The Madara Family

Mother's Day

2011-06-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day brunch was once again an absolute delight! We were back at the Eden Resort for their famous award-winning Sunday brunch...... we are yet to ever be disappointed!! It's always a bit chaotic going out to eat with kailani- she doesn't sit still for long periods of time and wants to always play with things... but sit her in front of food and she's a happy girl!!!

The adorable Grandkids! Aaron-2, Charlie-5, Kailani-1, Bode-3
my kids take adorable pictures together- they just love each other so much and we are so lucky to have had an easy transition with adding to our family! Bode is so proud to be a big brother and is always saying how pretty Kailani is and smiling and playing with her!

I love my Mama!!!!

Our family :):)

The Bode women!!

me and my sis- what an amazing sister she is :)

don't ever let Michael get a hold of the camera!

The Cohen family

Amen

2011-04-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

I promise I will post updates and pictures soon but for now, here's a bit of what's on my mind:

A Mother's Prayer for its Child: By Tina Fey

Tina Fey Hard At Work

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.”

-Tina Fey

Catching up.........

2011-04-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Better late than never to update the blog... that's what I always say :( I have been TERRIBLE at the blog- I'm not even sure anyone looks at it anymore but I still feel like I need to post pictures and tell everyone what's going on with us- tons to update but here is where I'll start:

My Mom, sister, and wonderful husband threw me a surprise 30th birthday party for friends/family the weekend of my birthday. I was so happy and excited (if you know me well, you know that I'm super obsessed with my birthday and 30 even more so) and thankful to have such amazing friends and family!

My fabulous cake!!!!! This is one of my favorite pictures of me as a baby!

token embarassing photos from childhood!

Lori, Lindsay, Kristi, Lisa (3Ls & a K)

My cousin Tammy happened to be in town a few days prior to the party and it was so wonderful seeing her and getting to spend time with her. I'm so glad she could be there for my party too!!!

Tammy, Alex, Mom & Dad, Scott, Joni

Nic, Jamie, Devon, Brandon, Matt

Alex & Sara

SURPRISE!!!

christy & kristi

my amazing parents

my invitation

my goofball 3 year old!

my kids playing in their fort

kailani's new chuck taylor's- thanks aunt Sara

sooo ready to fish with Daddy

the 2 cutest kids ever!

Michael's giant trout!

playdate with Cooper and Crosby

Kailani and Crosby

Thankful

2011-02-24T06:07:00.000-08:00

Not a day goes by really that I don't think about all of the things I am thankful for- there are some days where what I am thankful for changes slightly, but on any given day I am always thankful for these things- and not a day goes by I don't think about them:

1- My husband: He completes me and makes me sane. He has the kindest spirit and I admire his patience. He always goes out of his way to make me happy and never complains. He is so involved in parenting and it has molded him into an unbelievable Daddy and I just love him so much!

2- My kids: I have 2 healthy, gorgeous kids that are brilliant and spunky each in their own unique way. They test my patience and sanity and for that I am a stronger person every day. They are my life and I am constantly amazed at how much I can deeply love those little munchkins. Being a Mom is the hardest job I will probably ever have and although there are no promotions or pats on the back that come along with this job, it's by far the most rewarding!

3- My family: I have an amazing family- flat out, no other way to say it. I am blessed to have 2 extremely supportive and loving families around me- mine and Michael's. Our families would do anything for us and absolutely adore our kids, always willing to help out with anything needed!! I love our families and feel so lucky to be surrounded by such loving, caring people

4- Our "stuff": Stuff kind of encompasses a lot here.... I guess you could say 'material' things, but I don't consider myself materialistic (unless we are talking about shoes). Although there are times I complain about not liking my house, it's a house with a nice yard and it's plenty big and perfect for our family. The fact that we own a house in general is more than a lot of people can say and I'm so thankful to be able to afford a nice roof over my kids' heads with space to explore and grow. I'm thankful for the fact that we both have good jobs and can have cars and clothes and food for our kids. There are months that are financially tougher than others, but Michael and I are in a good position in life and have come a long way together!

Cute kids

2011-02-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

In our opinion, our kids are super cute! Here is some proof!

Hunting monsters with Koa

getting ready for her tubes surgery

bed time hugs!

My sister got Bode a Broncos uniform and he LOOOVES it!!!!! I must admit, he looks like a natural already!

scary spaghetti face!

Back to reality.... and doctor visits!

2011-02-04T05:06:00.000-08:00

Disney World was so much fun, I wish we could go back every year! We got back into the swing of things, which included Kailani having yet another ear infection! She has been on antibiotics pretty much since the beginning of November and they seem to help her but not quite get rid of the infection. Two days after we got back from Disney, she finished her antibiotic and got the runny nose, cough symptoms so we took her in and the pediatrician recommended tubes cause she had another double infection.

Here she is sleeping the night before surgery! Such a sweet little wahine

We took Kaia to the ENT that Michael has seen for years- he does a lot of pediatric tubes and was highly recommended which worked out great! He scheduled the surgery for this past Wednesday (2/2) and the day finally arrived. i was anxious to say the least. Nervous for the surgery but excited to help our little girl hopefully be comfortable for awhile. The surgery is just like everyone told me- very quick.

Here she is in her scrubs :)

By the time I got to the waiting room, got coffee and we to the bathroom, the doctor came out to say he was done. Because she was on antibiotics so much, the fluid behind her eardrum wasn't infected and her ear looked good- she barely bled at all. I went back to hold her while she woke up and when her pulse-ox level finally got high enough, we were able to go home. She was a little fussy that day but who wouldn't be! She hasn't had any drainage from either ear and seems to be in good spirits now!!

Here she is just after surgery

Let's see- other doctor appointments........... oh yeah thats what we have been busy doing! I don't remember if I posted about a recent soccer game I had (a few days before we left for Disney) where I was kicked in the face and ended up in the ER. Anyway, that's what happened and I had a scratched cornea, several contusions, small laceration under my left eye, and a sprained foot. As if that wasn't painful enough, I found out last week that I also cracked two teeth :( I had some work done on that side of my mouth the week before i got kicked and when my mouth started hurting in Disney, i just assumed it was nerve pain from the work he did.... but when I got home, i tried running outside when it was really cold one night and i couldn't even breathe through my mouth because the coldness hurt so badly! I was in so much pain and came home from running with a horrible headache that kept me up most of the night. The next morning I called the dentist, he brought me in for X-rays and found out I cracked 2 teeth when I got kicked! Greaaaaaaat... so he filled in the cracks with some medical putty stuff and gave me a temporary filling. 6 weeks later i will go back to make sure things are healing and get a permanent filling, hopefully no need for a root canal!

Here is a recent shot of Bode & Kailani rocking our alma mater :)

I have gotten my mileage up in running which I'm super happy about. I was stuck at 3 miles for a while partly because i didn't have a lot of time to increase mileage or spend more time running. I HATE working out or doing anything in the evenings because i rarely get to see the kids anyway. Once i pick them up from daycare, bring them home, eat dinner.... it's bath time and almost bed time. I typically do the gym from 5-6am because Michael leaves for work around 6:15 so i need to be back home while the kids sleep. i usually ran 3 miles or so and then worked out with machines, weights, etc. Lately I have skipped the weights to increase mileage and I'm right around 5 miles. I love the increase, however it's hard to sacrifice my time doing weights... maybe one of these days i'll find a happy middle. I'm seriously considering doing a half marathon in May with a friend of mine but just don't know if I have the time to devote to training. Spring is a very busy time for us and I just don't know.... but I need to decide soon haha!

Here is Bode with some of his buddies at daycare
Rylan, Bode, Alex, Diana, Cooper

Bode is his same old playful, adorable self. He goes through phases where he wants to be held and whines a lot but we try to ignore it and make him act like a big boy. It's typically when he is tired but regardless kailani is getting bigger and heavier and it's becoming less likely that i can carry both kids anymore! We are visiting another preschool on Tuesday and are very anxious to get him enrolled soon! We absolutely LOVE the daycare he is in now but he is getting to the point where we want him to be in a more structured school environment with daycare on the side.

Work is still going great- we are super busy with spring items coming in and gearing up for some big sale weekends. This Spring we are starting to carry a small line of apparel and footwear which is exciting!! Michael's job is getting SUPER busy- he was recently appointed as shop scheduler and is moving into a role with a lot more to do and a lot of responsibility. He is still doing his engineering/project managing work and now has the added duty of managing the entire shop! Needless to say, he has been busy and stressed- add to that the fact that he's never managed a shop or done scheduling!! I'm so proud of him :) :) He and his Dad have also been doing some work for Alex's brother's family (Sam & Kim)- installing new hardwood floors in their downstairs, then working on some other projects for them (steps and upstairs). He and his Dad love doing this for people and it's a great way to get some extra money for these medical bills we have accumulated. Michael recently found out that his company increased their insurance deductible and got rid of our $3,000 benefits card that we would use towards our deductible.... so we were forced to shop elsewhere! Unfortunately now Michael needs 4 new tires for his truck to pass inspection so the weekend projects will have to go to that first.... when it rains it pours sometimes I guess!

I'm looking forward to this weekend- tonight is a concert with Sara & Alex in Philly and then Saturday Sara and I are getting tattoos then spending the day at Mom & Dad's for Alex's birthday dinner. Sunday we will head home and have a few friends over for the Super Bowl.

Disney World

2011-01-17T08:40:00.001-08:00

Well, we are back from vacation and what fun we had!!! My parents are absolutely amazing and we wouldn't have been able to do this right now without them. We decided to not take Kailani with us and although it was easier to not have a baby with us, we missed her TERRIBLY and she would have been fairly easy to take care of!! Even Bode would walk through the gift shops asking to buy things for her, such a good big brother!!

