Breebs and Teej

Its a New Year!

2012-01-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

I had to post some halloween pictures to show my cute little sushi roll!

A couple of Christmas card pics.

Breebs and Teej's goals for the New Year!

Goals for 2012:
Breana
1)Get good grades
2)Get a dog
3)Be a good Student

T.J.
1)Control my reactions
2)To not lie
3)To not make a fit when I have to clean

Kailee
1)Try not to hit
2)Learn to use the toilet
3)Lose the Binky!!

Mom
1) Update the blog for our friends and families viewing pleasure!

Pretty good goals, I think. We'll work on it and see how it goes. Either way I think you'll know how I'm doing with mine. HA!

Longest post EVER!

2011-08-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

Okay (sigh) So I am constantly checking my sisters and friends blogs looking for cute pictures and updates. I love it when they post cute pictures I can awww over. So I am going to try and post more often in a hopes that you guys( hint hint) will do it as well!!!
So Breana and I took my Mom to San Diego this March during spring break. It was an amazing trip and a much needed break from the buzz and activity of our crazy life! We did Sea World, the Zoo, and the wild animal park. We had so much fun and T.J. can't wait for his special vacation with out Breana.

This is part of the reason I was so busy at the end of the school year. The kids did basketball this year and (insert sing songy voice here)LOVED IT! However, they were also playing 8 on 8 and 6 on 6 soccer. So, we had basketball 2-3 times a week and soccer 2-3 times a week. Practice for one or the other everyday and 2 games a piece on sats. Thats 4 games for me people. Oh, and basketball games on weds as well. Man I am exhausted just thinking about it. Don't forget the regular day to day stuff and extra church activities and achievement days! Whew, glad it's over! I know I have said never again but you know I'm a sucker and if the kids really wanted to I'd do it again in a heart beat. I love a good basketball game! Breana is a monster on the court, I love it!

This was my nephews 1st birthday party!!! We were so excited to make it to Declan's first birthday. This is our cute youngest Utah cousin!(for now:)) He had a rocky start coming early and spending time in the NICU. So this party was that much more sweet. Seeing how much he has grown and blessed all of our lives. He's a miracle and we love him!

After our quick trip to Utah for the birthday party we came back and had 2 and 1/2 weeks left of school. The craziness that is the end of the year including spirit week and Ohana day! T.J. danced the Hawaiian superman and Breana did Ho'okipa.

So, I am currently in the process of organizing what little pictures I took this summer. As soon as I can get them up I will and you won't wanna miss the pictures of Logan's 4th birthday! All I can say is I come from a family of freaks and am dang proud of it!

How to keep a 14 month old busy

2011-02-24T12:14:00.001-08:00

How do you keep a baby occupied? Give her a cup of pudding and a spoon!!

Most people are probably cringing right now. She was in a diaper and went straight to the tub. But, she was happy long enough for me to finish the dishes and pack home lunches for field trips. I'll take it! FYI yogurt works too. :)

Happy Birthday T.J.

2011-02-24T11:50:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of T.J.'s pirate birthday party. We celebrated at the beach with a friend that has a birthday the day before Teej. We had an awesome time. We dug for coins in the sand, scavenger hunted for treasure and broke open 2 pinatas. We are so lucky to live in Hawaii where T.J. can go to the beach for his February birthday. This would not be an option in Montana!!

Breana and friends

Dad and Kailee

Birthday cakes

Kailee wiped from being awake so long. I got up at 530 to try and get our favorite spot at the beach park. We got there just before 7 and it was gone. We did get a nice spot in the shade but it was a long day.

T.J. on the beach

Pirate cookie favors. Beards compliments of Breana and T.J.
We wish family could have been here to help us celebrate but we have some awesome friends that feel like family and the day was definitely a success!

Portland

2011-02-11T12:38:00.001-08:00

Another Post! Crazy right? Clayton took a different position at his work that requires more time from him. (Is that possible?) I have found posting at night fulfills my daily requirement of adult contact on those day when I don't work and find my life consumed with dishes, laundry, homework, doctors apts, soccer, judo, fighting, teasing, screaming, laughing(at mostly BAD jokes) and all of the other duties that come with motherhood. I'm not complaining just looking for that link to the outside world!

These are some pictures from our tenth anniversary spent in Portland. The city where we met. I love this town and it is definitely in the running to be the permanent residence of this family some day. We only stayed for 1 night but we had so much fun. We stopped at 2 kitchen stores and were in heaven. Maui doesn't even have a Williams Sonoma, sad right?
We lost track of time in Powells books and emerged 2 hrs latter feeling like kids that had just had their run of the candy store! We're nerds I know but anyone that has been to Powells would agree. We took a tram ride up to the hospital to see the view and take a picture of the hospital. I was given explicit instructions from Breana to take a picture of where she was born. My favorite thing of course was diner. There were so many places to choose from we split it up. We had an amazing experience at Paley's place. The sweetbreads were awesome and the P.B.J. dessert was so good. We also ate at another place. I don't remember the name but it called it's self a dineraunt and was a throw back to 1950's era diners. It was pretty good and I really liked my fried cheese curds with green tomato jam.
We had so much fun I can't wait to do it again. We decided 1 night at a time might be a good way for us to travel. We didn't have enough time to spend too much money!

