Cookie Dough

We had sandwiches, emphasis on the sand...for lunch

The finally couple months of both this pregnancy and the end of our tour here in Hawaii have quickly snuck up on us. I have nothing ready for the baby, and I haven't even started thinking about getting our stuff ready to move yet. The weeks have been going by at a ridiculously fast pace, so my updates have been few (not that I think anyone reads this too often, but someday I'm sure I'd like to look back on this).

Jonah came out here on vacation a while back so Coralyn and I met her for dinner at Tony Roma's. I love meeting up with old high school friends.

There have been UFCs and random get-togethers spread between this entry and the last. We had a last minute 4th of July bbq at our house. I made bacon-wrapped hot dogs. We had burgers, chicken, cheesy potatoes, and Ruby's famous buffalo dip. My belly was very happy.

I got Bella a little pool so we would have more to do since Brian has been using my car. Unfortunately someone didn't want to help me out by emptying the pool so I could move it and Fluffy deflated it. It's still usable, but someone still needs to help me empty it.

Meghan and I took Chloe and Bella to the beach last week. We had sandwiches, emphasis on the sand, with homemade bread for lunch. The kids had a blast.

The other Megan has been taking Bella for sleepovers with Hailey every now and then. It has been a godsend. I went two years with not so much as one night without Bella, so getting breaks now has been wonderful. I never actually go out and do anything when she is gone, but if I ever need to it's nice to know I can.

You Suck, Ben & Jerry

I really wish I could eat that whole pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked that is sitting in my freezer, without any of the guilt. I had three bites before putting it away. At 270 calories per 1/2 cup, three bites is all I could allow myself. I left the spoon in my mouth for longer than necessary to savor the last bits of that chocolate taste before finally throwing it out. I hate watching my weight.

Now, I am 7 months pregnant and should be able to enjoy that whole "eating for two" excuse. Or even the "ice cream counts as dairy" excuse. But having gained 60lbs the first time around, I really can't allow myself the joy of just not giving a damn. Even with exercise almost every day, and making sure I am eating healthy more often than not, I am already at 20lbs gained with the recommended average being 25-35lbs. I had hoped to be in the lower end of that bracket. But with the ice cream taunting me in it's frozen oasis, and...oh those Oreos, I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up going over.

Being knocked up sucks. The end.

Mop>Swiffer

If I were a cleaning product, I imagine I would be some form of Swiffer. I mean well and have all the best of intentions, but I just seem to fall short. And this is what I contemplated during my cleaning extravaganza today, after purchasing a mop because Swiffer just doesn't cut it.

Happiness

"Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others."
-Buddah

"...And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy."
-The Dalai Lama

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude."
-Denis Waitley

"Happiness is a Swedish sunset--it is there for all, but most of us look the other way and lose it."
-Mark Twain

I have never been a big fan of amusement park rides and I have an unhealthy obsession with funnel cake

Even though two is a horrible age, I have to say it has been the most fun I've had with Bella so far. I can take her places and know that she is actually enjoying herself. That is until it's bedtime when she's too tired to do anything but cry. But before the crying, we are having fun. And Thursday, fun was at the fair with Angie and her friend's son Mason. Mason is four, and asks a lot of questions, and is adorable.

The very first thing we did was go play with the goats (Bella's favorite animal. She's been getting a lot of goat time lately).

At 6 months pregnant, and accompanied by a 2 and a 4 year old, there's not much to do at the fair but eat deep fried desserts and play games. But wonderfully enough for me, I have never been a big fan of amusement park rides and I have an unhealthy obsession with funnel cake. Most of our night was spent walking around, playing games, and munching on all your token fair foods. We also caught the end of the pig races and rode the merry-go-round.


I know, I am not very photogenic these days, and she needs her bangs cut. But her dad wants her hair to go behind her ears, so the bangs are growing and stuck in her face until they do.

She won 2 prizes from some easy games. One was a tiny pink teddy bear, and the other was a plastic Dora balloon. They kept her content for most of the night.


Eventually Bella got tired, and even Mason's attempt to make her laugh by hitting himself in the head with his Spongebob balloon started failing so we had to head home.

Bella and the Goat

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.