful family gatherings 2) a bond with family that is deep because of our connection as a family....a beautiful glimpse of God's people gathered together in eternity.

I remember my grandmother had this laugh that my sisters and mom all inherited. It usually starts with something that wasn't really funny but got her tickled. Then we all asked what was so funny which made her laugh harder so that she couldn't speak. That in turn made us all laugh to the point of crying tears, without even knowing what was so funny. I love that kind of laughing!

I remember my grandmother was always busy making sure everyones needs were met to the point where we would all finish our meal and grandma hadn't even sat down to eat yet. Grandma was a petite little woman but she knew the definition of hard work.

I remember grandma's garden. Beautiful flowers, delicious looking vegetables and a yard that was so fun to play in. Eating corn straight off the cob right after it was picked from the garden.

Christmas's were especially memorable. There are certain foods and desserts that remind me of Christmas time. Three-tired serving dishes. The piano. Folding tables and chairs always filled my grandma's house so that everyone had a seat. Playing card games and board games. Cold mid-west weather but warm and cozy inside. Lots of talking and laughter.

Grandma always had the best toys...pick-up sticks, tinker toys, harmonica.

Church was an integral part in grandmas life. Church attendance every Sunday was important.

I remember grandma's generosity. If you tried to pay her back or pay for something she refused to take it. And every time we got back home from visiting her we always found money she had snuck into our things so that we didn't have a chance to give it back to her.

Now looking back I wish I would have sat down with her more and asked her about her life. Being a mom to 5 children. Being married to a man that loved her dearly. What her childhood was like. What history she remembers from the past century and what it was like to live through it.

What a full life she had. What a legacy she left behind. What a family tree God blessed her with. And how glorious that now she sees Jesus face to face.

are you my mummy?

2011-02-16T22:50:00.004-10:00

Ethan has been studying the Egyptians in our history lessons and one of his projects was to learn about mummies...how they mummified people, why they buried their dead that way, etc. and then make a paper cut-out version. He was very proud of it but asked me not to keep it in his room because it freaked him out at night.

valentine's day

2011-02-14T21:40:00.005-10:00

Sorry this is a lame-o post with no pictures of the kiddo's or my hubby but we did manage to take pictures of all the heart cookies we made for friends and family. Then we got to go deliver them. Ethan told me this afternoon that this was the best day ever...I agree. It's fun to have a day where you can tell people that you love them and appreciate them. Something I don't do enough of.

I should have taken pictures of the cards that the boys made for me too...it would melt anyones heart. Or the flowers my hubby got me and the necklace that the boys helped pick out for me.

I wish I had grabbed a camera this morning when I went to get the kids up and they ran out of the room with so much excitement you would have thought it was Christmas. They couldn't wait to open their Valentines.

Another great photo opportunity would have been when Ansley snuck outside with some of her Valentines candy and hid under the swing set trying to open it. Sneaky little booger. Or when we couldn't figure out where Jude's candy went and after a long search found it all in Ansley's bag. She may have a sweet innocent face but she knows exactly what she's doing.

Or I wish I had pictures of Jason and my first Valentine's day as a newly dating couple. It definitely wasn't a Valentine's day to remember. I had made a card with magazine words and pictures cut out to a tell a funny love story...all decorated and creative. And couldn't wait to see what Jason had planned...which ended up being nothing. He didn't even get me a card or have any plans for where we were to eat...not realizing that every place had at least a 2 hour wait. After driving around town for quite a while we ended up at a place called Mama's Italian Villa...which sounds charming but wasn't. It actually had the worst pizza I have ever tasted (probably why there wasn't a wait). But thankfully he realized he had to redeem himself and surprised me with a Valentine Hike a few days later where he placed notes all along the trail (with cheesy lines like "your dad must be a thief and stole the stars and put them in your eyes" and some not so cheesy quotes from C.S. Lewis) Then he read me some love poetry...and then I realized this guy is a keeper.

I should find the picture of the roses Jason had sent to the school I was teaching at the year we were engaged. I've never had flowers delivered like that...I felt so special. And my students were just as happy for me as I was.

Well I really need to start using my camera more. I do have some pictures downloaded and waiting to be put into posts. Now I just have to find the time to do that. Hope everyone else felt loved and appreciated today.

sorry no pictures

2011-01-31T21:42:00.004-10:00

Here is just a run down of our past week. I have no pictures to show for any of it so I'll try to make it as interesting as I can:

Jason took a trip to the mainland (Charlotte, NC) to defend his thesis at Reformed Theological Seminary. He passed with flying colors and is an official graduate with a Masters of Religion degree. We are so excited for him to finally be finished...I mean...to have gained all this wonderful knowledge!

