Christmas

 

Merry Christmas/Holidays! We've had some great time off of work and school. The girls have been very good this year and the adults have been as well!
So far we've had our friend Audre come for a few wonderful days! It was so fun adventuring together; Dann, Audre, & I went on a nice nature walk around Koko Crater while the girls were still in school. We saw Sarah as Mary in her Christmas Play, we went to a cute little beach near Waimanalo with the girls, and the last day she was here we went to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. It was Sarah's first time snorkeling and she did a great job. My parents babysat one night while Audre was here so we all went out to eat, got stuffed, and tipsy. Allways fun with friends;had a few nights at home wine drinking (Pineapple Wine is good),snacking, and watching classics like Bad Santa and Community. We were so happy to have Audre here and wish that we could have kept her! The girls kept trying to convince her to stay for a few more days.
Since then we've been trying to get things in order for the New Year; organized the kitchen, got laundry to a reasonable amount, and straightened out the girls room. My Uncle Jonathan came on Wednesday and we got to see him yesterday morning for breakfast. We opened presents and enjoyed some cereal and fruit until it was time to go home and make some delicious green beans with Cherry Vinaigrette. It's a very simple dish that went well with all the yummy things my Grandma cooked up for dinner. Then we got ready for Santa; once we finished baking brownies (saving those for dinner tonight), watched Charlie Brown's Christmas, The Grinch, and Dann read Twas The Night Before Christmas the girls were ready to sleep. Dann and I opened up 1 present from eachother each, stuffed the stockings; we put beeswax, lavender play clay, stamp markers, stickers, coral, and Dann's super cool idea for a coupon for Sarah's dancing lessons and Julia's swimming lessons. After Santa came we watched some more Community and once we were t.v.d out and I was ready to sleep like nothing else Dann said I had to get up because there was something urgent. I figured it was more preparation for Christmas but it turned out that Mom and Dad had gotten me a video camera! This video camera will definitely get some use and if the next time you me with it pointed at your face don't be surprised! The girls of course had a great morning opening all their goodies; they love all of their presents and one more great present is that Mom on Dann's side will be here in the New Year and are looking very much forward to her stay!
Merry Christmas & OR Happy Holidays!

Have a Happy New Year!!!

Sarah has changed so much in just these past months. She doesn't have tantrums any more! That is such a huge milestone for her and our family. She thinks things through and she tries to reason with Julia (who is in full swing tantrum these days). At least we know there is an end to it! We definitely owe this pleasant change to Waldorf; she expresses herself so well now in every way and she's really becoming such a big girl.

last weekend and this 4 day weekend

The girls had a great time trick-or-treating. Most of the fun came from the getting ready part. They loved getting their hair colored; Julia had chosen red but the color came out looking bright orange and Sarah got pink. We ended up walking around my grandparent's neighborhood with my grandpa. It was weird because there would be a row of about 3 or more houses closed before we would get to a house with a light on. We might end up making rounds at one of the more kid-populated neighborhoods next year. No one came to our house because of the dreaded steep ridge and lightening fast cars that are known to plow into trees or walls. We did have fun decorating the front of the house with pumpkins, spiderwebs, and our funny little skeleton man. The girls were allowed to keep 9 pieces of candy each and of course I ended up gorging on much of the rest. Dann convinced me to finally let him dump it out.
This weekend will be busy; dad and I have a few closings coming up! One of them is for a family friend so we're helping her move out this weekend and wrap up all the loose ends. Today mom and I spent some time with her while the girls spent some time with my grandma and grandpa. When Dann picked the girls up after work Julia was helping Grandpa wash the car and Sarah was pulling oranges from their tree. Dann kept the girls busy and they also watched It's Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs; he says it's a pretty funny movie. Sarah planted a seed from her orange once Mom and I got home and then the girls were both ready for some swinging/twisting. Once we all ate; the girls bathed and after playing 20 questions 20 times and playing the guess what I'm drawing on your back game they were sort of settled. They got one story and wanted more but I was beat so I called Dann in for back-up for the final tuck-in.

