Personalities

The whole purpose of this blog is to write about my kids so I can one day in a few years print it out and have those memories for decades to come. I now want to talk about my kids personalities.

Aleigh at the moment is 22 months old, almost 2! That can't be right. She is still very shy around others. I am very thankful though that she doesn't scream when other people glance her way anymore. Sometimes she will give a puppy like cry when someone is giving her a little too much attention. That's OK she might just be shy through childhood, I was too and I am fine.

Aleigh loves animals. The only thing she will watch on TV right now is the Lion King because of the animals. She is obsessed with the movie. If we are watching something else on TV she will go and get her movie, hand it to me and point back to the TV. When that intro. song comes on she has this look on her face that is absolutely priceless. I hope she keeps that face the rest of her life and shows it everytime she gets that excited. She loves her animal books and going to the zoo. Taking her to Petco is like Heaven on earth to her.

Aleigh is learning to talk. I really think she will be talking by the time she turns 2 now. She just started trying to talk a few weeks ago by babbling a ton. Now she will sometimes repeat easy babbling after I say it like mama, Dada, and other random sounds and mixtures of letters. She really thinks she is talking now but I have no idea yet what she is trying to say. This is a HUGE accomplishment from my little "eehhh" girl who used to only say that a million times a day for maybe 8 months.

Aleigh is such a caring little girl. Anytime Amelia is upset because she wants something Aleigh will give it to her to make her happy. If Amelia is in another room and I call to her "Amelia where are you", Aleigh will stop whatever she is doing kind of scared like and run to Amelia. If Amelia is crying Aleigh will pat her on the back, crouch down and give her the look that says it's OK Amelia.

Aleigh is very strong willed. If she wants something she wants it. She has come so far in the last 4 months though and when I say no not right now or you had too many nutrigrain bars already she now puts it back, without me asking, and will accept whatever else there is. She is such a good kid.

Aleigh is a child of routine. She wakes at the same time, wants me to pick her up out of bed the exact same way everyday and immediately wants to eat. She gets really excited about our daily walks in the stroller and wants to walk out of the stroller at an exact spot every single time. At night she had to go through the exact same routine and if it gets changed up at all you can tell by her confused expression, and then she will usually cry a little more if it is changed.

When Aleigh is overly hungry nobody is happy. I understand this because I can also be a little bit of a grouch when I am hungry too.

Aleigh loves to be held still. She loves to cuddle and she is still pretty attached to me. She likes the extra comfort before bed and likes to hold our hands while walking.

Other likes of Aleigh's are making silly faces, being tickled, helping me with chores especially the laundry (she has to hold every hanger after I hang the item, or she will throw a fit), her no name lizard friend in the backyard, watching the rain, running as fast as she can and chasing me while I go for my run. She also loves to go up and down stairs, she is obsessed really. She loves looking through pictures and taking pictures all by herself even if they are all of the floor or her feet.

My prediction is Aleigh is going to be a working mom. She is going to do well with her grades and she is going to be driven with some type of career, and she is going to succeed at it. I would like to believe she is going to be a veterinarian since she is very obsessed with animals, or perhaps a biologist or work at a zoo or aquarium like her daddy. She is a little mom already to her little sister so hopefully 30 years from now, God willing, will give us some grand babies.

I can see Aleigh being a softball player as she loves to throw balls, it is one of her favorite things to do right now and to me it seems like she has a great arm.

Some things Aleigh does not like right now are the ocean, getting her hands dirty (she will get the wipes herself to clean her hands, legs, feet, face, arms and clothes, and even when other people are dirty). She still does not like vegetables or to sit still for long. She does not like it when her favorite songs end, or when it is time to go to bed. She does not like change and new situations.

Aleigh reminds me a lot of myself in so many ways.

Amelia on the other hand is so much like Jake.

Amelia will be 11 months old in just under a week. She is also shy around others but not nearly to the extreme Aleigh was. She will give a little pout when others give her too much undesired attention and want to be held by myself or Jake but then it stops. Only a few times has she really cried from being around a stranger.

Amelia is much more of a people person. She will follow her big sister around the house all day long. She is much more interested in watching people when we go places even the zoo where Aleigh watches the animals, Amelia watches the people.

Amelia is a pro at giving kisses. While Aleigh prefers hugs, Amelia prefers a great big smackaroo. You can be laying on the floor and here comes Amelia mouth open diving right for your mouth or nose to give you a big slobbery kiss. She is the sweetest little Miss.

Amelia is learning to talk about the same time as Aleigh I think. She is also babbling a ton although her babbles really don't sound like much.

Amelia loves to dance and watch anything on TV. She will actually sit still to watch TV which Aleigh only started to do this recently. She gets really excited when other people start dancing and will always join in quickly.

