Tis the Season

Last week first thing Sunday morning Zeth was suddenly miserably sick with another round of teeth pushing through. Fever, runny nose, yeast infection, sleepless, the works so by Wed when he starting rubbing his ears I knew what was going on with him already. The doctor confirmed his ear infection so he's on the juice. Luckily he actually likes orange flavored Amoxicillin and despite resisting it at first is really getting the hang of sucking it down now. Tender mercies. He is recovering nicely and got one new tooth through. This guy's got tough gums. Hopefully all this work will result in really strong teeth.

As a result of my crazy sleep-deprived schedule the past few weeks compounded with Zeth's sickness I got a cold last week and it's really a drag. Waaa. On the bright side, I've got a really husky voice that just makes people laugh. Maybe I'll start carrying around a guitar and singing 'Smelly Cat' like Phoebe. I did manage to hold myself together through the worst of it and even went ice skating with my daughter & friends for her birthday last Friday then did a performance of Gayla Peevey's "I'm the Angel in the Christmas Play" at our Ward Christmas Party that night. I don't think anyone got pictures or video of me in action but that's just as well.

So Zana is now a six year old and couldn't be more thrilled. She is partial to even numbers (I personally don't have a preference but it's important to her at this stage) so that works out nicely for her. She had birthday crepes for breakfast much to her delight. Her birthday fell on the last day of school before the Christmas break and was just a half day so it was lots of fun. I picked her up at 11a and we headed out for pizza and to the Ice Palace to go skating with a bunch of her friends. This was her second time on ice skates and it was a hit. Then back to our house for cake and ice cream then to the ward party. Our ward loves to dance so after the dinner & show, we all cleaned up and just danced the night away. Lots o fun. I went home and crashed from exhaustion.

I was unsure how the visit with my parents would go because it's been so long but despite a few little age, lifestyle and environment differences between us, so far so good. I'm learning more about them and who they are. It's good to have them here. Today I'm back at work and they kept Zana home with them. I was hoping she'd somehow resist it but lil Zana finally caught the cold too and is coughing just like me now. Hope they're having some good bonding time.

Scared of Santa

Zeth is terrified of Santa Claus. I don't remember ever doing a Santa photo as a family before so I figured it was about time we tried something new for the kids. Sitting down next to the jolly ol' guy was no easy feat as Zeth twisted and squirmed to get as far away from the big red & white furball as he could. I love the constipated look on Santa's face as he sat merrily twiddling his thumbs. Now I remember why we never wasted $$ on this sort of thing before. Too funny.

Today is one of my very very best friend's 40th birthday. I just want to give a shout out to one of my favorite people and wish her a very happy birthday. All 40 of those things I wrote on your gift were true. Yes, even #23.

Last week we had another major storm dump on our island only this time there was a lot more rain compounded with debris washed down from the mountains blocking a couple of key sewage drains. Our little community had some of the worst flooding in recorded history. There were numerous homes with 2-4 feet of water inside. Luckily our home is high enough and were spared from any flooding or damage. We're counting our blessings and praying for all our friends who lost just about everything.

Last night we were doing sit ups as a family and Zeth decided to join us. He laid on the ground, put his hands on top of his head and began doing butt lifts next to his sister. It was just too cute. Then he demonstrated a new trick which just came out of nowhere but his own natural athletic instincts. He began throwing the soccer ball up and bouncing it off the top of his head. Just one bounce for now but we were stunned that he would even think to do that with such a big object at this point.

A happy shot from last week at Zana's year-end gymnastics recital. I've almost conceded that I'm not going to get around to sending out Christmas cards this year. We've had house guests for the past week who will leave tonight after we host our FHE gang dinner and program in our home. My parents arrive tomorrow night and I'm just not sure what I'll end up being able to accomplish in the next week so if you don't hear from me via the USPS, please don't think I've forgotten about you. Much love! xoxox

Didjya Miss Me?

It's been a busy month and so much happening and yet for some reason I haven't felt much like writing so here's a recap of the past month starting with today. Zeth is 15 months old today. Six teeth, 22 lbs, has lots to talk about in his own incoherent dialect but mostly likes discussions involving balls. He is working on his elocution skills. Last night he was especially gassy (too much curry?) and had a rough night. This morning when he got up he let a big one rip then looked up at me and said "Ba-boom". I laughed so hard and said "You got that right." Zana had her final gymnastics recital of the year this afternoon. She's learning skills and enjoying herself but isn't a gifted gymnast prodigy by any stretch of the imagination. She is loving all the performance opportunities her Tahitian dance group is getting this month. All told last month and this, she has something like 7 Tahitian dance performances. Last week she marched and danced in a pretty big parade with her hip-hop dance group. I was skeptical that she'd go the entire 2-miles without begging to be carried but she was energized and rockin the whole time. I'll remember that the next time she tries to 'play' me and begs to be carried. She is looking forward to turning 6 next week and going ice skating with her friends. She is also very excited that my parents are coming to visit next week to spend her birthday and Christmas with us.

I had a pre-cancerous spot removed from my back last week Thursday and while laying on the table asked my Dr about the callous on the bottom of my foot that I've been sanding off for the past couple years now. He told me it was actually a wart and asked if I'd like to take care of it now too. I said 'Sure' not thinking about the implications. I had a planters wart frozen off as a kid but forgot how painful not just the process of freezing it was but the residual effect for the next week. I was going to dance in the parade with Zana but there was just no way I could have done the distance. Hurts like crazy. But this morning, 5 days later, as I was walking into the office I suddenly realized I wasn't limping anymore even though it's still a little sore. Lesson learned. What fun.

Last month I participated in my first triathlon. It was a team-tri so I only did the 1-mile swim which despite the crazy stormy weather system dumping on us, was fun. It was organized by a college student who wanted to do a triathlon but couldn't find one not on Sunday, so he planned his own. The weather really was crazy that week and a lot of the athletes assumed it would be cancelled on account of the conditions so it was a small group of die-hards. I was just glad not to finish the swim in last place. There are plans to do it again next semester and I'm actually considering trying to do the entire thing on my own so I can add Triathlete to my official list of accomplishments. The 10k run will kill me for sure, the 24 mile bike ride is still an unknown factor.
We celebrated Thanksgiving this year with the church singles ward my DH is serving in currently. Actually this was our 3rd year feasting and giving thanks with the 100+ single students and was the most fun by far. The difference? My attitude and contribution had a lot to do with it. I finally convinced myself that I should be thinking less about what I'd like to be doing on Thanksgiving and focusing more on others. Made spending what is a very traditional holiday in an unconventional setting much more fun. The kids and their toys helped liven up the party too.

We just took some new family photos last week with a budding young amateur photographer friend. Now I need to get around to turning the results into Christmas greetings and get them mailed out. I'm feeling pretty unmotivated to rush to the PO still. So sneak peeks are scattered throughout this post in case my Christmas greetings turn into Valentine's cards. :)

I love the fatherly love these depict.
Love that we live in a tropical paradise and this sort of December photo shoot is even possible.