Fall Break

It's almost over! We definitely needed the break. Although it's been a little difficult because I've been taking over for my dad since he has been gone. We've had some fun though; art classes of course, a visit to grandma and grandpas', got hair coloring for halloween, a play date, painted pumpkins, and tomorrow we are going to Sea Life Park! We haven't done that in forever so it should be fun. The girls are excited for Halloween; Sarah is dressing up as a rainbow princess with pink hair and Julia is dressing up as a cat with red hair. Pictures will definitely be posted.

Crazy Keiki

The girls went to their first Waldorf playdate at someone elses house. They had a great time, drove the girl's older brother and his friends crazy, and other things that girls do. When I got there to pick them up they were playing dress up; it's so cute!
Then I stopped by the office with them but will never bring them there again. Julia thinks it's hilarious to run away from me when we're in public places, so unless I can focus full and complete attention on her I don't feel safe bring her with me. She is one crazy keiki.

Love this book (click on me to see!)

I got "When You Are Happy" from our local library, read it twice, & each time was filled with warm fuzzies; it's so great to share it with the girls, see their smiling faces, & funny that it's a childrens' book but probably my favorite ever.

Sarah didn't actually hit the ball over the fence; she just thought she did but she is still good at hitting it. Sarah lost one of her bottom teeth which reminds me I need to slip a dollar under the pillow. She asked for $10 from the tooth fairy & I told her there is a recession going on so the tooth fairy can only afford a dollar. Then Julia shouted; "The Tooth Fairy isn't real!". I just love those crazy kids! They love their after school art classes. Monday it's crafts and today they made really pretty wind socks and then played for 3 hours after school while 4 kids showed up that we knew. 2 kids from their old schools and 2 twins from their new school; 1 for each of their classes. So that was cool but we didn't get home until about 7pm. We ate real fast and then read stories. So I'll have to wake them up early for baths.
Thursdays is drawing & painting and last time they did it they painted water colors which are my favorite. They really enjoy those classes. I'm thinking I should take them to the playground everyday; they love it so much and it's a lot easier on the poor house.

The girls got their class photos yesterday and ID cards. All the kids were very excited to have their own id cards. They liked pretending they were credit cards. If only they new what trouble credit cards can get people into. It's better that they think of them as some amazing magical thing at this point, there is plenty of time to realize the harsh truth haha. I got two packs with lots of pictures so I will be sure to send them out when they are ready.
Sarahs' friend William is having a birthday party today and the girls are very excited to go. We got him a cement truck that comes with a little action figure. It's a pool party and very rainy right now but hopefully it will be clear by the time the party rolls around. The nice thing about rain is I don't have to go out to water plants.
I finally got my package that I'd ordered in the mail for my birthday. I got all this really great bath stuff from Bodycake on Etsy. I was really having a rough time getting the girls to take a bath. They tried out their first bath cupcake last night and they loved it! It's really cool because it looks just like a cupcake. I put it in a stocking so it wouldn't clump in the tub. It made lots of great bubbles and tinted the water blue. Sarah said she wants to take a bath every night! So the purchase proved to be a success!
I had also gotten the girls a fighting fish that they had been asking for a week. Sadly he didn't last long so I got a replacement while they were in school yesterday. Luckily they can't tell the difference, success again!
Unrelated but Sarah is really in to golf. She likes to practice every day because she wants to be a famous golfer. Yesterday she hit the ball over the wall. We are all very impressed especially grandpa!