Amelia loves to play chase. I think it is hilarious, I will say "I am going to get you Amelia" and she will immediately squeal and turn around and start walking as fast as those little legs will walk until I catch her and tickle her. She also loves to play chase with Aleigh. It's funny because Aleigh thinks Amelia is chasing her while Amelia thinks Aleigh is chasing her. They make me laugh.

Amelia loves to get dirty. As soon as that back door opens she makes a run for it. She will usually go straight to the dog's water bowl to splash and get water all over herself. She then she seems to always make it over to the dirt in her wet clothes and sit her butt right down in it, while digging those hands right in. She always has such a big grin while doing this that I just can't stop her. This though means she goes through clothes pretty fast and she tends to have some dirty finger nails (maybe I should find some gloves for her to wear while she digs in the dirt).

Amelia is such a care free, independent, easy going baby who doesn't demand much of anything. She is easy to get to sleep, she falls asleep absolutely anywhere if she is tired. She is happy going along with whatever we want to do. She rarely wants to be held as she always wants to go about her own way instead. The only thing she wants is love and happiness and all is right in her world.

Amelia senses others moods. She has been like this since a baby. If Aleigh was sad, Amelia was sad. If everyone is happy she couldn't be more happy. If Jake and I are stressed she senses it very easily and will get stressed.

Amelia loves vegetables. She is just now at 11 months old liking fruit. I had never heard of a baby who doesn't like fruit until Amelia. She would immediately spit it back out with either a smile on her sweet face or a cry if I tried one too many times to get her to eat any kind of fruit purée. I would then go grab some veggies and she would inhale them. Hey, I will take it I suppose.

Amelia is just now getting the hang of finger foods and still isn't doing too well with them. She just has never been much of an eater and will just be slower to catch on than most as she just isn't very interested. She loves cheerios, yogurt melts, grilled cheese sandwich, shredded cheese, Mac n cheese. I have tried lots of other foods but those are the only ones she will keep in her mouth at the moment. She must just love cheese.

Amelia is our little explorer. Aleigh loved to make a mess and get into everything but Amelia on the other hand will take it one step further and make the mess then climb over and under it. She is a risk taker I can tell. She might be the one to ride on those crazy roller coasters with Jake.

My prediction for Amelia is she will be the class president and will be the stay at home mom. I believe she will be a people person and will have some sort of career centered around others.

She is already a little gymnast. She loves to do head stands with her feet on the ground, and she has really good balance. This girl doesn't fall a whole lot and hardly ever bumps her head. I really don't have to worry about her running into things or tripping. She loves to climb onto things and people and is pretty strong for her size.

Aleigh is my rainbow and Amelia is my little sunshine. Their nicknames are Aleigh bear and Amelia is my little Miss.

Who knows how their personalities will change over the years but as of right now these kids are the best and I enjoy them so much.

Ready to move

I am hoping and praying for some good news soon on the job front. Most wonder why we would want to leave beautiful Hawaii.

Here are some reasons;

I wake up sweating at 7am and sweat all day long. I cannot wait for the day to have central air conditioning again. Most don't know this but in Hawaii most houses only have window air conditioners, which cost a fortune to run. If you are rich then you can afford central air but out here it is just a luxury item, along with dish washers.

I miss family. I miss being a drive away. I want the girls to get to know family and seeing them once every 18 months just isn't cutting it.

I want the girls to grow up in a similar culture I grew up with. I would love to move to Texas or somewhere in the south.

The beaches are amazing but with 2 little kids, it is hard work going to the beach. You have to lug all the kids beach stuff. Also let's talk about sand. It gets everywhere!! In the diapers, which gives them rashes. It gets in the little ones mouth because she thinks it is food. Aleigh is also scared of the ocean these days so we really aren't able to even get in really.

It is expensive to live here. Since we have been looking into moving it has really opened my eyes to the prices out here. I cringe every time I see that price on the register screen and think that much money for how many items? When I move back to the mainland I am seriously thinking about being one of those crazy couponing people seeing all those cheap prices! I want to make it a goal to see just how cheap I can get my groceries. I just won't let myself have a huge stockpile. What I can't use soon will be donated.

I want a house. I want to wake up knowing I am in the home my kids will grow up in. I want a big yard where they can run as fast as their little legs will take them without the fear of a car driving by. I want to be able to decorate to my liking. I want to be able to build my own furniture with my own 2 hands. I want to decorate the walls with my kids artwork and inspirational quotes to help lead them through life. I want to have a house that will hold all the memories of their childhood. I am tired of moving and walking away from those memories.

