Swamp Romp, a Wedding, and a Baby Shower

I spent a lot of time at Nana's and Popsicle's house this weekend because Mommy and Daddy were busy with a lot of their own activities.  

Of course, Mommy gets up at the crack of dawn to do her hot Bikram yoga on the weekends, but today, she skipped to go to Auntie Jenn's wedding.  This time, it was Daddy who was up earlier than Mommy!  Daddy was up at 4 am, and left the house by 5 am to meet his team for Swamp Romp.  I'm sure Daddy will have lots of stories and pictures to tell.  But, I'm proud to say that his team "The Good, The Bad, and The Muddy" ended up finishing the course in 1 hour 25 minutes.  Wished we could have seen it, but we'll have to let Daddy tell you how it was and let the pictures tell all.  

Auntie Jenn had an early wedding at 9 am on this blustery, windy, and cold day.  Kawaiha'o Church is always so beautiful Mommy said.  Afterwards, she went to a baby shower for Auntie Alexis with all her yoga friends.  

Mommy had cooked a huge pot of turkey chili for dinner by the time Daddy and I came home.  

I am 20 Months Old Today!

I am 20 months old today!  Not sure when they stop counting in months and just say I'm "One and a half", or "Almost Two", but I guess Mommy and Daddy still want to think that I'm a baby. But, when they ask if I'm a baby, I tell them "No", which they think is pretty funny.  

In fact, whenever Mommy or Daddy ask a question in conversation, I always answer "yes" or "no", even if they aren't talking to me.

I have been amazing Mommy and Daddy with my talking that they've lost count at how many words I know because I pretty much repeat the last word of every sentence I hear.  When we're reading books, I point to everything on the pages and name everything I see.  

But I do have some difficulty pronouncing multisyllable words.  For example, I say "nana" for "banana".  When I grab my octopus toy or see an octopus in a book, I call it "ockpus".  I say "anmals" for "animals", but I do know that Mommy's water bottle and my milk bottle are "bottles" (and I prefer my bottles over my sippy cups for milk).

I'm starting to sing my ABC's, but I basically know the tune more than the letters in order.  

And I'm so sick of counting.  Ever since Mommy and Daddy figured out I knew how to count (or at least knew my even numbers), they have been trying to get me to perform for every auntie.  I now refuse to perform.  If we're reading a book and Mommy starts pointing at things and counting, I push her hand away and turn the page.  Just let me read the book for pete's sake.

My favorite foods these days:

* edamame (though I can't quite say that word, so I just point at it)

* scrambled eggs

* rice

* noodles (macaroni, long noodles, short noodles, any kind of noodle!...and I can say "Noodles")

My favorite activities:

* Drumming...I love drumming everything in the house and have tins and drums all over the place.

* Stacking blocks and making towers

* Playing with all my different Elmo toys (I make Mommy put the Elmo cd in the car everytime she drives, so if you hear her singing Elmo songs, you'll know why!)

* Running, climbing, and playing at Nana's & Popsicle's (I especially love playing in their yard, in my hiding hole, which is a shady tree covering a secret place to find sticks and rocks and all kinds of cool things.  It's also where Daddy used to play when he was little.)

* Reading books of course (I'm still really into animals and naming them and the sounds they make...though I think that every seal, dolphin, and shark is a "whale".)

* Playing 'hide and go seek' or "Where's Chase?" when we're eating dinner.  I cover my eyes, and Mommy and Daddy never know where I am!  Then I take my hands away and just laugh!  

* Watching "Choo-choo", a.k.a. "Thomas the Train" and old Muppets videos.  

* Playing with dogs and feeding birds

* Singing songs and dancing

Mommy and Daddy keep saying that this is their favorite age because I'm so much fun to be around and am doing new things everyday.  Mommy recently introduced playdough to me, but just like my crayons, I mostly enjoy taking it out and putting it back into its container.

I'm so excited to meet all of Mommy's friends and see my cousins and family in Seattle and California in a couple of weeks!  It's going to be so much fun!  Do you think it will snow again for me??