School Stuff and Sarahs' Big Fall

We have been very late to school every day. The teachers say it's more important for the kids to adjust to the day naturally but it's so hard for all of us to just get out the door. I told the girls that this coming week we will start the rooster alarm in their room again. They think it's a good idea, it's actually very cute because it crows! Hopefully that will help get things started in the morning. Besides being late things have been going great for them. Sarah has been very excited about making a sword at school this week. We were told about it during the last meeting that the kids will sand and wax their own swords. As soon as Sarah got to school today she asked her teacher about it because she had done most of it except for the sheath, so she finished everything today and was very happy about it. Julia has a class bunny they named Fluffy, their teacher got him from the humane society and he's allowed to hop around the classroom and outside with the kids once they put a fence up. The girls and I have also started gardening; we bought flowers, tomato, mint, rosemary, and a pink leafy bush. Each of us have our own side and Sarah tried to build a wall to separate her garden so we wouldn't walk on her side. She was very upset that I made her stop but Ponyo makes it all better.
Dann and I have been trying very hard to comply with Waldorf methods of no t.v. within reason. We've been letting them watch calm nature shows and only on weekends. A few days ago Dann put Ponyo on because Sarah had fallen on her face and hurt herself pretty badly. Which was a good idea because she felt better right away. It was pretty sad because she kept crying "I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!". It's healing up pretty well but she basically has a scab starting from above her lip to below her nose and little ones below her lip. She cut her knee and hand too. We were having a lot of fun running up the hill with the dogs and cheering Asia on to run who will rarely walk at a normal pace. So we kept laughing at how cute Asia was. Then it was time to go home and the girls started to run down hill and I told them to not run down hill because they could break their faces. Of course they didn't listen and they ran all the way home down hill. I had Asia and she was done running so I couldn't do much although now that I think about it I should have picked her up and ran after them. I figured they would be ok and they were until Sarah got home and noticed I wasn't there so she ran up hill after me and almost immediately tripped on her face. I didn't know what had happened I just heard her screaming and saw her running. I thought something horrible had happened to Julia or Troy because I didn't see them. Until Sarah got closer and I saw the blood. All I can say is poor Sarah! She was much better by bed time and it should heal within a week or so. I started getting a little skittish when she started lugging around bricks today, was not ready for another trauma so we went back in so she could finish Ponyo. After it's over we will get back to sticking with the program though.
I almost forgot to add that the girls have been enrolled in some extra-curricular activities. Just an hour after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays; Arts & Crafts and Drawing & Painting. I think it's great because they get to sit next to each other while they do something constructive. Sarah said she really liked it and Julia made a Stegosaurus. They have only started Drawing & Painting. This tuesday they start Arts & Crafts and their friend from up the ridge will be taking it too. Should be fun stuff!

Golf Buddies

Dad had been talking about getting the girls golf clubs and he got them today! Dad was ready to show the girls when we got home from my Grandmas' house. They were so excited but swinging away from the house and making sure that no one is around them before they swing may be a challenge. Sarah is ready to try it when she gets home from school. Dad will probably take them to the driving range once they get the hang of it. Let the games begin!

Ready for School

We've had a lot of fun recently; went to the Big Island last weekend and had so many good experiences there. We went to a friends farm, Akaka Falls, stayed at the valcano park, went through a lava tube, were on top of Mauna Kea looking at the stars freezing. Then last night we went to Bellows Air Force Base and stayed at the cabin there. We played on the beach as soon as we got there, attempted a game of jenga, played some music, ate, and read stories. Just me and the girls and it was a lot of fun until right before we left Sarah got mad at me because I wasn't playing the way she wanted me too. She doesn't let go of these things very easily it seemed to be a few hours before she will completely let it go. Really I just decided to take her for a long walk and it has seemed to mellow us all out a little. I'm thinking we'll have long walks everyday, couldn't hurt. Sarah and the rest of us seem to be having a control battle every few days and I'm always left feeling exhausted and I'm pretty sure Dann feels the same way. So I'm very excited that school is starting on Monday. She needs it and boy do we need it too!

Recap of Trip

Our month long stay has been wonderful. We've been staying in Maryland during the week and going to Pennsylvania on the weekends. Dann drove from Philadelphia to the campground the first weekend we were here to take me to our friends party While Betty watched the girls, the first weekend I've ever been away from them. It was a little strange but I was able to push the mommy guilt to the side for most of it. I got to see people there that I haven't seen since we first moved to Hawaii. So that was really special and very sweet of Dann. Their were really two parties one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Saturday there were belly dancers and a mixing board for a DJ spin off. Sunday night was the 4th of July so there were fire works courtesy of the hosts and amazing fire dancing. Lots of drinks, great friends, and yummy food.

The girls and I got to see Grace and Wyatt which was awesome and amazing to see how much Wyatt has grown. We got to swim;Julia and Wyatt were having so much fun in the pool being silly splashing and what not. Then Sarah took Wyatt for a ride in her Barbie mobile. Julia got upset because she wasn't in the mobile and then got stung by a wasp. She got over it fast and played more with Wyatt and the trio had lots of fun til it was time to say goodbye. My heart was so full seeing the kids together like that. We will miss those guys until the next time.

