Birthday, Bouncing, and More Birthday

So where did we leave off . . . ah yes, Zander's birthday. Unfortunately, Brian was in Seattle doing training for work on Zander's big day, so we decided to keep it low key and instead throw him a big party this upcoming weekend. However, I could not let the day pass without a little celebration. First, I just took a brownie and stuck two candles in it, and then Charley and I sang "Happy Birthday." I love this little series of pictures because I think you can tell what Zander is thinking just by the looks on his face. We'll start with the one where he is dumbfounded at our singing . . .







Then it was time to open a couple presents that some Grammy's & Grandpa's sent. Zander was so funny because he opened the wrapping paper just like his dad . . . slow and methodical, with no ripping involved. Here is he admiring a couple new presents.


Later that afternoon, we met up with some friends at a place called "Leapin' Lizards." It is basically just a big warehouse filled with a ton of different bounce houses. My pictures didn't turn out that great because the kids were constantly in motion, but here are a couple of my favorites. Needless to say, both kids had a great time.


The next day we met up with our friends again at this great little park in our neighborhood. There were four mommies, each with two kids, so here is a picture of six of the eight kids. They are quite the cute little bunch! In the back we have Ella and Zander (who fight like cats and dogs), followed by Charley and Liam (her boyfriend,but Daddy approves), and in the front is Charlotte and Cormac (best buds). We are missing the two youngest members, Lucy and Harper.


On Friday night Brian made it home, and the very next day we had another birthday party to go to. Here are my two cool dudes on their way to the party.

Unfortunately, that is where my pictures end. The party we went to was a Spiderman themed birthday, and all was going well until someone dressed like Spiderman showed up. Zander loved him, giving him high fives and hugs, like most of the other kids. Charley, on the other hand, was absolutely TERRIFIED of him, and refused to go anywhere near him. She kept begging me to let her go hide from Spiderman upstairs, but I told her she needed to stay downstairs with the rest of the kids. She eventually decided to just avoid Spiderman all together by going outside to the bounce house in the yard. She was out there playing by herself, when Spiderman and all the other kids decided to go bounce too. Charley did not see Spiderman coming until he was already in the bounce house, and when she realized that he was in there with her, she completely FREAKED OUT. She came barreling out of the bounce house, frantically screaming at the top of her lungs with tears streaming down her bright red face. I don't think I've ever seen her run so fast! And poor Charley, all the adults couldn't help but stand there, laughing their heads off because she was so funny and cute. I really wish I had a picture of the whole thing. She came sobbing into my arms, where she stayed for quite a long time. In fact, she fell asleep that way, and a short time later I woke her up because they were busting out the pinata. She woke up with a jolt, and immediately buried her face back in my neck, hiding from Spiderman. I assured her that he was gone, but it took her awhile to believe me. She kept peeking around corners cautiously just to make sure he wasn't around. Poor Charley, she's probably going to be scarred for life.

Yesterday we went to a pool party with Matt and Heather and another Columbia Falls/Montana military family that also lives out here (what a small world, huh?). We had a good time, but it was sort of a going away party for the other family, who has to move to Alabama in a couple weeks. It's always hard to see friends go.

On a different note, I'm happy to report that my Mom is going to be able to come visit after all. She is arriving Wednesday, and the plan is to have her here for a whole month, so we are all very excited. The more the merrier!

Happy Birthday Zan Man!

Today is my beautiful baby's 2nd birthday, which once again reminds me of how fast time flies.

Two years ago, on this day, we were roasting our tushes off in Arkansas as I waddled my way into the hospital. One year ago today, we barely had our boxes unpacked but squeezed in a party.

Today is going to be kind of quiet day, since Brian is out of town for work and doesn't want to miss out on any of the festivities. So we are just going to go hang out at Leapin' Lizards (a place with tons of bounce houses) with our friends, and later when we get home we'll have brownies and sing "Happy Birthday" and open a few little presents. Next weekend, though, we are going to have a big birthday party, and long ago Zander decided he wanted a shark/sting ray birthday, so that's what he will get. Someone please just tell me, where did my baby go? :)

Pouting

Surprisingly, no, this post regarding "pouting" is not about the kids. It's about me.

