elephant bird

shane

2009-12-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

here are a few pictures of shane, born on sunday, november 29th at 9:15am at home. the midwife's scale said he weighed 9lbs, but that was probably a little off because at the dr. today he weighed 8lbs 4oz. He is 21 in long and his head is 14 in. around. he's nursing well and doing great!

hallowe'en

2009-11-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

here are some pictures of halloween. ivy was a fairy and aidan was dash from the movie the incredibles. since we were already running late, i didn't get a chance to paint aidan's mask on or slick his hair back, and i didn't get black shoes or boots for him to wear-- but he didn't mind too much. and ivy pulled out the ribbons that were the shoulder straps for her shirt. i didn't have any way to feed them back through the casings, so her shirt was falling down all night. oh well. everyone had fun, and aidan was totally in character the whole evening.

trying things on, last minute

dash's underwear were too tight, i had to remake them.

ivy wasn't sure what was going on, but she liked putting things in that ginormous bag. and she liked jack-o'-lanterns. that's our friend miles the pony behind her.

aidan was running around the entire time, 'cause that's what dash does. he wouldn't hold his bag or say trick or treat--i had to do that--he was mostly interested in examining everyone's decor.

for some reason ivy decided this fake bone looked tasty.

aidan did a lot of rolling on the ground and other action moves, like super heroes do.

i ended up having to put ivy's wings on upside down so they wouldn't flop over, but i think they still looked cute. she was a trooper and kept most of her costume on the whole time.

the wing straps were holding up her shirt.

hope you all had a spooky-fun halloween!

a few nature outings and a sewing project

2009-10-08T00:50:00.000-07:00

this was a gorgeous afternoon spent on a well-shaded waimanalo beach. i took lots of adorable pics of the kids and scott playing in this big hole, but the kids were in their birthday suits as usual... i'm starting to feel like i shouldn't be putting my kids' nakey bums on the internet so much.

even my crapola camera can sort of convey the perfection of this day:

the following four pictures were at the lyon arboretum, where i take the kids for a walk sometimes. having a little non-stressful interaction with nature seems to put us all in a better mood. at the arboretum it is nice and cool-ish, there are groomed paths, and of course lots of beautiful trees, flowers and plants that we all enjoy.

the kids love this gazebo and pond with its amazing water lillies that mommy can't stop taking closeups of... and sometimes there are frogs!

awww...

and here's a little gift i made for a small friend's birthday. usually i make all the birthday gifts we give away to friends. they'd probably enjoy something from the toystore a lot more, but oh well... i just like doing it.

this here's a toolbelt. i made a similar one for aidan as a test run. they both turned out pretty satisfactory. we kept the hammer for aidan so that ryan's parents wouldn't hate me too much.

the other tools i think are fairly harmless: phillips and flat head screwdrivers, plyers, measuring tape, a tiny clamp, and iddy-biddy adjustable wrench.

that's all for now folks.

a dress for ivy

2009-09-18T01:29:00.000-07:00

i'd been eyeing this fabric at the fabric store for some time, and it finally got the better of me. i like the little yellow rebel ducks going the wrong way. the colors are great, despite what my lame camera would have you believe. i bought a half a yard which was the perfect amount to make this little dress for ivy. this was one of those sewing projects where the stars aligned, i winged it with no pattern, and everything turned out peachy. a very rare occurence for me.

front

back

it's a simple drawstring design. the drawstring acts as the straps and also creates cute gathers around the top of the dress. the string ties at the front where there's a small slit (finished with a little placket). sorry if you don't give a hoot about sewing but i was rather pleased with how this turned out. i'm hoping this design will allow the dress to function as a top as she gets bigger, as it's very roomy and the straps can be made as long as you please by loosening the drawstring.

the model shots:

and the funny faces:

(my favorite)

"helping" around the house

2009-09-08T00:56:00.000-07:00

recently i ordered some stuff from this montessori online store as sort of a birthday present for aidan. it's hard to find good quality, child-sized household items that aren't simply toys, y'know? a kid can feel good about himself when he has the proper-sized tools for the job-- that actually work. and my kids like to "help" with housework (which usually means more work for me). anyway, we're so happy with the things we ordered (oh the excitement of receiving something in the mail!), which include a sturdy broom, dustpan and whisk broom, gardening gloves (sword-fighting gloves if you're aidan), a window cleaning set, small pitchers and glasses, a tiny glass juicer, a vegetable chopper, an apple slicer... i believe that's the bulk of it.