I got to spend a whole weekend with Angie and Audre which hasn't been done since maybe high school so it was very special. Audre and I picked wild flowers, tried beerfloats, tried Angies' choice of Jalapeno Pizza which is amazing, and just had a riotously good time with Ben, Angie, and Audre. Lots of wonderful spicy food, drinking, catching up with friends, and Rock Band playing. I also felt so blessed to be able to spend so much time with Angie and Audre this trip.

The girls got to spend a bunch of quality time with their Nana, Poppa, Aunt Katrina, and Aunt Erin. They have had so much fun making crafts,painting ceramics, and dancing like there is no tomorrow at the campground. Sarah has been so happy to make best friends where ever she goes and Julia has made great friends too; especially with a really nice man who works at the campground who she likes to call Mr.Nobody but has graduated to Mr.Ice cream. Julia also discovered she can swim without floaties and very recently started swimming on her back.

Betty, the girls, and I also visited Katrina and Cris in Salisbury. Katrina had got the girls a balloon making kit and Katrina made this really wonderful multicolored Octopus balloon animal. Julia really enjoyed twisting the balloon so she got the hang of it pretty fast. She also didn't mind popping the balloons so we heard a lot of that too. Betty had gotten a hotel room so we all had fun swimming in the pool and enjoying the continental breakfast. We also got a chance to go to Ocean City. It was the girls first time there and they loved the sand. Julia was fearless in the water and loved it. Sarah unusually enough wouldn't get into the water until Katrina carried her and then she was still afraid while being held above the water. She seemed to relax after a while. It just surprised me because Sarah is usually so fearless. They saw their first sky boards,seagulls, and Katrina bought them souvenirs. Sarah chose a pink and white poodle that fits in a pink purse and Julia chose a little doll with outfits.

We were going to drive straight from the campground from Katrina's but we ended up stopping at Betty's house since the girls were being insane and wouldn't stop screaming at each other in the car. Betty had gotten some fruit and vegetables at a farmers market on the way so we enjoyed delicious cantaloupe and tomatoes. We still have some cantaloupe in the fridge and the thought of it makes my mouth water.

We just got back from the campground for the last time and it was great. Erin, Bobby and their friends, Dann, Jenn ,Beth, my brother Dan, Ruth, and Eve all came to enjoy Pirate weekend. Dann, Jenn, and Beth got there first so we went swimming in the adult pool which is a different world from the regular pool. It was the first time I had been in it and it was quite, warm, and calm. Everything an adult could ever ask for. The girls spent the morning with Erin, Bobby, and their friends so they were all pretty spent when Erin and Bobby brought them back but I think they had a good time. Erin and Bobby also brought a Surrey for us to ride. So Dann peddled while Jenn, Beth, the girls and I enjoyed his efforts. It was a lot more work once Dann got off. Then Dan, Ruth, and Eve showed up so we peddled to their cabin site, relaxed a while, and then showed them around.

We all went out to a really nice dinner in town where we ate fresh local cheese, fruit, and enjoyed wine that they had brought with them. Unfortunately I forgot my purse at the restaurant but I'm hoping that someone can overnight it back to me because it doesn't open until Tuesday. We all went for a swim in the morning, said our goodbyes and then headed back to Maryland. I sat in back with the girls while we played a million questions. Our stay has been wonderful and I feel so appreciative for everyone especially to Betty for bringing us out here and doing so much.

This is our last week and tomorrow we should be meeting up with my Aunt Mary, Dan, Eve, and hopefully Ruth at some point at the DC museums. Wednesday is plan-free, Thursday we are doing lunch with Mike, and Friday morning we are getting on a plane back to Hawaii. The biggest task at hand is getting the girls to take a bath. I fear that I might have to cut Sarahs' hair if she doesn't let me wash it soon. Something needs to be done because it is starting to look like road kill.

Dan,Ruth,& baby!

