Our Lives....documented

March 30, 2007

Tick Tock... Tick Tock... It's marathon cleaning night!

It's all about beating the clock! I have my lists... of what in each room needs attending to- now... it's time to go, and beat the estimated times I've set for each room. YAYY! If I can beat it by at least 20% per room- then I will award myself with 2 new plants from the nursery tomorrow. YAY!

xo-M

posted by 2Kais at 6:52 PM - 1 comments

From the mouth of Makena

"Sometimes when I roll down the hill, and roll and roll and roll... I get so- so- dizzy, that I actually have to fall down again *giggle*"

Labels: From the mouth of Makena

posted by 2Kais at 6:50 PM - 0 comments

March 28, 2007

And the grass IS greener..... in our own backyard!

YAYYY! I just LOVE owning our home and taking such pride in it! Because of PJ's job- we haven't always had that luxury. I've been dying to get out on the lawnmower and actually cut our grass, but the mower needed a new battery. I FINALLY got one, through my work. YAYY!!

So a rush home to install the battery and get in the yard. Of course, it wouldn't be THAT easy to do it. Nervously I installed the new battery but I didn't tighten the connections well enough. I asked our neighbor to help (PJ wasn't home yet) to help me figure out why it wasn't working. Turned out it was just that they needed to be tighter. I'm too much of a wimp in dealing w/ battery connections to figure it out. He helped me out and then we checked the fluids. Perfect timing. I called PJ and he picked up some oil and was thinking ahead and grabbed some gas while he was at it.

Drum roll please.................................

And it turns and turns and turns and turns (dear God please let it not be the spark plugs now!) and turns and turns and FINALLY........ it catches and my prayers have been answered. YAYYY. So I put it in gear, but wait- the blades won't turn. WT*??? Grrrrrr- Okay, but it will drive and I feel accomplished. So I head up the monsterous back hill of our yard. I get to where it's flatter (a little) and we try to throw it into gear again. FINALLY another miracle and it works! YAYYY- oh.... but wait, now it won't go forward. TERRIFIC, I have now cut a patch of grass in a 42" circle about 4" high. This will look great next to the other grass at about 12" high!!! I am thinking at this point I must be cursed. But I press on, and PJ and I try to figure it out. Makena comes over and says she knows how to run the tractor (she's not kidding, she really does) and she shows me where the 'Engage and Disengage' levers are and which one is for cutting. But I already had that one down and we can't figure out why it's not moving. YES my foot is off the brake, but what we had to figure out was that it was sticking (must need oiling). So we pulled the brake pedal up w/ the top of my foot, and in that moment it was as if the God's were looking down upon me and blessing us with a wonderful 'typical family moment'.

Now keep in mind, it is still light out AND PJ is home. That in itself is a miracle. We don't often get these 'family moments' where it is all three of us (except Sundays) so this was exceptional! Makena played on her play structure while I drove around in circles on our back property. I couldn't think of anything better that I would have enjoyed doing. Even a far off vacation couldn't have filled the moment of bliss we enjoyed.

As the sun began to set (around 7:45) PJ and I moved Makena's swingset (it was on a hill when we bought the house) up to the highest point of our backyard (which was flattened out). DUHH- it seems to me like any normal person would have leveled off a place for the kids to play, but you can't put it past the previous owners of the home (they are an entirely long story in themselves). Now that Makena's swingset was on level ground she could easily get onto the swing and it was so- much safer. She and I swung and had lots of fun while PJ finished up mowing the area of grass that was by where her swingset used to be.

When the sun went down, we rushed in to hang out and have a bowl of ice cream....these are the days that dreams are made of. I couldn't be more thankful for all I have.

Much Aloha to you and yours!

xo-M

posted by 2Kais at 8:41 PM - 2 comments

March 27, 2007

A quote I love

The first and last breath don't matter. It's all the moments that are in between.

Labels: quote

posted by 2Kais at 11:54 AM - 0 comments

.... and then she felt guilt!

Well, this morning we had our first major moment of guilt (well Makena did).

