Laie to Mainland

running balloons

2009-07-28T11:12:00.001-07:00

Our house was covered with balloons, you couldn't walk normal, you had to shuffle or you'd pop a balloon or step on it just right and fall down. Kaci didn't seem to mind. She had so much fun running in them!

hiding balloons

2009-07-28T11:10:00.001-07:00

You've heard of burying people in the sand... Kaci thought it was fun to buried in the balloons. It was so fun to watch her pop out!

NEW BLOG!!

2008-05-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Attention All:

We have made a new blog. This blog is being turned into a book, so we will not be posting to it anymore. Please go to http://nature-calls.blogspot.com/

Thanks and Happy Blogging to You!

A Nostalgic Goodbye Post

2008-05-04T23:37:00.000-07:00

Far away in the big ocean blue
there's a little island called O'ahu (O-Wahoo!)
On this island there is a magical place
the locals call La'ie

The grass is always green
There are flowers in the trees
The breeze sounds like music
And the ocean is majestic!

Whether the sun is shining or the clouds are raining
There is always something to do because you can go exploring!
With the mountains near by and the ocean so close
You can go for a hike, play in the sand, or go surf!

It's always fun to run and to play
Because in Laie you always feel safe
Whether you're at the playground or beach
An auntie or uncle is always there for you to see

The locals come from all over the place
Say Aloha, smile or wave
At the Latinos, Europeans and Asians
not to mention Polynesians and Caucasians!

I lived there once and loved every minute.
Someday I'll go back and visit.
It will be a glorious day
When I return to beautiful Laie

We're MOVING!! (which means we're HOMELESS!!)

2008-04-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

Today we packed up and cleaned up. We moved all of our furniture (moment of silence please for the departarture of our beloved couch, suzy........................) into our neighbor's house, and I mean ALL of our furniture. Our house is empty and theirs is full to the tippy-tip-top!

Starting tomorrow we will be homeless... again. That means we are bumming around (Brad just made the point that we have never actually been homeless, just without a home) We're staying with Kim and Nate for a week and then with my old room mate Brisha (and her husband Poata) for our last week. Then we'll be off to the mainland to stay with my parents, my friend Kim (in Tucson), the Listers, then Brad's parents, probably Brad's uncle Bruce for a weekend or so, and of course the great outdoors always welcomes us... and then we'll have a home again! It'll be grand! We are excited... let the good times roll!

Visitors

2008-04-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

We just had a CRAZY week! Our friendS came to visit. A high school friend of mine, Cassidy, just got home from her mission (NY south) and came out for a visit. Liam and Jessie also came from Seattle to visit. Brad's aunt Carolyn came from Georgia to visit as well. Yes, that's a total of 4 people visiting at one time. Did they stay with us... you betcha! At the same time, right-o friend! We managed. We had a blast too! It was great fun. We spent plenty of time at the beach. Cassidy learned to boogie board (she also learned how to survive a good pounding). She then learned to surf (she was a natural!). Jessie also had a good surf session, she caught a great wave and rode it like a PRO! Brad went surfing twice a day, everyday. All and all... it was a week we'll never forget! Kaci hasn't learned to surf yet, but she has mastered eating sand and getting a tan. Here she is trying to get rid of her tan lines from her other swimsuit. I tried to tell her that she was immodest because her chi-chi's were showing, but she just thought it was funny!

Quote to Live By!

2008-04-25T11:26:00.001-07:00

"To be is to do."
-Socrates

"To do is to be."
-Plato

"Do-be-do-be-do..."
-Sinatra

My mom sent me this quote a while back, and I have read it daily since. Each time I read it, I smile. It reminds me to relax and enjoy life. I love it! Thanks Mom!!

Chocolate Fountain Party!

2008-04-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Aloha 'Oe! My neighbor has a chocolate fountain and she let me borrow it so I could throw myself a going away party. She also made us this really cute poster. I love my neighbor!

Lots of our friends came and said Aloha. My neice Lili LOVED dipping fruit into the chocolate!

We move out of apartment this Saturday... time is ticking and we are having fun saying Aloha!

Can You Believe It?

2008-04-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

Brad must have asked at least a hundred times on Wednesday. "Can you believe today is my last day of classes at BYU-Hawaii". After about the fifth repeat, I started to just give facial expressions, then after ten or twenty, just a shake of the head, after thirty, I started to ignore him. OK, he was excited. I get it. I just wasn't sure if he wanted to mourn or celebrate. I wanted to celebrate for sure... so we did. I made him do a scavenger hunt that ultimately led him to a fun day of sand and surf at Sunset beach with the Howards and a delicious chocolate peanut butter cream pie.

We also went to eat a Roie's in Hale'iwa. Funny about that though, we walked in wet and sandy. We downed the chips and salsa. We ordered waters. We then ordered a single a la carte enchilada for each of us. The waitress thought we were a bunch of crazies, and poor ones at that. We on the other hand fully enjoyed our super cheap night on the town that cost a whopping 15 dollars for four adults and three kids. Is that amazing or what!?! We were stuffed, had a great time, and most importantly didn't sit in boring TVA.

Brad has his last final this Wednesday... will someone please save me from the forever "can you believe this is my LAST final..."! I think I'll skip that and just go straight to the celebrating!!

Baby Yogi

2008-04-19T22:52:00.001-07:00

She belongs in a yoga class... anyone ever heard of baby yoga... Kaci wants to sign up!

I'll Get Kaci a Toy!