Christmas break at the beach.

2011-02-11T00:52:00.001-08:00

When we first started visiting Hawaii I would get so mad at Clay. We would stay for a week or more and sometimes never make it to the beach. I always told him if I lived in Hawaii I would go to the beach all the time, at least once a week. Now that we live here I am often ashamed to admit how long we go with out making it to the beach. Obladee Oblada people. This Christmas break I am proud to announce we made it twice!!

The first day we went to Lahaina and stayed about 6 hrs. The kids did awesome for how long we stayed and learned the valuable lesson of, " the grass isn't always greener on the other side" after we walked back and forth in search of smaller waves.

The second beach day we drove home to this. We love Maui!

(Yes I took this picture while driving. I got mad skills!)

First post of 2011.

2011-02-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

So I just browsed back over last year and realized I had a sad year of posts last year.
I blame it on the fact that we saw the 5 people who actually read this blog a lot last year. (yea for a job with the airlines). I do realize that it is nice to see new pictures and I love when my sisters post new pictures. (Hint, Hint, Heather). So here are a bunch of pictures from the last little while, mostly Christmas stuff.

Some recent pics of Kailee. The pink pajama picture is what I found her enjoying the morning after Christmas. Nothing beats chocolate for breakfast! The ever classic spaghetti face and the sleeping one is the night she couldn't make it to her room and she crashed in the hall way. It was so sad but of course I took a picture first.

Clayton's work Christmas party.

Sledding in Utah with cousins. After driving around for hours in a hot car all bundled for the snow we finally found some and only had to hop one fence past a no trespassing sign for our snow fix.

Christmas pictures taken for a card that never happened. Maybe next year.

Some family pictures at our 1st family Christmas party in a LONG time.

More from the party mostly white elephant fun.

We finally got to share our gingerbread decorating tradition with cousins in Utah and Oahu.

Kailee's Birthday party in Oahu.

Kailee's first birthday.

I do have to mention she had a rough day on her actual birthday. She was working on some molars and was a little congested. She fell down the stairs while T.J. was holding her. Kudos to T.J. who was proud to inform that he held her tight and rolled so that he would fall first and Kailee was fine although she got a good scare. She also got a hold of a habanero and took a huge bite. She then proceed to eat an ice cream bar in less than 60 seconds. It was a tough day and we joked she was lucky she survived her first birthday. Next year will be better. Right?

Halloween!!

2010-11-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome Halloween this year, thanks to auntie Heather and her superior sewing skills!! She made Breana and Kailee's costumes and they were awesome. Breana got the most compliments from friends and strangers a like. T.J.'s was a favorite as well. Thank you Heather and Grandma Utah, and Auntie Manda for all your hard work.

T.J.'s Thoughts

2010-09-19T19:07:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all our family that donated to the fundraiser. I am going to make the most goals this year so come have shave ice with ME!! I am getting good grades at school. I am going to run 13 laps this year. Last year I ran 10.
Teej.

Breebs' Thoughts.

2010-09-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

What up yo!
I started soccer again. If you come at the end of the season you can get a shave ice with me. Daddy said he would buy a shave ice for the person who scores the most goals between T.J. and me. Right now we are tied at 1-1. Thank you to the family that donated money for our fundraiser. I promise to run 20 laps this year. Last year I ran 19. Love you all! Peace.
Breebs

Back to School!

2010-08-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is the first year since Breana started preschool that I have been able to take the kids to the first day of school. I am usually working and ask Clay every year to take pictures but it never happens. I enjoyed seeing them start a new year with new teachers. It was a big deal for me. The kids are at the age where they think I am weird and I am sure they were embarrassed by my excitement but I LOVED it!!

Pictures for Grandma!

2010-08-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

So we have been super busy this summer. The kids went to Utah for a whole month and had soooo much fun!! They keep asking me if we can move there so they can see every one more often. They also went to Oahu for 2 weeks to visit with Clay's family and they want to move there too!! So, before we went to Utah we took some pictures for Grandma Mecham. I am terrible at sending updated photos and try to bring some when we visit. Here are a few that we took.

What we have been up to.

2010-04-06T17:05:00.001-07:00

The kids just finished their baseball season a couple of weeks ago.
We have been so busy at the ball park that it's been awhile since we have been
able to post an updated.

This is how Kailee spent part of the season. Bundled in socks, pajamas, coat, hat, and gloves, in the snugli with a blanket covering her. Some of the games were pretty cold and we had to be prepared for any kind of weather. It was reminiscent of Montana:).

