Do you know what "stop" means?

Bella and Ethan have one night a week they spend at my mom's house. This last week Ethan and Mamai had a conversation that went something like this:
Mamai: Ethan please stop.
(ethan continues to do whatever he's doing)
Mamai: Ethan, I asked you to stop.
(he still continues)
Mamai: Ethan, do you know what "stop" means?
Ethan: no.
Mamai: Stop means "stop what you are doing."
Ethan: So they mean the same thing?!

Reading is good. :)

Her New Lip Thing.

She does this all the time now...very cute!

Nature is pretty cool.

So, we looked out the window about a month ago, so see this little "perch type" bird flittering outside our window. She kept flying back and forth, it was obvious she was building a nest on one of the flood lights above our deck. Yesterday, we looked at the nest and found her sitting in it....while she "stepped out", to eat, I'm assuming, we peeked in her nest and saw 3 tiny eggs! The kids are really excited and check for her every day (through the window). We are careful not to disturb her, though it's hard for the kids because they want a better look. :) Can't wait until the babies are born! What a good lesson in the life of a bird for the kids!

Our Little Annie Bug is growing!!!

Our Annie Bug is growing up! She turned 10 months on the 20th...she's amazing! Here's her stats from today's dr. appt: 17lbs. 13.5 oz (19th percentile), 27.5 inches (30th percentile). And here are some of the super cute things she's doing now: standing on her own to squatting to standing again! She's a strong little bugger! She waves "hi", blows kisses, holds her hand up to her ear and says, "hello". What a little cutie she is!!! :)

Catching up....

Lots has been going on since my last post in April! Bella and Ethan had their birthdays, turning 7 and 5. We have been enjoying the spring/summer weather by having MANY outdoor adventures, whether it's hiking, swimming, kyaking, camping....we've done it all and it's only June! :) One of my favorite things about life right now is how protective we (Mike and I) are of our family time. Every day Mike is not working we are building memories and deepening our relationships parents to children, sibling to sibling, spouse to spouse. Family is the one thing that you can never choose....they are always around and it's God's will to nourish those relationships. I am happy to know that when my children grow up they will be well grounded in family and will take what they have learned through experience and establish those grounds with their own families.

These are just some pictures of our "family time". Enjoy!

Happy (Late) Birthday, Bella!

My oldest daughter, Isabelle, turned 7 on May 17th, so like Ethan's birthday tribute, this is late as well....so I'm sharing what was written in her journal on her birthday! :)
Bella, in the last 7 years, you have shattered my expectations of what I thought you'd be like! You are strong and independent, not caring what others think or having the need to be approved of. You are your own person! You have this inner desire to be a "hero" and a "warrior", not what I expected, while you were in my tummy! I am not the least bit disappointed in who you are! You are always striving to do your best in every area of your life, whether it's Tae Kwon Do or cleaning your room...it's always to the best of your ability. You are spirited and fun, joyful and sweet, caring and intelligent. Here are 7 of some of my favorite things about you:
1. When you made the decision to be called "Bella" instead of "Isabelle". That was your first grown up decision and you were only 3.5!
2. Every Halloween you want to be a power ranger...and not the pink one...either blue or red! :)
3. I love how you are not aggressive in soccer but get in the faces of your opponents and steal the ball in basketball! You have no fear in this sport!
4. Your favorite color since you were 2 is blue.
5. You love animals and want to be an "animal rescuer" when you grow up...you have such a sense of adventure!
6. When I first had Annie and she was in the NICU with all the wires and tubes, you didn't want to touch her because you were scared you would hurt her....but when we brought her home, you couldn't stop touching her and would fall asleep holding her. :)
7. You take time to make friends....you choose them carefully and are very loyal to them.
I LOVE you, Isabelle Nadine Nalani....you are absolutely fabulous. You bring happiness to my heart and are a blessing to everyone around you. There is great favor upon your life and I know you will accomplish great things!

Happy (Late) Birthday, Ethan!

My son, Ethan Michael, turned his milestone 5 on May 15th.....so of course this birthday tribute is late on the blog, but this was actually written on his birthday in his journal. :)
Ethan, 5 years ago you were born into this world. God gave us another wonderful gift, you. You came into the world as my "miracle" and you continue to you uphold that name. The last 5 years with you have been so amazing...I've watched you grow from a baby to a boy and my heart bursts with pride. I wanted to share with you some of my favorite memories:
1. When you were 15 months old, we'd put you to bed and we'd hear you singing on the monitor, "mommy and daddy, daddy and mommy" over and over until you sang yourself to sleep. If we had friends over, you'd sing their names, too...."mon and steph, steph and mon."
2. That brings me to another cute memory....you would call our friend Ron, "Mon" and when you'd greet him you'd say, "hey, mon"!
3. One of your first words, when you were 12 months, was "nigh-night"...you named your blue blanket that because we would give it to you and say, "nigh-night time". So, to this day, you still sleep with your "nigh-night." And luckily, we've never lost it!
4. When you were 3, you had surgery....I was so nervous! When we got to the hospital for your admission, they gave you a little stuffed panda bear, which you named, "pandy". When you came out from the operation, we went in post-op and you were having a hard time coming out of the anesthesia, so I just cuddled you....they gave you a popsicle to calm you down and you said you wanted 2....then you ended up eating 4 more! 6 popsicles! Poor thing...you couldn't eat or drink anything before surgery and were soooo hungry and thirsty! :) In this same story was the comfort you found in "Pandy"....who you still sleep with! :)
5. last fall you picked up the phrase, "What the heck" from a friend at school, so I encouraged you to say, "what on earth" instead. One day, you got the 2 confused and said, "What the planet?" That has to be my all time favorite phrase that came from your mouth! :)
I LOVE you Ethan...you are more than I have ever asked for in a son. I am so proud of who you are and who you are becoming. You bring me so much joy!