2008-04-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

Lili loves to play with Kaci. Everytime we go over to her house she says "I'll get Kaci a toy!" She then runs to her room and parades out with as many toys as she can carry. Kim recently organized her room and put all her toys in plastic bins, so now she just drags these out... much easier. Kaci loves to play with her cousin. In this picture, Lili is doing Kaci's hair.

A Shocking FHE

2008-04-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

Every Monday night is family night. We learn a new spanish song, Brad shares a spiritual thought, I make a treat, and we do a fun activity. This past Monday, we really needed to go to foodland. BUT it was a stormy day, we went anyway. We loaded down our stroller with all our groceries and just held Kaci. We were almost home when it started sprinkling. With just one block to go we started running hoping to miss the down pour. Kaci loved running in rain, laughed the whole time. We got soaked. We tooke this picture when we got home... Kaci looks like she got hit by lightening... she actually just gets CRAZY hair when it is wet... I love it.

Brad's A Saint

2008-04-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

A lil girl in his old ward in Utah was doing a school project. They were learning about different places around the world. She asked Brad to be her friend. Brad said yes!! She sent him a "flat" version of herself (so she'd fit in the mail) and Brad hung out with her all day. He took pictures, wrote about the day, and mailed her back. Here's there day together... he really went and did all this!

Of course he took her surfing. I love that he even sat and made her her very own "flat" surfboard!

He thought she needed a tan, so they hung out on the beach. He buried her because she kept flying away!

He also took her mountain biking! What a great day in Hawaii!

A future, a future... we have a future!!

2008-04-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

After numerous, down right pitiful pleas and prayers to just know already... we got the good news... Brad got accepted to JMU!! We are so excited to finally know where we are going after BYU-Hawaii. Brad said from day one of applying to JMU that we were going to go there, it's nice to have them know that too!

Here we come JMU!

(as the map illustrates, we are going to Arizona and then Utah for the summer then off to Virginia for the fall)

Destructo Baby

2008-04-06T22:31:00.001-07:00

Kaci likes to play with the blocks her Aunt Hayley got her for Christmas. She likes to destroy anything we try to make. It's her game, it's so fun that she interacts with us now. We build, she destroys... repeat. Brad got tricky and would build two at a time. So she just got faster. So fun!

Ba Ba Ba

2008-04-06T22:29:00.001-07:00

Forget baby signs, she's creating a language of her own. Unfortunately, I have no idea what ba ba ba means... any clue anyone? She has the cutest little voice. I love it!

The 3rd Annual Conference Challenge

2008-04-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

Brad and Tommy held the 3rd Annual Conference Challenge on Saturday. This year was different because there was actually a prize, a surfboard. For those of you who don't know, the conference challenge is an ice cream eating contest. The first year, Brad and Liam challenged a bunch of people to get a two man team and eat a 3 gallon tub of ice cream in one sitting. The next year, Brad challenged Tommy to eat a half gallon of ice cream as fast as possible. This year, it was two man team on a half gallon as fast as possible. No one threw up this year, Brad was very thankful (he always throws up)!

The school newspaper is writing a story about it this year. There was a photographer and a reporter there to "get the story". Pretty funny because it's just a random thing Brad does with a couple of friends. Word got out that a surfboard was the prize and so the newspaper came, and random team of people we didn't know, and we also had people who came just to watch. Pretty funny.

Tommy and Marni won finishing their half gallon in 4 minutes and 30 seconds. WOW!

Honolulu Zoo

2008-04-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Kim invited us to go to the Zoo with her and her kids. I LOVE the honolulu zoo, it's small but it has all the good animals. The kids had a blast. Lili liked to say "hi" to all the animals. She always asked them to come say hi to her. "Hi monkey, come say Hi to me." When one animal came closer to her she told Kim that it came over and said hi because it liked her shirt. So cute.

Count Your Blessings... Name them one by one!

2008-04-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

1. ATA is out of business!
2. NO ONE EVER HAS TO FLY WITH THEM EVER AGAIN!!
3. Brad gets an extra week and a half in Hawaii after school is out!
4. I'll be able to go to the graduation shin digs for both Victoria and Kim!

We bought tickets to fly to the mainland with ATA, but they went under and cancelled our flight. We had to pay a little extra for our tickets and we have to stay a bit longer than we'll have our apartment, but we did find tickets and we won't have to sell an arm and a leg to buy them. We just have to camp out ot something :) just kidding, we'll probably be able to stay with my sister in TVA. Talk about a major sleep over. We'll be back on the mainland May 7th at midnight. See you mainlanders soon!

ATA was always such a terribl airline, glad I don't have to tell people NOT to fly them anymore. Just fly Hawaiian... they're the best!

Sleepy Baby

2008-04-01T00:09:00.001-07:00

That must be one good cookie to eat it even in her sleep. She looks like she is savoring every bite. She's so funny.

Laughing Baby

2008-03-31T23:52:00.001-07:00

Her giggle is adorable. I have no idea why she is laughing, but I love to make her laugh!

Air Traffic Controller In Training

2008-03-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

Grandma Verdi sent these bam bam's to Kaci. She LOVES them. Here she is learning to direct traffic with them!

easter EGG hunt

2008-03-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

Can you see her... she's out there... diligently hunting for eggs. Even after everyone else had gone home and there was nothing left but horse poop... she's still looking!

