Life of Larisa or LOL

...and zoo keepers/park rangers, monkeys, ninjas, and angels...among other fun Halloween costumes. Between mummy cupcakes, orange dream cake, and cherry finger cake, we had our fill of sweet and scary. I was waiting for Zach to be scared of the food. Nope. Or of his faceless ninja brother. Nope. Or of his zombie vampire with Abe Lincoln hat dad (we didn't really know what he was). Nope. Or mom wearing shorts. Nope. It was sweet Mia as an angel that ultimately freaked the poor monkey, I mean boy, out. Angels and sirens...did I mention there was a Tsunami warning mid freaking and ghouling? Right at the lil monkey's bedtime. The combination of wailing sirens, delayed nap (we enjoyed a beach wedding earlier in the day), and angel costumes---made for a cranky monkey. In the end there were no big waves, just the Kona beer variety, and no evacuation necessary for us Mililani folks...just all my Kailua and Westside party goers. An early departure worked out just fine...leaving us with ...

Rarely do I not take photos of my food when trying a new restaurant. A picture can capture part of what you imagine the food will taste like and seems an important part of the retelling process. So what does that say when you don't take pictures? It says your hands were otherwise occupied...keeping baby hands away from the water glass, away from the silverware (a.k.a throwing toys), attempts to grab phone and failing, and most importantly---eating! I heard, rather read about this restaurant via Facebook. Times have changed. Word of mouth (literally) used to be the only way to get folks to try a new restaurant. Which brings us back to the pictures...my friend Mai Ly posted some pictures from her brunch experience at Moena and I was sold. Isom just returned from his trip to Okinawa and Gabe was eating peanut butter and jelly at school (poor guy), so I decided a welcome home brunch with Zach and Isom was in order. Good thing we (okay I) ordered a ridiculous amount of food. Zach devour...

...pumpkin patch in Hawaii! Last year, Zachy was two months old when fall (and all the festivities that go with it) arrived. We had the best intentions of heading out to the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkin for our new little pumpkin, but c-section mania, baby carrier issues, and sleeplessness prevented pumpkin patching. Not this year! Today's fun more than made up for missing out last year. I am amazed when I think about all the things Gabe did and saw over the course of a couple of hours for only $20. And here's the list: 1. Picked out the 2012 family pumpkin 2. Ate and dripped shave ice with and on brother 3. Decorated mini pumpkin 4. Observed Jackson Chameleons lounging on the arm of volunteer workers 5. Ate a hamburger (they don't do cheese) with brother 6. Petting zoo with 600lb pig, turtles, sheep, cow, donkey, and others 7. Pumpkin cannon (best event of the outing) 8. Large sweet tea in take home mason jar (moms treat of the day) 9. Real Trac...

My first time to the falls was great. Sad that in the amount of time I've lived here, yesterday was my first time actually going to the falls. A paved pathway for BOB (we try to be accommodating for our stroller), lush green plants of all shapes, sizes, and mosquito attraction, and Japanese tourists enamored with my baby? Yes, please. Sign me up. The walk to the falls cost $10 for Kamaaina and free for those riding in BOB. It was a wonderful departure from our usual suburbia wogs (walk/jog). The path is also big enough for you and a walking buddy to be side by side---can't tell you how many walks I've been on where my partner is ten feet behind or ahead of me. No bueno for conversation or my neck. Waimea Falls was like a combination of the zoo (I saw a heard of peacocks), Manoa Falls (lush and waterfall), Bishop Museum or Polynesian Cultural Center (respect for nature and cultures was ever present), and Haleiwa (after the muggy but enjoyable walk, we had shave ice). Kid fri...

...we tear up books, bake, eat, and fall asleep. It is here. That time in toddlerdom/parenthood when we want to rip our hair out. Both of us. There's only so many trips to the mall, beach, walking, and Starbucks drive thru this mom can take. We have reached those few months where Z is too small for fun stuff and too big to keep occupied in his stroller...that as of yesterday he decided he hates. He would much rather walk, screech, and fall asleep right as we arrive at whatever destination I've dreamed up for the day. Today's boredom manifested around 8 am...about fifteen minutes after dropping Gabe off at school. Sooo, I decided to bake pumpkin spice muffins and head to the park to release some energy. About two minutes into the car ride, the eyes shut and the drool began...Zach not me. So now I sit in the comfort of my car A/C while countless folks stroll by and peer in, thinking I'm updating my Facebook status...well, I'm not, I already did that! Just waiting for ...

When you live in the middle of the ocean, sometimes you gotta take what you can get in terms of family visits. Over the weekend we were lucky to have Grandma Kathi and Papa Jim spend the night on their way to Kauai. An amazing amount of pictures and fun were packed into a less than twenty four hour time frame. Leisurely breakfast with a game of ultra Connect Four, a toddler stroll through the neighborhood, Starbucks pit stop, and lunch on the Pier at Nico's where we discovered that the 13 month old and the nine year old can eat the same amount of food. Ridiculous. I will soon be seeking employment at Costco. This was our first time at the new and improved Nico's. We also discovered that the Saturday special of Opah is the best fish in the world. Perfect to go along with the best peanut butter cookie in the world that was so big, that four adults and my two boys (equivalent to a Baseball team) could share it. A brief but delicious afternoon.