While he was away, the kiddo's and I had much planned...

-movie nights-with popcorn and smoothies
-bike rides-for the boys that is, Ansley and I strolled behind them
-going to the park...for PE that is, I played soccer and basketball with Ethan and later realized that probably wasn't the smartest thing-being 6 months pregnant and all, not sure what came over me
-friend get-togethers-we hosted a ladies cooking event, my friend Kathy taught us how to make a variety of mochi, gave us a lesson in pidgin/Hawaiian history and we laughed and talked A LOT.
-school lessons-we managed to stay on task with our school work
-hosted a baby shower for a friend-sweet baby boy Eli joined us and once again we enjoyed eating, drinking tea and laughing and talking A LOT.
-got some sewing done-got motivated to sew again, and had a couple orders for my Aloha bears
-did some baking-cookies, bread, scones, Yum!
-had lunch at a friends house
-had our small group over for pot-luck/fellowship night

Jason came back Sunday night...but very sick. So we quickly hugged him, gave him some NyQuil and he went straight to bed. He is now on antibiotics for a sinus infection and very glad to be home in sunny/warm Hawaii.

Hopefully I will remember to bring my camera out and get some pictures posted soon.

catechism question #6

2011-01-23T16:17:00.007-10:00

Jason overheard the boys playing outside yesterday with their neighbor friends. This was the conversation that he heard:

Friend #1: Let's play Ninjas.

Everybody else: Okay.

Friend #1: Jude you are god of fire, Elijah you are god of water and Ethan you are god of ice.

Ethan: I can't. There is only one true God.

Friend #1: I'm not talking about that God. Never mind, you can be the Warrior of ice.

My prayer for my kids is that memorizing truths of Scripture through the Children's Catechism will one day give them boldness to know and speak the truth....even when those around them think it's not that big of a deal. It sure does challenge me in my lack of boldness.

decorating post #2

2011-01-17T14:27:00.004-10:00

These before and after pictures aren't as great as I thought they would be because I didn't take as many "before" pictures like I thought I did and I was too lazy to clean up the house before I took the "after" pictures. But here they are. Our landlords allowed us to paint the inside of our house, which we have never been able to do since we've lived here...we had to live with stark white walls. They were actually so excited that we offered, they agreed to pay for all the supplies and paint. Little did we know why. When you paint raw wood you need at least 2-3 coats of primer and then another 2 coats of regular paint before it looks good. And with single walled homes here in Hawaii there are lots of corners, grooves and trim that it takes FOREVER to paint a single room. So needless to say we still have quite a few touch-ups and all our motivation to paint has come to a halt. We have the boys room left but it looks like that will have to be put off for a while...being pregnant and all. So here we go:

BEFORE (except the primer on the wall in the back):

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

front entry way...before was raw wood with scrapes and writing on it, nail holes everywhere, and then AFTER:

beach day

2011-01-15T14:27:00.002-10:00

We were so thankful to finally get a nice sunny, warm day that we all ventured out as a family to the beach to soak in the rays. We've had so much rain lately that I was beginning to forget what the sun looked like. Jason took each of the boys out to the nearby (Flat island and the Mokes) islands for some kayaking and exploring. My boys love any water activity out there but kayaking with their dad is by far one of their favorites.

decorating

2011-01-11T23:02:00.005-10:00

A friend of mine asked me the other day what my decorating style was or what colors I liked to decorate with and I had to think a while about it. I then realized that my decorating style is what is free (either I found or was given to us), what is on clearance, what colors our rental is or what is the cheapest price. And then I just make it work. I never thought about having something in mind and then going and finding it and buying it.

I have some pictures from a few months ago that are before and after pictures...you know how much I love those. So I will dedicate the next couple of posts to some decorating pics. These chairs were some freebies I found on Craigslist and transformed into something that worked with what we had. We needed some extra seating so these worked perfectly.

