Lost at Lagoon

Whenever something embarrassing happens one often thinks, "Should I not say anything and pretend like this never happened? Or, should I share my embarrassing story, so that others can learn from my mistake(s)?" Being a teacher my philosophy is that you need to just bite the bullet and share. It's better to learn from the experience than to avoid it.

Yesterday we (Maiki and I) went to Lagoon with my mom, three brothers, and four nephews. The day started off well. (Maiki was a bit grumpy because we spent the morning swimming with friends and she refused to take a nap.) At Lagoon we decided to divide and conquer, so the kids could have a more enjoyable experience. Josh and Slone took Jon and Merrick, while Ryan, me, and my mom took Maiki, Owen, and Beckham. Everything was going great until I decided to let the munchkins share some fruit snacks. I knew that Maiki was picky, so I grabbed a red one and asked if she wanted it. She refused, and so I gave it to Owen. Once her favorite color was offered to someone else she decided to throw a hissy fit.

Maiki wandered to the edge of the next ride, hugged a trash can (disgusting, I know) and pouted. My mom went over and tried to reason with her. In the meantime Ryan took care of his two kids and I was texting a friend. Maiki looked my mom right in the eye and then sprinted off. I glanced up and didn't worry about it because my mom was following her (she's a little slow because she had her knee replaced). Ryan saw that Maiki was winning and asked if he should run after her; I assumed everything would be fine, so I let Ry stay and started following my mom. By the time I caught up to my mom I realized she had no idea where Maiki was.

The race started in the middle of the Kiddie Zone, right next to the cars (the ones that are on a track). Maiki was lost for 5-10 minutes, even though it felt like 15-30. She made it all the way from the Kiddie Zone to the south end of Lagoon, where they load the sky ride. I finally found her being held by a Lagoon employee who was in the process of taking her to the lost and found. (Why do they take lost children to the place where you would drop off lost sunglasses?)

It's amazing how much you learn about someone's personality by watching them react in an emergency situation. My mom is caring and emotional and immediately cried when Maiki was found. I was calm, pissed, and relieved. My brothers all stayed calm and did a great job quickly looking for Maiki (even though the big boys were on the Samurai). Maiki was the shocker. Every day I am amazed by how brave (and stubborn) she is. When I finally found her she did not care. She didn't care that a stranger was holding her, she didn't care that her mom was worried, and worse of all she seemed to enjoy wandering half of Lagoon ALONE. I asked her why she ran away and she explained that she was upset and wanted to find her uncles. The last time we saw them was near the Wild Mouse, so she went to that end of the park looking for them. I honestly thought that I was going to find Maiki alone in line for a ride, or attempting to sneak on stage (a group was performing near the carousel).

I guess I turn into a neglectful parent whenever my mom and brothers are around. I know that they'll chase after Maiki, so I usually sit back and let them. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday: put the phone down and pay attention to your kid!

Softball

Once upon a time softball was a HUGE part of my life. I have to admit after my dad died I didn't have the heart to play anymore. It's funny because I still ski because it helps me remember him, but I wasn't brave enough to play ball anymore. One of the gym teachers at my school has played on a co-ed team for years, and they were short girls. . . so, I started playing again. It's amazing how hard it is to do something after avoiding it for 15 years. It's even harder when the last time you did it you were really good, and now you suck. Oh well. It's been fun playing.

Here are a few random pics from one of our games. Co-ed softball is crazy! There are sooo many rules that are different: 2 strikes and you are out, there are two 1st bases, etc.
The team: Fatty McButterpants
Beth
me
The best fan club ever

me, Marge, and Chandra
(Marge and Chandra were nice enough to "fill in" for us. It's too bad the game was canceled and we didn't know until they drove all the way to Layton.)

*I really need to get a good picture w/me, Beth, and Kacey. We have at least two games left, so hopefully it'll work out.

Teach Me My Letters

Maiki randomly announced that she wants to learn her letters!


She also informed me that she now knows how to tie.
(She really doesn't, but she's trying.)

This is a picture of the first rainbow Maiki ever saw.
(Lucky girl! It was a double.)

10th Anniversary

On May 20th we celebrated 10 years as a married couple. I can't believe how fast time flies. My uncles (mainly Paul) keep teasing Chris saying they are shocked that he's put up with me for that long. . .
It was nice to sneak off for a long weekend and enjoy the sunshine and humidity.

Sadly, this is our only "successful" self take.
It was truly amazing seeing Pearl Harbor surrounded by a beautiful rainbow.
The Polynesian Cultural Center is definitely a Hawaii "must see/visit."
Diamond Head is a very easy hike. . .
with an AMAZING view!

Keiko-Thanks for showing us around!
This Polynesian girl has "prostitute" tattooed on her back (in Japanese)! Do you think it was a tattoo artist playing a cruel trick on her?

My favorite part of the trip was shopping and returning home to watch Mike & Ike try on her cute, little Hawaiian outfits.

I LOVE These Pics!

Our Little Dancer

Maiki's been taking dance for the last few months. Her recital is June 14, at 6pm. Please let me know if you want tickets.


I can't believe she can stand on the tips of her bare toes.
She's amazing!

Faculty vs. 9th Grade Softball

The LJH faculty took on the 9th graders and won 26 to 2. We were nice and we gave them five outfielders and four outs. The 9th graders destroyed the faculty in the basketball game, so it was nice to finally win one. :)

Cathy's 30th

When Cathy turned 30 she wanted a mild celebration, with kids. We went to Noodles for dinner and Cold Stone for ice cream.
*I stole these pictures from Krissy. :)
Krissy, Cathy, & AnnieMaikiMikadeTatem

Sun Valley

I just want to apologize for how long it has taken me to post these pictures. I have vowed to only post 10 pics, and it has taken me over a month to select pictures.

In April Beth flew out to UT and we went to a PSIA/AASI (Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors) clinic at Sun Valley.
Sun Valley is an amazing resort. We got to ride with national racers, including an Olympic hopeful (Lindsey something). The best part of the trip was goofing off and hanging out with our wonderfully, crazy siblings.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip: