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.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
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!
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!
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Rundown
I think I need to let myself relax a little. I am getting sick. A stay at home mommy of an 8 month old and 20 month old just isn't allowed to get sick. Today I layed on the couch the entire 2 hr nap both the girls took together and just read a few magazines. It was nice and well needed.
Poor little Amelia is teething and she has been a sad little baby when the medicine wears off her little self. It has been extremely hard getting her to drink a bottle. She is basically eating like a newborn right now. She is loving her solids though. I think it is because the spoon feels good on her gums.
Today she learned a fun new trick. She now LOVES to spew her food all over everything every time she takes a bite. She thinks it is hilarious. I was covered in spots of baby cereal this evening. Aleigh also thought it was funny and decided to take her drink and also spew it all over the couch. Nice. They must get it from Jake. :)
After cleaning up spewed juice and cereal they then took a bath. I thought a bath was when you clean up. Apparently you actually walk away having to clean more. Haha. Aleigh peed in the tub so I asked her if she wanted to go on the potty. She made her yes gesture. I then start singing to her the "this old man" song. Well when it comes to the 4 part I knocked on the door. This made Kea go bezerk which made Aleigh almost have a heart attack and sit in my lap. I then get Amelia out of the empty tub and guess what happens. Aleigh peed on the floor. So I ask her if she wants to go back on the potty. She says yes, so on she goes. In the meantime Amelia pulls to a stand on my shoulder. Within 20 seconds she pees all over my leg. I get up, Aleigh wants down so I help her, I wash Amelia and I off. I look over and there Aleigh was peeing on the floor again. I had a lot to clean up! I didn't realize how dirty kids are until I had 2! But I love 'em.
Another note, Jake has an interview with a job in Salt Lake city Thursday. Be praying he is confident in himself and he is sharp with answering questions. I know he will do great though. It is a job we are really hoping for as long as it is what God wants. So far Jake has turned down 2 jobs. The only way this one would be turned down is if it doesn't pay enough.
Poor little Amelia is teething and she has been a sad little baby when the medicine wears off her little self. It has been extremely hard getting her to drink a bottle. She is basically eating like a newborn right now. She is loving her solids though. I think it is because the spoon feels good on her gums.
Today she learned a fun new trick. She now LOVES to spew her food all over everything every time she takes a bite. She thinks it is hilarious. I was covered in spots of baby cereal this evening. Aleigh also thought it was funny and decided to take her drink and also spew it all over the couch. Nice. They must get it from Jake. :)
After cleaning up spewed juice and cereal they then took a bath. I thought a bath was when you clean up. Apparently you actually walk away having to clean more. Haha. Aleigh peed in the tub so I asked her if she wanted to go on the potty. She made her yes gesture. I then start singing to her the "this old man" song. Well when it comes to the 4 part I knocked on the door. This made Kea go bezerk which made Aleigh almost have a heart attack and sit in my lap. I then get Amelia out of the empty tub and guess what happens. Aleigh peed on the floor. So I ask her if she wants to go back on the potty. She says yes, so on she goes. In the meantime Amelia pulls to a stand on my shoulder. Within 20 seconds she pees all over my leg. I get up, Aleigh wants down so I help her, I wash Amelia and I off. I look over and there Aleigh was peeing on the floor again. I had a lot to clean up! I didn't realize how dirty kids are until I had 2! But I love 'em.
Another note, Jake has an interview with a job in Salt Lake city Thursday. Be praying he is confident in himself and he is sharp with answering questions. I know he will do great though. It is a job we are really hoping for as long as it is what God wants. So far Jake has turned down 2 jobs. The only way this one would be turned down is if it doesn't pay enough.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
What I love most
Today is my "Friday"meaning for the next two days I only have to work part time. The work never ends for a mom of 2 little ones. They have been way too much fun lately. Seriously, just a little too much fun. I have been exhausted every morning. A mom's work day starts as soon as those littles wake up. Mine wake at about 6am.
Amelia is a playful little gal. She will not stop to sit still at all. I can hardly get her to drink a bottle. Oh but she makes up for the loss of daytime food and down the bottle in the middle of the night. Silly girl.
