Meet Bat Chica

Our kids spend hours playing after school with the neighbor kids. Today they played all sorts of things. One of their high adventures was dressing up. They did the princess and prince (kind of) thing. James embraced more of the superhero stuff. And after a while Ashley decided to put aside her princess stuff and dig out her super girl costume, too. My brother Dave flew down to Central America last year to tour around and brought back these costumes for the kids. : ) It says "Bat Chica" on the back of Ashley's.

I should've pulled out the camera when they were really into the dress up stuff and taken pictures, especially of all the twirling princesses running around. But I got it out right before dinner when they were done. Ashley obliged me though and struck a few poses. : )


Meet Bat Chica.

She comes in peace.

She cometh from afar...




with her partner in suprehero-ness.

(James was done playing dress up. : ) )


She's multi talented.

She means business.




And will take out anything that gets in her way.




Kind of....




Yeah, and it's all in a moment's work.


Bat Chica.

Say Sushi!

I really have loved learning about photography. The thing is when I try to take candid shots of my kids they give me this pained wince when I say, "Say cheese!!" (Actually in Hawaii, it's "say sushi!", "say rice!" or "say musubi!" (a local rice & spam sandwich...without the bread): ) I love the culture here!) Anyway, so my challenge has been trying to get some real shots of my kids and their true cheerful expressions. : )

The other day I got the camera out and instead of my "say cheese" antics I tried some other more sillier techniques. : )

This is our boy. Playing the Wii.











Towards the end there I guess he was doing really good at his game. : )

Ditching Posts

I took off my last 2 posts... 'cause each time I'd sit down to blog I'd end up feeling so sad. After a week things are looking better, and so they're back up. We've been pretty busy and I think that helps with heartache. Thanks for your comments and emails! You guys are so very awesome. Thank you!

Infinity at Scout Camp

It feels wierd not to wake up and go feed the bunny with the kids. But things have been good. I've learned some major life lessons in all this and our family has spent some very tender moments together.

This weekend Ashley started digging through some of my *very* old stuff. I looked over and she had pulled on my old college swim cap! I'm not sure how she did it! Those things are so hard to get on!

Later we found some super, almost double decade old 'boondogle' keychains I made like in 6th grade. : ) -They were "the season's latest fashion". : ) This picture is for all you Napoleon Dynamite fans. : )

I don't think Brad ever made "like infinity of those at scout camp" but he sure is going to "vote for Pedro"!

On Saturday, we canceled plans and spent the late afternoon and evening at the park as a fam. It felt good to just hang out together.

Parks soothe the soul.... They're even more soothing when there's a daddy to catch the monkeys...



... and to teach a little baseball.





--Yeah, this happened ONCE!!!!

And the mommy can just chill. : )

I know I've posted like a gazillion posts and pictures all together. Just skip over them if you're getting bored.

Life is so funny. Sometimes in your tough times you learn the deepest lessons. I love my family and am so thankful for the sweet joys they are. : ) ....They're the greatest.

The End

You know when you cry yourself to sleep and you wake up with huge puffy eyes.... That's what my eyes were like this morning. My heart hasn't hurt like this in the longest time. It's so broken.

Last night James and a little neighbor girl came running in and said that something was wrong with the bunny and that they thought it was dead. Her big sister was on the front porch holding our tiny bunny in her hands, apologetically. She didn't kill it... I gathered something about all the kids being rough with it.... I didn't want to hear anymore.

I just started crying. It's kind of sad when you, the adult, start crying over the family pet. ...James started too. Ashley looked sad, but then they got over it. Ashley even suggested we could get another bunny. ...Yeah, that's not going to happen. ...

A flood of the hurt of loss washed over me.

I loved our bunny. Me and the bunny were tight. It would come to me when I put my hands down in it's box or in front of it in the back yard. It liked fresh cool water. And tiny tomatoes from our volunteer garden. It would sit still forever in my palm as I gently stroked it's puffy, oh so soft fur. It behaved it's self when we brought it in the house in it's clear bin. It was so patient. It never nipped or bit anyone. Although now I wish it would've taken a bite out of all involved in it's demise.


I feel an incredible sense of guilt, as well as loss. I should've been there watching those kids. I should've never let it out of my sight. I should've taught my kids even more about gentleness and standing up for the right, and treating God's little sweet creatures with kindness. I failed. I failed the bunny. And even though I really loved it, I feel so sorry that I brought it home. If I hadn't've it probably would've gone to a great home and lived an abundant, long and happy life.


It was so absolutely sweet. Even now, I can't help but cry.


All this happened like 30 minutes before I had to go with the missionaries to help teach a lesson. I wept for 30 minutes and pulled myself together, and bawled the rest of the night after I got home. (If you're wondering the lesson went great. It was a bit tough to put aside my tears, but I really love our new girls. Harmony is my age and has two girls and she and her mom are ready to be more involved in the gospel. They are super awesome. And it was really wonderful visiting them.) Somehow the Lord throws in blessings in the middle of your sorrow.


You're probably thinking, "Sorrow? Drama, drama, drama, it was just a bunny." But this was no ordinary bunny. This was OUR bunny, meant for us. It was so sweet and perfect. In Anne of Green Gables lingo, it was a true kindred spirit.


This may sound all crazy, but really I haven't been so sad...! The feeling reminds me of when my childhood dog died. Contrary to what I was taught in college, animals have personalities and feelings and bonding is a REAL thing.... I bonded with our bunny. And I truly miss it. And am sorry. So very sorry. And so very, very, sad.


While I was gone Brad put the kids to bed. Even after several Family Home Evening lessons on The Resurrection and the Plan of Happiness I'm not sure James and Ashley really understood death. Brad stayed up with James explaining The Plan again. Maybe they do get it and death is just a step ... not the end. They're Ok and seem to know the bunny is gone but still things are alright. Even if death is a means to the next phase in our eternal span it is tough to be apart of something so innocent and sweet going before you think it's time is up....



I'm sorry. I really don't mean to spread the heartache. But really sometimes this stuff is really hard.

Ezekiel and the Park

Bless Ezekiel's heart. I have never seen an animal so sweet and patient. He's been mobbed dozens of times for hours on end by eager tiny little hands and wonderous eyes. I seriously can't count the number of kids who've cooed and cradled him. There's just something about a tiny fluffy bunny that melts little hearts!

Yesterday, we went out on a family walk to the park and brought Ezzy. (P.S. I learned that James named Ezekiel, Ezekiel because one of their friends named their new dog Ezekiel. Hmm. So, we've been calling the bunny Ezzy, Ez or "the bunny".)











It was pretty fun, but a bunny can only do so much. And so the kids got in some playing time.

And Brad tried out his scooter skills.

While we were at the park the kids tried out palm tree climbing. It's quite the art here. : ) Ashley tried it and then James wanted to. : ) I love their facial expressions. : )