Birthday on the Beach!

Here's a pic of Ryan yesterday afternoon at his friend's birthday party on the beach! And no, of course he didn't sculpt that beautiful turtle sand sculpture all by himself...he had another 2-year old help him.

Riz taking a stab at the pinata...at the rate he was plugging away, it would have broke no sooner than 2073

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Don't you all have late December birthday's on the beach too? Heh heh. Just kidding...remember, it gets cold here too! (Mostly in Safeway though. And only in the dairy aisle. But still, I think it shows I can relate.)

Hallo Reykjavik!

Hollah. The air tickets to Iceland have been bought! I know what you're thinking. Iceland?! Who the heck goes to Iceland for vacation?!!! Me, that's who! And nooooooo, it's not because I'm often mistaken for being Scandivanian, almost became a professional dogsledder (I gave it up because I didn't have a dog or a sled), or have a hankering for some roasted puffin and pickled reindeer (both readily available there), it's because:

1. It's cold there. Sweaty people like cold places. (No really, we wanted to go somewhere cool in the summer when it's hot over here...and it's not THAT cold over there in summer).
2. It's much closer to Hawaii/US than you'd think, and since Ryan is still pretty young- we're trying to limit our flight hours.
3. Like the Pyramids of Giza, the waterways of Venice or bustling Tiananmen Square...I am drawn to the Blue Lagoon!
4. Ryan has been learning Olde Icelandic and would like to test out his language skills.

Though we used to go abroad once a year, our last trip overseas was when I was pregnant (Greece/Turkey) back in 2008! Incidentally, that was the FIRST trip in our entire lives that we've ever ended early (pregnancy related issues...we'll leave it at that). So we've been itching to get back on the road, and now that we've taken Ryan on a few domestic trips to NYC, San Fran (3x), San Diego, Alaska and Seattle, we feel pretty confident in his travel worthiness. In fact, truth be told, he's actually proved to be a much hardier traveler than his mama (lest we forget The NYC Pukefest of 2010, and The San Fran CoughFest 2010). Come to think of it, 2010 wasn't such a stellar year for Mama on the road...

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I'm super excited about this trip. I've already read the Lonely Planet Iceland two times and have been visiting blogs and online forums about where to go and what to do. I've even found a great little apartment to rent in Reykjavik that will accommodate our entire entourage. We invited the 'rents...you know, since we hardly see them, and my brother Joey, who after being asked to come along, asked exactly one question, "Isn't there an Ice Bar there?"and then when answered in the affirmative, quickly said he was in. And when I asked him if he wanted me to buy a Lonely Planet and have it sent to him he said, "Did I ask you to send me anything about Egypt before I went with you there? Um, that would be a no. Just buy my ticket and send me an itinerary." Good point.

So on the itinerary as definite must-do's so far:

1. The Blue Lagoon

2. Ice Bar.I'm sure we will also see the usual geyers and glaciers and whatnot (Hawaiians might be the only tourists in Iceland who turn up their noses at the active volcano), but we have plenty of time to figure that out!

Christmas 2010

On Christmas Eve, Rich reprised his role as Santa Claus and volunteered to visit patients at the hospital. I asked him to stay in character until he got home so Ry's two cousins (who are usually in Japan at this time of the year and never get to see Santa) could get a special visit! I'm not sure Santa loved elevating his body temperature up to 140 degrees in the Kona heat, but the boys both loved it (and believed)! But I'm sure you could already tell that from Kenichi's huge smile. ;-)

Because this was his third interaction with Santa this holiday season (once at Rich's company Christmas party, once more at preschool), Ryan was pretty comfortable with Santa on this go 'round! He still has no clue it's his daddy behind the 'many many hairs' (what Ryan calls his beard), but it's a far cry from last year when he looked down the whole time and refused to look at him. :-)

Here's Ry opening a single present on Christmas Eve (we wanted him to open up his disco ball from Uncle Joey at night so he could use it). Needless to say, he's enthralled by it. So am I.