The weather was pretty cold but we managed to survive it, it's still not as cold as PA so we'll deal with it! The house was incredible, the kids were great, and we all just had so much fun. We talked about going back in about 5 years and I just can't imagine how much more fun we're going to have with Kailani being 5, Aaron being 6, Bode 7 and charlie 10!! Enjoy the pictures, we had fun taking them :)

Click here to view these pictures larger

Christmas came and went too fast

2011-01-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

We are leaving for Disney World in less than 48 hours so I need to post my recent pictures before I become too far behind and give up on this blogging! Not my intent at all!!! Christmas- what a whirlwind it was this year.... with me starting my new job and working weekends for Mom still, there was little time do anything! I am lucky I got all of my Christmas shopping done, a lot of it was online this year given the circumstances! Bode was so fun this year- he was really into Santa and even sat on his lap to tell him what he wanted. Kailani of course doesn't get the Santa aspect, but she is just so cute and such a good baby - she kinda goes with the flow.... what a different child from 6 months ago! It's hard to believe she is 7 months old already! She has started scooting/crawling for toys- not officially up and running crawling but she is getting there for sure.

Bode loved helping with the tree this year and he really was a great help. Kailani was supervising!

Bobbing for ornaments

Michael and I both have our own mini-me haha

Christmas morning was great! I made waffles and Bode slept til 9am!!! We actually had to go upstairs to wake him at 9:15 so we had enough time to open presents and get to the next house haha

his big gift- the Leapster Explorer.... he calls it his DS (which is what the older kids play- Nintendo)

Kailani had a great time watching Bode open his gifts and she got to rip a few pieces of paper off too

Every year our Christmas mess gets worse and worse- I have a feeling it's not going to get any better any time soon!

Christmas Day we always eat at Aunt Cathy's house- here is Kailani with Aunt Nettie

and Bode with Aunt Nettie

Bode loves playing babies with Makayla- she has the itty bitty baby twins!

the day after Christmas we go to Nana's house and do christmas with Scott's side of the family- here is Kailani surrounded by her cousins!

Joni got Bode all kinds of Disney stuff for our upcoming trip- these are his favorite jammies!

This year my parents had a New Year's Eve party- the kids were well behaved and went to bed at a decent time and even slept in a bit!!
Kailani wanted to snooze before the party started

The women in my life who complete me!

my love!

the cutest kid everrrrrrrrr

New Year's Day snuggle time with Daddy- both were tired

Bode was really into the Mummer's Parade

Showing off his new snow boots and Mummer Dance

the kids playing with new Christmas toys ......

... and cracking up!! Sorry for the dog rear LOL

So Mom and Dad are taking us to Disney World- we leave Friday morning and get back the following Saturday night- I cannot wait, however we are not taking Kailani so I'm a little sad! We decided that because she is so young, it would be much easier leaving her home so she and Koa will be at Joni's all week- Joni does so much for us, we are so incredibly thankful!! I haven't left her for more than a weekend, so I'm not sure how this will go over but I am also looking forward to spending quality time with Bode- I'm sure we will all be fine, I will just need to see pictures of her!

As I mentioned earlier, Kailani is such a good baby now- she will just sit for a long period of time and play, doesnt really fuss unless she pooped or is hungry..... what a difference! I still think about how she used to act and how hard it was to deal with! We are absolutely having a blast with both kids- Bode is at the age now where he says the funniest things and is so curious about everything, even if he doesn't get it!

Sunday night while playing in my last scheduled soccer game, i got hurt a few times actually. First half i got a hard kick in the arch of my foot that set me out for about 5 minutes. I could barely put weight on it and thought I had broken something, but we didn't have subs so I went back in.... about 10 minutes into the second half, i got kicked right in the face!! I went to head the ball and the defender did a high kick and her cleat hit me right in the eye.... so i went down hard and when my teammates saw my eye, they sent me out! i put ice on my face and on my way home, my eye closed up, swelled shut, and started burning. I drove myself to the ER to find out i had a deep muscle contusion on my foot, laceration and contusion on my eyelid, and a scratched cornea..... i got home around 4am Monday- slept for 3 hours, went to work.... and haven't caught up yet! I'm feeling much better but have had so much to do. A few months back, I got injured in another game- this time my wrist. I was leaning up against the wall to get the ball away from someone and got slammed into the wall- the doctor said I tore cartilage in my wrist... the TFCC... I had an MRI last night to see how bad the damage is and I have an appointment tomorrow with the Orthopedic doctor to see if I need surgery. I'm telling you, I'm slowly falling apart- I will be happy to see 30 if I make it that far!!!

We are so excited for Disney World, I cannot wait to see Bode's face all week as he does new things and sees the magic and wonder of Disney!!!!!!!!

Happy December

2010-12-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

We are all doing really well.... hard to believe it's December and Kailani is 6 months old... and Bode is almost 3!!!! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and it's always so great spending time with friends and family. I can't believe Christmas is coming and I love how much fun Bode is having with Santa and what he wants for Christmas.... such a fun age!

Bode is just such a sweet, bright little boy. He is so smart and this is just such a fun age. We are starting to visit preschools this winter, I can't believe it's going to be that time of year soon..... Kailani has been sitting up for almost a month now and poor girl has been a little sick this past week- we took her in for a routine 6 month checkup and she ended up having a double ear infection :( I can't believe she showed no signs- no fever, no fussing, nothing.... I felt terrible, like the worst Mom ever!! On top of that, she got 3 shots and had one more tooth pop through, so she is now up to 6 teeth!!! She has been a trooper through all of it and is almost done with her medicine, so hopefully we are coming out of the worst of it.

Michael went hunting this past weekend- it was the first weekend of rifle season and he got a doe!!! It was a nice sized doe and we can't wait to get the meat!!! My job is going well and we are extremely busy with the holidays but I am definitely getting the hang of things and still love the company and the people who work for me! We have some fun things coming up the next few weekends before Christmas and I just hope we can slow down a bit and enjoy the wonderful family time... I feel like we are so busy during this time of year, we never really get to spend a lot of time together on weekends... I'm always working or Michael is hunting.

I will try to post pictures of the kids soon

Halloween and more!

2010-11-15T17:37:00.001-08:00

I have not gotten a new camera, but my wonderful sister lent me her older camera for the time being- what an amazing sis! We have been busy as usual..... not gonna really bore you with ALL of the details, but we are alive and are doing well

Kailani being super cute

Halloween was super fun once again! We decided to dust off the old 'tacky tourist' costumes this year and we were a 'huge' hit!

my brother in law, matt, was richard simmons- HILARIOUS!!!! Here I am sandwiched between richard simmons and an amish woman!

We were able to do Halloween with Mike's parents as well as my parents, luckily they had trick or treatiing on different nights. here are the boys helping to carve a pumpkin! My amazing Dad carved a special pumpkin with a mean face for Bode (requested) and even managed to carve Thomas the train into Charlie's pumpkin.... what a Gampa!

Ready for some candy

Ready for candy with Mason and Makayla

super cute

We have been really busy as usual- Michael just finished hunting season, so every weekend he was away pretty much hunting.

playing on the floor

About 2 weeks ago, we took Bode to see Toy Story 3 on Ice with his friend Cooper.... he loooved it and it was so much fun!

we got him a new buzz light year and woody doll

Cooper was diggin the music and shakin his booty!!

Feeding Cooper ice cream- that's what friends are for!!

Bode was helping Michael pick up leaves and pretending to put them in his truck

Such attitude!

We also had the Ober kids' birthday party in the past week, it was so nice seeing everyone and spending time with friends and family!
Bode and Kailani are rolling the ball to each other, she loves it and gets sooo excited!

snuggle time with Aunt Cathy!

Lisa's turn!!

Kailani is such a big girl!! She goes for her 6 month checkup next week, i can't wait to see what they think and how big she is!

so kinda creepy but kinda cute- Bode totally fit into the box that Makayla's dog came in

.... don't worry, he could breathe!

We had our friends Jim and Wendi over Sunday afternoon- they have Cooper who is Bode's age and Crosby who is exactly 1 month younger than Kailani- the kids all go to daycare together too!!

Crosby and Kailani

Cooper & Bode

playin with Crosby

So Kailani now sits up on her own.... she gets a little wobbly but does a great job. She is ready to just GO.... she is constantly trying to lunge and crawl or walk. She isn't doing too much as far as crawling, she kinda scoots but does really well standing up and balancing already! She LOOOVES her jumper, just like her brother! She goes crazy in it and squeals and screams. She absolutely loves Bode and gets the biggest smile on her face when she sees him or hears his voice and he is such an amazing big brother. He is super helpful and absolutely loves her, we are so lucky to have such great kids!

Things have settled down a bit for now- the holidays are coming up and I absolutely LOVE this time of year!! This coming weekend is my girls shopping trip to our beach house and Michael is helping Sara finish her hardwood flooring on the first floor of their house.

My new job is going great- it's suuuuper busy and tons of responsibility but it's going great! Michael is still doing really well at his job.... he will be taking over the shop soon and is really busy and still loving it! We are absolutely enjoying the kids and having so much fun! It seems like Bode was a baby so long ago, I forget how it feels to see her learn something new every week and it makes Bode so excited! We are truly blessed to have such an incredible family!!

No camera.... BOOOO

2010-10-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

My camera took a dump :( Ughhh I just got it last year too- it turns on and i can see pictures that i have taken, but for some reason cannot take any new pictures.... in an effort to not lose my blogging followers, i will still do an update!! Kailani is officially 5 months old- CANNOT believe it!!! She is doing well- sleeping through the night randomly whenever she wants, but she is also battling getting her upper teeth which I imagine makes her mad! She is still a giggle monster who loves to be in her exersaucer and jumper and smiles ear to ear when anyone walks in the room!

Our Bode is adorable as always and is going through a weird phase right now where he hates clothes.... or is OBSESSED with a few items of clothing. He is having a really hard time with having to wear pants and doesn't understand where summer went haha. We tell him winter is coming, but summer will be back soon and he says can we have summer right now again- once it starts snowing, I'm sure he'll be fine!! The other night, with very little assistance from me, he counted to 40! Not that he'll need that skill set anytime soon, but he is just too cute. We are starting to look into preschools for him- starting him in September probably. I can't believe I'm thinking about preschool for him already, but he needs it- he is so advanced and I can't wait to see him flourish!