April fools

2010-04-02T01:38:00.000-07:00

We missed you today cousin Meghan!!
Today we enjoyed a delicious April fools dinner of spaghetti pie and broccoli milkshakes and remembered our meatloaf cake that was shared with cousin Meghan last year!

Kailee pictures!

2010-03-23T16:35:00.001-07:00

The kids and I have been crazy busy with little league. Here are some recent pics of Kailee.

Finally the beach!

2010-01-02T18:03:00.001-08:00

We have been trying to get to the beach this holiday break but every morning at least one of us had a cough. We finally made it yesterday. The kids and I got up and went to the beach and left Dad home to sleep. He had a looong day on the 31st and we thought we would leave him a quite house to catch up on some sleep.

Kailee's first trip to the beach!

Breana and T.J. attempting to stand on their body boards.

Breana walking up with her flippers still on. Some of the clutzy goofy things she does reminds me of someone... Who is it? Oh wait, it's me!

T.J. working on his baywatch moves.

Thank you Eric for the awesome beach tent that lets Kailee snooze while the kids enjoy the beach.

Gas

2009-12-30T15:21:00.001-08:00

I have to take a moment and express my gratitude for gas. Yes I am talking about farts, barneys, barking spiders ( must I go on?). Don't get me wrong I am four square against public displays of bodily functions and am constantly trying to teach T.J. when and where it is appropriate. The elevator T.J.? Really? NOT cool.
There are 2 very specific reasons that I am talking about.

1 Gas can be your best friend when you have just had a c-section and are being refused real food until you pass some.
2 Anything that makes the babies do this is okay with me.

At least until she can smile voluntarily!

Video from christmas

2009-12-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

Thank you AhHee's and Arakawa's from Megan Arakawa on Vimeo.

Thanks for the tent! from Megan Arakawa on Vimeo.

Thank you Mecham's from Megan Arakawa on Vimeo.

Breana loving her present from the Mecham's from Megan Arakawa on Vimeo.

Mele Kalikimaka from Megan Arakawa on Vimeo.

Christmas

2009-12-28T19:38:00.001-08:00

A few pictures from christmas. We took some cute videos that will hopefully be up in the next couple of days!

Christmas pictures

2009-12-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

Thank you Uncle Eric!

2009-12-16T17:00:00.001-08:00

Thank you uncle Eric for the Pack and Play.
this is Kailee enjoying it!!!

Kailee is here

2009-12-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

Kailee Carol Kazuko Arakawa was born on November 24, 2009.
She was 7 lbs 5 ozs and 20 inchs long!

2009-09-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

The kids had their primary program today! Here are a few of the songs I made them sing again when we got home. The primary asked all the kids to dress in white. The did an excellant job and looked so angelic in their white clothes.

Untitled from Megan Arakawa on Vimeo.

The words are a little lost here.

Untitled from Megan Arakawa on Vimeo.

And here!

We are back!!

2009-09-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Things have been super crazy around here but we are back in the blogging world again! I feel bad it has been so long. Most recently we have been living at the park. Breana and T.J. are both doing soccer this year and parctice on oppostite days. So, 4 days out of the week we are at the park for practices with games on Saturdays. It has been crazy but fun and the kids are doing really well. They really enjoy it!

Clayton got to ref one of Breana's games. He didn't want to but felt bad when the coach was having to ref so he stepped up and did it.
T.J. is so funny to watch the are all bunched around the ball. He has scored 6 goals already in 2 games! Of course they don't have goalies or keep score but we are proud of him. He is a fast little buggar. Now we just have to work on his shotting skills. He gets out on a break away often with nothing but him and the goal
but 9 times out of ten he fall, trips, misses, or can't stop him self and he misses. It is so cute to watch.
Breana is learning quickly and is a bit behind as this is her first year playing. She loves to go to the park with Clay and have him help her with her passing and shooting.

Breana's Birthday

2009-06-16T21:17:00.001-07:00

So after T.J.'s graduation Grandma Arakawa came over and picked him up and took him back to Oahu with her for a week. Breana's birthday was June 3rd and she had been planning a sleepover at the Grand Wailea. Unfortunately, Clayton was unable to get a room as the entire month of June was blocked. Instead, we had a few of the girls get together for a mini spa day birthday. It was a school day but they get out early on Weds so it wasn't too bad. We met at our house and then went over to our good friend Diana's, as she is much better at the girlieness than I am. Auntie Diana did all of the girls' nails and hair. I contributed some by helping to scrub toes and applying a facial of avacado and yougurt complete with cucumbers for the eyes. They loved it and couldn't stop giggling. It was so much fun to see the girls so happy!! Thank you soooo much Diana!!! You are the best!!! We would have been lost with out you!!! So after they were all decked out we went down to the Grand Wailea for dinner. They had a table waiting for us in the patio area. The girls were so excited and enjoyed "toasting" with their water glasses.
The girls enjoyed their calamari appetizers and most of them had cheese pizza for dinner. Surprise, surprise. Isabelle was so cute waiting for her chicken fingers. she kept asking if they were ready and was so excited when she saw them coming. Man that girl loves chicken fingers!!!
One of the desserts on Clay's menu is named Breana's Brulee after the birthday girl!! They sent out one for all the girls to try and they loved it! Side note: T.J.'s fish tacos are also available on the menu.
After dinner Clayton was off and wanted to get some icecream. So we stopped by Dairy Queen on the way home. We got home pretty late and I was so nervous the parents might be uspet. But all was well and we finally got home around 10 o'clock.
Breana had so such fun!!! Thank you again Diana for all of your help and for driving us all to dinner!!!