And here's the little guy on Christmas morning...mere seconds after waking up and being led to his brand new 'big' toy of the year (that daddy assembled and arranged the night before)...a train table from Grammy Kay and Aunty Mika & Uncle Jon! He was speechless when he saw it, he had a huge smile on his face, but just kept circling around it/checking it out before he touched it.

Uncle JJ & Aunty Lynne made the 2-hour drive over from Hilo to watch three of their four nephews (the fourth one was juuuust born on Christmas Day) open presents!

I had thought Ryan would be more into opening gifts this year (than last), but ah...not so much! ;-) He was waaaay too preoccupied darting around watching other people to even open his own gifts! Here he is helping me open one of my gifts from Daddy!

Aunty Mika rocking out on the Paper Jamz electric guitar for Riki from Uncle JJ & Aunty Lynne!

The annual post-Christmas photo with Ryan and all his loot!

After opening gifts on Christmas morning we had a family Christmas lunch before having an Italian Christmas dinner with friends (cooked by a gourmand/chef that would give Martha a run for her money). Once we left their place, we took Ryan to go and look at a house with a TON of Christmas lights. He loooved it!

He couldn't stop running up and down the sidewalk in front of the brightly lit house.

We just came back from our final holiday season dinner with our friends Yuri & Mike and are officially porked up from the holiday gluttony. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Edumacation is important

Things I have learned only just this week:

1. The correct pronounciation of, and definition of crudites. Around here...we call it a 'veggie platter,' and we tend to avoid them when there are oilier, saltier, more caloric options available. (Thank you Answer.com.)

2. The correct pronounciation of Reykjavik (Rake-ya-vick). Since we're going there next year (Ry's first international trip!) I'm trying to get some basics down. It's not going well.

3. Preschool is called 'play school' in Canada. Oh, and there are a lot of non-white folk in Canada. (Thank you, Caillou!)

4. People in Iceland eat such delicacies as sheep's brain, puffin, seal, fermented shark meat and whale. I'm not sure why they left out 'cute puppies' and 'young children' since they apparently aren't very discriminating. ;-) Just kidding, Iceland! Please don't spit in my food later.

6th Annual Jingle Bell Beach Run!

Yesterday was the 6th Annual Jingle Bell Beach Run downtown, and once again- it was scenic and fun, fun, fun. There were plenty of Santas, reindeer and bells jingling the entire race course! I broke up my Sunday long run into three different segments in order to get it done and still be able to run in it with my boys. I ran from my house down to the starting line (5 miles), then ran the 5k (3 miles), and finished it up with another 4 mile run along Alii Drive (while Rich and Ryan frolicked in the water for the FOURTH day in a row), with a 3-mile cool down walk all the way back home.

That's Rich in the red Sesame Street Christmas shirt and Santa hat, and YES! YES! So glad you noticed! That IS my arm right next to him pushing the jog stroller (you can see Ryan's leg too!). Personally, I think this is the best photo of me all year! I look great! (PHOTO from Big Island Running Co...thanks Melissa!)

We finished about a minute off our pace in 2009 (I blame Ryan for gaining a few from last year...so he's already been put on a strict no carbs diet until he starts hitting the gym regularly), but solidly in the middle of the pack. Once again, Rich carried the weight of the team by pushing Ryan for most of the race! But I have to admit, it was a lot less painful for me trying to keep up with him after having done a warm up run earlier (my first ever...and last, since I'm not gonna do anything crazy like warming up before future races)!

I have to say, I'm always amazed at the speed of the runners in 'lil 'ol Kona! And Rani puts on such a great race for everyone! Here's what made the race extra kinda exciting- Chris Lieto (& his adorable son Kaiden) were there. Not only did Chris set a smoking course record for the 5k (16:18), but his son is no slouch either (he ran the 1-mile in 7:49, completely decked out in custom K Swiss children's wear)! We also saw Bree Wee happily trotting along the 1-mile race course holding her son Kainoa's hand. So it's a rare sport where amateurs get to say they (cough! cough!) got to "compete" with the pro's!!!! ;-)

Here's a pic of Ryan on one of his many days in the water (we had friends in town from TX so we went a few more times than normal) with daddy this week-

And here's a pic of Rich going SUPing with one of them at Kamakahonu!