One Hungry Boy

We were going to surprise Daddy at work at the bike shop tonight but we didn't make it out of the house because I was stuffing my face with food!

On the menu tonight (which started at 5:30 pm and lasted until 7 pm....I REALLY do take after Mommy):

* About 50 edamame!

* 2 cups of chow mein noodles

* 2 - 4 bites of a grilled cheese sandwich

* Orange juice

* At least 8 ounces of whole milk

I was really hungry tonight!  Then I had a fun bathtime.  Usually Daddy gives me a bath, but only on Monday nights, when Daddy is at his second job, does Mommy give me a bath.  So, in honor of Daddy, I put my little Anpan man (from Japan) toy on the faucet facing the wall, and I said, "Turn around?", like Daddy usually asks.  Mommy laughed and said, "Yes, turn him around."  I turned him around so he was facing us, and then swiftly hit him off the faucet..."Whoosh!" I said...That's all part of bathtime fun!  

So, I missed wishing Daddy a "Happy Birthday" on his actual birthday since I was already asleep by the time he came home from his two jobs.  

...Happy Birthday, Daddy!  We love you!

Happy (Mardi Gras) Birthday Dinner!

I didn't see Mommy all day today because she left for yoga before I even woke up.  Then, she was busy throwing a bridal shower for Auntie Jenn all afternoon.  Daddy was busy training for Swamp Romp, so he was running all over town and in the ocean with the rest of the team.  So, I spent most of the day playing at Nana's.

By the time Mommy and Daddy got home, it was time to go out to dinner.  We did the annual birthday dinner meal at Ruth Chris' for Daddy's birthday.  I was so lucky because, when we got there, I got to collect all these bead necklaces from each place setting.  Mommy told me it was for Mardi Gras, but I just was happy to put them all around my neck.  I climbed all over the walls and pulled the chains for the blinds.  I don't think that fancy restaurant is meant for kids like me, so Mommy and Daddy said we were lucky to have a table that had a lot of room in the corner for me to play.  Notice in the pictures that even I got a present to open.  Nana figured I should get a gift too, even if it's not my birthday.  She got me another Snappy Sounds book.  I love those!

An Early Birthday Gift

We surprised Daddy today by taking him to The Wheatgrass Center down the hill from our house.  No, we weren't there to get wheatgrass shots.  We were there to get Daddy Five Fingersshoes for his birthday.  He had tried them on a couple of months ago, but wouldn't buy them for himself.  So, it was the perfect birthday gift.  

Afterwards, we went to Kahala Mall and tried the new restaurant The Counter.  Daddy was hoping to casually run into "Jin", or actor Daniel Dae Kim, who is co-owner of the new build-a-burger place, but no luck.  It was kind of expensive, and Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let me try french fries, but I had fun yelling over the loud music.

I also had fun playing with the crayons.  Of course I didn't color with them.  I just stacked them, rolled them over the box, and put them in and out of the box.  

Happy Early Birthday, Daddy!

Meemo

Have you ever wondered what "Meemo" means?  Mommy and Daddy have been wondering that same thing for weeks...trying to figure out what I mean when I say "Meemo".  Everytime I would point to something different, on counters, on the couch, on tables, and say "Meemo".  They were so confused because I'm usually very clear about what I'm talking about.  After all, I can say words and point to things like "airplane," "mouse," "watch," and "Elmo".  Well, this evening, Mommy was happy to announce to Daddy that she finally figured out what I've been saying.  

You see, this afternoon, she showed me some old video tapes that her cousins Lauren and Geoffrey had upstairs.  I got all excited because they're cartoon ones with animals on them, like "101 Dalmations", "Jungle Book," "The Fox and The Hound", and "Babe".  I carried them and followed her all over the house until Mommy finally gave in and said she would try to show me one of them.  Mommy tried to hook up the VCR, but with all the other stuff hooked up, she was having some difficulty.  She kept fiddling with the TV buttons, the wires on the back, and kept pushing different buttons on the remote control.  One time, she asked, "Where is that remote?"...

