we miss you

We miss you Mimi, oh yes we do.

We miss you Mimi, all of us do.

When you're not with us, we're blue.

Oh Mimi, we love you!

(Any Bye Bye Birdie fans out there?)

There is no doubt when you have your own children that it makes you REALLY appreciate your mom and all the sacrifices she made. This is when living in Hawaii is so hard because family is so far away. But it also forces me to see that my strength and comfort comes from Christ alone and that he will help us through sleepless nights and fussy times with babies (yes, I have to preach that to myself daily...well maybe more like hourly...I tend to be a panicky mom with newbie babies). But I am truly grateful and blessed to have great encouragement and support from my mom too.

If my face looks puffy...it's because it was. Having sinus issues and then crying because your mom is leaving tends to make your face puffy. And yes that is our baby GIRL dressed in blue. Like I said it's a bit cold here in Hawaii (low 70's) and we didn't plan for cool weather with the girl clothes. So Ansley gets to wear some of the boys old clothes. I guess I could glue a pink bow to her head or something.

1 month old

Here is Ansley at 1 month old. I am copying my friend Kat who takes pictures of her babies next to the same stuffed animal each month so you can see how much they grow.

This is actually Ansley's "going home" outfit from the hospital...and as you can see is more like shorts now instead of pants. But we don't have many warm clothes for this cold weather we have been having here. So she is even wearing some of the boys "blue" outfits until it warms up a bit and she can wear all of her cute summer outfits that we have in plenty.

Her 1 month doctors visit was good and she is now a 10 pounder little butterball. She isn't my quickest gainer but she's still at 75% for weight. She is smiling, lifting her head and tracking us with her eyes. Not real exciting stuff but exciting when you are the parent and these little ones finally start to respond to you...besides crying.

So we've been told she looks a lot like Jude but we've gotten a few friends that have claimed she looks just like Ethan. What do you think?

smiley

This is our little Ansley flashing her cute gummy, toothless smile. She has been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Advanced you say, for being only a few weeks old? We like to think so...tee, hee.

Miss bright eyes.

photography 101

Ethan has been our little photographer lately. He has experimented with different lights...

...angles......and even a self portrait or two.

time flies...

...when family comes to visit and help with a new baby. We miss you Auntie Tara. Visiting for a week wasn't long enough.
Thanks to Ansley, the dark spots on Tara's shirt are spit-up.

worth more than money

Mimi's plane ticket to Hawaii = $800+

Mimi's help (cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc.) = $1,000's + my sanity

Mimi being here = priceless

1 week old

I love the many faces of newborns...

introducing...

Ansley Leilani Wood

Born December 29th at 11:45pm (on her due date)

7 lbs. 8 oz.

20 1/2 inches

The boys seeing her for the first time.

due date

Wow, I really thought I would have a baby by now...but this little one has decided to not come early or so far not on her due date. So I thought it would be fun to see who can guess the day she will decide to make her debut. I'll add a survey to the side bar. No prizes just trying to think of ways to keep my mind off the fact that I am still pregnant.

silent night....

...except for the occasional fire-cracker. Last night we had storms (with lightning) blow through the other side of the island and knock out the power to the entire island for about 10+ hours. We are thankful that it happened during most of our sleeping time and that it was a nice cool evening...since we weren't able to turn on any fans. But I must say it was way too quiet for me to sleep really well...all I heard was the clock ticking and myself breathing...yes, I am a light sleeper.

So we had to be a little creative last night before bedtime with the boys and come up with things that didn't require electricity or much light for that matter. We played some games by very dim candlelight and read books with flash lights. Being two days from my due date all I really wanted to do was lie down on the couch and watch some TV, but the boys thought it was so fun to have candles everywhere and use flashlights. And then when the boys went to bed Jason and I stayed up and watched The Office episodes on his laptop with the hour of battery life it had left.

new life

We bought these Crown Flower plants a few weeks ago just for the purpose of watching the cycle of a butterfly. Someone had told me that these plants tend to attract these insects so I went to the local nursery and bought two (one lavender flower and one white). I was a little skeptical of actually seeing any caterpillars but a couple of days ago we went to plant these in the ground and this is what we found...about 5 caterpillars and most of the leaves eaten. As we've read in our butterfly books this past semester, the caterpillars need to eat a lot and get a little plump before they make their cocoons. So we'll keep the blog updated on the progress of our morphing caterpillars. Even though we're officially on our break from school, the learning never stops.