That little spec out in the pasture is Lili. We went to gunstock ranch for their egg hunt. They hide 6 THOUSAND eggs. Lili found 2. There were lots of people and we got trampled, but at least she found something! Thankfully she also went to the TVA egg hunt where everyone is a guaranteed winner. Seriously. Every kid gets at least 5 eggs, after everyone gets that many it's a free for all. Then, everyone gathers together for a raffle. VERY important to get a raffle ticket. At which raffle, everyone's raffle ticket is drawn. If you fail to hear your number, everyone with out a prize parades to the front and gets one. Everyone also gets a bag of treats, just for coming. We love TVA, no horse poop there!

Getting Dressed In Her Fancy Dress!

2008-03-31T23:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Kaci!

Hey, Kaci, you're naked... you need to get dressed!

Isn't she CUTE!!

Kerri's Easter Sunrise Service!

2008-03-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

I always liked the idea of having a sunrise service on Easter morning. Unfortunately, our church doesn't participate in the glorious tradition,so I've done my own. Brad has been with me to do it each year, so we're making it a family tradition now. The first year we went to Pounder's Beach. Last year we saw it from Laie Falls trail. This year we went to Temple Beach with Kaci. It was great. I'll be honest. I almost forgot, but Kaci reminded me as she woke up at 5:30am that morning. Brad isn't the biggest fan of the whole thing, but he's a good sport and always sleepily tags along. Here is our sunrise!

Kaci has earned her "pink" beret.

2008-03-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

Show Me the Money!!

2008-03-31T23:30:00.001-07:00

Kaci have you been out gambling again? No, just kidding, we sold our car! (Yeah, someone actually wanted to buy it... go figure!)

Ode to the Freebie Bin... we love thee!

2008-03-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

One last shout out for the FREEBIE BIN! I love it! I know I should stop getting stuff out of it since I'm moving, but how could I pass up this gem? A ginormous clock. I have ALWAYS wanted one.

Perhaps a list of gems would be a nice momento to the wonderous joy I know and love as the freebie bin:
george forman, toaster oven, food diaper genie, clothing items, food, toaster, cutting board, whisk, tongs x2, strainer, cordless phone, camel back, kaci's walker, kaci's swing, kaci's high chair, kaci's diaper bag back pack, my amazing dishes, food, several wooden baskets, books, toys for kaci, cups, food, games, baking pan, paper towel holder, straws, tupper ware, chopper, water bottle, sirache sauce, spices, frames, food, craft stuff, file system, shoes, a whole tool set, fans... essentially our entire beings stems from the freebie bin.

It's what the Spanish would call "arroz azul"

2008-03-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well, if you know anything about Kerri, you know that she loves food color! So for dinner she made me a special treat, we didn't just have chicken and rice again, we had chicken and BLUE rice, or as they say in spain Arroz azul. Does that sound magical or what? I'd say it was about 10 times better than just regular rice.

I sold Humahumanukanukaapuaa

2008-03-24T23:46:00.000-07:00

The very sad day has arrived. Today I sold my dearest hawaiian friend, humahumanukanukaapuaa. My beloved first and only long board now belongs to someone else. Oh the great memories we have together. Good bye friend... may you always find sweet waves!

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T00:51:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a very happy Easter. We did the whole easter egg hunt thing today and loved it. Our friends are emailing us pictures of Kaci with her eggs, we forgot our camera, so when we get them, we'll post them. But I wanted to take a moment and reflect on Christ.

I rarely share spiritual things on my blog. I think it's a little too personal to just put out there, but here I go!

I am so grateful for my parents and their kindness for teaching me that I have a Savior. I am grateful to have known that Jesus is the Christ since I was young. I often reflect on how wonderful my life is because of this knowledge and how very different it would be without it. Despite my daily errors to be like Christ, I keep trying with a sincere hope that someday... someday I might resemble Him in the slightest. I am grateful for all the family, friends, and teachings that have taught me of Him. I once again commit myself to be more like Christ in my life as I remember Him and celebrate all that He has done this Easter. Happy Easter, indeed, Christ is the greatest reason to be Happy!

Two REALLY good movies!

2008-03-23T00:48:00.000-07:00

We just watched two REALLY good movies this weekend. It's not like us to watch two movies back to back, but I'm glad we did in this case.

Martian Child and August Rush

WOW. I loved both of them. If you haven't seen them, you should. They are PG or G, entertaining, heart warming, and very well done. I highly recommend them!

Magnet Toy

2008-03-19T17:40:00.001-07:00

This is how we party at the Call house!

Baby Workouts

2008-03-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I'm a personal trainer, but I never signed up to do workouts with infants. So Kaci has torticollis. Basically she needs to strengthen her neck so she can hold her head upright. The physical therapist says we have to do all these exercises that just make Kaci cry. Here is my attempt and her refusal to tummy time exercises. She's actually a lot better than she used to be. She normally rolls out of it, but today she didn't. I've learned to entince her with food. Toys just don't work! So, I put her on her tummy, laid out some tantalizing crackers and watched her scream at me. She spent like 15 minutes on her tummy today reaching out with both hands and pushing up (HUGE progress) but it made her so tired that she put her head down and went to sleep. Poor little girl. I'm suppose to eventually get her to crawl... I don't see that happening anytime soon, but I hope she will some day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2008-03-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

Brad is interviewing at JMU. My Dad sent him this festive green suit to wear... isn't it nice?!? I think he'll make a great impression on them. (I miss you tons Brad, I know you'll do great!)