Some big news, in case you didn't hear already, is that I started a new job- 2 weeks ago. I found a job doing something pretty similar to what I was doing, but 5 miles from my house!! I'm the new operations manager for Backcountry Edge, a company specializing in outdoor, camping, hiking equipment. They have a catalog and website, but no retail store or anything- at least not now! So far, it's going great- a lot to learn and a lot of information, but going well! I'm still playing soccer on Sunday nights and we are just starting a new winter session in November- I'm having a great time playing again and my parents are coming to my last game this Sunday- that should be fun, they haven't seen me play in YEARS. Michael is still loving his job and doing extremely well! We will celebrate our 4 year anniversary tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope to be able to post pictures soon- and get my camera fixed!!

Speed Racer

2010-09-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

Dad got a chance to ride in a stock car for his birthday (thanks to his wonderful wife)! He rode at Pocono Raceway- 20 miles (which is 8 laps) and got up to 160 mph..... he had to follow the instructor, so he couldn't go any faster :( But he still had an amazing time and I'm sure hopes to do it again someday!!

Fall fun

2010-09-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Country Barn in Lancaster- a neat farm with lots of fun activities for kids! They have tractors, animals, a 5-acre corn maze, and lots more!

Here is Bode practicing for the corn maze in the hay maze

Today is Kailani's 4 month birthday- what a big girl!!

What fun event wouldn't have a bouncy bounce!

They also had a mining area with this giant slide that went partly underground- with goats climbing all around the outside- very neat!!

they also had a bunny farm and this little bunny took a liking to Bode- Bode was feeding him blades of grass- so cute

Kailani practicing her Heisman

Bode's favorite part of the day- climbing on the giant tractor!

saaad looking piggy

getting ready for the corn maze- we forgot Kailani's hat, so we improvised with Bode's haha

we let Bode lead the first part of the corn maze and realized we never got a map and this corn maze is HUUUGE so we kinda got lost which was a big scary

halfway through, there was a tower and we could climb and see just how far we were lol

We made it out just in time to ride some tractor dune buggies!

We had a great day and although Bode was really tired and kinda miserable at the end, he had fun and we all survived!!

Beach, Phillies, Poi, Underwear.... not in that order!

2010-09-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach house for Labor Day with the Cohens and Mom & Dad and had a great time as usual. Hurricane Earl was threatening the coast and we were, at one point, thinking they might evacuate the beaches but it turned out to be a joke! We had one day of slightly overcast skies and sprinkles but the rest of the weekend was gorgeous!

Quick update because I'm so freeeekin proud- Bode has been pretty much potty trained for a month now! He had one accident at the beach when he had diarrhea, but hey- even some adults don't make it to the potty in time hahaha. He has been dry at night for over 2 weeks and on occasion will wake up in the middle of the night having to pee- we couldn't be more proud of him!! When we were at the beach for our vacation, he pooped and peed on the potty all week and got about 24 new trucks- then we got home and he started going in his pullups again :( we realized he wasn't motivated by the trucks anymore, so we stopped doing that and instead showed him how cool big boy underwear was- he loved that he could pick out a theme each day and just one day it clicked.... he was in underwear and telling us every time he had to go. He even did an amazine job at daycare!!! We are so proud that he is 2 1/2 and potty trained, what a big boy we have!

so... the beach:

Kailani's favorite way to sleep- face down haha

Bode playing at the beach
the boys playing
Bode & Charlie- we were going to the beach to see what hurrican Earl had done- we honestly did not mean to dress them the same!! They are playing so well together for the most part and at least Bode really looks forward to playing with Charlie- I think Charlie gets annoyed sometimes when Bode plays with all of his trains, but they generally have a good time playing!

This picture turned out neat- the water completely comes up to the dunes so the beach was actually closed anyway this day that Earl was supposed to hit

Kissy time

Our big girl in her mermaid bathing suit!!! Speaking of big girl- Kailani already has one tooth through on the bottom and one more quickly moving through the gums! It has been tough because she is getting up in the middle of the night in pain and has been pretty fussy lately- Bode was not like that with teeth, but he was also 2 months older when he got his first tooth! Plus, she is a girl and is already a drama queen..... we already knew that LOL

This group of guys were part of a bachelor party and got cheers and applauses the whole way up the beach!

pretty girl!

We ventured to the boardwalk with Bode so he could ride the trolley (when he says it it sounds like Charlie haha) and ride the rides on the boardwalk

his favorites- the motorcycles!

This was the first time we brought out the boogie board and Bode had a great time riding it!

Feeding the princess!

Sunday, my Dad rented a paddleboard for the day and showed me and MIchael what he learned in Maui- how fun!!! It was still a bit windy so it was hard to paddle and a GREAT workout, but so relaxing and fun!!

Michael

my handsome little boy being silly at breakfast

Kailani already playing with the boys' trucks!

Mom & Dad brought Poi to the beach for the kids to try- Aaron was first:

he didn't mind it at all and actually went back for more!

Bode's turn:

not a big fan

MIchael got to try it too!

and Kailani didn't really care haha

Bode pointing out that Kailani has a flower on her shirt

Now to switch directions:

my parents got tickets to the Phillies/Marlins game and weren't able to go because they were still at the beach the week after Labor Day- so we took the tickets and brought Mason & Matthew, who have never been to a Phillies game but are big fans! We totally surprised them- I just showed up after school to pick them up and asked them to get together for a picture and then right before I took it, told them where they were going!!!!

almost at the stadium

National Anthem

the kids then picked something out in the store before heading home! They had a great time, we are so glad my parents got the tickets so we could take them!

Mason sleeping on Bode's Philly Phanatic

Switching gears again:

Kailani, beautiful Kailani- we have the cutest freakin kids, we are so fortunate!

She is going to be 4 months old..... already! That's crazy talk but true.... and she is doing so well! She rolls over, 'talks' and yells allll the time, and loves playing with toys, putting anything she can in her mouth!

Playing with Bode's Hess truck ha she doesn't care what she plays with

Trying to eat her Sophie doll!

pretty girl---- with drool and puke all over her ha!

hahaha Bode LOVES Toy Story and is so proud of his new underwear!

Bode helping me give Kailani a bath

Such a great big brother!

Michael and I are doing well to- not just the kids LOL

I am so proud of MIchael- he got an awesome raise at work and they are so happy with him and basically told him when he got back from our beach vacation that they don't ever want him going away again.... guess things kinda fall apart without him there! He is so incredibly busy which is good, but it's hard to tell what to do first sometimes. We are proud of him and he continues to be an amazing Daddy and husband. Hunting season starts usually first weekend in October, but he got a license for another area and is now starting 2 weeks early- OH JOY haha JK. I Just hope he sees something this year to make it worthwhile! His softball season ended so it's really nice having him home during the week but now I started soccer- only playing one day a week on Sunday nights! I played in a women's league before and after I had Bode then obviously stopped when I was pregnant with Kailani- it feels so great to be back again playing.... I really love playing so much especially in this environment where all the women are there to just have fun and stay in shape! Our team is not that great, but we got out and try hard and 2 weeks ago, i had our only goal and this past week, i had our only 2 goals! I'm hoping my parents might be able to come out and see one of my early games, they haven't seen me play soccer in YEARS!!!!!

We met a new couple and really enjoy hanging out with them- their kids go to Bode's daycare and their kids (Cooper & Crosby) are almost exactly the same age as Bode & Kailani so it is perfect doing things with them! They came to our house for the pig roast and then we went to a PSU party at their house and just really enjoy both of them and Bode and Cooper get along great! We will hopefully do more with them in the fall with the kids. The Dad played football at Penn State so he and Michael have a ton in common and really get along also- fall brings so many fun outdoor activities, we can't wait!! Sara renewed her membership at the Please Touch Museum and instead of signing Alex up on her membership, she signed me up so we now have a membership for the year- what a freakin thoughtful sister huh!! We get in free along with up to 6 people, that's pretty fantastic, thanks again sis! We can't wait to take Bode to the one in Lancaster!

New updates

2010-08-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I have taken so long to update the blog!!! Darn Facebook haha- I don't know if I have blog followers, but again- in the hopes that I do, here is an update.

We are having a blast with the kids!! Kailani is 3 months old already and Bode is officially 2 1/2 years old...... Hard to believe!!

A few weeks ago, my parents got great tickets for the Phillies game and wanted to bring the boys! My Mom stayed home with Kailani and Michael was at the cabin so my Dad and I brought Charlie and Bode to their first game. Bode technically went to a game when he was about 4 months old, but he doesn't remember!

ice cream sundae helmets

the next day, we had plans to go to Dave & Mike's house so Bode helped Tutu make some cookies!

Aaron and Bode playing in the playroom

the boys and Abigail!!

Gampa and Kailani

apparently Abby likes to hide in the cabinet hahaha

some other exciting news is that we re-painted our living room and got a new couch! We ordered it awhile ago, but it was delivered the day before our pig roast and my gosh is it amazing!!! it has power touch reclining seats, sits 7 people, bucket seating, comfort, and everything you could want in a couch!!

so... the pig roast- we had one last year as a get together for friends and family and we decided to put our fun to good use and make the pig roast a fundraiser for the foundation fighting blindness, to raise money for the VisionWalk!

