A time for firsts, lasts and terrible twos

Like my mom always said,  "never a dull moment."  In case you haven't heard, we are officially off on our next adventure.  We are bidding Hawaii fair well and saying hello to California (but just for 9 - 12 months).  Then it's off to China (for 2-3 years) so Chris can join the team that will build Disney Shanghai.  We have all the excitement, anticipation, and nervousness that you would expect.  We are going to miss a lot of things about Hawaii but I will pen those things later.  I know that most of you read this blog for the girls and their pictures so I will get to their updates 1st.

Helaina is doing a bang up job with potty training.  At this point I would say she is officially "trained" as she hasn't had an accident in a week.  However, she refuses to go number 2 at school.  You know many of you did the same thing, so who can blame her?  To celebrate (and because it will probably be the last time), we have booked a night a Aulani (the Disney hotel) next week.  We are waiting to tell her so no spoiling if you read this and get a chance to talk to her.

  

I would definitely say we are in the throws of terrible two's.  (At least I think this is what it is and not just some catch phrase parent's use to get you through a tough time that is only going to get harder). She can go BALLISTIC when she get's fixated on something that she wants or doesn't want, that you you are trying to coax her to do/not do. (Hmmmm, I wonder where she get's this from).  She is a gifted whiner right now and it's like nails on a chalk board to me.  She makes me a nervous mommy when she jumps, swings, hops, and does somersaults -- always 2 inches from Indigo's head.   But with all that being said, she only tries my skills 3-4  days a week and the other day's she is a treat to be around.  She is back to sleeping well through the night and she's eating like a champ again - even salad (though she is using stall tactics to get more one on one time with daddy).  She is funny, her laugh is intoxicating & and I still stare at her in absolute amazement that I get to call her my daughter.

"Do I look like I can cause trouble?"

1st Popsicle - Homemade Mango and Yogurt

Pretend Cell Phone is fun

Using the clubs that Grandaddy gave her

She almost H tall

Indigo has had an incredible month of firsts.  We busted out the bouncy horse that our dear friends the Gerich's gave us before leaving Hawaii.  She seems content being upright but hasn't quite figured out the bounce part.  Helaina on the other hand is testing the limits of the structural steadiness to the horse.  We have gotten our first legitimate giggle though I'm having trouble capturing it on film.  We started rice cereal.  (I didn't start Helaina until 6 months but I thought we will have enough going on at the 6 month mark since that is when we are moving).  She is a good eater so far, as was Helaina, but a bit messier.  Helaina enjoys helping feed Indigo a lot.  She say's "I do it 'cause you messy" - We're not sure if she is talking to Indigo or me.

Most importantly, (if you are me anyway) is Indigo has slept ALL the way through the night the last 4 nights!!!!! I'm talking down at 7:30PM and wake up at 5:00 or 6:00AM.  Can I get a WaaaaaaaaWhoooooooooooooo?  Hot Dang it feels good to get 5-7 hours of consecutive sleep.  So it looks like our plan may work and they will be sharing a room in our next house.  Wish us luck!  

Our little smile bug

She finds Helaina funny also

Rock N Roll Forever

Change is hard, even if you are excited about something.  We have had the wonderful opportunity to live in Hawaii and we will keep the memories of our time here close to our hearts.  


There are a few things I will NOT miss about this beautiful place and will enjoy the following:   
       (for a year anyway) 
* Having a grocery bill that is less than $300 a week
* Not having to shop at Walmart
* Ordering something online and not having to wait until checkout to see if they ship to us
* Not having to shop at the busiest Costco in the U.S.  (F!)
* Furniture or incidental shopping at something in between an Ashley Furniture quality (which is still expensive) and Fendi/Gucchi/ or other high end I could never afford type stores
* Not having a rampant roach problem (island wide)
* Having people text and call us at normal hours
* Being able to see friends and family with travel less than 12 hours and under $1,000 / seat 
* Being able to eat at Chick-Fil-A:  this is Chris' number one request
* Being able to drive longer than 2 hours - other than in a circle