I want seasons. I am desperate for hot chocolate, building snowmen and forts on the yard. I want to see the pretty leaves change and fall in autumn. I want to rake up those leaves just to let the girls jump in them. I want Christmas to feel like Christmas again. I honestly feel like I haven't celebrated Christmas in 3 years. I want to bundle up under a blanket while we all watch movies beside a warm fireplace. I want to remember that excited feeling when spring is around the corner and we all want to thaw off. To see those blooming tulips contrasting with the bright green yards and blue skies.

I want to be able to take a drive. You don't have to go to Hawaii to see a beautiful place. There are so many beautiful national parks in the US. The redwoods in northern Cali, Zion national park in Utah (I am desperate to hike the narrows one day), the Grand Canyon, Arches National park, Grand Teton and yellowstone, Yosemite. I want to have a hundred places and cities I can have access to just a cheap drive away.

For now though I am happy where I am. We are desperately going to miss Hawaii. I do love it here for a lot of reasons. I know I will cry hard when I board that plane and watch the island get smaller from the sky.

I know I will break down when we hand our keys over to our tenant for our place. Our girls were born here. They learned to walk in this apartment, this is where we heard that baby laughter, woke in the middle of the night comforting those precious babies, this is where they took their first baths, where they ate their first solid foods and left a mess in their wake. This is where the weather has always been nice enough to go on our daily strolls down the street. I will miss the sunshine.

This is also where Ashtyn was born and in a way us leaving will be hard because it will somewhat feel as if we are leaving her. I know this is not true but I am sure it will be hard when the time comes.

I am going to miss the people here. We were so scared moving here. We heard so many horror stories of how it is for haole's (white people) here. In almost 3 &1/2 years we have not experienced anything bad. Everyone here is so genuine and kind. If they want to know how you are they will ask and guess what? They actually listen for the answer and care. If they don't want to know, they don't ask. Everybody here is family to each other. Everyone is somebody's uncle, auntie or cousin, not by blood but in their hearts. I want to try my best to bring the Aloha with me when we move.

I might be jumping the gun writing this but we shall see. Hoping and praying for some good news.

Refreshed and Energized.

I am proud to announce that after 1 year and 10 months of waking in the middle of the night we now have 3 kiddos who sleep through the night! Hurray!

This means momma gets to sleep! Although now I do not know what to do with this extra time. I go to bed at 10 because for me that is late. I used to go to bed even earlier not knowing what the night would hold.

Now I cannot seem to sleep in. 7 hours later I wake up. What is wrong with me? This is the perfect opportunity to catch up on long lost sleep. Oh well I am waking quite refreshed and energized.

Poor Amelia is sick right now. It makes me just feel awful every time I hear her cough, or see that snotty nose. She is handling it like a trooper though. She does pretty well with the medicine and getting her nose wiped. Aleigh used to throw a fit every time, Amelia is about 50/50.

I am so thankful for 2 healthy girls. They have both been sick once or twice but that is normal.

Amelia is now getting into everything. Yesterday she got into the DVD's and scattered them all over the room. Last night she got into the shoes, socks, hats, hairbows, and diapers and just made a mess in her room. I think it is funny to watch her explore and have fun. A mess is a good thing, it means she is learning something and enjoying herself. Soon she will learn to clean up her messes, but I hope our house will be full of fun and exploration for years and years to come.

I read in a horsemanship magazine how children raised in the great outdoors around all the dirt, and animals actually have a better immune system. Some people seem to think the opposite. Either way I believe the first.

I hope and pray that my girls learn and love to fish, camp, love animals, run in big grassy fields, play in the woods, go on hikes, get their hands dirty and breathe in that wonderful smell of livestock.

I hope and pray that as their mom I can teach these things and give them those opportunities. I really hope that Jake gets this job in Waco, Texas. It is the kind of state that I can see all those wishes come true.

I only wish we could live on a farm, but I am sure there will be plenty close by for the girls to get their share of different animals. If not, there is always the zoo which Jake would be working for. They can spend plenty of time there.

Aleigh, I believe, is on the verge of talking. I hope and pray I am right. She is now babbling way more than she ever has. Yesterday she said "bababy' and pointed to Amelia. This is a huge accomplishment! I have learned that for her babbling back to her and repeating exactly what she said, making it a game is making her do that more often. She is now babbling "aaah eee" not sure if she is trying to say her name. Some other ones are "didi, Dada, mamae, Nana, Nene, yeayea, baba, beh and a big mixture of all sorts of letters really. Might not seem like much but even a month ago all she would ever say was Dada and that was maybe only a few times every couple of days. Hopefully this continues and maybe she will be talking before her 2nd birthday.

She had a Dr. appt right after she turns 2. If she isn't talking by then the Dr. Will probably recommend therapy. He gave us the option at 18 months but seeing how Jake and I both didn't start talking until 2+ we weren't worried, so he said he would check back at age 2.

Hopefully we will find out about this Waco job by the end of the week. I am sure you will all hear soon one way or the other.

