Ladies and Gentleman....


Please allow me to introduce Sammy....the singing bug! :)

Here he is doing his version of the ABC's......





And then we have "itsy bitsy spider" and Kayla toddling in the background! *sigh* heheheheheh



I have to catch these moments when I can....it seems everyday they grow a bit more!

I am SO not ready to let go yet! :) :( :)

Have a GREAT weekend! *hugs*

To my....

Son,

I wish you could understand just how much I love you! How much it means to me to hear you say "mommy guess what?"....and then follow it with "I love you"!

I can remember when you were first placed in my arms....how i looked at you with such awe. I don't think i could even do justice to describing how scared, happy, anxious, and excited i was all at once.

You looked up at me...blinking to see. Your dad was SOO proud. He stood there with his chest puffed out, and ran out to the waiting room to tell everyone.

That's when he broke down...

they were tears of PURE joy!

You continued to brighten our lives as you grow....from the first "uh-oh", to the first day of school....to last nights antics to get me to read you a THIRD story before bed. :)

My favorite thing about you though...is your pure sense of happiness, and the ability to make others laugh. You get a kick out of watching peoples reactions to the things you do! For example...whenever we get into the elevator you always have a friendly "hi" for everyone...and then proceed to show them your new shoes..or tell them about where we are going. Everyone in the building knows you and seems to look forward to their encounters with you.

Whenever you are not with me, I am asked "where is sammy?"

I love the way you can be gentle with your sister...always wanting to help. The way you play with your toys and have conversations back and forth. How you can giggle at something you think of, and amuse yourself. How you love to be read to every night before bed (has to be by mommy)...and are insistent on that vitamin and glass of water. (Daddy is the only one that can get it for you)

You are my biggest help. You love to help dust, put dishes away, pick up toys, cook, clean up your room, I could go on and on and on! I know as you get older that will change. So I will enjoy it now as much as I can.

Sammy, you are a wonderful son. More than I could have ever imagined or even hoped for. I look forward to waking up to see what you will bring into that day!

Thank you.

Thank you for being the light of my life! Thank you for teaching me something new everyday! Thank you for showing me the world through your eyes!

I love you my sweet, funny, loving boy! Can't wait to celebrate your 4th birthday next week!





Daughter.....

My little sunshine. You are such a happy baby, and you make evryone around you happy as well. You seem to draw people to you no matter where we go.

You adore your big brother and would do anything to be near him and do whatever it is he doing. You have a special smile and giggle that you reserve only for him. He knows it, and he loves to hear it. You seem to be growing so fast! Already you are toddling around. Daddy was so proud to see you go last night. You get braver everyday. i think you just want to keep up with your brother! ;)

I love the way you delight in hearing all the different animal sounds, and giggle with each one! How you stop whatever it is you are doing when you hear mommies phone ringing "who let the dogs out" and you know its daddys ring. I love how you can sing yourself to sleep in the car or when Popo is holding you. There is nothing sweeter to my ears. I love how you grab my face with both hands and give me big wet kisses that leave behind at least a pound of drool on my face. i dont mind. :) I cherish it.

dearest daughter I look forward to holding you close each time it is bedtime for you. how you nuzzle me while nursing always grabbing on to my necklace or pendant and hanging on. Making sure i go nowhere! My favorite part with you though...is when you first wake up.....you immedietly sit up like 'what did i miss?'..and start blowing raspberries and waving hi....if I dont happen to be up at that time you will crawl over and smack my face..flopping backward onto me..until I cant help but gigggle and tickle you back! You are truly priceless. I can't wait to watch you grow. You are the the greatest little girl ever! I love you!

Love,

Mommy

Weekend fun!!!

We had a great weekend!! The weather was great...nice and sunny, but boy did the trade winds blow!!

Saturday we decided to go to the pool downstairs..Sammy is now swimming like a fish (which is amazing considering he used to be petrified of the water)

You may be able to tell by Brads face in the second video...on the second flip...that it wasnt supposed to happen! LOL...The good news is....he didnt even seem to notice! :)

Sammy under water



Here is the flipping one! :)





And then we have Poor Mckayla...who wanted to swim SOOOOO bad! Normally we would let her...she LOVES the water...but she is getting over that nasty hand foot mouth thing....so here she is...:)



Then on Sunday...we decided to do a BBQ at the beach....so we loaded up the grill, playpen, toys, bike, food, and everything else but the kitchen sink...and headed off. *sigh*

WHAT A DAY!!

We played football, baseball, and had a blast!! Got a few pictures of Sammy learning how to hit a ball with his bat...and one of him trying to catch the football! This little man has no fear! :)



(not sure why this one wouldnt upload through blogger.....it's a pic...not a video! LOL





Here I am walking the beach! So pretty out!!







And then when we got home it was BATH TIME! The one of both the kids in the tub was blurred :(...but here is my little princess! :)



Here's to MANY more weekends JUST LIKE THAT! :)

Aloha!

Video's we took last night!

Wanted to capture that little voice of his! He is growing So fast!

Unless you want a laugh...PLEASE ignore the hokey pokey one! :) *blushes*


Sammy singing Baa baa black sheep! *sigh* I love his voice! heheheheh




Mommy and Sammy doing the Hokey Pokey!





All is well here.....weather is beautiful....McKayla is better!......and I got some MUCH needed rest last night!

P.S Happy Birthday Rhonda!!! :):):)

Aloha!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOODEE!!!

Good Luck....and hope you are having a WONDERFUL time in VEGAS!!!

Pull a slot for me! :)

*lucky dust...lucky dust...lucky dust*

Happy, happy, happy birthday and to many more!

I love you!

Mckayla is WALKING!!!

OMgoodness!!! She actually started taking 1 or 2 steps about a week ago....but now she is taking actual STEPS!


wait a minute....



stop the presses....



doesn't that mean she is getting bigger??






Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! *sigh*

Oh well! I am so proud of her!

*can't you tell?*

So now I have a TODDLER!!

eek!

