Chloe does this funny thing where, if you wake her or sometimes even if she wakes up by herself, she’ll just start making babbling noises like she’s talking to someone. It’s the baby equivalent of how we all react when someone suddenly and unexpectdly wakes us out of a sound sleep and we go “Huh? No…no I wasn’t sleeping. Yeah, I heard everything you were saying.” All the while looking around confusedly and rubbing our eyes. When most adults do it, it’s kind of annoying…I mean, who are you trying to fool? Of course you were asleep. I caught you with your head down on your desk for crying out loud! But when Chloe does it, it’s very cute.

[list]
[*]I Saw Your Mommy – Suicidal Tendencies
[*]The Way It Is – Bruce Hornsby &.The Range
[*]Fallen Form the Sky – Glen Hansard
[*]Natural Science – Rush
[*]King of the Mountain – Kate Bush
[*]The Secret’s In The Telling – Dashboard Confessional
[*]Break it Down Again – Tears for Fears
[*]When Your Mind’s Made Up – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
[*]Icky Thump – The White Stripes
[*]All the Way Down – Glen Hansard
[*]Lateralus – Tool
[*]Down To The Old Pub Instead – Stephen Lynch
[*]Pornograffitti – Extreme
[*]Hate It Here – Wilco
[*]Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
[*]Big Girls Don’t Cry – Fergie
[*]Another Hero Lost – Shadows Fall
[*]paralytic – dead poetic
[*]March Into The Sea – Modest Mouse
[*]Trying to Pull Myself Away – Glen Hansard
[*]Florida – Modest Mouse
[*]Doomsday Clock – Smashing Pumpkins
[*]What If That Guy From Smashing Pumpkins Lost His Keys – Stephen Lynch
[*]Everything – Michael Buble
[/list]

[url=http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/2XL/index.html]Check it out[/url]…do it now!

Okay, if you’re like me, you’ve just spent about 2 hours playing with this instructional “robot” from our past. My sister got this for Christmas one year and I have some fond memories of playing along with her when we were kids.

[url=http://www.2xlrobot.com/]Everything you ever wanted to know about 2-XL.[/url]

I read about the film [url=http://oncethemovie.com/]Once[/url] on [url=http://www.dooce.com/]Dooce’s blog[/url] so I thought I’d check it out. Fantastic! I’m not usually one for “romantic” fims, but sometimes a writer, director and photographer choose the right story, the right actors and the right soundtrack and make magic.

While perusing some of the cool finds at [url=http://www.found.com]found.com[/url] (particularly [url=http://www.foundmagazine.com/find/808]this entry[/url]) I started to think about some of the things that I own that make me think of people who are no longer part of my life.

The first one that comes to mind is that every time I look at my [url=http://www.amazon.com/Gnomes-30th-Anniversary-Wil-Huygen/dp/0810954982/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-3102481-1083960?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190396541&sr=8-1]Gnomes book[/url] I think of my grandmother. I don’t have the book handy, but there’s an inscription inside the cover that says when she gave the book to me. I think it was for my 10th birthday. I’ve read that book so many times and probably thought of her each and every one. I can still recall the warm spring day that may or may not have actually been the day of my birthday…I think my birthday may have fallen on Easter that year, too. I don’t know now, but there are some little details that really stand out in my mind – all brought about simply by thinking of the Gnome book.

Each time I look at the cover to [url=http://don.oninohana.com/blog/?postid=8]Elfquest[/url] issue #18, I think of Stephen Robert who way my best friend in elementary and middle school. He was with me the day I found that issue at the comic book store which kicked off our renewed interest in EQ. Interestingly (to me, at least!) that visit also took place on a later birthday. Unlike the day above, it was rainy.

I have a lot of books that remind me of the people with whom I’ve spent time and places that I’ve been. These physical things are sort of like catching a whiff of warm corn muffins as you walk past a bakery and being reminded of your aunt’s delicious cornbread. But it’s better because you can look at them over and over, each time recalling something new.

I just uploaded a file of [url=files/ninja_magainze_articles.pdf]Ninja Magazine articles[/url]. This is kind of a “best of” collection of good articles published in the various martial arts magazines in the 80s. Enjoy!

Since we’re having the annual [i]tameshigiri[/i] seminar on the 29th, it’s important that all members focus on their sword basics in the next week. Remember that skill comes about only through repeated practice of correct movement!