Everyone say a prayer for Brad. His interview starts at 2am Hawaii time. He has to drive two hours to get there (thanks for your hospitality Unlce Bruce!) and he's feeling a bit under the weather. I know he'll be great, but what a heck of a day huh! He's such a trooper!

VISITOR...VISITOR!!

2008-03-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

Aunt Krysie came to visit! What a happy week we've had playing! Krys made Kaci an Easter dress. It is adorable. She did such a great job on it. Kaci LOVES it! (Thanks again KRYS!)

Happy Birthday Baby Nate!

2008-03-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

Kaci made Nate a Cheerio Lei to celebrate his 1st birthday (March 2nd). Here she is eating one Brad made for her.

Baby Conference

2008-03-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

Kaci and I came home one day just in time to attend an official R building Baby Conference. There are 9 babies in our building all ranging from 1 week old to 18 months. Every single one was out out at the swings. It was so fun to see all the little ones. Kaci learned how to say hello in Figian "Bula" short for Bula Vinaka. She also met her newest friend Pangra. Her best buddy Khongra was also there. I don't know why they all wanted to gather together, but it was lots of fun.

Free Bread Shout Out!

2008-03-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

we get free bread every 3rd saturday from a little church in wahiawa. last time we went they had french bread and cookies too. brad and i love meatball sandwiches and thought it would be a good idea to make one big meatball sandwich. we used the entire loaf of french bread... here's my half.

needless to say, we couldn't finish it. but it was delicious!

A big girl bath!

2008-03-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

Kaci has moved up to the bath tub, she's such a big girl! She loves to play in the water. She giggles like crazy when we splash with her. We've been trying to video tape her laughing, but we have so much fun we always forget to get her on tape.

We've also started swimming at the beach. She doesn't like to just sit on the beach anymore, she prefers to splash in the ocean. She even goes under the water! She loves it! Who knew I gave birth to a fish! Here she is in her rainbow towel her Grandma Lynda gave her. Isn't she adorable!

Bradley, Bradley, Bradley

2008-03-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Brad has a bit of a farmers tan... He's been a little self conscious about it.
He wanted to get rid of it... hence, the string bikini.

Just kidding, it's just the back pack he was wearing, funny huh! He's holding what we think to be a WW2 missile shell head. Pretty cool!

My attempt...

2008-03-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

It's not easy to photograph her little tooth. I've tried!!

PCC Drummer

2008-03-01T21:40:00.001-08:00

We finally figured out how to get some videos from the camera to our computer- Here's Bryan showing his stuff at the PCC

tow chinese boys:i want it that way

2008-03-01T21:37:00.001-08:00

Here's a treat for ya guys- just a little somethin we cooked up. (Guess which one is Brad)

A Seal a Seal!

2008-03-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

Here's our friend the seal at Goat Island- He's big and fat.

Surprise!!

2008-02-27T22:38:00.000-08:00

Utah State is out and James Madison University is IN! Brad is flying to Virginia in just a couple weeks for an interview to attend graduate school there. He is very excited. Neither one of us saw this coming. (Really, the story behind this whole thing is really quite funny) Who would have ever thought... EAST COAST. Nothing is final yet, he just has an interview, but we are excited!

So, if you get a moment, be sure to tell Brad how smart he is and that he is going to ROCK his interview!

Stay tuned for more details about our upcoming future, we learn something new about it almost every week.

And as always, thanks for your continued love and support!

Kaci got a TOOTH!

2008-02-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

Yup, that's right, the little munchkin has a tooth. It's on the lower left side. Brad found it today when Kaci bit his finger. I had no idea. Well, I kept wondering if she was teething, but I never saw anything. A few days ago she stoppped sleeping as well at night (woke up twice a night all week) and she had a low grade fever and a conjested lil nose for a couple days. I figured it was a cold, but nope, she was a cutting a tooth. We are very excited! I tired to take a picture of it for ya, but she wouldn't let me. I'm sure I'll get one sooner or later... something to look forward to!

Kayak Adventure

2008-02-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

The other week we went to Goat Island with the Howards. It was really low tide so Brad, Lili, and I walked over while Kim, Nate, Kaci, and Nate Jr. kayaked over. As we approached the island (like 25 feet from the shore) Brad turned to me and in a very calm voice said "Oh look, it's a seal!" I turned and looked and nearly passed out. I gasped, but put on my brave face so as not to scare Lili and scurried away to put some distance between us. When we were on shore, far away from the HUGE sea animal, Brad gave me a kiss for being brave. I am SCARED to DEATH of sea life. I saw a large fish out snorkeling once, and I didn't go snorkeling again for almost a year. I am terrified of large sea life. It creeps me out that when I'm out in the water I am just about helpless and they are super swimmers. AHHH! Being less than 25 feet from that HUGE seal was one of the scariest moments of my recent life. It was a little cool to see it, but I'd rather not see one again... EVER! (unless I'm at a zoo or something... but I'm not promoting animal captivity,I'd just rather not happen to run into one again out in the wild)

That same week, we saw a dead Eel on the beach. It was crazy. I had never seen one before. Its little teeth looked like they could rip me apart in just seconds. I was glad it was dead. I'll admit, I've been a little skittish in the water ever since our week of Sea Life.

I took pictures of Mr. Ginormo Blubbery Seal... I'll post them soon!

Our Hopes and Dreams!