For the last two days, I've been puttering around, doing my normal stuff, but also sitting here feeling a little sorry for myself. And the worst part is, I know in my brain that nothing in my life is really that worth feeling sorry for (I don't think so anyway), but nonetheless, this insight does not seem to be changing my mood. The biggest downer at the moment is my mom's potential visit next week. I say "potential" because at this point in may or may not happen. My step-dad injured his knee at work a couple weeks ago, and visits to various doctors have revealed that he needs surgery as soon as possible. However, because the injury took place at work, he has to wait for the workman's comp claim to process properly before the doctors will schedule the surgery. So there he sits, at home with my mom, waiting for the call. Meanwhile, my mom is supposed to fly out here in nine days. Even IF the surgery happens before next week, they still have four horses, two dogs, a cat, and whatever other miscellaneous animals they may have at the moment, that need to be cared for. So at this point, none of us are sure whether my mom coming out here will be feasible, and in the meantime, I can't help but worry that she's not going to be able to make it, or that she may be leaving my dad in a tight spot. Sort of a no-win situation.

I'm also pouting because Brian is gone. Now, as most of you know, I'm not one of those wives who can't live without her husband for a few days . . . I don't sit around and cry, or beg him to call me every minute, or pine away for his companionship every second of every day (no offense, Brian). However, I have definitely noticed that the kids act up quite a bit more when he is gone, which does not make my days easier or make the time fly by any faster. I also don't sleep very well when he is gone because no matter how hard I try not to think about it, I'm always nervous about someone trying to get in the house when it's just me and the kids. So, very little sleep plus naughty kids does not add up to a very cheerful mommy sometimes. Also, we have all come to really enjoy the part of the day when Brian walks in the door. The kids run to him, screaming in excitement, which obviously makes me feel happy too. So all in all, I think we all prefer it when Brian is around.

And you know how it goes . . . when you get in one of these moods, the wheels in your head won't stop moving, and you start to think about EVERYTHING that may or may not be stressful normally, but is definitely stressful at the moment . . . being homesick, worrying about money, all the unfinished projects lying around, all the projects that haven't even been started . . . and on and on.

But tomorrow the pouting must stop. My "mom-tourage" (as we now call ourselves) is coming over. My mom-tourage is a group of ladies that I have come to know and love in the short time I've been here, and it just so happens that our husbands work together. I plan on telling you more about my mom-tourage in another post very soon. But anyway, we are having a ladies' night that involves lots of key lime pie, popcorn, cookies, brownies, and Lord knows what else that will be loaded with calories, plus a little celebrity gossip, Olympics, the season finale of "Tori & Dean," and just some plain old good laughs . . . which is just what I need.

But for now, I'm going to go finish pouting.

One Year Later . . .

Just a little over one year ago we were vacationing at my parents' house, getting ready to complete a very long journey that took us from Arkansas, to Michigan, to Montana, to Seattle, and finally to Hawaii, with two babies and two pets in tow. Zander was less than a year old, Charley was two and a half, and after two months of living out of suitcases, we were ready to settle down.

Brian and the pets came out to Hawaii two weeks ahead of the rest of us in order to get all our stuff moved into our new home and to get things settled before we arrived. On August 4th, he greeted me, the kids, and my mom at the airport with beautiful leis, and thus began our new life in Hawaii.