There are a ton of things I WILL miss about Hawaii but here a few that come to mind:


* The obvious natural beauty in the plants, birds and general topography including the bluest water
* Whale watching - especially from our apartment 
* Snorkeling so amazing that it feels like the equivalent of someones exotic fish collection
* Being able to hike volcanos, craters, & to see waterfalls
* The ever predictable weather that is ALWAYS gorgeous and a lovely island breeze
* Walking 5 blocks to the beach and to anything else that I could ever need
* Not ever being really late because "i stay on hawaii time"
* Being able to wear "Slippas" or flip flops ANYWHERE! 
* Throwing the Shaka (without having people look at you weird)
* Seeing no less than 3 brides a day (who doesn't love weddings ?)
* Laughing at the news because there is not a ton of violent crimes so they cover some random topics
* Being able to enjoy the fruits of Chris' labor at Aulani
* The way that all Hawaiian's love little babies and bring food for every occasion.
* People who live with Aloha
* My amazing Mid Wife who made it possible for me to birth both my children naturally 
* The people at our church.  (I've never been part of such a group of people that are so genuine and kind) 
* Making a few lifetime friends - though most have moved away already - you know who you are.
* Last but certainly not least, being in the place where Chris and I began our family.

Busy doing nothing (but some bragging)

I will cover the stuff that you are really reading this blog for first.

Helaina and Indi are little weeds.  It is so amazing to watch someone grow and learn.  It's almost unfathomable at the rate in which this happens.  Helaina has her alphabet memorized and has some letter recognition.  She can spell her 1st and last name.  She counts to 16 (with no mistakes before 10).  I keep telling Chris to save for Harvard to which his reply is "Virginia Tech."

All my girls including Minnie and Tevan

She's being brainwashed by Chris and Mimi
Note the adorable pigtails.  (were up to 6 min of wearing)

Potty updates (isn't my life exciting?)
She is wearing big girl underwear!  Pull ups can go pound sand!  My opinion is they are worthless.  It's much easier to pull down underwear and she is much less inclined to relieve herself in Minnie or Princess underwear.  Yes I have, totally sold out to "the Mouse" and bribing.  We also should buy stock in Raisins and Craisins.  She gets some every time she goes to the potty.    I believe that is the main reason she has any desire to go but hey, it works!  She was almost there and  then regressed some but that seems to be a theme with children.  As my BFF Cathy said, "it's all a phase, good and bad, it's all a phase"

Things Helaina says:
Last blog I covered funny things that Helaina says.  I beginning to think this will be a regular topic in the blogs.  She has a baby doll that we have lovingly named "Tevan" as a reminder of when she was learning to count she would count up 8, 9, and then say "teven" which is a combo of Ten and Eleven.  This week she wanted "just one Chee" which we later deduced that she was bargaining for just one piece of cheese.  Pretty smart that she made up a singular use of the word cheese.
She also said she wanted to go through the "funnel" when we went on a road that has a tunnel through the mountain.  And lastly she asked if I was looking at the "Frigatta" when I was looking out at the ocean.  Which of course, was the sail boat regatta that we are lucky to see every Friday from our place.  I sometimes feel bad that I get so much enjoyment out of her mistakes while she is learning but it's soo cute.  

I can't help but smile when she does

Indi is officially rolling over.  Time for us to get a twin bed for H so we can convert the crib back for Indigo.  WOW kids are expensive.  (especially in Hawaii).  What I wouldn't do for nice IKEA bed right now.  Indigo is a happy baby.  She wakes up and hangs out her crib making sweet cooing noises until someone comes to get her (unless of course you wait too long, which I have found out the hard way-- don't judge as I'm keeping pretty busy with this potty training stuff).  She smiles a LOT and only has some moments of cranky at this point.  (again it's just a phase but I'm trying to enjoy it while it's here).  She is learning how to use her voice and lets out some relatively loud screams all the while with a big smile on her face.  She LOVES to watch Helaina and gets excited when Helaina engages her.