Bode & Cooper in the pool

Charlie being a nice big brother and pushing Aaron in the truck

Kailani with her boyfriend Crosby

Nanny & Kristi showing charlie the pig

my Mom was able to get a deal on a moon bounce which was absolutely KEY for the party- it kept kids of all ages occupied and happy.... even the adults at times!!

bouncing with Bode

Bode was so wiped out- he did so well with not napping and then completely crashed around 9pm!

so....... more updates- Bode has made us so proud I can't even explain it! All of a sudden last Monday he woke up telling me he had to pee and poop so i put him in underwear and he has been wearing big boy underwear with NO ACCIDENTS for over a week now!!! It's like all of a sudden, he just got it. We stopped giving him things for pooping on the potty and just told him he is a big boy and he can do it on his own. He loved the fact that he could go into the bathroom on his own and pull up the stool and do it all by himself. We are so proud that he's only 2 1/2 and doing so well!!! The Sunday after the pig roast, Kailani woke up with a fever of 101.3 and a cough and boogers all over her face :( I took her to urgent care and it turns out she has an ear infection- either caused by a cold or the cold caused her to get an ear infection... regardless, she is doing much better now and was a real trooper!! She weighed in at a hefty 13 lbs. 15oz and the little princess is getting her bottom teeth already! The bottom left tooth popped through ever so slightly, you can barely feel it but it's there. She can put her entire fist in her mouth now that she's teething and puts anything and everything she comes in contact with in her mouth!

Michael just finished playing softball- his season has been going on since the end of April... 2 games/week..... that makes for a LOOONG season!! Just as he ends, I get on a soccer team. I'm so excited to be playing again and I play in a women's league Sunday nights, it feels good to be back! Last Sunday I played really well and scored our team's only goal- although the next day I felt like hell.... not sure why I played like I have been playing for years, but it felt good while I was doing it.

We are getting ready to go to the beach for Labor Day weekend, I'm so excited. Last time at the beach, Kailani was not sleeping through the night and screaming her head off- after all, she was only a week old! I can't wait to take tons of pictures and see my family!

Sorry again for the delay in updating posts, but I will work on it!

It's been awhile

2010-08-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted... I'm not even sure anyone still checks my blog but in the sense of thinking someone does, here is an update- I have been so busy posting pictures on facebook, I forget to take time to write on the blog- my bad!!

We have been busy, but doing great. Kailani is 2 months old and growing like a weed... although a set of shots that she got 2 weeks ago gave her diarrhea and made her lose a bit of weight. She had diarrhea for an entire week and was barely drinking... just when i took her to the doctor to make sure she wasn't dehydrated, she got over it- I guess the rotovirus vaccine can do that to kids... so sad, especially since she gets more at 4 and 6 months :( During that time, Bode was on medicine for what would have been a double ear infection but we caught it before it was terrible- probably because of so much swimming but he is ok now.

too cute not to post.... he is drying off like a big boy!

Our big girl! She is doing so much better- hasn't had a screaming fit in over 2 weeks, which has literally changed our lives. We can do things now in the evenings and enjoy her more which is fantastic!! She is so smiley and giggles and makes funny noises all the time. She has started reaching for toys and trying to put everything in her mouth already

Bode helping me sort tupperware

We have started our little piggy on cereal- after she was taking 6 oz bottles in the middle of the night and then 3 hours later another 4-5 oz!! Now our little princess sleeps from about 9:30-6am- woohooooo girlfriend!

sooo pretty

Bode sleeping like his baby

this was hysterical- Bode was trying to help Michael mow the grass and he was even pretending to start his mower!!

Last weekend we celebrated (or said goodbye to) our Uncle Norman who passed away. One of his best friends lives in Harrisburg, so we went out on the boat on the Susquehanna River to sprinkle his ashes and tell funny stories about him!

the kids

Me and Tosh- Norman's BFF

Aaron- eating Goldfish and drinking a Bud Light Lime- what a life

Bode and Aunt Sara

me and my monkey!

Aunt Sara and her princess whom she loves to spoil rotten!!

Gampa talking to Kailani

Kailani enjoying her first boat ride

telling funny stories

the kids- saying goodbye to Uncle Norman

Dad, giving some final words before sprinkling ashes

bye Uncle Norman, we will miss you!

me and my loves

So we are enjoying our kids and having a blast- now that Kailani is not a screaming monster every evening, it really makes us appreciate when she is good and easy- which seems to be quite often now! We are at the beach now on vacation for the week, so I will post pictures shortly after we get home, PROMISE!

we're still here!

2010-07-13T03:49:00.000-07:00

sorry it has been so long since I've posted- we are still here, we have just had a busy week!!
Kailani is getting so big- her 2 month appointment is coming up next week, I can't wait to see how much she weighs and how long she is.
Today (Friday) was her first test run in daycare with Bode and she did great! She starts full time on Monday- so sad!!

Her pretty dress Nanny got her!

swimming at the pool for Brandon's bday party

Happy Birthday Brandon

little bit of ping pong

Bode - always following the girls!

Kailani started smiling! YAYYYYY She smiles all the time and is just so happy and cute.

doesn't last long... then she passes out!

she will probably be a thumb sucker like her brother!!

she is doing better in the evenings, not screaming as much... she sometimes has screaming fits here and there, but they aren't hours at a time and don't seem to be every night- I think she is finally starting to grow out of it!!!

4th of July fun

2010-07-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the cutest picture ever! Michael took Bode fishing last Saturday- just the guys! They didnt catch anything, but Bode saw a turtle and was excited
Bode hanging out with the 'older boys' at Aunt Hope's pool!

my favorite picture of Kailani so far....... she looks just like Bode here, but with chubby cheeks!!

We went to the cabin for the 4th of July holiday weekend for fun, relaxation, and heat!!!! Boy was it hot!

Bode and me at the camp fire

making s'mores and hot dogs

Bode & Pap Pap

our fireworks show... brought to you by ZonzStanleyOber pyrotechnics! A Scary thought!

pretty girl

everyone at the cabin was gracious enough to help with the kids all weekend, but especially on sunday everyone helped with Kailani while we took Bode to the lake!

Brett Favre Jr. in training... nice form!

telling secrets to Daddy

getting ready for the water balloon fight

nice catch

I tried teaching Bode how to play lacrosse- he's getting better every day

surfer girl jammies!

Kailani is still screaming in the evenings.... we think she has what is called 'purple crying'... it's interesting and PURPLE stands for Peak of crying, Unexpected, Resists Soothing, Pain-like face, Long Lasting, Evening.....
Kailani fits all of these descriptions and it's just something babies have and they grow out of it, that's why it's called a 'period of purple crying'. we are getting through it, but evenings are kinda tough.... she pretty much seems to cry from the time we get home almost til it's time for bed.... when Michael has softball games, it's hard to spend quality time with Bode while doing dinner and dealing with Kailani. We just hope she grows out of this stage soon!

Bode still loves his sissy and is learning more and getting bigger it seems every day! Michael is still playing softball twice a week and I have gotten back into running- every day that I can, but it's harder to find time with 2 kids and a busy lifestyle. I have managed to get back to about 3 miles almost every day...... not bad but i jus wish there was more time in a day..... don't we all!

Baby girl

2010-06-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Kailani is 6 weeks old!! I feel like she has been around for months and I have to remind myself that she is so young still... she is still having screaming fits in the evenings, but is doing well sleeping at night. We put her down around 9:30 and she is up at 2:30 and 5:30... can't complain! Bode was sleeping through the night around 3 months old, so hopefully Kailani will follow his steps! We are trying to patiently get through these screaming fits, I can't wait til they are over and I can enjoy my little girl!

Crazy bed head like Mommy
Bode wanted sissy to have a playdate with his baby.... soooo precious!

Bath time

She is starting to smile and recognize voices!

The flash scared her haha

Kailani is 1 month already

2010-06-23T10:33:00.001-07:00

Today was Kailani's one month checkup and she did great! She weighs 9lbs 15oz and is 23 1/2 inches long! she is in the 97th percentile for length and 75th for weight... she is a little longer than Bode so far, but pretty much right on where he was. Bode, on the other hand, did not have a good checkup today. He developed a rash yesterday and when we got to the doctor, it was clear that he had Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease, AKA- Coxsackie Virus. He has a rash on his hands and feet and had a fever at some point and it's contagious.... so we are very careful with him around Kailani! He has started acting out, which could be terrible 2's or possibly lashing out in response to Kailani getting tons of attention (she isn't exactly a calm, easy baby). Our evenings pretty much consist of kailani crying and us trying to soothe her, so I feel terrible for Bode... he probably sees us holding her all the time and is now trying to get that attention back! He was really bad at school on Monday- hitting and kicking, throwing toys, etc. He was fine on Tuesday and is ok today, but he hasn't been feeling well and is 2 haha not a good combination!!

Our beautiful kiddos!
We are in the process of expanding our retail business in Lititz- VERY exciting!! We are taking over space downtown that is about 3 times the size of our current store so this weekend and all next week, we will be very busy packing and moving a few doors up! Michael has been busy playing softball and football- he has softball games twice a week and his football season just ended but he continues to fish as much as possible. I got back into running after my follow-up appointment and am up to 3 miles now- slowly haha. Michael and I are tentatively running a 5K on July 18th in Philadelphia.... we are both trying to get in shape for that so we'll see how that goes!! We are also planning a cruise for our 5 year anniversary next fall- we are soooooooooooo excited for that. Michael has never been on a cruise and I'm sure this won't be our last one!!

What a cutie! Wearing Daddy's tube-fishing flippers!

Things with 2 babies

2010-06-16T03:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated the page in awhile- things have been crazy. Kailani has not been easy these past 4 weeks- doctors think she has reflux, possible colic, and some constipation. In a nutshell, I breastfed for a week then we switched her to formula... then the docs thought she had reflux, so they switched her formula again- that didn't totally work, so they added Zantac to the new formula. Thursday night, Kailani had a fever of 100.8 so we called the pediatrician and they told us to go to the hospital- they admitted her and kept her overnight for observation. They did some Xrays and tests and said she has reflux but her stomach and chest looked fine. She ended up having a viral infection and is doing well now. They discharged us Friday and told us she was constipated and we had to switch back to normal formula again and stay on the Zantac... so we have switched her formula 3 times in 4 weeks (doctor orders) and that is probably causing her constipation.... so we are sticking with this formula for at least a week or two and we'll see how she does. I'm not sure that she has colic... our pediatrician doesn't think so, but the attending physician at the hospital said she might. She screams bloody murder sometimes throughout the day, but is usually mild mannered and lays awake for long periods of time just staring around and being content.... i think her screaming fits are related to constipation, but we'll see if she gets better.