Stress and cleaning

Lately because of all the possibilities of a move to the mainland, but yet it hasn't happened, I am stressed. We have basically been job searching for about 9-10 months now and it is exhausting. Not only do we have to look into how good of a job it would be, but also the city. They are all cities we have never lived in and also a lot of cities we have never even visited. That takes a lot of homework looking at the cost of living, the crime rates, the school systems, the neighborhoods, the housing market, the job itself, the company, how far of a drive it is to family, what activities the city offers, the average temperature, etc.

Because of all this research we have been doing over the past 9ish months we haven't had much time for anything else besides for the kids and doing some fun things, so we have been putting cleaning aside. Yikes!! Besides for the floors, the laundry, dishes, toilets and kitchen counters everything else has been just in wipe down mode and hasn't had a deep cleaning since before Amelia was born 10 months ago. Today though I decided to take my stress out on the house instead of the wonderful husband and kids and do some major cleaning.

One thing I have learned since having kids is white cabinets are a major no-no unless you have the time to scrub them weekly. They show everything especially those peanut butter and jelly marks from little fingers looking for more food. (Don't judge, having a spoon fed baby and a 1 yr old eating at the same time means lots of pb&j's and sticky fingers all over the house, until I get a second to clean them after the youngest is done eating too). When I buy a house if the cabinets are white that will be one of the first things I change and paint them to a dark grey or olive green/grey tint. If you can't see those PB&J marks that means they aren't there right?? Yeah, baby.

We basically have our future house designed already, just need to find the job and move! We cannot wait! We have been putting so many things on hold here. Knowing we could move at anytime made us not want to buy anything. Kids toys for example, Aleigh had outgrown most of the toys she has. Since Christmas she has only gotten 2 new toys, one she has already grown tired of and the other she still loves. The rest of the toys are just blah to her sadly. We also bought a few new books.

Aleigh makes me laugh when we read one book because it is one of those touch and feel books and there is a lot of textures in it. Well when Amelia was a little younger we would take her hand and guide her hand to feel the textures. Since Aleigh saw that, every time now for the past 6 months, she will grab her own hand with the other hand and guide that hand over the textures just like we do with Amelia, as if she can't rub her hand on it by itself. Its so stinkin' cute.

Another cute Aleigh moment is before bed after we finished reading books one day she ran to the living room and stood looking out the back door pointing to the sky making her "uh" noise and then waved bye bye so I said the sun is sleeping now so it is time for bed and she ran to her bedroom after passing a wave to the dog. Ever since then she added that to the routine, so we have to say "bye bye" to the sun everyday before bed or she will put up a fuss if we forget. Cute kid, cute kid.

Amelia has been such a stinker lately. Ha, no she is really the sweetest little thing to walk the planet I must say. She is really starting to show her personality though and will now tell you if she doesn't like something, like when Aleigh takes something from her.

Amelia has also never been much of an eater and she would be happy probably eating 15 oz. a day but then wanting to eat another 10 oz. at night because nighttime isn't any fun. The past couple weeks I have put the little Miss. on a strict eating schedule to try to cut out the over night feeds. A few months ago we started reducing the ounces in her overnight bottle, every couple weeks we would reduce it 1 oz. about 2 weeks ago we got it down to 1 (2oz ) bottle a night. We thought she would just stop waking for it since it was nothing and she obviously wasn't hungry. That was what an "expert" online had said. Yeah, not for little Miss. So now for the past 3 nights we have just started to soothe her in other ways instead of the bottle. This has meant pretty restless nights.

Aleigh we did this at about 6-7 months old because that girl would eat so much during the day we knew she didn't need a nighttime feed. Amelia on the other hand needed it until we finally buckled down and started feeding her at scheduled times to be sure she would eat enough. Aleigh we also just took it away cold turkey and would just calm her by holding her, this was not a pleasant time. Amelia we tried a more gradual approach because they are sharing a room and we didn't want Aleigh's sleep to be too interrupted. The gradual approach didn't really work anyways and now we just had to say "no" to the bottle so hopefully she will start sleeping through the night soon.

Amelia is a walking, babbling and smiling queen. She walks almost everywhere now. She babbles way more than Aleigh ever did. She is also constantly giving us really silly faces just to make us laugh. She has such a personality.

Amelia is not doing too well with finger foods, but she will get there. Right now she just puts the food in her mouth then immediately spits it back out with a silly look on that beautiful face. She just doesn't have much of a want for any kind of food so it isn't a surprise that she could care less about finger foods. Except for when Aleigh drops cheerios on the ground, those she will dive for, probably because she can follow Aleigh around (being active) and eating at the same time. Oh boy.  :)

I just love my little family. We just cannot wait to move back to the mainland and buy our first house! Hopefully we will be back before Christmas!