My goal right now is to get Indi sleeping just a bit longer threw the night so I can attempt to put them in the same room.  Be sure to see my updates :o)

We were a good looking couple - 4 years and 2 children ago

Chris and I just celebrated our 4 year anniversary.  We are going to dinner on Saturday and looking forward to some mommy daddy time.  Again, in some ways it feels like our wedding was yesterday and in other ways it feels like we have always been together.  I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world.  I often feel like it was a dream that we actually met by my chasing him down the sidewalk.  I can definitely say that story has a happy ending.  I feel like our marriage is so easy going at times that I fear I might be missing something.  We both read a book called Love Dare.   I feel like it realigned things that we didn't even know were amiss.  I highly recommend it to anyone who is married.  (or considering marriage).

On another note, I joined a book club.  Since the first book was Hunger Games I was a shoe in (as I had already read and obsessed over the all three installments. The second book is called Make the Bread, Buy the Butter).  In short, a journalist who lost her job took on the task of home making many of the every day items that most of us buy from the store.  (yogurt, bread, butter, cheese etc....).  She found great recipes for each weighed them against how much time it took to make, taste and average cost.   It's essentially a cook book but she has added her hilarious dialect and it makes for a great read.  

So far, I have made homemade plain yogurt which was easy, DELICIOUS and not bitter tasting like store bought.  (though living in Hawaii and buying organic made this not a cost savings.  I have also made bagels.  I used whole wheat (which I don't normally buy at the deli) so it was not as good as white flour bagels but the smell was SOO yummy and they were pretty darn good for whole wheat.  I also made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that were delightful.  Helaina helped.  And by helped, I mean she poured into the bowl the measured items I handed her.  Minus the cup of sugar that landed on the floor, she did an outstanding job for a two year old.  I plan on continuing to make things from the book.  I will let you know if there are any others worth making.   

Cooking yeast is SERIOUS FUN for an amateur baker

My lovely assistant sporting her own apron from Auntie Ro Ro

Yummy smelling and tasting

Many of you want to know when we are moving and where.  So do we.  

The story pretty much changes every week as there are a bunch of moving parts.  I promise we are not holding out and we will update you all as soon as we have a more clear and solid picture.  For now, we are continuing to enjoy our life in Hawaii.    Much love to you all!

H.I. Update

So many things have happened in the last 3 months that I would love to blog about.....

Mimi and Grandaddy visited

We went on a "cation" to Aulani

My BFF Cathy came to visit.

She's a professional

Girls night out 

The Kwasnowski's and Jessica threw a fabulous 2nd birthday party for Helaina.   We were so appreciative since incapable of doing so with a 2 week old). 

Ballon fest thanks to the Vertollis

The Kwas family has moved back to Florida :o(

All of our girls will miss them dearly

Sara and 2 or her 4 children, John and Grace, are currently visiting from Chicago

1/2 the Quinn Family

Helaina is loving John and Grace! (and Sara too)

This is how she looks at John (shhh, don't tell Chris)

These were all such wonderful or important experiences but a las time is slipping away and I do not for see any opportunities for better time management that will allow me to blog on these.  Right now a shower, teeth brushing, and dinner all in the same day is considered a blessing.  Your going to have to imagine what a good time we had with our visitors along with the sadness of saying see you later and enjoy the pictures that I have managed to post.

I did want to jot some thoughts down about my growing girls.  As my best friend Cathy pointed out, our daughters initials are H and I which also happens to be the abbreviation for the state they were born in.  Random but cool.

HELAINA:
Helaina is amazingly smart (though I think most people think so about their own child).  Either way, she get's any of her smarts from Chris and she continues to amaze us on a daily basis.