Dann I will have made it to our 7th anniversary by Monday. Not really monumental but it's a good number! We are celebrating tonight at Vino's Italian Restaurant because it's not open on sunday through tuesday. It's better that we do it tonight anyway because Dan,Ruth,& baby are coming on Monday for a visit! It will be the first time meeting our little neice Eve and the girls meeting their baby cousin! We will be cleaning non-stop for their stay so it will be especially comfortable and nice for everyone. Must charge the camera for some cute pictures to come!

Sarah had a great birthday party. It was much better than last years because almost everyone she invited came! My grandma's house is officially the party place. So open, nice big shaded area, pool made with kids in mind, and the marina is right in back of all of this. Everyone had a great time and there were only a few crying fits from the usuals.
It was a really nice way of wrapping up an incredibly long week. My Dad has some big shoes to fill, I was basically thrown in to closing 3 escrows and negotiating a deal for him. It was the perfect way to get experience, I have a better appreciation for what he does, and I can definitely do more for him now. Dann has been amazing through this, he's really been Mr. Mom and has done an awesome job with the girls. The summer has been going good.

Aloha Friends

Sarah's best friend Carmel is moving to Texas today. It's really sad because we've really become friends with the whole family. Carmel's mom Loida teaches at Julia's preK and would do Julia's hair when it was in her face. She's just one of the sweetest people and her dad Frank is one of the friendliest people, always making everyone feel included and providing the kids with many a snack. They have all been dear friends through out the school year and we will really miss them. Luckily they are going to Jersey to see Loida's brother, I asked them if they'd be able to make it out to DC since we would be there in July. They said they could do that because Loida and Carmel have never been and the girls would love to see each other again! We wish them good luck and know it's something they have to try and I know they will do well where ever they go with there generous spirit and amazing little girl. It was really sad yesterday on the way home from their play date because Sarah told me that she feels like she's all alone in a dry desert without Carmel. All we can say is Aloha friends!

Julia Fish

Julia is becoming very comfortable in the water. I remember a few years ago when she barely wanted to get in, then she was ok with the stairs, last year she scaled the walls, and now she has finally become comfortable enough to swim on her own with floaties. A big step, Dann and I were so proud of her for being such a big girl. She said she was going to start swimming on her own when she turned 4 and she did it!

Dann's B-day

I got Dann a BC Burrito for morning breakfast after dropping the girls off at school. These burritos are the most amazing things ever! They put Soyrizo, eggs, fried potatoes, spicy ranch, and hot sauce. For lunch we stopped by the grocery store and picked some stuff up. Then it was time to pick the girls up from school and then we went over to a friends house to swim so the girls could get some energy out and Dann could have some quite time. Then it was time to start dinner which turned out fabulously. He said he wanted Italian so I went on epicurious and found a great recipe; Orzo with Grilled Shrimp(can be substituted w/ garbanzo beans), Summer Vegetables, and Pesto Vinaigrette. Usually I mess up recipes or forget one of the ingredients but this time was fine, the adults loved it, Sarah tolerated it, and Julia ate one shrimp. Then we ate a cake from a box, of course everybody enjoyed that. After the girls were asleep Dann and I watched Modern Family, a good solid birthday all around.

Mammas Day Weekend

We had such a great weekend. Friday I hung out with Sarah for a while for furlough and then she went hiking with her friend Catherine. Sarah had a lot of fun from what she told me;she fell in a stream, saw a toad, and her friend used a banana for fishing bait. Julia and I also had a chance to pick out a princes present,wrapping paper, and a princess card for her friend Ruby's birthday party, the girls played once everyone was home, fought after a while, and then we all relaxed and told stories.
Mom couldn't do a lot today so we went out yesterday after Manoa Falls hike and a kids birthday party we all went out to see Babies. It's the cutest, most beautiful, and interesting documentary ever. The adults and kids were equally captivated. After the movie we ate at The Counter; a really yummy burger joint but the best thing there has to be the sweet potato fries. Grandma said she would definitely come back for the fries again.
This morning everyone in the house went for a hike up Koko Head Trail. It was nice and we topped it off with a humongous breakfast. Then the girls and I went to Duck Island to feed the birds there are mostly pigeons there now though. The pigeons followed us to the car while we were leaving, It was a little Alfred Hitchcockesque. After that we made some juice and the girls made some of their own juice; consisting of strawberry lemonade, cinnamon, almond extract, and bacon fat, I'm just glad they didn't drink the bacon fat. Once I got all of the paraphernalia out of the way they played in their room until there was more fighting than playing. Thats when the books were busted out and then the three of us took a much needed nap and the girls are still napping! I can't believe they are both napping but I'm sure they really needed it after the long weekend.