T.J.'s graduation

2009-06-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from T.J.'s preschool graduation. I know I am way behind but at least I'm trying. They had a wonderful little program with all of their favorite songs from the year. I couldn't get over how adorable he was in that little cap and gown. Especially once he was lei-ed by all of his friends. So cute!
I also couldn't get over how much he looks like Clay. I did tape the entire program but unfortuantely I am not so good at the editing thing and they are really long. I may get to it someday but don't count on it!!

Breana's Ohana Day Dance!!

2009-05-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

Surf from Megan Arakawa on Vimeo.

Here is Breana's Ohana Day dance. Sorry that it gets pretty shaky near the end. There were several people in chairs right in front of us and people kept standing up. My arm was in the air with the camera pointed down the whole time. I think you can hear me when it gets shaky say, "My arm is getting tired Clay".
Anyway, She did a great job and we are so proud of her.

What happens when you give a 7 year old and a 5 year old a camera?

2009-05-14T18:51:00.001-07:00

You get pictures of toys, butterflies, and bugs.

Grandma's Birthday!

2009-05-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

So we went to the beach to take some pictures for Grandma Mecham's Birthday back in march. I started early and we used the pictures to make some homemade gifts for Grandma (that have yet to be mailed). I thought I would share some of them seeing as Grandma has not seen any of them yet. What can I say I am the queen of slackers.
Sorry if some of them are tilted I had to scan our prints.

T.J.'s birthday!!

2009-03-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

I'm a slacker mom! I missed posting about T.J.'s birthday. We had a fun week. Cake at school, a birthday pie on February 18th, his actual birthday, and a fun barbeque with friends on the 19th. Unfortunately my camera is still having problems and I didn't get any pics:(
So these are just two of my favorite T.J. pictures!

My birthday was good. I played and my school sang to me and my mom made me a chocolate cake for everyone at school. I got a toy from my teachers. Then we had a barbeque with my friends. Thank you everybody that came. Can you please come again for my next birthday when I turn 6? That would be fun! Thanks for the presents and for the birthday cards from my grandma's and grandpa's!

Thank you, T.J.

I Love you Heidi!

2009-03-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

This was my old dog Heidi. We left her in Montana with some very nice people who were our friends. She was a cute dog. She was a good runner and she was potty trained when we got her.
We saved her from the Humane Society. I wished I could play with her again. I miss her alot.
I hope someday we can get another dog just like her. My favorite things about her were that she was fun to play with, she was patient and this is how I know it she didn't bite T.J. . She would only lick him. She was like a circus dog when we fed her popcorn it was so fun to watch. We would throw the popcorn in the air and she would jump up and catch it. She sheded alot so I had to sweep alot. I love you Heidi and hope you are enjoying your new home! Love, Breana

T.J.'s love page

2009-02-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

This is T.J.'s love page. I've been meaning to post it for awhile but couldn't find the scanned image on my computer. T.J.'s school does a project every year where every family creates a page about their preschooler. They compile them in a large book and then all the students get a chance to take it home and see everyones pages. The picture of him with the corndog is from Disneyland and fell out of a box while I was moving some things. It was too cute not to add! The star fish has to be one of my all time favorite T.J. pics. Anyway, just thought I'd share.

Back to work.

2009-02-15T11:51:00.000-08:00

This was my first week back at work after a month off. I was excited to get back to work and our normal life and routine. So, Monday morning I was feeling like this...

After 2 10 hour days and the usual drama that accompanies any job I felt a little more like this...

All I could think about the rest of the week is this opening scene from Joe verses the Volcano where all of the workers are filling into work overly enthused be there. Pretty sad huh?

Oh well, things are back to normal!!

Thank You Auntie Manda and Uncle Scott!!

2009-01-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

Thank you for coming to visit us we had so much fun with you guys!!!!

Thanks for taking the kids around with you guys everywhere you went. They had so much fun and can't wait to see you guys again!! Come back any time!!! We miss you already!

Merry Christmas to the Mecham Household!!!

2008-12-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas Card Photos

2008-12-23T14:41:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the pictures that were taken for our Christmas card. Notice that most of these are NOT blurry. I'm having problems with the camera. GRRR.

