BEST DADDY in the WORLD

This past weekend I was gone for Michael's wedding in Florida. (I'll post about that later when I have pictures to go along with it because it was AMAZING!!) Mat and Lana were on their own and this was the first time that I'd been away this long: 3 1/2 days. The day before I left I was driving with Lana in the car and that song by John Mayer came on "fathers be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do, girls become lovers and turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters too..." (or something like that) and I totally started crying! I had to keep blinking away the tears so I could see. The first day I was gone I called Lana to check and see how she was doing. I secretly thought that she'd be missing me like crazy and just be a mess. She was at her friend Veronica's house and she just told me she was playing with Veronica and it seemed like I was interrupting her playtime (EXCUSE ME!). Mat had her stuff packed when he dropped her off and he even got off of work early to pick her up. They went to the pool and played and he said she fell right to sleep at night with no problem. The next day when I called they were in the car and Lana was so excited cause daddy was taking her to buy a tent. "A big HUGE one!" she said. And when I got home on Sunday I found out that she got super-sick the night before throwing up everywhere! Poor Mat was all by himself to take care of her and he did a good job! When I walked in the door I saw the big huge tent set up in the living room, and Lana was asleep in the bedroom with a big bucket next to her! Haha. When she got up she told me all about her weekend and said that she had fun with daddy, she was good girl and then she got sick and daddy took care of her. He even gave her a blessing. So, Mat, here's to you and your mad daddy skills. WE LOVE YOU!!

Little Brother...Big Move

My biggest little brother, Michael, is getting married in about a week. I can't believe it!! It's such a big move and I'm very excited for him. I was just taking a trip down memory lane and found this picture of me and Mike at my wedding a few years ago. I wonder if his bride-to-be has seen his "gorilla" look. Also, check out all the cute girls and boys in the family. They look way young in these pictures compared to what they look like now!

ICE QUEEN meets PRINCE CHARMING

I had the worst day EVER last week. I wasn't feeling well, I was a bit tired, I was grumpy...you name it. Everything was bothering me and I had a mean and snippy comeback for everything. Poor Lana was stuck with me all day and the minute Mat came home from work I walked right into the bedroom shut the door and jumped into bed. I woke up from my coma a few hours later to find out that Mat had taken Lana out shopping, brought back some dinner and they bought me some roses. Mat had Lana give them to me with a big hug and kiss and said, "Look what we got you, mom! Feel better?" Yes, thank you guys! I have the best husband ever! And we made a nice little munchkin, too. Thanks for putting up with your grumpy wife/mom.

Too much information

Thanks to Jenna- I usually don't do these, but I had so much fun reading yours that I couldn't resist the challenge! MISS YOU, GIRL!


Where were you born? Honolulu, Hawaii. No matter where I go...the islands will always call me back home.

Middle name? Ok, I can't beat Jenna's middle name. What a cute story! Uh, my middle name is "Jo" and I do love it. It's my mom's and now little Lana's middle name too!

How old will you be this year? 25. Now I can rent a car. So weird that I could be married with a 2 year old and finally just barely be able to rent a car.

Nicknames? ummm...not really anymore. When my little sister was a baby she called me "Nina." And one of my friends (haole girl from Cali) wanted to start calling me "shi-shi" as a nickname and I had to explain to her that it was NOT A GOOD IDEA! I didn't want to explain why because, just as I suspected, it would make her want to say it more.

Are you taller than your mother or father? Try "the shortest person in my family PERIOD. No, how about EXCLAMATION MARK." So not fair. Maybe in the next life they'll throw me a few more inches to my height. Or a nice pair of permanent heels.

Do you cry often during movies? Yes, but not too often. Even though I've tried to re-program my mid-movie tears after being made fun of by my brothers, there's just some movies that will ALWAYS do it for me. Two of them being: "An Affair to Remember" and "the Fox and the Hound." I named those two cause I cried very recently while watching them. I even tried to toughen up and syke myself out during the happy parts and then...BAM...there go the tears.

What is your biggest pet peeve? When people honk excessively in traffic and the person they are honking at CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!! In Maryland I once drove home very slowly and purposely blocked this lady from passing from behind me because she wouldn't stop honking and freaking out. It was so bad how much pleasure I got from making her loose her mind. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

Favorite color(s)? I like green now. Lots of different shades of green. Before that was red, black, blue, and when I was in elementary school liked pink, purple and turquoise. And they had to be together.

Favorite food(s)? It's near impossible for me to turn down ice cream. My new favorite food (all of us Tanigawas actually) is frozen yogurt from Pinkberry or Red Mango. Yummy!!

Favorite restaurants? I love going to PANERA with my girlfriends, OLIVE GARDEN with the ENOS family and I've always loved BUCA di Beppos. I have yet to dine in the kitchen so I can see how they cook everything. I think it'll be fun.

Favorite smells? I like Lavender (thanks to my momma), the smell of bread baking, fresh flowers and the beach.

Favorite time of the day? I wouldn't say I'm a morning person, but I do like how peaceful it feels so early in the day. It smells nice, the air is cool and whatever I choose to do in the morning (read, exercise,finish a project) I always feel good knowing there's still so much more time in the day to accomplish whatever else is on my agenda. Now, the only problem is I like the nightlife as well.....