Here we are, a year later, and it still amazes me how much has changed in such a short time. In just a few short days, my beautiful son will be two years old. Just a year ago he couldn't walk, didn't talk much yet, and was still drinking out of a bottle. Today he runs around as fast as can be, can form near complete sentences, and prides himself on being able to drink out of a "big boy" cup. A year ago, my spirited little Charley was still in diapers, hadn't learned how to wear flip-flops, and was sad that all her friends were left behind. Today diapers are much a thing of the past, she has mastered how to run, jump, and play hopscotch in sandals, and she has made so many new friends that she never has a shortage of companionship. One year ago I would have sworn to you that I would be working by now. And yet here I am, a year later, no longer pondering the possibility of working any time soon, and relishing every minute that I get to spend at home with the kids. One year ago, my kids didn't know much else besides spending their weekdays at daycare. Today my kids don't know anything except spending their days with me. A year ago we all took for granted the easy work schedule Brian enjoyed for three whole years. Today we savor every minute that Brian gets to spend at home. A year ago I would have not considered going anywhere in public by myself with both kids unless I absolutely had to. Today we rarely spend an entire day at home, and I don't think there is anything that I am not brave enough to try on my own with the kids. A year ago I was not very confident in my ability to be a good stay-at-home mom, as I always envisioned myself being the "working mom." Today I am proud to be a stay-at-home mom, and most days I feel like I'm doing an okay job of it. A year ago I had a cleaning lady. Today, I AM the cleaning lady. A year ago we never sat down as a family and ate dinner because the kids always ate an early dinner and Brian and I ate after they went to bed. Today we sit down as a family and eat dinner every night, and we are all eating the same thing. A year ago Zander hated going to the beach and would cry every time a wave splashed him with water. Today we have to tear him away from the water, even after spending three hours at the beach. A year ago Charley and Zander's hair was blonde, but today it's even blonder. They are officially Coppertone beach babies.

Things are definitely different today that they were a year ago . . . more different than I ever imagined.

But looking back, I don't think I would trade even a minute of it for anything else . . .

1st Day of School

Charley started preschool today, and I swear, it was a match made in heaven. She definitely got my nerdy "I love school" gene . . . now let's just hope she gets to skip the whole thick glasses/big hair phase that I suffered through (for way too many years). And true to form, I was there with camera in hand to capture every single second. Here we are loading in the car first thing this morning . . . and if I had to read Charley's face, I'm guessing she was thinking, "Oh great, here's the psycho camera lady again."


We arrived a few minutes early, along with many other parents, so we all took turns sticking our kids in front of the school sign to take pictures. I'm not kidding when I say that EVERY other parent there had a camera too, so I didn't feel so dorky at that point.

Here are Charley and Zander patiently waiting to go inside. I love Charley's little backpack with her name embroidered on it. Unfortunately, Zander thought he was going to school today too.

Here is Miss Chris, Charley's teacher, with her new class. At this point, Miss Chris told all the kids to sit on a shape and say goodbye to their mom or dad. So I said, "Bye Charley." She didn't even look my way. So, I repeated myself. But she still didn't look my way. I was glad that she wasn't upset, but at the same time, I didn't want to leave her there without acknowledging my departure because I didn't want her took look up, see I was gone, and freak out. So once more, I loudly declared, "See you later Charley!" This time she looked up, smiled, and waived . . . and looked at me like, "Okay Mom, time to go."

So I left. I have to admit that as I walked out the door, I got a little lump in my throat and a very small tear behind my eye. I'm not really a cryer, but I just can't believe how fast time flies and how big Charley has gotten. Where did my baby girl go?

As soon as we got in the car, Zander looked around and said, "Mama, where's Char-ee?" I said, "Sorry buddy, Charley's at school." He immediately got sad and declared, "No school! No school! No wike school!"

Sorry buddy, but it's time for sister to go.

Sleepy Head (Part II)

As you may recall, on June 9th I posted an entry about Zander's funny napping habits (i.e. how he tends to fall asleep anywhere but his bed). Well, these habits have continued. Zander WILL NOT take a nap in his crib during the day (he hasn't for months now), but he WILL fall asleep whenever it suits him. Thankfully the kid goes to bed at 7:00 p.m. at night, and usually sleeps until 5:00 a.m., at which time he comes in bed with me and will generally fall back asleep until 6:30 a.m. or so. So it's not all that bad. But it does make for some good pictures. Here are the pictures I've taken just in the last six weeks or so . . . and these aren't even ALL of his random naps.

Here are his Michigan naps:

In this one, he was sitting up on the bed watching T.V., and I walked out of the room for literally ten seconds, and when I came back, he had collapsed face first on the bed.

Here we are back in Hawaii . . .



Yes, he is in fact sleeping standing up . . .

New position . . .

I wish he was this sweet and cute when he wakes up from these naps!