There were a couple like this I finally had to inform here that she was not a swim suit model.

The session isn't complete until T.J. has had a good cry.

I'll try and get some prints for you mom. But you know me I can't make any promises!

We have been busy!

2008-12-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

This season has been extremely busy for us and I apologize for not posting more often.
Clay's parents came over for thanksgiving, as we both had to work, and since then it feels like we have been going non-stop. Here is a small sampling of what we have been up to. In no particular order.
Gingerbread houses with friends(made out of rice krispie treats.) I made the mistake of making real ones last year thinking we are much drier here on Maui and they all collapsed within days.

Taking pictures for Christmas cards(that I have yet to send).

Making ornaments. We make the ornaments for our tree every year. It all started because my husband is a scrooge and he wouldn't let me spend too much on Christmas. And now it has become a fun activity that the kids look forward to and they keep their eye out for things that would make good ornaments.

More gingerbread houses with friends.

We had two separate gingerbread house parties for our friends.

Clayton's Christmas party for the kids at the grand Wailea.

T.J.'s Christmas program and party at his preschool.

Making treats for teachers and friends.

Add to that the usual shopping, Christmas parties, wrapping presents, packaging and mailing gifts. And then add the everyday chaos of school,work and errands and it's a miracle that I was even able to post this. Sorry for the gap in between posts grandma and grandpa I'll make it a resolution for next year! HA HA HA!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Conversations with Tyrus.

2008-11-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

So...Last night at dinner Breana and T.J. were indulging in some red powerade.

Breana: Mom, why do they call it Powerade?
T.J.: Because it's ade and it has the power.
Mom: The power of what?
T.J.: The power to turn your tongue red!!

Okay I'm not so good at this.

2008-11-11T14:46:00.001-08:00

There are 4 posts from today and I apologize for being terrible at this blogging thing. I am trying to play catch up from Halloween until now. For the most part they are in order so you can start with the 4th post down if you're concerned about the timeline. This post is some of the pictures from our trip to Oahu.

As we drove past this Chevron Clay said, "Quick take a picture." I did because we haven't seen gas under 3 dollars since we moved to Maui. Sadly when we returned home it is still 3.50.

Clayton took me to Nobu for our anniversary and it was amazing. Clay had high expectations and had them met which is rare. I however judge by dessert. The most important course, right? Well dessert was awesome and Clayton agreed. We have been to several nice places that just didn't cut the mustard when dessert came but Nobu was wonderful from start to finish.

Clayton doesn't let me take his picture often and when he does it usually looks like this. But I thought this one turned out pretty well and it captures the inner Clayton rather well. He was mad when he saw me posting this.

You should be jealous you don't live here!

T.J. on the Supper ferry cuddling Breana's dog Amy. Again the obsession with stuffed animals that I don't quite understand.

This is the kids' cousin C.J. at her soccer game. I asked Clay to take pictures as I wasn't feeling well, and I got these 2.

This was the first birthday party we went over for. Clay's mom's cousin's first grandbaby turned one(try saying that again) and we went to help Kaely celebrate. This is the kids making stuffed animals as part of the entertainment.

Dylan helping the girls stuff their animals.

Breana and her panda she named Cuddles. More stuffed animals!

Breana with Meghan and Bethany playing on our last day. The dog is Bethany's new puppy Leihua. Breana was in love. In this picture left to right Meghan is 8, Bethany is 9 and our giant Breana is 7.

Grandpa with Bethany and Breana holding Leihua

The 3 girls again with Lauren being goofy in the back.

Bethany and Leihua.

This is Clayton and Emily-3. He was trying to get her to smile for me as she refused as I was trying to take her picture.

This one was taken by a cousin NOT me.

T.J. playing on the slide.

T.J. and Emily the two youngest Grand kids.

Emily smiling again for a cousin taking the picture NOT me.

Lauren and Breana acting sassy.

We had so much fun and were glad for the vacation from work and school. I am sorry I am so terrible at this but we all know how technologically challenged I am and should be glad I am even able to upload pictures. I think someone should come up with some sort of rehab for people like me who just checked out as technology advanced. We could enroll together Mom! Any way there it is in all it's unorganized glory and I believe that I am up to date so we'll see when the next post comes. Any one wanna take bets?

Halloween fun!

2008-11-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

T.J.'s preschool had an open house for all the kids and thier families. It was alot of fun and the teachers really went all out decorating their areas.
This is T.J. and his good friends and neighbor. T.J. is a ninja if you can't tell. (he didn't like wearing the mask)

This is T.J.'s teacher. Teahcer Iris.

This is the schools director, teacher Lei.

T.J. as a scarecrow and witch.

Tyrus deccked out as a ninja for the ward trunk-or-treat. This didn't last long.

Breana as tinkerbell.

