Holy cow, an entire month since I last wrote anything on here?!? I really have become a slacker blogger!! Oh well, after many months of making many excuses, I am hereby officially accepting my own blogger lameness and laziness, and hope that you all will just hang in there with me during the dry spells in the Palm blog world. :)

However, there definitely hasn't been a lack of things to blog about. Here are a few of the major highlights....

• After several rounds of swimming lessons, Zander finally graduated from Level 1 to Level 2!! This was a huge milestone for him as he suffered through a lot of fears and tears over the course of the last year. But at this point, he can jump off the side of the pool and swim unassisted (crawl stroke) to the other side of the pool, is fairly proficient at the backstroke, and best of all, he LOVES being in the water. Woo hoo! We officially have TWO water babies that can swim!
• Charley completed a three week transitional "kinderstart" class last week that will help her transition to kindergarten. Needless to say, she is very excited to start "real" kindergarten in August.....and as hard as it may be for me to let her go, I'm excited for her. I have fond memories of kindergarten, and I hope she does too.
• Along those same lines, after much deliberation, research, and soul-searching, we have decided to send Charley to a private school next year, called Island Pacific Academy. It's been a long and painful process coming to this decision, not one that I wish to rehash in immense detail on here (it's not very exciting anyway), but we are all excited about this opportunity, even if it means selling our body parts for tuition money (just kidding of course).
• Tomorrow is officially our last day with Matt, Heather, Lane, Quinn, and Sawyer, so it will definitely be a day filled with a lot of tears. As you all know, this family has become part of our own family....our kids don't have any memories of important events, holidays, or moments during our time in Hawaii that don't involve this family.....sure are going to miss them. :(
• In order to celebrate Heather's pending departure, I did take her out for one last night on the town a few weeks ago, during which we enjoyed pool time, drinks, dinner, and a hotel room with no kids for an entire 24 hour period. While I'm not at liberty to divulge many other details (because Heather would kill me), suffice it to say that we had an awesome time and made some good memories. ;)
• As some of you may recall, we have co-owned a home in Whitefish since 2003, one that we have used as a vacation rental for over seven years. A few months ago we decided to try and sell this property and haven't had much luck so far. However, yesterday we got our first offer, so we are prayin' and crossing fingers that we can sell this thing, as it would be a huge weight lifted off our shoulders.
• Charley lost her second tooth, and thankfully the Tooth Fairy did NOT forget to come this time.... I think she learned her lesson the first time.
• A couple weekends ago we went on our third annual beach camping trip, with three other families, and we had a blast! I love being able to give the kids a chance to just run around, get dirty, and just BE KIDS! Plus, it gives them a chance to get in touch with their redneck roots.
• It's almost visitor time again! A great friend of mine from grad school, Lisa, will be coming all the way out from New York with her husband and daughter to visit us in just a couple weeks, so we are excited about that. And then in August we will be getting a visit from Grammy Bev for a couple weeks, and the kids already have their list of activities lined up that they want to do with her. Gotta love those grandparents.....:)

I guess that covers the big things....and of course there is always the every day summer things....beaches, friends, slumber parties, BBQ's, fireworks.....good stuff. So far summer has been good to us....let's keep it going that way!

Mayness

Well hello, my long lost friends.

Whew, so we did survive the month that was May, with all its immense amounts of craziness....Brian gone, visitors in town, birthdays, soccer, school, swimming, celebrations of various kinds, a baptism, a haircut....oh, and a preschool graduation. Here are the highlights....

Many months ago, Matt and Heather asked me to be there daughter's Godmother, and I could not have possibly been more honored. I have been there to witness many of the major milestones of Sawyer's first year of life, and it is such a blessing to know that I will be there for many more. Here are the proud parents on the big day....

And a proud Godmommy with her beautiful little girl....

Aside from a broken shoe (mine), a naughty Charley (as she loudly announced to Heather's mom during the Mass that she "had seen a cross like that before because mommy has one tattooed on her bootie"), and a yummy dinner that to Heather's dismay was not prepared, all went smoothly, and the event was beautiful. Thanks Clark family, for everything!

On a totally different subject, we decided to get Charley a hair trim (as I'm completely OVER the hair torture in the mornings), and she agreed to losing a couple inches and trying out some bangs. She felt like such a big girl and it has alleviated a lot of the torture part. So far so good. :)

This month also marked the end of Charley's preschool career, as she moves on to bigger and better things....kindergarten. Here's my princess at her big graduation....too cute.

And the whole fam...
Zander was so not in the mood for pictures, but we forced him anyway.

Hard to believe our big girl will be moving on to kindergarten next year.

So here we are, officially in June and officially on summer break. Today is the first day of no school or any other obligations (hence why I finally found time to update you all), and I'm sitting here wondering what the heck to do with our time. I know, I know, there is always a beach to go swim at, a waterpark to check out, friends to hang out with, etc. etc......but part of me just want to sit here.....and BREATHE. ;)

Spring-ish Stuff

Long time no type! Boy, I always have good intentions of keeping this thing updated, but life just seems to get in the way. Or maybe I'm just a slacker. ;) Or maybe both. But it's all good.....

Let's see....I figured I was overdue for a few pictures, so here is a small selection of our spring happenings.

For Mother's Day, I got to attend two awesome tea parties with the kids at their preschool. They also got me a yoga towel that I really wanted (thanks B), and we spent the day with friends at one of our favorite beaches. Not too bad if you ask me....

We are also in the midst of trying to grow our own little garden (in planter boxes and pots). So far we've got green peppers, jalapenos, green onions, tomatoes, dill, chives, basil, spearmint, a papaya tree, and even a couple pineapples (one has a baby pineapple on it!). The only thing we've managed to kill so far is a mint plant, but everything else is doing well, thanks to my two green-thumb helpers.

And of course, we've been continuing on with soccer....we are about half-way through the season. Every practice is a hoot, and all those little kids running around is just way too cute. Here are the kiddos with two of their best pals, Quinn and Becca.