Hand, foot and WHAT?!?!?

Good Morning World.....and Hello another interesting day!

Well, my daughter has decided she wants to see how far mommy can stretch herself. I think she is going to be one of those "motivational" speaker/people......ha .. ha. Like at boot camp....that push you to your limits.

*rolls her eyes*

You see, she caught hand, foot and mouth disease.

It was going around at Sammy's school a couple of weeks ago......

Sammy never caught it.

McKayla did.

How?!?

One of life's great mysteries! LOL

Anyway...my poor little darling had her mom scared out of her mind. You see.....I have never had the "pleasure" of reading a thermometer that said anything higher that 101.8.

Well this past week and weekend......

I thought she was dying.

I took her temp on Thurs of last week (she had been running a cold since mon) and it registered at 104.6.

104.6?!?!?!?

I don't think I MYSELF have ever had a temp that high.......let alone my baby girl!

So I tried not to panic and called Kaiser. They could see her immedietly. So I took her in and Dr Meyers looked her over.

Yup.....high temp...

Yup.....chest congestion

Yup...dirty ears (small and hairy he called them....not my little GIRLS!! must be after her fathers side LOL)

Yup....sores in the back of her throat.

Yup...energy levels is GONE.

Yup....she is a cling-on (meaning I can't even pee without her on my lap)

and...

Nope...there was nothing that could be done.

He said it was a virus...either flu...or something else. It was going around the island. However...if she wasn't better by Sat....bring her back in.....It could be a bladder infection as well. And they would run a catheter (sp?) and do bloodwork.

Saturday comes.

Temp: 104.3

Call to kaiser. they say "bring her in" We go.

See a different dr. He reviews everything. looks in her throat. Asks me questions about her appetite, energy, and sleep.

All of which are non-exsistant at this point. (sleep the most)

He says "It's hand, foot and mouth.....but what is weird is normally kids dont get it until they are 1"

Good news: No blood work...and no catheter.

My daughter.....

*shakes her head*

So here we are.....Monday.

tired.

worn.

sapped.

getting by.

But she is doing MUCH better!!!

Temp is gone. (Thank God!!)

I had to piggy back meds....4ml of motrin....2 hours later, tylenol....2 hours later motrin...etc.....

It seems to be working.

My daughter is slowly becoming her old self again!



Other than that......Brad is well....Sammy is well....

The Steeler's are on tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!

Life is getting better! :)

CONGRATULATIONS TO KATIE ANN.......

YAY!! My cousin Katie e-mailed me to call her...I knew it had to be something important....we always keep in touch through email and a call now and then...for important things....


Well.....


I would say this was IMPORTANT!


She is GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!!!!

AND..........

Her brother Daniel is ALSO engaged! (within weeks! :) )

Sooooooo..................

We have a wedding in July.... (7-7-07 to be exact) for Danny's...

and....

Sept 22 07 for Katie's!!!!!

HUGE CONGRATS TO 2 OF THE GREATEST COUSINS!!!

P.S Thanks Katie for asking and allowing me to be a part to your wedding! I would be truly HONORED!

5 years later....

Wow....I can't believe it's been 5 years since the attacks on the trade centers, and on America.

I know it is a day that I will NEVER forget.

I was living in Virginia...working near D.C.

Started out with me at work at Pullen Moving Co. I was a move coordinator for government contracts overseas.

I was sitting there, surfing the internet...planning my wedding that was 3 months away.

I had my radio playing 97.1 .....I heard about the 1 st attack and thought..."what is going on? How could that pilot NOT see the tower?"

My phone rings...it is my friend Leigh...we chat a bit. I go to MSNBC.com and watch the breaking news.

My mom calls. We talk about how weird it is.....another plane hits.

My mom says not to worry. We are safe. we talk some more. I say "mom....be careful...please.."

Her response (and Ill never forget it) " Oh kristi....I am in the pentagon...I don't think there is a safer place you CAN be"

"I know mom...but you never know...."

"I know dear....I'm safe don't worry...I love you"

"Love you too mom"

We hang up.

Another friend calls.....I am chatting with this freind when a co-worker runs into my office...."emergency call on line 1 for you kristi"

I answer....

It's Brad. Crying..HYSTERICAL......"A plane just hit the pentagon" he yells in my ear

"huh?" my stomach hits the floor and I almost pass out.

I sit down. "slow down Brad are you o.k?"

"A plane hit the pentagon baby...a plane just crashed into the the pentagon call your mom!!"

I hang up and call my moms line....

nothing.

no ring

no dial tone

no busy signal.

nothing

I try calling Brad back.

Can't get through.

All lines are tied up.

I am freaking out.

I am thinking.......I am getting married in 3 months...and my mom might not be there! ( I know it's a selfish thought...but it was all I could think of at the time...my mom being my best friend, I couldnt IMAGINE going through with it, without her there)

No one knew at this point, that the pentagon had been hit... not the media....... no one....he was working in a hotel right next to the pentagon and saw the plane almost hit them and go into the pentagon.

I run in to my bosses office and literally collapse on the floor. She is like 'whats wrong?' I am crying so hard at this point.

"A plane hit the pentagon" i manage to get out.

She looks at me like I am crazy.

Then they announce it on the radio behind her and she runs to me....holding me and rocking me.

She tells me to settle down, and the whole office congregates into her office to seek comfort among our "family" away from family.

An hour later my step dad Cody shows up to bring me home. He just KNEW to come and get me. I couldnt drive.

We went back to their house. Cody told me over and over not to worry. She was safe.

All we could do was sit and wait. And try not to turn on the news.

Brad showed up 4 hours later. As soon as I saw him...i broke down again.

Still no news from my mom.

He told me of how he was standing there talking to his friends when they looked out of the window and saw a plane heading straight for them. They threw themselves to the floor, as the plane rushed right over them.shaking the building and causing a deafining roar. Before it slammed into the side of the pentagon. He immedietly called me.

My mom finally showed up sometime that evening. Only she wasnt the same mom. She seemed ......smaller.

quieter.

different.