T.J. hated the mask but wore it when I told him he had to wear it for trick or treating or noone would know he was a ninja.

Breana's homemade wings. A little lopsided but we had fun decorating them. Can you say house full of green glitter?

Blury pic of the way T.J. wore the mask when he had it on.

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of actual trick or treating but by the time Halloween rolled around we were glad to have found our costumes at all.

I hope you all will stop hounding me now!! You know who you are !! Ha Ha. Just kididng,

sorry it took so long.

Halloween Pumpkins!!

2008-11-11T14:13:00.001-08:00

This is Breana and T.J. Making their Halloween pumpkins. I made the mistake last year of carving real pumpkins 2 days before our Halloween party at church and they were moldy by the time we got there. That's the casualties of living in Maui. I think we'll cope. So this year we made papier mache ones courtesy of Martha. I was advised once by an ever so wise teacher in Culinary school, "If you are ever in doubt just think to your self, WWMD, What would Martha do?"

T.J. playing with his paint brush like a sword. Really, anything can be a weapon right?

Breana was so careful when adding her layers.

T.J. 2 weeks later with the finished product.

Breana decided to turn hers into a pirate.

And here are all 3. Mine is the black one-we ran out of orange crepe paper. All in all the kids had a good time and they didn't even miss carving real ones. T.J. is excited to pick out his real one for pumpkin pie in a couple of weeks!!

Girls night/Boys day!

2008-11-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

This is T.J. hanging out with his buddies on his boys day. On Sat Nov 1st he had a bunch of his friends over for an afternoon of movies, sushi, and games. He was upset because Breana had a girls night a while back(pics to follow) and he wanted his boys night. Breana had a play date that afternoon so we turned it into a boys day instead. This is all of them taking a break from playing out side for a juice pack.

This is T.J. and his good buddy from preschool. This is his friend that comes over to play after school sometimes. I'm so glad he has found a buddy to pal around with at school.

This was Breana's Girls night that took place earlier in the month. These are her two good friends from primary. Breana was upset that T.J. had a friend over to play after school and wanted her friends to come over. So... we planned a girls night and had her friends over for pizza, movies, and dress up!

Strike a pose!

Breana with her fabulous make over!

They had so much fun!! It was so funny to hear these girls talk about school, boys, friends, clothes, and all of the other things little girls talk about. It made me smile and remember the countless sleepovers I attended through out my child hood and teen years. It was also funny to compare the boys' conversation with the girls. The boys were obsessed with weapons and soldiers and fighting the bad guys. I loved watching them run around and fight them off!!

I am so glad they have been able to make such good friends. That is always one of my main concerns every time we move but this time there was no need to worry. This ward is awesome and their good kids prove it!!

Mini Golf

2008-10-19T00:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long Grandma and Grandpa but you guys know how crazy its been the last couple of weeks with all of our ER visits so I'm a little back logged. These pictures are from Maui Golf where Clay took us to play mini golf on his day off about 2 weeks ago.

Breana and T.J. taking a break.
I loved his picture! I always laugh that T.J. and Clayton have the same pigeon toed walk and strut.
Breana using one of the holes as a runway. The kids kept walking through and disturbing Claytons shots. There were a few that came close to the hole in one but every time a little foot got right in the way.
Dad giving T.J. pointers. He doesn't know his own strength. Mom had to fish his ball out of several water traps.

Breana decided she wanted to try the rock wall. Everything was fine until she looked down and started freaking out. It was a very traumatic experience for all. Oh how soon we forget, by the time we left she was begging for another chance,
Dad and T.J. with his signature smile.

Gotta have the picture by the sign so mom can remember where the heck we were.
T.J. putting. This is favorite part because he loves popping the ball out when he is done.

I must mention that T.J. is the reason we made the mini golf trip. Clay went golfing about 3-4 weeks ago with a friend from work while the rest of us were at school and work. When I picked up T.J. he was annoyed it was me and asked where his dad was. When I told him he went golfing he freaked out. Screaming and crying and yelling about how he wanted to go. When Clay got home it happened all over again. I guess he got used to golfing with dad in Montana. Breana loved to drive the cart and T.J. would always be allowed to putt (after everyone was finished of course). Good times! Good times!

Those were the days when a round of golf for the whole family was affordable! Oh well,

the price you pay to live in paradise! At least that's what I am told.

After Golf dad took us to Tommy Bahamas for dinner. The restaurant has an awesome ambiance and excellent decor but the food wasn't anything to write home about. It was okay but probably the most we have ever paid for mediocre food. Not to mention our arugula salad had old slimy arugula in it and I just cringed when Clay told me cause we all know how he can be a restaurants. Surprisingly he was very kind and courteous to the waiter. Note to self(and Mands): Tommy Bahama not worth the money.

Happy Birthday Auntie Heather!!!

2008-10-03T19:51:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday auntie Heather!!!! Wish we were there.. no, wish you were here!!!!!