2008-02-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

With Brad's graduating from blessed BYU-Hawaii in just a couple months, we have started dreaming about the next 1-5 years. Here they are:
-go to graduate school and get a masters in School Psychology
-live in Alaska, even for just a summer
-make a difference in another country, preferablly Costa Rica (year round surfing and it's a spanish speaking country)
-stay debt free, even if it means working our lil tails off and living the very very frugal way
-save money for Kaci to use someday in her Hawaii bank account
-build Brad's credit so that someday in the distant future we can purchase a small square home on the edge of the forest relatively close to water
-I want to become an aerobic instructor for three very good reasons: I'd get paid to work out, Kaci would get an hour of socializing in the kiddie care, Kaci and I could then go out to eat for lunch with the few dollars I earn (I abhor making lunch, I honestly feel that lunch is a meal that you should go out for, dinner and breakfast... never! Lunch...ALWAYS! I currently never go out for lunch, but I wish every single day that I could. It's a silly thing, I know.)
-start our own rock climbing business
-get a doctorate in school pyschology so Brad can become a professor

Check Me Out!

2008-02-12T23:46:00.001-08:00

My new set of wheels! Pretty sweet huh?!?!

Excuse the Nudity

2008-02-12T23:45:00.001-08:00

she just doesn't understand why the no-good-dirty faucet is playing tricks on her. she's grabbing, but she can't get her chubby lil hands on that water! (she hasn't been the same in the bath ever since... i hope they make up soon)

Kaci Kisses

2008-02-12T23:40:00.001-08:00

Kaci loves to give kisses, especially to herself!

Reading Time

2008-02-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

Kaci has always loved to read books. She turned 6 months, now she can feed herself, sleep through the night, sit up, and READ short stories to herself and the neighbor kids aka her cousins!

Happy Birthday Daddy-O

2008-02-12T23:23:00.000-08:00

Brad turned 24! We celebrated by eating a lot of yummy food. His highlight was eating (and not sharing with anyone) his grandma's famous chocolate pie. It's incredibly delicious. Here's Kaci, celebrating!

Biter Biscuits are DELICIOUS!

2008-02-12T23:18:00.001-08:00

Kaci has started eating solids and prefers to feed herself! Here she is after round one with a biter biscuit aka hard rock of a cracker that she gums to death!

in between rounds

Round two... TKO!

Post battle interview... "get that corn out of my face!" (she's a sore loser... actually, kaci took this one of herself)

The Joys of Motherhood = Reading Baby Books!!

2008-02-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

Every kid should come with the following two books: Baby Whisperer and Teach Your Baby to Sleep through the Night.

Baby Whisperer taught me why schedules are important and good for baby and also how to get a schedule that works! It also taught me about pacifiers, the sounds of different cries, and to "start as you mean to go on". This is great. I loved it! Brad liked it too. He knew NOTHING about babies, but after he read the book he felt more confident with becoming a Dad (we read it before I gave birth).

Teach Your Baby to Sleep through the Night has literally saved my life and my marriage, not to mention Kaci's sweet dreams. Kaci was such a good sleeper until we went on vacation. As of December she would wake up every 3 hours, at the end of the month she would wake up every 2, and then in January she woke up every 1 to 1 and a half. Yeah, I wasn't getting ANY sleep. She wouldn't sleep during the day either. I was a complete wreck. When I finally couldn't take it anymore, I decided to read every thing I could about Baby's sleeping (including a zillion reviews on books). Then on a whim I strolled over to the Library on campus and checked out this book. The first couple chapters helped me realize that I wasn't a horrible mother because my baby refused to sleep and helped me to see that, like all things, I needed to be patient and loving and teach Kaci to sleep. So, I read the whole book and whole heartedly agreed to the 3 days of sleep training. I informed all my neighbors that they would hear Kaci crying at bed time and nap time, passed out ear plugs, put on my big girl panties and did it. Kaci cried for 20 minutes and then slept for NINE hours. Last night she cried for FIVE minutes and slept for ELEVEN HOURS. Tonight she cried for less than one minute and is sound asleep. She even takes her naps this easy now. No more endless walks, bouncing til I'm weak, or nursing her to sleep. She does it on her own and I am a free woman to sleep, type, read, snuggle with my hubby.... It is WONDERFUL! I just wanted to share my joy and amazement.

I LOVE PARENTING BOOKS... what did people ever do without them? (consult the tribe leader or whatever I guess :)

p.s. I am also trying to teach Kaci baby signs a la Baby Signs. (I'll let you all know how that goes... it takes a while for her to learn this though. I'm starting a little early too... we'll see!)

Bandaids

2008-01-29T21:47:00.001-08:00

Kaci got her 6 month old shots. She's getting pretty good with those little hands of hers. I was shocked she could rip off her own bandaids. She pulled off both of them and then tried to eat them. Ya just never know what she is going to do next.

One Last Stroll Down Memory Lane

2008-01-28T23:20:00.001-08:00

Liam and Jessie, our dearest bestest friends, have officially relocated to Seattle (weeps and sobs). They really are more like family than friends. We miss them already. Their last night on this big volcanic rock was spent on the comfort of Suzy, our couch. We ate Ted's Pies and strolled down memory lane yet again. We normally perform this ritual by a camp fire, but we were all way too tired to go through all that trouble (breaking the law and all to have a bonfire). Being tired made every memory at least ten times funnier because we all had the overly tired giggles. It was great to laugh and remember all the great times we have had. Brad is sad to be an ocean away from his guy soul mate, but he is surviving because we will see them in the summer. They're holding my super amazing dishes hostage to ensure it! (well, they were oh so kind to get them to the mainland for me, I just have to go to Seattle to get them when we get to the mainland. I love these dishes. They have birds of paradise on them and are shaped irregularly. I got them out of the freebie bin and I know I probably should have passed them on to another poor TVA wife, but I just couldn't do it. I love the dishes... wow, long tangent. This post is about them, not my amazing dishes!) In short, we're going to miss them a ton. But we are already scheming up adventures on the mainland!!