The Dentist Diaries

Today we had the distinct pleasure of taking both kids to the dentist. This was Charley's third visit, but it was Zander's first visit, so we decided that it might be prudent for BOTH of us to attend the appointment. Charley actually really enjoys going to the dentist, either because they have cool toys in the waiting room and T.V.'s attached to the exam chairs, or because she's never had anything traumatic (like a filling) done . . . but either way, she likes it, so she was no problem. She sat in her chair nicely, followed the kind dentist's instructions, and left with a nice sparkly smile. He said her teeth look great (despite the one tooth that got bumped a few weeks ago and hence turned a sort of grayish color, but which will eventually fall out) and to keep up the good work.

Zander, well, not the same story. Zander was not impressed with the waiting room toys enough to want to stay, he hated the exam chair (so I had to sit with him), and he hated the dentist looking in his mouth even more. We had to lay him in my lap, face up, with his head on my knees, arms pinned down, just so the dentist could get a peek in his screaming mouth. It was awesome. Fortunately, the dentist that we go to is a pediatric dentist, so he is totally used to this type of reaction and said that he generally doesn't start cleaning their teeth until age three, when they can understand more of what's going on. Anyway, he got enough of a look in Zander's mouth to determine that Zander will most definitely need braces down the road. He said that Zander's teeth are already crowded and he doesn't even have all his molars yet. I guess I wrongly assumed that what your baby teeth look like didn't necessarily apply to how your permanent ones will turn out, but I guess I was wrong.

So, this whole trip to the dentist got me thinking about genetics and how interesting they are. I have always had perfectly straight and perfectly spaced teeth, hence never needing braces, and I've never had any major dental issues. Brian, on the other hand, not only had braces/head gear/retainers for many years (he's probably going to kill me for publishing that information), but he had to get caps on both his front teeth, and he told me today that he even had to get ten teeth extracted from his mouth (six regular teeth and four wisdom) to make some room, and his teeth are still crowded. So here comes Charley, who seemingly favors Brian in nearly ever way (looks, body type, hair texture, even her fingers and weird pinkie toenails), aside from her blue eyes and her attitude, which clearly come from my gene pool. Then Zander is next, who clearly favors me in the looks department, even down to his pinkie toes, more or less favoring Brian mainly in the personality department (thank God). Yet somehow, in all that mix, Charley got my perfectly spaced teeth, and Zander got Brian's crowded ones. Hmmm, interesting.

Now if we could only explain their very blonde hair . . . .

Happy Birthday (and anniversary) Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday (don't worry mom, I'll keep the number under wraps), as well as her 26th wedding anniversary, so today is a very special day. I wish more than anything I could be with her at this moment, with the kids and I baking her a cake while loudly and obnoxiously singing "Happy Birthday"over and over again (as kids love to do) . . . but since I can't, I will just have to try and make the thousands of miles between us seem smaller by simply telling her how much I love her and how much of an honor it is for me to have her as my mom. Mom, you are the best (everything) to me, and I can only hope that I can be a fraction of the wonderful mom that you have been all these years. We cannot wait to see you in a few weeks!

Ditching Diaper Duty

Now that Zander is approaching the ripe old age of two, we've slowly been introducing him to the whole idea of using the potty, mostly through discussions, demonstrations (on Brian's part obviously), and "practicing" on the same little potty that we trained Charley on, where he sits down on the potty (fully dressed) and pretends to go. This has been going on for a couple months now.

Today Zander decided to remove the little portable potty from the bathroom, and brought it into the living room. Now even this little step is all new territory for us because we couldn't bribe Charley with enough sugary treats in the world in return for her to show us even a minuscule amount of interest in potty training at that age. In fact, she put up a pretty darned good fight. But I thought, hey, Zander could be different. I asked him if he wanted to take his shorts and diaper off and try the potty out, and in response he said, "Try it." So I removed all his clothing and told him to sit on the potty so that he could go "pee-pee" or "poo-poo." As soon as his little tush hit the seat, I tried to show him how to push his "peanut" (as we so appropriately call it) down so that pee doesn't spray everywhere. He gave it his best shot, but it quickly became apparent that we would need to work on this technique (any suggestions out there parents?). Then he jumped up and yelled, "Special treat! Special treat!" For the next ten minutes we tried to appease him by explaining that he needed to actually GO in the potty for a special treat, and after awhile he gave up this battle, at least for a little while anyway.