We were also blessed with an awesome visit with the Smith Family (from Oregon), Kristin, Jason, Braden, and Conner. We had so much fun hanging out with them, going to the beach, hitting the waterpark, going out to eat, laughing, and catching up. Sadly, this is the only picture I have of the Smiths (and not even all of them), mostly because Kristin brought her nice camera and took tons of shots, so I was a total picture lamo.
This month also marked the one-year birthday of my soon-to-be-Goddaugther, Sawyer. As you may recall, I was fortunate enough last May to witness her entrance into this world, and it was very special to celebrate her first birthday with her too. Her mommy and daddy asked me to be her Godmother recently, so I will also have the fortune of adopting that title in a couple weeks. Even though they will be leaving Hawaii soon (July), we will now be stuck with each other forever. :)

Oh, and we must not forget.....Charley lost her first tooth!!!! I am normally not a squeamish person, but there is something about teeth that bugs me. So, I had to rely on my friend Tabitha to assist in helping pull the very loose tooth. Charley was brave and all went well.....that is, until the Tooth Fairy forgot to come that night after Charley had so carefully tucked her tooth in her tooth pillow. Thankfully, the Tooth Fairy did NOT forget the second night, after she spent the entire day completely guilt-ridden, and she left Charley a bit of fairy dust along with a $5 bill. Charley was super happy that the Tooth Fairy finally showed up, although she was a little bummed that is was "cash" and not "coins." We might have to work on learning the value of money....

Let's see, what else is going on.....

Brian went to Panama earlier this month for two weeks, and now he is in Michigan visiting family for a week. He gets back Friday and then leaves 24 hours later for work training in Seattle. This is a big month for him being gone, but then things should be quiet for the rest of the summer.

The kids have only two weeks left of school, and on June 5th we will celebrate Charley's "graduation" from preschool with a little ceremony at her school. Other than that, not much is new.....lots of birthday parties this month, goodbye celebrations, and various other get-togethers. Life is crazy, but a good kind of crazy, ya know?

Expert

Charley's monologue to Zander while riding in the jogging stroller today:

"So Zander, the planet Earth is all around us, and space is way up in the sky, past the planet Earth. And God lives in space, somewhere on another planet, one that does not have any aliens on it. But even if there were aliens, they would probably be nice ones, because if we are nice to them, they will be nice to us. So we should treat them how we want them to treat us. But all aliens look different. Some have long slanted eyes, some have eyes on their antlers, some are tall, some are skinny, and some might even look scary.....but that doesn't mean they ARE scary, they just look that way, because aliens are only mean if we are mean to them. But they live way up in space and we live here on Earth. And we have to be good to our planet Earth, and keep it clean and pick up garbage, or else planet Earth will become very sick. So we have to take really good care of it and follow all the rules. Not like the rules where we have to be nice to Mom and Dad. Those rules are ones that come from Mom and Dad only. Planet earth's rules are different because it means we have to be nice to Earth, not Mom and Dad. So we have to make sure to keep Earth clean and recycle and pick up any garbage we see so that it won't become too sick. Okay Zander?"

From the Mouths of Babes

Charley: (chanting and singing in the car a few days ago) "God and Santa NEVER die!! God and Santa NEVER die!! God and Santa NEVER die!! GOD AND SANTA NEVER DIE!!!"

Can you tell she's a bit curious about death these days? :)

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Charley: (talking in the back seat of the car to Zander) "Boy Zander, I sure hope that Santa and Mrs. Claus die pretty soon."

Danielle: "Charley, why would you wish death upon Santa and Mrs. Claus? That's not very nice."

Charley: "Because Mom, I REALLY want to be Mrs. Claus one of these days, and I REALLY want Zander to be Santa. And that can't happen unless they die."

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Today I was the mommy helper in Charley's 4-year-old preschool class, and I was privy to the following conversation among a few of her classmates (names have been changed to protect all parties ;)).

Andrew: "Miss Danielle, have you ever seen PBS Kids?"

Danielle: "PBS Kids? Yeah, we've watched PBS on T.V. a few times at our house."

Kelly: (in a disgusted tone) "It's NOT PBS Kids, Andrew, it's PBS Kids dot org (PBSKids.org)."

Gabby: "PBS Kids dot orbit? That's not on T.V., that's on the puter!"

Kelly: "No it's not! PBS Kids dot ORG, not orbit, is on the T.V.!!!! I've seen it!!!!

Danielle: "You guys know what PBS Kids.org means?"

Andrew: (annoyed) "Uh, YEAH, PBS Kids.org is on the computer AND the T.V. We have it at home."

Tony: "Yeah, we have it on our computer at home too. I play on it all the time"

Gabby: "Yeah, me too. We play games on PBS Kids.org."

Danielle: "Are you sure you guys are only 4?!?"

Major Milestone (well, maybe just for me)

Yesterday, as we were heading out the door, Charley was complaining that it hurt to bite into the apple she was eating. So I half-heartedly mentioned that maybe she had a loose tooth. And she responded, "Yep, I do."

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that not only does she have a loose tooth, but she has TWO loose teeth, both on bottom. It's hard to believe that my baby girl is old enough to be losing her teeth.....for some reason, I don't remember losing them that young. But, last time we were at the dentist, he did mention that her teeth would be coming out soon.....so I guess it is time.

I asked her if she was excited to tell her daddy, and she said, "Oh, he already knows." Excuse me, WHAT?!? "I showed him a couple days ago when we were playing football." Both Charley AND Brian had forgotten to mention this small little detail. Come on guys, this is a major milestone, right?

So, needless to say, Charley is VERY excited. Last year I bought her a "Tooth Pillow" just for this very occasion, so she has been toting that thing around for two days, hoping her tooth will just suddenly fall out. I told her she needs to wiggle it to loosen it up, so she's working on it.

While we were discussing the whole tooth fairy process, she asked me what the tooth fairy does with all the teeth she collects. I told her I wasn't sure, I guess she just keeps them. Charley has a better theory.....according to her, the tooth fairy MUST take them all up to God so that he can give them to new babies that are coming into this world. I like her theory a lot better than mine. ;)

Back to the Basics

Just today, I realized that part of my problem with keeping up on the blog is I end up feeling like I'm repeating myself all the time.....telling you all the same ol' boring stuff that we do each week over and over again.....which isn't that boring to us since we are the ones doing it, but perhaps is boring to you since you are just reading about it.

Somewhere along the line, I lost sight of part of the original intent of this blog.....not only to update you on our happenings, but also as a means for me to document this time in our lives so that someday I can go back and read it, reflect on it, and reminisce about it.

Having said that, I decided just to make a simple list of the simple things that are going on or have been going on in our lives lately, things I may have missed. So here goes:

1. Charley seems really grown up to me all the sudden. She is getting really tall, and her ability to communicate and grasp certain concepts blows me aways sometimes. It's hard to believe my baby girl will be in kindergarten next year.

2. If I haven't mentioned it before, Zander loves Cars....as in the Disney movie "Cars".....maybe obsessed is a better term for it. Anything and everything in life can be put into the context of cars right now, in his world anyway.

3. I'm sure you picked up on this, but Charley is obsessed with the Disney princesses, and frankly, I cannot wait to be done with the princess phase. It's lasted a long time and I'm over it. Although I have to worry, what is the next phase? Based on a lot of the clothing I've seen for young girls lately, I'm concerned that it might already be the "hoochie momma" phase. So maybe I better stick with the princess stuff.....

4. Charley GRILLED ME about the Easter Bunny this year....specifically, where he lived, how he got around, and whether he was a real bunny or someone just dressed up. Uh oh.

5. Ever since December, Zander has quickly gone from an anti-bike rider to a full on speed demon. He just got a new bike, and he's unstoppable. Maybe he's the next Lance Armstrong.

6. Charley recently decided she hates melted cheese. I really hope this phase passes soon, because melted cheese is a staple in our house.

7. We officially only have one year left here in Hawaii. This time next year we will be making arrangements to move. Where have the last three years gone?

8. We will probably have to rent our house out when we leave. Just like everywhere else in this country, the housing market here tanked, so we may be owning a house in Hawaii for awhile. Might not be a bad thing, right?

9. Charley not only got her own new set of golf clubs a few weeks ago, but she also hit a hole-in-one this weekend on the Wii Tiger Woods golf game, with no assistance. Much to Brian's delight, we may have a golf prodigy on our hands. Or else just a lucky kid. Either way is good.

10. Both our kids are officially fish. They are both in swimming lessons again, and both love the water more than ever (which surprisingly was not always the case). Thank goodness all that money spent on lessons is finally kicking in.

11. I am having a really hard time buying clothes for Charley lately. She has become so tall and skinny (thanks to Brian's gene pool of course) that the only pants or shorts she can wear are the adjustable waist kind. Thank goodness for Target.

12. Zander has been pretty whiny and mouthy lately.....boy, I hope (and pray) this one is a phase.

13. One of my closest friends in Hawaii, Heather, who I've known since I was a 15-year-old lifeguard at Big Sky Waterslides in Montana, and who is like a sister to me, is moving away in a couple months. She has an awesome job opportunity in Colorado, so she's packing up her crew and moving on. It will be really tough to let them go.....my kids don't even know a life without her kids.....I watched her daughter come into this world.....they are like family to us. But I also know it's time for them to go..... :(

14. Brian's grandfather peacefully passed away a couple months ago.....so next month Brian will be heading back to Michigan for his service. May you rest in peace, Papa.

15. Yes, I stood in line for three hours this weekend to get an autograph from "Dog the Bounty Hunter" at the bookstore. But in all honesty, it was for my parents' sake.....they are huge "Dog" fans, so I decided to buy his book and stand in line, JUST FOR THEM, of course.

16. Zander is officially a snorer, which he definitely got from his dad. Charley has been complaining that she can't sleep because Zander's snoring keeps her awake. Guess we might have to go back to separate rooms sooner than we thought.

17. Our dog, Hobie, turns 10 years old this spring. Hard to believe that when I first met Brian, Hobie was still a young pup, and now he's an old man.

18. Our mini-van days are numbered. We have officially decided to sell the mini-van when we leave, and do not plan on purchasing another one now that the kids are getting older. Now, if I could only decide what kind of cool car I want next.....

19. Charley has an irrational fear of going upstairs by herself, but she has absolutely no fear of bugs. She picks them up, plays with them, puts them in containers, and begs to keep them forever. Not sure whose kid she is. Zander is also afraid of going upstairs by himself too, but he has no fear in making any stranger his new best friend. Everywhere we go, he talks to whoever will listen and asks random people (of any age) to hang out with him. Guess he's not shy.

20. Last but not least, no, we don't know where we are going next after Hawaii, and probably won't officially know until next February......but in case you were wondering, it will probably be D.C. Brian's desk duty days are looming!

No Foolin'

I could sit here and pretend that, oh, I was pregnant, or that we were moving, or that I had gotten a job as a runway model, since today IS April Fool's Day......but let's face it......I'm not good at practical jokes, and I'm not sure I even have the requisite sense of humor. ;) So I'll just give it to ya straight today.

And with that, not much new to report around these parts. A birthday party here.....

A baseball game there......

A little bit of crashing afterwards......

And a whole lot of silliness.


That's a good summary of our life lately. Now that Brian is done with school, we have a lot more time during our weekends to do stuff, so we plan on taking advantage of the next 15 months that we are here, crossing all the things off our list that we've missed.

We DID just get hit with a nasty round of sickness, and unfortunately, nobody was spared. Charley had it the mildest, with a sore throat a couple weeks ago. Then it hit poor Zander, with a fever, sore throat, and mild cough. Brian was next, with body aches, fever, and sore throat. And last but not least, Mom's turn, and I had it all......fever, body aches, head ached, sore throat, and stomach issues.....and it knocked me on my bum for a good four days. So, now that we've gotten THAT out of the way, we are hoping that the germs stay away from our house for awhile.

Both kids just started swimming lessons again (Zander in Level 1, Charley in Level 2), and both are loving it. I also just signed both kiddos up for a mini-soccer league, which starts in just a few weeks....and once again, both are bursting at the seams with enthusiasm. As it looks, April will be a pretty normal month for us, with all the usual extra-curricular activities, school stuff, birthday parties, etc.

And we are totally cool with a mundane April, which will get us prepared for the craziness that is May. Brian will be gone almost the entire month, aside from one week, and during this one week we get to hang out with our awesome friends, the Smiths, from Oregon (woooo hoooo, can't wait guys!). So we will be busy, but what's new, right?

That's about it in this neck of the woods......what's going on in yours?

Trouble

Zander: "Mom, I want to draw."

Danielle: "Okay buddy, get out your paper and crayons."

Zander: "Actually, I want to cut paper."

Danielle: "Okay, then get your paper and scissors."

Zander: (while digging in the junk drawer) "I already got the paper.....now, where are those f*$kin scissors.......?"

Danielle: "Excuse me sir, what did you just say?!?"

Zander: (with the "deer in headlights" look) "I'm just looking for the f*$kin scissors?"

Danielle: (as sternly as possible while trying not to smile) "Zander Palm, this is the only time I'm going to warn you, that word you just said is a hot sauce word. I will not give you hot sauce this time, but if I ever hear you say it again, you will get hot sauce in your mouth."

Zander: "You mean the word 'f*$kin,' Mom?

Danielle: "Yes son, that is a very very naughty word and I don't ever want to hear you say it again."

Zander: "Okay Mom."

(few minutes later while he diligently cuts his paper)

Zander: "Mom, is 'stupid' a bad word?"

Danielle: "Well, no, it's not a BAD word, you won't get hot sauce for it, but it wouldn't be nice if you called someone 'stupid,' okay?

Zander: "Okay. Soooooo, 'f*$kin' is a hot sauce word, but 'stupid' ISN'T a hot sauce word, and 's%#t' isn't a hot sauce word either, right?"

Typical Boy

Zander: "Mooooommmmm!!!!! I went pooooooooooop!!!

Danielle: "Okay Zander, hold on, I'll be there in just a second."

Zander: "Mooooommmmmmm, it's a juicy one, and I didn't even get any in my paaaaaaaants!!!!"

Danielle: "Woooohooo Zan Man, good job......holy cow, buddy, you really did have to go potty, that's a big one."

Zander: "I did it just for you Mom."

Danielle: "Oh, thanks Zander."

Zander: "Today is a very special day."

No complaints....

Things are kinda mellow right now around here, and truth is, that is totally fine with me.

We had a busy holiday season, followed by an exciting trip to Montana, and a short but hectic readjustment back to regular life upon our return, but the past couple weeks have been.....well.....pretty quiet, and I welcome the quiet.

Looking back through my pictures, I realized I missed a couple of events since our return that I thought I would mention. First was our visit to see the "Black Pearl" from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. It docked here in Barbers Point Harbor, where they are supposedly tearing it down and building a new one for the fourth installment of the Pirates movies (due out in summer 2011). Here are the kiddos demonstrating their best pirate faces, which could also be mistaken for squinting in the bright sun.


On a different note, as most of you know, we also had a Tsunami scare following the big earthquake in Chili. This time around the state even went so far as to sound the sirens, evacuated many areas, and suggested that people institute their tsunami protocol (buy bottled water, have flashlights and batteries, non-perishable food available, etc.). Since we already had all of the above, I did as much laundry as I could (in case we lost power or water for several days), filled the bathtubs with water, and I even vacuumed my floors (maybe a little above and beyond the call of duty ;)). The tsunami was supposed to hit Oahu at 11:37 a.m., so my neighbors and I decided to head outside to the front of our houses to check out if we could see anything (we have a view of the ocean from our street)....and we were surprised to come out and find an entire crowd of people trying to do the same thing....they were even parked all the way up the street.



Thankfully nothing came of the warning, but it was an interesting experience, nonetheless.

Aside from that, it's just been the same-old same-old around here, with Brian working, kids going to school, blah blah blah. Brian has been busy planning a few trips this spring, including a short deployment at the end of March, a two-week deployment at the end of April, a trip to Michigan in mid-May for his Grandfather's funeral, immediately followed by a trip to Seattle for work training. Busy travel season for Brian, but the rest of us are going to stay put.

That is, until next December anyway. ;) Brian and I just bought tickets to New Zealand, and we couldn't be more excited! We leave New Years Eve and will be gone 16 days, sans kids....we figured they are old enough to take care of themselves for a couple weeks since Charley will be turning six this year. Okay, you know I'm just kidding.....my Mom will be coming out to Hawaii to watch the kiddos while we are gone. So now that we have the tickets, we just have to work out the details! Brian is already starting his "research" phase....not of New Zealand destinations unfortunately, but research on what gear he will need for the trip. Typical Brian....it's always about the gear. ;)

I guess that about covers our happenings. A lot of folks around us are struggling right now, with everything from health issues, to personal issues, to financial issues.....so when it's all put in perspective, we don't have a whole lot to complain about around here. I'm feeling pretty lucky these days......

Aloooooohaaa!!!!

We are back! And alive!

After our five week hiatus to Montana, I finally feel like we are getting a little bit caught up on things, getting settled back into our routine, and getting back to some semblance of our regular life. BUT, I have to say, our vacation was one of the best ever.....no joke.