BEFORE:

AFTER (changed the fabric on the seats):
Then painted the engraved star shape to add a little more color.

baby bump

2011-01-10T20:44:00.003-10:00

I'm nearing my 6th month and I thought it was about time to document our growing baby girl. I am enjoying the little kicks I feel and can't believe she already weighs about 1 lb and is about 8 inches in length.

quick re-cap

2011-01-07T21:31:00.006-10:00

I think I will rename this blog Catching up with the Wood Family because I always seem to be behind. But here we are...Christmas and New Years Eve.Ethan couldn't stop talking about his stocking. Glad it was such a big hit.
Jude very excited to open some Legos.Ansley putting on every gift she received...she is one girl who loves her accessories.

We call this the fondue before the storm. People go nuts-o over fireworks here...or I call them bombs. We had things falling off our walls, so much smoke outside that we couldn't see the neighbors house across the street yet through it all our kids slept through it. Anyway back to our fondue, it's our tradition every year...cheese fondue, oil for the meat fondue and most important chocolate fondue. Yum-o!

baby turns toddler

2010-12-29T14:16:00.006-10:00

Ansley turned 2 today. Time sure does fly...too fast. This girl loves attention and soaked it all in on her big day. We started our day off with a now traditional birthday breakfast...pancakes in the shape of the number they are turning.
Then we headed to the zoo as a family (Jason got to take the day off). It was a bit rainy but the kiddo's had a blast.
Then we had a birthday dinner that night with flower cupcakes for dessert. Ansley did great at blowing out her candles...she had lots of practice at our church's candlelit Christmas Eve service where she blew my candle out at least 3 times during the singing of Silent Night.

And with all the practice at Christmas time, she was a champ at ripping through her packages.Here she is sporting all her new loot. Notice the two purses...because one just isn't enough.

events of Christmas time

2010-12-23T20:12:00.007-10:00

Tree lighting at the local hospital...

Free trolley rides around town to see the lights...The Christmas parade with friends...
Playing in the "snow" at the mall (bubble tree)...
The advent Jesse Tree Devotions every night before bed...

Baking goodies for our church's care packages for the elderly and widows...
Bringing food boxes to local families that are in need...
Attending the live Nativity performance...
Christmas caroling in the local nursing home...
Going to the Nutcracker Ballet...
And tomorrow night the Christmas Eve service at church!

legos

2010-12-21T21:20:00.003-10:00

Jude is crazy about Legos. He is constantly building airplanes...which Ansley likes to swipe from him. I am glad he enjoys them so much but the thing I don't like about Legos is that there are always little pieces of them everywhere...and then I step on them. Painful! So I had to post this video of a Christian comedian named Tim Hawkins. I was crying because I was laughing so hard, mainly because I so idenitify with the pain of stepping on a Lego.

christmas pic preview

2010-12-19T15:31:00.005-10:00

I thought I would just post the duds. If I was really computer savvy I would crop Jude in every picture and make a flip book to show all the crazy faces he makes when getting his picture taken. So anyway look for the best of the best in your mailbox soon.

Little did they know I was taking their picture...

Walked away before the timer went off...Did it again...

And then a couple of cute ones.

It's a.....

2010-12-15T14:22:00.002-10:00

GIRL!!!! We're all very excited to be adding another little girl to our family! I'm excited Ansley will have a sister to grow up with and Ethan is glad we will have an even number of both genders....he was very concerned about that.

We took the whole family to see the ultrasound and I think we gave the technician quite the show. Ansley was quietly eating her Cheerios and dropping a few as she went...which we promised to pick up once we were done. And after we explained to the boys that we would basically be seeing the baby's skeleton, Ethan kept tyring to name all the bones he just learned..."is that the clavicle?", "is that the femur?". Jude kept saying he saw a mustache, even after we found out it was a girl and finally realized he kept seeing the pelvic bone which from a certain angle did look like a handlebar mustache. But Jude's favorite part was watching the heart beat and asked to see it over and over again. Then at one point I said "Jude there's the heart", to which he replied "I see it!! I see Jesus in her heart too!" I love his literal mind but had to explain that Jesus isn't literally sitting in our hearts...he still seems confused on that one. Then as we were leaving, the doctor asked the boys what they thought Santa was going to bring them for Christmas, to which Jude blurted out "Santa's just fake. He's just a man that dresses up in the malls." I think the doctor was a bit surprised but I'm glad he knows that Christmas isn't all about Santa...we just had to remind him not to tell his friends because some of them believe that Santa is real.