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2768&g2_serialNumber=3[/img]

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2772&g2_serialNumber=3[/img]

One year ago, at 7:40pm, my life changed forever.

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=97&g2_serialNumber=4[/img]

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=93&g2_serialNumber=4[/img]

Thank you for an exciting and exhausting year filled with non-stop surprises. I love you both!

On Sunday, Robyn and the kids and I went to the annual Morristown Hospital NICU “reunion”. Chloe and Gabriel were not yet born when last year’s event was held…they were a week too late. We’re glad that they had to miss that event – if they had been born any earlier it would have been even scarier for us. It’s so hard to believe that the Houlenbabies will be one year old tomorrow.

Anyway, the reunion is to bring together all the “graduates” of the NICU with the doctors and nurses who cared for them while they were in the hospital. Unfortunately, this year we were told that things were extremely busy in the NICU and only a few doctors and nurses were able to attend the picnic. If I remember correctly, we were told the same thing while our kids were in the hospital last year as well. What is it about September that makes it so busy? Maybe it’s the cold NJ winters….

The weather was hot and sunny, but there was a great turnout at the event. We saw a few people who we knew from our time at the hospital and chatted with some others who we hadn’t met before. As parents of NICU babies, we had a lot in common and it was interesting to hear others’ stories and share our own as well as to see everyone’s children. I’ve never seen so many multiples – twins, triplets and even a few sets of quadruplets – in one place. The one nurse who particularly stands out in our minds and who was our favorite during the time the kids were in the NICU did show up and we were happy to “show off” the results of her hard work. She sat with us and talked for a while. It was nice to see her under less trying circumstances.

The food was great, too!

[b]Chloe looking cute:[/b]

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2744&g2_serialNumber=2[/img]

[b]Gabriel taking in the sights[/b]

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2728&g2_serialNumber=2[/img]

After a few hours, the kids were done – hot, tired and cranky. They fell asleep in the car and for the first time, we drove around aimlessly to let them sleep.

Labor Day weekend has come and gone. It was a fitting unofficial end to summer. The weather was absolutly stunning! New Jersey summers are usually pretty hot and humid, but this summer, we’ve had a lot of cool, wet weather. I haven’t gotten outside as much as I would have liked to over the last year. One would think that working from home would afford me the opportunity to get out a bit during the day. I wish that were true. Caring to two children ensures that our days are generally strictly scheduled, leaving little spare time for lounging around outdoors. I’m also pretty strict about my work schedule. I like to start around 7am and be done by 4pm with a few short breaks for breakfast and lunch thrown in there. I really do start to feel guilty if I fall out of that routine.

Anyway, here’s how the weekend went down: Saturday after class, we did a bit of shopping and then I put the kids’ new car seats into the CR-V. These things are so cool – they’re like aircraft ejection seats! It actually wasn’t too bad getting them in and strapped down, but then had to make all the adjustment to get the kids to actually fit right. It was getting dark by the time we finally got both properly adjusted.

On Sunday, Robyn had Weight Watchers in the morning, so it’s my chance to spend some time with the kiddies. We play, have some breakfast and then they nap. After Robyn got home (lighter by a couple more pounds, I may add!), we tried to clean the house a bit and then her mom came over for a visit. We all agree that the weather was so nice that we needed to get out and do something. I remembered the [url=http://www.njbg.org/]NJ Botanical Garden[/url], so we ended up taking a drive up north for the day. The gardens is in Ringwood State Park. It’s a really nice place to bring the family and a fun drive. I’ve never been up to that area, so I was happy to go check it out. The place is stunning! I highly recommend it and I’m sure we’ll be back there again soon.

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2693&g2_serialNumber=2[/img]

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2670&g2_serialNumber=3[/img]

On Monday we were at Robyn’s brother’s place to celebrate the holiday. We hadn’t seen them since the [url=http://don.oninohana.com/blog/?postid=206]baby naming[/url], so it was nice to hang out and watch all of the kids play together – and eat hot dogs and burgers, of course! Douglas is completely enamoured by Chloe, so he kept her entertained throughout the day while Gabriel and Hannah enjoyed the toys. I hope they’ll all be quite good friends as they grow up.

[img]http://www.oninohana.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2697&g2_serialNumber=3[/img]

I guess summer is unofficially over…and I have barely used by hammock!