When we landed in Kalispell, we were greeted by the wonderful, beautiful sight of snow (I'm sure those of you in certain parts of the country are thinking "woo hoo, who cares?"). The airport is still so small that when you get off the airplane, you actually have to walk outside on the tarmac area, and Charley immediately ran for the nearest snow bank and started eating snow, RIGHT ON THE TARMAC. Of course, I was trailing behind her telling her not to eat that stuff (who knows what the heck was in it....salt, chemicals, yuk!), while the other passengers got a good laugh. I just looked at them, smiled, and said, "It's been awhile."

The weekend after we arrived, we traveled to Missoula to see my friend Andrea and her family, and then we drifted on over to Helena to see my sister and her new house. After hanging out there for a few days, we headed back towards home, and on the way my parents dropped me off at the Double Arrow Lodge in Seeley Lake, where I stayed at a cabin with Andrea for a few days. No television, no computers, just me and Andrea, a toasty cabin with a fireplace, and a whole lot of deer running around. We spent our days catching up, laughing, eating, cross-country skiing, hot tubbing, reading, and most importantly, relaxing. It was heaven.

When our time there was up, I headed back for home, and spent the rest of the week visiting and catching up with various people, most notably, two of my sisters that I have not seen for a very long time....nearly 20 years. My dad and their mom were married many years ago, when we were pretty young, so after our parents got divorced a few years later, our lives moved off in different directions. But, thanks to Facebook, I was able to reconnect with both of them, and we all got to get together a couple times, met each others kids, and caught up on 20 years. All I can say is that it was awesome....so glad to have them back in my life.

About half-way through our trip, we had a Hawaii Momtourage reunion. You may recall that a couple of my bestest friends from Hawaii, Kathy and Marian, both moved to D.C. this past summer, leaving me and Andre behind. But somehow, despite our busy lives, we were able to organize a girls' trip in Montana while I was there, so all the girls flew out for a week of PURE FUN. And boy was it just that. As the old saying goes, "What happens in Whitefish, stays in Whitefish." But I CAN tell you that we snowshoed, ice fished, went sledding, dog sledding, ate a lot, drank a lot, laughed a ton, and had perhaps engaged in the most fun week of my life. All I can say is, thanks ladies. ;)

Brian showed up a few days after the ladies left, and we spent the remaining part of the vacation enjoying all the aspects of winter.....sledding, ice skating, skiing (both downhill and cross country), and we even put the kids in ski school this year. They both LOVED it, and might be future Olympians. ;) Zander skis like a rocket, with very little technique but tons of courage, whereas Charley skis much more cautiously, executing her skills perfectly. I guess that's a pretty good reflection of their personalities. :)

While we were there, my brother Clay came to visit from Oregon, and my sister Marie came to visit from Helena, so for the first time in several years, we were all in the same place at the same time. It was so fun to just hang out as a family, catching up, sharing laughs, and giving the kids a chance to get to know their aunts and uncles. My parents were the best hosts EVER, and they turned the kids into ranch helpers pretty darned quickly. Charley just told me tonight that she missed gathering hay with Papa Dave (a/k/a Cowboy Stinky Butt), and Zander told me that he thinks Grammy is still crying because she misses them so much. He's probably right. They are both convinced that we should (and are) moving to Montana after we leave Hawaii....oh, those poor kids are going to be sorely disappointed.

We just had such a fun time, it was honestly hard to come back....I definitely could have stayed longer. But the kids needed to get back to school, Brian needed to get back to work, and I did start to miss all my Hawaii buds. So, here we are, back at home in paradise.

Things have been good since we got back. Both kids needed a couple days of attitude adjustment to recover from all the spoiling in Montana (thanks Grammy ;)), but once we got past that, all has been well. Brian is back at work, the kids are happy to be back in school, and we are all enjoying the 80 degree weather. I feel like my kids aged rapidly while we were gone, so they are both starting to seem so grown up to me these days. We just got Charley registered for kindergarten next year and Zander signed up for the 4-year old preschool class, so I guess they ARE growing up pretty quickly. Brian is busy at work, but I think we both feel like we have a lot more time on our hands now that he is done with school. We don't have too many exciting plans for the next couple months, which might be a good thing......

Just a little time for things to slow down.

We are outie . . .

Yep, it's that time of year again . . . time to go freeze our buns in Montana!!

But before we head that direction, I wanted to give you the low down on our happenings. We've slowly been recovering from Christmas, getting stuff put away, catching up on long neglected house chores, restocking the food shelves, and slowly getting ready to head out of here . . . which especially requires a lot of preparation when you are going to a wintry climate with NO winter wardrobe to speak of.

Yesterday was our last day to hang out as a family, so our original plan was to hit the waterpark. However, the weather did not exactly cooperate with our plans, so instead we decided to take a ride on an old train run by the Hawaiian Railway Society. We arrived a few minutes early, so the were exploring a bit, and much to their delight, they found a fallen coconut (the one Charley is holding above her head in the above picture). So they took turns playing with the coconut, and at one point, while we were standing in line, I heard Zander saying "Charley, Charley, look at my peanut, look at my peanut!!! . . . quite loudly of course, because come on, he is MY son. For those of you that don't know, "peanut" is our code word for a boys' private parts, so I was a bit alarmed when I heard Zander making exclamations about his peanut in public. I was even more horrified when I realized that he was holding the coconut up to his groin area and yelling "Look at my peanut!"

Now, don't start getting worked up and thinking you need to go call DHS on us. :) We have explained to our kids about their private parts, modesty, and appropriate behavior . . . but let's face it, Zander is 3, he is a boy, and he is quite fascinated with his boy parts sometimes, as most boys his age are. So anyway, Brian and I couldn't help but chuckle, particularly when this old man came up and tapped me on the shoulder and said, "See, we are born that way, it's not our fault."

We eventually made it on the train, coconut and all, and the ride was rather pleasant for about the first 45 minutes. But then the rain hit, and even though the train was covered, the rain pelted us from the sides, and by the time we got back, we were drenched and cold (yes, even here in Hawaii!). Thankfully the kids were good sports, and I reminded Brian that the icky rain made the ride that much more memorable.

