Boys Will Be...

I have a kitten and a two year old. I thought it was a well known fact that kittens and two year olds are, by nature, curious creatures. I must be wrong.

You see, when you leave a soda can on the table (and the computer desk, and the counter, and anywhere else but the recycle box which has been conveniently located in hopes that soda cans might make it to their proper resting place) the kitten is likely to knock it over. And the two year old, upon finding a half full can of soda, is likely to attempt to drink the soda from the can. Although she is sometimes a skilled out-of-the-can drinker, more often than not she will spill it all over herself and the carpet and whatever electronics happen to be lying around on the floor (because of course, if you can't take a soda can to the recycle box, why would you pick up your headphones off the ground and place them on the desk you are already sitting at?)

And as for the Oatmeal Cream Pies being left out in the open, well now you are just trying to make my life more difficult. The two year old has a sweet tooth and a temper. She will attempt to eat the whole box of Oatmeal Cream Pies. And when I attempt to put an end to her sugar-overdose, a sugar-high-induced tantrum takes place. A tantrum which might never have occurred had she never seen the box of Oatmeal Cream Pies or had half a can of Mountain Dew.

She has this unusual obsession with goats

I love Military Appreciation Day at the zoo. Free entry, free food, and free parking (provided you find the right parking lot, which I didn't until it was too late. But lucky for me, I got close parking and there was already an hour and a half on the meter so I didn't have to put in too many quarters).

I brought Bella with friends from mommy group the first year we got to Hawaii.


She was only a few months old at the time, and it was such a hot day so we didn't really get to enjoy it. Last year I had to work. But this, our last year here, my daughter was old enough to enjoy it (until nap time) and I had no job. So we invited Cynthia and Tristan along and went to the zoo.


Bella has this unusual obsession with goats. She loves them. She was pretty excited when we got to go in and play with the goats in the Keiki Zoo.

We got to pet them. Bella tried to hug all of them, and then she tried to beat them. She isn't very kind to animals. I'm trying to teach her to be gentle.

I don't know if you have ever seen a goat poop, but it is the weirdest thing I have ever witnessed. Shortly after I saw it in person, we left the goat area.

Yogurtland

I don't think I will ever have another love in my life quite like Yogurtland. A wall of non-fat, self-serve delight in every flavor I could ever hope to imagine, a buffet of toppings including brownie and cheesecake bites, and a full cup of joy for only around $5; Nothing could compare.

Just walking into the place is like stealing a glimpse of heaven. It's bright and subtly colorful, and smells like vanilla (which of course is what I imagine heaven smells like). I can't believe such a place has existed in my neighborhood for so long and I only recently discovered it. I want a cup of Vanilla Wafer/Cookies and Cream topped with brownie bites, M&Ms, Oreo crumbs, and just a few gummy bears at least once every day, forever.

I don't know what it is with that kid and adults dressed in costumes

Just got home from Chuck E. Cheese! Jen is leaving the island next week, so we had a little goodbye get-together there. Pizza, Tokens, and prizes...awesome. And I walked all the way there after doing my workout dvd, so I'm not feeling much guilt about the root beer and 5 or more slices of pizza I had.

(Bella threw a tantrum when she had to give that balloon back to Kalia lol)

Bella got so excited when Mr. Cheese came out to mingle. I don't know what it is with that kid and adults dressed in costumes. She was the same way with Spongebob at the water park last weekend.

It's already Friday! Not sure if we have plans for tonight. We've kind of overdone it on the fun lately so Brian wants to wait until pay day before we do anything else. Our weekend might just consist of UFC on the xbox and netflix. But we do have those season passes to the waterpark now so we'll see what happens.

"Baby Elephant"

Pretty sure some crab meat got in my sweet tea

All you can eat crabs and Screaming Mai Tais are not a good idea. No one threw up, but I was getting sprayed with crab all night while the drunks tried cracking the legs open. Pretty sure some crab meat got in my sweet tea.

We went to Dixie Grill yesterday after a whole day spent at the water park. The water park was having a special on annual passes and Dixie Grill was having all you can eat crab night so we took advantage of all of it. And I should start taking pictures of more of this stuff.

After all that fun, everyone came over to play Taboo. Our first team was Drunks vs Sobers, and I think the drunks won by one point.

Today is Memorial Day. For some reason I was annoyed by the lack of acknowledgment for the day on my friends' myspace status messages, but I realize if I weren't an Army wife I'd probably just appreciate the day for a reason to BBQ and hang out. Since I am an Army wife though, I really do appreciate the sacrifices made (as much as I hate how cliche that sounds). I'm thankful for my husband and our soldier friends for putting their lives on the line, for losing friends, for protecting friends, and for practically giving up their own freedoms to protect ours. And I'm thankful for my Army wife friends and their own sacrafices as well, for their families, for their careers, and their sanity while their husbands our deployed.