Rich has gone paddle boarding 5-6 times now, so I'd really like to get him a used board, but I still need about $600-$1,000 to get a half-decent one, so I think we're gonna wait for awhile!

Backlog of Christmas Shots!

Oh boy! Plenty of Christmas pics to share today!

This pic is in front of the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel (please note the half opened lens cap that yours truly must claim responsibility for). I took Ryan out to Waikoloa on Tuesday for a Mommy & Son Field Trip!

In the main lobby checking out their tree (it was fake...I checked).

Looks like someone had some fun riding the train again!

As a reward, I took him to Marble Slab Creamery afterward (I just can't over how mortuary-sounding that name is!) to get his first ever 'mixin' of ice cream (he chose M & Ms!).

Today was the Annual Santa Claus visit to school...and guess who debuted as Santa for the third year in a row? I swear, I think Rich gets better every year!

And once again...Ryan had NO idea it was daddy! In this shot, I asked him to give Santa a kiss...and when later asked if he had given Santa one, he told Grandma "I cannot give Santa kiss because he has many, many hair!"

Grandma came to see her youngest grandson with Santa!

Ryan insisted on following Santa to the bathroom to say "Bye!" and when Santa emerged a few minutes later as daddy...he said- "Daddy, I saw Santa!" :-)

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But I saved the absolute best for last!

We got the formal portraits from Rich's Christmas party today too- and look at this angel!

The photographer also managed to do something I haven't done in a decade- make me look feminine! I loooove, love, love this picture!!! Rich looks so happy, I look like someone else, and Ry looks...cool and calm as a cucumber!

Mother of the Year Award Recipient coming through!!!

Man oh man...Ryan's revolving disco ball arrived in the mail today, and it's absolutely, 100% pure AWESOME. No matter that I didn't actually pay for it (I ordered it, but Uncle Joey is paying for it!), I've been liberally patting myself on the back all evening for getting such a cool gift for little Riz!
But isn't this little grin worth it? Doesn't it just scream "Mommy all I want for Christmas is to dance to Freak Out [by Chic]?" Okay, well maybe that's my own voice inside my head, but still. I know Christmas shouldn't be about gifts, but in this instance, I can't help it! I just want to encourage him to be able to do what he loves best- which is to dance...and I really think this toy will rock. his. world.

On a humbler note...I gots schooled today! Because Rich got called in to work on Sunday, I missed my usual run yesterday, so I decided to make it up this afternoon. However, because of poor planning, I nearly killed myself. For starters, I ran in the afternoon heat (as opposed to the early morning) for the first time in ages...so I was totally unaccustomed to how hot and humid it was.

Then, because I had originally planned to do a really long run on Sunday, I had EIGHTY OUNCES of water on my back. This is more than double of what my 4-bottle Fuel Belt usually carries (32 ounces), so I don't know what the heck I was thinking! I definitely noticed when I picked up the pack that it seemed pretty darn heavy, but I figured my shoulders could handle it and thought nothing of it. And because the first mile of my run was downhill, I was mislead into thinking it was no different than using a Fuel Belt. But then once the road flattened out, it became very quickly evident that it WAS NOT. Suddenly it felt like I had WEIGHTS on my back! Because I basically did- I had the equivalent of TWO AND A HALF LITERS of water on my back!!!

I kept telling myself that I could stop and dump some of it out, but Ms. Hard Head wanted to see if I could handle it. I figured if I couldn't do a 10-mile run with that much water on my back, I certainly wasn't going to be able to do a 16, 18 or 20 miler. I won't lie- it was brutal. I took more walk breaks on this run than I have in ages. I felt pathetic. I was sweating like a pig and sucking down water like I had been crawling across the Sahara for days. I felt like I had NO energy the entire run and had to use all sorts of mind games just to finish.

Then, because I was in a rush to get the run over with (so I could join Rich, Ry and our friends from TX down at the beach), I forgot to put on Body Glide under the straps before I left. And I made it even worse by wearing my Zoot tank top (so I could swim afterwards)...so I chafed. I think the Camelbak is designed primarily for trail runners (who probably wear shirts with sleeves in cooler weather), not for sleeveless runners in the humidity. Thankfully, it's designed so well that the chafing was minimal, but as any runner with chubby thighs knows- chafing sucks.