Since he seemed interested, we let him run around for another hour or so naked, which he amazingly did with no accidents. After dinner, I was running up and down the stairs working on something, and during this time he pushed his little potty back into the bathroom. On one of my trips downstairs he once again started yelling, "Special treat! Special treat!" So once again I had to say, "Buddy, you need to go pee or poop IN the potty if you want a special treat." I then ran back upstairs to finish what I was doing, and less than three minutes later I heard Brian frantically yelling my name (which is so unlike Brian), so I became worried and sprinted downstairs.

Apparently, just a couple minutes after I had returned upstairs, Zander approached Brian and yelled, "Special treat, special treat!" And Brian pulled him back towards the bathroom, reminding him that he had to go in the potty to get a treat. As soon as he got to the bathroom, Brian was shocked to find pee all over the tiny potty, as well as all over the floor right around the potty. It was obvious that Zander had sat down on the potty to go pee and couldn't or didn't push his little peanut down to make sure it all stayed in the potty. But how cool is that? Zander managed to pee in the potty on the very first day that we took his diaper off! I'm hoping that this isn't just beginner's luck, because Lord knows I would LOVE to be done with diapers as soon as possible. However, I also realize that he is not even two yet, so it might take us a little while to get there. But, no matter how long it takes, I have a feeling my little man will put up a lot less of a fight than his sister did. I can always hope anyway.

Missing Daddy

The prevailing question in our household lately has been, "Mommy, where's Daddy?" And the prevailing answer? "At work."

The past few months, Brian has been working what seems like all the time. This is a pretty common occurrence during this part of the year as co-workers rotate out, new ones are coming in sporadically, out-of-town classes and training are happening, and people are on vacation. Our own vacation was a nice break from Brian's frequent absence, but since we have been back, he has been gone more than ever.

We had it pretty darned easy in Arkansas, where Brian's hours were set, reliable, and not all that bad. However, we knew that we were in for a rude awakening before we even moved here, but even preparing yourself mentally doesn't make it much easier, especially for the kids. They just don't really understand, no matter how you try to explain it. Charley particularly has a difficult time, which is clearly apparent in her behavior every time he is gone. She is much more irritable and whiny in his absence, and her whole demeanor changes the second he walks in the door. Both kids have come to listen for the sound of his Jeep pulling up in the driveway, and on the occasions when he is able to sneak in, their whole faces light up as they go sprinting for his legs the second they spot him. I honestly think his coming home is one of the best parts of their day.

I know that in all reality, we really don't have it that bad. Brian is not off on long deployments over in the Middle East like many of the soldiers from around here, who may spend as many as 15 months at a time in Iraq. He gets to come home most nights and is never gone for more than a couple weeks at a time. In all reality, we have it pretty good.

Nonetheless, everyone sure does still miss daddy.

Genius

This morning Brian got up with Zander, and they came downstairs for their morning dose of coffee/milk. Brian turned the "Today" show on, where they were showing a map of Texas and Mexico and discussing how a hurricane was heading that direction. Brian decided to give Zander a little lesson in geography.

Brian: "Hey Zander, look, it's Texas."

Zander: (looking at Brian) "No Dada. Mexico."

What the heck? Not sure if I should chalk it up to luck, genius, or Dora and Diego.

The Dog Days of Summer

It's hard for me to believe that summer is winding down already . . . where does time go? I do have to admit, though, I don't get the same emotions about the end of summer that I used to get, in some good ways and some bad. On the one hand, I used to dread the arrival of months of cold weather, and since we don't really have seasons here, I don't feel that same sense of dread. On the other hand, I always really enjoyed autumn, with the cooler days and changing leaves, and obviously here we miss out on that whole event. In the end, though, I guess I would rather forgo the few weeks of nice leaves if it means I don't have to scrape the frost from my car windows, worry about icy roads, or wear tons of layers to keep warm. Ah, the benefits of Hawaii . . .