She lost friends that day. And I think she lost a part of herself along with it. Her life was forever changed. Our lives were forever changed.

Later I found out....Cody fibbed to protect me....cause the plane DID hit her side of the building (and he knew it) and she was lucky to have made it out alive. She was 2 corridors over as I recall.

I remember looking up into the sky and not seeing or hearing a SINGLE plane. And in D.C near Dulles, Reagan, and BWI...thats saying something. They were all grounded.

So many lives were lost that day.

Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, Friends, Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, sons and daughters.............

One thing this tragedy did though....was UNITE us.....the way we should AlWAYS be. It made us go home and hug our kids a little tighter. Talk a little more. Help someone you didnt know. Do something out of the oridinary. Snuggle on that couch with your loved one instead of watching primetime t.v.. It made us VALUE our life.

D.C was changed for about 3 days after that. People let you in, in traffic. People didn't honk their horns and flip you off. You said hello to everyone with eye contact. Crime went down. Lives were cherished.

I won't forget the hero's that died that day. EVER.

My question....Why did it take something so tragic to bring us together.....and why is it SO hard to keep us that way?

5 years later....are we united?

My Super Sam!!! :)



I love my SSSSSSSSSuper Sam! He can do ANYTHING! :)

I love this little guy! *sigh* :) :) :)

Happy Birthday Brad!!

Well, it's my honey's birthday today!

The big 3-4.

Wow!

hehehe Time sure is flying!! He is the greatest husband, dad, uncle and friend all rolled into one! How lucky am I?????

So baby,

Happy Birthday!!

And here's to MANY more!

I love you!

Look what I can do.......




Mom can't even do this!!! Check it out~~




Am I talented or what? LOL

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Happy moments, praise God.

Difficult moments, seek God..

Quiet moments, worship God.

Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God.


***got this as part of an email.....at just the right time....don'tcha think?***

Being a mom.....

I've ALWAYS wanted to be a mom.

I can remember being 5, and someone asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up

.....most kids said "fireman"
...."teacher"
...or "astronaut".....

me?

.......I wanted to be a mom.

MOM
Mommy
Mother
Mama

there are So many ways to say it.

And so MANY things I would have never known..if it weren't for being one.

I've discovered how much love you can have for another human being.
How wonderful it is to see that person happy.
How nothing in this world is too great to give.... to help or maybe even just to see that smile.
How just a smell.......can bring such a flood of memories and a sense of peace.
How an illness is magnified a billion times over when it relates to YOUR child.
How my heart can swell SO big when I see my son hug his sister out of the blue.
How I would give the food off my plate to make sure my child eats before I do.

How ONE word...can completely CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

kinda like marriage.

For better

and

for worse.

we covered the better...have I mentioned the OTHER side to being a mom?

**********************************************

I also have these fears. as irrational as they may be. i cant control them.

If you are reading this....I warn you...this gets kinda....personal. These are my heartfelt fears. They consume me if I stop for even a moment. So I am trying to get it out so i can read how silly I sound.....over and over and over....until I can see it for myself.

I fear that I wont be around to see them grow up. (graduate...get married..)
I fear that something is going to happen to them. (get sick)
I fear that the end of the world is coming. (it is a genuine fear...stupid as it seems)
Im scared of earthquakes (by the way.. we had one here sun night....3.1 magnitude...I felt it)
I'm scared of war. (please let it end soon)
Im scared of terrorism. (being on an island and the talk of missles)
I'm scared something will happen to my husband.
I'm scared of a mass disease ...like the bird flu...coming and killings 100,000's of people. (we have no cure as of yet)
I worry that a tsunami will come...and we wont have enough supplies...
I'm wonder if I am a good enough mother, wife, daughter..and friend.
I have my faith...but I wonder.

These all sound STUPID...and IRRATIONAL...because these are things I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER.....

so why does it consume me? Why do I KNOW how silly it sounds....how people will roll their eyes...and DO...but...

I

STILL

THINK

ABOUT

IT

CONSTANTLY.

I hate it.

That's why I forced myself to make the list above..which wasnt hard at all.

I'm debating weather to see a doctor. ( I just DONT want to take meds unless NECESSARY..and they are so quick to prescribe them)

Everyone else worries about "regular" things like..... my child isnt walking yet...or...... their weight.....or bills.

Me?

*sigh*

I'm just so frustrated. *I want to yell*

I feel SO VERY alone. * I want to cry.....no one understands*

Guess I'll keep talkin' to God.

Never thought about this stuff till I became a......

MOM.

Videos

We have McKayla at her Papa's house....asking for ..none other than her da-da.
She only says mama..when she is upset. (go figure)




Then we have one of my bug singing one of his favorite songs! I love it! hehehe




I want to get one of her dancing...and will soon! TTFN!

Honey...this one is ALL you.


I guess it would only be fair to WARN you.....what I am about to post is .....well......something a little personal.

*rolls her eyes*

You have been warned.....

Brad and I were in our bedroom last night watching TV and entertaining McKayla...when I hear a little....

tap tap tap

...I look...and there is Sammy peering at me though the hole where the doorknob is supposed to go (we removed them since Sammy has a habit of LOCKING all the doors)

Brad hops up to see what he wants.

Sammy doesn't wait ....he pushes the door open.

"It got bigger" he says with this grin

"huh?...pardon me...what got bigger bug?"

I am on the floor on the side of the bed playing with Kayla so I can't see him.

Brad says..."go show mom" uh oh

I stand up...fearing the worse.

He heads over to me.....meanwhile I look at DH.

His face is beat red and he looks like he is about to have a MAJOR heart attack.

"What is is bug? What got bigger...show mommy" I begin to head to his room

***see where this is going?...if You haven't...you must have girls LOL***

"Look mom...it got bigger"

"What honey....WHAT got bigger?"

He then opens his underwear and points. (there's that grin again)

I look over to DH...

He is laughing so hard he can't breathe. I kid you not.