She found the letters that coincided
to spell Toms all by herself

It's hard to gauge at the moment as she is receiving quite a bit of attention from our guests but I think we are rounding the corner on the jealousy thing.  She is back to sleeping through the night and eating all of her meals with little hassle.   She likes to help a lot with the baby.  She is always eager to get a diaper or clean out the trash can during changing times and even says "it's ok Indi" when there is crying going on.
She would like to hold her a lot more than I am comfortable with but she is very delicate and sweet when she does.

Helaina has an extensive vocabulary, especially for a two year old.  Her pronunciation is sometimes a bit off but it comes out so adorable that Chris and I find ourselves talking like her after she goes to bed just for a giggle.  One of our favorite quotes is "We read about dis" when she wants to read something.  She pronounces "Ss" as Phs or Fs"  Ex.  Foon for Spoon, Phin for Spin.  It's almost sad when she learns the correct way to say it -- it's a reminder of how fast it goes.  Fortunately she has not picked up on any of Mommies accidental potty mouth words.  However, my husband, who hardly ever swears, has not been as lucky.  Chris' go to expletive is Oh Sh%^.  But instead of saying the word he literally cuts himself off and say's Oh SHhhhhhhhh.  Now this has only happened two times in front of her that I am aware but since daddy hung the moon, she picked right up on it.  We have tried ignoring and sometimes correcting when it became habitual. Lucky for us, I think it's fading and we won't have to worry about getting a call from the school.

We just got through our first legitimate sickness and it was NOT fun.  After a month of on again off again, we broke down and went back to the doctor for antibiotics.  She is doing much better and I am grateful that she has not been sick a lot.

Bless her heart, she has her mommies hair but I am proud to say that after 2 years and 2 months, her hair is finally able to make some sort of pony tail.    We  will probably finish the year before needing a hair cut.  Now she will wear a hat all day if necessary but refuses to wear barrettes or hair ties.  I guess I can't complain about that though.

I snapped a pic in the 4 minutes that these remained in her hair

We are potty training right now.  Yes. I am insane but I was always told that when kids are ready you will know and of course.....Helaina showed signs of ready when we have a 3 month old.   I keep telling myself it's easier now than it would be when Indigo is mobil.  I have resorted to the old school way of letting her walk around at home in her birthday suit.  The first day there were a few messes to clean up but after that, it works beautifully.  The transition to pull ups has not been as smooth but we are working our way up.  Besides, I have to admit that I get a giggle by seeing her cute little tushi walk around.

I hope health department doesn't
stop by the house.

Indigo (Indi)

Maybe she is an 'easier' baby than Helaina was or maybe it's because I feel more confident as a mom, either way, I feel like I am able to enjoy Indigo a little easier than I did Helaina.  It also doesn't hurt that she nurses for an average of 10 min on one side and then she is done for a couple hours.  

Helaina attends 'school' 2 days a week so she can socialize and I get to spend one on one time with Indi.  I think she is going to be sensitive towards others.  From the very beginning, when breast feeding was painful, she would latch on and pause and I swore that she knew it was hurting me and was hesitant to go forward.  When I would relax, so would she.  Her ears both wiggle when she is feeding.  (this could be a good party trick later in life). Speaking of her ears, I think they are so adorable.  They look like they are upside down with the wide part at the bottom.   She smiles a lot and when Chris smiles back at her, she turns her head to the side and almost blushes.  SOOO CUTE.  She loves to watch her big sister and I can hardly wait for them to play together (but I won't wishfully rush it since I know it's likely they will fight also).  She is an AWESOME night sleeper.  We put her down around 7:30 and she will sleep to somewhere between 1:00am - 3:00am, nurse and go back to sleep until 6:30 or so.   She often gets cranky around dinner time but I think this is common for most kids.  (I think I do too!)

Sisterly love

Because she is so new, I don't have a ton to blog on her yet.   I do feel incredibly blessed to watch these girls grow like weeds and get to be part of the process as the Lord develops their personalities.  Hopefully I will have more time to keep you updated!