And, I said, "Meemo."

I guess it's true that I take after my parents when I always say "Bice" (bicycle) around Daddy, and I always say "Meemo" (remote) around Mommy.  

No Sleeping on the Job!

Mommy has been fighting my cold this week.  She was bound to get it because she works with little kids who are sick all the time, and whenever we're home, I love to give her kisses and hugs and sneeze and cough all over her face.  

So, today, she must have been tired because she actually let me watch "Thomas the Train" on TV.  The only thing is, she was lying down on the couch and was trying to take a nap!  I caught her closing her eyes, so I climbed up on the couch, jumped all over her tummy, and started peeling her eyelids back and slapping her face.

That woke her up real quick.

There will be no sleeping on the job!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I colored the card & Daddy arranged the flowers in his fancy water bottle vase.

Even though I'm not sure what Valentine's is all about, I surprised Daddy with a card when I woke up at 6:30 this morning.  Then, when Mommy came home from yoga a couple of hours later, we surprised her with some flowers and a homemade card from "The Boys" (I did all the coloring).  

It was a blustery day today, so we hung out mostly indoors doing laundry and playing with my toys.  Mommy and Daddy pulled a fast one on me when they took me upstairs to play at Auntie Stevi's and suddenly they left!  They came back a couple of hours later (but I had fun playing with toys and eating and playing with the dog Selena).  They went to go watch a movie, hoping to see "Slumdog Millionaire", but they missed that one so had to see "The Wrestler", probably not one Mommy would have picked, but she said it had some substance to it.  

Daddy wanted to surprise Mommy with a special dinner for Valentine's, so we drove to the new Bangkok Chef restaurant that just opened up in Manoa.  Daddy knows that Mommy loves Thai food, but since it has been the grand opening week, and it's also a special day today, it was really crowded.  We had to wait awhile for the food, and once we got it, I was really cranky during the car ride home.  They tried to feed me dinner, but I just wanted to throw it all over the floor.  That showed them that it was bath time and, soon enough, bed time.  

I guess Daddy didn't feel good either because he went to bed soon after I did.  So, Mommy enjoyed her five dishes of Thai food all to herself and watched "Man on Wire".  

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day doing something special!

When we came home this afternoon, Mommy noticed Stewart's stuff all strewn about.  It's not like him to leave his tools laying around.  We played in the house for an hour, then we heard someone out on the deck.  Mommy checked and it was Stewart.  He was back around 4:30 pm, which was odd.  She asked how come he came back.  Apparently, he had to go to the doctor because while he was pulling some of the old railing off, one of those rusty sharp nails got stuck in his forearm and his arm started swelling up!  The guy is so crazy though that after a doctor's visit and a Band-aid, he ordered more lumber and came back to carry a 24 foot post down 90 stairs, in addition to putting all of his tools away.  He's nuts.

Mommy skipped yoga tonight to go to the ALS Support Group meeting. She hardly ever goes anymore because they're on her Tuesday workout nights, but this one was an important one on caregiving, and she was asked to speak.  There were a few new clients, some old ones.  Though it shook her up a bit talking about caring for Grandpa, she is hoping some of what she and others' shared was helpful.  It was a stressful time.  It could have been less stressful, but it wasn't.  Talking about it just brought all those memories (good and bad) back.  

Life's Rough

This afternoon, after Mommy did Costco shopping and picked me up from daycare, we watched Stewart, our handyman, tear apart our lanai railing.  I was a little apprehensive of the whole thing....the saw, the hammer, the swearing...I watched from afar, meaning the other side of the kitchen and just stared at him through the sliding glass door.  Every once in awhile, Mommy would go out there to go talk to him and I would kind of freak out because I wasn't sure if she was coming back.  But, when she showed me how I could practice using the same tools on my Elmo workbench, it made me smile.  Maybe I will be a handyman someday too.