Because of all the exhaustion I am going to remind myself of what I love most about being a mom to 2 little girls, instead of thinking about the exhausting parts.
1. The pitter patter sound little feet make while running.
2. Holding Aleigh's sweet little hand as she walks beside you.
3. Little slobery open mouth baby kisses.
4. Happy baby trying to talk.
5. The funny faces a baby makes when you give her a food she does not like.
6. The endless giggles when they are overly tired.
7. The squeals I hear constantly from my little Amelia, happy baby.
8. When sitting on the floor they come from all directions to practically tackle you.
9. The looks on their faces when they discover something new.
10. The proud grins when they accomplish what they have been working on.
11. Excitement every time their Daddy walks through that front door after a day at work.
12. Chasing the toddler down for hugs she tries to pull away from, yet she has a grin on her face. Uh huh she enjoys it.
13. Walks in the park
14. Wonderful excuse to jump in water puddles again, that splashing sound never gets old.
15. They help me remember to stop and watch the birds, or the trees blow in the wind.
16. The smiles they give eachother warms my heart.
17. Watching Aleigh try her best to help me do anything and everything.
18. When Aleigh shares anything she has with Amelia.
19. The times when Aleigh and I are in a different room and Aleigh thinks something is missing. She then runs to Amelia and tried to pick her up to bring her to me.
20. Cute little baby feet that like to be tickled.
21. When Aleigh tries to walk around in our shoes or try on our clothes.
22. How adorable little babies look with a bow on their head.
The list could go on and on. I am so thankful to have Aleigh and Amelia. We are going to have way too much fun together over the years. I am also thankful for Jake. He works so hard to let me stay at home and then on his weekend he still works part time by giving me a part time break. Cheers to my Friday!
Amelia is a playful little gal. She will not stop to sit still at all. I can hardly get her to drink a bottle. Oh but she makes up for the loss of daytime food and down the bottle in the middle of the night. Silly girl.
Because of all the exhaustion I am going to remind myself of what I love most about being a mom to 2 little girls, instead of thinking about the exhausting parts.
1. The pitter patter sound little feet make while running.
2. Holding Aleigh's sweet little hand as she walks beside you.
3. Little slobery open mouth baby kisses.
4. Happy baby trying to talk.
5. The funny faces a baby makes when you give her a food she does not like.
6. The endless giggles when they are overly tired.
7. The squeals I hear constantly from my little Amelia, happy baby.
8. When sitting on the floor they come from all directions to practically tackle you.
9. The looks on their faces when they discover something new.
10. The proud grins when they accomplish what they have been working on.
11. Excitement every time their Daddy walks through that front door after a day at work.
12. Chasing the toddler down for hugs she tries to pull away from, yet she has a grin on her face. Uh huh she enjoys it.
13. Walks in the park
14. Wonderful excuse to jump in water puddles again, that splashing sound never gets old.
15. They help me remember to stop and watch the birds, or the trees blow in the wind.
16. The smiles they give eachother warms my heart.
17. Watching Aleigh try her best to help me do anything and everything.
18. When Aleigh shares anything she has with Amelia.
19. The times when Aleigh and I are in a different room and Aleigh thinks something is missing. She then runs to Amelia and tried to pick her up to bring her to me.
20. Cute little baby feet that like to be tickled.
21. When Aleigh tries to walk around in our shoes or try on our clothes.
22. How adorable little babies look with a bow on their head.
The list could go on and on. I am so thankful to have Aleigh and Amelia. We are going to have way too much fun together over the years. I am also thankful for Jake. He works so hard to let me stay at home and then on his weekend he still works part time by giving me a part time break. Cheers to my Friday!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
A normal day
I woke up at 5:45 this morning. I probably could make myself fall asleep again at this point but I know my kids are going to wake soon enough, so instead I give myself some quiet alone time.
I then hear Amelia wake 30 minutes later at 6:15, screaming. I then realized yay! she slept through the night! She must be screaming because she is starving. I quickly run in the room to grab Amelia in hopes Aleigh will sleep in a little longer. Nope, Amelia rolls and wakes as soon as she hears the creak in the door.