"ummmm...yeah sammy..it did get bigger....please don't play with it...it is time for night-night"

PAUSE: O.k I am the female here right? So WHY am I trying to explain to an almost 4 year old that an erection is normal...isn't this daddy duty??

I take Sammy back to bed.

10 minutes later.....

"Mommy..I made it bigger again"

"I see that Sammy, but it is time for bed...you have school tomorrow..let's go"

"Mommy, I wanna show Mrs Donnie"

Here is where I start praying (and havent stopped) that Sammy will NOT remember this in the morning....that he will NOT go to school and point out this AMAZING fact he has discovered....and please, please please....DON'T SHOW THE TEACHER!

All last night....Brad acted like the proud dad (like HE had anything to do with it...besides the kid is 4...MEN!) I was beside myself worrying about today...and school....and the fact that my "little" boy is growing up so fast!

Has anyone with boys dealt with this?? And what did you do? How did you explain it. Normally I would just ignore it...I mean what do you tell a "not quite" 4 year old about how and why his pee pee gets hard.....but he asks 1000 questions!

Honey....this one is ALL yours!

Help!

Can I get a THIRD opinion???.......

o.k.

*BIG sigh*

I am getting very tired of this.

Wait...I better stop there .....

and WARN EVERYONE: This is a pretty long vent/pity party post...DO NOT READ if you don't want to hear me go on about how mad I am.

O.k Let's try this again...

Grrr.....

I took McKayla to her 9 month appt on Friday.
*yay*

She had lost some weight *boo* and was at

drum roll please....

18.1 Lbs....and 29 inches long. Her head...17 and a half.

ACTION: Scene I

In walks the Dr. ( actually a RN, I had remembered her from when I was nursing...she was the lactation consultant.)

I didnt like her then

1st clue.

Anyway...she starts asking me questions...

"What kind of solids is she eating?"

me: "well, ummmm...she actually prefers to nurse...I have tried baby food, and she will eat about 1/3 of a size 2 jar. I have even tried cheerios and things like that...she chokes"

"huh? *enter stupid look directed at me *..... she isnt eating table foods?"

me: frantically looking at DH " ummmm she wants to...but she chokes and throws up....so I try to practice with her at least once a day with SOMETHING"

"really? *enter another stupid look directed at me* She SHOULD be eating 2 palm sized amounts of table foods a day *holds out her palm, like I dont know what it is, and circles it*... like THIS. "

me: " Well I do try to get her to eat...she does do good with lo mein noodles if they are really small..."

"Well...what does she have for dinner?"

me: " She eats about 1/3 of a jar of baby food before she shuts her mouth tight..or gags."

"Baby food as in those dinner meals right?"

me: "huh"

"what kind of meat does she eat?"

me: "huh?" meat? uhhh none"

"You mean she ISNT eating those dinner meals they make for kids. You know...the little entree ones?!"

me: looks at dh " ummmmm no" *small voice* "why? should she be?"

"Of course! She needs her iron."

CUT: OK insert thought here: You would think..her being a lactation consultant...that she would KNOW that a child can get all the nutrients it needs the 1st year of life from it's mothers milk!...now HELLO....I am not saying that I shouldnt be practicing with her to get her used to different textures and tastes....and I AM...I DID mention that.......but for her to make me feel like such a HORRIBLE mom (and it was her tone and her eyes) because she wasnt eating a lot of solid foods .

My conflict: Had the appt last mon for her pneumonia with Dr Meyers who had asked the same question about her appetite and what she was eating. I told him, and even expressed a concern/question about her diet and weather she should be nursing so much instead of eating solids.
He snorted.
Actually SNORTED.....and said what i said above about mothers milk. He said she will go at her own pace and not to worry about it.

Action!!!! Part II

Clue #2

me: "Does she get any shots for her 9 months?"

"ahhhhh....nope...just a TB test...can someone come back mon to have it checked?"

me: "sure...I can do it"

"o.k make sure you come in..there is a $29 retest fee"

me: "k...ummm...since she is on antibiotics and the supressent and decongestant...that isnt going to interfer with the shot will it???"

*enter TOTALLY stupid and flabbergasted look directed at me* "Now thats a strange question"......*laughs* (like I'm so stupid for asking such a DUMB question)

me: (small voice...laughing kinda nervous ...kinda pissed. ever do that?) "Well...i just wanted to be safe...you never know"

" *still laughing* Thats the 1st time Ive ever been asked that! And your answer is No....there wont be a reaction from the antibiotics"

CUT: O.k...now was I stupid in asking that? Cause if I was...then PLEASE let me know...I dont want to request NEVER to see this woman..if I was dumb in asking it.

Action: Scene III

Clue #3

me: " ummm..I had another quick...maybe dumb question for you." (future reference...NEVER start a conversation off this way)

" what?"

me: " Well...I've noticed lately that her shee shee has been smelling VERY weird."

*confused look* "hmmmmm"

me: "I was wondering if it was from the medicines and maybe that's why it stunk so bad or if it could be something else"

"well duuhhh (yes she actually said "duuuhhhh) havent you ever smelled the amoxocillian when you open it up to give it to her?!"

me: " Well...no, not really...and all I smell is bubble gum"

"well, yeah...and then after that there is a lingering odor..... that what makes her pee stink...go ahead stick your nose in it when you get home, any more "fingers bent in quotes" "questions"

me: "uhhh...no...I just wanted to make sure it wasnt a sign of a urinary tract infection, bladder , kidney ect..."

CUT:

*shakes her head*

By this time DH is like WTHang? We both walk out of there like ... what just happened?!

So...Is Dr Meyers right and I just let her eat when she wants...or is Nurse Kawasaki right...and I force her to eat?????????

Sammy was so easy....he was already eating table foods and nursing. She has SUCH a temprement!! I swear. It's like the red headed step child! LOL

gotta go rescue her from getting her hand stuck under the coffee table! :)

TTFN! And thanks for any advice or opinions you have to offer~~~

A Game About Us!