Last night I hosted our January book club meeting, where we discussed Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol," and we also had a "healthy" pot-luck dinner. This book club is a regular highlight for me . . . I love trying out books I normally wouldn't pick, I love all the ladies that participate in book club, and there is always plenty of laughs to go around. We might all be nerds, but we are fun nerds!

Today the kids returned to school for the first time since mid-December. Of course they are a bit bummed that they only get this one day of school before our LONG trip to Montana . . . but the excitement of the Montana trip is enough to keep their spirits up.

So, tomorrow we leave for our long-awaited trip. The kids and I will be leaving tomorrow morning and arriving tomorrow night in Montana . . . 80 degrees to 8 degrees in 12 hours. We will be there for five whole weeks this year, until February 16th, and Brian will join us for the last two weeks of the trip. We already have tons of stuff lined up . . . getting my hair done at Andrea's new salon in Missoula, seeing my sister's new house, staying at a cabin with Andrea for two nights in a remote area, meeting up with old friends from high school, a girls' week when Kathy and Marian fly out from D.C. and Andre from Hawaii (3 nights in a bed and breakfast and dog sledding included), and all sorts of other fun stuff. Can't wait!

While we are gone, Brian is going to be extremely busy with work, as it is the Airstation's annual safety team visit. He will also be finishing up his Master's and will officially be done one week from today. So proud of him! Hopefully he will also get some much-needed Brian time, which will likely include some golfing, some football, some Wii playing, and who knows what else. He will then join us on February 2nd for two weeks of skiing, sledding, ice skating, and all that fun winter stuff.

Soooo, my blogging might be light while I'm gone, but I'm always reachable by phone and email. I'll try to blog in the next few weeks, but if I don't get a chance, make sure to check back with me after February 16th when we return.

Happy New Year everyone!

Planning

I know that throughout my various posts these past couple years, the subject of TIME has come up quite a bit . . . and once again, I find myself pondering this concept as I reflect on what we've been doing, where we are going, and where we might end up.

When I was younger, even throughout my 20's, I always had a "plan." And most of the time this "plan" involved some point in the future, somewhere much further down the road. It probably started when I began thinking about college, and really didn't slow down until these past couple years . . .when and where I was going to college, what degree I was going to get, when I was going to graduate, what my next degree would be and where I would get it, when I would get married, when I would have kids, when I would be done with school once and for all, where I would work, and where we might move. But then we moved to Hawaii, and something changed.

When we moved here, I PLANNED on working, PLANNED on arranging child care for the kids, PLANNED on saving more money, and somehow PLANNED on enjoying life in Hawaii while doing all that other stuff. And then something happened. Things simply did not go as PLANNED.

As you may recall, I wrote an entry long ago about the process that we went through in deciding that I would stay at home with the kids for the time being. Without rehashing that entire discussion, we simply looked at the pros (more money, putting my education to use, work experience, and my sanity :)) versus the cons (commute, child care expenses, lack of available jobs, inflexibility, Brian's work schedule) of me working, and decided that it was in our family's best interest for me to stay home. And, as most of you know, this has been perhaps the hugest "blessing in disguise" of my entire life. I have enjoyed this opportunity more than I could have ever imagined.

It seems, however, as a direct result of all this, time seems to be slipping through my fingertips faster than I can even comprehend. I continually ask myself, how is it that we have already been here in Hawaii two and a half years? How is it that we only have a year and a half left? How is it that Charley is already five years old and will be in kindergarten next year? How is it that it has been nearly a year since I've seen my siblings? How is it that Bev was just here for an entire month, when it seems like only yesterday that she walked through the door?

I guess the lesson can best be summed up by the good 'ol saying, "Time flies when you are having fun." Boy, this couldn't be any closer to the truth. As hard as I try to press my heels into the ground and slow our time here in Hawaii down, it does not seem to be working. So, since that's a bust, I figure all I can do is savor every moment that we have left, however long that may be.

Don't get me wrong, I still love to imagine the future, think about where we might end up, dream about where life will take us. But sometime in these past couple years, I learned that sometimes not having a plan ends up being way more fun, and that sometimes you can have the most solid plan in the world, and yet life will throw a curve ball totally changing all your plans. And sometimes this new path will end up being more amazing than anything you could have possibly created by planning.

So you heard it here first, my friends . . . my New Year's resolution is to embrace this concept they call "going with the flow" . . . I know, I know, I can already hear the chuckles, but I promise, I will try my best . . . because sometimes "plans" just don't work out, right? ;)

Holiday Hiatus

As far as blog creativity goes lately, I guess I'm feeling a bit . . . let's see . . . what's the word . . . unmotivated? But it's not nearly as bad as it sounds.

Why am I so unmotivated you may wonder? Because I (and the rest of the family for that matter), have been enjoying a much-needed break from our routine, thanks to the arrival of the holidays, the arrival of Grammy Bev, and the absence of any school or other required activities. And while most of the time I thrive on routine and structure, it's nice just to take a break once in while. Sometimes my brain (and my schedule) just needs to slow down . . .

So, with that, we've been taking each day at a time . . . beach lounging, shopping, reading, going to the movies, playing on Brian's new Wii, and just enjoying the absence of obligation. It's been pretty nice, if I do say so myself.

The few things that we have scheduled have been in the fun category. Much to my delight, I've been able to sneak away for a couple movies with my friends ("Invictus" and "Precious" were both really good by the way). Brian and I attended the air station's Christmas party on Friday night in downtown Waikiki, and we had an absolute blast. We got a room at the Hilton, spent the afternoon hanging by the pool with friends, went to the party where there was lots of food, drinking, and dancing, and we even stayed up past midnight like adults (even though everyone bet against me that I wouldn't make it up that late) and went out for appetizers after the party. Then Brian and I got to sleep in, followed by a yummy breakfast overlooking Waikiki. Most fun we've had in a long time, I would say. The next day, we threw a double birthday party for Charley and Quinn, as their birthdays are only a week apart and they both wanted Princess parties this year. So to save on time, money, and pain, Heather and I threw one big party for our little royal subjects, which included nearly 20 kids and just as many adults. Everyone seemed to have a great time, and the kids were happily exhausted at the end of the night. On a side note, just one little piece of advice . . . DO NOT schedule your child's birthday party the day after a Christmas party. It's rough.