anyway, in the catalogue aidan saw this clothesline stand and proclaimed that he needed one. i remembered that i had a folding stool from the olden days that never got used anymore-- it now has a new life as a clothesline. ivy wanted to use it too, so fighting ensued-- good thing there were two of those old stools. since that was too easy, i had to make a couple goofy little bags to house the mini clothespins previously purchased at the craftstore (when you see them, you really just buy them without a second thought because that's how cute they are). so here are some pics of the kids helping with some of the daily work--hanging out the diapers--and enjoying it.

deep concentration.

ivy, always watching her brother.

ivy puts the clothespins on upside-down. and takes them all off. and takes the items off the clothesline. and puts it back. etc.

the quickly-made clothespin bags. they tie on to the wooden frame of the reincarnated stools. ah, there's nothing like an easy, pleasing, home-made thingamabob for which you have all the materials right at home. my only regret is the hideous florescent yellow twine i had to use for the clotheslines.

2009-07-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

update: i started this post like six weeks ago and it took me until now to publish it! i do finally have a new camera but it takes crappy pictures, i'm very disappointed to say. you'll get to see the poor quality in all its glory soon, i hope. or maybe in another six months.

hmm, another six-month lag in blogging. it seems i'm not very good at this. in my lame defense, my camera's been broken, so i've had no recent pictures to post. the ones here are all several months old. at least there are a few videos at the end of this post that are from our recent trip to california.
these first few are of a little hike we do sometimes -- this time our friends shannon and collin came with us.

the next two are at the contemporary museum.

a st. patrick's day hui (playgroup date)-- who dresses this kid?

at the honolulu zoo

the wonders of toilet paper

and some video...

a day at the beach

2009-01-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

aidan's first "real" surfing experience. scott paddled out with him and caught a couple white-water waves, then aidan got unbearably cold. winter is tough here, i tell you.

ivy was sleeping in the backpack most of the time, so no pictures of her. but later, she found a cozy spot in the closet:

a new post!

2009-01-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

finally. apparently i'm not good at keeping this blog updated. so here are some pictures from a month ago-- christmas on big island.

christmas morning. this cute little kitchen was from grandma and poppi. it had to be completely assembled (by scott) late on christmas eve, then disassembled and packed back in the box so we could bring it home. it stays in the box until we move into our new house-- next weekend! yay!

some chop-able food to go with it

ivy mostly liked the wrapping paper

moving on from christmas morning, aidan loved this silly swim ring thing i found lying around. he felt so liberated, swimming "all by himself."

naked babies in a hammock.

a little beach time

a little reading time (notice the book is upside down)

this is how you charm the ladies.

people should cook like this more often. sorry about all the nakedness, but i love their little bums.

gabe, studying his petroglyphs.

aidan and ivy had a blast in this galvanized tub. it was rainy and "chilly" (for hawaii) but aidan must have been in there for at least an hour.

not a bad way to end the day-- asleep in a pretty girl's lap.
now i will go to sleep. or some form of psuedo-sleep with ivy waking me up or crowding me off the bed all night. i have to keep telling myself that some day--SOME DAY!!--both my kids will sleep through the night. but tomorrow is ivy's first birthday and so far that full night of sleep i used to know and love is nowhere in sight. sigh... it's a good thing she's so darn sweet.

mostly halloween

2008-11-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

wow, i've been really terrible about updating the blog. must be because i spend all my computer time looking for a bigger place to live that doesn't cost so much we'd have to sell off our children to afford the rent. but then we wouldn't need a bigger place and also there would be no reason for this blog. anyhoo, i thought i'd post a few pictures from halloween.
first we had to go to the pumpkin patch:

it was hot. also, they hadn't opened up the "good" patches yet, so it was slim, often rotten pickins. feeling a little gypped, my friend and i managed to justify to ourselves a mad dash into a "good" patch on our way out of the farm. in a rush of adrenaline, we ripped off a pair of nice, big, fat healthy pumpkins, dove back into the car and sped away, feeling delightfully naughty.

ivy was way into the pumpkin carving.

bwaaahahaaahaaa!

aidan was fascinated and a little spooked by the pumpkins in the dark.

i think maybe there is nothing more wonderful than jack o' lanterns.

this was the pirate and the pumpkin right before we went trick-or-treating

what in god's name are these things on our heads?