Sammy and McKayla had been tagged by their friend Adam so here goes:

3 Things That Scare Me

*doors slamming
*shots of ANY kind
*...or the use of the word "stickers" I KNOW I only get them when something bad happens at the dr.

*mom leaving the room
*washing my hair ( I hate water poured over my head)
*loud noises

3 People That Make Me Laugh

*mommy
*daddy..what a goof
*Popo...she LOVES making me laugh

*Mommy
*Daddy
*Papa

3 Things I Love

*School
*The Zoo
*Going to the beach cabin

*nursing
*playing with my brother...or ANY attention he gives me

*being snuggled

3 Things I Hate

*being told "no"
*being told "no"
*putting my nose on the wall

*being told "no

*not getting to eat what everyone else eats!
*crawling after people when they leave

3 Things I Don’t Understand

*why I have to have naps
*why I can't have McDonalds EVERY day
*why the world doesn't revolve around me

*"no" ...or at least I pretend not to

*why Sammy won't play with me all the time

3 Things On My Highchair

*I'm a big boy I don't use one
*I'm a big boy I don't use one
*o.k...maybe a little syrup on my lap table

*nothing right now...I don't use it much yet

3 Things I’m Doing Right Now

*At school
*playing hard
*learning lots

*blowing spit bubbles

*banging on everything to see what kind of noise it makes

*playing with my pool float/toy in the living room

3 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

* what's that?
* be a super hero
* go to "little einsteins" ?

*make a difference in someones life

3 Things I Can Do

*get dressed by myself
*put my shoes on by myself
*learn new words (like f'in sh**) at school *sigh*

*point with my finger
*crawl very fast..I have to.....to keep up with Sam
*eat biter bisquits and make a great big mess!

3 Ways to Describe My Personality

*stubborn
*playful
*observant (even when you think I'm not paying attention) think again!

*high mainteince
*loveable...and loving!
*demanding..i want it..and i want it NOW

3 Things I Can’t Do
*Pour my own milk ( I try...but mom gets mad at the amount that ends up on the counter nad floor)
*say f'in sh** .....I have to put my nose on the wall if I do..and I HATE that!
*push my sister ...it's not nice

*walk...though I am trying
*drink from a sippy...i am to impatient
*bite mommy while nursing....she really hates that

3 Things I Think You Should Listen

*me, playing imaginary kitchen
*me, running my cars on the walls
*me, asking for everything.....but only when you are relaxed!

*me, sing myself to sleep...it is the BEST sound in the WHOLE world
*me, say mama and dada
*me, laughing with my brother!

3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen

*me, crying while I have my nose on the wall and everyone else is playing
*me, coughing my head off
*me, cussing ...I know how much you hate it...but I think it is so funny

*me, not able to breathe
*me, crying cause I am in pain
*me, when I get VERY upset...you would think I was being beaten!


3 Absolute Favorite Foods

*chicken nuggets ...McDonalds baby!
*pizza (especially Pizza Hut...I'll do a dance if i see that box!)
*string cheese

*noodles
*mommy's milk
*applesauce/banana

3 Things I’d Like to Learn

*how to get attention away from my sister without it being negative
*how to get my own snacks
*how to drive (dad is already teaching me to park...which mom hates)

*to walk..so I can keep up with Sam
*to talk...so i can yell at him when he takes my toys
*to eat big girl foods..I'm tired of choking..lol

3 Beverages I Drink Regulary

*chocolate milk
*water
*apple juice

*mommy's milk
*mommy's milk
*water (sometimes)

3 Shows I Watch

*Mickey Mouse ( I JUST started watching this..it makes me giggle)
*Charlie and Lola
*Wonder pets

*whatever brother is watching

3 Babies I Tag..ok 4

*Dominic, Damien, And Alex
*Alaina and Ava
*Big Z and Little Z
*Mya
(and all the other babies who read!)

I gotta run now...that took me forever to answer. I am busy at school and have to get back to my friends~ byeee
That was fun guys! But now I have to demand my mom's attenton since she has been trying to occupy me for the last hour while she did this. Well...I'm done and I want HER now...so...watch how well I have her trained...........

This is Kristi Ann.

This is Kristi Ann's luck...


This is Kristi Ann's luck whenever she wants to plan something.


...........


Met a great family a few weeks back. Troy, Jane, Maddie (their daughter) and their 2 sons Andrew and Ryan.
We met at Bellows beach (see post from a few weeks back), had a GREAT time..and Sammy and the 2 boys got along great! We even got together the following weekend at the Hale Koa Hotel (where they were staying since they left bellows)...they were on vacation since Troy had just gotten back from a deploy of 6 months to Iraq.
Bless her heart!! And his!!

Anyway to make a long story short...we hung out and had a wonderful time....passing our contact information for when they went back ( I think it was to minnesota )
Well...Jane called (yay!) and let me know her best friend was in town (hawaii) with her family and kids and would like to meet my family since we had all had a great time.

Great!

So I tell her it is fine for her (Jane) to pass my number along and I get Connie's.

We call, talk... get along great..... so we make plans to go to the Zoo monday since her husband is here on business and she is stuck at the hotel all day with 2 younguns and no car. ( no fun!)

Told Sammy he wasnt going to school but was going to the zoo and meet some new friends.

Boy was he excited! (this was all on Sat)

Well....Sunday night comes around.....and was no fun.

Kayla was SO stuffed up she couldn't breathe. And she had this cough that sounded like barking. She has had what I thought was a cold for the last 2 weeks (or teething)

Well...the cough had me VERY worried. She woke up about 15 times coughing and almost throwing up she would cough so hard.

So I called Connie and let her know I would have to postpone cause I wanted to bring Kayla in in case she had an ear infection or a virus that just wouldnt go away! (Like 1 of the 200 they said sammy had 2 weeks ago)

In I go.

For almost 4 HOURS!

Turns out...

McKayla has pneumonia.

She had to have a breathing treatment.

X rays.

And 2 viles of blood drawn.