And finally, as if the heat, accidental weight lifting and chafing weren't bad enough, I found the mouthpiece/tube a little awkward to use. I kept having to twist the tube to insert it in my mouth, and then biting down and sucking down water was just...different. I'm sure it's something I could get used to over time (I remember thinking my first Fuel Belt was awkward at first, I hated that it kept riding up my waist), but overall, I couldn't help comparing the Camelbak to my Fuel Belt and thinking I would just rather use the belt and refuel at convenience stores along the way than run with 2 liters of water on my back. Dean Karnazes I am not.

I also felt more than a little silly running along the highly populated Alii Drive carrying such a bright, heavy duty hydration pack...I kept wanting to tell the staring tourists that I was running around the island so I could justify the look.

On the other hand, I hate to misjudge something based on one rough day of poor planning and then miss out on being able to condition/strengthen my back to be stronger while also pounding out some really long, uninterrupted runs along Queen K. So the jury isn't out on the pack just yet...

In any case, as tough as the run was, I kept reminding myself along the way that the rough runs just make me appreciate the easier runs all the more, and that the satisfaction of pushing through is all the more sweeter once I'm done. So as miserable as I was, I still appreciated being out there. I just need to get more hardcore. Maybe get a tattoo. Spit more. ;-)

More Mele Kalikimaka Cheer!

Ryan has been enjoying the Christmas spirit. The other night when we had our friends from Texas over for dinner, he decided to grab daddy's ukulele and song book, sit down and jam out a Christmas carol while we all sang (back up of course) with him. The video of his performance is below.

And this morning at Target after we checked out, he ran over to an empty check out counter and declared, "I'm going to play cashier!" and then proceeded to ring me up (again). I'm pretty sure the Target staff really appreciates when parents let their kids do that sort of thing...still, I'm kinda glad he's started working there since we can really use his discount. :-)

At tonight's Christmas parade with the three amigos!
We had extra fun since we were there with four other families from preschool, so waiting for it to start passed by very quickly. I know he loved being there with all his friends and cousins (especially since they're usually in Japan by this time), so it's going to continue to be an annual tradition (it's his 3rd year!) for us.

I truly appreciate the effort people and local businesses put into hosting the parade...it's those kind folks and the people who do things like string a million lights across their home that truly make Christmas special for children. So thank you if you're one of those people!

And without further ado...I present to you Ryan's stirring rendition of "Jingle Bells." Please hold your applause (and open weeping) until the entire concerto is over.



PS- On an unrelated note, I just saw on my Feedjit live feed that someone from Plano, TX. stopped by earlier this evening. And um...hellloooooo, I know it's you Lance! Are you coming back to Kona to train soon and checking in on your woman?

Tizzle & Rizzle

Happy 2nd birthday Ty!

Ladies...need a hand with that suitcase?

A week or so ago, a friend told me about a velour Puma pants suit at Macy's that she was getting for Ry's BFF Ty's 2nd birthday. I coveted the thought of Ryan also having one soooo much that I finally caved and rushed off to Macy's this morning to have him try one on. I kept envisioning him strutting on and off the plane (next Feb) in these comfy new sweats and the new (used) Burberry sneaks we bought off Aunt Mika...and well, I couldn't take it any longer. I had to have them!

However, once I had him try them on, I became overcome by guilt at the thought of such decadence for a 2-year old, so I took this photo to email it to Rich at work to see what he thought (because we all know if our spouses are on board with the purchase = NO guilt!). In the meantime, about an hour later, I got a call from my friend Yuri, who said she was at Macy's getting Ryan the pantsuit!!! :-) How amazing was that? Granted, I had mentioned wanting to get it for him to her the day before on our walk, but what are the odds that she would be standing at the same rack I was at minutes before?

So little Rizzle gets his snazzy flight outfit after all! :-) Now he and Ty can prowl around town like two peas in a pod, picking up chics!

Speaking of men about town, I was the lucky lady who got to take four of them out last night to Bubba's Gumps for some fun!