Last week we kept busy with our usual swimming lessons, as well as a trip to the beach and a trip to the Aquarium down on Waikiki Beach. I decided to be brave during our Aquarium trip by NOT taking a stroller (for the first time ever), mostly because it's too hard for Zander to look at stuff when he's trapped in his seat. I was a little nervous about letting both kids run free, but they stuck together pretty well and neither one ran off on me, so we had an awesome time. This weekend, my friend Amber (I've know her since high school and she did my wedding photos) who now lives in Maui flew over to our neck of the woods to take some family pictures for us. Wouldn't you know, it hadn't rained in several weeks and hasn't rained since, but for the one afternoon we needed some nice weather, it was pretty bad. So, we became weather chasers, driving all over the island looking for any patches of sunlight. It worked a couple times, and the pictures turned out great. I'll share those when I get them back from Amber.

This week we have more swimming lessons, as well as a pool day down at Pearl Harbor and a Waterslide day planned, so there will be no shortage of water-related fun in our world this week. Brian's been busy at work, but they are pretty short on man power this time of year, so that's to be expected.
Oh, and here are a few more cute pictures from our trip to Michigan for your viewing pleasure. The first one is a picture that Charley took right before we got on the airplane, the second ones is of our trip to Deer Forest (or as I call it "Redneck Disneyland"), and the third one was taken down at Waco Beach on Lake Michigan . . . Zander sure loves his Grammy Bev!

Back to the Grind

So, we are finally getting back into the swing of things after our vacation, which has taken us awhile, particularly because of the six hour time change between here and Michigan. Charley adapted pretty quickly, but Zander had a tough time for several days after we got back, especially with sleeping . . . which meant that Brian and I had a tough time too since Zander was waking up every morning at 4:00 a.m. But finally, things are starting to fall back into place, one whole week later. Thank goodness.

Charley is back to daily swimming lessons, although we think it might be time to wind down with those . . . maybe one more session, and then we will be done for the summer. She also starts preschool on August 4th, so she is very excited about that (and so am I). Two mornings a week she will head off to school, which will not only be fun for her, but it will give Zander and I some time alone, something none of us are used to. In other Charley news, Charley managed to kill one of her beautiful white front teeth by falling on the stairs a few weeks ago. The poor tooth has turned a shade of grayish brown and will stay like that until it falls out in a couple years. The dentist reassured us that all looks well, although the tooth is already a little mobile at this point. We may have an early visit from the tooth fairy I guess. Charley also managed to pick up another ear infection a few days ago, so we are once again loading her up with ear cleanings and medicine to take care of that. Lots going on for Charley.

Nothing too exciting in the Zander department. He's talking up a storm, and learning how to effectively fight with his older sister (ALL THE TIME). It's hard to believe that he will be turning two in just a few weeks. Unfortunately, Brian will be doing some training in Seattle on Zander's birthday, so we are probably going to postpone his official party until a couple weeks later. I know Zander won't know the difference, and of course I'll still do a little something on his real birthday. We are thinking of going with a shark theme for his party, since he is so obsessed with sharks and sting rays right now.

In other news, we have two extended Grandma visits coming up, which we are all excited about. My mom will be heading our way on August 20th and staying with us for a whole month, which works out just perfect because Brian will be deployed for two weeks of that in September . . . so I will have mom to help out with things around here. Just a couple weeks after she leaves, Bev will be joining us at the beginning of October for a three week visit, so as you can see, we are all going to be blessed with tons of Grammy time over the next few months. Yeaaa!!!!!

Our reservation calendars are filling up fast at the Palm House, so if you want to come anytime in the near future, make your reservation soon! :)

Zander the Linguist

Zander spoke his longest sentence EVER this morning . . . the words may have been a little out of order, but the idea was there:


Zander: "Mama, Zanda's (Zander's) police car, find, downstairs?"


**I know, I know, Zander is going to HATE ME later in life for posting this picture, but I couldn't help it. :)


****EDIT****
A few minutes after I posted this entry, I heard Zander continue his streak of long thoughts in the following conversation:

Charley: (standing near her toy kitchen set) "Here Zander, here is a pretzel."