Her responsibility is 'Gus', our big dopey cat. And this morning I asked her, like I did everyday at my parent's house "Did you feed Gus" "Does Gus have food" etc.... She looked at me and said 'Yes'. So we're getting out the door, she's looking for her coat and we're all coralling ourselves outward and I walk past Gus' food bowl. I expect there to be 'something' there since he's been a bit finicky since we moved him from my parent's house to our house, but apparently he has been hungry enough or LOVES his new food. And there was NOTHING there. ( I know there was last night though). With a disappointed and frustrated tone I expressed to Makena that 'poor Gus' doesn't have any food and that didn't she say she checked on him? And how sad that Gus was going to be hungry all day if I hadn't said anything?... a moment of pause.... THEN- the floodgates came down! BAWLING! Ultimate bawling. Looking at the clock I lose another ounce of patience - as I'm feeling the moments tick closer and closer to more traffic on the road. "Makena grab your coat we have to go" (In the meantime I am feeding poor fluffy, bug-eyed Gus his delicious Iams - take note he's probably holed up hiding under Makena's bed).

Bawling continues.

We walk down the steps to exit through the garage... PJ, then me, then Makena (imagine her hanging her head low, doing that sobbing/breathing thing kids do when they are so upset) She holds my hand and we hussle down the stairs. Load on up as I open the car door. The usual 'All Aboard' is announced as she pulls herself up into the Trailblazer. I hop in and we buckle up.

As we reach the end of the driveway Makena says (through her red puffy eyes, scraggly hair and sad voice) "Do you know why I am crying?"... I say "Why?" (though I know she is so- busted)...

"Because I feel terrible that I lied."

And there it was- a defining moment for Makena. Where I took the opportunity to explain making good choices and making bad choices and that as I should know as well, the truth- though disappointing is always the better route. And that in this matter, though I was disappointed she needed to consider poor Gus and how hungry he would have been all day long w/ no food had I not seen it.

We pulled up to school and I took her in to drop her off and gave her a great big hug and pulled her hair out of her face. I told her I loved her and that even though she didn't make a good choice this time that she could learn from this experience.

So, sad but yet another lesson at the Stoural household. :)

Labels: Makena

posted by 2Kais at 7:45 AM - 0 comments

March 25, 2007

It's never too early to start....

Makena is SUCH a big helper. Her bedroom was a mess (by only herself) and so she picked it up. She's working on picking up w/out being told more than once. Of course I need to have some consistency as well in upholding the process. Anyhow... she was so excited to help me clean the windows- some remaining signs of our ownership to Duke. She loves to help wash windows and mirrors. Today she cleaned the inside and then promptly headed out to clean Duke's paw prints off of the window.

Gotta love her!

Labels: Makena

posted by 2Kais at 6:23 PM - 0 comments

March 24, 2007

Accomplished

So, with the change of our household (sans Duke)... I've been more motivated to take pride in ownership rather than just 'maintaining'... Since Duke has been gone- Mount St. Laundry has nearly been demolished, our walk-in closet has been organized, I have donated 3 large boxes of misc. items we no longer need (Yay for getting rid of things!), and today I tackled the front yard of weeding! Makena was helpful in taking all the weeds and putting them into a box for dumping and also sweeping up the dirt that was left on the driveway. I am anxious to get a new battery for the lawnmower this week so I can get the lawn looking decent. It badly needs to be fertilized. Needless to say- I'm feeling accomplished and full of motivation!

I knew our weather was supposed to get really bad after 12noon today, so I took advantage of the nice 50 degree weather outside (perfect for a sweatshirt) and got some fresh air before lunchtime. Right before heading out I began to dig out the guest room. It is this 'door' or more of a mysterious abyss of space that we have yet to actually utilize. It feels more like our house is a 2 bedroom house upstairs since the extra room is always shut. I began to sort through my remaining bead items and scrapbook items each in individual piles. Then of course our holiday decorations which needed to be condensed into appropriate plastic storage containers. Then there is the neverending pile of Makena's old or out-of-season clothes. Those all wound up in our room and will take time (probably an entire movie on TV to get through and donate what we don't need to hold onto any longer). The goal is by the end of the day to have the guest bedroom organized and to make Rice Krispy treats w/ Makena. Makena's room is a project in itself and will be tackled tomorrow. Off I go! :)

xo-M

posted by 2Kais at 11:40 AM - 0 comments

It's been MUCH too- long!

I don't even remember the last time I posted to my blog... I suppose 'life' got in the way.

I'm much overdue for an update, so here it goes.