Time for a diaper change. Amelia is in that stage where she now hates laying still to get her diaper changed or change clothes. So I do my best to distract her so she doesn't try to roll. I then change Aleigh.
By this time the girls were starving and cranky and I have only been out of bed for a few minutes. I make Amelia her bottle, give Aleigh some applesauce and sit down to a bowl of cereal. A few minutes later Amelia decided she doesn't want to eat and wants to explore instead.
I start to smell some stinkiness and I just changed diapers 30 minutes ago. Another round of diaper changes and baby wrestling to put that clean diaper on.
Meanwhile Aleigh has decided she wants to read some books. She loves reading it is her favorite thing and has been for about a year. Amelia on the other hand will hardly sit still for one book. I think OK we will read a few. No, she ended up giving me the cute face and making me read every single book she has. I counted 36 books! Some she only wanted to read a few pages in, others she wanted to read 4-5 times. Amelia practically explored the house while we read.
I knew Amelia was still hungry so I then went to feed her some cereal. Well apparently Aleigh wanted to read more. She then put up a fit. This toddler fit went on for about 10 minutes while I fed Amelia.
This is a time when a stroller comes in handy, distraction. But it was left in the car which is at Jake's work. We really need to buy a 2nd double stroller so I don't have to keep remembering to take ours out of the car. I decided to instead do some cleaning. Amelia now has separation anxiety so leaving the room makes her really sad.
I run to grab the vacuum so Amelia knows I am returning and didn't just disappear to never be seen again. The vacuum, Amelia loves it, Aleigh hates it. You would think Aleigh would be used to it by now. Sometimes she just looks slightly worried but it keeps her distracted. Today though, she screamed and wanted to be held. Amelia just wants to play with it as it goes by her.
Aleigh and I then go get the broom and swiffer. She loves helping me with this cleaning project. Today though she apparently really wanted the broom. I kept telling her to help me swiffer instead. Once I was done with the broom she didn't want to give up the swiffer for the broom. She gets her stubbornness from me, what can I say.
Amelia then decides she finally wants a bottle. Just kidding, a few minutes later she again just wants to play. We all finally get out of our PJ's 3 hours later and brush our teeth. Aleigh doesn't mind brushing her teeth sometimes it even makes her laugh. Amelia just had her first tooth pop through a few days ago. So far, she can't stand having her teeth brushed. I then leave the girls to try and "brush" their own teeth to go and brush my own. After I brush I walk in to the living room and see Aleigh sitting there with Amelia's toothbrush in her mouth and Amelia was fast asleep with the bottle in her arms. Oh man....I hope that one time doesn't give her a bottle-sleep association again.
I was hoping to put the girls down for thier naps together today to give myself some down time, nope. Amelia gets put in her bed and I rinse the toothbrushes. I guess sisters that young and close in age don't mind sharing germs. :-p.
I have been teaching Aleigh how to wash her hands. She loves it because it gives her a chance to play in the water. She ends up sitting in the sink and basically turning it into a pool. That's ok it gives me a 5 minute break.
Now that the girls are getting older I am able to treat myself to some amazing things like lotion. My skin was getting a little rhino like. :-/ I never put lotion on either of my kids just because their skin doesn't need it. Before Aleigh was born I bought some baby lotion so now I have been using it up myself. Johnson and Johnson has officially been tested on animals as of today. Aleigh thought it was a blast wiping it on Kea, who then went crazy trying to lick it off. Kea loves the taste of lotion, yuck.
We live on a really dry side of the island, almost desert like. I have been trying to keep what little grass we have alive, so I then water the grass. I usually do this while the girls are sleeping so we don't get muddy feet/doggy paws. Aleigh thought this was too much fun. We played for a little while with the water hose.
We run, we chase each other, we skip, we "jump", we hide from each other and we have snacks. Amelia then wakes up screaming. Poor girl she is still teething. Just the beginning of teething really. Aleigh and I then read a few books and she goes to bed.