ALL of which she SCREAMED and cried through!

Needless to say...

I cried right along with her!

The Xrays are the WORSE!

They sit them in this plastic chair type thing with their legs poking under. Then you have to raise their arms above their head while they clamp a HUGE plastic thing around their middle preventing them from lowering their arms! It is TOTAL torture! And to make me stand there and hold her arms just to make sure she was still..... was my own personal h- e -double hockeysticks!

They said if I had waited any longer to bring her in they would have to admit her. As it was he said he was tempted to...but gave me the option of taking her home and bringing her back for treatments.

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......My baby came home with me!

So....there you have it...

my luck.

my poor baby.

Poor Connie...

poor worried dh.

poor neglected (yeah right) Sammy

Oh and have I mentioned?

me?!

First there was:

Our wonderful, active, smart, stubborn son Samuel. Who joined us in a quaint hospital right outside of D.C in Virginia. His birth was AMAZING!! He joined us weighing in at 5 lbs 14 ozs and was 21 inches long.

Proud...PROUD....Proud Dad!



Now here he is at almost 4..weighing in at 34 lbs and almost 4 feet tall. What a change! What a blessing!




And then there was:

McKayla Sue who joined us in a nice hospital in Hawaii. She was...shall we say....a little more difficult! :) She came in at 6lbs 12 oz and 18 inches long. (so...short and chubby lol)

And once again we have a VERY proud dad..who waited for a daughter impatiently for 9 months!



And here we have her today....at almost 9 months old...weighing in at a hefty 19 lbs....and getting taller every day! :)




Time is going by so fast!

***sigh****

My day just keeps gettin' better..

*sigh* And this is in the mid-morning...the start of it would take forever to type (as I DID type it once to Rhonda in an email...just to hit the wrong button and delete the whole darn thing! grrrrr....(second email to Rhonda...cut and pasted here....hope your day was brighter!)

yadda yadda yadda crappy morning part....it just gets better...

After dropping Sammy off I decided to cheer myself up and grab breakfast and head to a book store to buy a few romance novels (Im such a dork)

Stopped and McDonalds (yeah I need that) ordered hotcakes and sausage (why? it gives me heartburn? I'm glutton for punishment)

Pull out and head to bookstore 25 min away.

*SIGH*

Ah well...at least I can sit in traffic and enjoy breakfast...

or so I thought


They FORGOT my damn PANCAKES IN THE STYROFOAM THING!!! I dont know if it was supposed to be a joke or what...but all that was in there was the wimpy...gray...sausage patty. *yuck* AND they forgot to give me my coke on top of that.

OK ...no big deal

Can't get any worse right?

40 min later...arrive at bookstore....

hungry

CLOSED.


CLOSED?!! CLOSED!?!

Well, to be fair they opened at 11.

HELLO..it was like 9.

AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER.....still in traffic to get back home


Finally get home...

to my dishwasher FLOODING my kitchen.

Sammy must have pressed the "start" button and half locked the washer so it was partly opened when it ran.

OK...water's still on the floor

kayla's pulling on my leg...

Im STILL hungry

And its only 10:30!

****SIGH*****

help!

I think I can...I think i can......

If I try hard enough....I just might make it...


See me? I can hold on to my toy and walk!!



Staedy now...steady!


I'm doing it...I'm doing it!!!


Awwwwww.....man!!!!!!!!




Oh. I am so embarrassed!......teehee


Practice...practice...practice!

Elsewhere in the Brenneman household.........

Sammy and his first batch of brownies he helped mommy make! Such a goober my little guy!



TTFN!

Oh yeah: side note: Brad left for the Big Island this morning at 4! I am soooo lonely! He found out yesterday at 3 that they wanted him to go. So we talked...and he will be gone for 2 whole weeks and then back for a weekend and gone again until the job is done! The first few days are SOOOOO hard! :( I miss my honey bunches of oats! grrrrrrrr.... *wipes tears and nose*

Guess I'm blessed to love him SO much that I miss him SO MUCH already!

chin up...chin up I say!

A weekend at Bellows Beach cabins......


Wow!! What a great weekend.

We decided to go to Bellows beach and rent a cabin for the weekend. (Well Dad and Jane got it since they were military and we shared it (they got it fri night we got it sat) we all had such a blast! And it actually FELT like a vacation! woot woot

Took lots of pic's and wanted to share a few....

Here is Brad pulling up on friday (my dad and I and the kids left early...Brad and Jane came after work)





Here is our cabin...


Outside our cabin are the steps to the beach....


Here is a shot of the inside.....kinda ....lol....



Ahhhh.. enjoying a lovely day at the beach!...*sigh*



Wanna boogie board anyone?? Here I am trying to teach my son all I learned growing up here!.....too cool!


He's got it! Goooo SAMMY! *so proud*




Go Daddy Go * to the tune of go diego go*



All in all it was a weekend that ended WAYYYY to short. We did have one incident where our friends came to visit and ended up locking their keys in the car. Well...having had to much to drink (them not me), and contemplating what to do till 10:30 that night...they finally broke the back window (well 2 back windows *sigh*) and got the keys!

*jimmy, jimmy, jimmy*

Ah well....we can't have a perfect weekend...then we wouldnt have left! :) LOL!

I have more pics to post...but my daughter just woke up from her ON THE DOT 20 minute nap.

She has an internal alarm clock (as I like to call it) like me! :)

STILL can't sleep past 6! No matter how hard I try!

Anyway...hugs to all! TTFN!

Honeyyyyy.....we have monsters!!!!

O.k so the only REAL monster I have, seems to grin impishly at me at 1:30 in the morning...standing 2 feet from my bed...

"mommy....there's a monster in my room"

*cracks an eye open* "huh?"

"there's a monster in my room mom" as he tries to climb over me into my bed.

Kayla stirs.....

O.k ....I 'm fully awake now...

"Sweetie there are no monsters in your room...mommy will go check with you"

...there's that grin again.... "o.k mom"

I make a show of checking for monsters....(still only seeing the one named "Sammy" standing beside me)

Then I see what must be the "monster".