Very Busy

Hahaione has been keeping everyone very busy this month. Last Friday we had a Potluck and then the Kindergarten class performed 3 songs for the parents, it was so cute. One of the teachers told the kids to make sure they look at there parents so they could get pictures so Sarah stared into our camera the whole time. We just thought she was being loving until she explained why "because a good performer looks into the camera", I love it!
Today we are going to Sarah and Julia's friend Carmels' house for a play date and tonight is Ohana Night at Hahaione; there will be a silent auction, spaghetti plates, and most anticipated cotton candy! Tomorrow we will go to Bishop Museum; there is a special go green event in support of Hawaiian Culture. In the afternoon there will be a Chili Cook-off at Koko Marina and Sarah's friend Carmel will be performing Hula, so I'm sure the girls will be very excited to see that. Next week Friday Julia and her school will be holding a May Day performance, should be very cute and Julia let us know that one of the songs is about a sassy little myna bird! The day after that will be Hahaione Fun Fair, after that I'm thinking things will slow down again. In the meantime it should be a lot of fun!

Sweet Heart

This morning during drop off,Julia's friend Ruby comes up to her so Julia immediately takes off Ruby's socks, puts them in her shoes for her, and then cycles Ruby's legs until they both start laughing. Makes my heart swell; Ruby is "her girl". Julia also has a friend Ryder; is the youngest, has a mohawk, and is Julia's "little cutie". Julia is such a good friend and she has so much love in her, she makes me so proud to be her momma.

No more tantrums please

Sarah had another big tantrum since my last post and Dann handled it the other day, of course it was homework related! I think Dann was traumatized by the whole thing. So after the tantrum my mom told Sarah how it affects everyone in the house. I let Sarah know that it's very disruptive and we all really worry about her when she acts like that. Then I put some classical music and we all settled down. Yesterday I eased up on the homework with Sarah and she did it on her own with the classical music on. I guess she felt more comfortable with doing it once I gave her some breathing room and let her do it on her own. She did great and finished her homework including the homework from the night before that she didn't finish in the midst of the tantrum. It was a very rough week but things are better now. I hope I didn't scare you off from having more Shonna!

Things were going well...

until I wrote that last post! Things have been kind of crazy the last few days Sarah has been finding one thing or another to freak-the-heck-out about. Sat. she was upset because the other kids were in the pool and she wasn't ( hello maybe get in the pool?), yesterday she was upset because she didn't want to practice reading so she threw her book across the room, I told her to bring it back so she threw it again. Then she started to hit me so she went in time out so she kept running out of time out to hit me and tell me she hated me at least a few times until I laid down the law. This time she knew I was serious and stayed in time out I let her settle for 5 minutes and then came in to talk to her and all was well. Today she was upset because she forgot her show and tell. So it was hard to get her out of the car because she wanted to go back home and get it. Then once I got her the class room she wouldn't go in so I told her I would bring her a show and tell. Once I dropped Julia off I got Sarah a toy to show and brought it to Sarah; she told me that's not the one she wanted! Oh my goodness, what's a mom to do with this? I wonder what she is going to be upset about when she gets home. I hope nothing because I'm sure both of us have had enough drama for a while. I think it's time to get the sticker chart out and build some structure to our lives again.
I feel so bad for Julia because so much time and energy goes into containing Sarah that I worry Julia might feel pushed to the side. I always tell Julia how sorry I am about all of it and how proud I am of her for being so good. Julia needs a one on one day soon.