Here I am writing this now. These girls are exhausting but I love spending my days with them. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with them. I will look back on these days and know the financial sacrifices to stay at home were so worth it.
I have to go spend some one-on-one time with little Amelia now before Aleigh wakes up. She is such a sweet girl.
I then hear Amelia wake 30 minutes later at 6:15, screaming. I then realized yay! she slept through the night! She must be screaming because she is starving. I quickly run in the room to grab Amelia in hopes Aleigh will sleep in a little longer. Nope, Amelia rolls and wakes as soon as she hears the creak in the door.
Time for a diaper change. Amelia is in that stage where she now hates laying still to get her diaper changed or change clothes. So I do my best to distract her so she doesn't try to roll. I then change Aleigh.
By this time the girls were starving and cranky and I have only been out of bed for a few minutes. I make Amelia her bottle, give Aleigh some applesauce and sit down to a bowl of cereal. A few minutes later Amelia decided she doesn't want to eat and wants to explore instead.
I start to smell some stinkiness and I just changed diapers 30 minutes ago. Another round of diaper changes and baby wrestling to put that clean diaper on.
Meanwhile Aleigh has decided she wants to read some books. She loves reading it is her favorite thing and has been for about a year. Amelia on the other hand will hardly sit still for one book. I think OK we will read a few. No, she ended up giving me the cute face and making me read every single book she has. I counted 36 books! Some she only wanted to read a few pages in, others she wanted to read 4-5 times. Amelia practically explored the house while we read.
I knew Amelia was still hungry so I then went to feed her some cereal. Well apparently Aleigh wanted to read more. She then put up a fit. This toddler fit went on for about 10 minutes while I fed Amelia.
This is a time when a stroller comes in handy, distraction. But it was left in the car which is at Jake's work. We really need to buy a 2nd double stroller so I don't have to keep remembering to take ours out of the car. I decided to instead do some cleaning. Amelia now has separation anxiety so leaving the room makes her really sad.
I run to grab the vacuum so Amelia knows I am returning and didn't just disappear to never be seen again. The vacuum, Amelia loves it, Aleigh hates it. You would think Aleigh would be used to it by now. Sometimes she just looks slightly worried but it keeps her distracted. Today though, she screamed and wanted to be held. Amelia just wants to play with it as it goes by her.
Aleigh and I then go get the broom and swiffer. She loves helping me with this cleaning project. Today though she apparently really wanted the broom. I kept telling her to help me swiffer instead. Once I was done with the broom she didn't want to give up the swiffer for the broom. She gets her stubbornness from me, what can I say.
Amelia then decides she finally wants a bottle. Just kidding, a few minutes later she again just wants to play. We all finally get out of our PJ's 3 hours later and brush our teeth. Aleigh doesn't mind brushing her teeth sometimes it even makes her laugh. Amelia just had her first tooth pop through a few days ago. So far, she can't stand having her teeth brushed. I then leave the girls to try and "brush" their own teeth to go and brush my own. After I brush I walk in to the living room and see Aleigh sitting there with Amelia's toothbrush in her mouth and Amelia was fast asleep with the bottle in her arms. Oh man....I hope that one time doesn't give her a bottle-sleep association again.
I was hoping to put the girls down for thier naps together today to give myself some down time, nope. Amelia gets put in her bed and I rinse the toothbrushes. I guess sisters that young and close in age don't mind sharing germs. :-p.
I have been teaching Aleigh how to wash her hands. She loves it because it gives her a chance to play in the water. She ends up sitting in the sink and basically turning it into a pool. That's ok it gives me a 5 minute break.
Now that the girls are getting older I am able to treat myself to some amazing things like lotion. My skin was getting a little rhino like. :-/ I never put lotion on either of my kids just because their skin doesn't need it. Before Aleigh was born I bought some baby lotion so now I have been using it up myself. Johnson and Johnson has officially been tested on animals as of today. Aleigh thought it was a blast wiping it on Kea, who then went crazy trying to lick it off. Kea loves the taste of lotion, yuck.