Chicken Cheesesteaks

My favorite lunch is Chicken Cheesesteaks. Actually, to be honest my favorite lunch is the salad bar at Ruby Tuesdays. But my favorite homemade lunch is Chicken Cheesesteaks. I got the recipe from an episode of Jon & Kate + 8 and I've been making it at least twice a week. It's a great quick and easy lunch recipe, but much more exciting than the old standby PB&J sandwiches.

Chicken Cheesesteaks

• 1 loaf french bread cut in half and split open
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast cooked , cut into strips
• 1 small green OR red pepper cut into 2" strips
• 1 medium onion , sliced
• 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 pkg of sliced mozz. cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often. Remove chicken. Add pepper and onion and cook until tender. Return chicken to skillet and heat through. Spoon chicken mixture on bottom bread half. Then cover with tomato sauce. Finally top each half with mozz. cheese. Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with remaining bread half if desired.

I don't use quite the same measurements since Kate's version is written to feed a family of 10, and usually lunch here is just Bella and I (and the occasional scrap pickings from Fluffy). Instead of a loaf of french bread, I use hoagies (I cut Bella's in half because she usually doesn't eat it all at once). I only use half a green pepper, and about 1/4 cup of chopped onion. And I just eyeball it with the tomato sauce and mozzarella (one 15oz can of tomato sauce usually lasts us for a few sandwiches). Bella loves cheese so I usually put a little extra on her sandwich.

Yesterday I tried mixing a little tomato sauce in with the chicken mixture, and I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Then I topped it with a little more tomato sauce and the cheese. It was superb.

In other hobby news, I'm taking up gardening

Brian woke me up this morning and pointed next to our bed (which is wear Bella sleeps at the moment). Next to sleeping Bella, Fluffy and Baya were curled up asleep as well. It was one of those "wish I had my camera" moments (which I seem to have a lot).

I finally checked out a book from the Honolulu Public Library system. You have no idea how much it thrilled me.

I got my library card maybe a year ago or so, but had never used it until yesterday. There isn't much to do when your house is clean, everyone is fed and washed, you're over all your favorite websites for the day, and the TV is taken. So I looked up the closest library in proximity to our house. Lucky me, it's right down the street. Like, I could easily walk there if I wanted, which is what I plan to do now when I'm bored (given Bella isn't being her usual mean self). Since I know you are wondering, I checked out Catch-22 and I'm enjoying it so far.

In other hobby news, I'm taking up gardening. So far all I've done is weed the little garden area in the front yard. But I plan on putting in some plants and flowers as soon as I get around to it. And eventually I hope to take a lawnmower to the backyard. I have to drive down to the main residential office to pick one up, which is the only thing keeping my yard from looking halfway decent.

We went to the water park this weekend with Ruby, Gabe, his brother and family, Scott, and we met up with Seitz and his family. Bella had a lot of fun and got a tan. I'm so jealous of my 2 year old. I didn't burn too bad this time though, so something to be thankful for! We're going again on Sunday, and then to Dixie Grill for all you can eat crabs. I love their sweet tea!

My ultrasound appointment is on Friday. I'm sure I'd be excited if we were still waiting to find out what we're having. I had a checkup on Monday and everything looks good so far, although the doctor said I need to gain more weight. I was dreading hearing that because that's what happened with Bella, and I ended up gaining more than I was supposed to. But I'm pretty sure the scale at the doctor's office is off because it said I haven't gained anything in 4 weeks, while the scale at our house says I definitely have. There was about a 5lb difference between our scales, which would mean I'm actually right on track. We will see what happens at the next appointment, but for now I'm taking in all my calories and still moderately working out so I don't accidentally gain more than I need to because of a fluke on their part.

Baby King Leonidas is getting stronger. I feel him punching and kicking harder every day. I imagine he is practicing for his fight against the Persians.

Puppy/Kitty Love

I'm spending a lot of time practicing my skills

My goal of enjoying Hawaii just got a bit more attainable. The portrait studio laid everyone off, so I'm out of a job. However, I did get a call today asking if I would come back. Although the offer is tempting (I loved the work and it was nice having my own money) I've enjoyed my two whole days of unemployment.

Yesterday Cynthia and I celebrated Cinco De Mayo with lunch at Taco Del Mar. Delicioso. Later we stopped by her place to hang out and eat. She was dressed like a cholo. Silly girl. I wouldn't have been able to go had I still had a job because I was working pretty much every night up to the end. There is a lot I will be able to do now with all this time on my hands (for example, update my blog so I can look back and rememember all the good things about living here).

Brian and his friends have been partying, and I am happy to know for a fact that my husband would cross as many miles as he had to just to get to me. Or at least he would try if he were completely wasted.

I finally bought more canvas and paints so Bella could help make artwork for my house, and we could have something to do when there's nothing to do. We made a pretty piece for the downstairs bathroom (which looks really great with the new towels I got), and we are working on something for the living room.

I got a new DSLR from Brian for our anniversary, so I'm spending a lot of time practicing my photography skills so I can get good enough at it to go pro on my own. I'd like to make a little money of my own when we are in Japan, and hopefully I can do that by taking family pictures out there.

Overall the loss of job has been a blessing thus far. I will let you know if I end up going crazy later.