this is how ivy looked most of the night. we had lots of fun because we actually found a neighborhood that "does" halloween. most kids go to the mall and stand in a long, snaking line to obtain a piece of candy from each store. woo hoo. we saw scary decorations, haunted houses, fun costumes and most importantly tons of kids all juiced up on sugar.

this was grandma's last visit. she was just here again for a few days, and had to leave today. boohoo. i'm pretty sure she was totally burned out on baby watching and repeatedly cleaning my kitchen. thanks, mom.

here is aidan in puppy heaven at grandpa's (scott sr's) house. i watched him frolic in there (it's like a big puppy mansion that gramma arlene built) with a wooden smile, trying not to think of all the poop and pee residue he was rolling in. actually i think he peed in the puppy house too.

okay, that's all for now folks.

hello again

2008-09-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

so it's been a gazillion years since my last post, so i'll just put up a bunch of pictures rather than feel overwhelmed about having to write a long update about our family and this is already taking forever because aidan keeps trying to bite me and thinks it's a really fun game. now he's hungry. now he's trying to climb on me. sigh. now he's placing his fingers over the keyboard threateningly. so anyway, we went on a trip to california, got married, came home, kids got sick a couple of times, both cars broke down at the same time (scott fixed both of them-- it's nice to have such a handy guy around), and the kids and i were stranded at home for a week or so. it wasn't bad though-- ivy was sick with roseola most of the time anyway. so here are some pictures from the last couple of months:

scott and a friend paddling out.

aidan going surfing

ivy, about to indulge in a sand snack

ivy, indulging

fun with paint

the artiste

summer splashing fun with a friend, colin

a bonnet i made for ivy during our home quarantine

the bonnet again-- i'm kind of obsessed with bonnets at the moment, probably due to angry chicken's really cute one. this is my own pattern though and i guess i'm pretty happy with it. i've already made a second one with the brim more rounded at the bottoms and i like that one even more.

and a silly little flowerpot pincushion i made while stuck at home. i guess i've been feeling crafty. i also made a GINORMOUS bag to put all my crap in when i go on outings with both the kids. i love how it came out but it's a little overkill-- i could probably fit both the kids in it. hmm...

that's a doll i recently made, sans her dress. i love stumbling upon sights like this

and this

this was a glorious santa cruz evening on west cliff, where our "honeymoon" b&b was. that's all for now folks.

i made bread. and a doll.

2008-07-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

have you heard of the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day? apparently it's all the rage in baking circles. i've never made bread before because of all the kneading, rising for hours on end, do i add flour? do i add water? etc. but NOW-- it really is the easiest thing ever. you mix the yeast, salt, flour and water in very large container, let it rise for a couple hours or so, stick in it the fridge with an airtight lid and chill for at least three hours. then cut of a piece, shape into a loaf, let it sit for 40 minutes, stick in in the oven and bake. voila. looks like bread, tastes like bread, NO KNEADING. you can get the master recipe here, and the book has all sorts of variations on that recipe.

mmm, fresh from the oven.

and here's raggedy medusa:

she's a birthday present for one of aidan's playmates.
i know she's all wonky and her arms are too long, but i think she turned out okay.
she was somewhat inspired by this doll. at least the hair.
she was fun to make and a bit more difficult than i thought she'd be...

here's her back

and here's another little doll

and aidan the conquerer

shortly before she peed on the blanket

let me just see that camera for a minute...

kiddeos videos

2008-06-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

home video time! probably very boring to most people, but they keep aidan and i entertained. i suppose the grandparents will adore them. and maybe auntie bella.

happy late fathers' day

2008-06-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

i do have the best dads in the world. they have both done so much for me, and are both a great inspiration. thank you papa and brian for being the best dads ever! but i can't forget scott. he is the best dad ever too. we didn't really do anything on fathers day because aidan was sick... he was exposed unknowingly to hand, mouth and foot disease (sounds great, doesn't it? very common and not harmful) the other day, so he was feeling really crappy yesterday. much more himself today.
this is a recent trip to the waikiki aquarium:

He's saying, "Nemo! Nemo" (meno, meno)

see? Nemo.

Scott's sister April was here with her four kids for a while. It was so nice to meet them and have some more family and kids around.

Boys will be boys. This is Andres and Aidan. Andres is a couple months younger than Aidan.

Isabel (8) and Ivy

all the cousins-- sean (11) with ivy, andres, antonio (4) isabel, and aidan.

I like napping pictures. Aidan is always so well behaved when he is napping.

They often end up in the same position, somehow.