Things are going well; the girls finally have an organized room w/ Salamander pet;I've got a charged camera so I will start taking pictures again. The girls are very happy and very well behaved for the most part; I'm so glad the days of hours on screaming tantrums are over. They have really grown up a lot and I'm excited for them. Sarah has a play group on Julias' b-day to see how she does with the other kids at Waldorf, Dann and I then have a parent meeting a few days later, and then we will see if Sarah is accepted! We are really hoping she is but if not I know that she is still learning at her school; she just sang to me three different songs of the short vowels and I know she really enjoys her friends. We just know she would be better off at Waldorf but either way we know she'll do well.
Julia is 4 on Saturday! She wants a Pinata so I will try my best to Paper Mache it up with her favorite candies! As far as a present I'm not sure because she likes everything, I guess that should make it easier to choose! We're having it at my grandmas' place and Julia will invite a few friends.

Feeling The Momma Bear Instinct

I talked to Sarahs' teacher today, very casually she calls me during Sarahs' recess time when I'm dropping off some water for Sarah because of her cough. She tells me that she talked to the panel and they decided that Sarah should stay back a year,shouldn't Dann and I have been a part of this decision? I told her that Sarah has improved on her reading and some of the kids are behind her. Then she told me yes she's noticed Sarah improving in reading. Then she says it's mostly her writing that needs work and if she doesn't improve she wont be ready for first grade. Well to me I think since she's improved so much in reading, numbers, and her abc's in the past month or so then it's only fair to assume she can improve more with her writing in a couple more weeks. She told me she wanted to schedule a meeting with me to show me the difference in her writing and the other kids. I told her lets wait a few weeks or so. It would have been nice for her to schedule a meeting with me to let me know about all this instead of springing it on me like that in the first place. I know Sarah can improve and I get tired of her teacher overlooking so much of what Sarah is accomplishing. It's definitely an emotional thing but I think more so it would be good for Sarah to move forward because she has learned so much and it would be nice for her to keep with some of her class mates. It would also be good for her to move on to a new teacher with a different teaching style. Her teacher doesn't even seem to want to look into an option, like my mom suggested summer school, I think that would be a great option. The panel hasn't even tested her yet to see if she meets the qualification and it's not even the end of the year! Is today some magical cut off date where by Sarah ceases to learn or improve any more?! To me that is just negligent,this kind of attitude get's me so upset, I know it's not a big deal to repeat a grade but I feel like her teacher has way too much indifference on the subject, and Sarah deserves more of a consideration then that.

Neighborhood walk

Sarah had a field trip today, I chaperoned or herded 22 kids. There were 3 other adults, 2 stayed at the end of the line and Ms.Kimura stayed at the front not turning around once to make sure every one was following. I got to be the one who said pretty much for an hour straight "fill up the gaps, look left and right before crossing the streets, find your partner, hold hands, don't run and pull on your partner;oops you fell all right don't do it again, oops your doing it again, listen to Ms. Kimura." It was like parenting on amphetamines(I could never be a teacher). We all got through it though and Ms.Kimura got some cute pictures in the end. Now I am ready for about 24 hours of sleep.
It was a good idea for a field trip because Ms.Kimura would stop every once in a while and tell the kids a little bit about their every day surroundings. She told them about fire hydrants; not parking by them so that the fire trucks could, the drainage ditch;where does the water come from, why it has less water or more, and why it can get stinky, looking left and right before crossing the street (which maybe 1 or 2 kids actually did), and finally 7-11; what kind of things you get there and how you pay for it before you walk out. Hopefully it gave the kids a better understanding of every day life, if anything else they seemed to like being outside and looking at everything; some boys got really excited when they saw a Ferrari, a couple of kids were excited to point out their neighborhoods or condos;or hotel for one boy who was confused about the difference between condo and hotel, Sarah thought the same thing for the longest time. They were all really cute and very good kids.

Imagination

Sarah keeps getting the funniest ideas in her head and it all comes from one source;her pal Jubilee. This girl Jubilee has the wildest stories and one of the best imaginations that leads to loads and loads of fun for Sarah. The first time she came over to our house she was telling Sarah how she's an Indian (politically incorrect I know but she does have some Native American blood), so she told her although she is an Indian she hasn't learned to shoot a bow and arrow yet but they had to run from the wolves in Sarahs' play house(Sarah is convinced that she is an "indian" too and will get very upset with anyone who tries to convince her otherwise. The next story was about how Jubilee rides around her neighborhood at night by herself fighting Aliens (Sarah hung on to that idea for months but has finally decided she doesn't want to embarrass anyone so she will no longer be Alien Hunting at night). The last great story is "Mr.Black Hat"; Mr.Black Hat is a ghost who comes out at night to take apart peoples bones, he has shadow people as his posse, and cloud streaks in the sky are his ghost streaks. She told me about this yesterday after school and was chasing him for hours; the way you know he is there is you see a black hat. Then when it was time to take a bath last night Sarah was having a hard time listening and I told her that I was pretty sure that Mr.Black Hat only came to little children when they were not listening to their parents, then she decided that Mr.Black Hat was not real. I can't wait to hear what the next story will be!