Here is our pretty girl in her little tutu

She loves hearing Bode's voice

Just precious

Last weekend we were at my parents' house and Michael, my Mom & Dad took Bode and Charlie fishing at Marsh Creek- the boys had a blast and caught lots of small finish!

Charlie's fish!

Bode's fish

Charlie with the worm

Good luck kissing the fishy!

the kids!

Bode trying on daddy's flippers for fishing

Kailani's 1 month appointment is coming up so I will let everyone know her stats but at her last appointment for her checkup she weighed 9 lbs 9oz & they are happy with that!

Happy Birthday

2010-06-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

Happy 32nd Birthday to my beautiful sister, Sara Kealoha! I love you so much and hope you have a wonderful day!!

We survived the beach

2010-06-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

Friday we left for the beach and it turned out to be one of the worst car rides I have ever experienced!! We hit so much traffic our 3-hour tour turned into a 5.5 hour hell ride! Kailani had never been in her seat more than 30 minutes at a time so she was not used to her car seat- we stopped a half hour into the trip because of her screaming fit and she burped... then we were on our way- hit traffic, had to stop a few times to feed her, get dinner, she threw up on her self twice, was screaming bloody murder most of the way down- I was in tears, Michael was in the back seat trying to burp her while we were stopped in traffic..... I can't say enough how thankful I am that Bode is an amazing little boy- he talked the whole time and was an absolute angel, even though kailani puked on his leg at one point hahaha. We finally made it around 9:30pm and the kids got cleaned up and went to bed!

Kailani is a tough little girl so far- she has these screaming fits throughout the day where she can't be calmed- she has already burped, she has eaten, etc. We aren't sure if it's gas or if she has some kind of reflux or stomach problem but she is tough. Bode had a rough period when he was a newborn but Michael and I had what we call 'newborn amnesia' where we don't really remember his first few weeks- maybe lack of sleep??

tutu & gampa's grandkids!

Saturday morning we took Bode to the beach, even though the weather wasn't spectacular- he still got to play around and got knocked over by a wave!

playing baseball with daddy

the boys

After one of Kailani's night feedings, i went to check on Bode, who was sleeping like this!! Talk about a rough night LOL

Sunday morning we went to the beach to watch Michael surf fish- he wasn't able to catch anything but Bode had fun trying his fishing pole

Sunday my parents, Michael, and Charlie & Bode went on the boat while me, Sara, Alex & Aaron went to the beach- I took Kailani for an hour and then came home- she slept through the whole thing!

fishing on the boat- unfortunately Bode cried most of the time on the boat- he didn't like the rocking back and forth and was also due for a nap! Eventually, he fell asleep and everyone had fun!

Charlie loved fishing!

Sunday night we had a yummy steak dinner and celebrated Sara's 32nd birthday!!

pretty girl Kailani

The car ride home was much more pleasant- we didn't hit any traffic and the kids slept the whole way!
We stopped at home to unpack and stretch out before going to Aunt Cathy's Monday evening for a picnic

Bode loves laying with Kailani

what a ham!

We are still alive!

2010-05-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

I'm trying hard to keep up with the Blog and Facebook, since I know so many people rely on these social sites for updates!! We are home and things are going well so far! I don't remember if I put this in my previous post, but I had issues with my epidural at the hospital.... I had to get 2 epidurals before having Kailani... we aren't sure if the first one didn't work or what- but the anesthesiologist had to stick me twice. Then Thursday morning I woke up with the most horrendous headache I have ever had- i could barely even hold my own head upright.... and when I laid down the headache went away! The doctor quickly realized I had what is called a 'spinal headache'- apparently, sometimes when doing an epidural, doctors can puncture the 'dura' and CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) can slowly leak out.... therefore the fluid drains from around the brain causing a terrible headache. Doctors still aren't sure why the lack of the fluid causes the headaches, but it does! They did what is called a 'blood patch'... they do another epidural and draw blood from my arm, inserting it into the dura creating a type of patch so the fluid stops leaking. I felt fine thursday afternoon and going home on Friday- then Saturday overnight while feeding Kailani, I started to get a headache again :( It got worse Saturday, even though I literally laid on my back and did nothing all day! sunday morning, I was in tears.... the headache was back and worse than before! Michael and I went back to the hospital on Sunday and my parents came out to watch the kids- they were coming over anyway to cook dinner for us and see the kids, but it turned out to be perfect so we could run to the hospital for yet another blood patch- yep, that's right... my 4th epidural :( It scared me to think about getting another one- just the idea of them messing around in my back like that scares me, but the headache was unbearable! The Anesthesiologist said that sometimes people need 2 patches because their blood doesn't clot quickly or sometimes people do too much right after the patch and the blood breaks up, causing the leak to trickle through- so I had my 2nd one done Sunday and am doing well today- Tuesday. I'm still taking it easy, terribly afraid of that headache coming back, but am trying to unpack from the hospital and just catch up with being home after not doing anything here for a week!

My Mom stopped by on Saturday before working at the shop in Lititz- and gave Kailani her first piece of real bling- a sterling silver bracelet!!
Kailani was wiped out after her first sponge bath at home!!!

she looks so much like Bode, but still seems to have blueish-gray eyes. We thought Bode was a little darker than her when he was born, but after looking at Bode's baby pictures, he was about the same color... he just got tan very quickly LOL

the proud big brother! He loves holding her but it only lasts for a minute or so... then he's done and wants to hold her again 10 minutes later haha

Aunt Sara came with the boys on Sunday for dinner and playing and it was so much fun! She had a blast putting Kailani in adorable clothes!!

soo precious

Gampa reading Corduroy to Bode before Bed

Bode has been doing well so far- every once in awhile if we are holding or feeding the baby, he tries to get our attention and especially around nap time, can get antsy and find something to get him into trouble- but I can't complain, he loves to help and is really a great kid!!

Helping fold laundry

We were going for a walk on Monday and Bode was trying to 'fix' Kailani's car seat.. not sure what was wrong but he was determined

Making sure she is ready to go for a walk!!

Michael helped Bode get his fishing rod ready for the beach this weekend!

Michael has been an absolute savior with my headaches and back spasms lately. He is always a huge help and an amazing Daddy, but he just goes above and beyond his duties and is such a natural. I'm so excited to go to the beach this weekend and just hope and pray that my headache doesn't return! I can't wait to see Bode at the beach this weekend- this is going to be such a fun summer for him!!! Kailani won't get beach time, but it will be her first mini-cation and first trip to Dewey! I will make sure to take LOTS of photos!!

And then they were 4...........

2010-05-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning, Michael and I woke up like any other day..... except this day, we were having a baby haha- weird feeling! He went to work since they weren't starting the induction until noon and my Mom came up to take me to the hospital to get things started. By the time they took me back and got me set up, it was almost 2pm. The one nurse blew two veins in my hand trying to do my IV so once they finally got the pitocin going, my doctor came in to check me around 3pm. I was a little over 3 cm dilated so she broke my water! I didn't know she was going to do that, so I immediately called Michael to leave work, not knowing how long it would take me!
Once Michael got to the hospital, I got my epidural and they had to do it twice but finally got things going around 5pm and at that point, I was at 5cm dilated and in a lot of pain! I still cant imagine having a child without the epidural... My parents, Michael's parents, and our sisters were in and out of the room, waiting- my doctor kept saying she thought this pregnancy would go quickly and it seemed to take me forever to dilate. Jamie was having Bode over for a sleepover, so she had to leave with him around 9:30 and right after that is when things started to happen..... at 10pm, my doctor checked me and said I was at 8cm.... then while checking me, I had a contraction so I pushed a little and she said 'oh you are at 10 now and ready to push'.... our parents scrambled to get their things and get out of the room and everyone was so excited. 14 minutes later, after 3.5 pushes, our beautiful baby girl was born!

I had just gotten my epidural ha!

Welcome to the world Kailani Reece Madara! She came out so quickly, she wasn't crying at first- I got kinda worried because Bode was screaming the minute he popped out! They rubbed her back and she eventually cried but she had some mucus in her throat from coming out so fast.

She was 8lbs 8oz and 21 inches long- 2 oz more than Bode- I'm sure if she would have come on her due date like Bode, they would have been the same size b/c he was 21 in. long too!

The proud papa!

telling everyone her name with a blanket was fun- we knew because of how different her name was, just telling them her name would require us to spell it so we had a blanket made. Kailani is Hawaiian obviously and it means 'sea & sky'. We wanted a name that had something to do with the ocean, since the rest of us have our names connected with the sea somehow. We did like Leilani which means heavenly flower, but when we read Kailani, we immediately loved it... and Michael had picked Reece as his favorite name so we knew that was the middle name and it just flowed nicely!

Aunt Sara- she made the trip from the city and got to the hospital around 8 or 9 and was able to meet her before having to head back to the city and get home around 1:30am!

Gampa with his granddaughter

Nanny with her new granddaughter

The new addition... Bode has no idea what is happening haha

Michael's parents

her first sponge bath

Aunt Jamie left work early on Thursday and brought Bode in to see his new sister- he loooves her........ so far haha

Makayla with her new cousin

Kailani got Bode a new tractor to play with at the hospital- what a nice little sister

When Bode got to my room, he took a look at my belly and then at the baby and came over and lifted up my shirt- he wanted to see my belly.... when he saw it was not huge anymore, he asked to lay on me!! too cute

Aunt Hope snuggling with Kailani

Bode loves to give his sister kisses

Aunt Jamie!

I can't believe how much she looked like Bode! She has blue eyes though, like Michael, which is gorgeous. Bode had black eyes when he was born and hers are definitely light... doesn't mean they will stay that way, but I hope- dark hair with blue eyes is so adorable

Auntie Kristi came to visit!

again, loves kisses!

my gorgeous family

Kailani is just wonderful. She reminds me so much of Bode- but with lighter hair and chubbier cheeks haha. We got discharged from the hospital on Friday around 2 and brought the family home. Bode did so well- he kept asking to hold her and after a minute, was done... and then wanted to hold her again and kiss her. So far, he is doing well with her and seems to be curious!

