Christmas Morning

Christmas was nice this year. We loved the simplicity of it this year, especially the fact that we (almost) didn't do any Christmas shopping this year. We received some really nice gifts from family and friends, and we are so grateful. Here are just some pics from Christmas morning:
With Nate's reminder, the girls leave cookies and a drink for Santa Christmas Eve.


"While visions of, er, reindeer, danced in her wee little head..."

The girls with the ponies we gave them for Christmas. These were mine when I was young.
YEAH!! A wagon!!!!
The dollhouse (and evidence on Nate's arm of him being a good dad)

Christmas preparations

Ah, Christmas. The girls and I had a great time making Hawaiian ornaments and oatmeal soap for friends and family. I didn’t realize just how fragile the ornaments really were, and we sent some off to the mainland. I would be surprised if any of them arrived fully intact. (If you received a box full of glass shards and sand, sorry! It’s not an insult!)

Kezia and Ivy making the soaps:

We began a tradition this year that was a lot of fun. We made a paper link calendar counting down the days until Christmas. Each link had written on it a nice thing to do that day, like give someone a kiss or write someone a letter, etc. It helped the girls count down the days til Christmas and helped remind all of us that the greatest gift we can give is ourselves. Here's a picture of a doggie Ivy made for Daddy on the day the link said, "Make something for someone". (Check out the trail of creativity flowing from the art cabinet):

Some more princess poses

Kezia and Ivy had friends come over who brought their dress-ups. I told everyone to pose like a princess for this picture. I love the poses they chose!

Beach day!

This is what I call prenatal surf lessons...

Kezia played with Daddy in the water while I went out surfing. She even let the waves go over her and slap her in the face. Sometimes this would make her stay as far away from the water as possible, but this time she thought it was funny and wanted to do it again and again!


She even let the waves go over her and slap her in the face. Sometimes this would make her stay as far away from the water as possible, but this time she thought it was funny and wanted to do it again and again!


Shaka!!!

This is a form of Hawaiian punishment: "You stay in your circle and you stay in yours!!!"

Just kidding. Ivy has been the sand child for quite a while, not really interested in going near the water. She and Kezia love to make stick gardens in the sand.

Kezia's wave

The Saturday before Christmas we went to the beach. It was so much fun!! Small, consistent waves were lapping the shoreline. Kezia and Ivy vacillate between loving the water and being afraid of it. This day, Kezia LOVED the water. As I was putting the surfboard leash on to go out, she asked that she go surfing. If she was going to show interest in going out in the water, I was in no way going to hold her back.

It was cute to see her and Daddy prepare for the surf. Kezia wore the leash and then they walked to the edge of the water, Kezia showing Daddy where to go. Then they sat down and watched the sets come in before paddling out. After paddling for a couple waves, they caught one!! I think the joy on both of their faces say enough.

Heidi's Hula

December 7^th was my hula halau’s ho’ike. In other words, it was the recital for my hula class. Wow, have I learned a lot about Hawaiian and hula culture!! Did you know that hula dancers make all of their outfits, including all their adornments?!? Purchasing things is out of the question. So plenty of practices, a couple of Sunday afternoons spent sewing, and quite a few evenings intricately weaving raffia and flowers and I was set. Nate was very supportive and helpful, especially since he was the one that encouraged me to still do the recital after I learned all that was involved.

It was a great experience. It has been a while since I have performed in front of people, and I really enjoyed it. I really enjoy hula. I love that it is all about nature. All the moves, (almost) all the songs, all the instruments and adornments are all derived from nature.

Nate took pictures, but before I could even see them, I accidentally erased the memory card on the camera. L Bummer. As soon as I can figure out how to upload a video onto the blogsite, I’ll post one for you.

Now, I am done with hula until March. I am liking having one more night to spend with Nate and having less to do.

You can't beat cutting down a Christmas tree in shorts and a t-shirt!Honestly, I'm big, of course, but deserving of the comments? I don' t think so.

A plea from the pregnant woman:

You know the old no-no about asking a woman if she is pregnant in case she isn't, she's just chubby? Well, I have a new one, one that has been repeated endless times this whole pregnancy from friends, neighbors, even complete strangers almost daily. Do not tell a pregnant woman, "Wow, you're big!" or "Are you having twins?" or "someone just asked me if you are due now because you're so big" or, in response to me saying I am due in February: "Oh, you have a loooong way to go." Why people say these things are beyond me. For one, I am not big! I am totally normal for 7 months pregnant and following the same weight gain as with Kezia and Ivy, but I never got this much grief with those pregnancies. And I have only 2 months longer. Does that seem like a loooong way away to you? I don't know, maybe this is just the curse of this pregnancy. But even still, if a pregnant woman looked as though she was hiding an elephant under her shirt, you still don't tell her she's big or ask if there's more than one in there! And if she is even only 2 weeks pregnant, you tell her those 9 months will pass so quickly, and not anything to the effect of "Dang, Gina!! You're gonna have to carry that load for that long!?!"

RAiN

Wahiawa: Place of rain. When we lived in Haleiwa, we wondered what "rainy season" meant, since a pleasant light drizzle would greet us in the morning and then the sun would smile down all day. Then we moved directly up the hill to Wahiawa. The highest point on the island, it also gets a heckuva lotta rain. Will it ever stop?!?

Then last night the storm rolled in. Not just a storm: a gale with 60mph winds. At my hula practice earlier that evening, people living in Haleiwa were talking about trees and poles falling over that day. So when I came home, I suggested we move our plants to a safe area before the storm worsens. As we went outside, our big fica tree was already attempting to lunge over the lanai railing. At 2:30am we awoke to a huge gust of wind and rain. I mean, crazy wind and rain, where even in the pitch black of night the sky is white like snow because of the beating rain. Being on the 4th floor and pretty much unprotected from any other kind of structure, our house is a direct bullseye for any conspiring wind. The windows were all rattling and such, and by morning we were sleeping "ohana"-style": everyone in the same bed. The giant, mature tree in front of our condo danced like a belly dancer in full swing. It catapulted a section of itself toward the ground.

As we sleepily looked off our lanai this morning, we saw there was a section in the grassy area next to our building that was flattened. Apparently a microburst landed right near us. We also saw the section of the tree that had fallen pinched between two cars. How the cars missed even being scratched is beyond me. I thought to myself, those guys must feel so lucky. But then I saw one of the owners looking upset at her car. I mentioned how lucky she is not to have her car damaged, but she gave me a look of annoyance and explained how often her car is the victim of damage in that stall. It made me think how important it is to be grateful for the times we are watched out for.

So back to the rain. It looks like we have heavy rain for the next week. Whoopde-doo. I'm ready for sunshine and surfing and playgrounds and outside time!!!! (However, everything is so green here, so i guess the rain is a blessing...)

Pictures of the girls and Kezia's hula performance

Kezia's hula performance on Thanksgiving for a dinner for the homeless. This was her first one, and stage fright took hold of her little heart. The first dance, she stood stiff with her finger playing on her lip, looking around for me. The second dance she did great. Last week she had another performance and did a great job. If you wanna send her a "congrats", I am sure she would appreciate it!
Kezia and Ivy at the zoo last Monday. We had so much fun together just doing whatever. These girls love each other!