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.