If auntie Heather was here for her bithrday I would give her a present. Breana

If auntie Heather was here for her birthday I would give her a cake and a present and a movie. T.J.

If auntie Heather were here we would have spent all day at the beach body boarding and laying on the beach. Then the kids and I would have made her dinner and a big fat cake(vegetarian if she wanted).

WE MISS YOU AUNTIE HEATHER!! HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Pancakes again!

2008-10-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

We finally got a griddle big enough to cook the dinosaurs!!!

This is our new pancake recipe. We now eat buckwheat pancakes when ever we feel like pancakes. I found an awesome recipe that uses egg white to lighten it so they have the same fluffy mouth fill of regular pancakes.
T.J.'s triceratops.
Breana's Brontosaurus

Sorry they are the wrong way!!! Thanks again Auntie Heather!!

Called to Serve

2008-09-22T00:27:00.000-07:00

Breana and T.J. have been getting ready for their primary program at church. They love Called to serve and this is them practicing. The poor things get mixed up on the words(they get that from Clay. He doesn't even know all the words to Jingle Bells) but the parts they know they belt with pride(that's all me).

The one of T.J. is him singing the Samuel the Lamenite verse of Book of Mormon stories. He loves that story and so I taught him the song and it quickly became a favorite for him.

Since we had the missionaries over for dinner the other night he has had missionaries on the brain. This is so cute when he talks about "my mission" and when he prays he ask that he will be a good missionary when he goes on his mission. He makes me smile.

Happy birthday Coco and Woof Woof!

2008-09-20T01:42:00.000-07:00

We purchased a futon today (finally) and the kids decided it would make a great table for a tea party. Breana decided it was Coco's birthday and they needed a party. T.J. decided Woof Woof couldn't be left out and it was his birthday as well. Breana received Coco from her auntie as a reward for behaving while having her picture taken. She loves that dog and sleeps with her every night. She has become quite popular in our house as T.J. begs Breana every night to let him sleep with her as well.
Mom's impromptu menu: mandarin oranges, Babel cheese, and of course, Famous Amos cookies.
And to drink? Iced hot chocolate. It was the best I could do given the 5 minute notice.

Breana and Coco.
T.J. made Woof Woof at build-a-bear in Honolulu when he was almost 2. Hence the name Woof Woof. He loves that dog and it does an excellent job of consoling him after his many requests for Coco are denied every night.
Yum!! If you'll notice T.J. is sitting in his dumptruck and Breana is on their sit and spin toy.

I should also mention that this party was started in the most appropriate way. They began by reciting the pledge of allegiance and of course they said a blessing on their feast!!

What party is complete without a pledge to kick it off???

Famous Hamous

2008-09-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

On monday, the kids wrote letters and painted pictures for their friends for family home evening. For treat we had some Famous Amos cookies and milk. T.J. loves the story that is printed on the back of the bag that tell how Amos became so famous. He makes me read it to him anytime we eat some. This video is T.J. telling Breana and I the story. (sorry the lighting is bad I used my camera).

Labor day

2008-09-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry I am kind of late with these pictures but I had to share T.J.'s snack adventures.
We went to the beach with our ward for their annual Labor day picnic.
The kids enjoyed playing with their friends from church.
Breana on auntie Heather's body board. She is kind enough to let us keep an eye on it for her
as she doesn't see many waves in Utah.

And these are the pictures of T.J.'s snack adventures (I just may contact the food network). So T.J. was eating an apple as we were getting ready to leave.
Notice the waves covering the apple.
Oops! Lost the apple in the ocean. Sadly this was only one of the three or four times it was lost.
Found it!!!

And this is what it looked like when he handed it to me to dispose of. I don't know how that kid could handle the unavoidable mouthfuls of sand that must have accompanied each and every bite. Yuck!! That kid will eat anything!!

Pancakes

2008-09-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

Both of the kids enjoy cooking. T.J. a bit more than Breana. They were both so excited when
auntie Heather sent them some pancake molds.
T.J. carefully pouring the batter in. He has been splattered on before and knows how to be cautious at the stove.
The finished product. A pig and sheep body.
Cooking the heads.

A sheep for Teej.
A pig for Breana.
I made some strawberry jam for the pig and yes that is sour cream on the sheep. Thank you uncle Tony and family for introducing us to this most delicious pancake topping!!
Enjoying the fruits of their labors!!

T.J. ate the whole thing and some of Breana's. Are we surprised??

Thank you auntie Heather for the fun molds. I did not have a pan big enough for the dinosaurs.

T.J. asked Clay to get one and he is all too happy to find one for him. We did use them for rice krispie treats and they turned out really cute. I forgot to take a picture of them. Oh well, next time.

Thanks again grandma and auntie for the package!!

Worst/Best

2008-08-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Giggle Hill

2008-08-24T20:44:00.001-07:00

We went to giggle hill park today to play.