Cute, quiet and cuddly

happy mothers' day

2008-05-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

to all the mothers i know, but most especially to my mom, who is one of the most selfless, giving people i know. thanks for everything mom. and a big shout out to nana and grandma, who i consider to be the glue in the family. or the pillars, or lattice, or sun in the solar system. something like that. adhesive and supportive, basically. you are all amazing women and i love you.

so we had a fabulous trip to california. the airplane travel wasn't as painful as i expected, but it had its moments. i got to see a couple old friends, who are so important to me but who i hardly ever get to see. and it was great to see all my wonderful family, family friends, and neighbors. aidan had a blast and ivy was all smiles. being around good people always makes you smile.

here are some pictures from the trip.

in great grandma's garden

another pretty flower

a destroyer of flowers

artist's apprentice--my dad, that is

this is how it's done.

riding horsies with grandma

that's an adult helmet.

the dog could hardly resist a bubble bath

evening cat nap in the sun

baa baa black sheep... is he giving the musician a tip?

comments

2008-04-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

okay, i guess before it was set so that only people with a google account could leave a comment. now anyone should be able to.

and here's some story time with ivy.

randomness

2008-04-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

it is a rainy day today. ivy and i played dress up. she is wearing a family hand-me-down-- i think it belonged to my dad or one of his sisters. anyway, my grandma gave it to my mom, and my mom gave it to me, and it is so stinkin' cute. the embroidery and the delicate lace trim are to die for, and it is so finely made. you just don't see stuff like this anymore. and when did bonnets go out of fashion? who said that was a good idea? 'cause once you get it on, it's like the most adorable thing in the world. here's ivy, looking very amish:

i took about a gazillion photos of her in this two-piece outfit, and half of them are blurry because i was trying to use natural light.

but the flash is so absurdly bright...

see? yech!
why is that? anyway, here's me wearing the same outfit, about 27 years ago...

in other randomness, farmer scott has been very busy lately.

he likes to plant seeds, even though there's nowhere to replant them. our lanai is going to be completely covered in pots soon. above are beet sprouts.

this is a miniature papaya forest, free to good home.

reach for the sky, cucumber. there's nowhere else to go.

mmm, lettuce.

squash blossoms

the siblings on a blanket scott's mom made.

is it just me, or is aidan's head five times too big in this picture?

even more random, does anyone out there have the same pet peeve as me? the misplaced, misused apostrophe pet peeve? as in: "the dog is chasing it's tail!" or "made with fresh tomatoe's!"
apostrophe abuse is a blog dedicated entirely to this type of atrocity. it's good for a chuckle. and here's this cartoon that explains the correct use of apostrophes:

and i love this ecards site. they are free and actually funny. go carefully, though, as some of them are quite crude. hmmmm... i think that's about all. did you notice i added a links collumn? and if you've been here, fam & friends (or strangers) PLEASE add a comment! it's so nice to hear people's responses. at the end of each post you can see the "0 comments" link. click on that and it should open up a window that you can type a comment in. just say "hi," or "your blog sucks" or whatever. thanks!

a hoppy easter weekend

2008-03-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

we went to big island over easter weekend to hang out with mom and brian and gabe. it was an excellent time.

smily girl.

drawing with gramma.

the ivy bunny

gabe and his birdie.

breakfast on the beach

eggs, pre-hunt

yes, she's sleeping in a storage bin...

but she doesn't mind

borrowing the hot tub at the mauna lani

we're not really orange

is this all for me?

making a manly breakfast

things to do, places to go

boats to row

a hard life.

morning glory

thanks mom and brian!

just some more pics

2008-03-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

hi everyone, typing with one hand as usual. just wanted to post some more photos of the kids for those friends and family who have been requesting more. oh, and i changed the appearance of the blog...trying out a black background because a dark screen uses less energy! more pictures soon.

at the beach.

getting chunky...

nap time.

watering, like daddy.

at the zoo.

cutest socks ever. i was thrilled to discover they already fit. she has them in many colors, thanks to my mom. aidan was intensely jealous when he saw them on ivy, and insisted on trying them on, as well as a pair of tiny pink slippers. aidan has a funny fetish for tiny shoes and socks, but gets all mad when they don't fit.

new camera

2008-03-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

finally, a camera worth taking pictures with. not that it's top of the line or anything, but compared to the five-year-old, two megapixel (yes, 2), cheapest-I-could-find camera, it's marvelous. i'm not going to write much because typing with one hand is lame. but here's a bunch of pictures. but the first two are with the old camera...

