Aunty Kristie gave us a call on Saturday morning and alerted us to the festivities at the Oahu Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. Every Second Saturday, they offer tours of the gardens, a mini plant sale, and since it’s October, they had a multitude of Halloween-related activities, the coolest of which was a build-a-scarecrow station! Oren watched as her cousins Tehani and Logan stuff old clothes with hay (while she stuffed her mouth with it), and had a blast in the gardens where she traversed a bush maze and crawled through a topiary tunnel. We also came away with a couple free sunflower seedlings! The Valdez family gives this place three (green) thumbs up!
Here’s Oren and her trademark “blast off” countdown and dive into the pool. Although we’re proud of her counting and fearlessness, she always forgets 14 and 15!
Oren had her first field trip last Friday. The school took the kiddies out to the Aloun Farms Pumpkin Patch in Kapolei. I think this picture sums up the day for her. Our first mistake was agreeing to be chaperones for the day. The minute we show up at the patch, the meltdowns began. She was hysterical on the hay ride; pumpkin picking was more like pumpkin pointing (while Daddy served as rickshaw); and during lunch at Kapolei Park, she refused to sit with her classmates, and by the time she did, everyone was ready to leave. If anything, it was a lesson learned; chaperone at your own risk!
The Valdezs got out of the house for once this weekend and graced downtown Honolulu with their presence at the 15th Annual Children & Youth Day at the State Capitol. The event sprawled across several civic areas; from the Frank Fasi Civic Center to the Hawaii State Art Museum. It was just too massive to cover, especially in the blazing hot Sunday sun. We quickly realized that even though it was labeled a children’s event, there wasn’t much for a 2.5 year old to do, with all the rides and activities geared towards older kids and young teens. Oren did enjoy the slush floats, meeting up with her buddy Ensen, then the crafts at the Hawaii State Art Museum. I must say, that’s the cutest paper bag hat I’ve ever seen! We’ll definitely be back though, and by then, maybe Oren can strap herself into a bungee trampoline!
It was a low key birthday weekend for me as usual; nothing to celebrate when you’re getting closer to middle age! But it was great spending time with my mom and sis last Saturday, as they treated me (and Oren) to birthday dinner #1 at Ruby Tuesday then clothes shopping at the Navy Exchange. Birthday dinner #2 didn’t go as planned as Oren’s gift to me was mean cold (my wife’s gift to me was allowing me to buy these). We slugged all day at home, cancelled our dinner reservations at Buzz’s Steakhouse, then got take-out from Kiawe Grill (and a bday pie from Anna Miller’s). I had the Buffalo Pulehu Patty plate. YUM. Throw in a couple bday wishes from friends and coworkers and it was a great past few days for me. Thanks everybody! You make this old man feel loved!
More classics including “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, and “This Little Baby Bumblebee” (thanks to Leroy and Gart for the song id!)
Rambunctious. Adorable. Talented. Prissy? Oren paid a visit to “Salon de Mama” last night and came back with a set of freshly painted nails! I was a little nervous about opening the door to beauty products at this age, but she really digs ‘em. And who can resist that smile? Mommy made sure to keep her suck-thumb unpainted, though, just in case. And if she finishes her dinner tomorrow, the toes are next!
Oren came home from preschool last week with what’s to be the first of many “incident reports” in hand. “Oren was running on the sidewalk and fell face first,” states the report. From the 1-inch scrape on her nose and the big welt on her forehead, she must’ve been running pretty fast! She seemed in very good spirits, though, as this photoshoot with her dolls suggests, and even laughed when I pointed to her ow-wees. In general, she’s been coming home with a lot of random scratches and scrapes (plus sand and dirt in the craziest places). We’re definitely going to have to stock up on the Bacitracin.
Today, the Valdez family took full advantage of our first Statehood Day off together (I’ve had more vacation days in 3 months as a state worker than a whole year at the Star-Bulletin) by hitting Magic Island for the 2008 Honolulu Family Festival.
We got there early to enjoy the beach (but not the freezing cold showers afterwards) then it was off to the fest! Last year, was a little underwhelming since Oren’s “fun-sensors” were still developing, but this year, her wide-eyed stares (not to mention her pointing and yelling) told us she was ready to ride! She hit the merry go round first, then Daddy took her on the Super Slide!
All of us got on the ferris wheel next (and yours truly got motion sickness!), then Mommy and Oren hopped on the mini-coaster (front-seat!). We finished off the evening with some games (that Daddy sucked at) then expensive carnie food. It’s crazy days like this that remind me why I love being a daddy!
We were back at Bishop Museum this weekend, this time for a 1st birthday luau for baby Nolan, who’s amazing journey began in Taiwan where he was born, then adopted by Katrina’s friend Tiffany and her husband Gabe. Oren, through typical “small town syndrome”, saw her babysitter friends Cadee and Cody, who happen to be the kids of a friend of the parents. The familiar faces loosened Oren up a little faster than usual, and they all had a blast in a castle bouncer. She had so much fun in there, I’m trying to convince my wife to get a small trampoline for the backyard. We’ll see… anyway, check the pics above and the little video clip below of the bouncer bday madness!
Today was orientation day at Rainbow School, and we, as well as other first time student parents, toured the facilities, met the teachers, and watched nervously as the little students shared their space for the first time. The transition was a little easier after Oren saw her babysitter friend Kyla (yes, the biter), who’s in an older class, on the playground. The Room 6 “Beautiful Butterflies” don’t begin class til tomorrow, but Oren was already given homework! She was asked to make a photo collage (see pic above) of family members on butterfly shaped paper. Of course, Daddy and Mommy helped out a little.
And here is the nest of the Beautiful Butterflies at Rainbow School in Quicktime VR format. Click and drag to tour the room where the magic’s gonna happen! Or the drama…
We hope that tomorrow won’t be one of those parent-child cryfests that we keep hearing about. We’ll post an update tomorrow to tell you guys how it goes! Wish Oren luck!
After 30+ years, Oren’s babysitter Aunty Sally is retiring. For 2 years (basically Oren’s entire life), she’s been the primary caregiver, and we thank her so much for playing such a big part in Oren’s life. We definitely have her to thank for Oren remembering the five-dollar footlong song from the Subway commercials!
But it was great spending time with my mom and sis last Saturday, as they treated me (and Oren) to birthday dinner #1 at Ruby Tuesday then clothes shopping at the Navy Exchange. Birthday dinner #2 didn’t go as planned as Oren’s gift to me was mean cold (my wife’s gift to me was allowing me to buy 
Entries (RSS)