Tonight is Ty's 2nd birthday party, so this week just keeps getting better and better!

Holiday Cheer

I was just talking to another mom at preschool today about how much we LOVE the month December because there's just so much to do with our keiki. And not to be Capt. Obvious here, but when I say "there's so much to do," I mean by Kona standards. Not NYC's. Or San Fran's. Well, maybe Ripple Butt, Mississippi's (which so far as I know, is not a real town, but if it were, how cool would YOUR address labels be?).

Anyway- in addition to Christmas parades, festivals, company parties and visits to Santa, we also get to busy ourselves with friends and family visiting from out of town (hello Mayer's & Krenitsky's!), going Christmas shopping and baking (yesterday the kitchen was humming from sun up to sundown baking 13 loaves of walnut banana bread, coconut macadamia nut fudge and pumpkin-spiced granola)! So all in all, the month goes by quickly, but blessedly full of life and good food. Because let's not forget one of the main attractions of the season- mint-flavored chocolate chips. Why those only hit the store shelves once a year is beside me, but face it, it's a cultural flaw in our nation's fabric. And I intend to fix that before I die.

One final thing that I really enjoy doing at the end of the year is figuring out our charitable giving situation. We've never had a set budget of how much we'll give throughout the year, but if there is a trend in our giving, I'd have to say it's that we tend to contribute locally (vs. internationally), to those that we know either directly or indirectly (vs. larger aid organizations), and to those in immediate need. As much as I would LOVE to donate to every friend walking or running for a cure, to the American Red Cross efforts in Haiti or the church bake sale...we somehow always end up giving it to honest, hardworking folk who've just come upon hard times. I have read of the wisdom of creating a goal and a budget for your charitable giving, and while I agree that it makes perfect sense...I would hate to have to say no to the sweet adolescent kid selling candy outside of the grocery store. :-(

We informally tallied up our annual giving a few days ago to see where we stood, and Rich and I were surprised to realize that we've actually already given three to four times more this year than other years. I guess it's just a sign of the times that there is just so much more need out there. (Sidenote: in the interest of honesty, we're far from philanthropists. We're not even close to being ten percenters...so this is not a sly way of throwing ourselves a shout out!) Nonetheless, we've decided that we'd like to do one more give this year...and we think we've identified who it is, we just have to do some behind-the-scenes research to make sure.

Ryan is still a little too young to understand the spirit of giving this year (he keeps asking me where certain toys are that have been donated and then says "Awwww!" in an exasperated tone when I tell him they are being shared with another little boy or girl). He then tries to guess which little boy or girl it is by naming every single friend he has trying to see if he can get it back! He also caught me trying to put two trucks of his in a giveaway box and quickly toddled after me pleading, "Please leave at home! Please leave at home!" So we have hope for next year- when we pray his cold little heart will be a little more sharing! :-)

Dance Fever!

One of the many videos of the night!

Rizzle's Holiday Fun

Now that the holidays are here, we're officially starting to dial up the fun! On Sat. morning I hit up a few garage sales solo (no luck!) before we took Ryan to his second Winterfest (a fundraiser for the Montessori school in town) down at the Keauhou Shopping Center. He wasn't a huge fan of the two bouncies we took him into (he gets knocked around a lot by the bigger kids), but thankfully, he seems to love horseback riding solo!

Look at that face! He's ecstatic!

Later in the day, it was time to get dressed up for Daddy's company Christmas party down at the Sheraton Keauhou (or as Ryan said in the car all the way down to the party, "I look fancy fancy!"). And because someone "won" a necklace filled with bubbles at the Winterfest (really, it cost us $2), he insisted on wearing it all night long! ;-)

Not to be outdone...in the spirit of the holidays, I too, decided to pull out all the stops for the big event. First, I made sure to use my expensive hair conditioner in the shower (and not my usual cheap one). Then, after my bath, I used my mini desk fan to dry my hair (I don't own a hairdryer). Since I didn't paint my nails and don't own any make up, I had also thought about applying lotion to my semi-dry legs to really gussy myself up, but opted against it because it would have made my hands temporarily sticky. Plus I was already too tired from doing all that other stuff. To be honest, I had hoped other partygoers would notice these extra special (admittedly only 2) preparations I took to look fancy fancy, but I never did receive any compliments... ???!!!