Sarah can count to 29 now, with less then a week of trying. It just goes to show that she's a smart little girl. We're still working on reading but she's starting to get the hang of it.
Today was a Furlough Friday and a friend from school told us the other day that the Childrens Discovery Museum had a discount on F.F. so we met up with them from 9 to almost 12:40, there was so much for the kids to do that they didn't even make it to the 3rd floor. I will have to take Julia sometime, maybe in the summer.
There were all sorts of cool things, I wish I had my camera; everything hands on, lots of role playing with careers, they even had a stage with a dressing room costumes and a sound board. Maybe we could have a B-day Party for Julia there or something.

Had a teacher parent conference today and the teacher hasn't seemed to notice any improvement with Sarah. I've definitely noticed an improvement in the last week, she's getting the hang of the numbers. Once she gets in to the 20s she skips around but we will keep working on it. She is also having problems with reading so her teacher gave me 3 books to work with her every day.

ABCs and 123s

Sarahs' teacher Ms.Kimura stopped me the other day to talk about Sarah. She told me that if Sarah doesn't start focusing more she might stay back a year. Sarah and focusing are generally not used in the same sentence. Her teacher asked me to work with Sarah at home with her Math and to try to keep her focused. I told Ms. Kimura that I would try and do what I could. So right after school Sarah has been doing her homework, plays at the playground with her buddies, and then we go home to play school. I think she has just been overwhelmed with the numbers, but she really seems to enjoy writing them out on the dry erase board while looking at the magnet numbers, she even told me that it was fun! We counted to 30, I told Sarah that's how many years old I am and she says "Mom your old!",haha. I hope that the more comfortable she is with her academics the easier it will be for her to focus on them. I am a little disappointed that her teachers for the past two years have been brand new, but I can't change that, I can only be there for Sarah and hopefully next school year will be better with a hopefully more experienced teacher. Above all Sarah has an amazing determination, a drive and energy that will take her far.

Nana and Winter Break

We had a great break as soon as Nana got here! We did a lot of fun stuff; Byodo Temple, North Shore, Makapu Light House,Waikiki at night, and a couple of beaches. We all had a great time.
It was the first time we had taken Nana and the girls to Byodo Temple. We hadn't brought the girls before because we were worried that they would take away from the Zen like peace and atmosphere but we had nothing to worry about,they were close to perfect angels. Betty and Dan got some fish food for the girls to feed the Koi fish. The girls loved it and it was funny how the fish jumped all over each other to get the food.
We tried to go to Waiamaea Falls but it was new years day and so sadly it was closed. Instead we ate at some cute little resteraunt that had the best banana bread pudding bread in the world, I can't remember the name of it but it was right by the Spaghettini on the North Shore. I got the girls Pizza at the Spaghettini and got myself a Spaghetti, suprisingly enough the pizza was better.
The hike up to Makapu Light House was pretty good, I got a little extra exercize since I didn't have a stroller for Julia, the girl is heavy! The neatest thing about it was that we were lucky enough to see Whales on our way down! Even more amazing the girls were actualy worn out, haha.
Out of all the beaches I would have to say that the beach close to Waimanalo was the best because the girls got in with us. It's perfectly calm so Sarah swam out in the water and Julia let me hold her. The other beaches were way too rough so they mostly played in the sand, which they enjoy just as much as the water.
On one of Bettys' last nights here Dann, Betty, and I made it out to Waikiki and did some window shopping, watched street performers, had some tripple chocolate macadamia nut cookie that was heaven;courtesy of Betty.
It was a really great time and we look forward to the next one.