Zander: (taking the pretzel) "Oh, thanks Char-ee . . . special pretzel . . . wuv it (love it) . . . here pretzel, in cart (as he places the pretzel in his toy shopping cart) . . . okay, bye-bye."

Another Charley-ism

Charley: "Mom, where are we?"

Danielle: "We are at the uniform shop to buy Daddy some clothes for work."

Charley: "Can I ride horses here?"

Danielle: (confused) "No, sorry, they don't have any horses here."

Charley: "Well, can I ride a unicorn then?

Danielle: (laughing) "No punkin', we are at a UNIFORM shop, not a unicorn shop."

Charley: "Well, can I ride a uniform instead?"

Travelin' Blood

We survived. And not only did we survive, but we had fun. I call that success.

After nine hours of flying time, two hours in lay-overs, and two hours of driving, we arrived in Michigan at 3:30 a.m. on June 26th. Oh, and did I forget to mention that neither of my children cried even once, and the whining for the entire 18 hour day came to a grand total of five minutes worth of whining? In short, the kids could not have behaved any better.

We spent the next two weeks having an awesome time. We saw tons of friends and family, went to a children's museum, spent time at the beach, hung out at the pool, went to movies, went to an airplane museum, had BBQ's, celebrated Brian's sister's graduation from college, went out to dinners, went to a deer farm with tons of animals and rides, picked berries, baked pies, and Brian and I even snuck out for a movie AND a night out with one of our friends, Jenni and her husband, and Brian's sister, Jen, and her boyfriend (which included a casino, a few drinks, and some good laughs). We kept busy and they days flew by.

Before we knew it, the trip was over. So there we were back to two hours of driving, three hours in lay-overs, and nine hours of flying time, arriving home last night at 8:00 p.m. (which felt like 2:00 a.m. to us because of the time difference). Oh, and did I mention that neither child cried even once, and the whining for the entire 18 hour day came to a grand total of five minutes? Once again, the kids could not have behaved any better.

We just had a great time. I don't know how else to say it. The kids were so well-behaved overall for the entire trip, everyone pitched in with the kids, we got Brian all to ourselves for two weeks, and we got to see so many faces that we haven't seen in awhile, it just all made for a fun time. I didn't know quite what to expect, especially with the kids, with all the traveling, sleeping in new places, no consistent schedules, etc. . . . but they adapted so well and had such a good time, that I'm convinced they have some traveling genes in them, because there is no other way to explain how awesome they were. Well, maybe we are just lucky and have some great kids too. :)

I have so many pictures, it's not even funny . . . and I'm still gathering more from various people, so hang with me, and I'll get some posted. But we are back, getting adjusted, and settling back into our routine. I sure do miss Michigan though . . .

Mother Hen

Today I was cleaning our guest bedroom/office while the kids were sitting on our bed watching a cartoon. I heard Charley get off the bed, walk down the hall to her bedroom, and then return to my bedroom after a few seconds. A few minutes later I heard the same thing . . . she hopped off the bed, walked down the hall to her room, and then headed right back to my room. And then this pattern happened a third time, so on her way back to my bedroom on this trip, I asked Charley what she was doing. She responded, "Oh, nothing Mom." Then I became suspicious and asked her where Zander was. She responded, "Sleeping on your bed." Well, I thought to myself, sounds like a pretty good situation to me. But after a minute or so, I realized that Charley MUST have been up to something, even if Zander was asleep, so I decided to peek in on the situation.

Sure enough, Zander was fast asleep. However,
he was neatly tucked in with one of Charley's favorite blankies that she sleeps with, he had Charley's water cup that she takes to bed within grabbing distance, and he was snuggled up to one of her all time favorite stuffed animals, her pink bear.

When Zander fell asleep, Charley took it upon her self to make his nap a bit more comfortable . . . so what I heard was her going back and forth to her room, fetching various items to make his sleeping experience more pleasurable. What a nice sister.

A few minutes later I heard Charley softly saying, "Don't worry honey, it's okay, I'm right here. Don't be sad, I'm right here." When I peaked in the room again, I saw Zander sitting up, rubbing his eyes with a grumpy and confused look on his face, trying to decide if he was going to be mad or not. Meanwhile, Charley is sitting next to him, comforting him and trying to convince him to skip the whole mad thing, using her soft Mother Hen voice to soothe him. And the best part, besides the fact that they made my whole day by being so stinkin' cute? It worked. The next thing I know, Zander is sitting there with a smile. So I snuck out of the room . . . also with a big smile.