Congrats Krys!!

2008-01-28T23:17:00.000-08:00

My lil sister Krystal got accepted to Weber State for school next year!! She is aspiring to be a nurse... and not just any nurse, a baby nurse (Kaci was her inspiration... well, she should get some credit! it was her birth that krystal got to attend).

I am SO VERY EXCITED because Brad is going to get accepted to Utah State for grad school. That means I will live less than a 6 hour plane ride to my lil sis. I love her a bunch and am so proud of her! WAY TO GO KRYSTAL!!

Monk in Training

2008-01-23T23:11:00.000-08:00

Kaci decided she wants to become a monk... here she is trying on the robes!

Man Giggle

2008-01-23T22:48:00.001-08:00

kaci has a man giggle! she sounds like a man with emphysema!

Ah, how cute!

2008-01-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

Kaci is "helping" Brad study. Nice boy scout shirt Brad!

Kaci's Sippy Cup

2008-01-23T22:18:00.001-08:00

I started Kaci on solids and a sippy cup. She LOVES both. I have to use my breast milk for her cereal and in the cup, but the good news is that she's adapting to the change really well. She also really likes vanilla wafers. I gave her one to see what she would do with it and she ate the whole thing... her father was very pleased to see that Kaci enjoys cookies and milk just as much as he does!

BEACH!

2008-01-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

Lili loves to play in the water, Kim loves to play at the beach... the perfect pair!
Isn't she the CUTEST!!

The big hole! Not sure what the boys were trying to make, but they dug the entire time and almost got to China... seriously!

Kaci and Brad eating sand!

The finished product... a sand swimming pool!

Surfer Chic

2008-01-23T22:06:00.001-08:00

Brad and Uncle Nate teaching Kaci to surf.

Kaci Hanging Ten!

Check out that shore break!

The FUN has arrived!

2008-01-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post that my Sister Kim and her family are HERE in Hawaii, living the TVA dream!! (as I type this I can hear a little kid, not mine (whew!) screaming!!) This is a picture of what my house looks like when the Howards visit me... I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Pauline Rose

2008-01-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

My grandmother passed away on Thursday. It was not expected. She was driving home from substituting and got in a car accident. The details aren't pleasant, but no one else was hurt. She's been through a lot with cancer and illness the past few years... I'm positive she is enjoying Heaven! The funeral is tentatively set for Friday. Being over here in Hawaii makes it hard to believe whole heartedly, but I am doing ok. After the passing of my Grandpa Nulliner and Great Grandma Nulliner last year, I am accepting her death better. I've been very fortunate to have so many memories with my grandparents.

left to right: My mom Verda, My grandma, Kaci, My great aunt Moni, and Me

Bible Time!!

2008-01-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

Brad and I have committed ourselves to reading the Bible... over the course of 5 years. We're half way through the Old Testament. (remember we also read other stuff on our own, this is what we do during the week together to keep up our relationhsip together as a couple with God) Tonight we read 2 Chronicles Chapter 6. We both really like this chapter. It made me appreciate the power of a temple and the attention God gives to those who attend his Holy House. Amazing... remarkable that God, from his dwelling place in the Heavens, looks down at us and forgives and admonishes us for the things we do, however great or small they may be. You can feel Solomons faith as he petitions the Lord. Prayer truly is a great thing! We love the Bible and all we learn about the nature and character of God through reading it.

Kaci's First Piece of Mail

2008-01-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here it is... a bank statement!! Kaci earned 3 cents interest since I opened her savings account. She was very excited. She celebrated by drooling all over it and crumbling it up. My hope is to add money to it throughout her life so she can have a little stash of cash here. That way she has a reason to come back to her place of birth, or at least an incentive to.

rope swing

2008-01-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

getting back into the swing of things here in hawaii

We found this fun rope swing on the way to town this weekend! We (me brad kaci liam jessie and my brother-n-law nate) had a blast! You get like a 15 foot drop from it!

Sledding Fun

2008-01-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Kaci went sledding for the first time! She had a blast! Well, she seemed to like it, ok, she didn't cry... that's got to mean something, right?

Frog Towel

2008-01-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

Kaci got a frog towel from Grandma (I mean "santa"). I think Brad is a little confused about who the towel belongs to!

Grandpa Nulliner's Grave

2008-01-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

As everyone may remember, my grandpa nulliner passed away and I was stuck on this big volcanic rock because I was pregnant. The doctor wouldn't let me fly, so I couldn't go home for the funeral... I'm stil sad about that, but I got to go see his grave while I was home. It may seem silly, but I do feel a greater sense of closure now that I have actually seen his grave. He was a big part of my life growing up, I miss him, I missed him when I went home. He really was a great man. I'm excited to see him again someday.

My grandma got this really nice bench to sit on when you visit my grandpa's grave. I really like it. I'm glad she got it. I especially like that she put their picture on it. It's their missionary picture. I like that picture. It's nice to see his smiling face there.

Baby Kaci

2008-01-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

Lilian LOVED Baby Kaci. She was so nice to her. Here she is gving Kaci some toys to play with.

Walk in the COLD winter air!