new family member

2008-02-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

here are some videos of Ivy Kiya McCoy, born Jan. 25. these are within the first few days of her birth. something went wrong with my computer and i can't upload from my camera OR my flip video--these ones were obtained by making a disc at Ritz camera. this typical computer phenomenon coincided perfectly with Ivy's birth. great timing. with similar uncanniness, a black spot appears on all video recordings, even though the lens is flawless-- ever since ivy's birth. hmmm. isn't technology wonderful?

holidays over, baby time soon

2008-01-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

hello anyone out there who's reading... just trying to get back on track after a long, holiday-induced dropping of the blog ball. i'm sure all my many fans missed me so. anyway, this is my first attempt at attaching a video, just to sort of see how it works out... it doesn't look like the image quality is going to be that great, but oh well. this is a glimpse of christmas morning on big island after gramma claus left the cutest tricycle and the cutest boots in all the land for aidan to enjoy. santa also left me the means of acquiring this video, the so-sleek-and-handy Flip Video camcorder. thanks to all parents and grandparents for making my child the most spoiled kid ever. his gifts are much played with and treasured. but what we treasure most is our most wonderfulest of families--i can't even explain the wonderfulness. we miss you all and wish we could be closer.
also ranking exceptionally high on the wonderfulness meter is my baby hui. today they gave a little baby shower-type gathering for another pregnant group member and me. it was so much fun with all the pint-sized ones running around together-- usually these days only a fraction of the moms/babes can make it to any given meeting so it was such a great feeling to see everyone together again, and i was once again reminded of what a blessing this great support group has been since becoming a mother. we were marveling at how it's already been a year since we first met, and a couple of us are already about to give birth to seconds.
on that note, as yet unnamed baby girl is due in about 2 weeks, give or take. i hope it's not give because i'm reaching my limits on the whole pregnancy thing. this is the point where you say enough is enough, i'd rather have a needy toddler and a completely-dependent-upon-me-for-all-aspects-of-survival newborn attached to me like i'm a host organism, which i suppose is accurate, than to feel this uncomfortable and awkward in your own body. edit, it's not even your own body anymore. but a joy it still is, parenthood... alrighty then, that's probably more writing than i've done since college, so ciao... by the way, if anyone's reading this we are open to name suggestions...

aidan's new ride

2007-12-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

this is aidan's christmas present which couldn't wait for christmas. after today i think i will never go to toys r us again--so much plastic junk all i could think of was LANDFILL. notice the glazed look in his eyes. when it was finally assembled he spent the first half hour just getting in, closing the door, opening the door, getting out, closing the door, opening the door, repeat. and making very loud exclamations about it. he is thrilled, so that makes me happy, even though i swore i would never buy this type of plastic monstrosity for my kids. and thanks to my mom, i know there will be plenty of gifts for him to open on christmas morn... talk about spoiled rotten...
anyhoo, here are some other snaps of aidan's daily life, and another bag i made for another friend.

stuff i've made lately

2007-12-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

here's aidan the other day. i sewed a truck onto one of his t-shirts because he's hopelessly obsessed with trucks, cars, heavy equipment, etc. i didn't know it would start this early. he's holding the truck in his left hand and making his sign for "drive" (shaking fist back and forth, like holding a steering wheel) with his right. he does this sign so often he looks like he has parkinson's or something. today when we went on a walk we saw an excavator at a construction site, and when we said "bye bye" to it he cried most of the way home. this too shall pass.

and here are some bags i've made for friends. actually the
one hanging on the left is MINE, and i love the fabric. as usual the photo is terrible, but i do in fact have the world's worst camera. the shoulder bag i made from this tutorial, and the handbag and clutch are patterns from amy karol's book Bend-The-Rules Sewing. the wallet i made for myself as well. i am moderately pleased with how they all turned out-- not too bad for a rookie, i say. bags are so fun and easy to make. off to the library now, when i should be starting dinner... oooooooooh welllllllll........

testing

2007-12-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

okay, now i'm learning how to add a link. i made these ornaments from this tutorial/pattern at allsorts. sorry about the horrible blurriness, but the other option is the dreaded flash.

blog virgin

2007-12-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

hi, this post is really just to see how this all works as i've never blogged before. the plan is to maintain this blog so that family and friends, should they care to, can pop in and see what we're up to, how the kid(s, soon) is (are) doing, see pics, and so that we can blog randomly about whatever projects we may be up to.