PJ moved up here to Seattle *YAY* a couple days before Christmas. I spent the month of December 2006 looking for a new home. We fell in love with several houses and the pickings were slim in weeks before Christmas. After 3 home offers, and lots of second thoughts we came back to a home that I kept 'eyeing' but wasn't sure about. Only 4 years old and with all sorts of potential (even in a home that is so- new) it seemed like a great fit- and it is :). We lucked out w/ 3 bedrooms + an office (the only thing is that it doesn't have a tall 'official' closet- otherwise it would be considered a 4th bedroom), on a 1/4 acre fenced yard w/ a two car garage. The potential comes from an area above the garage that is large enough for a 450+ sq. ft addition w/out having to build external walls! We need to install a supporting beam in the garage and add a window (or two) and walls and electricity of course, but overall a fun room addition (probably a movie room). We love that we have open ceilings and the second story can look down into the family room. We closed the day after Christmas (barring a several CRAZY events that lead to a slight delay).

On Christmas day, Santa brought Makena a Goldendoodle puppy - appropriately named after the famous surfer "Duke". He was a HANDFUL! While it was nice to have him around while PJ was home (did I mention he decided to remodel the kitchen just a couple days after we moved in and BEGAN to unpack?)- once PJ's work schedule took over- I buckled under the pressure of taking care of a new puppy and a 5yr old AND working at a new job. Last weekend we found Duke a wonderful new home with a family that works FROM home and already has another puppy for Dukey-woo to play with (did I mention they have a 1/2 acre fenced yard!?). It was a perfect fit and I believe he is very happy there.

So this past Monday, I began to work on PJ in breaking down to let us bring "Gus" home from my parent's house. Gus is their dopey Himilayan Lilac Point cat (did I mention his eyes look like they're going to pop out?) Makena cared for my parent's cats the entire time we lived at their house while PJ was deployed. She fed them and put them away (they slept in the laundry room at night) . I KNOW that Gus is much more our speed and can be cared for by Makena. I suppose I neglected to mention that Gus won't knock Makena down, doesn't outweigh Makena and won't nip her consistantly everytime she walks by. LOL.

OH! And about my job- what a whirlwind of a ride! I was offered a supporting position for a company in the concrete/construction industry in January. I felt like the company was a good overall fit for me as far as environment and of course attire (jeans everyday!). Within the first two weeks there was discussion about moving me to a Marketing position. I'm naturally creative and have a great sense of business practice and branding within an industry. As I've expanded my experience in photography I found that I could use my knowledge and creativity on a 'daily' basis in my new position. After a heartpounding presentation and pure anticipation I spent a weekend debating between a Purchasing Manager and Marketing/Branding position. Though originally my eyes/heart were set on the Marketing I saw a larger future in the Purchasing Management position. In the end, I followed my heart and will build my role within the company utilizing my creative skills and helping to re-brand our company within a growingly competitive industry. I couldn't be more excited! I have been acting in the role with some projects for a couple weeks but will officially be on board into my new position in the next week or so. All this, and I can't believe I haven't even been at this company for much more than eight-weeks! I love it and am excited to watch us expand in production and market share over the next years.

PJ's work---- well, that is a story in itself. He leaves in the morning around the same time that we do, and usually comes home when we're in bed. I'm lucky to be able to talk to him several times a day and meet up for an occasional lunch date. Sometimes when we're lucky he will be home Saturday evening for a late dinner or before we are all in bed. Once Sundays roll around- we're in family mode as it is generally the only day a week we get to have him around for any real length of time. In the midst of his absence I've learned to measure wood for cutting, drill holes, install shelving and my next goal is to buy a new battery for the riding lawn mower and mulch the mile-high grass that is taking over the backyard due to the lack of energy our mower has. It's good not to always depend on someone else to do the work for me, and also- on Sundays his 'please help me w/ this' list... is typically considerably shorter. I try to keep it to one or two items and that's it.

Makena is doing SUPER! She has officially began to read! She is sounding words out from left to right and busting through "Dick and Jane" like it's nobody's business. We haven't touched the book in a few weeks and two days ago she began to ramble right on through it. It was so- exciting to get to this point. We're still trying to get a few phonics down but overall we've really reached a big milestone and we couldn't be more proud.

Hope everyone is doing wonderfully. Thank you all for the prayers for PJ's dad- he is recovering faster than planned and I believe prayer really helped aide in his health, and for that we are grateful.

To all my friends, who are distanced from us by the miles between us- we miss you and think of you often.

xoxox- Mary

ps.. .hoping to update my blog more often now- Enjoy some updated photos.

Labels: Goldendoodle, Gus, Home, Makena

posted by 2Kais at 8:52 AM - 0 comments

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