Sammy's dinosaur hot wheel race track...it's head glowing in the moonlight....fangs bared. (yeah that might scare me too)

I turn on the light....

"oh mommy...it's only a dinosaur! *giggles*"

I move it into the crib McKayla SHOULD be using.

He crawls back into bed....

"thanks mom"

*shakes her head*.....Whew we are safe once again

...for at least another day.

Side note: darn Charlie and Lola on Disney.....this is the second night we have had monster sightings!

Tagged.....(and doing much better thanks!)

First of all....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU...to Rhonda and Sheri for caring enough to call and check in on me last night! (you both must have ESP since Sheri called while i was gabbin with Rhonda! lol ...had to call her back and I think I woke little Adam up *grimaces* Sorry Sheri) It was so nice to vent a bit so thanks! You girls ROCK! I am doing so much better now that McKayla is doing much better lol

Funny how that works! :) tee hee

Onto being tagged.. Sabrina tagged me a while back.(on the 7th) .and I guess I was too caught up to see. Thanks for thinking of me Sabrina! So here I go...

5 things in my refrigerator are:

whole milk
string cheese
macadamia nut chocolates
fresh strawberries
pickles (claussen baby!)

5 things in my closet are:

shoes
box of important papers
box of pictures
clothes from pre-McKayla (haven't quite squeezed back into)
Protect the Planet boxes/papers on shelf

5 things in my purse:

lip gloss
cell phone
reciepts
sunglasses
crumbs (lol)

5 things in my car:

change
stroller (2 of 'em) why?
blankets
beach mats and towels
Brads tools


Hehehhe...I like those games! Thanks again Sabrina!

I tag Amber, Malia, Sheri, Lindsay, and anyone else who has not done it yet!

Well...I better get Sammys field trip pictures downloaded so I can post them! And I have a ton of groceries to put away.

TTFN!

One HELL of a night... (thurs)

leads into one HELL of a day! (fri)

I was nearing my breaking point yesterday. Haven't been that close in a LONG time.

Thank God for prayers and my step father Cody!~~

I dont know what happened. Mckayla was acting kinda fussy and pullin at one of her ears...so I thought I would take her into Kaiser to see Dr Meyers cause it's better safe than sorry right?...........

wrong

It was like, that set off an avalanche of disaster.

When we got there...we waited. He came in about 10 minutes later and we talked about what was going on. He said he thought I may be right and would take a look. Well it turns out she is 1 in 10 kids that has "tiny eardrums"...Which meant that he did not have a scope small enough to see into her ear....her canal was SO SMALL. The only way they would be able to tell for sure is if they sent her to Moanaloa and they insert a pin scope.

Well...since she wasnt acting THAT bad...and i thought it may have to do with teething anyway...I decided NOT to go and have it done. (The drive and the stress for her wouldnt have been worth it.) So he says we are going to play it safe and writes her a script for an antibiotic and gives her ear drops and tells me to give her over the counter Motrin. Not Tylenol. He prefers Motrin. And not just infants Motrin but CHILDRENS...o.k

heres where I have my beef...she is used to infants tyenol. I give her that when her teeth seem to really be bothering her. She gets .8 ml of that per her weight. He Prescribes Childrens motrin....I double checked with the pharmicist (figuring I know they make and infants and she is only 8 months) and she agrees with him. I am also flabbergasted at the AMOUNT of Motrin they want me to give her. 4 ml.

4 ml???

Thats like 6 times the amount of tylenol i give her...and dont forget this is childrens not infants motrin. BUT....They are dr's so they must know what they are doing right?

yeahhhhhhhhhhhh......


wrong...

again.


We get home and I decide to follow dr's orders and give her the (holy moly) 4 ml. of Motrin.

Within 30 minutes she was screaming bloody murder. She was regurgitating and her tummy kept gurgling. She screamed...

and screamed

and screamed.

From 7 pm that night till ( I kid you not) 10:30. Screaming.

Poor baby...NOTHING was making her happy. She wouldn't nurse (and when she wont even do that...you KNOW something isn't right)...didnt want to be held...screamed louder when you put her down....and no toy was going to distract her.

Brad was crying right along with her.

make that 2 babies.

He didn't know what to do..and he HATES that. He doesnt understand how I can just hold her and have her cry. (what else am I supposed to do?)

Well she FINALLY cries/screams herself to sleep. Waking every ..oh hour and a half to 2 hours.

skip forward to friday

get up (tired as anything)...make Sammys breakfast..get him ready for preschool...which up to this point he is LOVIN! It's water day so I grab his swim suit and towel.

Kayla wakes up....

screaming.

Now when I say screaming I don't just mean crying loudly....I mean like she is in so much pain she cant stand it.

I dose her (1/2 the amount they tell me to give her)...and stick her in the stroller and off we go to Sammy's school. Kayla screaming the WHOLE way (about a 15 min walk) I go to drop Sammy off......

he starts screaming (Kayla is calm at this point distracted with all the kids)

"I don't like school Mommy...wanna go home with youuu"

So for 10 minutes I stand there trying to pry him off my leg so I can leave....No such luck

and do any of the teacher's on the playground come and help me..

uhhhhhhh No.

Another 10 moinutes go by....Kayla is starting to fuss and go into her high pitched whine ( I know I have about 3 minutes before a total meltdown) I look frantically for a teacher....
no one

Suddenly my hero...Ms Donnie.....Sammy's teacher... see's me in distress and grabs Sammy telling him they are going to go clean the pool and he is her special helper. He struggles crying at first.

I run.

It was run.
Or stay and cry right along with the kids! LOL

no...seriously.

So...Kayla SCREAMS her way home till she finally falls into an exhausted sleep. I take the opportunity and catch a few winks myself....

Anyway ...to make an ALREADY long story short...... she screamed ALL day (hello white hairs)

Popo and Papa were supposed to give me a relief period but that didnt happen....bug DID get to spend the night there. He was happy to have Jane all to himself.

