Merry Christmas!

Here’s Rosie Jo in the Kmart Wonderland. She was very interested in the singing “mooses” (Reindeer) and “birds” (snowmen—think long carroty beaks). And a little concerned about Winnie the Pooh and Pals trapped in their plastic snowing bubble…

I was pushing her in her stroller through the aisles of the grocery store, when I suddenly hear this muffled giggling. When I look, she has put this bucket on her head. Hm. I understand the impulse.
Rosie seriously exploring all her new stuffs... it's hard work being a drummer-princess puzzle-master....
And hiking...

And a random pig skin hung over the side of the bridge. Gruesome, innit?
The kid on the big-kid playground, fending off cursing, pole-dancing, spitting, frothing 6 and 7 year old hoodlums.


Rosie is into offering everyone imaginary food items, especially the "samwich." Here's a tasty looking one. She also offers dogdogs, sushi, milk, and ice cream... and sometimes, when you're least expecting it, poop.

We had a wonderful Christmas-- we had charcoal-like steak and mushroom pie, and peppermint bark, and crab legs, and shrimp scampi, and clam chowder, and avacado soup, and ham and bean soup, and green eggs and SPAM, and boxing day sushi, and Christmas Eve sushi, and Oxtail soup, and steaks, and liver meatballs, and about 6,000 sugar cookies with peppermint, cinnamon sugar, or chocolate sprinkles on top. We also had some potent egg nog (yich) and some wassail and some yummy eggnog ice cream.
We got to spend Christmas and Boxing Day with some lovely families and their kids. Rosie loved, in a frantic, freaked out, buzzed, and overwhelmed way, having lots of kids around and sharing her toys. The adults did their share of toy-sharing, too. I showed off my new cast iron enameled dutch oven, and made everybody jealous while I flipped my hair and said, "oh, this little thing? Isn't it just darling?? try some chowder, dears..." and Matt's friend showed off his "Guitar Hero" game, making Matt mutter and toss with jealousy for three days and three nights.
But as always, the most important part of Christmas is the getting. So thanks everybody! We recieved a dumptruck of bundles of cash, a silo of golden dubloons, three new cars (Rosie gets her own) and an actual life-size artificial intelligence "My Little Pony" that braids our hair and sorts out our taxes for us. Love you Sparkles!!!
Merry Christmas!

100th Post!

I admit it, I'm a crook.
I steal internet.
At every opportunity.
If I see some internet poking out of somebody's back pocket, or hanging from the back of their chair, I snatch it. I paw through friend's bathroom cupboards looking for their internet, to take just a little bit of it home with me. Or maybe a lot.
And for the last week, my supply has been cut off! Our neighbors, or some other nearby anonymous benefactor, has gone out of town for the *pshaw* holiday, and left me internet-less. I sit listlessly in front of the computer, playing Spider solitaire and constantly refreshing my "View Wireless Networks" list.
Today I finally got dressed, put on pants, and drove to the mall, where Rosie is sleeping in her stroller, the McDonalds is frying reconstituted potato-like edible non-food substances. And I am using the mall's free wi-fi.
Does this mean that all of my credit cards and bank accounts are now compromised? Possibly.
But I don't care. It's worth the fix.

flash

Rosie is very helpful in the garden.
biting mommy.


hiking on the beach
thanksgiving with the matsuokas. how did i end up with no pictures of all our amazing food???
Rosie is very charismatic-- within moments she had these 2 6 year old twins obeying her every command.

Grandpa Came to Town!

Rosie contemplating Shave Ice
the edge of the eroding cracking gap-fenced precipice into Waimea canyon, several MILES down. Makes my legs hurt just looking at it!
Chasing Kokee chickens
GOWAY BOKBOK!!!
On the train! I promise she had fun.
feeding bread to the pigs and the goats
a Children's choir singing Mele Kalikimaka on the steps of the museum for the festival of lights.
Aw, family!!! Thanks for coming! We love you, your room is waiting for you any time.