2008-01-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Don't Poop At Church!!

2008-01-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

Kaci had a MAJOR blow out at church. She had poop all the way up her back. Brad was the lucky one to change her. He always freaks out when she poops... I always tell him "it's just poop", but he still has a cow when Kaci poops. Anyhow, this one was really bad. When we got home and cleaned her up, Brad put a diaper on her head as punishment for pooping all over her new dress that my friend Sarah got her... I'm not sure why that was her punishment, but whatever!
Here she is prior to the blow out... isn't she adorable!

Christmas Clothes

2008-01-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

GG (grandpa hebner) got Kaci the most adorable Christmas dress. I got a really nice sweater, and Brad got a nice new shirt and tie from the Calls. Here we are looking pretty!

She's a little wobbly in this picture (notice my hand to catch her), but Kaci can sit up all by herself now!! We're really excited about it. She falls over occasionally, she hasn't mastered it, but each day she gets more stable! YEAH KACI!!

Plane Ride to Arizona

2008-01-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

This year we went to Arizona for Christmas! I hadn't been home in 3 years! I was so excited to see everyone! Unfortunately, Kaci caught a little bug the day before Christmas Eve and it lasted until the day after Christas (that's 4 days). This little bug was horrific! She threw up non stop, refused to eat, and rarely slept. She continued to smile in between throwing up, but she was really quite miserable. Then my lil sister, Aunt Krysie to Kaci (uncle trystal or baby trystal to our neice lilian) caught the bug from Kaci, I then caught it, Brad caught a horrible cold that is still lingering with a nasty cough. My older sister Kim, Uncle Kevin, Granny, and cousin Brooke also all caught the little bug. All in all, we had a pretty puke-e christmas.

BUT!! We did have a lot of fun despite it all.
We...
played WII sports (so fun, you can be warm inside and still break a sweat playing fun sports like tennis, boxing, bowling, baseball,and golf)
hiked thumb butte
played pounce
watched high school musical and memorized all the songs and the dances(kaci is really good at the dances)
got lots of cool presents (thanks again family! you truly spoil us)
went to a hockey game
saw the biggest bonfire of life and watched fireworks
went sledding in flagstaff
flew a kite
went for a stroll (lots of those, even in freezing weather Kaci prefers the outdoors)
ate at Chino Bandido's with my friends Kim and Victoria
spent time with family (the real highlight of any trip)
FINALLY visited my grandpa nulliner's grave
ate TONS of food (including my two favorite holiday treats: popcorn from a tin and summer sausage with ritz crackers...mmmmm!)

**pictures and videos to come**

Families need to EAT all day long!

2008-01-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Lynda about her family:
"My family gets a little crazy if their blood sugar gets low... so I just make sure to always have some food around."

Verda about her family:
"If I could build a house I would make the central hang out place, the kitchen, more comfortable and a lot bigger."

Hmmm, this explains why brad put on 10 pounds over the holidays... no joke!!

Kaci's a fast learner!
Getting her fair share before it's all gone!

No pictures... except this one

2008-01-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

Brad got a really cool video camera for Christmas/Graduation from his parents. We used it a lot while they were here. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to post those videos to the blog. This is the only picture we took on our camera... it's Brad and Kaci at the PCC with their tattoos.

CALL VISIT TO HAWAII

2008-01-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

Lynda's life long dream came true!! Her entire family came to Hawaii at the same time to PLAY PLAY PLAY!! We had a BLAST, all fifteen of us... that is Lynda, Bryan Senior (also known as papa call), Nancy, Steve, Abbie, Anna, Megan, Bryan Junior ( also known as Bryan Scott), Brianne, Mayley, Hunter, Brad, Me, Kaci, and Hayley! If you count we had 3 babies under a year old, and three kids... we were a walking parade! Anna usually headed our little caravan, man can that girl run!!

We...
snorkeled at hanauma bay
stopped at the always windy pali look out
watched Brad walk to celebrate graduating this year
ate at uncle bobo's (a restraunt whose name is the same as the Call Family's beloved jewish dog, uncle bobo)
took family pictures at sunset beach
hiked to a waterfall in the rain (it must be overcast and rainy when you hike to a waterfall, we've never seen a waterfall bathed in sunlight, even if it's sunny when we start and finish the hike)
decorated ginger bread houses
surfed and body boarded at Castle Beach
ate shave ice
played at PCC all day and night for some
devoured 3 chocolate haupia cream pies
and of course ATE lots of wonderful food made by Lynda herself!

**pictures/videos to come**

Ponds at Punaluu

2008-01-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

For a ward activity this Christmas, we all went to an Old Folks home (the one I was going to work at). We sang songs and ate cookies. Kaci made lots of friends. One nice old lady was especially fond of Kaci and decided to rename her. Her official hawaiian goddess name is Kahikilani! It means "child from heaven". The lady was a true hawaiian. There aren't very many of those around anymore, so we felt very honored to have her rename Kaci for us.

soccer babe

2007-12-12T14:37:00.001-08:00

Kaci's Uncle Nate is coming to BYU-Hawaii to play soccer! Kaci has one thing to say... meet your competition! She's got some pretty crazy footwork. Maybe she can teach him a few things :)

Goin' Surfin'

2007-12-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

waterfalls

2007-12-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

wowsers!

Ko'olau Mountain Waterfall Spectacular!!