Tonight Charley is enjoying a sleep-over at our house with Tabitha's daughter, Becca, in celebration of her real birthday, which is tomorrow. Tonight we got take-out dinner, and ate it down at the beach while watching the sunset, and tomorrow we are taking all the kiddos to the water park, followed by a birthday dinner of french toast (Charley's choice). For Christmas Eve, we will be joining our neighbors for some drinks and appetizers, and on Christmas we are just going to be lazy and enjoy the day, at home.

So that's our life lately . . . a whole lotta nothin' with a bit of fun thrown in. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? ;)

Blessings

Ahhhhhh, the joys of the holidays, slower schedules . . . and . . . . my mother-in-law!!!!

Yes, you heard me right, my mother-in-law. She has only been here a week, but ever since she arrived, I feel my inner peace settling in. Some of you may totally know where I'm coming from, whereas others might have no idea what I'm talking about. But for everyone, I will shed some light.

My kids are completely crazy about their "Grammy Buv" (her name is really "Bev" but they have always said "Buv" for some reason). She is an awesome Grammy who helps them with everything from getting dressed, to making breakfast, to wiping butts . . . and those are only the every day things. When she's not doing those things, she is taking them for walks, playing games, throwing balls, or helping them ride their bikes. And when she's not doing that, she's reading to them, playing letter and number games with them, and using her thirty years of teaching experience to help them learn new things. She sings with them, laughs with them, and tells them when they are out of line. And that's just the stuff she does for them.

For us, she helps me shop, babysits whenever we need her to, helps me with meals, cleaning, laundry, and any other household chores, and she keeps us company. She does whatever needs to be done so that I can read my book, take a nap, sleep in, go out late, and run errands all by myself. Essentially, for the time that she's here, she provides me with a sense of freedom that I otherwise do not get to enjoy very often.

So Grammy Buv is here for a whole month, and we plan on enjoying every minute of it. So far, we've all been to the movies, watched the kids' Christmas program, went to the museum, spent the day at the beach, and ate out a few times. In the weeks ahead, we have Brian's Christmas party downtown (and we get to spend the night this year with NO KIDS!!), Charley's princess birthday party, Christmas Eve and Christmas of course, and then Brian and I are going to sneak away to Kauai for a couple days ALL BY OURSELVES. Talk about a fun holiday season.

The past few weeks were stressful for me (for various reasons that I dare not bore you with), but slowly, I feel the stress melting away . . . a little me time, a little Brian time, and of course that massage at the spa that I'm getting on Sunday won't hurt either.

Thanks Grammy Buv for helping us make this an awesome holiday season . . . you are a blessing.

"Deep Thoughts" by Charley Palm

"Mom, why don't cats wipe their butts after they go to the bathroom?"


"Mom, why does Daddy only sleep in his underwear?"


"Mom, why do girls have babies and not boys?"


"Mom, how do babies get in our tummies anyway?"


"Mom, why can't I marry my brother?"


"Mom, are we stopping here for gas or beer?"

"So close, yet so far away . . . "

There have been about a million times the past few weeks that I've wanted to sit down and write a good blog entry, but then life gets the best of me and I lose any small window of opportunity that I thought I might have (since this whole blog thing DOES take quite a bit of work, you know :)).

FINALLY I have a few minutes to skim through the past few weeks, which I once again have chosen to do with a picture-heavy entry (which is way more fun than reading my boring words anyway, right?).

So let's jump to the earlier part of November, before turkeys had been bought or pies had been made. We decided to take the kids to their first ever circus ("The Great American Circus" to be exact) . . . but since there were no animals, only one ring, no bearded ladies, and only a couple clowns, I would qualify it more as a trapezing/dancing/specialty-act type of event . . . but it was cool and fun nonetheless.

Apparently, however, this was still not enough to keep Zander entertained . . .

Around that time we also enjoyed the arrival of some old friends of mine, Jen and Justen, and their son Jaxson. We all go way back to my Montana days in Bozeman. I met them both right after I graduated from college, in '99, and then just a short year after that, Jen and I moved into together in Seattle. Justen was also going to school in Seattle at the time, so we all spent a lot of time together during my Seattle years. This was their first visit to Oahu, so we did all the usual things that are on the Palm family tour. Long story short, we had a wonderful time with them, and it was so great to just relax and enjoy the company of good friends.

They stayed with us for a week, and shortly after they left, it was time to participate in the preschool's annual auction that we spent months preparing for. The auction went really well, and the night was made even better when my friends decided to surprise me a with an early birthday celebration . . . and man, Risha can cook one mean cake. Oh, and of course there was wine too. ;)

We also had some other old friends from Oregon, the Smith family, arrive for a vacation that same weekend, so we enjoyed a day of lounging out at their beach rental, hanging out at the pool . . .

Eating an early Thanksgiving dinner . . .

And I even decided to take each of the kids out for a scenic canoe ride . . .

The kids got to hang with their good buddy, Conner (or "Corner" as Zander likes to call him) . . .

And we just enjoyed a nice long day catching up with the Smiths and all their Portland friends (and boy are they a fun group of people those Portlanders!). Shortly thereafter, my Dad arrived to share my birthday and Thanksgiving with all of us. He was even lucky enough to catch the preschool's annual Thanksgiving feast.

While my Dad was here, we did a lot of the usual stuff, lounging at the beach, swimming at the pool, eating a lot of food . . . you know, the usual vacation stuff. Can't help but love this place . . .

A local fisherman found these cool sea creatures for the kids . . . a sea cucumber and a starfish.