We have no railing now on our lanai.  This means, if you walk out on our deck, you see nothing but the beautiful city view below, and a 30 foot drop.  It's kinda neat when looking out of the window, but scarier when you're out there on the deck.  The 30 year old galvanized bolts and nails were all rusted to practically nothing.  So, it's a good thing we're repairing the deck.

After Stewart was done for the day, I went upstairs to play at Auntie Stevi's house.  It's nice to be able to go to someone else's house and run wild.  That I did.  I climbed up and down the sofa, ran around in circles around the kitchen and the living room, screaming at the top of my lungs. Auntie Stevi asked Mommy what she fed me because I was so hyper.  I climbed and jumped on the exercise bench, threw myself into the couch a few times, and even pulled Mommy's hair just for fun (though she didn't like that last one too much).  

I wore myself out so much that I started falling asleep sitting in my highchair while I was eating dinner.  Mommy said I was a grouch during the bath because I was so tired.  I fell asleep a little after 7 pm.  Boy, it's rough being a toddler.

Learning New Tricks

I spent the day with Daddy today since Mommy had the day to herself.  She went to her usual 7 am Bikram yoga class (I actually heard her walk up the stairs as I woke up crying.).  Then, when I took my nap, she left to get a manicure and pedicure.  Afterwards, she met some friends for a matinee movie, a"chick flick" she called it, and enjoyed some frozen yogurt from Menchie's while gabbing with the girls.  Daddy took me to Saver's (same as Value Village) to get some pants and we ran other errands before he took me to play at Nana's and Popsicle's.  Mom met us there around dinner time.   I showed her my new trick - how I can climb from one chair onto the top of the sofa and all the way back down...But, for some reason, she didn't look too pleased with that trick.  Then, we all went to get pizza and calzones at our neighborhood restaurant Antonio's... a pizza joint with gelato, video games, and professional wrestler pictures all over the walls.  Mommy skipped on the gelato/ice cream, but Nana gave me some of her spumoni ice cream.  Popsicle showed me his video game skills on "Bust-A-Move".  Aren't grandparents just awesome?!

Punahou Carnival and Counting to Ten

I had a fun-filled day in the sun today.  This morning, while Mommy was in yoga, Daddy took me on the usual Saturday excursion to the Farmer's Market at KCC.  We usually meet Nana and Popsicle there.  I had a lot of fun running around and eating fresh bread.  Then, we headed to a neighborhood restaurant for breakfast, my second breakfast of the morning.  By the time I came home, I was out for a nap.  Mommy had already done about 5 loads of laundry by the time we came home.  

She really wanted to go back to the Punahou Carnival so she could get her fill of carnival food.  So, she convinced Daddy to take us again.  I had more fun when I wasn't riding in Daddy's pack.  I had fun running in the grass, chasing after bubbles and mingling with the other kiddies my age.  Mommy ate lots of food: a teriburger, fried noodles, malasadas, saimin, corn on the cob....

Although we had to wait in long lines in the sun, I got to go on rides, which we didn't have time for last night.  Mommy took me on the merry-go-round.  I held onto her shirt for dear life the whole time, but when it was all over, I cried because I wanted to ride the horse again!  But, I didn't cry for long because there were so many fun rides to look at.  Daddy took me on the helicopter ride.  I had a lot of fun sitting up front in the driver's seat and flying the helicopter.  I fussed a little after that was over too because I didn't want to leave!  

We walked around a lot (but of course Mommy and Daddy carried me because they didn't want me lost in the crowds).  By the end of the afternoon, it was time to go home because I had just woken up from a nap and it was already dinner time.  Mommy was forced to spend the rest of our scripts, so for $3.50, she found a bunch of children's books in the White Elephant tent, and then she got a milo tree plant for 50 cents in the plant tent. 

Daddy was glad we went back to the carnival again today since last night felt so rushed.  The crowds weren't too bad, and for the first time in Punahou Carnival history, it did not rain!   (It usually always pours on carnival weekend.)  A fun time was had by all.