Our first night went well- Kailani went to bed around 10 and was up to eat at 1:30 and 5:30- she is just too precious and we are so thankful for such a healthy family. We are so lucky to have such a supportive family to help us out with Koa and Bode and everything else we needed help with. I can't wait to show her off even more as we take more pictures!!

Update on BGM

2010-05-18T17:52:00.001-07:00

Well, we still aren't a family of 4.......... yet! I was due on Monday and I went in for my appointment- I was still only 2cm dilated and the doctor did the best she could to strip my membranes, but couldn't do much because I'm not dilated a lot. I am scheduled to be induced Wednesday, the 19th at noon!!
I went to work Monday and had really strong contractions every 10-12 minutes all day..... literally all day- midnight they suddenly stopped :( this is the story of the last 2 weeks of this pregnancy- it's been such an emotional roller coaster and it's almost over, we are so excited!

I will do my best to update the blog from the hospital with photos and the baby's name, I know most people are anxious for that haha!!

Tonight surprisingly we went to Bode's swim lesson- they were as surprised to see us as we were to be there- we should have had a baby by now. Bode tried diving for the first time and for his first time and being 2, he did great!

these are for you, Tutu Makua!

Update

2010-05-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

I had my 39 week appointment on Tuesday and things are slowly progressing.... slowly! Last Friday I was 1 cm dilated and now I am 2 cm and am slowly starting to 'thin out'. The doctors wanted to induce me on my due date, but the hospital is already booked Monday and Tuesday with inductions and c-sections so if BGM doesn't come before then, I will be induced Wednesday the 19th at noon. She might be like her brother and be ready to come on her due date... but I have a feeling she will come on Sunday- my Grandma's birthday.

I will continue to keep everyone updated when I can!

Hanging in there

2010-05-07T09:18:00.001-07:00

Sorry, no adorable pictures of Bode to post right now, but I'm sure I will have some from this weekend- just an update on BGM. One of the beautiful things about this blog is venting!!! I'm frustrated right now and am just waiting and hanging in there.

This pregnancy has been awesome!! I have only gained 30 lbs. and I gained about 60 with Bode and am still working out almost every day, feeling great, etc. I'm not miserable like I was at the end with Bode.... just super anxious to meet BGM. Monday night around 2am I started having contractions- about every 7 minutes apart! That lasted until about 3:30 and I finally called my Dr. She said wait til they are unbearable and I can't talk through them, then come in! My Mom got to my house around 7am and by 8am, my contractions had stopped!!!!! Mom and I walked around Lititz all day, shopping and hanging out.... then we went for a walk around the block.... still nothing! Wednesday I decided to do nothing- no walking, no working out, maybe giving the baby a rest would allow her to come out... no dice! Every night since Monday I have had little- no sleep and had contractions all night- nothing regular, but they keep getting stronger and lasting longer.

My appointment this morning was very frustrating- I have not progressed at all... meaning I'm still only dilated to 1cm and my cervix hasn't thinned at all, I could have sworn all those sleepless nights filled with contractions would have done something to get things moving! NOT YET apparently.. At this point, I'm just so tired of not sleeping and am sure that we're in it for the long haul now. I think I'll probably have her on my Grandma's birthday- next Sunday May 16th. Seeing as how I went into labor on my due date with Bode, I have a feeling that might happen this time. My doctor said at my next appointment (Wednesday) they will check me again. If I have progressed at all at that point, they will schedule an induction.... but they won't do anything now because if they try to induce me and I'm not ready, I'll have to have an unnecessary C-Section- NO FUN! I have such a terrible feeling that I'm going to go past my due date this time.... as long as I don't have her Memorial Day weekend- that is my first weekend at the beach and I'm looking forward to every second of it!!!!

I'm trying to not be too upset and frustrated because I obviously don't want her coming early if she's not ready, but I just want to meet her and start being a family of 4- I could have sworn my body would be progressing after all of these days of contractions!! Monday night I swore I was going to have her and got so excited. I think I got my hopes up that she would come early and now have been shot down. She will probably wait til the last minute like Bode did haha- that's what we get for keeping something a secret about our kids!

So Michael is still going turkey hunting tonight at the cabin- he's not too far from home. I will just call him if I start having contractions regularly for an hour or so..... at this point, if I have contractions for 2 hours, I dont care if they are super strong or not- I'm going in hahaha..... I doubt at 39 weeks pregnant they will send me home at that point!!!

I will continue to post progress and updates on the blog for those not on facebook and just keep your fingers crossed that our sweet baby enters the world safe and sound.... and soon haha!

Birthday party

2010-05-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

Michael went hunting at the cabin Friday night while Bode and I had another date night- Saturday we went to the gym, ran errands, and got his hair cut. Later that evening, we went to the Cunningham's for AJ 's 30th bday party and to see their new house. We had so much fun and Bode was wiped out by the time we got home!!

Sunday morning, Michael had a football game, but Bode and I couldn't go because we were off to the Denlinger kids' 2nd birthday party at the park.... it was a hot, but beautiful day for an outside birthday party! Michael met up with us later and we had such a fun day.

the kids hydrating before playing

my little goofball

it's crazy to think that our next family picture might be as a family of 4!!!!! It was a HOT day to be really pregnant, but I'm just thankful that I won't be big like this all summer!!

slide racing with Daddy

Bode wanted to bring his baseball glove b/c he is obsessed with baseball at the moment

Bode barely made it out of the parking lot from the birthday party and he was out cold! Needless to say, he took an excellent nap, which allowed Mommy & Daddy to do some much needed stuff around the house. Michael mowed the grass while I pulled weeds and then Michael joined me doing yard work, replanting things, and I cleaned the house in hopes that BGM will join us this week and it will be my last house cleaning needed..... wishful thinking!!!

Helping with yard work!

2010-04-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

There isn't much to update on our end, we have been busy and have been having lots of fun with Bode! We are just waiting for BGM to join us and are gearing up for her arrival. I think I am finally packed and ready so she will probably not come for awhile! I have about 3 weeks left and although I would love to go any day now, I have a feeling she will wait til her due date just like Bode did.... she will make everyone wait as long as possible to meet her and find out her name!

Michael has been fishing most weekends, as well as playing in a flag football league. He starts his softball league next Monday, those games are always fun to watch and Bode loves playing on the playground. I can't wait til this summer when I can return to playing soccer and softball! Hopefully we'll have time to fit everyone's things into one week.... I guess once our kids start playing sports we will have to slow down... maybe! haha

It's so hard to get Bode to come in from outside, he is an absolute animal outside- running around like crazy and has recently learned how to punt a small ball!! We are so amazed and proud of his hand/eye coordination.... we decided if he isn't some kind of athlete, we probably did something wrong haha.

Fun baseball times with Daddy! Bode is getting better at hitting the ball already- sometimes Michael can throw overhand and Bode will hit it- this is a golf ball too!

We have been slacking a bit on taking belly pictures but when we take a recent one, I will make sure to post them! Hopefully we will be able to post pictures of our new addition soon... but probably not too soon!

Bode and Daddy playing baseball- I love how Bode whips the ball back at Michael- he has quite an arm!

Bode punting the small basketball!

Happy Early Mother's Day

2010-04-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

My Mom got tickets for the ladies to go to the Phillies game on Thursday afternoon- it was the ring ceremony for them being NL Champions last year and it was so fun just the 3 of us ladies!!

The rings were super neat- each player's name was on the ring and it was gorgeous
Shane Victorino- the Flyin' Hawaiian coming out to get his ring!

the ladies!

We were in the second row, 3rd base line- right next to the ball girl, so Ibanez was right next to us!

There's my flyin hawaiian

Utley

Happy Mother's Day- thanks Mama!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a great time

Pregnancy Pictures

2010-04-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend Sara took some awesome maternity/family pictures for us!!!! Enjoy, she does such a great job!

Michael had a football game Sunday and bode loves going and running around

I'm so excited for Thursday- Mom got me and Sara tickets for all 3 of us ladies to go to the Phillies game for an early Mother's Day present!!

Daddy's little helper

2010-04-08T17:54:00.001-07:00

Bode helping Daddy mow the grass..... with his bubble mower!

Constantly on the go!!!

Too cute

being silly as usual!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-06T03:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend filled with beautiful weather and lots-o-family time!
Let me try to re-cap the happenings because it was busy and seems like a blur at times.....

so Thursday night I started bleeding and called my doc who told me to come into the hospital- by the time I got there, I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes! they let me rest for awhile to see if they would subside but no go- they kept going so they put me on Terbutaline, which relaxes the uterus. An hour later, I was contraction-free and sent home at 3am! Poor Michael was at home while Bode slept, waiting for my phone calls anxiously- what a good sport! Since I was only about 34 weeks pregnant, they obviously didn't want the baby to come yet- if it were 2 weeks from now it might be different, but I dont want BGM coming at least until 38 weeks, just to be safe- we'll see what plans she has! Since thursday, I haven't had steady contractions again- just some here and there throughout the day but nothing major. I worked out yesterday, which the doctor said was okay as long as I wasn't still bleeding, and I had a great workout and no contractions!!

Friday we all had off of work- YAYYYYYYYYYY we had a follow-up dr. appt in the morning for me and all checked out ok- plus the dr. got to see Bode and she hasn't seen him since she delivered him- that was so neat! We spent most of the day running errands- Babies R Us for bottles, taking Bode to see the Easter Bunny (not surprisingly he freaked out- I don't blame him... where do they get these people?!??), Michael got his fishing license, Bode got his hair cut and then went home for a nap while Michael worked on the bathroom and I got a pedicure with Andrea and jamie- what a FABULOUS day!!!