We live on a really dry side of the island, almost desert like. I have been trying to keep what little grass we have alive, so I then water the grass. I usually do this while the girls are sleeping so we don't get muddy feet/doggy paws. Aleigh thought this was too much fun. We played for a little while with the water hose.
We run, we chase each other, we skip, we "jump", we hide from each other and we have snacks. Amelia then wakes up screaming. Poor girl she is still teething. Just the beginning of teething really. Aleigh and I then read a few books and she goes to bed.
Here I am writing this now. These girls are exhausting but I love spending my days with them. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with them. I will look back on these days and know the financial sacrifices to stay at home were so worth it.
I have to go spend some one-on-one time with little Amelia now before Aleigh wakes up. She is such a sweet girl.
Friday, July 4, 2014
A sight to be seen
Now that Jake and I are becoming "masters" of having 2 little ones, we are also realizing just the sight we are giving others around us. It must be hilarious to watch really. We have always been somewhat annoyed by how many people just seem to stare at us. Yes we have 2 little ones that look almost close enough to be twins. They must surely be twins because nobody in their right mind would have 2 so close together right? We thought that was what everybody thought. Now we know we are just entertaining to watch is all.
On our anniversary we brought the kids with us. We don't have family in Hawaii and Aleigh still has some stranger anxiety even around friends. We went on a movie tour at a ranch where they have filmed some big name movies. Right from the get go people start watching. We have to change their diapers. We have a tool bag in the back of the car with everything needed, diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, rash cream, snacks etc. just in case we forget it in the diaper bag. I change one then we switch kids and I change the other. The whole tour Aleigh wanted to walk as much as possible. Jake had to chase her around while I wore Amelia in the baby carrier. Amelia was squealing the whole tour while Aleigh was screaming every time we saw a cow, horse or bird, which was often. No wonder how many stares we received from the bus full of people.
We decided to attempt to eat at Outback steakhouse. From the get go we receive more staring. From Aleigh who waves at everybody and is demanding to walk on her own in a restaurant where she has no idea where she is walking and keeps walking in front of people even when we are guiding her and holding her hand. Then to the high chair dilemma. Do we have 2 high chairs, or 1 chair and hold Amelia, or 1 chair and let Aleigh sit in a booster seat? We decide on one high chair and a booster seat. Well we decided to put Aleigh in the high chair first and hold Amelia. Aleigh was taking her kids menu, crayons, napkins, coasters and swishing them around the table and throwing them on the floor. We gave Amelia some toys too. She constantly kept throwing them on the floor. We recieved I don't know how many "you have a toy/item under you" by I don't know how many people.
We then receive our meals and guess who else wants to eat with us? Amelia, so Jake gives her a bottle while trying to eat his salad with his other hand while Amelia is trying to grab at his fork. Meanwhile Aleigh has a plate of some of our salad and bread. She of course doesn't want the salad. Instead she thinks the plate is a drum set. When Amelia was finished with her bottle we get a 2nd high chair and put Amelia in if. Well, Aleigh was then making a huge mess so we decided to move her to the booster seat. Our main meals come out and Aleigh was then sliding out of the booster seat and almost falling under the table almost the same time as Amelia is sliding down in the high chair and crying because she couldn't lean back without sliding down. All high chairs do not fit 7 month old babies apparently. So then Jake holds Amelia again while we try to get Aleigh just to sit in the booth. Every couple minutes she starts to stand again so we have to remind her to sit again. There was a baby in the booth behind us, so she gradually would make her way to a stand so she could wave and stare at the family behind us. Do you ever feel like you are being watched? Well you probably are. At one point Aleigh gets into my diaper bag. I didnt even realize it was next to her. Next thing I see is Amelia's little baby shoe is slammed down on top of Aleigh's plate of food. Lovely. Thankfully since Amelia isnt walking a baby shoe really isnt dirty but still clean feet even dont belong on a table especially not a plate of food. Apparently Aleigh got Amelia's shoes out of my bag. Nice, that will make for some rubbery tasting food.