It's Saturday now.....all I can do is shake my head and pray for the sanity I once had to come back.

If you happen to see it out there....let it know I'm searching for it!

Reward: priceless!

8 months and CRAWLING!

Well...McKayla chose today.....

on the exact day she turns 8 months...

to start CRAWLING!

Yes I typed crawling....

wait..i wanna do it again...

McKayla is C-R-A-W-L-I-N-G! :) :) :) lol

Before she could get up on her hands and knees and kinda rock...then she started getting up on all fours and trying that...

And this morning...

right before we left to go on Sammy's field trip to the tidal pools...

she did it.

All the way across the room!

Go Kayla, go kayla. go go go kayla!

Brad was even home to catch it....

we were both beaming we were SOOOO proud!

Yup...got it on video too!!



Anyway....*still grinning foolishly*....I will be back later to post some pic's of the great time we had on SAMMYS 1st FIELD TRIP!

woot woot!

Carrots and peanut butter?

*sigh*

Well....I guess we do what we have to do.

My son won't touch vegetables.

I mean that literally.

He won't eat them AND he refuses to even touch them.

Sooooo..................

Today..I decided to try something new.

He likes the wonder pets..and they eat celery.

He used to like celery and peanut butter .....but now for some reason won't touch it.

So along with his noodles and apples....I stuck 2 baby carrots smothered in peanut butter on his plate... ...

I just checked...

and they are GONE!!!!!!

He ate the carrots !!

( I made him get up thinking he shoved them under his rear end like he likes to do when he hides things) and they are truly
G-O-N-E!!

hmmmmmmmmmmmm....what else can peanut butter cover?........

Welcome Gus! The newest member of the family!

Well.... ok

I did it....

The one thing I said I swore to myself I wouldn't do.

(because who gets to clean up after it? Not the 3 year old...or the 8 month old or even the 34 year old for that matter!)


I got Sammy a pet.

*smacks her head* rolls her eyes *Smacks her head again*

grins! :) :) :)



Ah well........ everyone I would like to introduce Gus!




He is a great little guinea pig.

Sammy loves to say..."Mommy..gus wants me"

He also loves cucumbers and carrots. I'm tellin you this guinea pig is livin' large!


o.k....HUGE note to self......

Guinea pigs have no bladder control and WILL pee at will.

I say this as my clothes are being washed for the 3rd time. YES the bugger got me 3 times already!

Oh yeah...and another note:


pets smell.

no matter the size.

So Gus has moved to our lanai and enjoys his days in the cool hawaiian breeze. (notice the black and gold hanging proudly in the background lol)



I think i can safely say Gus will be our last pet ......

then again...I say a lot of things! LOL

to be continued.......

Bug's 1st Day at KCAA Muriel Preschool....


Hi everyone...we are ready to go!



First thing first mom.....we gotta play and make a few friends!...



Hey this is like the beach....but where's the water?




O.k Everyone get together....it's time to go inside!.....



We are shy inside at first..and play by ourself...but give me 5 minutes!



Lunch time! We had corn dogs, carrots and green beans, and mandarin oranges. We also got a cookie. I ate that 1st!



Hey look!....a bathroom made for ME! It's co-ed and JUST MY SIZE!



After lunch we headed home.....WHAT A DAY!



......................
......................

And now....Mommy has just dropped me off for my second day. She thought I would cry ( I think she wanted me to!) but I didn't. As soon as we got there...I was off and running with no more than a backward glance and a "bye mom".

I think mom was confused.

She was supposed to just drop me off...

but instead hung around for about 5 minutes. She looked so sad. I thought she wanted me to be a big boy?

I know she does....so I am going to make her proud.

what mom?

a kiss?

in front of my friends?

awww man.........*shuffels over*...

peck.

"bye mom"

look a bike...come on friend..I'll race ya...

Sammy's 1st Day of School!!

breathe mommy breathe!

in and out

in and out

I just can't believe it!~ My BABY!....this is my BABY..we are talking about.

o.k So McKayla really is the baby now....but he was my 1st baby.

*sigh*

I am totally thrilled that he is going and will get to meet new friends, and learn how to better interact with kids. But at the same time....

I am SOOOO not ready for this.

At least today I can spend most of the day WITH him there, since it is a half day for him. Tomorrow though..his half day is on his own..and friday is his first FULL day all by himself.

Is is so bad I'm crying?

Who's the baby again?

LOL

Anyway...we have 3 hours and counting till we go (he starts at 9 today)
I will be taking pictures, so I will post them as soon as I can.

Remember Kristi Ann to bring:

A.) His little sleeping futon
B.) A box of tissues (for school and one for me ....tee hee)
C.) 2 pictures of bug...1 for his cubby hole...and one for the school board.

I think that is it. So.....next time I will post i will be a mommy of a pre-schooler! :) Ahhhh! :) *sigh* I love my big boy!

O.k Now on to the 4 th of July..(which happened to be yesterday)

The morning was spent spring cleaning. And I mean CLEANING! I put Dh to work as soon as he cracked an eyelid open! I HATE it when the house is a mess...and the word "mess" doesnt even cut it. I will explain more as to WHY it was such a mess in my next post...but anyway...after that was done it was naptime. So we all took a short nap.
Then we headed off to Marvin's for a BBQ around 3.
Sammy had a blast!! They have a mini jumper...so he played and played and played on that! They also had a slip-n-slide set up (for the kids darn it) and a swing set.
The adults?

We just ate

and ate

and ate.

I am STILL full!

As for fireworks.....we saw them right off our balcony over the ocean. It was SOOOOOO beautiful! And they went on for like 10 minutes. It was the longest show I had ever seen!

Dh and I were snuggled on the loveseat on the lanai. What a nice way to watch them! And we didnt have to fight all the traffic after it! :) I love this condo!

HAPPY 4TH EVERYONE!! HAPPY 1ST 4TH OF JULY TO KAYLA!