Saturday I met my friend Erin at the Baseball Stadium in Lancaster for a free Easter Egg hunt for kids of all ages. It was really crowded- lots of kids and not a lot of eggs to get, so it was kinda disappointing, but fun for Bode to do his first egg hunt kind of!

Waiting patiently to be let into the ballpark

Cylo- the Barnstormers mascot- dressed up like a bunny, showing the kids how to collect the eggs

Again, not surprising, Bode was not a fan of cylo at all- and Cylo is hysterical!!!

Thanks to Erin giving us one of Nadia's eggs, Bode got 1.... a whopping 1- there were really too many kids and not enough eggs!!!!

We got home from the ballpark and Bode and I decorated Easter Eggs while Michael was fishing- it was opening day!!!! Bode had a great time decorating eggs and didn't make nearly the mess that he did last year!!

Koa enjoying this beautiful weather also!

Bode and I then walked to the playground at the elementary school down the street and he had a blast of course! He looooves wearing sunglasses and says he's a 'cool dude' haha

'hanging out'- his strength amazes me... he can hang for so long!!

The Easter Bunny was very generous to Bode this year... while he is still an only child haha! He got a new bicycle!!

it was so cute seeing his face- he was so excited

We have to help him pedal because he doesn't quite get that concept, but he is already getting better!!

Fixing the bike- he looks like such a little hoodlum here!!

Sunday morning we continued playing outside with the new bike and waited for the rest of the Bode family to arrive so the kids could find eggs! When Charlie arrived, he and Bode were off to collect eggs while Aaron napped and Sara took some maternity photos for me!!!!!

Gampa holding Aaron.... and then Aaron peed out on Gampa! Happy Easter Gampa

Charlie's face cracks me up!!!

We had a wonderful brunch at the Eden Resort (where I used to work).... it's by far my favorite place for brunch... they have about a dozen + stations set up with everything from eggs and pancakes to salmon, steak tips with mashed potatos, and grilled cinnamon rolls!!!!!!!!!!! It's the best!!

After brunch

From brunch, we were off to Mount Joy to see the Madara family (well technically the Hoffmaster side of the family)!

Here are Nanny's Grandkids ready to open their Easter gifts from Nanny & Pap

Bode was super excited... he got a bubble mower!!!
sidewalk chalk, and a squirt gun for the pool this summer like the big kids!

the kids took a dip in the hot tub, thinking it was cool... but it wasn't really that cool haha!

Bode was a great sport all day- he didn't go down for a nap and really didn't have a lot of meltdowns, we just can't get him to come in from playing. He wants to constantly be outside, which is good, but it is tiring!! We had such a great weekend and are so blessed to have such wonderful families to spend time with!

These are cute pictures from Bode playing outside on Monday- I was cooking dinner and looked out the window and he was golfing... he actually had pretty good form and was hitting the ball too haha!

Such a ham!!! I don't know why, but this is the new face he makes when you tell him to smile- lovely!

Happy April

2010-04-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Funny pictures of Bode

Risky Business haha

Helping Daddy put the new flooring in the bathroom

YAYYY Playing outside finally!!

What a weekend!!

2010-03-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Friday night I took Bode out to dinner on a date while Michael went to his friend's bachelor party- we had a great time at dinner and Michael had a little bit too much fun at the bachelor party..... he was hurting on Saturday all day!!

Saturday morning I worked in Lititz- we had a sidewalk sale in town and although it was cold, we had a decent turnout. After work, we headed to my parents' house for what I thought was a birthday dinner for me and Mom and I ended up walking into a surprise baby shower!!!! I was totally surprised and so excited that no one blew the surprise- I loooove surprises!!!

the delicious cake that Sara made!!
just to clarify, BGM is NOT her initials... it stands for baby girl madara

the decorations were beautiful

everything was pink and green!!!

beautiful flowers everywhere

Thank you for my shower ladies, I love youuuuu

Aaron ready to party

Aaron with Gampa

my friend Megan came to the shower, but Michael and I were running late because we had to go pick up his car from Friday night, so I missed her

Alex, Sam & Kim

Jere & Cathy

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!

I was so shocked! the presents in my hand were birthday presents for Aaron and I walked in thinking we were celebrating birthdays! I LOVE SURPRISES!!

the painful look on my face is because i drank about 20 ounces of water before driving an hour.... not a good combo when you are that pregnant!

my sister had my invitation taped to the garage door, along with a note requesting people who come bring a dinner to freeze so we have meals for when the baby comes home- what a GREAT idea!!!!! And ironically, my parents got me a chest freezer for my birthday!!!!

Mommy, Daddy, and proud big brother

Michael and Bode don't look nearly as thrilled as I do haha

BGM helping to cut her cake

We got so many gifts and BGM has an entire wardrobe already at least up until she is 3-6 months old.... we are so fortunate!!

Bode and Charlie were a huge help!

I have the best sister!! Thank you so much babe I love you

Bode and Pappy

Alex was showered out!!

Sunday morning Micheal had a football game and they won! Bode kinda lost interest when he realized Michael couldn't hear him yelling haha. I had a great workout while all of the boys in the house slept and then I went through all of our gifts and took tags off of BGM's little clothes to get them ready to wash in a few weeks!!! When Michael woke up, he worked on the bathroom and ended up finishing all of the hardwood flooring in the bathroom, it looks great!!!! Once it is completed and the tile is grouted, I will post pictures- stay tuned!

Thank you again for all who participated in the shower, we had a great time and are soooo very thankful for what we have and the family and friends in our life!!

Counting down the weeks!

2010-03-23T04:23:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I have posted anything- my blogger was acting up and of course, we were busy- broken record I know! So I got a sinus infection about 2-3 weeks ago and still have it, thus infecting the rest of my family. Michael is now sick and I just took Bode to the pediatrician this morning and he has one too.... He has been sick for about 2 weeks now off and on and finally I took him in to get answers and his nose was infected :( Poor boy, I feel terrible for giving him my sickness- now that the weather is nicer, we can open the windows and air our house out!!!!!!!

We are still doing swim lessons every week- Bode's swim instructor loves teaching him and the two other boys and Bode is having a blast! Last week, he hung onto a noodle and kicked the entire length of the pool, how exciting!! It's funny because we used to call him Michael Phelps when he was a baby because of how giant his feet were.... how ironic! There is a Bode in the winter Olympics... who knows, maybe someday there will be a Bode in the summer Olympics haha

Last weekend we had some gorgeous weather and although we were busy, we found time to play outside of course! Here is Bode trying out Matthew's old roller blades. He wasn't very fond of them, but I told him he had to at least try it out. We'll see if he wants to get them on again haha

So we are counting down the weeks until our little wahine arrives! It still, surprisingly, doesn't feel real to me yet..... although I am reminded every second with this belly that a baby is on the way. I even re-folded her clothes this past weekend and just kinda sat in her room but it still hasn't hit me yet. Maybe once I wash her clothes, but I don't think it will hit me until she is here... kinda like Bode. I am getting excited though, a friend of mine had her baby last week and another friend is due in about 3 weeks, so seeing their babies means me getting closer and closer!

So here is a look back at my belly- oh how I miss you

8 weeks pregnant

28 weeks pregnant

and now.... 32.5 weeks pregnant!holy cow, I think it might be bigger than with Bode
the human body amazes me sometimes!

Michael started playing flag football in a league- YAYYYYYYYYYY I love watching him play, however I couldnt make his first game last week because we had an appraiser come out. He had a great time and could barely walk on Sunday but I can't wait to take Bode to his games! Michael and Scott have been working so hard on the upstairs bathroom and wow does it look phenomenal! The tiling in the shower is almost done, I can't wait to post a picture!!

So I mentioned that we had an appraiser come to the house- we aren't selling, don't worry.... we want to enjoy the work we have done on the house for a little while!!!! We are re-financing and got a great deal on interest rates that we couldn't pass up! With the things we have fixed up on the house, we are hoping the appraisal comes in high, but I kinda have my doubts because the comps in our neighborhood are horrible!!!! I'm so nervous and the report is expected to be complete by Wednesday or Thursday of this week!!!! YIKES, I'll keep you posted! I just hope the house is worth more than what we bought it for and the work we have put in so we will see if this is all worth it!

Besides being sick, Bode is doing great- now that's it's nice out we can never get him inside! Even in the rain, he cries that he wants to play outside... and even told me he could wear his snowpants and play in the rain... too cute! He continues to crack us up with things he says and is doing great with the potty! He still consistently goes pee on the potty and hasn't shown interest in pooping yet, although he tells us when he poops in his diaper most times- that's a start I guess! I'm sure it will be awhile, but at least he is starting before BGM arrives!

Birthday party at BounceU

2010-03-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

Friday night, Bode got a touch of a 24-hour stomach bug.... he was up pretty much all night saying he was done sleeping and it wasn't until about 1am that we realized it was an upset stomach. Saturday morning, Bode seemed to be feeling better, but still had some diarrhea.... but he went poop on the potty that morning, luckily!!! We had a birthday party to go to at BounceU and Bode seemed to be feeling better, although on the way to New Jersey, he had a naaaasty diaper so we had to stop and change him- I had a run-in with some scary people but eventually we made it to the party!

Aaron ready to tackle the day

Bode loving the giant slide

shooting the targets

Aaron being his super cute self!

giant slide time

Charlie playing basketball with Uncle Sam

shooting the targets

the big birthday boy

Bode was playing with sissy's toys and decided to 'call her' (soooo cute)

being suuper cute!

Bode seems to be recovered from his stomach bug and had a great time at the party. Saturday night, he felt better and slept through the night without having to go potty. Sunday, unfortunately, it rained all day so Michael's football game was canceled- he starting playing in a flag football league and Sunday was supposed to be the first game. We ran some errands and Michael did some work on the bathroom, and we played with Bode. He keeps saying that he wants to help feed sissy and hold her- I can't wait to see how he is when she arrives!