Kids on the playground.
We hiked up the hill because Breana wanted to show us the rainbow trees. The wooded hill is a popular place for paintballing.
T.J. showing off his cartwheel skills.
These are all of T.J.'s attempts at making cross eyes. He just about has it.

Thank You Grandma!!!

2008-08-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

Thank you for giving me my spiderman jammies. I love them so much. I let Nana wear the other pair when I first got them.
Thank you Grandma I love them!! T.J.
Thank you for the dress I like it alot. I wore it to church today. In the house today I was pretending I was the presidents daughter. (because of the flag on the dress).

Thank you for the High School Musical shirt. It's like the bomb to me. I always wanted one!!
Breana.

Tag

2008-08-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

ADDIE TAGGED ME!

Answer each with ONE word, then tag three friends!
1. Where is your cell phone? NONE

2. Your significant other? Preston

3. Your hair? fantastic

4. Your mother? beautiful

5. Your father? handsome

6. Your favorite thing? Coco

7. Your dream last night? scary

8 Your favorite drink? fruit punch

9. Your dream/goal? marriage

10. The room you’re in? bedroom

11. Your hobby? art

12. Your fear? mutilation

3. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Las Vegas

14. What you’re not? little

15. Muffins? blueberry

16. One of your wish list items? game

17. Where you grew up? everywhere

18. Last thing you did? ate

19. What your wearing? green

20. Favorite Gadget? pillow

21. Your pets? heidi

22. Your computer? fun

23. Your mood? jolly

24. Missing someone? Heidi

25. Your car? red

26. Something your not wearing? dress

27. Favorite store? McDonalds

28. Like someone? Preston

29. Favorite color? white

30. When was the last time you laughed? school

31. When was the last time you cried? yesterday

I don't know too many bloggers so I tag Auntie Manda!
P.S. Don't tell anyone I like Preston.

Hawaii is a State!!!

2008-08-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Friday was a holiday to celebrate Hawaii becoming a state. We celebrated by going to the beach!

The conversation I overheard while taking this picture.

T.J.: (upset and yelling) Stop! Breana, what are you doing?
Breana: I'm washing you. You're dirty.
T.J.: (happy) Okay.

T.J. in his "Bath".

Building sand castles.

Taking a break from swimming.

We go to baby beach in sprecklesville. After T.J. (and I) took a tumble in a wave he won't let us go any where else. The waves are obviously baby and the kids had a hard time trying to boogie board. They laid on the board on the beach and let the waves come to them. They loved it!!
More sand castles.

These two pictures are T.J. doing a handstand in the water. His feet never stood up very straight but they looked good to me.

T.J. and his beach.

Breana loves to look for shells. We have a huge pocket in our beach bag full of them.

T.J. being T.J..

Happy Birthday Uncle Jase!!

2008-08-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

My Favorite memory of Uncle Jase is......

I liked it when he went camping with us at Yellowstone National Park. I liked it when we took us mini golfing when we were at Grandma and Grandpa's. Breana

When Uncle Jase gived me my superheros and when he played superman toys with me, the small ones. And when he let me play with them in the tub at Grandmas and when he played with me I liked it so much it made my face happy. T.J.

All the times he came to Montana to help us. With home repairs, or moving, or just to visit. He is so kind and willing to help when and where he can. We all appreciate him and the many, many, times he has helped us with projects. Your the best Uncle Jase. Megan.

Fishing with Dad

2008-08-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

Clayton took the kids fishing a while back and here are some of the pictures. We went down to Kehei and the kids loved it!

Breana lost her slipper in the ocean. Note: She had been told several times not to dangle her feet over the edge. She likes to learn the hard way.
Breana was the only one that caught a fish!! It's a monster!! Breana caught this little fish with her $2 bamboo pole we picked up at Longs that day.

Dad baiting T.J.'s line with the yummy bread that the kids couldn't stop eating.

Hi Grandma!!

2008-08-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Note from Mom: This is Breana and T.J.'s first attempts at video. Please ignore the fact that Breana is chewing gum like a cow and that T.J. thinks he is saying a prayer (he almost ends with amen). Megan.

T.J.'s May Day!

2008-07-19T21:05:00.001-07:00

I liked my May day and I had some fun with it. We sang I'm in the Lord's Army. We also had a party and ate kahlua pork and cabbage. I loved my May day. I liked my Noah's Ark Preschool but I don't go there any more.

Breana's May Day!

2008-07-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is me on May day. The dance is called Ulapalakula. We practiced a lot. Our Kapuna was so nice I liked her alot. We also chanted alohi mai. I picked out the colors of the hat and scarf myself. It was the best day of school in my whole life. I can't wait for next years May day!

2008-07-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

This is us!! Breebs and Teej!
I have to say that the world is the greatest thing ever! My family is the most important thing of my life. I think I have important things to do to take care of the earth. B.
Mom is the best she got me a knife! T.