After lots of giggles, screams, random crying for no reason, squeals and food being dropped because Aleigh doesn't want it, 2 empty high chairs along with 1 empty booster seat, and dirty fingers smeared all over the table we finally finish our meal, pay, and then leave again with our 1 yr. old walking in front of waitresses and waving at them as she passes. We are quite the sight to be seen. It is a little stressful at times. Sometimes we wonder how we even get food in our mouths. Sometimes we are so stressed that it is hilarious and we both just crack up laughing at the scenario. It is a lot of fun though. We love our kids, we love our life. We wouldn't have it any other way. We are the "crazy" people who have 2 kids just under a year apart, our Irish twins.
On our anniversary we brought the kids with us. We don't have family in Hawaii and Aleigh still has some stranger anxiety even around friends. We went on a movie tour at a ranch where they have filmed some big name movies. Right from the get go people start watching. We have to change their diapers. We have a tool bag in the back of the car with everything needed, diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, rash cream, snacks etc. just in case we forget it in the diaper bag. I change one then we switch kids and I change the other. The whole tour Aleigh wanted to walk as much as possible. Jake had to chase her around while I wore Amelia in the baby carrier. Amelia was squealing the whole tour while Aleigh was screaming every time we saw a cow, horse or bird, which was often. No wonder how many stares we received from the bus full of people.
We decided to attempt to eat at Outback steakhouse. From the get go we receive more staring. From Aleigh who waves at everybody and is demanding to walk on her own in a restaurant where she has no idea where she is walking and keeps walking in front of people even when we are guiding her and holding her hand. Then to the high chair dilemma. Do we have 2 high chairs, or 1 chair and hold Amelia, or 1 chair and let Aleigh sit in a booster seat? We decide on one high chair and a booster seat. Well we decided to put Aleigh in the high chair first and hold Amelia. Aleigh was taking her kids menu, crayons, napkins, coasters and swishing them around the table and throwing them on the floor. We gave Amelia some toys too. She constantly kept throwing them on the floor. We recieved I don't know how many "you have a toy/item under you" by I don't know how many people.
We then receive our meals and guess who else wants to eat with us? Amelia, so Jake gives her a bottle while trying to eat his salad with his other hand while Amelia is trying to grab at his fork. Meanwhile Aleigh has a plate of some of our salad and bread. She of course doesn't want the salad. Instead she thinks the plate is a drum set. When Amelia was finished with her bottle we get a 2nd high chair and put Amelia in if. Well, Aleigh was then making a huge mess so we decided to move her to the booster seat. Our main meals come out and Aleigh was then sliding out of the booster seat and almost falling under the table almost the same time as Amelia is sliding down in the high chair and crying because she couldn't lean back without sliding down. All high chairs do not fit 7 month old babies apparently. So then Jake holds Amelia again while we try to get Aleigh just to sit in the booth. Every couple minutes she starts to stand again so we have to remind her to sit again. There was a baby in the booth behind us, so she gradually would make her way to a stand so she could wave and stare at the family behind us. Do you ever feel like you are being watched? Well you probably are. At one point Aleigh gets into my diaper bag. I didnt even realize it was next to her. Next thing I see is Amelia's little baby shoe is slammed down on top of Aleigh's plate of food. Lovely. Thankfully since Amelia isnt walking a baby shoe really isnt dirty but still clean feet even dont belong on a table especially not a plate of food. Apparently Aleigh got Amelia's shoes out of my bag. Nice, that will make for some rubbery tasting food.
After lots of giggles, screams, random crying for no reason, squeals and food being dropped because Aleigh doesn't want it, 2 empty high chairs along with 1 empty booster seat, and dirty fingers smeared all over the table we finally finish our meal, pay, and then leave again with our 1 yr. old walking in front of waitresses and waving at them as she passes. We are quite the sight to be seen. It is a little stressful at times. Sometimes we wonder how we even get food in our mouths. Sometimes we are so stressed that it is hilarious and we both just crack up laughing at the scenario. It is a lot of fun though. We love our kids, we love our life. We wouldn't have it any other way. We are the "crazy" people who have 2 kids just under a year apart, our Irish twins.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)