Thanks, my sweet Charley.

Checkin' In & Checkin' Out

I know, I know, it's been a whole week since I posted anything . . . and sadly, this may be my last post for a little while since we are heading to Michigan on Wednesday for two whole weeks . . . but I promise if I have any extra time on our vacation, I will throw a little post out here and there.

So we've had a pretty busy this past week getting ready for our trip, hanging out with friends, and just doing the usual stuff that goes on around here. Nothing too new or exciting has been going on lately, so I don't really have too much to report. Instead, I will entertain you with our most recent batch of pictures.

Here are the kids using Brian as a reading post.

A few days ago we headed outside to ride bikes and scooters, but for some reason Zander was WAY more interested in this tire pump. He loves to drag it around, which is only annoying because we have to listen to its metal base scrape against the pavement (sort of like nails on a chalk board).



Brian happened to come home while we were outside, so as usual, the kids ran to greet him and hopped in the Jeep for a short ride.

Here is Zander in one of his infamous sleeping positions, wedged between the couch and the recliner on the floor. I swear, the kids DOES have a bed.

On Saturday we hit the beach while Brian did school work, and of course the weather was beautiful and we had a fun time. Heather, her boys, and her dad joined us a little while later.


Yesterday we hit the biggest mall in Hawaii, the Ala Moana Mall. I thought I would capture the kids' first visit to the Disney store, which as you can tell was a huge hit. Between Mickey Mouse and all his friends, the array of Princesses (Snow White, Ariel, Cinderella, etc.), characters from the movie Cars, and friends from the movie the Jungle Book, the kids were in heaven.

Other than that, not a whole lot else is new. Charley has been a little bit better behaved this past week, and Zander is pretty much back to his happy old self, aside from a little trouble here and there of course.:) Both kids are so excited to get on a "big airplane that daddy doesn't fly" and head to Michigan to see all their relatives. We are as prepared as we can possibly be for the airplane ride (I think) with tons of food, DVD's, and a whole backpack full of new (cheap) toys. We leave here bright and early Wednesday morning, we have a 2.5 hour layover in Los Angeles, and then we arrive in Chicago around midnight eastern time (which will thankfully only feel like 6:00 p.m. to us). From there, Brian's dad will pick us up and we have another two hour car ride to Michigan. It will be a very long day, so keep your fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. We can use all the luck we can get!

Talkin' Toddler

The past month or so, Zander has become quite the talker. Here are just a few of his favorite words and phrases these days:

1. "No wike it!" (don't like it)
2. "dangewus" (dangerous)
3. "Hold you" (which means "hold me")
4. "Fanks" (thanks)
5. "No fanks" (no thanks)
6. "Ooooo, heavy"
7. "Hhhooottt" (hot)
8. "Cuuute!"
9. "Nice . . . "
10. "Bummer, man"
11. "Help!! Help!!"
12. "Welcome" (your welcome)
13. "Ohhhh, mess!"
14."Baby's cwyin!!" (crying)
15. "III-EEE, whereareyou?" (Charley, where are you?)
16. "Beeg one" (big one)
17. "Emeal" (oatmeal)
18. "See ya waiter" (see you later)
19. "Pweeze??" (please?)
20. "Mama, snuggle" (mom, let's snuggle)
21. "Uh-oh, bwoken" (broken)
22. "fwend" (friend)
23. "Ohh-kay" (okay)
24. "Zan Man" (occasionally when he refers to himself)
25. "Pew, stinky!"

Zander has become quite the entertainer with his new found vocabulary and his passion for talking. He loves to use all these words as much as possible, as well as try out as many new words as he can roll of his tongue. He is constantly running around asking us, "This?" or "Name?" when he wants to know the word for something. He is quite the talker.

Wait a second . . . that means I have two kids that pretty much like to talk ALL THE TIME. . . uh-oh, I think I'm in trouble. :)