What brand of shampoo/conditioner do you use? Aussie. My hair likes it.

What brand of make-up products? Thanks to my older sister Sarai, I've always like MAC, but I do like a ton of extra brands...as long as they can last most of the day. I hate it when you think your makeup looks great and then you pass a mirror mid-day and can't even recognize yourself!!

How many pillows do you sleep with? 1 or for some reason I like to just sleep without one. I don't know why now that I think about it.

Do you play an instrument? Yes. The xylophone. I am an excellent xylophone player thanks to Lana's alligator xylophone toy. I also play a mean train whistle and tambourine.

Have you ever been skinny dipping? Jenna, what's "TMI?" Maybe I want to say that too.

Did you play any sports in High School? Cheerleading, Badminton, Ping-pong and in-door hockey. Just kidding: V-ball, Soccer and Softball. Loved every minute of it.

What was the last movie you saw in the theatre? The Dark Knight with my Honeybuns and Jeff and Jackie. Pretty intense. Oh, actually I did go with Mischa to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I did like that too and I will publicly embarrass myself by saying I read that series. How cool am I now?

What is your favorite article of clothing? I like my dresses cause in the summer when I don't feel like wearing anything, I'll just throw one on!

What is your dream vacation? Italy. One day Mat will cave in and take me there on the most romantic trip EVER. I just have to be patient.

What was your first impression of your spouse? He's so HOT! WHEW! Thanks to my friend Sarona, she couldn't keep my infatuation a secret and told him I was totally into him. So, technically I made the first move. I'm sure that doesn't surprise very many people.

If you were an animal, what would you be? A sly fox

What is your dream car? One of those really small, zippy electric cars. Actually I'm holding out until I can get my solar-powered car. I'm sure Mat is tired of hearing me talk about it.

What is one of your weaknesses? Not finishing what I start- i really just can't seem to.....

What do you fix for dinner when there is nothing to fix? Pasta! Thanks to Penny Poetker I think she is my pasta diva and an inspiration. Also for chili. :)

If you could live in a different decade/era what would it be? I would totally have to pick the 50's as well. Everything seemed so fresh. But I've also always been interested in ancient Egypt but who knows what trouble I'd get into there.

What is the emotion you feel the most? HAPPY

Do you consider yourself outgoing? I think so. I also like to take breaks and just relax with the fam.

What is something you are constantly working on? I'm with Jenna on this too- Organization! Also, being better at having good habits like reading my scriptures in a studious way and trying to get off my butt and do nice things for people.

Any hidden talents? No, I pretty much am a what you see is what you get kinda girl. (note to self: find a hidden talent!)

What is a word or phrase you overuse? Awesome

What was the hardest thing that happened to you this past year? My great grandma passed away and I just wish I could have seen her one last time. She was amazing and I really wanted Lana to meet her.

What is the best thing that has happened to you this past year? I would have to say the best thing about this past year was getting to jet all over and see friends and family. We saw our family in Hawaii, our friends in D.C., had some friends and family visit us here in L.A., my brother came back from his mission and I was there for that, my other brother left for his mission and I was there for that too. Now I'm gearing up for another trip to see Michael get married.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish this year? world peace...wish me luck

The best piece of advise you learned this past year? I need to invest in myself and then I can be fully whole and bless my family and friends.

Typical Sheena Move...

I had to laugh out loud when I figured out today that I don't get notified by e-mail or something when someone comments on the blog like it does on facebook. So all this time I had a bunch of comments I didn't even know were there. I just read all the cute and very very nice comments everyone has made for the past few months! You'd think I would have figured that out sooner cause I like commenting on others blogs! Thank you for taking the time to read my rantings and check out the pictures (when I get around to those!) I just love checking in and seeing what everyone else is up to these days. It always makes me feel so happy to see how all my friends are growing into such amazing and talented parents. I also couldn't live without the cute pictures of all the kids! Don't you wish we all lived close enough to just let them run around together?! For those of you who know the area-the Pratt complex? That sounds about right. haha! I'm so blessed to have great friends and family! LOVE YA!

A major mind blowing realization

It certainly feels weird to say this, but I feel I need to put it in writing to make this realization a reality: I think I like to cook. I've never liked to before. It has always been something I've avoided even learning. I wish I could turn back time and pay more attention to my mom's cooking-she's amazing. Even when Mat and I got married I didn't have the necessary kitchen skills. Our whole first year of marriage was pretty much stir-fry. (that's another proof that he loves me.haha) Our second year of marriage I was a bit spoiled by our wonderful friends in Maryland who would always get together for pot-lucks...very often! It was wonderful to just make one thing and enjoy everyone else's good cookin'. Anyway, this past year I've been really trying to make the effort to learn more and be adventurous in what I attempt to cook/bake. And through this effort, even though I'm just an amateur, I think I'm learning to like it. It's so creative, artistic and really a talent that I can recognize in others. So as I'm trying to continue to make the effort to learn and grow...I would appreciate those of you who are queens and kings of the kitchen to feel free to share tips, recipes and favorite family pleasers with me!

Summer Adventures 2008