December 25

Once in Royal David's City

Once in royal David's city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven,
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall;
with the poor, the scorned, the lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.

And, through all his wondrous childhood,
he would honor and obey,
love and watch the lowly maiden
in whose gentle arms he lay:
Christian children all must be
mild, obedient, good as he.

And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that Child who seemed so helpless
is our Lord in heaven above;
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
with the oxen standing round,
we shall see him; but in heaven,
set at God's right hand on high;
when like stars his children crowned,
all in white shall wait around.

December 24

December 23

Poinsettias

These are planted straight into the ground here in Hawaii.

December 22

Seeing Honolulu City Lights on a 1950's Fire Truck

December 21

Christmas Caroling

Tonight our church had their annual event of bringing boxes full of dinner foods to a neighborhood of about 28 families who live in transitional housing while they are trying to "get back on their feet". Then we sing Christmas Carols and visit with the families in the courtyard area. This is my favorite thing to do as a family this holiday season. First, because it's uncomfortable and I want my boys to see that sometimes ministering or helping others can sometimes be uncomfortable especially when they are strangers to us...but that shouldn't stop us from helping/giving to those around us. And second, I want them to see that Christmas is not about us. I want this time of year to be about celebrating and remembering Christ's birth and showing others His love...not about all the presents they will receive Christmas morning.

Do I think all these families really "need" these dinner boxes and that this one box of food will really make a difference? Maybe not. There are probably many other issues these families have to work through in order to "get back on their feet." Is this going to bring these families to a relationship with Christ? Maybe not but I know that if this were a family I knew well, I wouldn't think twice about bringing dinner over to them and wanting to show them kindness. So I pray that God is glorified through our measly efforts to reach out to others and that these families will come to know the great hope and salvation we have in Christ through faith in Him.

December 20

Half Lit Up Christmas Tree

For some reason half of our Christmas lights on the tree went out. At this point I am not going to "re-string" our tree so it will just have to look pathetic for Christmas. Kind of a bummer.

**UPDATE** the lights work again. That happens a lot here in Hawaii...a consequence to not having temperature/moisture controlled homes. We've had DVD players, car windows and computers stop working and a few days later "fix" themselves and work again. I guess that salt/moist air doesn't mix well with electronics or anything motorized.

December 19

Singing His ABC's

December 18

Zoo Day With Our New Friends

December 17

Haircuts: Before and After

December 16

Aloha Bears

Some for my friends...
...and one for our baby. I finally used the chenille fabric I found about a year ago.

December 15

Washing Baby Clothes

Well it started with the dream I had last night...I had the baby...and it was a BOY! Not that we wouldn't want another boy but poor thing would have a lot of pink to wear and would have a very girly name. So I woke up this morning and decided today is the day I will start washing baby clothes, sheets, towels to prepare for this little girl...I do only have 2 weeks til the due date. For some reason I can't be one of those moms that is deciding on the name on the way to the hospital or likes to be "surprised" on the gender. I am a planner (well God is ultimately the one in control but you know what I mean). So now that the 0-3 month clothes have been washed, name picked out, baby items are bought, baby room set up and the bag is pretty much packed...she can come whenever she wants.

December 14

Pedicure

My husband surprised me with a gift certificate to get a pedicure. He has gained much wisdom over the years of previous pregnancies...once I get to the point of not being able to reach my feet to paint my toe nails, he knows to send me somewhere to get them professionally painted before I ask him (again) if he can. Cause you know how important it is to have pretty feet when you're in the hospital giving birth, right?

December 13

Sinus Relief

Okay this has nothing to do with Christmas but it is what is going on in my life right now. Not sure if anyone has heard of a Neti Pot but this little bottle is basically the same idea...and to a pregnant women whose sinuses feel like they might explode and can't take any medication for relief, it is a life saver. A bit weird to use because as you're squirting saline water up your nose it is pouring out your other nostril. Jason still won't watch me rinse my nasal passages but boy does it feel clean in there when I'm done.

And because I am feeling under the weather I missed out on seeing the theatrical production of Peter Pan with Ethan last night at Diamond Head Theatre. A friend gave us free tickets, so Jason took him instead and he said that Ethan loved it and laughed through the whole play. It was a late night (they got home at 11pm) but Ethan said he loved watching "Peter Pants" and "Tinkle Bell".

December 12

Christmas cards

All stamped and sealed. Now I'm off to the post office.

December 11

The bottom of our stairs.

Hawaiian Winter Rains

When they say it's rainy season in Hawaii this is what they mean. We have had inches of rain over night and this morning that have led to this. A lot of places are without electricity, roads are flooded and we are home where it is dry and still have our power....for now.

December 10

1st Slumber Party

A friend of mine needed to find child care for her two middle children while her husband was out of town, so she asked if the boys could stay at our house over night for one night. Well you can only imagine how excited Ethan was by not only having his buddies come over to play, but to also have a sleep over. Our small Hawaiian house seemed to shrink over night with this much energy. But thankfully everyone slept and had a good time with only a few minor casualties.

December 9

Butternut Squash Soup

Thanks to my friend Jocelyn we were able to enjoy this yummy recipe on this cool Hawaiian evening. And thanks to Costco for having a bag of Butternut Squash already cut up and cubed...gotta love food prep done for you.

December 8

Kayaking at 9 months

December 7

Tea with a Friend

My friend, Amy, took me out to a frilly, girl-y, Victorian tea place that had delicious teas, little sandwiches, scones and teeny-tiny desserts. Amazingly we actually walked away really full. I love going to these types of places....and now I will have a little girl to take too. How fun!

December 6

Christmas Card Picture Preview

The official one should be in the mail in a few days. It only took 28 pictures this year to get one where most of us were smiling.

December 5

Vintage Ornaments

Well these aren't exactly vintage but they're vintage looking stickers that I put on some frosted glass craft ornaments. I got these on sale after Christmas last year (90% off). The idea came from my crafty friend Val.

December 4

Well this isn't a picture but a video still counts right? This is our annual lighting of the tree at the local hospital. Yes, I did say hospital. They have trolley rides, instrumental bands, free food, choirs and other fun stuff. It's our third year to go and it's really a lot of fun.

Treelighting

Funny side-story from the night...I went to use the restroom in the hospital after our trolley ride and the closest entrance was the ER. As I was waddling up to the doors a man came running over and with a frantic look said "Ma'am, are you looking for the birthing center? I can get you a wheelchair." I said "Oh, no, actually I was just looking for the bathroom." He kind of laughed and said "Oh sorry".

December 3

Baby Bump

This is my view looking down...well maybe not so blurry...and actually I can't really see my feet either. 26 days to go...at least until the due date.

December 2

Hawaiian Winters = Rain Season

Because of the rain we woke up to a chilly 76 degrees in the house and decided today we would take it easy. So we sat around in our pajamas and the boys watched some videos, played some games, played with cars and I did a little bit of sewing. It was nice to have a down day and relax a little bit...plus Jude is getting over a yucky cough and drippy nose.

photo fun - December 1

I have joined my friend Rebecca in her December Photo Project 2008. She has done this for a few years but this is my first year to sign up. Anyway the idea is to post a picture of the day, each day, until Christmas. Hopefully I will remember to keep up with it. But I thought it would be fun to see a little glimpse of each of our days here in Hawaii.

December 1:
A Ginger flower

Christmas holiday elsewhere: cold/snow, gray, sweaters, socks, hot beverages, fires in the fireplace, evenings inside...

Christmas here in the islands: warm/sunny, green, shorts, slippers (flip-flops), surfing Santas, cold drinks with lots of ice, days at the beach.