I'm feeling great still, just getting more and more uncomfortable- the baby is extremely active, more so than Bode which kinda scares me haha! Bode loves feeling her move around and we are starting to get ready for her arrival!

Nursery

2010-03-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Baby Girl Madara's nursery- I can't really show the cutest part, the letters on her wall, for obvious reasons.... but here is her bedding at least- my favorite part!!! We got the bumper and quilt as a gift and we are so thankful (thank you again Tutu Makua, that was so thoughtful and generous of you)!!

The bedding is called "Island Surf" from Pottery Barn and it's absolutely adorable!!! I can't wait to see a little wahine sleeping in the crib!!

I have some more pictures to post from our weekend, but that will have to come tomorrow night, right now I'm tired!! Bode had a stomach bug this weekend but seems to be on the mend and he has been doing FANTASTIC with going potty!!! He was dry the entire day on Sunday and besides a poopy diaper, he only went through one pull-up!! He even tells us that he needs to go potty when we are out running errands, we are SO incredibly proud!!!

i will post more tomorrow, gnight!

Updates

2010-03-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

We have been busy, sorry it has been so long since I have updated anything! Our weeks fly by with swimming lessons, work, house renovations, chasing after a 2 year old outside (weather has been spectacular lately), and anything else you can add into our week!

Bode and I were slow dancing!!!

Bode and Michael playing with some of his bday toys

using his golf clubs as samurai swords

Bode and Michael were quiet the other day in the playroom and when i came in, i found out why- they were working hard building a bird house.... so cute!

Bode is sometimes replaced by a mini-monster who throws fits and cries over everything.... usually it's right around nap or bedtime and this past weekend he has been sick and has gotten his 2-year molars... not a good combination! He was exhausted to say the least and minutes after putting him to bed, we checked on him and thought he had gotten out of bed... but nope, he was buried under the covers! sleepy boy!

It's a good thing he's cute because when the monster takes over his body, he still melts my heart- sometimes!

This past weekend, my Mom scored free tickets to go see Sesame Street live in the city! We jumped on the opportunity and the kids loved it! thanks so much Mom for all of your fantastic connections!! You have worked hard to earn them!

Charlie and Bode ready to go in

Charlie, Bode & Owen

Bode loved it and danced and jumped around a lot of the time. I made a deal with Michael, we'll see how long it lasts.... I took Bode to this show and he can take our daughter to her first boy-band concert!!

Charlie was gracious enough to share his binoculars, Bode loved that! He didn't realy get it so when he looked through them, he yelled really loud 'HI ELMO' like Elmo was right next to him! so cute

So other than being busy, we have been tired. I am going through my second sinus infection this year- yeah already! I'm 30 weeks pregnant this week and am really starting to feel it ha! I'm still working out which gets me through my weeks- it makes me feel great and I feel like I'm in better shape than with Bode. I had my checkup last week and I have gained 22 lbs. so far and BGM is measuring normal and everything looks great! We decided to get a blanket engraved with her name on it, to surprise everyone in the hospital and announce her name! I ordered the blanket last week and can't believe someone out there knows her name!!!! I made her swear her life to secrecy, knowing my Mom would probably try to call!

Michael has been suuuuuper busy at work- he has taken on sooo much responsibility and is loving what he does still, but it's a big adjustment from his old job where he just kinda sat in an office programming. He is going to be taking over scheduling the shop at his work, he is working on other prototype parts, fixing old programs, doing his current job, and doing a lot of problem solving. I am so proud of him and he is working so hard! Fishing season is fast approaching and Michael can't wait- right after that comes turkey season, let's just hope Michael isn't too far away when BGM decides to join us! The weather has been so nice the past few days and it is torture trying to get Bode to come inside for dinner- it will be nice when there is more light in the day!

Water monster

2010-03-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Bode's swimming lessons have been going super! He is doing better at moving his arms and keeping his mouth closed while under water- his love of jumping in the water has literally gone to the next level........ get ready to see a "Bode" in the summer olympics 2012 ha

He kept asking to climb on the block so we let him and didnt really think he would jump in.... but he did and LOVED it!!! We have created a monster....

Bode's 2nd Birthday

2010-03-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Bode's 2nd birthday with friends/family on his birthday and he was so excited!! He woke up Saturday morning and I said 'today is your birthday big boy' and he yelled 'everybody sings happy birthday to ME today' haha

talking to Sissy

Making cupcakes for daycare

sprinkles... the best part

This is what happens when Daddy tries to fix something with the help of a 2 year old!

Bode was a bit overwhelmed with all of the gifts, cake, attention, etc. but overall he did okay and only threw a few fits haha

an adorable football chair that Tutu and Gampa got him for his playroom

Mommy & Daddy got Bode a new piggy bank so that he can collect the money that he finds....

.... and he immediately hit up gampa for some coinage! smart boy haha

a new monster truck

Nanny & Pap got Bode a new basketball hoop that goes up to 6 feet!! So far, we all love using it haha

playing with the new toys

One of Aunt Cathy's amazing creations.... she is just unbelievable!

Mommy forgot to get a candle :( so we just went with what we have and used votives hahaha

Bode loves having people sing to him

We had a great celebration and are so thankful for the family and friends that are close and love Bode so much.

So we are parents of a 2 year old now... and about to be parents of 2 kids. Bode has definitely kept us on our toes lately but provides us with hours of entertainment- he has his moments where he throws fits and is defiant... but most times he can be so sweet and innocent and just says the funniest things.... it kills me and just melts our heart. He has officially been in pull-ups for a week now and is doing great! He used the potty 5 times on Saturday and 5 times on Sunday and sometimes even tells us that he has to go! He has only pooped on the potty once, but peeing is a start and we'll take it at 2 years old! We are so proud.... he even goes at Nanny's and at school!! he says that he is going to teach sissy how to use the potty.... we'll see haha

thank you again everyone for helping us celebrate our big boy's 2nd birthday!! we love you all

Happy Birthday Bode!!!!

2010-02-27T05:44:00.000-08:00

Bode Kekai is 2 today!!
Wow, has it been 2 years already?? It's unbelievable to think of the joy the past 2 years has brought to us- never in my life could I have imagined feeling love like this for a child! We have been so blessed with an absolutely healthy and wonderful little boy and are so incredibly proud of the little man that he is becoming. I feel such a special bond with him being my first born and can't wait to see him as a big brother, I just know he will be so proud!

We love you so much Bode, and are so proud of you!!!

Round 1 of Bode's 2nd Birthday!

2010-02-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

What a fun, busy weekend we had! Friday night we went to my parents' house to see them and have them see the kiddos, since they were in Hawaii for 2 weeks! Saturday was a crazy day filled with running errands, working on the house, the Denlingers party, and getting ready for Bode's birthday party. Scott & Michael have started renovating the upstairs bathroom and boy has it ever turned into a renovation- they ripped out the shower tile (blue, moldy tile... yuck) and realized there was nothing but drywall behind the tile- not so good!! So Scott & Michael then had to rip out all the drywall, down to the studs!! I will post before/after pictures for sure because right now it looks like something straight out of a TV home renovation show! I'm kinda excited to see the 'after' work, we just weren't expecting such a surprise in the bathroom... that's what happens when you buy an older, fixer-upper I guess! We just keep telling ourselves all of this will be worth it when we sell someday..... hopefully!

Sunday we had a swimming birthday party for Bode for his friends and next weekend we will have a family party for his actual birthday. The swimming party was held at our gym, which has an indoor pool, and we had an Elmo theme- aunt Sara has become quite the cake-maker extraordinaire and she volunteered to make Bode's cake!! What a job she did, it was adorable AND DELICIOUS!!!
Hanging out before everyone else arrived

Everyone eating pizza and snacks before cake and presents!

Mitch and Carter

Bode was so excited and proud to have an Elmo cake

such a big boy

he loved everyone singing to 'him'.... for months now he has been saying 'my birthday in february, i'll be 2' and he says 'people sing happy birthday to ME'
he sang along!!

Loving his cake

After opening presents, we all got dressed and it was time to swim!

Olivia checking out the situation in the pool

Makayla playing water basketball

Brady ready to get in

Charlie ready to swim

The cohen family enjoying some swim time!

Bode pretty much jumped in for an hour straight- he is such a fish

Sara getting clocked in the face with a noodle!

The Denlinger Family!

Makayla floating on the rafts

Aaron splashing like a water monster!

After the party, the Cohens came back to hang out at our house and have dinner- it's rare that we get to spend a whole lot of time with them, unless it's here and there at my Mom & Dad's house.

Charlie & Bode played really well together in the playroom

Bode, getting ready for the Delingers potty party

Cool dude

Coloring with the kids

Cookie time

my handsome little monkey!

Carter & Olivia ready for more chips

Bode found a baby in the toy box and loved it! he kept rocking it back and forth and giving it water- it's so cute to see him like that, I just hope he likes his sister ha!

Bode has finally gotten his 2-year molars and for the past week or two, he has been pretty miserable throughout the day. He has periods where he is happy and fun, but then he can switch it off and just be a bear- probably a mix of teeth and 'terrible 2's' but regardless, we are trying to get through it and prepare for 2 kids! I cannot believe we are parents of a 2 year old and I'm sure it will be even harder to think about being the parents of 2 kids!!

I'm officially in my 3rd trimester now- it's crazy to think I'm starting my 8th month and have about 11 weeks left! I feel like I have so much to do still, but I'm not as anxious this time as with Bode. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we know what we are having and are more prepared with clothes, supplies, etc. With bode, we really didn't have much clothing ahead of time and that made me really nervous and anxious. Sleeping for me has gotten really uncomfortable and I know it only gets worse from here- BGM moves all the time and she will even kick me that hard in the middle of the night, it wakes me up! Bode never did that and it worries me she will be even more active than him!!!

I'm sure I will have more pictures and things to update at the end of the week, we have Bode's birthday party for family at our house Saturday night- he wont know what to do with himself having 2 parties haha, what have we started!!

Puzzle

2010-02-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

Here is Bode showing off his puzzle skillzzzz