So now the planning and name picking can begin. We're thrilled and so thankful for a healthy, growing baby girl. Because we've lost two babies to miscarriages in the past, we don't take for granted the miracle of babies and we give God all the glory and praise for giving us this wonderful gift!

boy or girl

2010-12-13T20:44:00.003-10:00

Tomorrow we find out (if this little one cooperates) if we are adding a boy or girl to our family. So I thought it would be fun to see what everyone guesses. Just leave me a comment and let me know. Then Wednesday I will post and let everyone know. We're pretty excited around here!

experiencing polynesia

2010-12-09T22:08:00.003-10:00

The kiddo's and I took a field trip a couple of weeks ago to the Polynesian Cultural Center here on Oahu. It's one of the biggest tourist-y things to do here and this was our first experience of it. We visited Fiji and Tongan and learned about the music they made, what they made their instruments out of and a little bit about their culture.

I haven't been very good lately about remembering to take pictures so I only grabbed a few of the boys playing on the drums. Ethan was having a contest with his buddy to see who could hit it the hardest and... Jude played in great rhythm with a very serious face.

While Ansley just wanted to complain the whole time and repeat "up, peas" about every 30 seconds...at least she is polite about it.

O Christmas tree

2010-12-07T12:38:00.003-10:00

Our yearly tradition is to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving and purposefully miss Black Friday all together. So we woke up, had pumpkin cinnamon rolls for breakfast, turned on the Christmas music, drug out our 2 boxes of Christmas decorations and spent the morning getting ready for the Christmas season. This is my favorite holiday of the year. I love and am grateful all over again for what the holiday represents (Christ and his life, death and resurrection for our salvation in fulfillment of the promises made) and I love that it brings community in the church and many family times together.

The boys were just as excited for this day and Ansley acted as if she had done this many times before. I think since this day she has re-arranged the lower half of the tree at least a dozen times.

And then, of course, you have to make a ship out of the empty Christmas tree box when you're all done.

carving our pumpkin

2010-12-04T12:31:00.005-10:00

These pictures, sadly, are not that long ago. We didn't carve our pumpkin in time for Halloween but we did manage to get it carved before Thanksgiving...two days before. The boys were so excited needless to say that they even enjoyed digging into the slimy insides (not a favorite of mine...especially during pregnancy nausea). And then dad helped with the final carving. It only lasted about 2 days before the mold and fruit flies took over but the boys were thrilled and that's what makes it so fun.

Since we were in the fall mind-set I thought I would make caramel popcorn balls to have as a treat while we watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie...quite tricky without a candy thermometer but they actually turned out and the kiddo's gobbled them up.

This picture just made me laugh. Meet drowsy, space-y and zombie.

saying goodbye

2010-12-02T13:27:00.002-10:00

Our dear friends moved back to the mainland a couple of weeks ago. We spent many a holiday festivities, kids birthday parties, tsunami evacuations and so much more together. So before they headed to the airport we had one more dinner together at our place.

The hard part about living in Hawaii is how transient it is...we're always meeting new friends and saying goodbye to old ones. But I feel blessed to have known so many amazing families since we've been here. I know we've grown as a family both spiritually and relationally because of who God has put in our lives. I hope to see some of these great friends again but I know if we don't that these families are somewhere else showing others Christ in their friendships and service to others. I'm thankful that God gave us the church, which not only brings biblical teaching, calls us to repentance, worship and selfless service to our Lord, but it also provides instant community because of our connection in Christ. I'm thankful for people that take the time to be involved in others lives and that truly get the idea of community/family that God designed it to be.

catching up...again

2010-11-30T21:11:00.002-10:00

My how time flies. So once again I'm going to start a while back to catch up. This is my journal/scrapbook of our lives so bear with me.

Jason has been reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to the boys and earlier this month they got to the chapter on the Turkish Delight that the witch gave to Edmond. So I remembered seeing some at our local discount store (Ross) and bought a bag so the boys could try it out. My memory of it was that is was disgusting and tasted like roses. But this version (probably Americanized) were in citrus flavors and all 3 kiddo's quickly ate their share and wanted more. Ethan told me that he could see why Edmond couldn't stop eating it. Then we had a great lesson on sin and temptation. Gotta love how candy can lead to a lesson of the heart.

Jude not sure at first about Turkish Delight.

I realized it's hard to take pictures of kids eating without it looking like they're hating every bite.

Ansley gave me a great smile...and loving her Turkish Delight.

pineapple

2010-11-18T18:50:00.002-10:00

Our pineapple is finally growing. It only took about 18 months and I'm not sure if it will get any bigger than that. I am amazed that pineapples don't cost more than they do considering it takes that long to grow one...and each plant only grows one pineapple.