2007-12-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

When it rains hard enought, the entire Ko'olau Mountain Range fills up with these amazing waterfalls. It truly is incredible to see miles of waterfalls on these magnificient cliffs. I tried to take pictures and videos, but it really doesn't do it justice. You really do have to see something like this in person!!

$5 Ted's Pie

2007-12-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

That's right, Ted's Amazing Pies were just $5 this past weekend. Brad and I branched out and got a pumpkin haupia cream pie instead of our all time favorite chocolate haupia cream. It was delicious. We ate it on the beach while we watched the sunset. Kaci didn't eat any pie, but she still had fun hanging out on the beach.

All Dressed and Ready for Church!

2007-12-12T14:08:00.001-08:00

Power Outage!

2007-12-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

Can you see Kaci? Yeah, neither could I when I woke up in the middle of the night to feed her. Yesterday she experienced her first blackout! It's incredible how dark it gets here. You seriously can't see your hand in front of your face. The power was only out for about 15 hours this time. Last time it was out for 24! Crazy stuff. School got cancelled because of it, so we lived it up. We went surfing and had a BBQ. It was great fun! We have been clearing out our fridge and freezer so we didn't have any food that went bad. Brad did consume a pound of hamburger though... probably would have been better to just let some of that go bad :(

DON'T SNUGGLE ME!!

2007-12-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you snuggle Kaci!

So, don't snuggle her! We made her a onesie to wear when we take her to ward functions or to a babysitter so they know not to snuggle her. Brad thought it would be a good way to help her express herself!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Chrismtas Tree!

2007-12-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas,
Since it's december, we decided to trudge through the snow with our axes to find the perfect tree. Then a sunbeam of light shone down on this beauty and we knew it was the one. Well, actually I just hacked down a couple of palm frongs with my machete and dragged them home. Then we masterfully meshed them together into what now graces or living room.

Kaci is off to school!

2007-11-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

Brad got sick of school, and Kerri wanted some time alone with him, so we just dressed Kaci up in Brad's clothes and sent her off to class. Nobody even noticed that it wasn't really him, probably because she has Brad's eyes.

food for the body, surfing for the soul... a true thanksgiving feast!

2007-11-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

after the mashmallow fight we went surfing!

kaci hasn't quite figured out how to paddle out yet, so she hung out on the shore and played in the waves there instead!

marshmallow fight

2007-11-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

wilbur insisted he have protection... so we let him wear the snorkel goggles!

i guess it was a good thing... hayley got crazy!

Lots of fun... everyone came back with white mashmallow spots all over their clothes and skin!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

Tadaa! Our Imu Turkey. Jessie and I co-hosted Thanksgiving. We had a great feast!

Here's everyone! liam, jessie, katie, thomas, micah, wil (affectionally known as wilbur), hayley, kaci, gina, taylor, brad, and kerri1

enjoying the feast!

dishing up!

IMU

2007-11-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

An underground oven is called an IMU!

We cooked our turkey in one this year! A local high school was doing it for a fundraiser.

To prepare our turkey we wrapped him up in a big banana leaf and tin foil!

We are going to have the most delicious turkey EVER!!

i won i won i won!

2007-11-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Campus was sponsoring a free turkey essay contest! I never win essay contests, but I can't resisi them. I wrote about my favorite thanksgiving memory and WON a FREE 20 pound turkey! Now I can finally say that I have won an essay contest!

Here's what I wrote!

Despite my mother and aunts bustling around the kitchen all morning, turkey piled high along home-made mashed potatoes and fresh-out-of-the-oven rolls merely set the stage to Thanksgiving Day with my family. With our tummies full and nap time still an hour away, the tradition has always been to play a game. “Monopoly” my father suggested as he did every year. “Twister” my little cousin squealed as she thought of us all playing. “Speed” my uncle declared in his booming voice with the cards already in hand. The room erupted in chatter as we each claimed superiority and confidence in our abilities.

As we all gathered around the table, my father explained, “With a two player game like this, we’ll have to set up a tournament; it’s the only fair way to declare a winner.” With players ranging from eight years old to over-the-hill, we discussed how to fairly match up competition. Twenty minutes later, the first competitors sat down to duel. Game after game no one tired. When trash talking became a problem, my grandfather—to old to see the numbers on the cards—became the referee. After an hour of playing, we were finally down to the final four. The competition was heated as my uncle, little cousin, sister, and I tirelessly faced our final rounds. With the tournament coming to an end, everyone gathered around and decided the winner needed a title. “Grand Master Speed Champ, Ultimate Thanksgiving Day Game Master, and Fastest Flipper Ever” were all suggested. When the votes were tallied, “Ultimate Thanksgiving Day Game Master” was decided.

Now with a banner on the wall declaring the title of the winner, my uncle and sister sat down to play the final round. As my grandfather reviewed the rules and cleaned his glasses, we all hovered to see who would win. When my sister slammed her hands on the piles in front of her and yelled “speed!” we all started cheering! The tournament was over, my sister had won the title… and we all went back for seconds!

kaci says

2007-11-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

"i'm grateful for... my fingers!"

She would say she's grateful for her fist, but she hasn't quite managed to get it all in her mouth yet. She's making progress though! Yesterday she got 4 fingers in that little mouth of hers... be sure and congratulate her on her new record!

chatter box

2007-11-20T21:59:00.001-08:00

kaci's new noise this week! she's exercising those vocal cords.

Surfing!

2007-11-20T21:55:00.001-08:00

She's surfing again! Can you believe that less than four months ago her fingers didn't even touch the water when she lied down on her surfboard? Now she looks like a pro!