I surprised Mommy and Daddy today by counting for them.  They had no idea that I knew how to count!  But, I can only go up to 8.  

It all started because Mommy and Daddy said, "One."

Then, I said, "Two".

They said, "Three," while giving each other strange looks.

I said, "Four."

Then, they said, "Five."

I said, "Six."

Next, they said, "Seven."

I said, "Eight".

After that, they said, "Nine," but I don't know what comes after nine, so I just said "Nine."

They said, "Ten,"

and I said, "Yeah!!" and started clapping.

Mommy and Daddy were so shocked that I knew how to count!  They tried it again with me just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.  And, then later on tonight, they tried it again to catch it on video.  Mommy and Daddy were amazed.  Guess that means we're working on "Ten" next week.

A special "Mahalo" to Auntie Teresa in Seattle who gave us this award.  She and Mommy have been reading each other's blogs for years.  They used to teach with each other when Mommy lived in Seattle.  But, now they enjoy keeping in touch and catching glimpses of each other's lives through their blogs.

Rules:

1. Copy the award to your site.

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

SO, here's who we nominate for the Kreative Blogger Award (mainly to keep encouraging these wonderful writers to keep on bloggin'!):

1. Stephanie, cousin and mother to Jaslynn and Jake

2. Christina, close friend who just started blogging about sons Max and Tyler: the max and tyler show
3. Marissa & Nate, friends who bring such humor and adventure to life: KaiserTales
4. The Barkers (Eryn, Brian, & Hazel), relatives of #3 friends, who also share a lot of humor, laughter, and adventure with their outdoor sports and baby Hazel through their different blogs: Eryn is Nate's sister.  She and her husband and baby live in Portland, Oregon:

NoPoGirl

5. Baby Hazel, niece to Marissa and Nate: Hazel Daze
6. Brian, husband of Eryn and brother-in-law to Nate: Tales From The Tube
7. Jax & Vaughn Roster, twins to Cade and Waileia: OBOY OBOY!

Did I tell you that Daddy is sick now?  Uh-oh....Mommy's probably going to be lysol-ing everything in the house so that she doesn't catch the cold.  She's really looking forward to going to Punahou Carnival this weekend!

Here's her new haircut and highlights she got this week!

Daddy's wondering if he'll bump into any classmates (probably with babies) at the carnival.  Mommy just hopes to bump into lots of food booths (Malasadas, portuguese bean soup, fried noodles, saimin, etc.).  I hope to ride the Merry-Go-Round like I did last year, but I sure hope it doesn't rain!

Crazy About Animals

Mom and Dad are amazed by the loads of energy I have, despite me fighting a little cold.  It hits me worst in the evening, when I'm sleeping...that's when I do most of my coughing and get all congested.  But, in the morning, I'm ready to rock-n-roll.  

Today, I had an awesome day with Nana and Popsicle.  They brought me on a field trip (I say field trip because they usually just play with me at their house, but now they're equipped with a car seat and borrowed my stroller for the day) to one of my favorite places...THE ZOO!

I didn't even want to sit in the stroller.  As soon as I saw the animals, I ran to see all of my favorite ones...and I just screamed and hollered in excitement every step along the way.  I pet the goats and a skink, saw some hippos, a rhino, giraffes, and the elephants.  We were there for almost 3 hours and stayed till closing.  Of course, I fell asleep on the car ride home.  But, I was excited to see Mommy and Daddy and tell them all about it when I woke up.  I kept pointing up the stairs because I wanted to go back to the zoo.

What a coincidence that a package arrived from my other grandma (affectionately known as "Glam-Ma"), and she sent me a puzzle, a t-shirt, a bug magnifying glass, and whaddya-know....animal magnets!  "Ooh, ooh!!...More?!"  I exclaimed.  I started putting them one by one on the refrigerator.  

