From Cornfields to More Cornfields (AKA: Our Trip to Iowa)

Two weekends ago, we went to Iowa to visit Uncle Ryan (Phil's brother), Auntie Nancy and baby Dylan. Dylan isn't really a baby anymore. He's 16 months old and he is so smart and such a cutie. He has the biggest vocabulary I have ever hear from such a young child. Nancy does an amazing job interacting with him and teaching him and it really shows (hats off to you, Nancy). Of course, it doesn't hurt that both Ryan and Nancy are incredibly smart people!

Anyway, we had a great time and the kids had so much fun playing with each other. On Saturday afternoon, Nancy and I took the kids for a walk to a nearby pond and the kids had a blast playing in the water and mud. At some point, all three of them took fall in the water so they were all soaked by the time we walked home. It was a great visit and we look forward to visiting again (if we didn't wear out our welcome!).

On our way to the water we played
with a very big caterpillar

Kai stepping in a big puddle

Cute Cousins

Bath time

A Visit from the Toothfairie......Finally!

Yeah, yeah, yeah.....I've been neglecting the blog.....a lot has happened so let's get started on catching up!

Kai finally lost his tooth!!! After 7 weeks, it finally fell out. OK, OK, I pulled it out (that thing was hanging by a thread). So here it is.....

It looks so tiny!

Monday, September 15

There's barely a gap because the new

tooth is almost completely in.

Kai was so excited, he put the tooth under his pillow right away. The toothfairie came that night and left him a dollar along with some temporary tattoos and electric toothbrushes for both kids since it was Kai's first lost tooth. Now we're going through the same thing with the tooth next to it......to be continued, I guess.......

I Didn't Think It Would Be This Hard

When Kai first got up this morning, he was "a little excited" about starting school. He was happy and silly until it came time for breakfast. Suddenly, he had a tummy ache and his molar was "really hurting bad." He didn't think he could go to kindergarten because he didn't feel good. ;-D

I tried to be excited for him but he didn't want any part of it. I was kind of sad to see my little guy feeling so apprehensive. He didn't eat much for breakfast or lunch.

A little before 11AM, Kai, Malia and I stood out in the rain, waiting for the bus. I didn't get any pictures of Kai getting on the bus because I had to keep track of Kai, Malia and my umbrella, cross the street with the kids because the bus driver stopped on the wrong side, get Kai on the bus, and introduce both of us to the driver. Then Malia and I got in the car, picked up my friend Lisa (John Riley's mom) and drove to the school.

When Kai got off the bus, you would think he didn't know me! I could hardly get him to say hello. And right behind him was Jacqui, a girl he went to preschool with. I didn't even know that she lived in our area, let alone that she would be in the same class as Kai. It was hard to get pictures because there was such a crowd of people and the next thing I knew, my little boy had gone into the building.

So I went home and waited.....I seriously didn't know what to do with myself. Everything seemed fine at first, then the excitement wore off and the reality set in. My son is old enough to get on a bus by himself and go to school. I was so torn between being excited to see him growing up and sad to see him growing away from me. I know that this is only the first of many, necessary steps to independence but, man, it sure it tough!

Malia couldn't wait for Kai to get home. You would think that he had never gone off to school without her before! When it was time for the bus to come, we went outside and waited in the rain.....and waited.....and waited.....and waited....

Finally the bus came, on the wrong side of the street again. At the same time, my cousin, Annette, pulled into my driveway. I ran across the street to get Kai only he didn't get off the bus. The bus driver said she didn't have him and that he wasn't on her list......she thought there was another bus coming to our corner.....THOUGHT??? So I went back across the street where I found out that Annette had brought Kai home. Apparently, Kai is on the same bus as his cousin Sophie and she was very concerned that the bus hadn't stopped at our house yet so she told him to get off with her!

Of course, Kai won't tell me anything about his day.....he "doesn't remember" anything that he did. He did, however, tell me that they "took care of business" and "walked in circles" for gym class!

Hopefully, tomorrow will be easier for both of us!

This is the best smile I could get out of him!

A picture paints a thousand words....

Waiting for Kai's bus

The bus arrives at school

Waiting with Jacqui and John Riley to go into the building
Doesn't Kai look excited?!

Malia Goes Back to School

Malia went back to school yesterday. She only went for a hour and I went with her. She has two wonderful teachers, Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Hendrix. We already knew Mrs. Adams because she has been teaching at Thunderbird but Mrs. Hendrix is a new teacher (and I mean new....she looks like she just got out of college!). I think Malia is going to have a great year!

Getting ready to leave for school!

Posing with Kai

Malia and Mommy

A Special Post for Kiki, Heather and Nettie

Phil read your comments under the post about meeting Kai's teacher and he has some responses for you. I also responded, but I did it on the comment page. Since Phil's response is a lot funnier than mine, I thought I'd post it here.

And now a word from Phil:

Nettie, the jury is still out for me coming to cornfields (xoxo Phil the PHIL-ipino)...

Heather, help Rita remember, I'm the one that came up with our kids names...If I didn't, our kids would have been named Biff and Buffy or something like that...

But at least I got to taste some good "moonshine" out here...Never got that in SoCal...Also, Italian Beefs are awesome...Lou Malnati's pizza SUCKS!!! I haven't seen a good movie in months, since I lost my movie partner (we still have your room ready Kiki)...Coke is POP...Mom is MAAAA...Freeways aren't Free...I don't have a Pitbull, but a stinky bulldog...Snow is the best...I got a riding lawnmower and 9hp snowthrower...But none of this replaces SURFING damn-it!!!!

The End of Summer

Well, Malia goes back to school tomorrow. She'll be a Senior this year and going to school three days a week and Kai starts half day Kindergarten on Thursday. Where has the Summer gone??? We had such a relaxing, fun season, playing at parks, having dinners with our extended family, visiting with all of the grandparents, and going to swim lessons.

This is the first time that the end of Summer has really meant something to me as a mom. Kai is really going off to school....without me. I won't be there to go on field trips with him or have my day to be the visiting mom in his classroom. And because of the change in my work schedule, three afternoons a week, I'll be on my own....of course between waiting for the bus to pick Kai up, dropping Malia off at school, waiting for the bus to drop Kai off and picking Malia up from school, I won't really have time to get much done!

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned homework. I didn't even have homework when I was in Kindergarten!

I think I'd better go now.....I sent the kids up to clean up their rooms and they decided to clean their bathroom instead. They don't have any paper towels or rags up there so I have no idea what they're doing! They seem to be having a lot of fun, though. Hmmmmm......

Too Many Teeth!

The kids had their first visit to the Dentist today. Surprisingly, Kai was completely cooperative and Malia was the one who had to be coaxed into cooperating! Both kids ended up doing really well, though. Poor Kai has a lot going on in his mouth right now. His first adult molar coming in, his first loose tooth and a new tooth coming in behind it. And his first cavity, too. That part sucks but at least we caught it while it's small.....

Kai seems to be losing teeth like he does most things in life.....slowly and cautiously! His tooth new tooth started coming in almost six weeks ago and the baby one has been loose that whole time. Despite lots of wiggling from Mommy, that tooth just won't come out. The dentist said that we can wait two more weeks, then she's going to have to pull it. Too bad that kid doesn't like apples!