On my Dad's last day in town, we decided to go pay a little visit to Santa. As usual, the kids got their pictures with Santa done, but I'm going to save that one for my annual installment of the the Palm kids with Santa (coming soon!). But here is Santa reminding the kiddos about his reindeer . . .

And, of course, we had to end the morning with the Christmas train ride. Since we were the first riders of the day, the conductor decided to take the kids on 6 laps instead of the usual 2 . . . guess that must mean they are on Santa's "Good Kid" list.

So, let's see, where does that leave us . . . ah yes, Christmas.

The next three weeks will obviously be primarily dedicated to Christmas and all its affiliated activities . . . children's Christmas parties (2 of them), adult Christmas party (2 of them), shopping, wrapping, cooking, decorating, eating, etc., etc. . . . and this year we have Grammy Bev (Brian's mom) to join in the fun. She will be arriving on Tuesday and staying for a whole month, so we are all looking forward to that. Oh, and I suppose I shouldn't forget to mention that we will also be squeezing a couple birthdays in there too, Brian's on the 11th and Charley's on the 23rd (with a co-Princess birthday party with Quinn, to-be-held in a couple weeks).

Wow, it exhausting just talking about all of it. Guess I better go take a nap . . . ;)

Time Flies

Oh my gosh, has it really been two weeks since I last blogged?!? I just don't know where the time is going anymore . . . it's all passing way too quickly.

I know that I owe you all more than a brief checking in and a litany of excuses, but I really don't have enough time at the moment to give you more than a brief hello. . . Heather is on her way over to take me out for a birthday dinner and movie, so I only have a second. But I just wanted you all to know that we are all STILL ALIVE, doing well, and keeping busy (of course). My friend Jen, her hubby Justen, and their toddler Jaxson were all just here for a visit, so I will catch you up on that. We are getting ready for my Dad's arrival tomorrow, followed by Bev's arrival on December 8th. People are coming and going, and life is passing us by quickly . . . but it tends to do that, especially here in paradise.

I'll be back . . . I promise. Stay tuned . . .

Making Do

On Fridays, Charley generally has school but Zander does not, so this is the time that he and I have our alone time. This past Friday, I decided to take him to a playground that is right on the beach, where he could run around and I could read a page or two in my book. And as an added bonus, this park actually has port-a-potties, just in case, unlike most parks around here.

So, there we were, enjoying the nice breezy morning at the park, when Zander suddently announces that he has to go poop. No problem, right? Because there are bathrooms right over there. Whew, it's our lucky day. Except when we reach the bathrooms, one of them has a padlock on it, and the other one looks like perhaps a poop bomb had recently exploded inside the ENTIRE THING, along with an entire roll of toilet paper. Too gross.

What to do . . . what to do . . . ah yes, when I called my friend Tabitha just a little while ago she said she was home, come on over if we feel like it. So I gathered Zander up and took him to the car . . . except I start to smell something a little funny. Oh no. Much to my dismay, I realize that Zander wasn't quite able to hold everything, and he had produced a minor accident in his underwear. Unfortunately, I did NOT have anything to put them in, so they went right in the park garbage. Fortunately, I DID have baby wipes in the car, so I was able to clean Zander up good enough, and then looked around for somewhere for him to go potty, since it looked like he wasn't going to make it to Tabitha's. A glance around the area revealed that there were way too many people to let him just pop-a-squat, so I searched in the back of my car and found a canvas grocery bag that would have to do. Poor Zander, though, wasn't able to get comfortable enough hovering over the sack that I had strategically placed IN THE VAN to produce much of anything except a few drops of pee that slid right off the bag on to my van floor. Awesome. So it was definitely time to hit the road and pray. I whipped on his shorts (sans underwear), and we were off.

I floored it to Tabitha's, and made it in record time. I unbuckled Zander as quick as I could, ran him up to her door in my arms, and rang her door bell, all the while assuring him to "hold it just one more minute." We waited, and waited, and waited . . . and no Tabitha. I set Zander down, whipped out my cell phone, and hit speed dial.

Tabitha: "Hi. What are you up to?"

Danielle: "Sitting on your doorstep. Where are you?"

Tabitha: "Oh, Im at Long's Drugstore. I will be home in just a few minutes."

Danielle: "Uh oh . . . . "

She invited us to go hang out in her back yard, but what good was that going to do in my situation? I asked Zander if he still had to go poop, and apparently his situation had changed, because all of the sudden he no longer had to go. Whew, close call. So we accepted her invitation, and decided to wait in Tabitha's back yard until she got home.

We let ourselves in, and I got comfortable with my book in a lawn chair, while Zander entertained himself with all the kid toys in the yard. All was well until about ten minutes into our venture, when Zander once again announced that he had to go poop. Uh oh. Now what?

I looked around for something, ANYTHING, for him to go in or on . . . and all I could find was a plastic target bag that was holding some outdoor art supplies. I quickly emptied it, raced Zander over to the middle of the lawn, and pulled down his pants. But once again, he couldn't quite help himself, and his entire bottom and pants were covered with icky icky poo. Ah, the joys of motherhood. So I did what any good mother would do, and made him squat and poop in the middle of Tabitha's lawn on the Target bag. Thank goodness he wasn't so shy this time, and much to my delight, he took care of business. However, my joy was short lived when I realized that I had NOTHING to clean him up with. I could go back to the front of the house, to my car, where the wipes were hiding, but that would require a trip down the alley and around the block with a half-naked kid with a poopy butt. Not an option. If I could only find something to wipe him with in the yard . . . . nope, those palm tree leaves are way too big . . . and those flower bush leaves are way too small . . . . but there is a faucet . . . and there is a watering can . . . and yep, I think that will work!

So I watered my son's butt with a plant watering can. Yes, son, the water WILL be cold.

When Tabitha walked in the gate a few minutes later with my naked son running around her yard, I told her not to even ask. I just need to borrow some boy shorts. ;)