Then Mommy took pictures of us because she wanted to get a shot of her new 'do...In fact, she looks more like Glam-Ma now, with a bob hairstyle and bangs.  I still recognized her in her new hairstyle.  When I pointed to the picture in the camera, I said "Mom" and pointed to mom.  Then I pointed to myself and said "Chase".  Mommy was so surprised that I named myself and was even excited to tell Daddy.  But, I knew I was Chase all along.  Who did they think I was?

Mommy and Daddy were joking about another Chase-ism tonight:  

* "Pikomometer" - "Piko" is belly button in Hawaiian, and everytime I eat so much that my tummy is really full, my belly button goes from an innie to an outie, as if the turkey butterball is ready.  Mommy and Daddy always tease me about my "pikomometer".

"Mine!"

I love spending my Tuesdays and Thursdays at Nana's and Popsicle's, so I'm lucky that this week I get to spend every day with them since my sitter, "Auntie Susie," is on vacation.  I love going on the morning walk with them up the hill.  In Hawai'i, you either live on a mountain, in a valley, or near the ocean.  My family keeps me trim by making me walk up hills since we all live up mountains.  During our walks, I love visiting all the neighborhood dogs, looking for cats, and checking out the cool mailboxes and water fountains along the way.  But, today, Popsicle took me for a walk and I just wasn't interested in anything.  I didn't want to walk on my own, I didn't want to take a nap on his shoulder, and I didn't want to talk to any neighbors.  

It's probably because I'm fighting another cold again.  Funny, how every time I have a break from Auntie Susie's, I'm just sick.  Well, at least this time, I don't mind Mommy wiping my nose so much.  If I start to feel my nose running, I just point to it and tell her "Nose", and she comes over and wipes it for me.  I better watch out.  She might start having me do it myself.

And, let me tell you, I was all about having things to myself today.  If I were building block towers and Nana wanted to help or see what I was doing, I would just push her hand away and say "Mine!".  If she tried to see the block or toy, I turned my shoulder away and said, "Mine!"  Then, I quickly started giving all the blocks to Mommy for safekeeping because I didn't want Nana to get to them.  Don't these people know that these are all MY toys?  Only I say when and where THEY can play with them.  Geez....the nerve.

I DID have fun playing ball with Nana in the house though.  They have this big exercise ball, and Nana was trying to roll it and chase me around the house.  I kept running away, laughing, because I didn't want the ball to catch me!  But, if it did catch me, I liked trying to roll on my tummy over the top of the ball and also sitting on top of the ball so that I could bounce like crazy.  

Mommy thought for sure I would nap this afternoon since I played so hard at Nana's and Popsicle's.  But, nope, I had tons more energy to play before dinner once we were at home.  Mommy and I sang "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" during dinner.  During bathtime, I had more fun drumming the little bottles from REI on the tub and trying to balance them on the water spout.  I'm really into balancing objects and building towers right now.  

Mommy and Daddy can't believe I have another cold, as my congestion is worse tonight.  I'm starting to have a cough, so I may not be in such an energetic mood tomorrow.

We spent the weekend at Turtle Bay Resort, located on the North Shore of O'ahu.  Mommy and Daddy brought me here last year when they celebrated their anniversary.  Mommy ate two buffets while we were there, the dinner buffet and the breakfast buffet.  We played in the pools (Daddy had fun sliding down the slides).  Mommy showed me how to build sand castles (though I had more fun throwing the sand all over her and watching the waves roll over my feet).  We watched the kids in a surfing contest.  We ate at Kua'aina Burgers this afternoon, the popular burger place that was my first restaurant I ever went to (when I was 1-2 weeks old).  I showed them that I don't like sleeping anywhere else except for my own crib in my own house.  They said I wasn't as bad as last year, but there were many times last night when I just sat up in the corner of my crib and sobbed until someone came to get me.  I loved the colorful parrots in the lobby and seeing the huge crab on the rocks near the beach.  Every time we got in the elevator, I pointed at the pictures and said "Beach".  We came home just in time to watch the exciting last hour of the Superbowl.  It was fun to get away (Mommy and Daddy say their going to make this an annual tradition), but I sure am glad to be home and sleep in my own crib tonight.