We think it's pretty safe to say that as much we both enjoyed the party, our son had ten times more fun than the two of us combined. He LOVES parties, most especially dancing...which you'll see for yourself in just a second!

For some reason, Ryan ended up being the first kid on Santa's lap again (he was last year too). I love this pic since you can see him giving Santa the sideways "Who the heck is this dude?!" look.

And just like last year, our son came alive once the dance music and disco lights starting flashing! I think he clocked a solid two hours (out of the three that we were there) on the dance floor! The only time he didn't dance was when we were trying to eat, during which he kept trying to climb out of his chair saying "I just want to dance!"

Here's homeboy gettin' down on the dancefloor! This is about an hour and a half past his normal bedtime by the way... You can see his energy starting to flag here...ha ha. It was really neat that two of Ry's classmates from preschool were there too (since all three of their daddies work at the hospital together). So Ry got to run around with both of them (that's one of them, Landen, trailing behind him)!

I'm pretty sure that if Ry had his way, he would have stayed until the party shut down, but we finally dragged him away from the dance floor around 9:30!

White boys CAN dance!

Like any celebrity on the "Hot List," Ryan had to have at least one outfit change during the night. Since his cute, but nerdy long sleeved shirt made his entire head drip with sweat (come to think of it, the nonstop dancing might have had something to do with it), I packed a new, short-sleeved t-shirt for him to change into later in the evening (appropriate for a hospital party, isn't it?!). I swear, after two consecutive years of watching my normally shy child rock out, I think half my annual holiday excitement/anticipation is for this party so I can watch him have so much fun!

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But the Holiday Weekend Fun for Ry was not over yet. Because this morning (Sunday) after my weekly run, we took him to Kahalu'u beach. It's been awhile since he's been to one! I was sick for so long, then we got busy...and well, you know how how it goes.

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Now that I officially started my marathon training, I've really ramped things up. I decided that since I only run one day a week (admittedly not the most ambitious of training programs), it's imperative that I also implement some cross training. So after last week's 7-miler (the start of my training program), I did 75 crunches. All by myself. And today laying on the beach after my 10-miler, I did 100. And I only took four breaks! Have I moved anyone to tears yet? I'm expecting to shave an hour or two off my personal record as a result of this cross training regimen. :-)

Christmas is here! Christmas is here!

I still can't believe how the holidays snuck on me this year. I know vacation distracted me for awhile, but really, it was that dratted month long cold! But thanks to better health, a supportive husband and a lifelong ARD diagnosis (Anal Retentive Disorder), I think I'm finally getting back on track. I'm super relieved that in the span of a week, we managed to finish the annual Christmas letter (made up a bunch of stuff), and that they're already stuffed, stamped and ready to mail. Rich also put up the Christmas decor (it was like Christmas morning opening up all the neat stuff we got last year from Target at the after Christmas sale), and I spent half a day doing some Christmas cookie baking. I also made some corn chowder and tofu salad for my grandma, packed it up and took it over to her, then helped her with her bills, trash, mail and bath. And best of all- I made my very first okonomiyaki last night! My attempt was pretty basic, but it tasted heavenly and took me right back to Katsura, Japan...1997, baby! :-)

It's also birthday time! Last week we celebrated Riki's, next week we celebrate T Dizzle's & Grammy Kay's, and then the week after that it's my brother Jon's! Oh, and then that Jesus guy. ;-)

Oh, and on a separate note, we finally figured out why the bottom half of our tree never seems to have any ornaments on it!

Not that Ryan is opposed to ALL Christmas decor. Can you tell which side of the oven I let him apply our ornament gel clings to? Guess! It's a real doozy!

The Christmas cookie booty for Rich's coworkers!

What does an exhausted little 2-year old do to unwind after throwing ornaments all day? He relaxes at Starbucks of course! (We were actually there for storytime with some friends.)

Who needs a handyman to help string up their lights? Warning: He's not cheap (but he is kinda cute).